Champignons et Légumes au Vin (Mushrooms & Vegetables in a Red Wine Sauce)

I was left in charge of cooking a vegetarian/vegan version of Coq au Vin for a dinner party with friends. Only 3 of us were veggie, but I made enough to serve 4-6 as I knew the meaties would want to try some too! I've stuck pretty well to the original classic French version, but bulked the casserole out with extra mushrooms and vegetables.

I think this meal is tasty enough to work as a vegan Christmas dinner alternative, especially as it can be prepared in advance and will go with all the traditional Christmas dinner vegetables.You could serve it as it is, as a pie filling, or even in a giant Yorkshire pudding! 

Serves 4-6

• 2 cups/500ml full-bodied vegan red wine (for a lighter version, use white wine, cider or half wine/half vegetable stock)
• 4 medium carrots, thickly sliced
• 4 celery sticks, de-stringed and thickly sliced
• 20 baby onions or small shallots, peeled but left whole 
• 1lb/450g button mushrooms (or mixed, chopped mushrooms), wiped
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 or 3 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley
• a sprig or two of fresh thyme and/or rosemary
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp plain flour

Heat the olive oil in a large pan, on a medium heat. Add the onions and saute for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

Add the rest of the vegetables, garlic, herbs and seasonings and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the flour and coat the vegetables. 

Pour in the wine slowly, stirring all the time and bring to the boil to thicken the sauce.

Turn the heat down and simmer, with the lid on, for around 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. 

Add a little extra wine or stock if the sauce becomes too thick.

Serve with roasted potatoes and parsnips and/or seasonal vegetables.

Money-saving tip: I used baby onions and button mushrooms as they look appealing, but it's much cheaper to use 'big veg.' instead. You could add pretty much any combination of root or firm vegetables in this recipe, such as green beans, potatoes or squash.

Protein alternatives: As I've removed the chicken from this recipe, it doesn't contain very much protein. To replace the protein, reduce the amount of vegetables slightly and add 4-6 chicken-style meat-free fillets (after you have added the wine), or a drained tin of pulses or pack of cooked, whole chestnuts (10 minutes before serving).

Alcohol-free option: If you avoid alcohol for religious reasons, simply swap it for a good, rich vegetable stock and add some extra herbs and garlic.

I'm adding this recipe to Carole's Chatter: Low Carb Dinners and Lavender & Lovage's Cooking with Herbs.

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Vegetarian Chicken-Style 'Parmesan'

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I was trying to think of something different to cook for dinner the other night and turned to some of my favourite vegetarian blogs for inspiration. It wasn't long before I found this lovely, simple but tasty looking recipe from Mary at Meatless Mediterranean. Mary calls this dish Mock-Chicken Patties with Parmesan, and she has graciously allowed me to reproduce an Anglicised version of her recipe using UK ingredients/cooking terms (I have also tweaked the cooking method, to one which suited me better.)

I served this dish with penne pasta; all the family loved it and have asked me to cook it again soon (and it's not often that happens!)

Serves 4

For this recipe, I used Sainsbury's meat-free chicken style burgers (which only cost £1 for 4). I also used Sainsbury's basic mozzarella cheese and economy pasta, so I reckon the whole meal for 4 of us cost about £2.50 to make from scratch. It also only took about 30 minutes to cook.

You could also use Tivall schnitzels, Quorn chicken-style burgers or any of the other mock chicken fillets you can buy either with or without breadcrumbs. 

• 2 cups/500ml of Classic Marinara Sauce or your favourite tomato-based pasta sauce
• 4 vegetarian breaded "chicken" burgers
• ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese (I used a 125g ball of mozzarella instead)
• 2 tablespoon grated vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese, plus additional for serving, if desired
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

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Heat oven to 180C/170C Fan/350 F/Gas 4.

In a small saucepan, heat the marinara sauce over medium-low heat until it is warm but not boiling.

Meanwhile, place the burgers in a heatproof dish and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the burgers from the dish and keep to one side.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish. Top with the burgers and then pour the remaining sauce over. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the top and then finish with the Parmesan-style cheese. Return to the oven and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling . 

Once cooked, sprinkle with the parsley, if using.

