Vegan and vegetarian food on the cheap

ashmit

Hi!

Spendless suggested I start a vegetarian food thread and I decided that was a sign I should stop thinking about it and actually do it

So, get posting all your vegetarian recipes. For me, I don't eat dairy products but do eat eggs, but I'm sure other people will want veggie recipes with dairy in, so I suppose I'll let you post both ;D

I'll post some of mine over the weekend

Caterina

Hi ashmit,

thank you for starting this thread, will post as soon as the inspiration takes over

Caterina

Magentasue

I'm not very good at recipes because I don't weigh or measure. Also, I tend to adapt to suit my fussy children and what I have in the house but here goes:

Vegetarian Lasagne (serves 4-6)

For this you need a few sheets of lasagne - minimum 4, 6 would be better. You then need a quantity of what we could stew in my house and a pan of cheese sauce. You need a dish preferably oblong or square that is ovenproof. I'll start with the veg because I often make double stew (chilli without carne one night, lasagne the next) so what I use depends on what went into the stew. Use what you like - you need two layers in your dish but you could just do one if you're only cooking for two.

Veg Layer: Veg of your choice, for example

2 onions peeled and chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
1 red pepper deseededand chopped
stick of celery chopped
couple of mushrooms chopped

Use what you have/like and cook in a little oil until starting to soften.
Then add a jar of Ragu type sauce or a tin of tomatoes whizzed up and seasoned with salt, pepper, teaspoon sugar, dash worcester sauce, chooped garlic/herbs - whatever you like. Simmer until everything is cooked through. You could also add some beans for extra protein. Add enough water to make the sauce sloppy (like thick gravy) because it has to rehydrate the pasta. Taste for seasoning and put to one side.

Cheese sauce:

2 oz butter or marge melted in pan
2 heaped tablespoons plain flour
1 pint milk
4-6 oz grated cheese

Stir flour into butter, turn up heat and add milk a little at a time whisking in as it boils. Add cheese and whisk again. Alternatively, open jar.

Now, put oven on about 180 C. Put a layer of veg in your dish (about half) and then lay on the lasagne sheets. In an ideal world they will cover the veg, if they don't, nobody will know. Next half the cheese sauce, then more veg, lasagne and finally cheese sauce. Most important thing is that the pasta is covered. I whizz some cheese and a a couple of slices of bread in the food processor and sprinkle this on top but just grated cheese will do. Then cook for, um, until it looks ready. 20-30 mins I would think.

If I'm being really organised,I double up on the cheese sauce and cook some cauliflower or leeks in another pan. By the time I've finished, I've got a lasagne in the oven and cauliflower cheese in the fridge for tomorrow. Do hope it all makes sense!

MATH

Look foreward to some posts.
We're eating more and more vegetarian food but the recipes I have looked at are either very time consuming to make or have a list of ingredients as long as your arm that you wouldn't keep stocked as standard.

Vegetarian convienience food is grossly overpriced and I feel sorry for REAL vegetarians who eat so out of concience and therfore have no other choice.

Yoga_Girl

LENTIL SOUP

1 ONION, CHOPPED
225G (8 OZ) RED LENTILS
1 LITRE (1 3/4 PINTS) VEGETABLE STOCK
1-2 TABLESPOONS LEMON JUICE
SALT & PEPPER

Fry onion in butter or oil in a large saucepan until tender - about 10 mins.

Add lentils and cook, stirring contually, for 1-2 mins.

Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, half-cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils are very tender and pale in colour.

Beat with a spoon or liquidize to soften the lentils.

Add the lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste, and serve.


This is a favourite with both my children, they love it served with big chunks of bread dropped into it, you can also add chunks of potato to it as well. Its a lovely "cheap and cheerful" soup, you can find the lentils in bags in practically all the supermarkets in the dried pulses section.

Enjoy!

