7-day Meal Plan Part Three: Dinner ~ including Easy Pizza Recipe!

Compiled by Clare from fairfoods.org.uk, caterer at the Vegan Pledge 

7 evening meal ideas

1- Traditional night

Vegan bangers, mash and gravy with steamed broccoli and peas.

2 - Mexican night

Burrito with freshly cooked refried beans with lettuce, tomato, avocado and seasoning in a wrap.

Quesadilla - place thinly sliced vegan cheese and tomato between two wheat tortillas making a sandwich (no margarine is required). Toast on both sides in a dry frying pan, then cut into quarters.

Serve with rice and salad.

3- Italian night in

Pasta with broccoli, mushrooms and olives or other favourite veggies in your favourite pasta sauce (most are vegan but check the ingredients).

Or make your own pizza simply and easily: recipe at the end.

4 - Italian night out

At Pizza Hut the pan pizza, mia, Italian and Tuscani pizza bases are all vegan if you ask for them without cheese. Their website has allergy information that lists the items suitable for vegans.

At Pizza Express the pizza base and tomato sauce is suitable for vegans. Create your own pizza by removing the cheese and adding an extra topping. Some restaurants are happy to add vegan cheese to your pizza if you supply it.

5 - Chilli night

Home made shepherd's pie 
using pinto bean chilli 

Make a quick chilli with frozen veggie mince, a can of tomatoes, a small can of kidney beans, plus any other vegetables you fancy. Add chilli, marmite and cocoa powder to taste, plus a pinch of cinnamon. Serve with rice. If any is left, use as a topping for baked potato the next day. 


The same basic veggie mince and tomato sauce base can be used for spaghetti bolognese, lasagne and shepherd's pie (leave out the chilli, cocoa and cinnamon).

6 - Indian night

Do you fancy takeaway, shop-bought or from scratch? There are plenty of choices. Indian takeaways tend to have a good choice, but check that your dishes are cooked with vegetable oil rather than ghee (clarified butter). There are a number of shop-bought curries, from Innocent 'Veg Pots' - six out of the 8 are vegan - to Sainsbury's own and more. Or, choose your favourite recipe and enjoy with rice.

7 - Chinese night

Stir-fried mushroom, beansprouts, red onion, spring greens and marinated tofu with rice noodles and soya sauce.

Quick and easy crusty pizza recipe

Photo by fairfoods.org.uk

1. Mix 90g tomato puree, 3 tbsp olive oil and ¾ tsp mixed herbs together (and give it a mix again just before using).

2. Mix 100g vegan cheese and 3 tbsp soya milk in a blender or mash together with a fork until you have a paste (or use 100g melting cheezly, sliced).

3. Split a large vegan ciabatta in half and spread tomato mix onto the top of each, followed by cheese mix. Add your favourite pizza toppings: sweetcorn, tomato, olives, red onion, red peppers, pineapple, vegan sausage, chilli etc.

4. Bake at 220C for 10-15 minutes.

Pictures from the first Vegan Pledge meeting

Thank you to everyone - pledgers and volunteers - who attended the first Vegan Pledge meeting on Sat 19th May. The day was enjoyed by all. The morning consisted of three rotational workshops centred around a cookery demo with Liz Hughes, group discussions with vegan mentors and the Vegan Society's film, Making the Connection. After a superb buffet lunch - including dishes made in the cookery session, salads and loads of yummy cakes - there was a talk from Dr Mike Hooper on vegan health followed by a talk from Johanna Best on vegan nutrition. Robb introduced us to the London vegan social scene and Alex Bourke from Vegetarian Guides finished the day with a slideshow of all the veggie and vegan cafes and restaurants in London. Below is just a small selection of some of the photos taken on the day. Hope to see you all for another great day at the second meeting on Sat 16th June.

Liz Hughes shows a pledger how to make vegan spinach filo parcels

Liz Hughes demonstrating a dish in the cookery workshop

Johanna Best and Dr Mike Hooper answer questions about vegan nutrition and health

Two happy pledgers!

Lunch time!

Pledgers enjoying a range of vegan food 

A pledger helps herself to a cupcake

Volunteers preparing a spread of vegan desserts

Volunteers show the selection of vegan milks on offer

The team that made it all happen.

THANK YOU

7-day Meal Plan Part Two: Lunch

Compiled by Clare from fairfoods.org.uk, caterer at the Vegan Pledge 


7 easy lunch ideas

1 - Vegetable spring rolls, samosas and onion bhajis with dipping sauce. These items are usually vegan but check the packaging to make sure.

2 - Hummus, avocado and salad sandwich.

3 - Jacket potato with baked beans and salad. Also look out for other suitable fillings such as sweetcorn or veggie chilli. These are available from most cafes, or buy from a shop and make your own if you have access to kitchen.

Photo by fairfoods.org.uk

4 - Super salad... Greens, beans, and sliced salad veg tossed with bottled dressing or some oil, tamari and lemon juice or vinegar. Make it extra-special by adding avocado, toasted nuts or seeds, fresh or dried fruit, or grated vegan cheese.