Serve with additional Parmesan-style cheese for topping, as desired.

Alternatives: For a vegan version use a melting dairy-free cheese and vegan Parmesan.

Not suitable for freezing.

Recipe reproduced with kind permission from Meatless Mediterranean.

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Red Pepper & Courgette Salad (vegan)

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This simple pepper and courgette salad is packed full of fresh basil, which gives it a really summery taste. It works well served with barbecued foods and can even be used as a panini filling or served over pasta.

• 1 large courgette (zucchini), thinly sliced 
• 2 red bell or pointed peppers
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped basil
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted

Heat the grill (broiler) on it's highest setting. 

When hot, place the peppers under the grill and cook for around 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until charred all over. 

Once blackened, remove peppers from the heat and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside. 

Meanwhile heat a large frying pan.

Cut the courgette in half widthways, then slice each half thinly - I used a mandoline slicer.

Fry the courgettes in a little of the olive oil, until softened and lightly browned (you might need to do this in 2 or 3 batches). Once cooked place in a bowl.

Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel away the charred skin; Then cut open the peppers and pull out the core and the seeds.

Slice each pepper into about 8 pieces and place in the bowl with the courgettes.

To make the dressing, finely chop the basil, add the remaining olive oil and the vinegar, mix well and season with black pepper.

Pour over the courgettes and peppers and mix gently to coat.

Toast the pine nuts either under the grill or in a hot, dry pan, until lightly browned and then sprinkle them on top of the salad.

Serve warm or cold.

Alternatives: Use ready-skinned red peppers in brine to save time.
Make into a lasagne filling or pasta sauce by adding a tin of chopped tomatoes and a crushed clove of garlic to the cooked vegetables.

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How to make your own vegetarian chorizo

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I have an admission to make...I've never eaten real chorizo sausages, so my humble attempt at a recipe for vegetarian version of chorizo may be way off. However, it's worth having a go at making them, as they taste good whether they're realistic or not! I've looked at loads of  meaty recipes and I've come up with a combination based on those flavours added to my basic shami kebab recipe.

Makes 8 sausages

• 1 ½ cups vegetarian mince (vegetarian ground-beef style crumbles), defrosted if frozen
• 1 ½ cups fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 1 large onion, finely chopped or grated
• 1 small or medium egg
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 heaped tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp sweet/mild paprika 
• 1 tsp chilli paste/1 fresh red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
• ½ tsp ground fennel seeds
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Black pepper to season
• 1 tbsp tomato purée 
• 2 tbsp wine/cider vinegar

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan.

Add the onion and cook on a medium heat until soft, but not brown.
Add the garlic, herbs and spices and cook for a further minute

Stir in the tomato purée and vinegar and heat through.

Remove from the heat.

Place the veggie mince and breadcrumbs in a bowl and mix to combine, breaking up any lumps of veggie mince. 

Add the onion and spice mixture and stir together (or blend in a food processor for a smoother texture -  I did this the second time I made them, and found that they stuck together a little better).

Finally add the egg and mix/blend until combined to make a firm but moist mixture, adding more breadcrumbs if needed.

Place in the fridge and allow to firm up for 30 minutes.
Shape into 8 sausages or 16 meatballs, and fry on a low-medium heat for 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Alternatively, brush with oil and bake in the oven at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 for around 15 minutes, or grill/broil/bbq.

Eat hot or cold.
Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: For a vegan version, replace the egg with a suitable binder.
For a Mexican-style vegetarian chorizo sausage, swap the ground fennel and smoked paprika for ¼ tsp ground cinnamon and 1-2 tsp ground cumin. 

Find loads more veggie recipes celebrating National Vegetarian week, over at Tinned Tomatoes.

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Veggie Mince Shami Kebabs

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My mum used to make shami keema kebabs (in fact she may still make them, but she obviously doesn't make them when we are visiting!). I thought I'd have a go at making a vegetarian version using veggie mince and breadcrumbs to replace the meat, and I was pleased with the result. 

