From: Linda McCartney’s “Home Cooking”, p. 127.
A veggie schnitzel, topped with fried eggs.
After having lived in Switerzland for more than 10 years, I am wondering why this is called “Swiss Schnitzel”- for it to be Swiss I would have expected at least a little bit of cheese. But anyway, this is another recipe that seems to appeal to people who like meat but seems to be a bit plain for vegetarians. I do miss some veg here (my husband loved the schnitzel just as it was)…
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 130.
Halved tomatoes, baked on a bed of crumbled burgers in sauce.
An easy dish that reminds me a little of 1980s cooking and was a little too plain for my taste. My husband and daughter loved it, though 🙂
I recommend reducing the olive oil to 3 tbsp and omitting the butter- otherwise it gets too greasy.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 99.
Just what the title says: breaded mozzarella cheese, fried and served warm.
I found this recipe a little too plain as the mozzarella itself does not have so much taste. I would prefer substituting it for some stronger cheese. A family favourite is breaded fried cammembert, served with bread and some cranberry sauce. Heaven! Fried feta cheese is also great- try seasoning it with some za’atar and serve with a drizzle of honey.
Gluten-free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
From Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 148.
A classic pesto recipe, using basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese.
Pesto is one of our favourites with pasta- and there are endless variations. Here, parmesan is used. I find it difficult to find vegetarian parmesan so I tend to buy organic extra-mature gouda cheese instead.
The pine nuts that are used in this recipe are very expensive. Try substituting them for sunflower seeds. They taste very similar and are a lot cheaper to buy. Most other nuts, such as cashews or blanched almonds also make a great pesto.
Variations include adding some sun-dried tomatoes, or using roasted peppers, or add spinach leaves. A spash of lemon juice really helps the flavours develop better.
Vegan: omit the cheese and add more sunflower seeds or pine nuts. If you want the “cheesy “taste, try adding a teaspoon of nutritional yeast (or more to taste).
From Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 101.
A creamy, oven-baked rice with cheese, sour cream and chillies.
This rice seems to be a savoury version of creamed rice- very rich and filling and delicious. Serve with a green salad for an easy winter dinner.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 144.
Pickled cucumbers with dill.
When shopping on our local farmer’s market. I came across some pickling cucumbers- ideal to try out this recipe.
We left the pickles to stand for one month. They turned out nicely but were far too salty. Using only 2 tbsp. of salt for the pickles would be enough. I also recommend adding 1 tbsp. mustard seeds, 1 chopped red chilli and 2 tbsp. brown sugar to the vinegar to give the pickles a more interesting and balanced flavour.
From Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 51.
A cold avocado soup, flavoured with sour cream and dill.
I have to admit that I was a bit sceptical about this soup, but quickly changed my mind once it was on my plate. It is lovely cooling and creamy and can be served as a light lunch with some fresh bread and a salad. Also a great starter for a dinner party.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 118.
A nice tomato rice with onion, celery and navy beans.
The recipe does not give any suggestions on how and with what to serve this rice. I think that it is a little plain on its own and would recommend serving it with a big salad or even a quiche.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 55.
A cold soup with tomatoes, green pepper and cucumber- and garlic of course!
When I was a child, my Mum made Gazpacho once and I remember really hating it. So I was a little scared of this recipe- but got a very pleasant surprise. A refreshing soup that is delicious and contains all the goodness of a big salad. So it could really be called a salad smoothie 🙂
I must admit that I did not add the raw egg to the soup as I want to be careful with uncooked eggs. But tastewise, there is really no need for the egg, so I guess it is ok to just leave it out (and thus make this a vegan soup, too!).
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 88.
Burger chunks in a white sauce with onion, peppers and mushrooms.
This is one of the endless variations of burger chunks that are presented in this cookbook. I got a little tired of them, but my family is asking for more. So I continue on the quest to cook my way through the whole book…
This sauce is really very tasty and meat-lovers will like this a lot. I substituted the burger chunks for cubed smoked tofu which was great as it did not crumble during the cooking time and added a lovely smokey flavour to the dish.
Vegan: Use plant-based milk for the white sauce.
Gluten-free: Use a gluten-free flour blend for the white sauce and make sure the burgers you are using are gluten-free, too. Or use smoked tofu instead.