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Meat free diet.

incorporating Recipes and Cooking
redsturgeon
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Meat free diet.

#262697

Postby redsturgeon » November 7th, 2019, 7:58 am

I went meat free a year ago now and I can't see myself going back. I did it as a challenge from my daughter who is vegan. I went totally vegan for a month last October and found to my surprise that I did not miss meat at all...not even bacon!

What I did miss however was cheese, so I have incorporated that into my diet. I am lactose intolerant so cheese and yoghurt are the only milk that I have anyway and I do not take milk in hot drinks so that avoids all that soya/almond/oat milk nonsense.

I cook a lot at home so most of the time things are straightforward, however eating out can be a challenge which is why I still eat fish perhaps once a week, even if there is no decent vegetarian option on a menu, one can usually find a decent fish choice.

I am not eating many eggs but am not excluding them in cakes or mayonnaise so I guess I am a lacto-ovo-pesco-vegetarian.

The benefits I have seen in the past year:

1. Weight loss. I was not overweight but I lost 10 kilos in my first three month of veganism and even returning to cheese and fish I am 8 kilos less than I was.

2. My blood pressure reduced from 135/90 to 120/80

3. My cholesterol levels reduced

4. My bowel movements are amazing...sorry about that one!

The downsides:

1. When going out with a group to eat there can be that awkward waiter conversation.

2. You need to plan things with a bit more care to ensure you are getting a nutritionally balance diet

Some of my favourite foods:

I start most days with toasted soughdough from our local bakery with 100% peanut butter. For variety I change this to avocado on soudough or bruchetta or mushrooms.

For lunch at the moment I have mostly homemade vegetable/bean soups.

For snacks I love nuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios and medjool dates or dried apricots for a sweet hit.

I love curries so dhal, chickpea and other vegetable curries with plenty of chilli and spices are a staple at least once a week. My current favourite is an aubergine curry with black cardamoms which is delicious...all made from the basic spices ground and blended by me.

Italian food is also a favourite and pasta with pesto or a puttanesca or a fagioli is great and again at least once a week

I used to love burgers so I experiment often to try to come up with my own "beyond burger" or "impossible burger" and have found many tasty substitutes for the beef burger. As an aside for the best vegan burger in London the Dirty Bones takes some beating.

https://dirty-bones.com/menus

Homemade falafel is also great and homemade hummus those together in a wrap with shredded iceberg lettuce salsa and chilli sauce is a perfect donner kebab substitute.

Add in lots of salads and fruit to that list and I do not feel I am missing out on much.

I have tried to use my vegetarian diet to expand rather than contract the range of food I eat so that while I have given up pork, chicken and beef, I have added more than three different other food ingredients to my usual diet.

I'd be interested to hear of any other vegetarian experiences or some good recipes and am happy to share my favourites too.

John

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262744

Postby monabri » November 7th, 2019, 11:18 am

Baked Bean Pie

An easy meal. Peel the potatoes first and slam in the microwave during the cooking of the sausages (1).

(1) Oven at 180' C for 15 mins
Quorn sausage
Red Onion
Mushrooms, chopped
Oil
Place all contents in a pyrex or earthenware dish.

(2) remove from oven , Add beans, curry powder ( 1 or 2 teaspoons) & black pepper. Continue to cook for 10 minutes

(3) potatoes boiled for 20 mins in a microwave for mash. Add grated cheese.

(4) spread the mash on top of the sausage/bean/onions

(5) return to oven for 15 mins and grill.

monabri ( veggie since 2000).

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262747

Postby monabri » November 7th, 2019, 11:29 am

Vegetable spaghetti

In a large, deep frying pan

Onion x 1
Mushrooms
Garlic ( or not!)
Chilli flakes..a scattering to taste
Oil

When part cooked,add

Courgette - sliced
Red Kidney beans
Tins of tomatoes, chopped.
Peppers ( red, green)

Vegetable stock cube in 500ml of boiling water
Add 100g of spaghetti ( broken by hand into equal, lengths ) per person

Add to frying pan, simmer for 15 mins until spaghetti cooked.

