Vegan what's for dinner thread...

[FauxFox]

I'm new at veganing and I'd like ideas and somewhere to record my meals... please let me know what vegan food is on the menu in your house tonight (or eating out too actually) I am really interested 😊

So tonight I am making veggie chilli out of sweet potato/courgette/peppers/carrot/baby corn/kidney beans etc served with guacamole and tortilla chips. I have homemade vegan brownies for dessert.

Don't think I will miss meat/dairy at all

Another Amstell victim here, trying to put together some vegan recipes and meal plans!

Confession: I am slightly scared of cooking with lentils but really like them in dal etc. Any tips? Do I need to soak/boil them before adding to a recipe?

Tinned is the way forward msjuniper unless it's those little red ones - I have never managed from dried with green lentils or chickpeas successfully...

The red ones are fine for daal though - just follow the pack instructions and be prepared for it to take longer and need more liquid adding until you are happy with it

ms juniper

I never do, I just pop em in.

I'm sure someone will come along and tell you how to do it properly but I just put them in. I wash green lentils before but not red.

I love Chanda dhaall lentils and I don't soak them either

My husband told me yesterday that his favourite Dhaal was the spicy kind with those little round lentils that taste bouncy. It took me ages to work out he wasn't talking about dhaal but coconut curry and the little round lentils were chick peas.

If you're going to do dhaal or cook with lentils, get a slow cooker, it's so so so much easier.

Cumin roasted root veg (carrot, parsnips, beetroot) with quinoa.

This is going to sound stupid (sorry for my ignorance - meat eater here ) but why is Quorn unsuitable for vegans?
I enjoy Quorn products a lot, pretty much always have the burgers and mince instead of the real deal, but have never actually read the ingredients.
I don't have any in at the moment to look so just curious? I'm guessing there's eggs in there or milk?

There are some vegan quorn things but these had egg and milk in the ingredients...I believe you can get vegan fake chicken nuggets so I will keep an eye out now I know the kids will eat them!

fauxfox Ah ok, I've just never thought that they might not be suitable for vegans until I saw this thread.

I like to have meat free dinners a few times a week so was looking for inspiration.

The vegan quorn fishfingers are very good!

Bouncy lentils

I found a nice recipe for tomato, coconut and, ahem 'bouncy lentil' chickpea curry that I shared on here recently if you're interested?

Red lentils need no soaking and cook very fast, if that helps - 20 min is all you need. Boil then simmer with half a veg stock cube - lush. Add cumin/coriander/curry leaves and you've got a very basic dhal.

I also cook up a tin of chickpeas with a chopped tomato plus fried cumin/mustard seeds and a crumbled stock cube. V quick and easy lunch!

Any ideas what I can do with a bag of Bulgar wheat? Last time I cooked it it was horrible. Any decent substitute for feta?

Not vegan but I avoid dairy and not sure it's already been mentioned but it might be of interest, especially for the weekend that Baileys has gone vegan.
lovindublin.com/news/a-dairy-free-gluten-free-vegan-baileys-now-exists-1

Thanks for the lentil tips! I hadn't thought of using tinned ones.

So far I have on the meal planner:

Butternut squash & sage risotto
Cauliflower & chickpea curry & rice
Sweet potato and chickpea chilli & rice
Ratatouille & pasta
Vegan mince spag bol
Shepherdess pie (lentils)
Dhal & rice
Vegetable tagine & couscous
Vegan sausages & mash / casserole
Vegetable stir fry & straight to wok or other vegan noodles
Thai curry with baby corn & mange tout

Bulgar wheat is good in a minestrone soup - use in place of pasta.

If you cook it with quinoa it's a good side dish to a curry or chilli - use in place of rice. Or let it cool and stir into a hearty salad :)

heyhey I will try and remember to post the recipe tomorrow, its in my notebook and I'm stuck under a sleeping toddler :)

Vegan pulled pork in whole grain buns with vegan coleslaw, portabello mushrooms, potato wedges.

The pulled pork is either made with cooked Jackfruit and BBQ sauce (google the method) or is a brand made from soya called Vivera.

The mayo for the coleslaw is made by blending cashew milk (the most creamy vegan milk), vegetable oil, pepper, mustard, cooked garlic.

Dinner was nice Bourbon biscuits and mint tea for dessert later...

Just googled Jackfruit...wow! I had never heard of it!?!

That looks lively fox! Have you put a recipe for the fritters up and I've missed them?

I invented them based on a non-vegan recipe subbing chickpea water instead of egg and it worked fine!

200g sweetcorn
100g flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
2 spring onions
1 green chilli
The juice from a can of chickpeas

Mix everything up, bung half in the food processor and whizz it up, mix that back into the lumpy mixture and fry in a pan til cooked - yum! I put a bit of water in to get the batter right cos it was a bit stiff.

Sausage and bean casserole: I pre-cook veggie sausages in the over to give them a bit of crunch. Meanwhile, I cook onions, garlic, canned tomatoes, peppers and whatever beans are hanging around (butter, cannellini or chickpeas are all good), and add whatever spices I fancy - chilli and cumin or rosemary and thyme. Serve with bread. Takes about 10 mins to prep and 20 mins to cook.

I really don't like meat substitutes like Quorn. My favourite vegan dinners are pasta sauces like tomato and roasted veg or vegan puttanesca; potato and chick pea curry (celeriac, swede or sweet potato just as good); bean bake with breadcrumb or crispy onion topping; lentil and root veg casserole with lots of Garam masala and chervil in it; any quinoa dish (cook it with veg stock, add a mixture of raw and roasted veg, can't go wrong); dhal with spinach and cherry tomatoes; succotash.

Just made pizza dough for tonight and on googling have discovered that there is legit traditional cheese-less pizza recipes from Naples so it can be vegan no drama 🍕 Usual mozzarella and tomato toppings for the kids, tomato sauce topped with garlic mushrooms for me and DH.