Green Monday... Fruit and Veg

Will you… could you… manage NOT to eat meat or fish on Mondays ???

Well since we only eat fish maybe twice a week (and no meat) that’s not exactly difficult. Anyway buying fish on a Momday is pointless since it won’t be fresh as catches aren’t landed on a Sunday!

But I hope they convince some people to try - one day a week is really not hard and could encourage people to try great cuisines.

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Jane

Omelette can only go so far… :thinking: so can you give some ideas of simple meals, we could all manage, which do not use meat/fish.

We eat red bean and mushroom burgers.
In a frying pan heat 15ml of olive oil and fry until soft 1 small onion chopped and 1 crushed garlic clove. It is best to do this with a little salt and make the garlic into a paste, so that there are no large bits. This applies whenever you use garlic.
Add 5ml ground cumin, 5ml ground coriander 2.5 ml ground turmeric and cook for a minute stirring all the time.
Add 115g of chopped mushrooms and stir until all the oil has been absorbed.
Drain a 400g tin of red kidney beans ,put into a bowl and mash with a fork and add to the frying pan, with freshly chopped coriander or parsley and season and mix well.
Using floured hands make into four burgers, adding a little flour if your mixture is a bit too sticky.
I put them into the fridge to firm up a bit.
You can either brush them with a little oil if you are using a griddle or barbecue or cook in a clean frying pan with a little oil until golden on both sides.
These make a good vegetarian dish for barbecues.
They are also not expensive.
Enjoy.
The recipe comes from ‘The Great Big Barbecue Book’ published by Hamlyn.
Any vegetarian curry is also good or lentil loaves.

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Sounds interesting… Jane. A summertime delight… with fresh herbs… :hugs:

With a salad in summer, but we eat them all year round with geen beans and any other veg we fancy.
They are quick to make too.

Do you find dried herbs work just as well as the fresh would ???

It depends.
For appearance fresh are best, but sometimes, like us, in winter they are not in the garden or are expensive.
Always use half of dried to fresh in any recipe.

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As there are lots of courges around why not butternut soup, butternet gratin, etc; they can even be used in desserts.

Loads of potato recipes. Have a look at the French sites, lots of ideas.

I am making a vegetable soup later, it usually lasts us several days, is nourishing, economic and just right during this freezing weather.
Served with Bread coutons topped with grated cheese.

I buy organic Chicken breasts once a week.

Pork I buy at our market from a local producer.

Seldom eat red meat as I am usually disappointed by the quality, even from local producers.

Stuffed Courgettes
Boil Courgettes, cut in half remove flesh , retain shells. Mix the flesh with goat cheese and a hard cooking cheese ,some chopped spring onion ( shallots will do) seasoning, and herbs to taste. Mix well and add an egg yolk to bind Place the shells of the Courgettes in an oven proof dish. Put the cheese mix in the shells and top with breadcrumbs. If you want you can pour a little melted butter on top to encourage it to crisp up. Bake in oven

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Havent eaten meat or fish since 1982 - try some of the following

Risotto made with Butternut squash, or with leeks, or in spring summer a HUGE amount of herbs and fresh peas.

Penne or fusilli pasta with tomato, olives and capers. can add courgette, celery aubergine in small chunks.

Linguine pasta with frozen or fresh green beans and peas/mange tout.

Aubergine cut into 1/2 or slices, brush with olive oil and harissa paste or pesto, sprinkle with herbs and bake for 30 - 40 mins - top with goats cheese (halloumi is better if you can find it) and bake till that is done. Serve with cous cous.

Pilaff made with frozen broad beans or other veg.

Stir fry veg (broccoli and cauliflower + peas or broad beans is good) with flaked almonds thrown in at the end. Serve with noodles.

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Keep the ideas coming folk…

OH has reminded me that I make a delicious pasta-bake… which contains loads of whatever is available… but without meat/fish… when certain friends come to visit.

I would cook them in the microwave.
They will cook without water and stay a better shape.

Yes but I don’t have a microwave

Steaming would be better, they have so much water in them.

Yes I have a steamer I will try that it does get watery

How about a lovely broccoli, onion and gruyère quiche. Buy the pastry, make a simple savoury custard of milk and eggs (or cream if you’re feeling fancy) then add a good teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the mix. Cook the veg and blind bake the pastry then arrange the veg beautifully in the cooked pastry case, add the cheese, pour over the custard and bake for 30 minutes till just set.

Lovely eaten warm with chips and ketchup then the next day with salad and bread. :yum::yum:

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Tonight was spaghetti non-bolognaise…if you make a rich vegetable’y tomato sauce you don’t notice that it doesn’t have any meat. Sweat chopped onions, garlic and red pepper plus other veg you fancy - we often add some finely chopped carrot for the sweetness… Then add tin of tomatoes, chopped sundried tomatoes, herbs and seasoning, plus a good sized glass of red wine and simmer very low for at least an hour. As you want it thick not watery. You can add button mushrooms half way through, and extra oomph with Worcestershire sauce or a pinch of chilli.

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I often have a meatless chilli, a chilli sans carne? I use a selection of beans, onions, peppers and tomatoes to go with my home grown chilli. As Jan has pointed out above you don’t realise that it contains no meat.

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In answer to the original question…“Piece of cake…”