Tag Archives: easy

Cheap & Easy, Festive, Main dishes, Recipes, Sauces and condiments, Vegan on a Budget

AIR-FRYER SAVOY CABBAGE ROLLS WITH TASTY GRAVY

Serves approx. 4

Ingredients for cabbage rolls

Lentils (1 tin, 1 carton or 1 cup loose)

Onion (large)

Garlic (2 cloves)

Mushrooms (2 cups)

Salt (half tsp), black pepper (half teaspoon) and bouillon (1tsp)

Walnuts (1 cup)

Savoy cabbage (whole leaves – approx. 8)

Parsley (handful)

Oil to sauté

Method

Prepare the lentils and remove excess water.

Peel off 8 cabbage leaves and remove very thick part of stem. Put in a pan with boiling water to cover and leave the lid on.

Sauté the onions, garlic. Then add finely chopped mushrooms and walnuts.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes with lid on.

Add finely chopped parsley, bouillon, salt, pepper.

Add lentils.

Take 1 cabbage leaf and put a tablespoon of the mixture in the centre.

Wrap the cabbage leaf around it carefully, using a cocktail stick to secure if necessary, or aluminium foil to wrap in.

Arrange the 8 rolls in the bottom of the air fryer, and cook for 7 minutes on 180c, checking after 5 minutes .

Ingredients for gravy

Onion (large)

Oil to sauté

Cornflour (tbsp)

Bouillon (dessertspoon)

Cider vinegar (dessertspoon)

Yeast extract (tsp)

Method for gravy

Finely chop the onion and sauté in oil on a low heat with a lid on the pan.

In a glass jug, dissolve cornflour in a very small amount of cold water, and then add slightly more to loosen it.

Add the yeast extract, bouillon and vinegar, and add more water up to 1 pint, and add to the onion mixture.

Stir carefully and continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens.

Cheap & Easy, Desserts, Festive, Recipes, Vegan on a Budget

Tofu Chocolate Mousse

Serves 4

Ingredients

300 g silken tofu

150 g dark chocolate melted

2-3 tbsp maple syrup or to taste

Optional – pinch of salt, toppings such as fruit, biscuits or sauces

Method

Break up the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and melt in the microwave, or over a pan of boiling water, stirring every few seconds to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn.

To a food processor, add the tofu, melted chocolate, maple syrup and optional pinch of salt. Blend until smooth.

Transfer into serving glasses or ramekins and serve.

Top with more melted chocolate and any other toppings you want!

Photo of the mouse with blueberries and raspberries on top.

Cheap & Easy, Festive, Main dishes, Recipes, Vegan on a Budget

Infinitely Variable Festive Vegan Roast 2.0

This Christmas centrepiece is good for using what you might already have in your cupboard & can also help cut food waste.  Can be eaten cold on Boxing Day.

Photo of the roast with one end of it sliced off

Serves 4-6

Cost of ingredients from Lidl or Aldi, £2 or less (December 2024)

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, chopped.
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed.
  • 225g coarsely chopped nuts (brazils, hazels, cashews, peanuts OR a mixture) OR cooked & then mashed beans (e.g. kidney, butter, haricot) – OR 240 g can of beans drained.
  • 200g grains e.g. rolled/jumbo/porridge oats OR wholemeal breadcrumbs OR crumbed leftover sandwiches & make up the quantity with buckwheat flour, barley flour, rice flour etc..
  • 1 tablespoon herbs (e.g. thyme, sage, rosemary, mixed). 
  • 1 teaspoon of chilli powder – only if you like it spicy.
  • 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds OR poppy seeds- optional.
  • Pepper to taste. 
  • 2 tablespoons of soya OR or gram flour.
  • 1 tablespoon yeast extract (e.g. Marmite) OR shoyu (soy sauce).
  • 240g can of tomatoes OR equivalent in left-over cooked vegetables.
  • I tablespoon of sunflower OR rapeseed oil.

