In Portugal, the wealth of local produce offers endless possibilities for creating incredible vegetarian dishes. In this set of recipes, we’ll explore 4 delicious and healthy dishes (starter, soup, main course and dessert), ideal for the next time you have friends over:

• Starter: Tomato and Basil Bruschettas
• Soup: Pumpkin and Coriander soup
• Dish: Spinach and Mushroom Pie
• Dessert: Sugar-free Fruit Mousse

Tomato and Basil Bruschettas

Ingredients:

• • Slices of Alentejo bread (or rustic bread)
  • Diced ripe tomatoes
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Garlic cloves
  • Extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• • Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
  • Rub the slices of bread with garlic and drizzle with olive oil.
  • Place in the oven for 5-7 minutes until lightly toasted.
  • Meanwhile, mix the tomatoes with the basil, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.
  • Remove the slices of bread from the oven and cover with the tomato and basil mixture.
  • Serve immediately to keep the bread crunchy.

Pumpkin and Coriander soup

Ingredients:

• • 1 kg of pumpkin cut into cubes
  • 1 chopped medium onion
  • 2 chopped garlic cloves
  • 1 medium potato, cut up
  • 1 l vegetable stock
  • Chopped fresh coriander, salt and olive oil to taste

Instructions:

• • Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in a large saucepan.
  • Add the pumpkin, potato and vegetable stock. Cook until the vegetables are soft.
  • Blend the soup until smooth.
  • Season with salt and fresh coriander before serving.

Spinach and Mushroom Pie

Ingredients:

• • Shortcut pastry
  • 200g fresh spinach
  • 150g chopped mushrooms
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 200ml vegetable cream
  • Olive oil, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Instructions:

• • Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
  • Sauté the onion, mushrooms and spinach with olive oil in a frying pan.
  • Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  • Line a baking tin with the shortcrust pastry and arrange the mixture on top.
  • Drizzle with vegetable cream and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Sugar-free fruit mousse

Ingredients:

• • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • Fresh berries to decorate

Instructions:

• • In a food processor, blend the bananas, avocado and cocoa until you get a creamy texture.
  • Pour the mousse into individual bowls and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Decorate with red berries before serving.