Take VFive-ingredient favourites that are low-cost, quick

and easy-to-make

www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk

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ContentsIntroduction 2Creamy mushroom bruschetta, pasta, or vol-au-vents 3Caraway seed soup 4Easy Thai noodles 5Cheat’s pizza 6Zingy lemon and artichoke pasta 7Meatless meatballs and tomato sauce 8Spring veggie pie 9Broad beans with garlic, rosemary and eggs 10Take V burger 11Roasted squash on toast 12Watermelon and feta salad 13 Spiced coconut rice pudding 14

The recipes in Take V were speciallycreated by Vegetarian for Life’s RovingChefs, Maggie and Ollie. With only fiveingredients each, they’re low-cost,quick, and easy-to-make – withoutlacking flavour or nutrition.

Not everyone has the time or energyto create lavish dishes. The good newsis that it needn’t take much to makesimple, tasty food. With a few keyingredients, you’ll find inspiration torecreate these meals at home with ease.

Each recipe presented serves four,but can easily be tweaked to feed fewerpeople – or, in most cases, frozen tocreate meals for another day. Userecipes like these as a guideline – youdon’t have to stick to exact ingredients,

because alternatives can be used. Therecipes here require minimal fuss andhave been created with simplicity inmind. So if you’re not a fan of thekitchen, or want food that tastes greatbut requires minimal effort, we hopethat you’ll welcome this guide.

Eating healthily needn’t mean onlyusing fresh, expensive items, either.Frozen and tinned foods are a handykitchen standby, and contain many ofthe vital nutrients needed for a well-balanced diet.

We’ve taken our own spin onclassics, and throughout the guideyou’ll find an array of tasty starters,mains and puddings, which we hopethat you’ll enjoy.

Introduction

info@vegetarianforlife.org.ukTel: 0161 257 0887

83 Ducie Street, Manchester M1 2JQ

Vegetarian for Life is a charityregistered in England and Wales,number 1120687Company number 6294709

© Vegetarian for Life 2017

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This recipe can be used as a pastasauce; with bruschetta or rice; or evenas a filling for vol-au-vents.

SErVES 4, VEganl 1 onion, finely dicedl 400g/14oz mixed mushrooms,

sliced (shitake, oyster, chestnut)l 4 tbsp garlic and herb dairy-free

cheesel Splash of non-dairy milkl Toasted bread, pasta, or rice

Optional extras: freshly choppedchives, lemon juice, smoked paprika

1 In a pan, slowly sauté the onion untilsoft, then add the sliced mushrooms. 2 Continue to cook for around 5minutes or until mushrooms brown.3 Add the non-dairy cheese and makesure mushrooms are well-coated. 4 Add a little non-dairy milk to loosen,then add 2 tsp chives (if using). 5 Serve on toasted bread or with pastaor rice.

Creamy mushroom bruschetta, pasta,or vol-au-vents

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Caraway seed soup

SErVES 4, VEganl 2 tbsp olive oill 2 tsp caraway seedsl 4 tbsp flourl 1 litre hot vegetable stock l Parsley

1 Heat saucepan and add oil.2 Add caraway seeds and stir them asthey pop.3 Mix in flour and cook over mediumheat for about 3 minutes. The mixtureshould be dark in colour, but not burnt.4 Slowly add the stock while stirring.Bring to a boil.5 Season well and top with finely-chopped parsley.

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If you’re not a fan of tofu, you cansubstitute any mock-meat or chunkymushrooms.

SErVES 4, VEganl 300g/10oz firm tofu, drained and

cut into 2.5cm/1 inch cubesl 500g mixed stir-fry vegetables,

fresh or frozenl 2 tbsp Thai curry paste (make sure

this does not contain fish-derivedingredients)

l 400ml tin coconut milkl noodles of choice

Optional extras: fresh coriander and awedge of fresh lime added at the end

1 Make sure tofu is well drained andpressed for at least 30 minutes toremove any excess liquid. Slice intocubes. 2 In a wok or non-stick frying pan,shallow-fry tofu for around 5 minutes,making sure the cubes don’t stick andare sealed well.3 Remove from pan and lay to rest onkitchen paper to soak up excess oil.4 In the same pan, stir-fry the mixedvegetables on a medium heat for 2minutes. Add curry paste. 5 Make sure vegetables are well coatedthen add coconut milk. 6 Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.7 Add cooked tofu and simmer foranother 5 minutes. 8 While curry is simmering, cooknoodles to packet instructions.9 Serve hot.