Serves 4-6

• 200g/8oz vegetarian mince (I used Quorn) - defrosted if frozen
• 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (about 100g/4oz)
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 large onion finely chopped or grated
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped/1 tsp chilli paste, optional
• 3 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds

Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a pan.
Fry the spices with the onion and garlic on a low heat for a few minutes, until the onion is soft.
Remove from the heat.
Put all of the ingredients into the food processor and blend until combined.

Chill for 30 minutes to firm up.
Form into 8-12 small sausage or burger shapes, pressing the mixture together with your hands.
Shallow fry in a drop of oil until golden brown, or brush with oil and grill or bbq.

Serve with spicy pilau rice, or in bread rolls, chapattis or wraps...they taste great with a good dollup of tomato ketchup!

Alternatives: Add 1-2 tbsp of your favourite curry paste instead of the spices/chilli if preferred.
For a Middle-Eastern version (Kabab Koobideh), swap the spices for some finely chopped parsley, ½ tsp cinnamon and ½tsp sumac. Rolls the mixture out into thinner, longer sausage shapes and cook as above.

I haven't tried making a vegan version yet, but you would need to swap the egg for something that would help bind the mixture together (maybe arrowroot?). If you find one that works, please let me know!

Not suitable for freezing. Pin It

Polpette Vegetariane (Vegetarian Meatballs)

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I ate vegetarian polpettes (meatballs) for the first time a couple of weeks ago, when we had a family meal out at a local Mediterranean restaurant. I'm not sure what vegetables were used, but I think courgettes and carrots were included. These polpettes were also stuffed with mozzarella, which I didn't bother to do, as I thought it would take a bit too long to make.

You can make different flavoured polpettes by varing the vegetables and herbs used. Just squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the cooked vegetables and adjust the amount of breadcrumbs used to get a firm, but still moist mixture, before cooking.

Serves 4-6

• 1 large/2 medium aubergine/eggplant 
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 small egg, beaten
• About 4 slices of bread, made into breadcrumbs (approx 2 cups)
• 2 tbsp fresh, chopped herbs or 2-3 tsp dried herbs
• Seasoning to taste

Prick the aubergine all over, and cook under a hot grill (broiler) for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Cook until the skin is black and the flesh feel soft.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then cut open the aubergine, pull off the charred skin and drain off any juices in a colander.
Pat dry with kitchen roll.

Meanwhile gently fry the onion and garlic in a drop of olive oil, until soft.

Put the aubergine flesh, cooked onion and garlic in a food processor and blend for a couple of seconds (or chop with a knife) - you want the flesh chopped, but not puréed.

Add the egg, herbs, seasoning and half of the breadcrumbs and mix to combine.

Add enough extra breadcrumbs to make a mixture which holds its shape. 

Divide mixture into about 12 pieces and roll each into a small ball, using your hands and a little flour. 

Put onto a floured plate and chill until needed.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. 
Fry the polpettes for about 10 minutes until browned.

Serve over pasta, with plenty of  freshly made tomato sauce.

Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: Use any combination of lightly cooked vegetables instead of aubergine; Try spinach and potato, squash and carrot, courgette and sweet potato, mixed roasted vegetables etc.
Use approx. 300-400g/12-16oz raw, unpeeled weight of vegetables.
Make the polpettes twice the size and form into burgers instead of 'meatballs'.
You could use raw, grated vegetables and deep fry the polpettes if preferred.

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Vegetable and Almond Loaf (Vegan)

This is a variation on my traditional Christmas nut roast recipe. This year I added extra vegetables, as suggested by some of my readers, and this worked out really well. This loaf has quite a sweet taste and slices well.

Serves 4-6

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100g/4oz sweet potato, grated
• 50g/2oz chestnut mushrooms, grated
• 175g/7oz almonds, ground or finely chopped 
• 2-3 slices of wholemeal bread, made into breadcrumbs
• 100ml (approx) water or vegetable stock
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used sage and parsley), or 1 tsp dried herbs

Gently fry the onion in 1 tbsp olive oil, until soft. Then add the sweet potato and mushrooms. 

Cook for a few minutes on a low heat, until softened, stirring regularly.

Stir in the nuts and breadcrumbs and mix well.

Add the herbs and season to taste.

Add the lemon juice and enough stock/water to make a firm but not dry mixture. Add more breadcrumbs or water if needed.

