I saw the recipe for Arancini in a magazine a while ago and wanted an excuse to make them as they looked delicious. They are an old Italian recipe to use up leftover risotto, and as I made risotto yesterday I thought that gave me a great reason to try them out. We weren’t disappointed either, although the first one came out a bit wrong as we put it in too early.

I made the two dips as well instead of our usual hummus, although that would be fine too. I have a quick easy recipe for that on the family vegetarian blog page.

We also made couscous for lunch with a bit of  chopped salad mixed in, and pomegranate and mint to flavour it.

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Breakfast
Porridge with berries

Lunch
Pomegranate & mint couscous

Dinner
Arancini with dips

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Arancini
Adapted From Delicious Magazine

Ingredients

The saved risotto rice
A little vegan milk
75g vegan cheese, cut into small cubes
Sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
150g fresh breadcrumbs

Method

Using slightly wet hands, divide the risotto into golf ball size pieces.

Take 1 piece of risotto and flatten to a small disc. Put a pieces of the vegan cheese into the centre and shape the rice around the filling into a ball, patching up any gaps with a little more risotto, if necessary.

Repeat to make as many as you can.

Heat a deep-fat fryer or some oil in a large, deep saucepan to 180°C. (To test the temperature, a cube of bread added to the oil should brown in 40 seconds.)

While the oil is heating up, brush the risotto balls in a little milk, then the breadcrumbs and deep-fry in batches for 3-4 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot or cold.

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White bean & herb dip
Adapted From Delicious Magazine

Ingredients

1 tin cannelli beans
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoon lemon juice
75ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon of chopped mint

Method

Mix all the ingredients together in a blender and season to taste.

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Spiced pea dip
Adapted From Delicious Magazine

Ingredients

200g frozen peas
75g vegan yogurt
1/2 lemon juice
1 garlic
1/4 onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 chopped chilli
Small handful mint
Splash Virgin olive oil

Method

Mix all the ingredients together in a blender and season to taste.

Add a bit of chopped chilli to garnish

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