A little while ago I promised regular reader Owl Wood a vegan recipe after he pointed out that my emergency cheesecake would have been delicious to him, had it not contained all of its ingredients except the sugar.
Being a vegetarian or a vegan is not simply a matter of leaving out the meat at mealtimes. I have met an awful lot of fiendishly unhealthy vegetarians, some of whom had dissected a rat in Biology at school and promptly (and inexplicably) refused to eat meat ever again. I have been through some pretty tough times, but I have never, to my knowledge, eaten, or been tempted to eat, a rat in formaldehyde.
To a meatysaur, a vegan diet might seem pretty bland and alien, but like everything else, it is simply a matter of learning new ways of cooking and eating. Whether vegetarian or vegan, one has to learn how to obtain the body’s requirements of vitamins, minerals, protein etc through other means.
I won’t deliver a lengthy explanation of food replacements, because if you are heading that way I would urge you to buy a book and talk to other vegetarians/vegans. The most difficult vitamins to include are B12 and D and it is therefore advisable to either take supplements or to eat food to which these vitamins have been added. And spend as much time outdoors as possible to obtain natural Vitamin D from the sun.
This recipe for Mushroom Pie is tasty and extremely filling. I think it would serve 3 hearty appetites and I would like to eat it with a lovely Savoy cabbage or another dark green vegetable.
MUSHROOM PIE
Utensils:
2 x medium saucepans
1 x ovenproof dish
Chopping board
Ingredients:
4oz onions – chopped
3oz leeks – sliced
2 tblspn vegetable oil
4 tablespoons of tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tspn dried basil or 2 tsp fresh chopped basil
1 tspn paprika
1oz vegan margarine
5oz mushrooms – sliced
1oz cashew nuts – chopped
3oz cooked brown rice
1 tspn wholewheat or soya flour
For the topping:
8oz potatoes – sliced and cooked OR
8oz courgettes lightly cooked in vegan butter
Method:
Fry the onions and leeks in the oil until soft
Add the tomatoes, basil, paprika and mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes
Add the rice and cashews and stir well
Mix the flour with a little water and stir in. Season to taste
Cook gently for five minutes
Spoon the mixture into the oven proof dish and arrange the potatoes or courgettes on top
Dot with a little vegan margarine and pop under the grill to brown.
Ma’am, I thank you – and that will be on the dining table the moment Eustace delivers the requested mushrooms. Tis good, solid, non-aminal food!
Vegan zombies – we wander with our arms outstretched muttering “Grains… grains… tasty fresh grains…”
Ancient grains I assume, Owl Wood?
For some reason I read that as vinegar instead of vegan. I wonder what is in vegan margarine?
I do have to say I’m a “meat eater” but this recipe sounds delicious and I will be having a bash at it very soon !
I to wonder what is in vegan margarine ?
Isn’t all marge made from vegetable oil ?
Vegan margarine is usually made from soya beans isn’t it?
Why would anyone choose to be vegan? Unless it is a temporary measure for medical reasons, I just don’t get it – sorry. We were designed to be omnivores and I don’t believe that cows, pigs, sheep etc would still be around if all humans ate was vegetables.
Littlejen: Certainly our teeth and gastric enzymes are designed for meat but I think it is usually an ethical choice. There is certainly an argument that the world could be fed on far less land if it was turned over to vegetable/cereal production rather than grazing. And some people simply don’t want to take bites out of other living creatures. I do think that if more people had to kill their own food, our meat consumption would go down.
It is an interesting point you make about medical reasons. I have direct experience of this as I was indeed a vegan for a year for medical reasons. I will share the story with everyone soon as it is a problem many women share.
WH , Although a meat eater I don’t generally find myself taking bites out of other ‘ living ‘ creatures ! Surely that kind of behaviour gets one on the news ?
Even on Valentines and when I’ve no time to get to Waitrose I do prefer for a butcher to be involved in process,
Admittedly I’ve found the beagles do not share these higher moral standards !! But then they cannot go to the shops.