Tip mixture into a greased and lined loaf tin and press down.

Cover tin with foil (uncover for the last 10 minutes).

Bake for 40-50 mins at 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before turning out and slicing. 

Refrigerate any left overs and use cold in sandwiches.

Suitable for freezing before or after cooking.

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Herby Glamorgan Sausages

This recipe came about as we fancied a cooked veggie breakfast last weekend and didn't have any vegetarian sausages in the freezer. I had a couple of bits of cheese that needed using up, so made up some Glamorgan sausages, using the left over cheeses instead of Caerphilly.

If you have a food processor, you can make these in just a few minutes.

Makes 8 mini or 4 large sausages (or about 8-12 'meatball' sized balls).

• 100g/4oz grated hard cheese (you should traditionally use Caerphilly, but I used feta and cheddar)
• 2-3 slices of stale bread made into breadcrumbs
• 1 small onion, diced finely or grated
• 1 medium egg
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped herbs (I used parsley, sage and rosemary)
• black pepper
• ½ tsp English mustard powder or paprika

Cook the onion in a drop of oil or a knob of butter, until soft (I microwaved it in a covered bowl).
Mix the cheese, breadcrumbs, herbs and seasoning together.
Add the onion and stir in the egg to bind the mixture and make a firm dough.
Add more breadcrumbs if the dough is too sticky to handle.
Divide the mixture into the required number of pieces and roll into sausage shapes (or meat balls).
Heat a drop of vegetable oil in a frying pan.
Cook the sausages for about 5-8 minutes, turning once or twice, until golden brown.

Serve as part of a 'traditional' vegetarian British breakfast; Instead of meatballs with a spicy tomato sauce and pasta, or eat cold for lunch with a salad.


Alternatives: Add extra flavourings such as chopped sun-dried tomatoes, olives etc.
To barbecue, brush with oil first.

Suitable for freezing.

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Aloo/Potato Masala Parathas (Vegan)

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Miss Kahonie and I made our own parathas for this recipe, but it was a bit of a faff, so I'd suggest using ready-made ones (look in the frozen Asian foods section in larger supermarkets), or use chapattis or tortilla wraps instead.

If you want to made your own, I've added the recipe at the bottom of this page. 

Serves 4 (fills 4-8 parathas depending on size)

• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp black mustard seeds
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 2 heaped tsp ground coriander
• ½ fresh chilli grated, or finely chopped, optional

Boil the potatoes until soft (as you would for mash), then drain.
Fry the cumin and mustard seeds in 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for a minute or so, until they start to pop.
Then add the onion to the pan and cook until soft.
Add the garlic, chilli and remaining spices.
Add the potatoes and a drop of boiling water and stir.
Cook for a couple of minutes until piping hot.
Crush the potatoes lightly with a fork or potato masher (the mixture should still be quite lumpy).
Spoon into warm parathas/chapattis and serve. 

Alternatives: Add a handful of frozen peas or some chopped spinach to the pan along with the cooked potatoes.

Parathas
Makes 6-8

• 100g/8oz plain flour
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Warm water
• Dairy-free spread/butter

Mix the flour and oil together (I used my food processor), then slowly add the water until the mixture just starts to form a dough.
Chill the dough for about 30-60 minutes.
Cut into 6-8 pieces and roll each into a rough circle, on a lightly floured board.
Spread each circle with a little spread/butter. Fold in half to make a semi-circle.
Spread with a little more spread/butter and fold over again to make a triangle.
Gather up the edges of the dough and make a ball.
Roll this out to make a circle again (about 10-15cm across) .
Heat a frying pan (with no oil).
Cook each paratha for a minute or two on each side.
Keep them warm in the oven until they are all cooked. 

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My very veggie blogoversary give-away

A year ago, I published my very first blog post. It wasn't a very interesting one, but nonetheless it was an exciting moment for me. I wondered if anyone would read it and the subsequent posts I would add. I initially started my blog as I love writing, cooking and creating new recipes. I also thought it would be a nice way of preserving some family favourite recipes for my kids (who I named Miss Ony and Miss Kahonie for blogging purposes, as unlike many other bloggers, I prefer to hide behind an alias!)

