Recipes

Family Affairs: 7 Day Family Menus

Tuesday

BREAKFAST

Wholemeal Toast

• with peanut butter/margarine, topped with yeast extract (eg Marmite) or jam, plus fresh fruit.
• Other suggestions for toast toppings:
  • Cashew or almond butter with yeast extract or jam
  • Hummus
  • Tahini with yeast extract or marmalade. (Tahini is a sesame seed paste packed with calcium, vitamins and protein and available in jars from supermarkets, delis and health stores)
  • Banana and nut butter (peanut or other)
  
  

LUNCH

Cream ‘Cheese’ & Cucumber Sandwiches
Serves 4

• 1 tub cream ‘cheese’ (Eg Tofutti and Redwood brands of cream cheese* are dairy-free. The plain flavour tastes similar to Philadelphia cheese and is available from health food shops in the fridge section)
• 8 seeded, wholemeal rolls
• cucumber, sliced thinly

1. Slice open rolls
2. Spread ‘cheese’ thickly over rolls
3. Add sliced cucumber.
4. Wrap in plastic bag or put in a sandwich box.

*Available in various flavours, such as plain, garlic and herb

DINNER

Savoury Shepherd’s Pie with Mushroom Gravy How it all Vegan
Serves 4-6

Don’t be put off by the three stages - it’s actually a simple and very delicious recipe. I’ve tried this out on sceptical meat-eaters and they love it!

• Pie Filling
• *1 medium onion, chopped
• *3 small carrots, chopped
• *½ cup spinach, chopped
• *1 stalk celery, chopped
• *1 large tomato, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup cooked or canned green or brown lentils, mashed
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• Gravy
• *1 medium onion, chopped
• *6-10 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 tbsp shoyu soya sauce. (Brands such as Kikkoman are available at supermarkets in the Asian or foreign foods sections).
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Dried dill to taste
• 1/3-½ cup flour
• 11/3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp miso or yeast extract (eg Marmite), or more to taste
• Topping
• *3 medium potatoes, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup soya milk
• 1 tbsp margarine or olive oil
• Salt to taste

1. Chop all vegetables marked with a *- for pie, gravy and topping - and put in three separate piles.
2. In a medium pot of water, boil potatoes until tender. Drain, but keep liquid for gravy.
3. In a medium saucepan, sauté onions, carrots, spinach, celery and tomatoes in the oil.  Once carrots are tender, add mashed lentils, basil, salt and soya sauce. Stir and simmer without a lid until liquid cooks off.
4. Meanwhile, in a food processor or medium bowl, mash potatoes, milk, margarine and salt together. Set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 180C°/350F°/Gas mark 4.
6. Now make the gravy. In a medium saucepan, sauté mushrooms and onions in oil on medium-high heat until onions are translucent and mushrooms tender.
7. Add soya sauce, cayenne, basil, dill and pepper and stir together. Remove from heat and slowly stir in flour, mixing together well. It will become pasty and dry.
8. Slowly start adding stock (add one teaspoon of vegetable bouillon powder to the potato liquid) a little at a time until everything becomes well mixed and there are no lumps (use a food processor/blender or whisk if it does go lumpy!). Leave it to simmer, stirring occasionally. Add more miso/yeast extract if necessary.
9. Pour vegetable mixture for the shepherd’s pie into a lightly oiled oven dish and then layer the mashed potatoes on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
10. If serving with another vegetable, such as broccoli or peas, prepare and cook while shepherd’s pie is baking.
11. Serve with the gravy and your vegetables.

DESSERT

Mixed Berry Crumble
Serves 4-6

A berry nice variation on an old favourite! You can buy frozen berries from the supermarket if they’re out of season for a vibrant vitamin C boost in winter - just remember to defrost them before cooking.

• Topping
• 225g/8oz plain wholemeal flour
• 150g/5oz soft brown sugar
• 75g/3oz margarine
• 5ml/1 level tsp baking powder
• Fruity filling
• 45og/1lb mixed berry fruits
• 1-2 tbsp caster sugar, to taste.

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4
2. Sieve flour into large mixing bowl.
3. Sprinkle in sieved baking powder.
4. Add margarine and rub in lightly, using your fingertips.
5. When mixture looks crumbly and the fat dispersed evenly, add sugar and combine.
6. In an oven-proof lightly greased dish, place fruit, then add crumble topping.
7. Cook for 30-40 minutes. Serve with custard, vanilla dessert, soya cream or ice cream or yoghurt.