3 Course Veggie/Vegan Dinner

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 As a family we are interested in increasing the proportion of our weekly meals that are plant based to tap into the amazing health benefits of a highly plant-based diet. I have recently been introduced to Tempeh and am finding it to be a really useful ingredient for making plant-based versions of family favourite meals. (I really like Plant Power’s (GM Free) Tempeh). 

Tempeh is a natural plant protein packed with great nutritional value. It was discovered in Indonesia over a thousand years ago. It is made by fermenting whole soybeans with a naturally occurring live culture and pressing them into blocks. 

It’s a good plant- based source of protein and calcium and is packed with whole bean fibre and probiotics for good gut health. It also contains soy isoflavones which can reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer and have been linked to helping with menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes. Tempeh has a delicate flavour and takes on flavours really well, so you can marinate it, or use it to replace meat in most of your favourite dishes.  Personally, I have found it much more successful than other meat substitutes in producing a really tasty result, that the rest of the family enjoy. I like that it is natural, contains minimal ingredients, and a host of health benefits and is so easy and versatile to use in recipes. Here is a three-course plant-based family meal that we enjoyed at the weekend using terrific Tempeh. xxx

Minestrone Style Soup

Ingredients

1 onion finely diced

1 clove garlic

2 vegetable stock cubes (I use Kallo Yeast Free)

Diced Sweet Potato and or Butternut Squash – I use a bag of frozen or fresh pre-diced

About 4 or 5 carrots scrubbed and chopped – I sometimes just use a bag of carrot batons

About 4 or 5 stalks of diced celery

Cavolo Nero Kale (about 5 leaves chopped up or other kale/dark greens, rest can be used for making Kale Chips)

Tin of chopped tomatoes (organic if possible)

Handful of fresh cherry tomatoes chopped

Bunch of basil chopped

Frozen peas about a third of a small bag (to add colour and variety)

1 leek diced (and or courgette depending on availability and preference)

Salt and pepper to season

Method – pressure cooker

Place all ingredients into pressure cooker, add enough boiling water to just about cover the vegetables. Switch onto soup setting, about 8 minutes for my InstaPot

Method hob

Place all ingredients into a large soup pot, add enough boiling water to just about cover the vegetables. Bring to boil and then simmer for about 40 minutes or until all vegetables are soft.

Tempeh Enchiladas

Ingredients

· 1 tbsp Avocado Oil for greasing slow cooker or for pan if cooking on hob

· 400g Tempeh (I use Plant Power 2 x 200g Original Tempeh Block) – either mince using food processor or finely chop

· 1 red onion finely chopped

· 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated (I use Sainsbury’s frozen pre-chopped garlic)

· 1 red chilli, chopped, 

· About 4 or 5 celery stalks, finely chopped (I cut all the stock away from the heart and used half for this and half for soup (or freeze or later)

· 1 vegetable stock cube crumbled in (I use Kallo yeast free vegetable stock)

· 2–4 tbsp chipotle chilli paste(I use about 2 and then add a little more to taste)

· 400g tin aduki beans

· 400g tin chopped tomatoes

· 1 Yellow Pepper finely chopped

· Four carrots finely diced

· 1 Tbsp of tamari (gluten free soy sauce)

· Handful of fresh chopped cherry tomatoes (again I use half punnet and then rest for minestrone soup)

· Small bunch chopped fresh coriander(leaves and stalks)

· 12 gluten free tortillas (regular size)

· Grated Cheese/Vegan Cheese to sprinkle over enchiladas before they go in the oven

· salt and freshly ground black pepper

· Can add a tbsp of maple syrup according to taste

Slow Cooker Method (ideal for preparing sauce in advance)

1. Use the oil to grease the slow cooker to prevent sticking

2. Add the tempeh, onion, garlic, chilli, celery, crumbled stock cube, chilli paste, aduki beans, tomatoes, coriander, carrots, tamari, yellow pepper, and any seasoning. Add a little water as required to loosen up the mixture.

3. Leave all the ingredients to cook away in the slow cooker until you have a mixture resembling a chilli…if the consistency is too runny, I usually leave the lid off for a little while and keep an eye on it until it has thickened up. 

4. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Lightly oil a couple of shallow ovenproof dishes.

5. To assemble, lay the tortillas on a clean work surface and divide the mixture down the centre of each one, then roll up to seal. Place the stuffed tortillas carefully in the prepared dish, seam-side down, to fit snugly.

6. Scatter over the cheese/vegan cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until lightly golden and bubbling.

7. Serve with a lovely fresh salad and your favourite accompaniments. 

Hob Method

1. Heat the oil in a wide frying pan. Add all the ingredients and stir-fry over a      high heat for 4–5 minutes, breaking up with a wooden spoon so it doesn’t      form clumps and browns well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium–low and simmer for 40 minutes or so, or until vegetables have softened and sauce has reduced and thickened, stirring from time to time.
2. Followthe assembly/oven instructions above

Dark Chocolate Strawberries

Ingredients

Large punnet of strawberries

Bar of dark cooking chocolate

Method

Wash the strawberries well in advance of coating in chocolate. The main thing is that they are totally dry before you dip them in the melted chocolate. Tip is to dry them off with a bit of kitchen roll and then leave them to air dry further on fresh kitchen roll…the drier the better. Leave the stem on to give you something to hold onto when you are dipping them.

Melt the dark chocolate according to the packet instructions, then swirl the strawberries in. Leave them to cool a bit then transfer to the fridge to fully set.