Vegetarian / Vegan recipes

[Chewylegs]

On 06/02/2021 at 15:41, MarkN said:

I tried the Naughty Vegan Cheese and Onion Pasties - the filling was a little on the Wotsit-side of things - a definite fake cheese hit, BUT it wasn't at all overpowering. They're a decent size with plenty of filling, and the pastry was fine and puffed up beautifully in the oven (although I'm not a big fan of puff - I'd take shortcrust everyday). I can see myself buying these again though - not perfect, but good enough, and should help me cut my actual cheese consumption a little further still. I found them in the freezer section of Morrison's. I wish I'd cooked them both up now, so that I could try the second one cold (I'm wondering what the texture would be like as a packed lunch), but that's a test for another day. 

 

I'll have to give their sausage rolls a go next, I think.

The sausage rolls are really good for frozen ones!

[Chewylegs]

7 hours ago, Garwoofoo said:

Anybody got any recommendations for good vegetarian/vegan recipe books lately? I seem to have settled into a bit of a rut, and I'm just using the same authors over and over again:

 

Anna Jones - A Modern Way to Cook (her first book, a Modern Way to Eat, is also pretty good, but her newest one One Pot, Pan, Planet is really disappointing IMHO)

Meera Sodha - Fresh India (literally everything I've tried from this has been incredible, and her other books are also good)

Rukmina Iyer - The Green Roasting Tin (a strange mix of the very good and extremely bad, her 3-bean chilli is the best I've tried but her miso aubergine was so salty it was practically inedible)

 

A few other books like Bosh! and Dirty Vegan get used for one or two recipes but aren't exactly staples if you know what I mean.

 got any recommendations that I can use to broaden my repertoire?

Meera Sodah- how time consuming are the recipes?  I tend to use Bosh books as they are usually pretty good and simple, which is what I need these days!

[Garwoofoo]

15 hours ago, Chewylegs said:

Meera Sodah- how time consuming are the recipes?  I tend to use Bosh books as they are usually pretty good and simple, which is what I need these days!

 

They vary depending on the dish but they're never massively time-consuming. There are also quite a lot of smaller dishes in there that you can mix and match if you like.

 

Here's an example - this isn't actually from any of her books but it's the first recipe of hers I found and it's so good it inspired me to seek out more. It's fairly typical of her style and is pretty quick and easy to make.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/03/meera-sodhas-vegan-potato-and-cabbage-curry-recipe

[MarkN]

Hellman's now do 3 flavoured vegan mayonaisses = garlic, chipotle, and baconaisse. I bought jars of the last two, and have had a few goes with the baconaisse. It's pretty good. I think I'll find limited uses for it since it's a little overpowering, but it was nice as a simple topping for half an avocado at lunch, and it's great with chips or potato wedges (normally I'm not a fan of mayo with chips, but for this I'll make an exception). The only problem is I find myself burping up fake bacon flavour for the rest of the day.

 

I'll have to wait until this one runs out before trying the chipotle - there's only so much mayo I need on the go at one time.

[ucci]

Made those cauliflower steak things, very good indeed, had to make breadcrumbs with a grater only, but also coated red onion in the mixture to make light pakora. 

[MarkN]

Meatless Farms have set-up a free vegan Sausage roll vending machine. Not sure how long it's there for, but seems like a nicely disruptive move (if they're confident folk will like them). I've not tried them, but I've had Fry's sossie rolls, and I reckon they're at least as good as the sausage rolls I remember from being a meat eater, probably better (the bar is fucking low though, admittedly).

 

https://www.meatlessfarm.com/2021/06/01/meatless-farm-launches-giant-free-sausage-roll-vending-machine/

[Lovelyman]

Greggs ones were pretty good

[MarkN]

On 20/05/2021 at 15:43, MarkN said:

Hellman's now do 3 flavoured vegan mayonaisses = garlic, chipotle, and baconaisse. I bought jars of the last two, and have had a few goes with the baconaisse. It's pretty good. I think I'll find limited uses for it since it's a little overpowering, but it was nice as a simple topping for half an avocado at lunch, and it's great with chips or potato wedges (normally I'm not a fan of mayo with chips, but for this I'll make an exception). The only problem is I find myself burping up fake bacon flavour for the rest of the day.

 

I'll have to wait until this one runs out before trying the chipotle - there's only so much mayo I need on the go at one time.

To revisit this - I'm probably hooked on the Baconaisse. I'll upgrade my verdict to really good. The Chipotle one is really disappointing in comparison - it's almost unnoticeable. I've made much better in seconds by just mixing a bit of decent smoked paprika (La Chinata hot) through regular mayo. On a similar note, I tried Tesco's Wicked Baconaisse coleslaw, and that really suffered in comparison to the Hellman's mayo. I've really enjoyed every Wicked product I've had until now, but that one goes down as a duffer for me.

 

On  a plus note I really liked Tesco's Plant Chef Mini Savoury Pies (kinda individual pork pie-ish). I probably shouldn't buy them again, because I'll end up scoffing one each time I go anywhere near the fridge.

