Vegetarian / Vegan recipes

[Shimmyhill]

5 hours ago, Gotters said:

Been on a health kick since early Jan and trying to eat a lot more plant based than previously - have to say it's been quite an adjustment as almost my whole repertoire was meat based.

 

Not at all keen on fake meat mince or soy reformed into shapes, they just seem too processed to me and my belly doesn't seem to like them at all. 

 

Found this recipe recently for Lentil Bolognese and tried yesterday, it's brilliant, an almost Kenji like approach with good method really building deep flavours (even the onion stage takes 15m), but it tastes so much better than a quick pot of flavoured tomato that so many of these things are. The large amount of tomato paste and cooked out lentils give a great thick almost meaty texture, and picked up in the comments to add some ground up powdered mushrooms too for more umami, which I did. Other tip is if using split red lentils don't pre soak them, only soak whole ones.

 

Other fave is Kenji's bean chilli, which is time consuming but so worth it as you get a lot, and it builds proper deep spicy flavour, again not just chucking some chilli powder into tomatoes and beans. Will be trying the bean chilli on Rainbow Plant life site this week though as she seems to have added some steps on top of the Serious Eats one, so could be even better.

 

 

As a part time vegetarian im 100% with you on fake meat, its all pretty terrible - some passable stuff but vegetarian food is at its best when its not trying to be meat.

 

We do a lentil shepard’s pie thats really good, just a Gousto recipe so probably some better versions of that to look out for.

[Gotters]

26 minutes ago, Shimmyhill said:

We do a lentil shepard’s pie thats really good, just a Gousto recipe so probably some better versions of that to look out for.

 

that's a good idea actually, bolognese is just Italian for ponced up mince, take that excellent bolognese recipe and replace your foreign herbs with some beautiful british ones and few bits of carrot and some peas and you've got a great cottage pie base.

[MarkN]

17 hours ago, Gotters said:

Been on a health kick since early Jan and trying to eat a lot more plant based than previously - have to say it's been quite an adjustment as almost my whole repertoire was meat based.

 

Not at all keen on fake meat mince or soy reformed into shapes, they just seem too processed to me and my belly doesn't seem to like them at all. 

 

Found this recipe recently for Lentil Bolognese and tried yesterday, it's brilliant, an almost Kenji like approach with good method really building deep flavours (even the onion stage takes 15m), but it tastes so much better than a quick pot of flavoured tomato that so many of these things are. The large amount of tomato paste and cooked out lentils give a great thick almost meaty texture, and picked up in the comments to add some ground up powdered mushrooms too for more umami, which I did. Other tip is if using split red lentils don't pre soak them, only soak whole ones.

 

Other fave is Kenji's bean chilli, which is time consuming but so worth it as you get a lot, and it builds proper deep spicy flavour, again not just chucking some chilli powder into tomatoes and beans. Will be trying the bean chilli on Rainbow Plant life site this week though as she seems to have added some steps on top of the Serious Eats one, so could be even better.

 

Very quick reply, because I'm drunk and trying to get drunker. Split red lentils are basically magic. You chuck them in to a pot of boilng stuff, and 15 minutes later they've thickened it and made it better. As a veggie they are essential. Beyond that miso paste, and then marmite. You just want to get that unami hit in there most of the time. I can make a pot of vegetable scraps taste fucking marvellous.

Recent thing: chuck in some pasta. I'd not thought about this before, but last time I made a veggie/bean stew I chucked in some pasta (broken shards of lasagne sheets). It was the best bit. The stew was really nice, honestly. The bits of pasta were ace. Like finding a crouton in your cup-a-soup. I wish I'd thought to do it for tonight's chilli - it would work so well, but I cooked it yesterday, so it's far too late. next time though....

[Shimmyhill]

So as a non lentil fan (or so I thought) ive only had the lentils from Gousto and they have been great, they are pre packed and ready to go - labeled as Beluga lentils, infact this here packet: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/merchant-gourmet-beluga-lentils/547854-77467-77468

 

From the packet they have been pre cooked blah blah blah - how different would they be to split red lentils if we just used them instead of the above?

[Gotters]

the red split lentils I've used (bog standard supermarket brand stuff) tend to cook away and into the dish and are there as body and flavour absorbers, they don't bring much to the dish themselves flavour wise (by design)

 

this is quite a good explainer

 

https://www.spiceandlife.com/what-do-lentils-taste-like/

 

 

[Shimmyhill]

7 minutes ago, Gotters said:

the red split lentils I've used (bog standard supermarket brand stuff) tend to cook away and into the dish and are there as body and flavour absorbers, they don't bring much to the dish themselves flavour wise (by design)

 

this is quite a good explainer

 

https://www.spiceandlife.com/what-do-lentils-taste-like/

 

 

 

Ahh yes thats great - so the split red lentil mush is the thing i recall and didnt like - I think with the shepards pie recipe we do the black ones are a better idea as they are there as the ‘meat’ so the texture is good, its not just filler or bulk.

 

Will have to have more of an experiment with them, the Waitrose price isnt too bad compared to decent mince but obv could do them much cheaper!

[Gotters]

I intend to try using them a lot more.

 

A lot of eating plant based is getting over my 70/80s meat based upbringing, the very mention of the word lentil has me thinking of Neil from the Young Ones & 70's hippies living in squats or communes, I need to bring more positive associations to them !

