Gingham's Vegetarian Meal Planner

thriftlady_2 · 5 September 2006 at 11:20AM

Definitely do broth in the slow cooker Saz

I make broths quite a lot, I usually add some beans too and lots of veg. I serve them with a pudding after just like Gingham suggests. They are very filling but I always feel I should provide a pud in case OH feels shortchanged by just having soup for dinner

Gingham_Ribbon · 5 September 2006 at 11:26AM

We always had soup'n'puddin' night when we were little and I loved it. Really cheap but tasty and filling so I carried on the tradition.

I don't have a slow cooker but I think Santa might have one in mind for me...LOL

My mum always made the broth in the pressure cooker though.

LizD_2 · 5 September 2006 at 11:52AM

That's great, thank you for the inspiration. Fell off the OS wagon last week, so this is really helpful. Might substitute a couple of the dinner recipies for ones of my own, but loving the lunch ideas.

Might do a double challenge and see how cheap I can go, although we don't have any of the cheaper supermarkets nearby!

Gingham_Ribbon · 5 September 2006 at 12:07PM

2 medium onions, chopped
Crushed or chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1 chili pepper, chopped (deseed if you don't like it hot)
1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
6 mushrooms
1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tin chick peas or black eyed beans or butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 tin value baked beans, drained and rinsed
passata to cover
chili powder if required
fresh coriander

Fry onions in a little sunflower or vegetable oil until soft, add chili pepper, garlic and veg. Fry until mushrooms are soft.

Add the kidney beans and chick/black eye beans and fill to the top of the veg with passata. Allow to simmer until thickened.

Add baked beans and heat through for about 5 minutes. (Don't add too early or they'll mush up.)

Add some chopped fresh coriander before serving

Serve with wraps or rice, japinos and soured cream

There are a few threads discussing chili and what spices to add. I'm keeping it simple, but you know what you like!

There is plenty of this to feed a larger family or to freeze down for later.

EDIT: I forgot the garlic! Sorry!

Gingham_Ribbon · 5 September 2006 at 12:15PM

This isn't to everyone's taste - my mum says it's far too sweet for her. But here it is anyway.

Fry an onion, finely chopped, with some garlic until soft. Add some finely chopped mushrooms (the white ones give a better final colour but it doesn't matter.) Fry until soft. Add around a mug of red lentils and top up with boiling water. Add a little curry powder and a grated carrot if you like it sweet. Stir regularly to stop it sticking. Add more water if required, but you should be left with a thick, mushy mixture that when you draw a spoon through it, it leaves a channel. ie let as much of the water out as possible so it's not too sloppy. It should take about half an hour in total. Leave to cool.

You can blitz it with a blender if you like, but I quite like the chunks. I also like it without the curry and a sweet potato grated in too. Although this really is very sweet.

Penny-Pincher!! · 5 September 2006 at 12:22PM

Hi GR

We are not veggies and the only veggie meal we sometimes have is Egg & oven chips. I always assumed that eating no meat would be very boring, but you have changed my mind and I would like to try a couple of your recipes as they sound lovely:D

May I ask what you spend roughly per week on groceries if you buy all your items free range and organic? Is everything you purchase organic/free range etc?

Thanks

PP
xx

thriftmonster · 5 September 2006 at 12:33PM

Thanks, Gingham - we're not veggie but are trying to eat less better quality meat - so sometimes I need to be reminded of ideas - it's so easy to get into thepasta and tomato sauce rut!!!!

Gingham_Ribbon · 5 September 2006 at 1:03PM

It's a while since I've kept tabs on my grocery spending as I'm pregnant at the moment and my diet's all over the place.

I was getting a standard organic bag of vegetables and a luxury bag of fruit plus half a dozen organic, free range eggs weekly from farmaround for just under £25 a week. It was ample for our requirements. Supermarket shop including organic dairy, food for 3 cats and cleaning stuff would be about a further £25 a week I think. I don't buy any other organic things and get the morrisons cornflakes, cheap flour etc. I'll have to get back with a more accurate figure because it could be wildly wrong. But really, all we have to buy ontop of the delivery is dairy and staples and the odd box of nut cutlets or sausages.

i imagine by buying veg and fruit on sale and using ordinary milk and eggs you could pretty much half that figure and still eat well.

Gingham_Ribbon · 5 September 2006 at 1:09PM

We drink water and the lad has milk sometimes. My husband likes the odd glass of morrisons pop though.

But I wanted to mention orange juice for those who don't normally eat veggie food. Any meal high in iron, such as the lentil dishes, will be improved with a glass of orange juice as it aids the absorption of the iron as far as I know. (It's the vitamin C) We usually juice a fresh orange and top up with water, and will buy oranges reduced when they're available, whether they're organic or not.

seraphina · 5 September 2006 at 1:36PM

Thanks - this is really useful. The soup'n'pud night might finally convince H that soups can be dinner!

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Gingham's Vegetarian Meal Planner

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