Recipes

Family Affairs: 7 Day Family Menus

Wednesday

BREAKFAST

Baked Beans on Wholemeal Toast.

Couldn’t be easier! An old British fave, but try with a little yeast extract (eg Marmite) on the toast to give the beans something special…

LUNCH

‘Cheese’ & Pickle Sandwiches
Serves 4

• 4 portions of bread or rolls - there are some delicious breads out there. Try foccacia or a granary French stick, for example.
• 1 pack of Redwood Cheezly Cheddar ‘cheese’ or other non-dairy cheese. (Redwood Foods make brilliant vegan ‘cheeses’ in a variety of flavours. The Gouda flavour is very good, as is the mozzarella. All are great on sandwiches - and they even make ones that melt on toast or pizza, too!  Available from health shops or by mail order at www.Redwoodfoods.co.uk )
• pickle to taste
• tomato and cucumber, sliced thinly

1. Spread bread with vegan margarine, if desired.
2. Add pickle to one side, Cheezly on the other, tomato and cucumber, then put sandwich together - it’s that easy!

DINNER

Speedy Smoky Pasta
Serves 4

• 375g/13oz/3 cups penne pasta
• 30ml/2 tbsp olive oil* Omit oil if cooking extra healthy version! Just sauté veggies in a little stock instead.
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
• 3 courgettes, thinly sliced
• 2 large red peppers, diced small
• 225g/8oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 pack smoked tofu, cubed (Cauldron smoked tofu is available from all supermarkets in the fridge section)
• 1-2 440g jars pasta sauce of your choice, according to how ‘wet’ you like your pasta.
• Bag of green salad
• Mayonnaise or vinaigrette dressing

1. Put on a pot of water to boil, add salt if required, then add penne pasta. Cook for approximately 10 minutes. Drain and put aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, sauté onion, courgettes and pepper in olive oil for a few minutes then add garlic and mushrooms. Cook everything together until courgettes and onions are tender.
3. Add diced smoked tofu and sauté gently for 2 minutes.
4. Add pasta sauce. Stir in to incorporate ingredients and let simmer for 2 minutes.
5. Mix up cooked pasta with the veggie & tofu sauce & freshly ground pepper in a large serving bowl.
6. Serve with green salad and mayo/vinaigrette dressing.
7. Variations: try mixing in 1 tbsp pesto and sprinkling with Parmesan - delicious!

DESSERT

Pineapple & Ginger Upside Down Cake

• 20g/¾oz 1½ tbsp vegan margarine
• 2 pieces stem ginger, chopped, plus 60ml/4tbsp syrup
• 450g/1lb can pineapple pieces in natural juice, drained
• 250g/9oz/2¼cups wholemeal self-raising flour
• 15ml/1tbsp baking powder
• 5ml/1tsp ground ginger
• 5ml/1tsp cinnamon
• 115g/4oz/1/2 cups soft light brown sugar
• 250g/8floz/1 cup soya milk
• 45ml/3tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 banana

1. Preheat oven to 180Cº/350ºF/Gas Mark 4
2. Grease and line a 20cm/8inch cake tin (fairly shallow)
3. Melt margarine in small pan & stir in ginger syrup then heat over a high heat until thickened
4. Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and level the surface
5. Arrange stem ginger and ¹/3 pineapple pieces in bottom of tin
6. Sift together flour, baking powder and spices in to a bowl. Mix in sugar.
7. Blend together the milk, oil, the remaining pineapple and banana in a food process or blender until almost smooth, then add mixture to flour.
8. Mix until thoroughly combined.
9. Spoon mix over pineapple and ginger pieces in tin.
10. 1 Bake for 45 minutes (Bit less if a fan assisted oven) until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
11. 1 Leave to cool slightly, then place a serving plate over tin and turn upside down.
12. 1 Serve hot or cold, with home made custard or soya cream