Quackers

Chilli Bean Casserole

1tbspn Olive oil
225g/8oz baby onions
2 big carrots chopped
2 celery sticks sliced
4oz chopped mushrooms
1 red chilli seeded & sliced
2tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
half tsp ground cumin
400g tin tomatoes
2 x 400g tin mixed beans (drained)

Heat oil & add onion, carrots, celery, chilli. Cook unitl soft. Add mushrooms, chilli powder & cumin cook for 1-2 mins. Add tomatoes, cover & simmer for 10mins.
Add beans and cook for further 10 mins or until all veg soft.

I adapted this recipe from 'Good food veggie Christmas' although I'm not sure how christmassy it is ;D. It's yummy, quick & easy peasy.

The mag recommends serving with tortilla chips, guacamole & soured cream but we have it by itself or with some rice or with some chunky bits of bread ;D

Magentasue

This is what I've cooked today - again quantities vary according to numbers, appetites and how big you dish is! I use a cast iron lasagne dish for this but anything deep will do although I prefer metal for pastry.

Potato Pie

Pastry-
4oz plain flour
20z butter, marge or whatever
water to mix

4 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into pieces
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
4oz grated cheese, moreif you can spare it
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
1 clove garlic peeled and crushed (optional)
salt and pepper

Make pastry by rubbing fat into flour, using cold water to mix to dough. Roll out and line dish, put in fridge or somewhere cool.

Oven on 200C. Put potatoes on to boil and gently fry onions in a little oil. Add garlic to onions for last few minutes if used.

Cook pastry case for 10mins. Cookbooks advise you to line with foil but I don't find this necessary so long as you press it well down and !!!!!! with a fork.

When potatoes are cooked, drain and cut through with a knife until in small pieces. Put in bowl, add cooked onions, cheese and parsley if used. Mix together, season and spoon into pastry case. You can top with more grated cheese if you want. Put back in oven, turn down to 170C and cook 20 mins or until browned.

I only do two soups - a meat free scotch broth and this one:

Leek and Potato Soup

2-3 leeks, washed and chopped into slices
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
clove of garlic crushed (optional)
salt and pepper

Cook leeks gently in a little butter (or marge) with lid on pan. Should take 10 mins or so. Add garlic for last few minutes if used.
Boil potatoes until cooked through.
Add potatoes to leeks and enough of the water to cover, cook for further 10 mins.

When veg is very soft, remove from heat, season and use blender to mix. You could probably sieve it if you don't have a blender.

Thin with water or milk to preferred thickness. I sprinkle chopped parsley on top and serve with garlic bread or chunky slices of granary bread.

MimiJane

RED LENTILS & PARSLEY WITH PASTA :

Serves 6

2 teaspoons olive/sunflower oil
2 sliced leaks
1 crushed garlic clove
2 thinly sliced carrots
1 diced red/green pepper
6oz sliced mushrooms
14oz can chopped tomatoes
20 fl oz vegetable stock
10oz split red lentils
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
parsley sprigs to finish

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and cook the leeks and garlic for 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes, stock, lentils and salt and pepper and mix well. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring, then cover and simmer gently for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are cooked.

Add the parsley and mix well. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve with spaghetti or tagliatelle.

(I serve this with grated parmasian cheese as a "veg spag. bog." It has a lovely flavour and also freezes very well).

catznine

I just use soya mince instead of minced beef in all my recipes e.g. bolognaise, curry and chilli. It only costs 59p for a packet at sainsburys and 1 packet when reconstituted makes at least 2 large family meals.

I have been told to eat more soya as it helps to prevent those "tropical moments" I seem to be getting rather a lot of just lately! :-[ ;D

By the way is there a thread for advice on this without spending a fortune on all the recommended supplements?

Caterina

Catznine,

Try this link:

http://www.menopause-metamorphosis.com/

Susun Weed is an american herbalist and has a lot of very good remedies ideas. Don't let the 'hippy-new age' image put you off! There is a lot of interesting info there.

Best of luck in finding what you need.

Caterina

catznine

Thanks Caterina
A very interesting site! Loads of information, need to eat more greens, exercise more but thankfully not to diet anymore (like that one!!) Not sure about the crone bit though! lol Only 48!