At first I didn't publicise my blog at all, but after I found out about Britmums (or British Mummy Bloggers as it was then) and then the
UKFBA (UK Food Bloggers Association), I started to dip my toe into the mysterious ways of the blogging community... I had no idea that there were so many other people out there blogging away about so many different things! I then set up a twitter account and a Facebook page and slowly my numbers of page views and followers crept up. People were actually reading what I was writing, and cooking my recipes! 

I've 'met' some wonderfully creative, funny and inspirational bloggers along the way. Some who have made me laugh out loud, and some who have brought a tear to me eye; I'm not naming any names as I don't want anyone to feel left out. I feel proud to have joined up with other bloggers who are campaigning for various good causes - I certainly didn't start blogging with that intention.

I've been lucky enough to get some freebies along the way, and have thoroughly enjoyed reviewing some of the yummy vegetarian products I've been sent from some lovely companies.

My blogoversary giveaway might not be quite as grand as others I've seen, but I hope you like the prizes on offer well enough to join in and have a go at winning one...

So, onto the give-away:

Prize 1: A gift pack full of yummy vegetarian sweets from Goody Good Stuff. 

Goody Good Stuff sweets contain natural fruit juices and extracts and no artificial nasties. All varieties are vegetarian (some are vegan), fat-free, dairy-free, nut-free, Halal and Kosher certified.

Find them on Facebook or drop them a tweet @goodygoodstuff.




Prize 2: 3 vouchers for tasty Innocent veg pots (one prize).

Choose from 8 different varieties (most are vegan and all are vegetarian). All contain 3 portions of veg, wholegrains, or pulses and tasty sauce, with herbs and spices and they're ready to eat in just 4 minutes.

Find them on Facebook or drop them a tweet @innocentdrinks.



Prize 3: A delicious selection of vegetarian products from Linda McCartney Foods.

Includes the following: 1 x Vegetarian Roast, 1 x Mini Snack Vegetarian Sausages, 1 x Rosemary & Red Onion Sausages, 1 x Cranberry & Camembert Burgers (one prize).

Find them on Facebook or Youtube, or drop them a tweet  @meatfreetweets .


How to enter: COMPETITION NOW CLOSED
Winners are @msetoonie wins the Goody Good Stuff sweets, @Veggie_4_Life wins the Innocent vouchers and @mum2alesha wins the Linda McCartney products - please contact me with your address details.

• Follow my blog and leave me a comment below to say you've done this, along with your contact details. Let me know which prize you want to try and win (one comment per prize draw entry please).
• For another chance to win, follow me on Twitter @FacelessFood and tweet I've entered the Very Veggie Giveaway with @Facelessfood @Bookhams @Goodygoodstuff @Innocentdrinks & @Meatfreetweets
http://wedonteatanythingwithaface.blogspot.com and leave your twitter ID and details of your preferred prize in a comment below.
• For another extra entry per prize, just follow the appropriate twitter ID for the prize you hope to win (@goodygoodstuff, @innocentdrinks or @meatfreetweets) and add an extra comment below - with contact details - to say you've done this.
• Remember I need some way of contacting you in case you win, so make sure you put this in your comments! If you leave your twitter ID as means of contact, then please follow me @facelessfood so that I can message you if you win. Alternatively email me onykahonie1 at rocketmail dot com.

Terms and conditions
Entries only from the UK please.
A maximum of 3 entries for each prize are allowed per person.
Competition closes at midnight on 28th October 2011
The winner of each prize will be drawn at random.
I will contact winners within 48 hours of the prize draw. If winners have not replied within 7 days, I reserve the right to re-draw and offer the prize to another entrant.

Many thanks to Innocent, Goody Good Stuff, Bookhams and Linda McCartney Foods for kindly supplying the prizes and images provided. Pin It

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Goats Cheese Pasta Bake

This vegetarian pasta bake makes a good family meal, and as it includes lots of sweet-tasting veggies in bite-sized pieces, it's great for toddlers and young children.

