Wednesday 29 August 2007

Some main meal recipes


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1 comment:

Kris said...

Miss ready meals after a long day's work?
Many of the meals in a sauce in this section(ie chilli, bolognese) serve more than one person, so it's a good idea to make more than you need when you have the time, invest in some airtight tupperware boxes and save your leftovers in the fridge for a few days or freezer for a few weeks. Reheat them in a pan on the hob, or microwave, with the lid loosened, for 5 mins(fridge) or 12 mins(freezer) stirring halfway. Voila- ready meals for those days you just can't be bothered cooking!

Marinades for tofu
You can buy ready marinated tofu but it's much cheaper and quite easy to do it yourself
(for 250g tofu)
2-4 crushed garlic cloves or equivalent garlic paste(to taste)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tbsp grated ginger(optional)
-mix together in container and add a drained and sliced block of tofu, leave in fridge to marinade- the longer you leave it the more flavourful! (up to 3 days)
I sometimes use it immediately for stir fries if I'm in a hurry and it still tastes ok, but just not as strongly flavoured.

Baked tofu

-marinade approx 1 cm thick slices of drained tofu in above marinade recipe for at least an hour
-bake at 200 C for 40 mins, turning after 20 mins
~this makes sticks of baked tofu, crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. These can be eaten hot or cold. Ideal with a dip(ie hummus, egg-free mayo)~

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Stir-fry
(serves 2-4)
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp oil
marinated tofu(see above recipe for marinade)
(2 crushed cloves of garlic and 1 tsp grated ginger if not using marinated tofu)
and/or
mixture of vegetables of your choice (all of these work well- bell peppers, beansprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflour, cabbage, water chestnuts, sliced carrots, mange tout mini corn on cobs, bamboo.. anything you fancy!)
(for convenience you can buy fresh packs of veg ready to stir fry, or frozen bags of mixed oriental veg, which are a great standby to keep in your freezer)
2 tbsp soy sauce
60g cashews(optional)

- fry marinaded tofu(if using) till golden and crispy, then add the rest
-fry onions, veggies(and garlic and ginger if not using marinaded tofu), and additional soy sauce and fry for a few more minutes
-add cashews if using and serve
~ideal served with rice, quinoa, pasta or other grain~
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Coconutty Korma
Serves 2
2-3 tbsp olive oil 2-4 crushed cloves of garlic, to taste 250g tofu 1/2 onion, chopped (optional)any veggies you'd like to add, bell peppers, cauliflour or broccoli all work well. 2 tsp curry powder 50g creamed coconut(from solid block) 1 heaped tsp tomato puree vegetable stock cube 300ml boiled water 5 tbsp flaked almonds - put coconut, tomato paste, curry powder and stock cube in a jug to make korma sauce, add 400ml boiling water and leave, stir until it all melts to a liquid) - drain tofu and slice into little squares -marinade tofu in olive oil and crushed garlic
(Ps, remember you don't have to leave it to marinade, you can just throw it all in the frying pan if you're in a hurry and start cooking, but the longer you leave it to marinade, the more flavourful it is ) -throw tofu olive oil and garlic in pan with onion and fry till nice and browned, then add veggies if desired - pour in jug of sauce, bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for 5 mins, then serve~serve with rice, quinoa, chappatti breads or some other type of grain~
~adapt this korma sauce and serve with vegetables of your choice- omitting the tofu and adding a drained tin of chickpeas also works well~

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Creamy mushroom sauce
(serves 1-2)
150g mushrooms, sliced(I used button, but most varieties would do I think) 15g vegan margarine(I used Pure) 1 clove of garlic, crushed (or equivalent garlic paste)8 tbsp soya cream(I used Granose Soya Creem) OR unsweetened soya yogurt(I use alpro soya)pinch of nutmeg pinch of salt pinch of black pepper - fry the mushrooms and garlic with the margarine in a pan over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until cooked through -add the soya cream, nutmeg, salt and black pepper, and simmer for a few minutes, then serve ~serve this over some stir-fried tofu, or over pasta, or with a baked potato, or whatever you like! ~

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Bolognese sauce
(serves 2-4)

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
75g textured vegetable protein
1 stock cube, dissolved in 100ml boiled water
1 can chopped tomatoes
2tbsp tomato puree
1tbsp yeast extract(optional- gives a richer taste)
optional vegetables (you could use chopped mushrooms or bell peppers)
pinch of black pepper and basil
-saute onion and garlic (and vegetables if using) in olive oil until transparent
-add tin of chopped tomatoes, vegetable protein, tomato puree, stock, herbs (and yeast extract if using), bring to the boil, simmer for 15 mins and serve!
~ideal served with pasta, garlic bread or other grains~

