A vegetarian meal planner, please.

catkins

Hi Gemmaj,

I don't tend to weigh ingredients but here's the recipe!

Make suet pastry and line a basin, keeping enough pastry aside for the lid. Slice onions fairly thinly and fry slowly - I usually cook them for at least 20 minutes. Add any seasoning to onion. Gently fry the mushrooms whole (the big flattish ones are good for this recipe but any will do) for about 5 minutes. Usually the mushrooms make their own juices and this is all I use in the pudding but you can use gravy if you want. Then layer the onion and mushrooms in the basin, pour in the mushroom juices or gravy and put the pastry lid on. I then put foil around the basin and steam for about 2 hours unless you have a pressure cooker in which case it will be much quicker!

OH loves this meal but it is fattening so we don't have it that often! A lovely dish for cold weather.

Callanish

Some great ideas here - I'm dying to try Catkins' Mushroom and onion suet pudding, it sounds just the thing for this lovely "summer" weather! :rotfl:

Here are my next two weeks evening meals. Rather carb heavy, I fear, and not as low-fat as they might be... (I'm a cheese adict!)

Mon - Veggie chilli, rice, HM tomato salsa & plain yoghurt
Tues - Pasta and red sauce (tinned tomatoes with garlic, herbs and any available veg)
Weds - Red lentil, tomato & fresh rosemary "shepherd's" pie & broccoli
Thurs - Burritos (veg chilli filled wraps, oven baked) rice, salad
Fri - Vegetable curry, rice, naan, samosas & onion bahjis
Sat - HM pizza, various toppings with salad & oven chips (naughty).
Pizza toppings might be either: (healthy) mediterranean veg , (less healthy) blue cheese & walnut, feta & sundried tomato
Sun - HM Giant yorkshire stuffed with special veggie mince (a concoction of soya mince, tinned tomatoes, baked beans, frozen peas & sweetcorn, chopped fresh carrot and swede. If you're greedy like me, it can be served with mashed potato on the side. Yum!)

Mon - Broccoli, mushroom & blue cheese pasta, HM garlic bread
Tues - Chickpea curry rice (remains of Friday's curry (frozen and reheated) with chickpeas added)
Weds - HM quiche, chips, salad
Thurs - Baked potatoes filled with red lentil, tomato & rosemary, savoy Cabbage
Fri - Veggie Stirfry, noodles, rice
Sat - Veggie Chilli tacos, salad, plain yoghurt
Sun - White bean pie, roasted roots, cabbage

I find that by presenting the same thing in a slightly different way, the lucky recipients of my catering efforts think that they are getting more variety than they really are.

For example, my red lentil mixture doubles up as both a baked potato filling & under a layer of mash as the shepherd's pie - exactly the same thing, but it feels like you're eating something different. The same chilli is used with rice, as burrito and taco filling.

carrottopsuk

Callanish wrote:

Some great ideas here - I'm dying to try Catkins' Mushroom and onion suet pudding, it sounds just the thing for this lovely "summer" weather! :rotfl:

Here are my next two weeks evening meals. Rather carb heavy, I fear, and not as low-fat as they might be... (I'm a cheese adict!)

Mon - Veggie chilli, rice, HM tomato salsa & plain yoghurt
Tues - Pasta and red sauce (tinned tomatoes with garlic, herbs and any available veg)
Weds - Red lentil, tomato & fresh rosemary "shepherd's" pie & broccoli
Thurs - Burritos (veg chilli filled wraps, oven baked) rice, salad
Fri - Vegetable curry, rice, naan, samosas & onion bahjis
Sat - HM pizza, various toppings with salad & oven chips (naughty).
Pizza toppings might be either: (healthy) mediterranean veg , (less healthy) blue cheese & walnut, feta & sundried tomato
Sun - HM Giant yorkshire stuffed with special veggie mince (a concoction of soya mince, tinned tomatoes, baked beans, frozen peas & sweetcorn, chopped fresh carrot and swede. If you're greedy like me, it can be served with mashed potato on the side. Yum!)

Mon - Broccoli, mushroom & blue cheese pasta, HM garlic bread
Tues - Chickpea curry rice (remains of Friday's curry (frozen and reheated) with chickpeas added)
Weds - HM quiche, chips, salad
Thurs - Baked potatoes filled with red lentil, tomato & rosemary, savoy Cabbage
Fri - Veggie Stirfry, noodles, rice
Sat - Veggie Chilli tacos, salad, plain yoghurt
Sun - White bean pie, roasted roots, cabbage

I find that by presenting the same thing in a slightly different way, the lucky recipients of my catering efforts think that they are getting more variety than they really are.

For example, my red lentil mixture doubles up as both a baked potato filling & under a layer of mash as the shepherd's pie - exactly the same thing, but it feels like you're eating something different. The same chilli is used with rice, as burrito and taco filling.

