2023 Vegan Storecupboard Challenge

KajiKita

Actually, @weenancyinAmerica, this recipe might be one for you to try? It’s going to be very rich in flavour. 

KK

leftatthetrafficlights

That sounds good @KajiKita! 

Decided to make an artichoke and caper pasta sauce for when dh arrives home as its easy to repurpose and not too heavy if they aren'thungry.

So, chopped onion, garlic, tin of cherry tomatoes, 1/2 jar capers, tomato puree, tin of artichokes, Italian herbs, salt, sugar, splash of balsamic- I cook down the onions, garlic, tomatoes, herbs, tomato puree and half the capers for around 45 minutes until the sauce is thick and gloomy. Halve the artichokes and add to the sauce, heat for around 5 minutes, add the remaining capers and heat for another 5. Serve with pasta. 

I've made a few side dishes: courgette,  tarragon and lemon oil salad (courgette shaved with veg peeler, add chopped tarragon and lemon oil, mix gently and leave to marinate for a minimum of 30 mins in the fridge - take out of fridge for 15 min before serving) ; pesto baby tomatoes (half baby tomatoes, melt lots of butter and a bit of olive oil in a frying pan and lay the tomatoes in a single layer cut side down. Add slivers of garlic and a couple of spoons of pesto, cover and cook gently for 45 mins, turn over, cover and cook for a further 10 mins) and a rosemary and sea salt focaccia. 

Tomorrow I have no idea what we're eating but I'll probably end up with today's leftovers either as they are or repurposed 😉

KajiKita

You are such a talented cook @leftatthetrafficlights! 😊 Are you a professional chef or something?

KK

leftatthetrafficlights

@KajiKita - no, not at all! 😂 I just love cooking and am lucky that I seem to have a talent for it - I can 'taste' flavours and combinations in my head which means that most of the stuff I throw together works. However, I cannot bake to save my life - I don't like following recipes,  measuring etc, my mind wanders and I lose interest - bread I'm okay with because it has very few ingredients and is reasonably forgiving if you don't get quantities quite right 😉 if you ever tried one of my cakes though you'd think I needed banning from the kitchen! 😂😂😂

KajiKita

Ooh, that sounds like a really useful synthesia to have 😊 

Seriously, I’m impressed. Do you blog or sell your vegan recipes? I think you should consider it - you come up with things that are waaaaay outside the ‘usual’ fare / recipes I have come across. 

KK 

KajiKita

The house is de-christmased and I have made a batch of vegan bolognese (used two left over sweet peppers from Christmas that didn’t get used in salads and finally nailed how to not have that soy after taste!). 4 portions left cooling on the side ready for the freezer. 😊

All food (breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack) and new bottle of oat milk all ready to take into work tomorrow. Just a shower and a good night’s sleep needed now ….

KK

jokono

I agree, @leftatthetrafficlights is posting some amazing recipes, I thought she would be a professional as well they're so good! I started saving them for inspiration

Last week I got the sourdough out of the fridge where it's been ignored maturing for almost a year, fed it 3 times and made two cobs using my past BB flours - a mix of ww einkorn and white roustic. The first one didn't turn out great but the second one was much better. Put a few slices in the freezer, next to the rest of the millions things we keep there and some of the cabbage rolls Mr JKN made the week before. 🤭

Really, I don't know how/when we're going to tackle the freezer. Mr JKN doesn't seem to know how to cook for two, there's always loads left so I either freeze it or eat it. He doesn't love eating from the freezer, prefers freshly cooked food. He also can't buy in small quantities either. He went to the shops yesterday to get aubergines, he came home with 5!!!! Cooked one for his lunch and used another one for a lasagna for dinner. He also bought lasagne sheets because he didn't know if the 4 packs we had were vegan. To be fair, one of them wasn't. Anyway, he used 1 of the 12 packs of tofu we need to go through and one jar of quinoa bolognese and the result was delicious, even though the aubergine was a bit al dente. I said I would enjoy this once a week if he wanted to make it again, so those pasta sheets won't go to waste.

KajiKita

See, @leftatthetrafficlights, it’s not just me!! 😊😊😊😊😊👍🎉

KK

KajiKita

@jokono, could you use some of the freezer left overs for work lunches?

Also, it might be worth introducing Mr JKN to the concepts in Economy Gastronomy - you use various things (e.g. fried mince and onions, or cooked and seasoned chickpeas) as a base for multiple different meals. That way you get the variety he likes but the efficiency of consumption that you need. 

KK

jokono

We're both working from home most days, but I will have something from the freezer every time he's not cooking or there are no left overs in the fridge. I decided not to buy any more food except fruit for at least a couple of weeks. We really have more than enough. 

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll tell him about it. I think he might struggle for a bit as he's never tried eating full vegan before. He's very committed though, I'm very proud of him 😊