I adapted this recipe from Good to Know, but as I don't use ready-made pasta sauces and rarely use pre-prepared fresh vegetables I reduced the cost of the ingredients considerably. I thought I'd work out the difference in price to show how much money you can save...Good to Know recipe using bought pasta sauce and prepared vegetables: £5.60;  My recipe using home made pasta sauce and peel-them-yourself vegetables £3.40

• 500g combined weight of peeled and diced butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots,  red bell pepper
• 250g dried fusilli pasta
• 100g grated firm goats cheese
• 1 tbsp pine nuts (optional) 

Roast the vegetables in 1 tbsp olive oil at 190C/180C fan/Gas 5 for 20-30 minutes, until soft. Meanwhile cook the pasta until slightly underdone (8-10 minutes), drain and make the pasta sauce:

Tomato & chilli pasta sauce

• 1 onion diced finely
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 500ml passata
• ½ tsp dried or 1 tsp chopped fresh herbs
• dash of hot chilli sauce or a pinch of cayenne (optional)

Fry the onion in a drop of olive oil for a couple of  minutes, until soft.
Add the tomato puree, herbs and chilli and stir well.
Add the passata, stir and then put the lid on the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes.   

Combine the pasta, tomato sauce and roasted vegetables and stir well.
Top with grated cheese (and pine nuts, if using) and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Alternatives: Save even more money by swapping the cheese for budget mozzarella/cheddar or leave it out completely to make a vegan meal.
Omit the chilli if serving to toddlers/young children.

More sweet potato recipes. Pin It

Cheap and cheerful vegetarian/vegan meals for students

It's back to school this week after a lovely summer holiday... 

My mind has been on university rather than school for some reason, even though my children are still a good few years away from going to college; maybe because I've been reminiscing with old friends and Mr O about the time, many years ago, that we got our 'A' level exam results and started to prepare to go off out into the big wide world. 

Unfortunately I didn't quite get the results I needed to get into my first choice polytechnic university (ahem, slight social-life/study balance issue there!) but after some panic driven phone calls, I secured a place on a decent course at my fifth choice poly uni, managed to find a place in the local halls of residence and was looking forward to the start of my days as a student.

Being a pretty good cook even back in those days, I found I had some bargaining power in the communal kitchen, as I could cook. I wasn't vegetarian then, but was well on my way, so meat-free meals featured strongly, especially as they were cheap to make; I soon found that if I offered to cook, I could spend less money on food (by pooling our food budgets) and get the washing up done by someone else...not a bad trade off eh?

If you want to save money and impress others with your culinary skills, you can find a week's worth of meal ideas on my vegetarian budget/student meal planner, and even more student meals and tips below.  I can't really call some of them recipes but they are all quick and easy to make, use basic ingredients, and will save you money which you can spend on your social life instead (and books, of course!)

Top tips

• Combine food budgets with one or more friends/room mates.
• Look out for special offers on tinned, fresh and frozen fruit and veg.
• Look for reduced products which are near their sell by date.
• Base meals around cheap carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes), dried or tinned pulses (peas, beans and lentils) and seasonal fruit and veg.
• Forget about brand-names, even if your mum swears by them!
• Shop at budget supermarkets or buy own label/budget foods from larger supermarkets.
• Use up leftovers in another meal, don't throw them away (unless out of date). Most meals can be frozen for a month or kept in the fridge for a couple of days.
• Follow these guidelines if reheating cooked rice, unless you want a dose of food poisoning! 
• Use cheap herbs and spices  (e.g. mixed herbs, mild chilli powder, hot chilli sauce and garam masala) to pep up boring meals.
• Use packet/dried mixes for burgers and sausages and own-brand meat-free products (if you like them).
• Plan your main meals each week, as that will reduce the amount of food you buy and waste. Try Netmums and Money Saving Expert for more meal planning tips.
• Be creative!

Quick meals
These quick, cheap and easy meals will all serve 2 hungry students (or one person for two meals.) It might sound strange, but a lot of my camping food ideas would make great student meals too.

