Isle of Wight Vegetarians & Vegans
Vegetarian Recipes
All recipes given here are suitable for vegetarians and
vegans
(provided appropriate ingredients are used - e.g. vegan margarine).
We are often asked for dairy-free recipes
or for ideas to replace dairy products, so this first posting of recipes is
mostly for cream and cheese replacements, and for some 'cheesey' foods. There's
also a recipe for egg-free 'scrambled tofu' sandwiches, and the oft-requested
carrot cake.
CASHEW
CREAM
4
oz cashew nuts
4 fl.oz water
1 tsp maple syrup
Grind the cashew nuts and blend with the
water and maple syrup in a liquidiser until smooth and creamy.
MOCK
CREAM
1
level tbsp cornflour
¼ pint soya milk
2 oz vegan margarine
2 heaped tbsp caster sugar
vanilla essence to taste
Bring the milk almost to the boil. Blend
the cornflour to a paste with a little more milk or water and add to the hot
milk. Stir over a gentle heat until the sauce is thickened. Remove from the
heat and, to prevent a skin forming, stir the sauce frequently until it is
fully cooled. Cream the margarine and sugar together well with an electric or
balloon whisk. Add tablespoonfuls of the sauce to the creamed sugar and margarine
and whisk well - repeat until all the sauce is incorporated and the cream is
thick and smooth. Add vanilla essence to taste and beat well to mix in.
LEMONY
CREAM
2½
oz vegan margarine
2 fl.oz soya milk
2 tsp sugar
juice of ½ a small lemon
a few drops of vanilla essence
Melt the margarine. Blend all the ingredients
together and check that the taste is acceptable - add more lemon, sugar or
vanilla as desired. Chill for a few hours before serving.
SAVOURY
FLAPJACKS
4oz
soya margarine, melted
5oz porridge oats
2oz self-raising wholewheat flour
2 tbsp maize meal
1 tsp mustard (powder or ready-made)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp ENGEVITA yeast flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp PARMAZANO*
(
* 'Parmazano' is a dairy-free replacement for parmesan cheese)
Mix margarine, oats and flour in a large
bowl. In another bowl, mix the remaining ingredients except for 2 tbsp of the
olive oil. Mix together the two bowls of ingredients. Press the mixture into a small,
greased baking tray. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake at
GasMark5/190°C/375°F for 20 minutes.
HOMITY
PIE
10oz
wholemeal pastry
12oz potatoes, boiled or steamed till tender
1lb onions, chopped
3 tbsp oil
1oz soya margarine
parsley (chopped fresh, or dried) to taste
2 heaped tbsp ENGEVITA yeast flakes
2 heaped tbsp PARMAZANO*(to mix in)
1 heaped tbsp PARMAZANO* (to top)
1 tbsp soya milk
1 tsp yeast extract (e.g. MARMITE) dissolved in 3 tbsp stock
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
(
* 'Parmazano' is a dairy-free replacement for parmesan cheese)
Cut cooked potatoes into fairly small
cubes. Make pastry in usual way and leave to stand whilst sautéing the onions
in the oil till really soft. Combine the potatoes and onions, add the
margarine, parsley, 2oz of Parmazano, garlic, soya milk and seasoning to taste.
Leave to cool while rolling the pastry and lining an 8" flan case (or
individual tins). Fill with the mixture, sprinkle over remaining Parmazano and
bake for 20 - 25 minutes at GasMark7/220oC/425oF.
Serve cold with salad or hot with an
assortment of vegetables and a light sauce.
'CHEESE'
STRAWS
4oz
self-raising wholewheat flour
4oz self-raising white flour
4oz soya margarine
1 heaped tbsp soya flour
5 heaped tbsp ENGEVITA yeast flakes
3oz Cheddar-style soya cheese (e.g. SCHEESE), grated
2 good tsp yeast extract (e.g. MARMITE)
4 tbsp hot water
1/2 tsp salt
Dissolve the yeast extract in the hot
water. Mix together all the flours and the Engevita. Rub in the margarine and
mix in the soya cheese and salt. Mix to a firm dough with the yeast extract
liquid. Roll out in batches between two sheets of cling-film. Cut into straws
or small rounds. Bake in a hot oven (GasMark9/240°C/475°F) for 10 minutes -
keep an eye on them as they quickly burn.
'CHEESEY'
TOAST
Mix together one heaped tbsp of vegan
margarine and one heaped tbsp of ENGEVITA nutritional yeast flakes. Toast some
bread on one side only, spread the 'cheesey' mixture on the other side, then
toast and serve.
'CHEESEY'
ONION CASHEW SPREAD
1½oz
raw cashews
2 tsp dried onion flakes
2½ tbsp ENGEVITA yeast flakes
½ tsp vegetable bouillon powder (vegan)
2½ tbsp vegetable oil
3½ tbsp soya milk
1 tsp soy sauce
salt to taste (optional)
Grind the cashews and onion flakes to a
smooth powder. Put this and all remaining ingredients into a blender. Blend
until smooth. Keep in fridge.
SOYA
'CHEESE'
4
oz vegan margarine
4 oz soya flour
(These quantities can be varied slightly according to taste
to give either a softer or a firmer 'cheese').
Suggested
flavourings:
(a)
1 tsp yeast extract and 1 tbsp tomato puree, or:
(b)
1 oz finely chopped onion and ½ tsp yeast extract, or:
(c) 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs and ½ tbsp tomato puree.