[Chewylegs]

Not tried the Baconnaise mayo but the Hellman's vegan is the only one I eat.  Sooo good!

 

With Wicked products, I generally think they are good, the mushroom pizzas are excellent.  I'm always let down by their ready meals though.  Mac n Cheese works but the others in the range always seem a little bland to me.

 

Tesco mini savoury pies are great aren't they?! Especially with a bit of pickle of your choice.

 

I went to a BBQ yesterday, they asked me what I'd like (none of them were vegan), so I just said grab a burger of some description.  It was the Naked Glory ones they got and I have to say they are up there with Beyond Burger for me. Also tried the Aldi hot dogs, which were good but not a patch on Moving Mountains.

[grounded_dreams]

If anyone is looking for a quick snack / lunch on the go, I see Greggs have finally announced that the new Sausage, Bean and CheeZe Melt (which is replacing the vegan streak bake which has now been discontinued) launches on the 5th August:

 

 

[Spacehost]

The original was devoid of anything except tomato lava and two beans so it's not a massive change.

[PK]

I'm not complaining, as I've done it loads myself, but do you think it's interesting/depressing that most of the posts in this recipe thread are now about processed vegan food, a lot of the time sold by companies who continue to pour millions into the meat industry?

 

I was sure that when I gave up meat I'd be cooking loads of healthy plant dishes but I've found myself gravitating almost exclusively towards processed meat & dairy alternatives. I suppose the idea of meals as "lump of protein, veg on the side" is heavily ingrained if you've been a meat eater for a prolonged period, and is probably a big part of it?

[MarkN]

24 minutes ago, PK said:

I'm not complaining, as I've done it loads myself, but do you think it's interesting/depressing that most of the posts in this recipe thread are now about processed vegan food, a lot of the time sold by companies who continue to pour millions into the meat industry?

 

I was sure that when I gave up meat I'd be cooking loads of healthy plant dishes but I've found myself gravitating almost exclusively towards processed meat & dairy alternatives. I suppose the idea of meals as "lump of protein, veg on the side" is heavily ingrained if you've been a meat eater for a prolonged period, and is probably a big part of it?

 

FWIW, I cook maybe 80% of my meals from scratch at least. I just cook the same meals time and again. Veggie pasta, something vaguely Chinese, some form of curry, a veggie version of Shepherd's pie, a hot-potty thing etc. None of these are recipes worth sharing (most of them are fairly fluid too, tbh - swap this for that etc.). They usually turn out pretty good, but not noteworthy.

I recommend the occasional product though because the really good ones are few and far between. I don't care about them being processed (many meat products are just as processed). As long as I'm only eating them occasionally, I don't see the harm.

[Garwoofoo]

16 hours ago, PK said:

I was sure that when I gave up meat I'd be cooking loads of healthy plant dishes but I've found myself gravitating almost exclusively towards processed meat & dairy alternatives. I suppose the idea of meals as "lump of protein, veg on the side" is heavily ingrained if you've been a meat eater for a prolonged period, and is probably a big part of it?

 

I've kind of gone the other way, oddly, I get so fixated on making sure that every meal has got enough protein in it that I end up cooking almost everything from scratch and using loads of chickpeas, beans and lentils. I only really like a few of the processed meat alternatives (This Isn't Chicken 2.0 makes a great salad, and I'm partial to the Quorn roast) so they're just occasional things. The biggest challenge is in making sure we get enough variety, it's easy to just knock out curries and chiles so I'm always looking for new recipes and new ideas.

[MarkN]

Just as an aside, I remember reading advice from an expert in an article about the recent obsession with protein, saying that basically if you are in a position where your main dietary concern is getting enough protein, then you almost certainly already are. You get plenty from a normal diet (even a veggie one). Heck, you get plenty from a relatively bad diet. It's almost like you'd deliberately have to try to eat badly to come up short on protein in the long run.

 

[Chewylegs]

On 02/08/2021 at 23:45, PK said:

I'm not complaining, as I've done it loads myself, but do you think it's interesting/depressing that most of the posts in this recipe thread are now about processed vegan food, a lot of the time sold by companies who continue to pour millions into the meat industry?

 

I was sure that when I gave up meat I'd be cooking loads of healthy plant dishes but I've found myself gravitating almost exclusively towards processed meat & dairy alternatives. I suppose the idea of meals as "lump of protein, veg on the side" is heavily ingrained if you've been a meat eater for a prolonged period, and is probably a big part of it?

I actually hadn't even twigged it was a recipe thread! (I know, it says it in the title).

But yes, it is a bit depressing.  When I went plant based I tried to make sure everything was cooked from scratch, all the right veg etc etc.  That was 20months ago.  The last few months I've introduced much more processed foods, although these do get incorporated into recipes I make up.  I think it's just down to simplicity and ease.  My life has changed lots, which made a big difference to my cooking but I still try the majority of time to stay away from ready meals or shove it in the oven food.  