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262778

Postby Urbandreamer » November 7th, 2019, 1:28 pm

My recipy book has something called "Fool's Vegi chili" which is a copy of a recipy from the TMF boards.

It's great because you can usually make it with store cupboard ingredients.

The original was a pub recipy I believe intended to feed about 12.

The important ingredient is bulgar wheat!

I use any old Vedge, add bay leaves and skip the sweetcorn.

Here is the original, but beware the quantities. Half the amount makes a LOT of chilli. If adjusting, add the wheat at the end, slowly. The wheat cooks in minuits but swells taking up the fluids.

Code: Select all

And it's another new recipe from the kitchen of the great Vegetarian fraudster (who hates to admit that non-meat courses have now overtaken meat courses in the pub ).

    2 large onions (chopped)
    2 green peppers (diced)
    3 x cloves garlic (crushed)
    1 small dice carrot
    2 small courgette (diced)
    5 tsp hot chilli powder
    2 tsp ground cumin
    2 tsp dried oregano.
    1 x 800g tin chopped tomatoes
    1 tube of tomato puree
    2 litres veg stock
    200g (approx) dry bulgar wheat.
    400g tin sweetcorn (with liquor)
    800g tin red kidney beans

Preparation method

    Saute veg in sunflower oil 'til soft, but not coloured. Add spices and herbs. Cook through for about 5 mins (still on a low heat). Add tinned tomatoes and puree. Add veg stock and season to taste then add bulgar wheat.
    Replace lid and leave on lowest heat for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally.
    Add tined sweetcorn (with liquor) and red kidney beans.
    At this point you may have to adjust liquidity of chilli - if "too wet" add a small amount of bulgar wheat. If "too dry" - add some water.
    Adjust seasoning if required

servodude
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Re: Meat free diet.

#262887

Postby servodude » November 7th, 2019, 10:52 pm

One recent family favourite is roasted cauliflower

Cut in to florrets
Dip head bit in beaten egg (or something to make it sticky)
Roll in a mixture of panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan, and paprika ( or cajun spice)
Drizzle with oil and roast in a hot oven till crispy

serve with buffalo sauce (made by mixing melted butter with franks sauce, about 30% butter to sauce ratio)

gets the old "I can't believe this is vegetables" reaction
- sd

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262900

Postby vrdiver » November 8th, 2019, 1:24 am

A light lunch alternative: butter bean pate on sesame toast or with flatbread:
Ingredients (for 6 light servings)
• 1 x 400g can butter beans, rinsed, drained
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon mild paprika
• 1 x 175g pkt multigrain wraps
• Olive oil spray
• 2 tablespoons dukkah (crushed cumin, coriander, sesame and hazelnuts; or whatever (almonds, chilli, paprika!)
• Mild paprika, extra, to serve
• Olive oil, extra, to serve
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh continental parsley
• Crudities – celery, carrot, mushrooms, etc.

Place the butter beans, garlic, lemon juice, oil, cumin and paprika in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the flatbreads (if using) in a single layer, on 2 large baking trays. Spray with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with the dukkah. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until crisp. Set aside to cool slightly. Break into coarse pieces.

Transfer the butter bean mixture to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with extra paprika and drizzle over extra oil. Top with the parsley. Serve with the flat bread.