Easy Thai noodles

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Cheat’s pizza

SErVES 2 aS a Main, 4 aS a STarTEr,VEganl refrigerated packet of Jus-rol puff

pastry, or an alternative brand ofvegan pastry

l 2 tbsp vegan pestol ½ onion, slicedl 100g/3.5oz sliced peppers, fresh or

frozenl Vegan cheese to finish

Optional extras: any other vegetables.Fresh rocket for topping

1 Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/gasmark 6. Grease and line a baking sheet.2 Unroll the pastry. Using a knife, scorea 2.5cm/1 inch border so it looks like aframe, being careful not to cut throughthe pastry. 3 Using a fork, prick the central squarearound 10 times. This helps the pastryto stay flat. 4 Spread vegan pesto evenly, makingsure not to spill over the edge of theframe.5 Add sliced vegetables.6 Sprinkle with grated vegan cheese.7 Bake in preheated oven for 20minutes or until golden.

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A very quick pasta dish that requiresminimal cooking.

SErVES 4, VEganl 200g/7oz marinated artichokes,

roughly choppedl Juice and grated zest from 1

unwaxed lemonl 4 tbsp garlic oill 150g/5oz fresh peas (or use frozen,

defrosted)l 300g/10oz linguine

1 In a bowl, mix together the choppedartichokes, lemon juice and zest, garlicoil, and peas. 2 Cook pasta to packet instructions.3 Once cooked, combine all ingredients.4 Season well with salt and pepper.

Zingy lemon and artichoke pasta

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Meatless meatballsand tomato sauceThis dish also works well in abaguette… it’s messy but very tasty!

SErVES 4, VEganl ½ packet of sosmix/ready-made

vegan meatballs l 2 tins chopped tomatoes with herbsl 1 medium onionl 2 cloves garlicl Pasta of choice

1 If using pre-made vegan meatballs,cook to packet instructions and startwith making the sauce. If using sosmix,make to packet instructions and forminto small meatball shapes.2 In a pan, lightly fry the veganmeatballs until golden brown all over(around 10–15 minutes).3 Remove from pan and rest on kitchenpaper to soak up any excess oil.4 In a food processor or hand blender,blend the tomatoes, onion and garlicuntil smooth. Heat in a pan. If you don’thave a blender, slowly fry onion andgarlic on a low heat until soft, then addchopped tomatoes.5 While sauce is warming, cook pastato packet instructions. Drain, reservingwater if needed for step 7.6 After sauce has heated for 5 minutes,place cooked meatballs into sauce tore-heat.7 If the tomato sauce is a little thick,then add up to 4 tbsp of water fromthe pasta to loosen.

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SErVES 4, VEganl 2 large spring onions or 2 small

leeks, slicedl 50g/1.8oz flourl 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushedl 1 tin chopped tomatoesl 1kg/35oz potatoes, peeled and

quartered

1 Heat some vegetable or olive oil in asaucepan over a medium heat.2 Add the onions and cook untilsoftened. Stir in the flour and cook foranother couple of minutes.3 Add the garlic and cook until itbegins to soften. (You could also addmore vegetables if you have any.)

4 Tip the chopped tomatoes into thepan along with a can of water. Simmeruntil the sauce has thickened and thevegetables are cooked through.5 Boil the potatoes in a pan of saltedwater until tender.6 Drain the potatoes, then place them back in the saucepan and mash.Stir through some olive oil and seasonto taste.7 Heat the grill. Spoon the hotvegetable mix into a pie dish. Top withthe mash and drag a fork lightly overthe surface. Place under the grill for afew minutes until the surface is golden.8 Serve. Would be nice with somesteamed seasonal veg.

Spring veggie pie

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Broad beans withgarlic, rosemary and eggsSErVES 4, VEgETarianl 2 tbsp olive oil (plus a bit extra)l 1 large garlic clove, peeled and

crushedl 1kg/35oz fresh or frozen broad

beans (skins removed)l 60g/2oz rosemary, roughly

choppedl 4 large fresh eggs

1 Heat a large, deep frying pan over alow-medium heat. Add olive oil.2 Sweat garlic until it softens. 3 Add broad beans and increase heatto medium. Season well.4 After 5 minutes add rosemary andcook for a further 5 minutes.5 Add a touch more oil and crack theeggs onto the surface of the beans.6 Shake the pan to distribute the eggwhites.7 Wait until the eggs are cooked andserve with warmed flatbreads.

