Vegetarian - What to have for lunch?

 Chosing what to have for lunches is always a dilemma in our house. I tend to do my grocery shopping online ( at Tesco - because i find the quality of the food is really good, and there is none of that 3 unavailable and 10 substitutes business, like one particular popular supermarket.) 

So most times it's a case of what's on offer that week!

Sometimes its the Richmond Meatfree back bacon that is on offer. Great tasting veggie bacon this is - 2 mins either side, shallow fried in a bit of sunflower oil, in the frying pan. Dry off the oil with kitchen roll. Then grab a brown bun or some wholemeal bread, butter it, add a layer of butterhead lettuce or whatever lettuce you have available, thinly slice up some tomatoes and off you go! This bacon is by far the best on the market. You can smell it upstairs when it is cooking so they tell me so you can never just have a sneaky one - be warned... yum!  

Sometimes it's the hummous that is on offer. There are quite a selection of hummous's believe it or not - original, red pepper, sweet chilli, carmelised onion, jalepeno, morrocan inspired to name but a few. Grab the wholemeal bread, thinly spread on your chosen hummous, then, add a slice of lettuce, sliced red onion, sliced tomato, sliced cucumber.  Done. Got to be red onion though, better taste.

Sometimes it's feta salad sandwiches made the same way as above - but, with the feta that was left over from the previous night's spicy pasta so there is no waste. 

Sometimes it's Ploughmans sandwiches made with sandwich pickle. The shop bought ones involve just pickle, lettuce,tomato, slice of cheese and a tiny bit of mayo with the butter. 

Our Ploughman's sandwich involves a thin layer of pickle (usually Branston Small Chunk), spread on the wholemeal bread, then lettuce, cucumber, tomato and red onion as above then some sliced cheese. Usually this is made with Cheddar, but if we have Red Leicester in or Double Gloucester then on it goes instead. Lia my daughter tried the Double Gloucester cheese for the first time the other day - you guessed it - it was on offer - and she said "This is 'banging' it's better than Cheddar." Surely not? but it does certainly give Cheddar a run for it's money! If you have never tried Double Gloucester cheese by the way do put it on your bucket list! Our own crumbly Lancashire cheese is good too, though i always prefer this on toast with halved cherry tomatoes.

We have a large pot of chives growing in the garden, (chives are so easy to grow with no effort involved whatsoever). You can trim a few of them and also add them to a sandwich or salad dish. Feta salad in a cereal bowl makes a nice lunch too, with shredded lettuce, chopped cherry or plum tomatoes, chopped cucumber, chopped red onion, a few olives a few pieces of feta or salad cheese, a little fresh ginger chopped fine, a drizzling of olive oil and perhaps a splash of cider vinegar on top too to finish - well tasty.. Eat this with a slice of wholemeal bread or wholemeal bun, and if you have some radish or watercress or rocket throw that in the dish too.

Chilli cheese on toast is always a lunchtime favourite too. Involving toasting one side of your bread, then adding butter or margarine, then adding cheese, some tiny sliced green chilli bits and some cherry tomatoes and then back under the grill again until golden.

I also like shop bought falafels on wholemeal pitta bread, with shredded lettuce, some cherry or plum tomatoes halved -usually 3 of these, some cucumber cut into small chunks, and a little chopped red onion. Then put the falafels under the grill for 2 mins or so to warm them, the pitta bread goes under grill too (but only for a minute or two to warm them otherwise they go hard). Then add a little smear of  Tzatziki dip on the top. These are really good. The best pitta bread was the wholemeal warburtons I thought but the basic wholemeal ones are ok too.

Then there is always toasties - remember the Breville where the hot tomato pieces burnt your lip if you weren't careful! We found a microwave toastie online and tried it out. We were pleasantly suprised. Easy clean with a cloth in the sink too as the 4 pieces of it come apart. Microwave 2 mins one side, turn it over,  then just one minute on the other side - Done! 

There is also Quorn and Richmond varieties of chicken/ham/turkey etc style slices that you can make a sandwich with as above. Primula, and other in a tube spreads, like Tartex mushroom, herb, original or spicy are also available for sandwiches too.

Then there is always the cupboard staples like beans on toast, spaghetti on toast, jacket potato. Chip teacake with salt, vinegar and a squirt of tomato ketchup (classic student lunch this - and always a treat for a change!) Sometimes we have chips and curry sauce. (Mayflower curry sauce mix we use here which is powder in a plastic tub - really good tasting, just add water and simmer for a few minutes!)

