Jamie Oliver - A Modern Way to Eat - Over 200 satisfying, everyday vegetarian recipes

I find yoghurt really useful in the kitchen – it makes its way into baking cakes, batters, breads. I use good organic Greek yoghurt in place of mayonnaise and in more indulgent desserts, and a natural one for breakfasts and toppings. For me it’s important to vary my diet so as not to become reliant on one thing too much, so I also keep coconut milk yoghurt on hand for days when I’m feeling like changing things up a little.

MAKES 4 SANDWICHES

6 organic or free-range eggs

6 cornichons or 2 large gherkins, chopped up small

2 tablespoons little capers in brine, or big ones chopped up

2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt

1 teaspoon good Dijon mustard

grated zest and juice of ½ an unwaxed lemon

a few sprigs of fresh dill, chopped

a few sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped

optional: 1 stick of celery, chopped up small

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 slices of good bread (I like seeded stuff)

First put the eggs into a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling, set the timer for 6 minutes (you may need a touch longer for large eggs).

Once the eggs have had 6 minutes, drain them and put them under running cold water until they have cooled a little. Then leave them in a bowl of cold water until they are cool enough to peel.

Put the rest of the ingredients apart from the bread into a bowl and mix together. Once the eggs are cool, peel and roughly chop them and add them to the bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper or lemon as needed. If your bread is super-fresh there’s no need to toast it, but if it’s a little firm, pop it into the toaster. Pile the eggs on to 4 of the pieces of toast and top with the other 4 pieces.

I sometimes add a handful of seasonal salad leaves too – pea shoots, watercress and rocket all work well.

Killer smoked tofu club sandwich

John thinks this might be the best thing I have ever made. It’s basically an assembly job, putting a few good things between two slices of bread, as a sandwich should be.

MAKES 2 HEALTHY SANDWICHES

100g smoked tofu, cut into 6 slices

1 tablespoon chipotle paste

1 tablespoon mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise

juice of ½ a lime

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 slices of good bread (I use sourdough or a seeded bread)

½ an avocado, roughly mashed

1 little gem lettuce, shredded

8 sun-blushed tomatoes

Heat a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, then add the tofu slices and warm them on both sides.

Put the chipotle paste, mayonnaise and lime juice into a bowl, season with a little salt and pepper if needed, and mix well.

Toast your bread, and get everything on your board ready to assemble your sandwich.

Spread 2 slices of the toast with the chipotle sauce and the other 2 slices with the mashed avocado. Top the avocado with the tofu, lettuce and tomatoes. Pop the chipotle-laden slices on top, cut in half and eat immediately.

QUICK SANDWICH IDEAS

Sandwiches are one of my favourite things. Something great happens when the right combination of fillings is sandwiched between 2 slices of bread. These are modern, veg-packed sandwiches. I use good bread – sourdough, rye, seeded or even millet.

HUMMUS

SLICED TOMATO

SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

HUMMUS

BLACK OLIVES

HARISSA

TOASTED SEEDS

VEG FULL

SPROUTS

GRATED CARROT

SPINACH

MASHED AVOCADO

CHERRY TOMATOES

PESTO

FALAFEL

FALAFEL

CAPERBERRIES

TOMATOES

HUMMUS

PICKLED BEETS

SPINACH

LEMON JUICE

ASPARAGUS

BLANCHED ASPARAGUS

PARMESAN

AVOCADO

PUMPKIN SEEDS

ROCKET

LEMON JUICE

VEG CLUB

SMOKED TOFU

SLICED CHEDDAR

GHERKINS

LETTUCE

CHERRY TOMATOES

MUSTARD

MAYONNAISE

AVOCADO

MASHED AVOCADO

FETA

CORIANDER

LIME

CHERRY TOMATOES

LETTUCE

CHILLI/CHIPOTLE

BEETROOT

COOKED BEETS

GOAT’S CHEESE

PUMPKIN SEEDS

ROCKET

LEMON ZEST

SAN FRAN

PESTO

ALMONDS

PECORINO

ROCKET

HONEY

LEMON JUICE

a bowl of broth, soup or stew

There is something about one-pot cooking that feels properly nourishing. All the goodness of every ingredient is released into the soupy liquor. Most of these soups and stews come together in under 30 minutes and require only a little bit of upfront chopping. In the colder months, I tend to make a pot of soup on a Monday night, usually a double recipe in my biggest cast-iron pot. We then dip into it for lunches and dinners for the rest of the week, varying the toppings so that boredom doesn’t creep in. We start with a chunky soup and after a couple of bowls, I whiz it up and it feels brand new.

Warming winter roots · spicy tomato broth · cleansing miso · Tuscan heartiness · just-chewy udon noodles · cleansing coconut · fragrant lemongrass · smoky chilli spice · toasted nuts · crispy fried sage · crunchy tortilla crisps

Chickpea and preserved lemon stew

This was a quick evening creation. One of those moments when the stars align, even though you haven’t been to the shops, a few ingredients jump out of the fridge and effortlessly come together in the pan to make something special.

I make this when I want the warmth of a soup but need something a little heartier. The depth of flavour from the cinnamon, preserved lemon and tomato tastes like something cooked slowly for hours, but in fact this is a really quick recipe to make, and the warming flavours of Arabic spices are all the more heartening on a cold evening.

I use Israeli (sometimes called giant) couscous here, as it’s bigger, heartier and more substantial than the finer couscous and I think stands up very well to being cooked in a stew. It is available in most delis and supermarkets, though you could swap it for bulgur wheat if you like, or quinoa if you are avoiding gluten.

A note on preserving lemons: the unique salty-but-scented zippiness of preserved lemons introduces a punchy note to this stew. Use them too in salads, to add to a rice pilaf, in spiced soups and to liven up grains and beans. They are best added towards the end of cooking. I use a super-simple variation of the classic Claudia Roden recipe to make them. Cut 4 lemons into quarters, without going all the way through to the bottom, then pack the cuts generously with sea salt. Squash them into a preserving jar, seal and leave for a couple of days so that the salt draws out the juice. Top the jar up with the juice from 4 more lemons, to cover everything completely. Leave in a cool place for a month, then they are ready to use.

SERVES 4

olive oil

1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 × 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 × 400g tin of chickpeas, drained

½ a veg stock cube, or 1 teaspoon veg stock powder

1 stick of cinnamon

1 preserved lemon, halved, seeds removed

a handful of raisins

100g Israeli couscous

a small bunch of fresh parsley, leaves picked and chopped

TO SERVE

a good pinch of saffron strands

4 tablespoons natural yoghurt of your choice

½ a clove of garlic, peeled and chopped super-fine

4 handfuls of rocket

a small handful of toasted pine nuts

Heat a little olive oil in a pan over a medium heat, then add the onion, carrot, garlic and a good pinch of sea salt and cook for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and sweet.