• Pizza  - make up a budget pizza base or plain scone mix. Flatten onto a greased baking tray. Top with tomato puree, mixed herbs, grated cheese and any toppings you have (choose from onion, pepper, mushrooms, tinned pineapple, olives, tinned sweetcorn etc.) Cook at 200C/Gas 6 for 10-15 mins.
• Pasta or rice with chickpeas in spicy tomato sauce  - Fry 1 small chopped onion in a drop of vegetable oil, add 1 crushed clove garlic, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tin budget chopped tomatoes, ½ tin budget chickpeas, a grated carrot/sliced mushrooms/chopped red pepper, 1 tsp chilli powder or garam masala. Simmer for 15 minutes, meanwhile cook the pasta or rice.
• Baked bean curry -  Fry 1 small chopped onion in a drop of vegetable oil, add 1 crushed clove garlic and 2 tsp curry powder/paste. Add a tin of economy baked beans and heat through. Serve with boiled rice.
• Pisto Manchego
• Lentil spag-bol - Follow recipe but swap the chickpeas for 50g dried red lentils and 100ml water (reduce the amount of water and add a glug of red wine if there's any going!) Swap the chilli powder for 1 tsp mixed herbs. Simmer for around 20 minutes.
• Make and cook veggie burgers/sausages from a packet mix, serve in budget pittas with budget coleslaw/salad, or serve with mashed potatoes, vegetables and veggie gravy.
• Root vegetable soup - Fry 1 chopped onion in a drop of oil, add 2 chopped carrots, 1 potato, 1 parsnip and a handful of dried red lentils. Cover with 500-750ml veg stock made with a veg stock cube and boiling water. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Mash or blend, if you don't like chunks in your soup. Serve with bread.
• Savoury pancakes - Use a budget pancake/batter mix to make pancakes. Fill with roasted veg and grated cheese, veggie chilli, or cheese and baked beans.
• Baked beans/tinned spaghetti/scrambled eggs/cheese on toast.
• Potato pancakes - Mix left over mashed potato with 1-2 eggs and 1-2 tbsp plain flour. Fry until golden brown on both sides.
• Lentil hash - Fry ½ an onion in a drop of oil, with a clove of garlic, 1-2 tsp mild chilli powder and a pinch of mixed herbs. Add a diced carrot/sweet potato, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 50g of dried red lentils and about 200ml water. Cook until soft (about 15 mins), adding more water if needed. Spoon lentil mixture over a pack of economy tortilla chips and top with a handful of grated cheese/vegan cheese. Pop under the grill for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbling. 
• Pasta bake - Cook 150g budget pasta for 8-10 minutes and drain. Meanwhile fry ½ chopped onion in a drop of oil, and add any other veg you have handy (eg: chopped carrot, parsnip, leek, cauliflower), a crushed clove of garlic and a good pinch of dried herbs. Add 100ml of veggie gravy (made with granules) and 100ml of cider to the pan and bring to the boil, while stirring. Simmer for 5-10 minutes (with pan lid on) until the veg are just cooked and the sauce has thickened. Pour the sauce over the pasta, mix and tip into an oven-proof dish. Top with some fresh breadcrumbs and grated cheese/vegan cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 190C/Gas 5.
• Veggie sausage and baked bean pasta
• Cheap veggie chilli - Fry 1 small chopped onion in a drop of vegetable oil, add 1 crushed clove garlic, 1 tsp mild chilli powder, 1 small chopped chilli, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tin budget chopped tomatoes, 25g dried red lentils, ½ tin budget kidney beans . Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve with baked/jacket spuds or boiled rice.
• Quesadillas - put a tortilla wrap into a frying pan. Add any left over veggie chilli or refried beans and some grated mozzarella/cheddar cheese/vegan cheese. Top with another wrap. Turn over and heat through.
• Hawaiian Quesadillas 
• Mexican rice burritos 
• Hot dogs - Buy budget bread rolls and veggie hot dogs. Fry 1 sliced onion in a little butter or oil, until soft. Cook hot dogs. Serve hot dogs in rolls with the fried onions and a squirt of mustard or ketchup. 
• Rice and peas

You can find more quick and cheap meal ideas (including veggie curry/chilli, garlic mushrooms, spicy rice, veggie sausage stew, frittata, pesto spaghetti, and noodles with stir-fried vegetables), and a list of basic cooking equipment you might need here. 

Find a basic student shopping list here.

