Whats a better way to celebrate World Vegetarian Day!

The nights are getting colder, shorter, and you're forever in two minds whether to pop the heating on or not. It only means one thing, it's officially Autumn! Time for comfort food and cosy socks! We have piled together our favourite veggie recipes from our favourite recipe books to give you that extra bit of warmth!

1. Halloumi Fries with Harissa Yogurt

From The Halloumi Cook Book

Halloumi fries have really taken off and become a 'go to' food. Quick and easy to prepare and cook, you can flavour them with Middle Eastern spices, such as za'atar, sumac and ras-el-hanout, or even cayenne and chilli if you want to give them some heat. You can Serve the simply with yogurt or chilli sauce or a variety of dips - tzatzki or tahini, a spicy salsa or guacamole.

Serves 4

What you'll need

  • 340g halloumi
  • 60g plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 2 tbsp za'atar
  • vegetable oil for shallow-frying
  • 1 tsp sumac
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • a small bunch of mint or coriander, coarsely chopped
  • seeds of 1 pomegranate

Harissa Yogurt

  • 150g 0% fat Greek yogurt
  • 2tsp harissa

make the harissa yogurt: put the yogurt in a small bowl and gently swirl in the harissa

Cut the halloumi into fingers, about the size of fat potato chips. sift the flour into a bowl and mix in the za'atar. Dip the halloumi fingers into the seasoned flour to coat them all over, shaking off any excess.

Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large frying pan and set over a medium heat. When it's hot, fry the halloumi fingers in batches for about 3-4 minutes, turning them until crisp and golden brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Lightly dust with the sumac.

Arrange the halloumi fries on a serving plate. Drizzle the harissa yogurt and pomegranate molasses over the top and sprinkle with the herbs and pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately with the fries are really hot and crisp.

Extract taken from The Halloumi Cookbook - £9.99

2. Spicy Sesame, Aubergine & Courgette Ramen

From Vegan Japan Easy

Ramen is a bit like a marriage; you know it's going to take a long time, but nobody tells you it never ends until it's too late. None of the previous sentence makes sense, but then neither does this recipe: a ramen that defines ramen logic by being very delicious despite also being many things that ramen is not supposed to be: fast, simple, vegan and based on a broth that's nothing special. this is achieved primarily through copious amounts of fat: particularly in the oil used to cook the veg, and in the tahini used to enrich the broth. It's the perfect recipe to make if you need to convince anybody that not all Japanese food, nor all vegan food, is light and healthy.

Serves 4

What you'll need

  • 3 courgettes
  • 3 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 tsp caster or granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1tbsp chilli flakes, plus an extra pinch
  • 1 big aubergine
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cm (1/2 in) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and minced or grated
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • hot chilli sauce, to taste (optional)
  • 1.2 litres dashi, ideally Mushroom Dashi
  • 100g tahini
  • 100g miso
  • 1/4 Chinese cabbage or similar cabbage, roughly chopped
  • 4 portions of uncooked ramen noodles
  • 4 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, crushed to a coarse powder
  • 1 spring onion, finely sliced

Cut half of one of the courgettes into long, thin matchsticks, or if you have a spiralizer, bust it out and shred into thin strands. Toss the shredded courgette with the vinegar, sugar, salt and pinch of chilli and leave to marinate while you prepare everything else.

Cut the remaining courgettes and the aubergine into wedges, about 1cm thick, heat the vegetable oil, sesame oil, Sichuan pepper, garlic, ginger and 1 tbsp chilli flakes together in a wide pan over a medium heat. Once it's hot, let everything sizzle for a few minutes, then add the courgette and aubergine wedges, stirring to coat them in the oil. Place the lid on the pan and let them steam-fry, stirring every couple of minutes or so, until the vegetables are very soft, about 15 minutes. Add the soy sauce and mirin, taste, and add chilli sauce if you want it spicier. Leave to cool for another 5 minutes or so for the veg to absorb the seasoning.

Meanwhile, bring the dashi to a low boil and whisk in the tahini and miso, ensuring that no lumps remain (if you have a hand-held stick blender, it's a good idea to use it). Reduce the seasoned broth to a simmer.

Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil, and boil the cabbage for 1 minute, until tender. Remover with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Let the water come back to the boil and cook the ramen until al dente, according to the packet instructions. Drain very well.

Divide the ramen among 4 deep bowls, pour over the miso-sesame broth and toss the noodles through the broth to ensure they aren't sticking together, Top with the aubergine and courgette mix (plus all of the oil), the crushed sesame, the pickled courgette, and the spring onion. Eat immediately and don't forget to slurp!

Extract taken from Vegan Japan Easy - £22.00

3. Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

From Peanut Butter: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

What happens if you take a home-made peanut butter cup and place it in the centre of a peanut butter cookie? Greatness- that's what happens. You might want to make mini-sized cups to use in these, or otherwise just make giant cookies (no complaints here)

Makes 12

What you'll need

  • 125g unsalted butter or butter substitute softened
  • 9g soft brown sugar
  • 110g white sugar
  • 1 tsp natural vanilla extract
  • 185g smooth or crunchy peanut butter
  • 1 egg pr egg substitute
  • 225g plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of safe (baking soda)
  • 12 frozen classic cups (pages 92-3), paper cases removed (can use shop-bought peanut butter cups)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Beat the butter and sugars in a medium bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla, peanut butter and egg, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour with the bicarbonate of soda and fold into the butter mixture until just smooth.

Using clean hands, roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls, placing them about 3cm (1 1/4in) apart on the prepared baking tray. Gently press each ball to flatten slightly.

Back for 10 minutes or until golden. remove from the oven and immediately place a chocolate cup gently in the centre of each cookie. Leave the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Extract taken from Peanut Butter: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - £11.99

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