I usually make the flatbreads from scratch - nicer than packet breads:

Quick Flatbread
Makes 4 thin breads, enough for 2 people
100ml warm water
1/4 teaspoon dried yeast
130g unbleached strong white bread flour (I experiment with wholemeal or part wholemeal/part white flour too – I find that wholemeal results in good flavour but less puffiness)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil or rapeseed oil
Stir the yeast into the water and put the flour into a medium bowl with the salt.
Begin to add the yeast and water to the flour. Start at the side of the bowl, pouring in a little water, incorporating some flour, and so on, all the time working out the lumps with your fingertips.
When all the flour and water have been incorporated, beat in the olive oil with your fingertips.
Ideally let the dough sit for 20 minutes, give it a quick mix to make more elastic.
Then flour your hands and the dough, divide into 4 and roll out each one to a thin circle.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium to high heat if you don’t have a woodburner with hotplates, then cook each bread one at a time.
Place directly on woodburner hotplate or frying pan, when it starts to bubble, turn it over with a spatula. Cook until underside has brown spots.
The bread should be cooked but still pliable. Keep warm, covered with a tea-towel, while you cook the rest.

Vegetarian Haggis is much better than it sounds (Burns night coming round again) and all those dals, curries, lentil/pulse dishes work really well in a slow cooker, especially if you then make enough to freeze for a quick, lazy meal another time.

Celeriac is in the shops now - worth looking up recipes for it.

If you like making bread, I recommend "Chef John's no knead ciabatta": https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2009/01 ... lieve.html. You can make a sourdough version as well (see his site for starting your own sourdough culture if you're interested).


A dish that not too many people eat in the UK, Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes)
Serves 2, makes 4 potato pancakes. Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 25 minutes
(another lunch dish in our household)

INGREDIENTS
• 1 lb. potatoes (about 2 medium or 3 small Russets or other starchy potato)
• 1/2 onion
• 3/4 - 1 tsp. salt (start with a lower amount, you can add salt at the table)
• Ground pepper
• Freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 egg
• Oil for frying
PREPARATION
Peel and grate potatoes. Place the grated potatoes in a clean dishcloth or cheesecloth and squeeze the liquid out of them into a bowl. Let the liquid stand a few minutes, then drain the liquid, leaving potato starch at the bottom of the bowl. Add the potatoes.
Grate the onion over the potatoes. Add dried onion flakes for part or all of the onion, if you like. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and egg. Mix thoroughly.
Heat oil in a frying pan. You can use a non-stick pan and just a few drops of oil, if you wish, but for best results use 1/8 to 1/4 inch of oil.
Using about 1/2 cup, drop the potato mixture into hot oil and flatten with the back of a spoon. Fry 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with apple sauce and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon.

The apple sauce provides a foil for the fried potato, but they go well with HP sauce as well!

Mushroom, spinach and blue-cheese lasagna for colder nights, chickpea tagines, mushroom stroganoff etc. all go down well this time of year too.

VRD

Dod101
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Re: Meat free diet.

#262915

Postby Dod101 » November 8th, 2019, 7:37 am

I am impressed by redsturgeon's list of benefits but I do not eat a lot of red meat anyway, maybe two or three meals a week, although it would be interesting to keep a diary. I could happily enough eat veggies and fruit but I must say I do like fish (and cheese)

Where does the protein come from?

Dod

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262920

Postby vrdiver » November 8th, 2019, 8:07 am

Dod101 wrote:I am impressed by redsturgeon's list of benefits but I do not eat a lot of red meat anyway, maybe two or three meals a week, although it would be interesting to keep a diary. I could happily enough eat veggies and fruit but I must say I do like fish (and cheese)

Where does the protein come from?

Dod

Nuts, chickpeas, pulses, lentils etc. (see RS's favourite foods above) are all high in protein.

You might want to take a look at the Vegetarian Society's page on this: https://www.vegsoc.org/info-hub/health- ... n/protein/

but short answer is that (for adults at least) it's pretty easy to get all the protein you need without meat provided you have a varied diet. Most vegetarians will eat relatively more protein-rich vegetables etc. than their omnivorous counterparts, simply because they naturally dominate in recipes that don't have a meat centrepiece.