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Ratatouille
(serves 2-4)
1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can chopped tomatoes
2tbsp tomato puree
1 small/1/2 large aubergine
1 courgette
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
pinch of black pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
-saute onion and garlic and vegetables in olive oil until transparent
-add tin of chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and herbs, bring to the boil, simmer for 25 mins and serve!
~you could try using other vegetables like broccoli in this, or adding a drained tin of legumes or a few tablespoons of red lentils to make a nice veggie stew~

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Chilli
(serves 2-4)

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
75g textured vegetable protein
1 stock cube, dissolved in 100ml boiled water
1 can chopped tomatoes
2tbsp tomato puree
1 tin red kidney beans, drained
3/4- 1 heaped tsp chilli powder(to taste)
1 pinch curry powder
1 square high cocoa content dark chocolate or 1 tsp pure cocoa
optional vegetables (you could use chopped mushrooms, jalapeno peppers(sparingly! They're hot, so cut the chilli powder content!) or bell peppers)

-saute onion and garlic (and vegetables if using) in olive oil until transparent
-add tin of chopped tomatoes, vegetable protein, kidney beans, tomato puree, stock, chilli and curry powders, and chocolate, and bring to the boil, simmer for 15 mins and serve!
~ideal served with rice, tortillas or other grains~
~alternatively, omit tvp, use only 15ml of boiled water to dissolve stock cube, and use a drained can of chickpeas or other beans, to make a bean chilli~

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Curry in a hurry
(serves 2-4)

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 aubergine, sliced
1 can chopped tomatoes
4tbsp red curry paste
1 tin green lentils, drained

-saute onion and garlic and aubergine in olive oil until transparent
-add tin of chopped tomatoes, drained red lentils and curry paste, bring to the boil, simmer for 15 mins and serve!
~ideal served with rice, chappatis, poppadoms or other grains~
~experiment with combinations using tofu, other vegetables and other tinned legumes, ie chickpeas~

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"Cheese" sauce
(serves 4)
This works best in bakes- see serving suggestions

115g vegan margarine
55g cornflour
285ml hot water
570ml unsweetened soya milk
2 tbs soy sauce
55g nutritional yeast flakes(sold under Engevita brand name in health food stores)
pinch of sea salt and black pepper
-melt marge in a large saucepan
-add cornflour, water and soya milk, keep stirring (so it doesn't go lumpy!) over a low heat till thickened and bring to the boil
-add soya sauce, yeast, salt and pepper

~make a macaroni pasta bake by covering 350g pasta(cooked), sprinkling some more yeast and/or breadcrumbs on top, and heating in 180 C oven for 20-25 mins... alternatively you could make a cauliflour and broccoli bake or layer with lasagne sheets and the bolognese sauce to make a lasagne~

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Eggless tofu "quiche"
(serves 4)
(the crust is optional, I often bake the filling in a flan dish by itself to make a frittatta-type dish)

Crust
120g wholemeal flour
50g margarine
pinch of salt
cold water

-rub margarine into flour with your fingers
-add salt, and a little water at a time, gradually adding till it forms a dough
-roll out dough and line oiled quiche dish
-bake in 220 C oven for 15 mins then set aside to cool

Filling

250g vegetables of your choice(broccoli, mushrooms, tomato, onion or bell peppers all work well)
4 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
250g tofu
4tbsp unsweetened soya milk
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp parsley
pinch of basil
3tbsp nutrional yeast (optional)
-put tofu in blender with soya milk, soy sauce, and herbs and whizz
-fry vegetables in olive oil and garlic for 5 mins, then place in dish or crust(if using) with blended tofu mixture
-sprinkle nutritional yeast over quiche if using
-bake in 220C oven for 25 mins
~may be served hot or cold~

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Spicy bean burgers

1 tin cooked red kidney beans, drained
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp crushed chillies
1 tbsp olive oil

-mash up the kidney beans in a bowl
-add the rolled oats, soy sauce, olive oil and crushed chillies, and mash into the kidney beans
- form into about 6 burgers, then fry on high heat in olive oil till each side is browned, then lower heat for a few more minutes to cook through

~serve in a bun with salad and vegenaise~