Lastly my daughter lia likes to have new potatoes, done in the pressure cooker with lashings of butter on, for her lunch sometimes....

Hoping we have given you some great lunch ideas.

Here is our video trying out the Microwave toastie maker for ourselves, if you haven't seen it . Enjoy your lunch...! And if you want to try the microwave toastie maker yourself you can get it from  Amazon here  

Spinach and Edam Mornay

  This recipe was one that I tested out from a book. I then added more spinach, messed about with the ingredients and got a much nicer taste. I usually put them in small separate dishes, and if you use the full 7 slices of Edam instead of 6 and a half you will end up with a little creamier bakes. We sometimes have this with just a salad, or you can have it with new potatoes and veg of your choice, or even potato wedges and veg, or chips! This dish is normally cooked in my wok - but the handle fell off and I am currently sourcing a new one, so for now, I did this in a large frying pan instead. Spinach is packed full of nitrates too which help the blood flow more easily around the body - potentially improving cardiovascular health.

Here is the recipe.

How to make a Greek style feta salad sandwich and a Greek style feta salad and black olive wrap.

 This is a great way to use up any left over Feta cheese from the Spicy pasta recipe as well. This cheese goes so well with the red onion, cherry tomato, butterhead lettuce and sliced cucumber. It has got to be red onion here. Then you could also make the wrap with lettuce, sliced cucumber, chopped cherry tomatoes, red onion, black olives and the Feta cheese. Because wraps are dry, unlike the sandwich which contains butter, you could add a dash of olive oil here too, or, add some yogurt and cucumber dressing like Raita to it which tastes delicious too. How healthy is that! You can also put this in wholemeal pitta bread in the same way....

Here is the Recipe

How to make a Simple Greek Salad - Just drizzle on the Olive oil or make the dressing featured!

 Who doesn't enjoy a Greek salad in Summer. It has got to contain Feta or Greek salad cheese, red onion and black olives though! Also in this recipe we have added mixed salad leaf, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and crusty bread rolls to serve. Drizzle on the olive oil and voila! You can serve it has a main, or as a side salad in a large clear bowl with a big spoon, for guests to take as much as they want. There is always someone who will take more than their fare share of the black olives though!! Feta cheese is not as processed I don't think because it is made with sheep, or sheep and goat's milk instead of cow's milk. With all the mixed salad ingredients in this, coupled with the crusty, ideally wholemeal bread rolls, this makes for a very healthy yet very tasty meal! 

Here is the Recipe

How to make Parsnip Soup (Vegan friendly)

 Parsnips on their own are quite a sweet flavoured vegetable when cooked. They aren't my favourite root vegetable but mum likes them! Here we added celery, carrot, potato, onion and Oxo vegetable stock to balance out the flavours. If you like parsnips this recipe is for you. If you have lots left over from Christmas dinner this is for you. Parsnips are packed with Vitamin C, and folic acid, which is a B vitamin and is mainly responsible for human growth and development, so its good for mums to be too. Parsnips are in season over winter so are at their best flavours and prices too. Serve with crusty bread as per!!

Here is the Recipe

How to make Oven Roast Vegetables with Basil, Garlic and Olive Oil (Vegan friendly)

 To make the best roast vegetables you need plenty of garlic to balance out the flavours, and a good addition of ground black pepper. Here we have used five good sized cloves of garlic crushed. Always use red onion for the sweeter taste, aubergine which is traditionally bitter to taste, roasts really well with the olive oil too and makes it taste delicious. Courgette tastes good this way, and so do all the coloured bell peppers. Topped with the torn Basil leaves at the end tastes just divine.  I would stick with this veg combination, don't use sweet potato or anything else here.  We usually serve this with either pasta or mash, chips, new potatoes, or even just on its own as a larger portion. There is never any left over!! Healthwise garlic is anti-bacterial, anti-septic, anti-viral, a blood thinner and good for skin complaints, phew. Coupled with the other vegetables makes for a really tasty and super healthy meal.

Here is the Recipe

   

How to make Sultana Scones

 If you have never done any baking before this recipe is for you. It's really easy and tastes good too. With plain flour, sultanas, butter, baking powder, pinch of salt and semi skimmed milk. Just over 20 mins baking time and they are ready. These taste so good warm too, when they are still cooling down and the butter just melts into them then, when you butter them. You can put jam on them as well if you have a sweet tooth! Or you could stick some thick cream and jam into them for "Tea and Scones!!" Always store them in an airtight container afterwards to keep them fresh and moist.