Can I be cheeky and ask if you could give me the recipe for the lentil, tomato and rosemary dish? Also the quiche? Thanks

Callanish

Hi Carrotttops UK

Ok here goes - it's not a recipe as such, more of a template (my cooking is pretty random on the whole!) Here are the general proportions you would use for the lentil stuff, but I recommend you experiment, and see how you get on!!

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
2-3 teaspoons olive oil (but any oil will do)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
3 handfulls of red lentils
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 sprig finely chopped (removing woody stalk first)
Some extra water, if needed
Black pepper
Salt or shoyu, if liked

This quantity serves two in my experience, but we are quite greedy.:D

What to do:
1) Heat the oil gently in a saucepan
2) Add the onion and saute gently (for the best flavour, cook until a little caramelised)
3) Add the chopped tomatoes and stir in the lentils, and a splash of water (go easy on this - about 2-3 tablespoons - you can always add more if it looks too dry)
4) Bring the pan to the boil, fast boil for 2 or 3 minutes, then turn down the heat a little and simmer until the lentils are cooked. The lentils should be soft, but not mushy, and still hold their shape. The tomato sauce will have reduced nicely and should not be watery. This will take about 20 mins. You will need to stir from time to time, and possibly add a little extra water, to stop the mixture from sticking to the pan.
5) If liked, add salt and black pepper to taste. I don't usually add salt, but sometimes add a splash of shoyu (soy sauce).
5) Either use immediately, eg filling a baked spud, topped with mature cheddar, or for the shepherd's pie, add to a shallow casserole dish, then smooth over some mashed potato. This can be tricky, as you need to make sure the potato doesn't "sink" into the lentil mixture. I usually fork it over, a tablespoon at a time. Then sprinkle over some cheese, unless there are vegans coming for tea! Otherwise, cool the mixture and freeze in suitable sized portions.

Optional Extras and Variations:
- Use a veggie stock instead of the extra water
- Instead of rosemary, use dried basil
- Add some extra veggies while the lentils are cooking - my favourites are finely chopped mushrooms or chopped leek. You don't need to pre-cook either, just chuck 'em in.
- For a richer tomato flavour, you can add a tablespoon of tomato puree.
- If you like garlic, throw in a clove or two (chopped or crushed) with the onion.
- You can make a "roast" version, by removing the lentil mix from the heat while they are only slightly cooked. Then add a handful of grated cheese, a beaten egg and mix thoroughly before pouring into a greased loaf tin. Cook for about 30 mins at about 200C.
- I also make a veggie lasagne, substituting the tomato / lentil mix for the regular tomato sauce, adding crushed garlic and basil instead of rosemary. Then you layer in the usual way, alternating pasta, cheese sauce, tomato /lentil mix and your preferred selection of veggie. Very good and very filling.

Good luck and have fun!! :beer:

Callie

PS For the quiche recipe, you need proper quantities, so I will dig this out for you and post it later on.

zombiecazz

I posted a veggie meal planner with some recipes on this thread: Black Saturns meal planner page 2 it starts

how about this for a veggie menu?

Monday: pitta pizzas
Tuesday: red soup

Wednesday:cheesy bubble and squeak patties

Thursday: spicy beans burgers

Friday: mushroom pilaf

Saturday: peanut butter fingers

Sunday: Lentil bolognaise

possible puddings
Jelly mousse

Apple and apricot crumble

Treacle tart

Lemon meringue pie

bread and butter pudding

Callanish

Good stuff, Zombiecazz

What are peanut butter fingers please?

Do you make your own spicy bean burgers? I can never get mine to stay together very well. Any tips?

seraphina

Callanish wrote:

Good stuff, Zombiecazz

What are peanut butter fingers please?

Do you make your own spicy bean burgers? I can never get mine to stay together very well. Any tips?

Pop your burgers in the fridge for at least 30mins before you cook them - this makes them stay together well. The recipes I use tend to have an egg in them which also helps.

Callanish

Thanks, Seraphina

I'd never thought of refrigerating them first - I'll have to give it a go. I've had more success when I've used an egg, but I don't really eggs much, so often don't have them in... The fridge method could be my solution!

Cheers:beer:

Callie

zombiecazz

Callanish wrote:

Good stuff, Zombiecazz

What are peanut butter fingers please?

Do you make your own spicy bean burgers? I can never get mine to stay together very well. Any tips?

I've posted the recipes on the thread that I mentioned.

The recipe for the bean burgers stays together really well. I think it's the combination of the sauted vegetables and the slightly mashed beans.

Peanut butter fingers are like vegetable and peanut butter fish fingers. Lots of healthy veg in a fast food like format. Kids will love them.

njc12

Please can someone post a recipe for spicy beanburgers - they are my fave!!!
thank you