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Our colleague, Mike, first had this five-ingredient burger in a pub. He found itso tasty that he’s made it at home lotsof times since.

MakES 1, VEganl 1 burger bunl 1 large tomato, thickly slicedl 1 portobello mushroom, grilledl 1 sweet potato, mashedl 1 onion, raw or fried

1 Put thick slice of tomato on bottomhalf of roll.2 Layer grilled portobello mushroomon top of the tomato.3 Top with a layer of mashed sweet potato. 4 Place onion on top of that, then addthe top half of the roll. 5 Garnish with – you've guessed it –what's left of the tomato.

Take V burger

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SErVES 4, VEganl 2 butternut squash, cubedl 6 tbsp olive oill Couple of sprinkles of sage, finely

choppedl 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushedl 2 crusty loaf baguettes

1 Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/gasmark 6.2 Mix the cubed squash, half the oliveoil, garlic, and sage in a bowl. 3 Add to a baking tray and bake for 25minutes, stirring occasionally.4 Toast the bread on each side. Scoopthe roasted squash mixture over thebread, brush with olive oil, and putback in the oven for 3 more minutesbefore serving.

Roasted squash on toast

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Watermelon and feta salad

SErVES 4, VEganl 650g/23oz watermelon

(without skin)l 200g/7oz vegan greek-style cheesel 20g/0.5oz basil leavesl ½ small red onion, very thinly slicedl Olive oil

1 Cut the watermelon into thickwedges.2 Slice the cheese into large, thinpieces. Alternatively, crumble it intochunks in your hands.3 Mix all the ingredients and drizzlewith olive oil. Serve.

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A warming favourite with a twist.

SErVES 4–6, VEgan l 100g/3.5oz pudding ricel 400ml tin of coconut milkl 400ml non-dairy milkl 1 tbsp mixed spice (e.g. cinnamon,

cardamom and nutmeg) l 4 tbsp soft brown sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gasmark 2.2 Grease a deep oven dish.3 In a bowl, combine all theingredients, making sure the mixedspice and sugar are well mixed.4 Place in the greased dish and cook inthe centre of the oven for 2 hours.5 You can check on the progress halfway through. Don’t worry if a skinforms. If the mixture is too thick, youcan add more non-dairy milk.

Spiced coconut rice pudding

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VfL is renowned for its work with thecare sector and the information andresources it provides to individuals. Butthe charity’s grant scheme is alsomaking a big difference to people’s lives.

The charity has two charitable funds,the Vegan Fund and the VegetarianFund. The first grant dramaticallychanged the life of a vegetarianwoman. The grant was for a stairlift,and enabled her to move out of care,back to her own home and resumeliving independently.

Since then, grants have beenawarded to help meet a wide range ofneeds, including mobility scooters,assistance with relocation, areplacement cooker, and fitting adownstairs shower room.

Full details of the grants scheme andinformation about how to apply can befound at vegetarianforlife.org.uk/resources/grants or by calling thecharity on 0161 257 0887.

Unique grants schemeimproves lives of older veggies

We’re coming toyour rescueVfL publishes guides and recipebooklets for every occasion, fromBurns Night and Valentine’s Day toDiwali and Christmas. You – or yourveggie service users – need neverfeel left out of the celebrations.

Other publications available from VfL:l Vintage magazinel Festive recipe selectionl Catering for older vegetarians

and vegansl Cooking on a budgetl Cooking for onel Dinners to your doorl nutrition for older vegetarians

and vegansl Vegan rescue pack

For a free copy of any of ourguides, please visit our website orcall 0161 257 0887.

Celebrate Burns Night and Valentine’s Day

Want an excuse to celebrate

between Christmas and Easter?

On 25 January, join Scots

worldwide by indulging in our

vegetarian take on the traditional

Burns supper fare. And why not

give a little loving on 14

February, by indulging in our

delicious Valentine’s Day feast?

www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk

VfLUk@VfL_Uk