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The Veggie Recipe page!

How to be a happy healthy vegetarian (me for over 40 years now)

I have four children who ate no meat or fish before 18. The older two checked out meat before basically returning to veggiedom (I think!); they do sports, have good degrees and are stunning guitar players. At 16 my third son was the fastest runner in his class. At 18 my daughter got 3A's and now reads Physics at Bristol and looks beautiful.

You do not need meat!

The planet would be better off if you didn't eat it: see the Observer article top right >

Nutrition notes ... What do we need? 3 things:

Where can veggies get them?

Protein TOFU is a great source: huge protein content, no fat and tastes delicious if you cook it as described below. It has the full set of amino acids needed to make proteins. It comes from soya beans. Other major sources of protein are other products of soya beans, from exotic tempeh to Linda McCartney sausages, veggieburgers, veggie mince, etc. Also other beans, nuts and, of course, dairy products: yoghurt, cheese and milk.

Vitamins come from all over the place if you eat a good variety of foods including uncooked.

Carbohydrate Rice, potatoes, bread - all the normal types of carbohydrate - give you energy. Check buckwheat below.

Simple meals (that our family lives off). Does this sound difficult or boring?

Honestly, does that sound like hardship? It isn't and it COSTS LESS than meat versions of the same. And just like meat, you can make it as interesting or boring as you like...

 

SOME AMAZING RECIPES - EASY - SIMPLE - TASTY!

Easy Start - Mushrooms and Tomatoes on Toast - simple things made tasty

Thanks to a celebrity chef website for telling me that mushrooms (and tomatoes, I've found) cook beautifully if you just
LEAVE THEM ALONE on a low heat! So ...

Wipe some ordinary mushrooms (either button or the ordinary size) with a damp cloth or piece of kitchen paper to clean any compost off. Place them in the smallest frying pan you can fit everything into.

Slice a large lump of butter (a centimetre or two!) off the end of the pat and put it in with the mushrooms and turn on the heat medium high for now. The butter will start to melt and then bubble but DON'T burn it!! Move the mushrooms around so they get coated.

Cut some lovely tomatoes in half (across the equator, not pole to pole!) and put them in the pan, flat side down, with the mushrooms and butter, which should be getting hot by now. Sizzle but DON'T BURN!

ADD the MAGIC:

1. Garlic if you like it - finely chopped/sliced cloves (not too much, but as you wish!)
2. Pepper from a mill scrunched lightly over everything
3. Salt from a Rock Salt grinder (definitely not too much) (these two mills can both be got from a supermarket)
4. Sprinkle oregano or herbes de provence (or both) over everything

Now shake it all about and let it sizzle for a minute to coat everything with everything and get a little bit of colour...

then TURN DOWN THE HEAT TO LOW and LEAVE IT ALONE! Just turn things once or twice if you remember to!

Now go and make some toast - and in another pan make scrambled eggs / veggie bacon / veggie sausages / whatever or just have toast! The time this takes will let the mushies and toms sit in the butter getting cooked but not burned cos the heat is LOW. Doesn't matter how long - say 5-10 mins or even 15.

Finally tip everything from both frying pans on top of the toast and enjoy! Pour the juicy buttery liquid over everything. Heaven!

Nut Roast - this is so easy and as TASTY as you flavour it! This and the next make a great Sunday Roast.

Put the following in a large bowl:

Chopped nuts - buy or use chop with blender: cashews (50% ideal if you can afford it!), hazelnuts, brazils, almonds, etc.
- NB Peanuts are not really nuts and they give a different taste.
Create/buy breadcrumbs. Put an old crust or two in a blender and break up any lumps by hand.
OPTION: Fried chopped mushrooms - not too much, not too little! And/or fried finely chopped onions - not too much, not too little! Experience gets this sort of thing right.
Chopped fresh sage (or from packet)
Pepper (no salt as that comes from the next item)
Mug full of hot water in which you have dissoved a large teaspoonful of marmite - as much or as little as you like for taste. Can also use other yeast extracts and/or veggie stock cube.
Some wholemeal flour - and some plain white: for glueing it all together.
Some oil (olive, ideally)
My magic ingredients - squeeze of lemon and squeeze of honey. Not enough to be tasted but enough to add MAGIC - try!

Stir well, put in a lined bread baking tin and roast at 180°C / gas mark 6 for 40 mins. Don't burn...

Serve with roast potatoes, broccoli, carrotts and tasty gravy made using olive oil, wholemeal flour, miso/marmite/stock and the vegetable water.

NOTE ... if you want to make this super special, or for CHRISTMAS, flatten half the mix in the tin, spread a layer of cranberry sauce on it, and add the second half as a top layer. No-one will know why it tastes so amazing! For Christmas, add a layer of chestnut purée in the centre also...

Lentil Cheese Roast - this is EASY, CHEAP, UNBELIEVABLY NICE ! Lovely strong taste!
Filling and perfect for impressing non-veggie guests! Great Sunday Roast, like the above.

Put some/all of the following in a large bowl, in any order, with anything else that seems a good idea! -

Red lentils: 225g / 8oz + 450g water, boiled + simmered for 15 mins (don't let it dry out - add water if necessary)
Breadcrumbs - put the dried end of a loaf of bread in a blender for a few seconds and break up any lumps
Cheese - 225g / 8oz - grated. Use extra mature for good taste!
Fried chopped mushrooms - not too much, not too little!
Fried finely chopped onions - not too much, not too little! Experience gets this sort of thing right
A BIG teaspoonful of Marmite, or other yeast extract, or both, dissolved in a mug of very hot water.
- Don't use too much water - you can add more if necessary - see the stirring stage, below.
Use MORE Marmite and/or a veggie stock cube in the hot water for a STRONGER taste!
An egg, beaten
Pepper and herbs to taste - say, cayenne pepper, normal pepper, mixed herbs, oregano, paprika - you choose!
- NB salt is in the marmite so don't add more!
Flour - self-raising may be good to lighten the resulting loaf - It's for glueing it all together.
Add a tsp of baking powder if you'd like a lighter softer loaf.
Some oil (olive, ideally) also to hold it all in a nice guey lump to put in the baking tin.
... and ... my magic ingredients of a squeeze of lemon and a squeeze of honey if available. Not too much! See Nut Roast.

Stir it all up really well: it should end up firm but sticky, not too wet, not too dry. Adjust Marmite water to get right. Put in a LINED deep baking tin and roast at 180°C / gas mark 6 for 30-40 mins. Don't burn... check every now and then and stick in a knife to test if soggy inside still.

Serve with roast potatoes, broccoli, carrotts and tasty gravy made using miso!

This is SO GOOD but you may have to make it a few times to get your balance of consistency and taste to perfection. Make DOUBLE size, cook in two tins and freeze the second one for a week later!

Chinese Style Stir Fry - classic, quick and easy - even meaties love this!

Indian Style Supper - simple, fun, incredibly satisfying to make and eat!

 

Halloumi + 'Greek Potatoes' - deep fried halloumi in flavoured batter - yum!

 

Buckwheat + Tofu in Shoyu and Ginger- simplicity and utter wondrousness of taste

STOP PRESS! Avoid Quorn!

Quorn is made from a type of MOULD, accidentally discovered and then exploited by a business. I am allergic to nothing, but if I eat even a small bit of Quorn (even without knowing it) I am violently sick two hours later until my body has emptied itself of everything. The same is true for some of my friends. The Quorn company is believed to be suppressing the true data on how many people get very ill from Quorn. If you believe in natural and unprocessed food, Quorn is the OPPOSITE.

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