 

As for recipes, most of mine come from Bosh! Books as they are generally simple and out of my head.  I made a great tempeh chilli the other day to be fair, but didn't write the recipe down.

[Shimmyhill]

As a part time veggie living with a veggie i just assumed all veggie food replaces the meat with cheese  

[Garwoofoo]

On 07/08/2021 at 22:39, Shimmyhill said:

As a part time veggie living with a veggie i just assumed all veggie food replaces the meat with cheese  

 

I went away for a few days last month and every meal out we had was pretty much exactly like this. The veggie options on every menu were just incredibly laden down with cheese. By the end of the week I was practically waddling.

 

At home I tend to use a lot of tofu - some cubes of firm tofu, coated with cornflour then fried for a few minutes on each side followed by ten minutes in the oven to crisp up, make a good addition to any sauce. Seitan makes a great katsu curry (I like the Waitrose frozen stuff). Kofu Ragu Chunks, if you can find them, are absolutely amazing. If I do use cheese I like a nice bit of feta or halloumi.

[Chewylegs]

Tofu and cornflour are a match made in heaven!

[Swallow]

Do you freeze and thaw your tofu or is that not necessary?

[Garwoofoo]

22 hours ago, Swallow said:

Do you freeze and thaw your tofu or is that not necessary?

 

I've never done that. I buy the Tofoo stuff and if I've got the time I press it for half an hour or so, just between sheets of kitchen roll with some heavy books on top, to get the water out (although that brand is less wet than, say, the Cauldron tofu). I keep toying with the idea of buying a tofu press but it's a luxury purchase really!

[Shimmyhill]

We had something new to me for dinner last night - Black Bean Taquitos, there were amazing - recipe was from Gousto but defi one i want to make again, other half found them too spicy so i had even more!

 

[Chewylegs]

On 12/08/2021 at 11:36, Swallow said:

Do you freeze and thaw your tofu or is that not necessary?

Never done this. Buy firm tofu and press it even if it says you don't need to.  Cornflour, garlic powder, what ever other spices you like in a Tupperware, then either rip up the tofu into small bite size chunks or cut into 2cm squares, wack them in the tub and shake.  Leave in there until you want to cook and then cook in a pan with shallow oil or in the oven on baking paper (if in oven, you'll need to add a little oil to the Tupperware mix).

 

I used to hate tofu but now I love it 

 

 

[Chewylegs]

On 20/08/2021 at 04:28, Shimmyhill said:

We had something new to me for dinner last night - Black Bean Taquitos, there were amazing - recipe was from Gousto but defi one i want to make again, other half found them too spicy so i had even more!

 

Need to try these!

[PK]

Yeah do you have a link to the recipe(s) you used @Shimmyhill? Those look banging.

[Shimmyhill]

8 hours ago, Chewylegs said:

Need to try these!

 

4 minutes ago, PK said:

Yeah do you have a link to the recipe(s) you used @Shimmyhill? Those look banging.

 

Recipe is here - https://www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/recipes/black-bean-taquitos-with-feta-avo

 

Not sure if you need to be logged in to view but if so let me know and ill scan in the recipe card.

 

 

[MarkN]

11 minutes ago, Shimmyhill said:

 

 

Recipe is here - https://www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/recipes/black-bean-taquitos-with-feta-avo

 

Not sure if you need to be logged in to view but if so let me know and ill scan in the recipe card.

 

 

The recipe works for me, and I don't think I've ever been to that site. This does sound lovely. Might have to give it a go. Black beans are the best beans (butter beans second -fuck me I've just realised I could probably make a top ten list of pulses, and actually be sincere about it).

[Chewylegs]

8 hours ago, Shimmyhill said:

 

 

Recipe is here - https://www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/recipes/black-bean-taquitos-with-feta-avo

 

Not sure if you need to be logged in to view but if so let me know and ill scan in the recipe card.

 

 

Works for me, thank you.

 

After reading this post it inspired me to make this last night.  Shit photo aside it was lovely.  Black bean mole with tomato and chilli salsa, topped with toasted sunflower seeds and coriander.

 

The recipe has chocolate in it so it's got a lovely rich flavour to it that is offset by the spicy salsa.

 

Comes from the Speedy Bosh book.

[velma]

Does anyone have a good recipe that uses tofu, that doesn't involve coating it in cornflour and frying it first? I pretty much only use it for stir fries in that manner and while I love it, I suspect it is slightly undermining the health credentials. 

[MarkN]

20 minutes ago, velma said:

Does anyone have a good recipe that uses tofu, that doesn't involve coating it in cornflour and frying it first? I pretty much only use it for stir fries in that manner and while I love it, I suspect it is slightly undermining the health credentials. 

This one bakes it. It still uses a little oil and cornflour, but probably a lot less oil than you would frying it. I don't think I've tried it yet (I don't get through much tofu), so can't vouch for it, but it sounds like it would work. Would probably work well with a mix of dry spices/garlic powder etc. in the flour rather than a marinade.

 

https://cookieandkate.com/how-to-make-crispy-baked-tofu/