Vegan and vegetarian food on the cheap

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!

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!

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.

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?

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!