Here is the Recipe

How to make a One Pot Kale and Vegetable Broth (Vegan friendly)

 Broths - really great in Winter, warming comfort food. This one is made with Kale. Kale boasts three times as much Vitamin C than Spinach. It is also chock full of anti-oxidants. That teamed with the fresh thyme which is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and antiseptic should keep the winter colds away. Also containing celery, carrot, leek, swede and Oxo vegetable stock, this is a one pot powerhouse of nutrients. Serve it in a dish, serve it with mash, or fry up a portion with some mash and a little squirt of brown sauce - or ketchup depending on which you like best, for a day after meal. You can if you want, stick in some veg suet dumplings, the recipe for which is on the Vegetable Broth recipe further on this channel! 

Here is the Recipe

How to make Stilton Stuffed Mushrooms With A Hint Of Red Wine

 You know it is coming Christmas when the Stilton comes out, and any left over sits well on cream crackers afterwards - for me anyway! You have got to use the freshest breakfast (large) mushrooms for this recipe. You can make your own breadcrumbs or you can buy them, up to you. This is a very simple yet delicious recipe, using just stilton, mushrooms, butter, garlic, onion and wholemeal bread and a little red wine. If you find stilton cheese a little strong you could probably use blue cheese instead. You can serve these with a side salad as a main meal, or with chips and carrots say, or you can serve one as a starter with a small side salad. Mushrooms are fat free and low calorie too, for the health conscious out there!!

Here is the Recipe 

How to make a Butternut and Lentil Thick Soup/Broth (Vegan friendly)

 This is another quite simple recipe on how to make butternut squash edible as our cameraman says! Butternut squash does need a spice added to it, as on it's own it can be quite bland. Here we have added ground coriander, onion, lentils, celery, and oxo vegetable stock. This makes for a really thick winter soup as you can see on the image. Butternut squash comes into season late in the year. It's also packed with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. The high beta carotene content, because of it's orange colour, makes it good for your eyes too. Because it is a very firm vegetable it is full of potassium which also makes it good for healthy hearts. This would be good served in a cup too in winter, with a chunk of crusty buttered bread to dip in. 

Here is the Recipe

 

How to make a Leek and Cheddar cheese Pie

 Another simple recipe this, just leeks, mature or extra mature cheddar, butter, ready made pastry and ground black pepper. I know though that leeks can be a bit fiddly to cut up and remove all the grit. You can cheat though if you wish and buy the same weight in ready prepared ones, but always buy them on the day and use as quickly as possible for the best taste! Leeks are part of the onion family and therefore have the same benefits health wise. They are low in calories but high in vitamins and minerals. Serve this with mash and beans or veg, or in summer serve a portion with a side salad! 

Here is the Recipe

How to make Leek Soup (Vegan friendly)

 This is such a simple soup to make with just leeks, water, Oxo vegetable stock, cornflour or plain flour, black pepper and butter or sunflower oil for vegan version. They both taste as good either way though. Leeks are not only full of vitamin A but of Zeaxanthin too which means they are good for your eyes and help prevent cataracts too. These guys are part of the onion family, so no need for onion here. Crusty rolls at the ready...

Here is the Recipe

 

How to make a Potato, Carrot and Petit Pois Curry (Vegan friendly) Use vegan margarine here!

 I first saw a version of this recipe in a cookbook. I changed the peas to petit pois which have a much nicer flavour, added curry powder and a few more spices and ended up with this. This curry tastes even better the day after! The carrots, potato, peas and onion  marry together wonderfully with the spices making a really good tasting curry. Not too hot, but spicy enough. I like this with garlic and coriander naan bread and a side salad. It is also good with chapattis. It is so healthy too with all fresh ingredients and spices - no additives! You could also have it with the onion bhajis featured further on this channel for a true curry night... 

Here is the Recipe

How to make Mushroom Risotto

 This is just a simple risotto, a classic Italian dish. Risotto rice is the arborio rice, which can absorb a large amount of water and give out a creamy texture. Don't try it with anything else! Here we have simply used the Arborio rice, mushrooms, onion, Oxo vegetable stock, fresh parsley and grated vegetarian hard cheese (which works well as a vegetarian parmesan substitute). Arborio rice helps keep you feeling fuller longer and also help to detoxify the body. Also it's nice!