..oh, and just in case you're interested, yes I did get my degree (in both science and socialising!) Pin It

Summer Vegetarian Meal Plan

Here's my latest meal plan for summer vegetarian family food - some of these recipes include eggs and dairy products but most are easily veganised. Use the delicious seasonal vegetables around at the moment to cut down on cost, and refrigerate or freeze left-overs for lunches. Use up any remaining vegetables in the casserole/pasta bake at the end of the week.

See my 3 meals a day vegetarian meal plan for quick and easy breakfast and lunch ideas.

Week 1
Monday: Veggie Sloppy Joes with salad and sweet potato chips

Tuesday: Aubergine and cheese bake with pasta

Wednesday: Vegetarian chorizo sausages in wraps with salad

Thursday: Pasta with tomato and vegetable sauce.
Friday: Pesto and antipasti tart with new potatoes and seasonal veg.

Saturday: Veggie burger/veggie sausage in a bread roll with a trio of salads.

Sunday: Stuffed mushrooms with cous cous.

Week 2

Monday: Falafels with salad, pitta bread and tzatziki dip.

Tuesday: Minced Quorn with spicy rice.

Wednesday: Roasted vegetables with halloumi, in wraps.

Thursday: Pasta with tomato and vegetable sauce.
Friday: Lentil and pesto burgers with corn on the cob and cheesy potato wedges.

Saturday: Vegetarian barbecue.

Sunday: Turkish vegetable casserole with cous cous.

Week 3
Monday: Potato Masala Parathas with salad.

Tuesday: Squash, lentil and sweet potato salad with cous cous. 

Wednesday: Hummus with pitta bread and crudités.

Thursday: Paneer and pepper fajitas 
Friday:  Veggie mince shammi kebabs with pilau rice

Saturday: Aubergine and cheese bake with salad and garlic bread.

Sunday: Butternut squash, sweet potato and goats cheese pasta bake.

See my other meal plans here: low budget vegetarian meal plan,  2 week vegetarian meal plan.

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Turkish Vegetable Casserole

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If you have a glut of home grown or locally produced vegetables, use them up in this tasty Middle-Eastern vegan stew. You can substitute just about any alternative vegetables, so long as they are cut up into even-sized pieces.
If there's any left over, eat it cold for lunch the next day, or use to top a home made pizza.

• 3 bell peppers, sliced
• 2 courgettes/zucchini, diced
• ½ butternut squash/2-3 carrots/1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, sliced or diced
• 6-8 ripe tomatoes, diced or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 
• 200 ml water or vegetable stock
• 1-2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp sun dried tomato paste
• 1-2 tsp paprika/smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• ½ tsp cinnamon or allspice powder
• ½ a fresh chilli, chopped finely (optional)
• black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Heat the oil in a casserole dish at 200C/190C fan/Gas 6.
Add the onions, peppers, courgettes and squash and coat in the oil.
Return to the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, garlic, herbs and spices. 
Return to the oven for a further hour or so, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and the vegetables are soft and lightly browned.
Serve with rice, flat bread or cous cous.

Alternative: Add a tin of drained chickpeas for extra protein.
Slow cooker/crock pot method: Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker (reduce the water/stock to 100ml) and stir well. Cook on medium for 6-8 hours.

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Easy Falafel

I've made several versions of falafel in the past, but they've always been apt to fall apart on cooking. Not a major problem, but I've found that adding an egg and some fresh breadcrumbs to the mixture makes a more structurally sound falafel, which will even stand up to barbecuing.

Makes 8-10 falafel.

• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• a little black pepper or chilli powder
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tbsp tahini paste 
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 egg 

Blend the chickpeas, garlic, herbs and spices with the tahini and egg.
Mix in enough fresh breadcrumbs to make a dough-like mixture - add more if needed.
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Form into 8-10 small balls and flatten slightly.
Brush with vegetable oil on both sides and fry, oven bake or barbecue.

Serve with salad and hummus or tzatziki.

Makes 4 large 'veggie burger' patties instead of falafel.

Suitable for freezing.

Vegan alternative: Omit the egg and replace with and extra 1 tbsp tahini paste for a vegan option. Use around ½ cup of fresh (vegan) breadcrumbs,as the mixture will be slightly drier. Pin It