VRD

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262928

Postby redsturgeon » November 8th, 2019, 8:30 am

servodude wrote:One recent family favourite is roasted cauliflower

Cut in to florrets
Dip head bit in beaten egg (or something to make it sticky)
Roll in a mixture of panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan, and paprika ( or cajun spice)
Drizzle with oil and roast in a hot oven till crispy

serve with buffalo sauce (made by mixing melted butter with franks sauce, about 30% butter to sauce ratio)

gets the old "I can't believe this is vegetables" reaction
- sd


I must try this, I do something similar already using my chicken tikka recipe just substituting the cauli for the chicken but I used to enjoy Buffalo wings.

John

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262930

Postby Urbandreamer » November 8th, 2019, 8:31 am

Dod101 wrote:I am impressed by redsturgeon's list of benefits but I do not eat a lot of red meat anyway, maybe two or three meals a week, although it would be interesting to keep a diary. I could happily enough eat veggies and fruit but I must say I do like fish (and cheese)

Where does the protein come from?

Dod


I can't comment upon John's diet, but protein or protiens are compounds that consist of amino acids. The body metabalises these amino acids and recombines them for it's own use. Hence simply ensuring that you eat foods containing them solves the issue.

The ideal solution may be something called "food combining". For example beans on toast may provide a better solution for the body than beef steak alone. The beans, the grain and the meat have differing ratios of the amino acids, but the combination of the beans and the grain* is nearer what the body requirs (as a protein). You may have come upon the concept in remarks that eggs contain more or better protien than red meat. It is simply that the ratio of amino acids in eggs is better proportioned. However simply eating enough allows our bodys to take what we need from our diet.

Here is a link to a wiki article about the book "Diet for a small planet" from the 70's.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_for_a_Small_Planet

I'm no longer vegetarian, but was for well over a decade after reading that book. In the end it was lack of time to cook and lack of change in the world that caused me to drift back into eating meat.

*If you go back to the Chilli recipy, you may note that again beans and grains are contained in the dish. In the Baked bean pie, it's beans and "mushrooms". Quorn is a vat grown mycelium which is remakably like stuff mentioned in all the best SF books. If you look into it, you'll find that most vedgi dishes contain a mix of beans, grain, seeds or mushrooms.

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262931

Postby redsturgeon » November 8th, 2019, 8:34 am

vrdiver wrote:A light lunch alternative: butter bean pate on sesame toast or with flatbread:
Ingredients (for 6 light servings)
• 1 x 400g can butter beans, rinsed, drained
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon mild paprika
• 1 x 175g pkt multigrain wraps
• Olive oil spray
• 2 tablespoons dukkah (crushed cumin, coriander, sesame and hazelnuts; or whatever (almonds, chilli, paprika!)
• Mild paprika, extra, to serve
• Olive oil, extra, to serve
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh continental parsley
• Crudities – celery, carrot, mushrooms, etc.

Place the butter beans, garlic, lemon juice, oil, cumin and paprika in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the flatbreads (if using) in a single layer, on 2 large baking trays. Spray with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with the dukkah. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until crisp. Set aside to cool slightly. Break into coarse pieces.

Transfer the butter bean mixture to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with extra paprika and drizzle over extra oil. Top with the parsley. Serve with the flat bread.

I usually make the flatbreads from scratch - nicer than packet breads:

Quick Flatbread
Makes 4 thin breads, enough for 2 people
100ml warm water
1/4 teaspoon dried yeast
130g unbleached strong white bread flour (I experiment with wholemeal or part wholemeal/part white flour too – I find that wholemeal results in good flavour but less puffiness)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil or rapeseed oil
Stir the yeast into the water and put the flour into a medium bowl with the salt.
Begin to add the yeast and water to the flour. Start at the side of the bowl, pouring in a little water, incorporating some flour, and so on, all the time working out the lumps with your fingertips.
When all the flour and water have been incorporated, beat in the olive oil with your fingertips.
Ideally let the dough sit for 20 minutes, give it a quick mix to make more elastic.
Then flour your hands and the dough, divide into 4 and roll out each one to a thin circle.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium to high heat if you don’t have a woodburner with hotplates, then cook each bread one at a time.
Place directly on woodburner hotplate or frying pan, when it starts to bubble, turn it over with a spatula. Cook until underside has brown spots.
The bread should be cooked but still pliable. Keep warm, covered with a tea-towel, while you cook the rest.