Gently heat the margarine until it has
melted. Add the soya flour and desired flavourings. Mix thoroughly. Turn the
warm 'cheese' into a mould (e.g. margarine tub) and leave to set. Keep in
refrigerator and eat within 3 days.
Good in sandwiches, with salads, on pizza
and on jacket potatoes, etc.
CARROT
CAKE
16oz
self-raising wholewheat flour
2 level tsp baking powder
3 level tsp mixed spice
pinch of salt
6oz golden granulated sugar
8oz finely grated carrot
6oz sunflower oil
finely grated zest of 1 orange (organic or unwaxed)
10 fl.oz liquid to mix*
(*made up of the juice of the orange, additional citrus juice to 5 fl.oz, plus
5 fl.oz water)
Preheat oven to GasMark 4 (180°C/350°F).
Grease a large baking tin with vegetable margarine. Mix together the flour,
baking powder, spice, salt and sugar. Mix in the grated carrot and oil. Add the
juice/water mixture and work to an even consistency with a wooden spoon. Do not
over-beat. As soon as the mixture is ready, pour into the baking tin and put
straight in to the heated oven. Cook for approx. 40 minutes or until an
inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.
Icing: Sieve 8oz icing sugar and mix with sufficient
liquid* to form a thick but fluid paste. Spoon this on to the cake and spread
carefully so that crumbs do not get into it - the icing should smooth out by
itself. (*The icing can be mixed with orange and/or lemon juice. It is also
especially nice made with undiluted elderflower cordial).
EGG
FREE COOKERY
Eggs
are not an essential food for human nutrition and no replacement for them is
necessary when changing to a balanced and varied diet comprised of
plant-derived foods. It is also often considered (wrongly) that eggs are an
essential ingredient in cookery and baking and that cakes with good rise and
texture cannot be produced without them - this is just a myth!
Most
people today have some awareness of the horrors of the battery sheds - see
below for more details - but choosing 'free-range' is not a 'cruelty-free'
option. Older hens and poor layers are slaughtered - and half of all the chicks
hatched to replace them are 'useless' males, condemned to mass execution -
usually by particularly hideous methods - on their first day of life.
Please
share this information with your family and friends - remember:
“CRUELTY-FREE MEANS EGG-FREE”
Cakes Without Eggs:
Use
self-raising flour - a little extra baking powder can also be added for lighter
sponges. Add 1oz of soya flour to a standard size cake mixture to improve
texture. Add lemon or other citrus juice, or a little vinegar, to mixing water
- once incorporated in the mixture, do not over-beat or leave to stand - have
hot oven ready and bake immediately.
For
egg-free recipes, seek out vegan cookery books - Isle of Wight Vegetarians
& Vegans have their own "Meals Without Squeals" and “More
Meals Without Squeals” available.
Eggless 'Egg' Sandwiches:
Finely chop 1 small onion and fry in 1
tbsp vegan margarine. Add 1 third of tsp ground turmeric, a pinch of black
pepper and half a tsp yeast extract. Add 1 block of tofu that has previously
been rinsed, drained and mashed. Continue frying until the mixture is evenly
warmed. (Can be served hot as 'Scrambled Tofu').
For a sandwich filling, leave to cool,
then mix in vegan salad cream to taste and make up into sandwiches with cress.
To Bind Nut Roasts, Burgers, Etc.:
One tablespoonful of gram flour (besan
flour or chickpea flour) beaten with one tablespoonful of water makes an
effective binder
Egg White Replacer:
Rite Diet ‘Egg White Replacer’ is a
commercially available animal-free product. It is part of a low protein range
of foods called Loprofin, see the manufacturer’s web site at www.shsweb.co.uk. The web site gives a link
to a recipe booklet on how the products can be used.
Rite Diet 'Egg White Replacer' can be
used to make meringues, filling cream, mayonnaise and royal icing. It is
sometimes available through diet-food retailers or pharmacies. Supplied as a
white powder, it is whisked with boiling water then left to cool. This prepared
solution can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks and used as
needed. Instructions for use are printed on the container.
Royal Icing:
Pioneering vegan Eva Batt, writer of
the first published vegan cookery book "What's Cooking?", advised
that a royal icing could be made by replacing egg whites in the mixture with
agar-agar dissolved in water.
APPROXIMATELY 88% OF BRITAIN'S 34,000,000 LAYING HENS ARE DEBEAKED AND CRAMMED 4 - 5 TO A CAGE MEASURING 20" X 12" - 20,000 TO A 'BATTERY' SHED. WIRE MESHED FLOORS RESULT IN FOOT DEFORMITIES, CLOSE CONFINEMENT CAUSES AGGRESSION, FEATHER LOSS AND SOMETIMES CANNIBALISM. 2,000,000 HENS DIE ANNUALLY IN THEIR CAGES. THE SURVIVORS ARE SLAUGHTERED AFTER 18 - 24 MONTHS FOR USE IN SOUP, PASTES, PET FOOD, STOCK CUBES OR BABY FOOD.
INTENSIVE, SEMI-INTENSIVE
AND FREE-RANGE SYSTEMS ARE ALL SERVED BY HATCHERY-BRED CHICKS. FOR EACH LAYING
HEN IN BRITAIN, AN UNWANTED MALE CHICK WAS GASSED OR CRUSHED FOR ANIMAL FEED OR
FERTILISER.