Recipes

Family Affairs: 7 Day Family Menus

Saturday

BREAKFAST

French Toast Martin Shaw Cooks Veggie

Makes enough for approximately 12 slices of bread

• Batter Recipe
• Use also for making Pancakes
• 175ml/6fl oz soya milk
• 175ml/6fl oz water
• 175g/6oz plain flour
• 2 tbsp chickpea (gram) flour(you’ll find this in the Asian or specialist foods section of good supermarkets)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• pinch salt
• 12 slices bread - white sandwich style works best
• additional oil for frying
• maple or golden syrup

1. Place all ingredients (except oil for frying) in a blender and whizz until smooth. Alternatively, whisk by hand until there are no lumps.
2. Pour batter into a wide, shallow dish.
3. Take a slice of bread and immerse in mixture, coating both sides.
4. Heat small amount of oil in a frying pan and place batter soaked bread in it.
5. Cook for a minute each side.
6. Serve with jam or maple syrup.
7. If there’s any batter mixture, it will store in fridge, but whisk up again before using - you can use it for pancakes or more French toast!

LUNCH

Tomato & Bulgur Soup
Serves 4-6

• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup onions, chopped finely
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• ¾ cup celery, diced (2 med stalks)
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried dill
• ½ tsp ground fennel
• 1 tin undrained tinned tomatoes, chopped
• ¼ cup Bulgur

1. In large soup pot, combine stock, onions, celery, garlic, salt, dill and fennel.
2. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes and juice.
4. Add bulgur and mix well.
5. Return to boil and simmer, covered, for another 15 minutes or until bulgur is tender. Stir occasionally.
6. Add pepper to taste.
7. Serve with crusty bread - or hot garlic bread.

DINNER

Mild Coconut Curry So, What Do You Eat?

• 2 tsp mild curry paste or powder
• 1 tin coconut milk
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 200g/6oz potatoes, chopped
• 250g/8oz onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 250g/8oz broccoli, chopped
• 250g/8oz carrots, chopped
• 200g/6oz mushrooms, chopped
• 200g/6oz peppers (green or red), chopped
• Small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• Olive oil
• 250g/8oz basmati rice
• 4-8 poppadoms
• Plain soya yoghurt (eg Provamel Yofu, available from supermarkets or health shops)
• Mango or other chutney

1. Put large pan of water on for rice.
2. Chop vegetables.
3. Mix spoonful of curry paste in pan with enough olive oil to cover bottom of a large pan.
4. Fry potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic until almost soft.
5. Add mushrooms, peppers and broccoli to pan. Fry for a few minutes.
6. Cook rice in salted, boiling water for 10-11 minutes. Check if cooked and rinse - or leave for another minute or two. Be careful not to overcook.*
7. Add tins of coconut milk and chickpeas and simmer gently until vegetables soft.
8. Stir in coriander and season.
9. Serve with basmati rice, popadoms, mango chutney and yoghurt.

*To avoid overcooked rice, rinse in cold water when it’s finished cooking - otherwise it continues cooking in its own heat. Just heat through quickly before serving.

DESSERT

Chocolate Cake So, What Do You Eat?

• 170g self-raising wholemeal flour
• 170g self-raising white flour
• 6 dsp cocoa powder
• 220ml maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 12 dsrtsp sunflower oil
• 450ml soya milk

Turn oven on to 180°C//350°F/Gas Mark 4

1. Sift both flours and cocoa powder into a bowl.
2. In another bowl, whisk oil, soya milk, maple syrup and vanilla essence.
3. Pour liquid ingredients bit-by-bit into flour and cocoa, whisking gently to make a batter.
4. Oil two 20cm (8”) cake tins and sprinkle some flour into bottom. Tap flour around to cover tin.
5. Pour half cake mixture into each tin and cook for about 40 minutes until a sharp knife comes out cleanly.
6. Cool slightly and loosen edges with a knife. Turn cakes out and when cold, sandwich together with chocolate butter icing.
7. Decorate top with icing and grated dark chocolate curls.

Chocolate Butter Icing

• 75g margarine
• 75g icing sugar
• 75g cocoa powder

Beat together thoroughly with a dessertspoon of boiling water.