Vegetarian Haggis is much better than it sounds (Burns night coming round again) and all those dals, curries, lentil/pulse dishes work really well in a slow cooker, especially if you then make enough to freeze for a quick, lazy meal another time.

Celeriac is in the shops now - worth looking up recipes for it.

If you like making bread, I recommend "Chef John's no knead ciabatta": https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2009/01 ... lieve.html. You can make a sourdough version as well (see his site for starting your own sourdough culture if you're interested).


A dish that not too many people eat in the UK, Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes)
Serves 2, makes 4 potato pancakes. Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 25 minutes
(another lunch dish in our household)

INGREDIENTS
• 1 lb. potatoes (about 2 medium or 3 small Russets or other starchy potato)
• 1/2 onion
• 3/4 - 1 tsp. salt (start with a lower amount, you can add salt at the table)
• Ground pepper
• Freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 egg
• Oil for frying
PREPARATION
Peel and grate potatoes. Place the grated potatoes in a clean dishcloth or cheesecloth and squeeze the liquid out of them into a bowl. Let the liquid stand a few minutes, then drain the liquid, leaving potato starch at the bottom of the bowl. Add the potatoes.
Grate the onion over the potatoes. Add dried onion flakes for part or all of the onion, if you like. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and egg. Mix thoroughly.
Heat oil in a frying pan. You can use a non-stick pan and just a few drops of oil, if you wish, but for best results use 1/8 to 1/4 inch of oil.
Using about 1/2 cup, drop the potato mixture into hot oil and flatten with the back of a spoon. Fry 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with apple sauce and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon.

The apple sauce provides a foil for the fried potato, but they go well with HP sauce as well!

Mushroom, spinach and blue-cheese lasagna for colder nights, chickpea tagines, mushroom stroganoff etc. all go down well this time of year too.

VRD


The butter bean pate sounds good, similar to a hummus I suppose.

I already make my own chapattis so will have a go at the flatbreads.

The kartoffelpuffer sounds great.

Cheers

John

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262934

Postby redsturgeon » November 8th, 2019, 8:38 am

Urbandreamer wrote:My recipy book has something called "Fool's Vegi chili" which is a copy of a recipy from the TMF boards.



I must try some bulgar wheat, I can't say I have ever had it. I bought some pearl barley this week to try with some hearty soups.

John

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262939

Postby Dod101 » November 8th, 2019, 8:46 am

redsturgeon wrote:
Urbandreamer wrote:My recipy book has something called "Fool's Vegi chili" which is a copy of a recipy from the TMF boards.



I must try some bulgar wheat, I can't say I have ever had it. I bought some pearl barley this week to try with some hearty soups.

John


I know about both of these. Bulgar wheat is good. Pearl barley is common in Scotland but I add only a little to soups as it thickens them and to me gives an odd flavour, obliterating very easily the potatoes carrots, onions and so on that make up my vegetable soup. Lentils are a good addition.

Dod

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262946

Postby servodude » November 8th, 2019, 8:59 am

redsturgeon wrote:
servodude wrote:One recent family favourite is roasted cauliflower

Cut in to florrets
Dip head bit in beaten egg (or something to make it sticky)
Roll in a mixture of panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan, and paprika ( or cajun spice)
Drizzle with oil and roast in a hot oven till crispy

serve with buffalo sauce (made by mixing melted butter with franks sauce, about 30% butter to sauce ratio)

gets the old "I can't believe this is vegetables" reaction
- sd


I must try this, I do something similar already using my chicken tikka recipe just substituting the cauli for the chicken but I used to enjoy Buffalo wings.

John


It really is one of those too easy to be this tasty things!
- sd

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Re: Meat free diet.

