Suma Bloggers Network - Vegetable Tagine

I am over the moon to have been chosen to be part of the Suma Bloggers Network, which is made up of 12 vegetarian and vegan food bloggers from all over the UK. Every two months I will be sharing a recipe I have created using ingredients from the Suma Co-op.

Suma is the UK’s largest independent wholefood wholesaler/distributor and are a workers’ co-operative committed to ethical business. If you haven't already you must check out their on line shop, everything they sell is vegetarian and many products are vegan. 

They pride themselves in being vegetarian/vegan, ethical, fair trade and are conscious of the environment and are carbon neutral! How fantastic is that? Their shop doesn't just sell food either, you can buy cosmetics, cleaning products, eco gadgets and gifts, clothing, toys and vitamins & minerals to name a few.

Many thanks to Amy and the team at Suma Wholefoods for this fantastic opportunity, which I know I will thoroughly enjoy being part of. Click on the Suma Bloggers Network logo to the left for a list of all the bloggers in the network.

This month, with all the time I am spending in my garden I decided to create a quick & easy Moroccan Dish using readily available ingredients including store cupboard essentials; making dinner just that little bit easier when you are short on time.

As today is "Eat your Vegetables Day" I had to create a recipe that used a good dose of your 5 a day (or more) and whipped up a Vegetable Tagine in no time at all. Don't be put off with the long list of ingredients it doesn't mean hours in the kitchen.

Vegetable Tagine

Ingredients - Tofu
2½ Tbsp Light olive oil 
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 Garlic clove, crushed
2 Tsp Ras El Hanout
1 Block of tofu, drained, pressed & cubed

Ingredients - Couscous
200g Couscous
150ml Hot water
3 Tsp Sumac
Zest/rind of ½ Lemon, finely grated

Ingredients - Tagine
1 Tbsp Light olive oil
1 Onion, halved and sliced
1 Carrot, diced
1 Small cauliflower, broken into small florets - 
about 300g
1 Aubergine, diced
1 Head of broccoli, broken into small florets 
1 Tin of tomatoes
500ml Hot water
Vegetable Bouillon powder
4 Tsp Lemon Tagine paste

Method
First prepare the tofu. Mix together 1½ Tbsp of the light olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and Ras El Hanout to combine and pour over the pressed & cubed tofu. Leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes, but longer if you can afford the time. You can prepare the tofu in the morning and leave the marinating tofu in your fridge all day, ready for dinner.

Next start on the tagine. Fry the onion in the light olive oil for 3 minutes, then add the diced carrot and fry for another 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower and continue to cook over a low heat for another 3 minutes stirring continuously. Add the broccoli and aubergine and cook for another minute before adding the tinned tomatoes. Stir to combine all the ingredients.

Dissolve the vegetable bouillon powder in the hot water and add the lemon tagine paste and pour over the vegetables. Bring the mixture to a simmer and transfer to an oven dish or tagine pot. Cover and cook in a moderate oven for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, remove the marinating tofu from the fridge and let it reach room temperature. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp light olive oil to a frying pan and heat to smoking hot. Add the tofu to the pan and fry on all sides, you may need to do this a little at a time depending on the size of your frying pan.

Finally, prepare the couscous. Pour the hot water over the couscous and give it a quick stir. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes before forking over the couscous to break it up. Add the sumac and lemon zest and mix thoroughly.

Serve the vegetables over couscous and top with the tofu. A taste of Morocco that is worth eating outside in the sunshine!