Here is the Recipe

How to Make Festive Savoury Nut Roast Balls with Cranberry Sauce-Vegan friendly use non-dairy butter

I had never made a nut roast before so thought I should and would try it. All the basic recipes I saw had brown rice or egg or cheese and soy sauce, breadcrumbs etc but I wanted to keep it simple and for vegans too so I just threw some things together and this was the result. I always make a small portion first and then if it's good make a bigger one. They are so good and the cranberry sauce just makes them - I didn't want them served with gravy as it takes away the taste. When you try the mixture in the pan you will see why we ate a lot of it before it went in the oven! The chestnut mushrooms worked beautifully and for not much ingredients these should be street food at Christmas! The cranberry sauce was only 55p from Asda as we had to nip out and find some mid-cook but that was good too. You can use this recipe as a starter or with a main meal, it's up to you.

A viewer asked could she do this in a bun tin to make a large one to slice? My reply was : "Not sure, as with the balls they were crispy slightly all round which is what I was after. With the balls guests can take as many as they want ( (and we didn't have a loaf tin ha). You could try it as all the ingredients are pretty much cooked anyway but once you have done the balls you won't look back they are so easy". If any of you guys do make a loaf of it do let me know how it goes!! Nuts also contain vitamin E which is a great anti-oxidant, and also a preservative - so if you want to preserve those youthful good looks, it won't do any harm adding a few nuts to your diet weekly!!

Here is the Recipe

Quick tea - Hot Dogs with fried onions, mustard and relish.

 You can't beat a hot dog, especially as a bonfire party snack or even a quick tea.  We found the Tivall brand to be delicious, and the Fry's brand to be an ok one. If we find anymore contenders we will let you know. You have to gently fry your onions in butter here, and you have to add mustard and burger relish. Also do butter your hot dog rolls before adding the onions etc for the best taste! My daughter loves them as do we. 

Here is the Recipe 

 

How to make Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan friendly)

 Butternut squash on it's own doesn't have much taste, so pairing it with the carrot and celery and stock brought out its flavour. Nutritionally Butternut squash is a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. The orange colour, beta carotene/ Vitamin A is good for eyesight. It's also classed as a superfood. This is also a tough vegetable to peel - so I use a potato peeler and then take out the seeds and inners. It is heavier than it looks too. Made like this gives it a rich, creamy taste. Any vegetable that is rigid like this is full of Potassium too so it's good for the heart! 

Here is the Recipe

How to make a Quick Spinach, Cherry Tomato and Mozzarella Salad - just drizzle on the olive oil!

 This is a really quick plate summer salad with just three ingredients - Spinach, cherry tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese.  Always use the freshest Spinach for added crunchiness. You can use baby plum tomatoes here, and you could add a few pitted olives - but don't overdo it, keep it simple. Always serve this with a slice of wholemeal bread. Spinach is from the beetroot family so it is full of nitrates for healthy blood flow. It was also Popeye's favourite food!

Here is the Recipe

How to make Red Lentil and Carrot Soup (Vegan friendly)

 Everybody needs a good thick Winter style soup and what better than this red lentil and carrot one. Surprisingly this is at the moment my most viewed soup! Made with just carrots, red lentils, oxo vegetable stock cubes, garlic, onion and sunflower oil, it is so easy to make too. It is a good soup to serve in a cup to warm your hands in winter as well. Just dip in the crusty rolls and off you go!  Carrots are full of vitamin A for your eyes, and lentils are a good iron source for the blood. So a good health tonic too. 

One of our viewers commented "just made half quantity because i live alone. i used red onion and it was just gorgeous :)" Thanks for that, so there is an idea too....

Here is the recipe

How to make Spicy Lentil Broth (Vegan friendly)

 I got this idea from a recipe in a book and just changed some of the quantities of the ingredients for a better taste. Although there looks to be a lot in this there isn't really and it will last for a few meals. You don't need to serve it with rice, you can do it in a side dish with a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and red onion, a little grated fresh ginger and pitted olives. This way it tastes delicious too. It also smells amazing as it cooks. Lentils are low in calories and high in fibre for digestion. They are high in protein and a good source of iron too. Iron helps with tiredness by improving the oxygen in the blood. So if you are planning on running any marathons in the near future this is for you!

Here is the Recipe