5 - Vegan cheese, pickle, sliced apple and lettuce sandwich.

6 - Vegetable Indian meal and rice. These are available from most supermarkets – check the ingredients. You will need access to a microwave or oven.

7 - Toffuti cream cheese on bagels. Add cucumber or other salad. 

7-day Meal Plan Part One: Breakfast

Compiled by Clare from fairfoods.org.uk, caterer at the Vegan Pledge 

Clare has compiled a 7-day vegan meal plan to inspire you! Keep a eye on the blog to see the lunch and dinner ideas in the next couple of days :)

7 breakfast ideas

1 - Toast, bagel or crumpet with jam, peanut butter or yeast extract.

2 - Weetabix or oatibix with rice milk, soya milk or almond milk

3 - Full breakfast with Linda McCartney sausages, beans, breakfast potato, grilled tomatoes, toast and mushrooms.

Photo by fairfoods.org.uk

4 - Rice krispies or frosties with rice milk, soya milk or almond milk. 

5 - Scrambled tofu on toast (Fry half a finely chopped onion in a little oil. When lightly brown add half a level teaspoon turmeric and 1 clove crushed garlic. Stir well for 1 minute. Add 350g tofu and stir well, mashing it down. Add 1 tsp soya sauce and if desired, some vegan vegetable bouillon to taste. Serve.)

6 - Flavoured soya yoghurt and fruit with a handful of nuts.

7 - Porridge made with oats and your favourite vegan milk.

Easy vegan recipe - soups!

By Asa, Vegan Pledge Buddy 2012!

One of my favourite easy vegan meals is the general ‘soup’. Unfortunately it is a bit tricky to offer soup at the two Pledge days – even more dishes! – so we don’t. For that reason it seems appropriate to say something about this magically quick meal.

Soups are easy to make and are perfect for old tired vegetables. My most basic recipe would be ‘fry some onion (in pieces or rings) in oil, perhaps with some garlic, and/or ginger, and/or cumin, caraway/cinnamon/cardamom/curry powder/paprika – basically any spices you like on low heat. If you leave it for a while it will caramelise – nice! If you want herbs, I normally add them later on.

Rinse/peel/cut other vegetables in pieces – you could use any root vegetables, courgettes, peppers, spring onions (they can also be added from the start), cauliflower, leek, broccoli, spinach, potatoes, red lentils, split peas, green or yellow, beans from cans...

Add stock (boil water in your kettle and add to the stock before adding to the pot – even quicker), then add vegetables in or

der of how long they need to simmer; so root vegetables first, wait for a while and then the other ones. Spinach only needs a few minutes, same goes for beans from cans. It also depends on how big pieces you’ve cut them in. If you add lentils or split peas they will need to simmer for quite a while (20-45 minutes depending on, check the packaging!); if you don’t, it’ll be quicker. But you can just leave it on the stove and get on with other stuff, it’ll take care of itself!

The beauty of this is that you can finish off by blending it all, in which case it does not matter if the vegetables are overcooked :-) Normally I really don’t like overcooked broccoli e.g., but when blended it all comes together... Blend as long as you like or just for a minute and leave chunks. Then season with salt and pepper and perhaps more spices. Enjoy with a piece of bread!

This web site has many other recipes for vegan soups, all with pictures:

http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/soups.html

Loving Hut, Archway

Restaurant review by Emily, Vegan Pledge Buddy 2012

The Loving Hut in Archway is probably my favourite vegan restaurant in London. It is a part of a chain and there are many Loving Hut restaurants all around the world, all of which are 100% vegan. 

With other Loving Hut restaurants nearby in Camden and Edgware with slightly different menus, the Loving Hut in Archway serves excellent Chinese food. Dinner can be a la carte – either a set meal from £14 per person, or alternatively you can choose items from the extensive menu of around 100 different dishes. 

Many items on the menu contain tofu or soya imitation meats. Veggie Lemon Chicken is one of my favourites, along with Veggie King Prawn in Black Bean Sauce. Crispy Aromatic Veggie Duck (served with Pancakes) is also available as is fish & chips – again, vegan. 

For those who prefer not to try imitation meats, there is plenty on offer in the way of vegetable dishes, noodles, soups, rice, curries and tofu. No MSG is used and there is always a selection of vegan desserts including ice-creams and cheesecakes. 

This link will take you to the extensive menu on their website: http://archway.lovinghut.co.uk/uk-archway-en/menu/. Good prices and definitely worth a visit. 

London Vegan Pledge 2012

Are you interested in trying a vegan diet with some help and support? If so, then sign up for the London Vegan Pledge. 

Once you have been registered you will be invited to two meetings at a venue in central London from 10am - 4pm, one at the start of your pledge month on Saturday 19th May 2012, and one at the end of your vegan month on Saturday 16th June 2012. 

These informative events include: speakers, films, delicious vegan food, cookery demos, free recipe booklets and basic health and nutrition advice. At the first meeting you will also meet your vegan buddy who will support you during your month. All of this is completely free!

Email us to find out more information or to register your interest in taking the Vegan Pledge.