Whilst everyone knows they probably should be eating more vegetables, people are often stuck as to how exactly they can up their intake.?Now?s actually a great time to experiment more with vegie-friendly dishes during summer which tend to be lighter than meat-heavy meals ? a welcome relief during the hot summer months.
During January, the world-wide Veganuary campaign is also on encouraging people everywhere to try eating more vegan foods throughout the month. If you have a family, it?s also a great chance to get kids involved in the challenge, by getting them to do their bit to eat well and be more mindful of animal welfare and environmental sustainability issues.
Nutritionist Jacqueline Alwill says everyone should regularly be eating a variety of vegetables and fruit which are a great source of antioxidants, rather than fast food and sugary snacks which are high in sugar and fat.
?It?s also important to not eat too much highly processed food,? she says. ?Start checking the ingredients lists of foods and get to grips with how much sugar, additives and preservatives are in them. Then make a conscious decision to reduce those ingredients in your meals and snacks.?
So, if you?re keen to give the greasy sausages a rest, then check out these five family-friendly recipes from the new Vegie Delights Feel Vegie Good This Veganuary eCookbook which is free to download from the Vegie Delights website.
The recipes below are great for kids? lunchboxes and also great for new ideas for family dinners. Not only do they taste great, they are packed full of vegies!
Savoury bacon style pumpkin and almond muffins
Makes 6
Ingredients:
- 1 pack Vegie Delights bacon style rashers, sliced into 1 cm pieces
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 Spanish onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 cup pumpkin, peeled and grated
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
- 2 teaspoons rosemary, leaves finely chopped
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180?C and line an 8 cup muffin tray with greaseproof liners. In a small bowl mix chia seeds with 6 tablespoons water and set aside for 10 minutes to gel. In a large mixing bowl combine olive oil, Spanish onion, Vegie Delights bacon style rashers pieces, grated pumpkin, almond meal, arrowroot, baking powder and rosemary and mix gently.
- Add chia gel and mix until even in consistency.
- Spoon into 8 muffin wrappers and cook for 45 minutes.
- Cool in tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely – if you can wait!
Vegan party sausage rolls
Makes 12
Ingredients:
- 1 pack Vegie Delights herb and garlic sausages, cut into 2cm pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (130g) brown onion, peeled and roughly diced
- 1 (120g) carrot, grated
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup (50g) sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 200g store bought vegan puff pastry
Method:
- Heat oven to 200?C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Fry Vegie delights herb and garlic sausage pieces in olive oil in a medium?frypan with brown onion and carrot for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Combine sausage mix with cooked quinoa, sunflower seeds, rolled oats and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper in a food processor and blitz to form a sticky mix. Transfer mix to a board, and shape into 1 long sausage approximately 4cm thick.
- Roll sausage rolls by placing puff pastry on separate board. Pop sausage on top and draw the puff pastry over the sausage on each side so it sits firmly around the mix.
- Slice into 12 pieces, transfer to tray and bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is lightly golden.
Summer Lovin? Hotdogs with Tropical Salsa
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 pack Vegie Delights classic hot dogs
- 2 mango cheeks, diced small
- ? cup pineapple, diced small
- ? bunch coriander, stalks and leaves finely chopped
- ? cup mint leaves, finely chopped
- ? small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- Pinch chilli flakes or to taste
- 4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
- 6 hot dog rolls
Method:
- Make the salsa by combining mango, pineapple, coriander, mint leaves, red onion, lime, and chilli in a bowl, season with sea salt and black pepper and toss.
- Heat frypan or BBQ on medium heat and cook Vegie Delights classic hot dogs for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve by spooning salsa into hot dog roll, top with Vegie Delights classic hot dogs, drizzle with vegan mayonnaise and enjoy.
Moroccan style meatless meatballs with spiced roasted pumpkin
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 can Vegie Delights nutolene
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for frying
- 1/2 cup (50g) rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (70g) sunflower seeds
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Pinch cayenne pepper or chilli flakes
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds to roll meatless balls
- 800g Jap pumpkin, cut into 3cm wedges
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground sumac
- 1/4 cup mint leaves, shredded
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves, picked
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Heat oven to 200?C, line a large tray with greaseproof paper, toss pumpkin pieces with olive oil, cinnamon, sumac, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
- Bake pumpkin in oven for 30 minutes.
- Make the meatless meatballs whilst pumpkin is cooking, by mixing Vegie Delights nutolene, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, rolled oats, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper in a food processor and blitz until the mixture has a uniform consistency.
- Roll into tablespoon sized balls with clean hands, coat with sesame seeds and set onto a plate.
- Cook meatless meatballs in a frypan on medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss frequently to ensure even cooking for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve meatless meatballs and pumpkin on a large platter or bowl, garnished with fresh mint and parsley.
Smokey bbq burger with baked cauliflower and bacon style rashers served with baked sweet potato wedges
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pack Vegie Delights smokey BBQ burgers
- 1 pack Vegie Delights bacon style rashers
- 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small Spanish onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 100g rocket or lettuce
- 100g tomato chutney
- American mustard
- 4 wholemeal rolls or burger bun
Method:
- Heat oven to 220?C, line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper, place sweet potato wedges on tray, drizzle with olive or coconut oil, sprinkle sweet paprika and season with sea salt, then toss to coat evenly.
- Bake sweet potato wedges by spreading across the tray and placing in oven for 25-30 minutes. On a separate lined tray, place cauliflower florets, sprinkle with ground turmeric and drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat and place in oven with sweet potato wedges. Remove cauliflower after 20 minutes.
- Cook burgers while wedges and cauliflower are in the oven. Heat a large frypan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, followed by Vegie Delights smokey BBQ burgers. Cook 10-12 minutes, turning half way, remove from pan, cover and set aside.
- Fry Vegie Delights bacon style rashers in pan for 2-3 minutes, turning halfway.
- Make burgers with layers of tomato chutney, rocket, Spanish onion, Vegie Delights smokey BBQ burger, Vegie Delights bacon style rashers, turmeric roast cauliflower, American mustard and serve with sweet potato wedges.
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