#262947

Postby vrdiver » November 8th, 2019, 9:06 am

redsturgeon wrote:I must try some bulgar wheat, I can't say I have ever had it. I bought some pearl barley this week to try with some hearty soups.


Two recipes for your new ingredients:

Barley-Apricot Salad

Prep: 20 min + Inactive: 10 min Cook: 30 min Yield:4 servings (side dish)

Ingredients

Salad:
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, low-sodium canned, or homemade
1 cup barley
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 spring onion (white and green parts), thinly sliced

Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


Directions
Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the barley, oil, and salt. Bring back to a boil, adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes more.

Meanwhile make the dressing: Whisk the lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream, to make a smooth dressing.

Drain excess liquid from barley, if needed. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the remaining salad ingredients and dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Tabbouleh

(Serves 4)

Ingredients
• 25g/1oz bulgur wheat
• 2 large, ripe vine tomatoes
• large bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, leaves only, washed, dried, finely chopped
• small bunch fresh mint leaves, washed, dried, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, peeled, finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt flakes
• 4 ready-made flatbreads, to serve

Preparation method
1. Place the bulgar wheat into a small bowl and cover with 50ml/2fl oz of boiling water. Stir, then set aside for 20 minutes, or until the bulgar wheat has absorbed all of the water.
2. Cut out the green stalks from the tomatoes and make a small cross at each of the bases. Place the tomatoes into a separate bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 30 seconds, then drain away the water.
3. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skins. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, discard the seeds and dice the flesh. Transfer the diced tomatoes to a serving bowl.
4. Add the parsley, mint and onion to the tomatoes and mix well until combined.
5. When the bulgar wheat has absorbed all of the water, fluff it using a fork until the grains are separated. Add the bulgar wheat to the tomato mixture.
6. Drizzle over the lemon juice and olive oil and season, to taste, with salt. Mix well to coat the ingredients in the liquid.
7. To serve, divide the tabbouleh equally among four serving plates. Place one grilled flatbread alongside each.

VRD

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Re: Meat free diet.

#263294

Postby AleisterCrowley » November 9th, 2019, 8:03 pm

Interesting thread - I have thought about moving to a vegetarian/pescatarian diet (mainly health reasons)
Two main blockers:
I don't have much time, and don't particularly enjoy cooking (or washing up) and producing a decent veg meal seems to be a lot more effort than my 'stick some meat in the oven/pan and boil some potatoes ' usual fare
Although I am going off stuff like full fry ups etc, I do REALLY enjoy stuff like homemade kebabs, roast chicken (the skin, mmm) , a really good steak

A possible compromise is alternating veggie/meat days, or doing a week off/week on sort of thing, but I'd need some relatively simple and enjoyable veggie recipes

My sister was a vegetarian from ~ 13 until her early 40s, when she transformed into a carnivore ! It was a combination of travelling in the US (where vegetarianism is seen as a mental health issue) and six months working in China...

[edit] the kartoffelpuffer sound interesting - similar to rosti I assume (or latke)

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Re: Meat free diet.

#263301

Postby johnstevens77 » November 9th, 2019, 9:00 pm

vrdiver wrote:
redsturgeon wrote:I must try some bulgar wheat, I can't say I have ever had it. I bought some pearl barley this week to try with some hearty soups.


Two recipes for your new ingredients:

Barley-Apricot Salad

Prep: 20 min + Inactive: 10 min Cook: 30 min Yield:4 servings (side dish)

Ingredients

Salad:
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, low-sodium canned, or homemade
1 cup barley
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 spring onion (white and green parts), thinly sliced

Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


Directions
Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the barley, oil, and salt. Bring back to a boil, adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes more.

Meanwhile make the dressing: Whisk the lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream, to make a smooth dressing.

