A recipe of my mum's which makes really delicious burgers, though when I made them the other day, found I needed to add an extra courgette and a big dollop of peanut-butter to bind in all the breadcrumbs in this recipe...
100gms mushrooms
1 small onion
1 small courgette (I used two)
1 carrot
100gms fresh breadcrumbs
2tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp yeast extract
25 gms peanuts (I also used 1 large tbsp crunchy peanut-butter)
salt & pepper if wanted.
Finely chop the mushrooms and cook without oil, stirring to drive out moisture.
Finley grate/food process the onion, courgette, carrot, nuts and add in the mushrooms, parsley & yeast extract. Stir together (adding extra courgette & peanut-butter to help bind if necessary) Dust hands and board with flour to shape mixture into burgers, then chill them in't fridge for 30 mins (on my boat, just leave em out in the kitchen!). Fry in a little oil for 8-10 minutes. Scoff.
Wednesday 24 December 2008
Wednesday 17 December 2008
a badly written post about gluten
One of the things I keep in mind about being vegan is that it is a choice rather than a requirement, health or otherwise. So whilst I obviously appreciate efforts made to feed me nice food, I'm happy just to choice from what's available, I don't expect anyone to make anything specially for me (and hey, sometimes they don't).
Health requirements, though, are different; perhaps I'm just glad I'm not limited in that way, but I do try to make an effort. Two different friends are made ill by gluten in food, so I bought some gluten-free flour. The first attempt to use it was in a vegetable crumble topping; fairly disastrous, I didn't put nearly enough fat in as it seemed to need, even though there was plenty in there, and it stayed drty, and white, and fairly inedible.
Next attempt was a birthday cake, to accommodate the celebrant's flatmate; vegan, of course, so I could have some too. I think this is wherte the gluten was really missed, as we were without eggs, too. Despite baking powder (which of course had wheat in anyway), what should have been a fairly light carrot cake with walnuts & apple completely failed to rise, and indeed 'set' rather than cooked. On the grounds that it's the thought that counts, I covered it in Green & Blacks Maya Gold, and presented it anyway, and got away with it.
No pictures of either to illustrate this post - probably a good thing. ;-)
Obviously I suspect with a little more practise I'd find better ways of using the flour, but I think in future I'll just avoid flour-based foods when they're around - easier with main meals rather than cake; in some ways I wanted to make something they wouldn't normally get to eat, but I'd rather be more successful otherwise, I think. I'm also used to using wholemeal flour, and the gluten-free type is very 'white', with no real fibre to it.
Health requirements, though, are different; perhaps I'm just glad I'm not limited in that way, but I do try to make an effort. Two different friends are made ill by gluten in food, so I bought some gluten-free flour. The first attempt to use it was in a vegetable crumble topping; fairly disastrous, I didn't put nearly enough fat in as it seemed to need, even though there was plenty in there, and it stayed drty, and white, and fairly inedible.
Next attempt was a birthday cake, to accommodate the celebrant's flatmate; vegan, of course, so I could have some too. I think this is wherte the gluten was really missed, as we were without eggs, too. Despite baking powder (which of course had wheat in anyway), what should have been a fairly light carrot cake with walnuts & apple completely failed to rise, and indeed 'set' rather than cooked. On the grounds that it's the thought that counts, I covered it in Green & Blacks Maya Gold, and presented it anyway, and got away with it.
No pictures of either to illustrate this post - probably a good thing. ;-)
Obviously I suspect with a little more practise I'd find better ways of using the flour, but I think in future I'll just avoid flour-based foods when they're around - easier with main meals rather than cake; in some ways I wanted to make something they wouldn't normally get to eat, but I'd rather be more successful otherwise, I think. I'm also used to using wholemeal flour, and the gluten-free type is very 'white', with no real fibre to it.
Tuesday 9 December 2008
Pulses
I need to know about pulses.
Can I eat chickpeas that are in a tin (rather than dried) raw?
What do I do with lentils from a packet (not in a tin)?
Can I eat lentils from a tin raw?
I cant go another week without knowing.
Can I eat chickpeas that are in a tin (rather than dried) raw?
What do I do with lentils from a packet (not in a tin)?
Can I eat lentils from a tin raw?
I cant go another week without knowing.
Sunday 7 December 2008
Vital Stand-by Ingredients from Happyhome
I can't be without -
CHILLI DIPPING SAUCE - I buy large bottles of it from the lovely Oriental Supermarket in Leamington, it is cheap and seems to work wonders wherever I splash it around.
Spicy Squash and Tomato Soup
======================
In the same medium oven slowly roast chunks of squash and halved tomatoes until the squash is soft and a bit caramelised and the tomatoes are semi-dried. Finely dice and soften some onions and garlic, add the squash and tomato and enough boiling water to cover, simmer for 10 minutes and mash away with a potato masher, the tomatoes break down surprisingly well. Add a tablespoon or two (as your taste requires) of sweet chilli dipping sauce towards the end - this is all there is to it, though a handful of fresh coriander and finely sliced spring onions at the point of serving would lift this from warm and comforting, to zingy and interesting.
CHILLI DIPPING SAUCE - I buy large bottles of it from the lovely Oriental Supermarket in Leamington, it is cheap and seems to work wonders wherever I splash it around.
Spicy Squash and Tomato Soup
======================
In the same medium oven slowly roast chunks of squash and halved tomatoes until the squash is soft and a bit caramelised and the tomatoes are semi-dried. Finely dice and soften some onions and garlic, add the squash and tomato and enough boiling water to cover, simmer for 10 minutes and mash away with a potato masher, the tomatoes break down surprisingly well. Add a tablespoon or two (as your taste requires) of sweet chilli dipping sauce towards the end - this is all there is to it, though a handful of fresh coriander and finely sliced spring onions at the point of serving would lift this from warm and comforting, to zingy and interesting.
Chick-pea & red pepper soup
Here's a soup that requires both imported ingredients (doh!) and a blender (double doh!), but which is a really delicious treat. It was made for me and I don't have an exact recipe but here goes:
Puree 2 tins of chick-peas with enough water to make a creamy consitency.
Finely chop and fry an onion, a large Jalapeno-style red pepper and 2 chillies. Blend half the pepper/onion/chilli mix and add it to the chick-pea, then stir in the rest of the mix (for a bit of texture). Cook for a few minutes, adding salt/pepper if wanted. Just before removing from the heat, add the juice of a lemon. The chilli and lemon give it a lovely kick and lift.
Puree 2 tins of chick-peas with enough water to make a creamy consitency.
Finely chop and fry an onion, a large Jalapeno-style red pepper and 2 chillies. Blend half the pepper/onion/chilli mix and add it to the chick-pea, then stir in the rest of the mix (for a bit of texture). Cook for a few minutes, adding salt/pepper if wanted. Just before removing from the heat, add the juice of a lemon. The chilli and lemon give it a lovely kick and lift.
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