Two Simple Vegetarian Recipes - Oriental Spring Rolls and Warm Avocado Salad

These simple vegetarian recipes make delicious starters or snacks. Crispy oriental spring rolls are great for a first course, served with your favourite dipping sauce. The warm avocado salad can also be served as a starter, or as a light lunch with crusty bread.

Oriental Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

4oz/100g button mushrooms
2 carrots
4 spring onions
1 clove garlic
4oz/100g beansprouts
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
6 sheets filo pastry (cut into quarters)
1/4 pint/150ml vegetable oil

Method:

Peel and thinly slice the onion, Slice the mushrooms. Peel and julienne (cut into matchstick sized pieces) the carrots. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a pan or wok until very hot and almost smoking. Add the mushrooms and carrots and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until softened and golden.
Add  onions, garlic, beansprouts and soy sauce. Stir-fry for a further 2-3 minutes until tender. Remove the pan from the heat.
Lay the filo pastry sheets out on your work surface, divide the filling between them - towards one end of the pastry sheets. Brush the edges with water (this will effect sealing the pastry so that no oil can get in and no filling can get out), fold the sides in and roll them up.
Heat the remaining oil in your pan. Cook in batches for 3 minutes, turn frequently to get them golden brown all over. Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm.

Warm  Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

8oz/225g cherry tomatoes
4 ripe avocados
bunch of spring onions
2 cloves  garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra to drizzle over finished salad)
salad leaves of your choice

Method:

Halve the cherry tomatoes. Peel and crush the garlic. Trim and chop the spring onions. Cut the avocados in half lengthways and take out the stones. Peel the skin off, chop the flesh roughly and toss in the lemon juice.
Heat the oil in a pan or wok. Add garlic and spring onions and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the white wine vinegar, mustard, and the tomatoes. Stir-fry over a high heat  for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes have softened. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the avocados and parsley.
Arrange the salad leaves onto 4 serving plates and top with the avocado mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and serve warm.

Bon Appetit

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If you want to see many more of James` quick cook meals, then you should go to his website - jamesmartin-fast-food-recipes Where you can also pick up a FREE 22-page Ebook of recipes.