Drain excess liquid from barley, if needed. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the remaining salad ingredients and dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Tabbouleh

(Serves 4)

Ingredients
• 25g/1oz bulgur wheat
• 2 large, ripe vine tomatoes
• large bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, leaves only, washed, dried, finely chopped
• small bunch fresh mint leaves, washed, dried, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, peeled, finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt flakes
• 4 ready-made flatbreads, to serve

Preparation method
1. Place the bulgar wheat into a small bowl and cover with 50ml/2fl oz of boiling water. Stir, then set aside for 20 minutes, or until the bulgar wheat has absorbed all of the water.
2. Cut out the green stalks from the tomatoes and make a small cross at each of the bases. Place the tomatoes into a separate bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 30 seconds, then drain away the water.
3. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skins. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, discard the seeds and dice the flesh. Transfer the diced tomatoes to a serving bowl.
4. Add the parsley, mint and onion to the tomatoes and mix well until combined.
5. When the bulgar wheat has absorbed all of the water, fluff it using a fork until the grains are separated. Add the bulgar wheat to the tomato mixture.
6. Drizzle over the lemon juice and olive oil and season, to taste, with salt. Mix well to coat the ingredients in the liquid.
7. To serve, divide the tabbouleh equally among four serving plates. Place one grilled flatbread alongside each.

VRD


I frequently make tabbouleh, having learned from my Lebanese cooks in The Middle East, only diference is that I never saw the tomatoes blanched, they were always diced skin on. I also add some allspice powder for an extra dimension and use spring onions if I have them. Both authentic variations. I don't like the North African recipe, too much tabbouleh.

john

UncleEbenezer
The full Lemon
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Re: Meat free diet.

#263327

Postby UncleEbenezer » November 10th, 2019, 8:50 am

AleisterCrowley wrote:I don't have much time, and don't particularly enjoy cooking (or washing up) and producing a decent veg meal seems to be a lot more effort than my 'stick some meat in the oven/pan and boil some potatoes ' usual fare


Veggie stir-fry or curry: absolutely quick&easy, and many variants.

Big soups and broths: make a full meal of them by serving on pasta and grating cheese over it. Takes a while (though mostly just on simmer - enjoy the smell wafting through to the living room), but you mitigate that by making a big cauldron and freezing several portions for future quick&easy satisfaction. Autumn offers squashes as a fine base ingredient, or look ahead to the winter roots that make a dreary side-dish but a delicious soup.

Chef's day off: just boil up pasta, serve with salad, maybe a bit of cheese (anything from a stilton to a soft crumbly goats cheese), nuts (e.g. walnuts), lubricate with tuscan olive oil infused with e.g. chilli&garlic or basil&pepper. Or ... with anything, really ...

The oven-roast & stuffed veg: stuffing based on lentils or beansprouts infused with strong flavours, grate cheese on top, wrap in foil & bake. Can be served on thick-cut bread or toast, or with something more exciting like quinoa boiled in orange juice and infused with dried fruits.

(I'm a thoroughly lazy cook who likes one hot meal per day but hasn't eaten dead animal since 1993).

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Re: Meat free diet.

#263341

Postby HarryCat » November 10th, 2019, 11:01 am

The Ottolenghi rice salad recipe on this page has become a firm favourite in our house:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... ty-recipes
It’s a fairly involved recipe, and worth following to the letter, but can be prepared in advance.

Goes well with this Honey and Co. aubergine recipe:
https://www.ft.com/content/ede13012-67b ... 56a776a4f5
Which can also be largely prepped in advance.

johnstevens77
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Re: Meat free diet.

#263389

Postby johnstevens77 » November 10th, 2019, 8:26 pm

johnstevens77 wrote:
vrdiver wrote:
redsturgeon wrote:

I frequently make tabbouleh, having learned from my Lebanese cooks in The Middle East, only diference is that I never saw the tomatoes blanched, they were always diced skin on. I also add some allspice powder for an extra dimension and use spring onions if I have them. Both authentic variations. I don't like the North African recipe, too much tabbouleh.

john


Oops! Too much burghul. I had tabbouleh in a Morrocan restaurant once, was dry and tasteless with too much burghul and not enough tomatoes.

john


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