Yesterday went really well. I can honestly say that I didn't notice the lack of meat or eggs, although possibly I was buoyed with enthusiasm at the start of a project. But there was a real excitement about needing to think more creatively about what I was eating. And that is the immediate difference between vegetable and meat based cooking, you can't be lazy. The first thing I noticed was the need to bring more variety to every plate of food, both in terms of the number of options on the table and in the complexity of the individual dishes. Last night we ate a meal made from the remains of the vegetable draw. We roasted chunky potatoes with crushed bay leaves, thyme and paprika. Alongside we roasted some cored bell peppers, and then stuffed them with a mixture of finely chopped red onion, garlic, leeks, rice, paprika, cheddar cheese and basil. The stuffed peppers went back into the oven to warm through and crisp on top, and we ate the two dishes with some baby peas from the freezer.
It was a lovely meal, but the noticeable thing was the way the peas became totally necessary. They provided a splash of vibrant colour and fresh sweetness alongside the two roasted dishes. I have found a similar principle on operation at lunch today. I made a lunchbox of the remaining stuffed
pepper and spare potatoes with salad leaves. For extra protein I threw in some cashew nuts, and then I added half a dozen green olives for variety. It was a delicious mixture. Surprisingly however, it was the bunch of sweet, juicy black grapes I had brought along and spontaneously ate alongside the salad which really made the mixture work. It seems that the key to satisfaction in vegetable cooking is finding a balance between sweet/salty/savoury/sour and between textures: soft/crunchy/juicy/creamy.
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