[Foxworth]

Lentils are great aren't they. I do agree that most fake meats are not very nice. There are a couple of things which are good though.

 

The only meat free sausages that are really good are the ones found in Aunt Bessie's meat free toad in the hole. I've asked the manufacturer if this sausage is available anywhere else and it's not. Which is a shame as they're really nice. It's a bit depressing because we love toad in the hole but I am loathe to pay £2.25 for one individual portion when it's such a cheap dinner to make normally.

 

Linda McCartneys fresh "meatballs" are quite good too. They don't look or really taste like a beef meatball but they have the right type of flavour and texture.

 

 

[Gotters]

this will be my next experiment into the world of lentils, no expectations it will taste like meat at all but looks tasty enough

 

https://simple-veganista.com/the-ultimate-vegetable-lentil-loaf/

[MarkN]

On 14/03/2023 at 13:02, Shimmyhill said:

So as a non lentil fan (or so I thought) ive only had the lentils from Gousto and they have been great, they are pre packed and ready to go - labeled as Beluga lentils, infact this here packet: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/merchant-gourmet-beluga-lentils/547854-77467-77468

 

From the packet they have been pre cooked blah blah blah - how different would they be to split red lentils if we just used them instead of the above?

I've yet to try Beluga lentils (should make that a goal tbh, since I love lentils and use them very often), but from handling the packets of them at work they feel like they'd hold their shape more, and work really well in things where you want a texture, like a fake spag bol, a veggie lasagna, or maybe a chilli. I'm guessing they're more like Puy lentils, which are also great for the same job.

 

Red lentils will pretty much just become mush to thicken in soups and stews, but can be used in veggie burgers/fake meatballs etc., and also to make very nice pâté if you really cook out the liquid. One of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten was from a sadly-missed deli and had an amazing red lentil pâté as its main ingredient. I've tried to recreate it from memory and not got close, but even my failures have usually been worth scoffing (usually over-spiced/flavoured because you have to remove so much cooking liquid to get it to the right consistency, and I tend to over-do things early on if it's a bit on the bland side).

[Gotters]

On 18/03/2023 at 08:22, Gotters said:

this will be my next experiment into the world of lentils, no expectations it will taste like meat at all but looks tasty enough

 

https://simple-veganista.com/the-ultimate-vegetable-lentil-loaf/

 

this was bloody awful, I always follow a recipe precisely first time out but this didn't even hold it's shape, just a soggy mess. 

 

won't try to fix it either as didn't really taste that nice either (apart from the glaze, that was ace).

[Gotters]

A more positive lentil experiment - my research lead to a rice/lentil dish which seems a real staple dish with loads of variations called Mujadara.

 

This looks like a classic take which is really simple with very few ingredients, but really makes the onions do all the flavour work as you caramelise them for ages.

 

It's a great really savoury side (don't skimp on the crispy onions for the top either) and is a great way of reducing your white rice intake in a delicious side.

 

I used some black whole lentils I'd got from Amazon and they remained resolutely textural even after quite a while cooking, I think the cooking time and amount of water in the recipe needs to be adjusted for your lentils/rice (I had to add a cup more water as could tell was too dry)

 

Going to experiment a bit with this one as a bit of garlic, turmeric, few peas added in the resting phase could all really make this something which becomes a staple.

 

https://www.themediterraneandish.com/mujadara-lentils-and-rice-with-crispy-onions/

[grounded_dreams]

With the weather getting better, girlfriend and I decided to try and start making our own salads.

 

 

Ingredients, red onion, cucumber, green pepper, paisley, basil, tomato, chickpeas, olives, pasta and violife greek white block (which I assume we can just have straight from the package, there was nothing on the lable about needing to cook it prior to eating).

May not seem much to most, but as its not something we usually do, we were very impressed in how it came out and likely will bulk make it for the weekday lunches.

Next time think we will add some Green Cuisine strips to it as well.

[MarkN]

On 01/04/2023 at 13:26, grounded_dreams said:

...and violife greek white block (which I assume we can just have straight from the package, there was nothing on the lable about needing to cook it prior to eating).

 

Yeah - it's just a vegan version of Feta cheese, so will mainly be scoffed as is, rather than cooked (I guess you could probably try frying it like Halloumi, which could be rather nice). Vegan Feta is generally one of the better vegan cheeses you can get in supermarkets. Without going to very expensive artisan stuff it's one of the few vegan cheeses I've had that I'd recommend. (Some vegan cream cheeses are quite nice too, FWIW).

[grounded_dreams]

33 minutes ago, MarkN said:

Yeah - it's just a vegan version of Feta cheese, so will mainly be scoffed as is, rather than cooked (I guess you could probably try frying it like Halloumi, which could be rather nice). Vegan Feta is generally one of the better vegan cheeses you can get in supermarkets. Without going to very expensive artisan stuff it's one of the few vegan cheeses I've had that I'd recommend. (Some vegan cream cheeses are quite nice too, FWIW).

 

OK, thanks for the clarification.

[Chewylegs]

Made these for lunch today. Deep fried Enoki mushrooms with homemade Gochuyang mayo!

 

Were very good but due to not eating much deep fried food, sat on my stomach a bit too much!