Method

  1. Mash beans if using.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients, (+mashed beans if using) & flavourings together.
  3. Either fry chopped onion with garlic or add to mixture without frying.
  4. Chop tomatoes/left-over vegetables & mix in enough to make a consistency similar to a stiff cake mixture.  Add water if necessary (unlikely).
  5. Oil a bread tin or cake tin & fill with the mixture.
  6. Place in a pre-heated oven or air fryer (400F, 200C) for 30 minutes & cook until the roast is firm & golden on top.
  7. Insert a knife into the loaf to make sure that the loaf is cooked inside (not very much stuck to the knife after sliding it out again).
  8. Loosen any roast stuck to the side of the tin. 
  9. Allow the roast to cool for a few minutes.
  10. Place a plate over the tin & turn upside down. Tap the tin & the roast should fall out (whole) onto the plate. 
  11. Slice carefully & serve.

Further options

  • Add sautéed chopped vegetables such as peppers, courgettes, carrots, parsnips or mushrooms prior to adding liquids to the mix.
  • Include a layer of fried mushrooms when the loaf tin is half full.

Serving options

  • Cranberry & orange sauce (reduced sugar), mushroom sauce or a vegan gravy (available in supermarkets & health food shops but check label says vegan)
  • Carrot sticks
  • Brussel sprouts with roasted flaked almonds
  • Chestnuts
  • Roast parsnips, potatoes &/or sweet potatoes.
Cheap & Easy, Festive, Recipes, Side dishes, Starters and soups, Vegan on a Budget

Chestnut and bean pâté

Serves 4-6
Cost £3

Ingredients

1 small white onion
1 pinch salt
240g of pre cooked white beans(cannellini or butter)
4 garlic cloves
180 g pre-cooked chestnuts
2 sprigs of rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon of dried
2 sprigs thyme or 1/2 teaspoon of dried
2 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
4 tbsp non-dairy butter or oil (parsley oil would be good if available)

Instructions

Dice the onion and add to a hot pan with a splash of oil and a pinch of salt.

Sauté the onions until they are just translucent.

Add the garlic (crushed) and the pre-cooked chestnuts (also roughly chopped). Cook these with the onion and mushrooms for a further 2-3 minutes.

Remove the leaves from the sprigs of rosemary and thyme and add to the pan for a few brief minutes until they are releasing their aroma.

Add the drained beans and stir through and cook for 1 minute.

Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for a few moments before adding to a blender (a stick blender could also be used) Do not add the liquid to the blender at this stage.

Turn the blender on to its lowest setting and let it run for a few minutes until a paste begins to form. Add the vinegar and a little bit of veg stock or bean juice if it is struggling to blend. Avoid adding too much or your pâté will be too wet.

Gradually increase the speed on your blender until the desired texture has been achieved.

While the pâté is still hot, spoon it into ramekins or cups.

Melt the non-dairy butter and then pour a thin layer over the pâté. Or alternatively leave out the butter and drizzle with parsley oil after cooled.

Cover the ramekins and leave them to cool completely before storing in the fridge until ready to serve.

Serve with crusty bread, crackers or raw carrots and celery sticks.

Cheap & Easy, Desserts, Recipes, Snacks, Vegan on a Budget

Sweet Pancakes

Sweet pancakes are really very easy to make vegan!

Ingredients 

  • Self-raising flour (2 mugs full)
  • Sultanas (½ mug full)
  • Apple juice
  • Soya milk (1 mug full)
  • Banana 
  • Oil

Method

Soak sultanas in apple juice overnight in a small pan. This plumps them up, and they will be ready to put on the pancakes. 

The principle is to have a non-stick pan with a dessertspoon of vegetable or rapeseed oil (olive oil is also fine, but don’t burn it), heated very hot without the oil smoking. Heat slowly, on a low to medium heat.

In a medium bowl, take 2 mugs of flour. Then measure out approx 1 mug full of soya milk, and add to the flour slowly and steadily,  stirring fast to avoid lumps. You are aiming for a pouring cream consistency. 

When the oil is hot, add approximately half a mug full of mixture to the frying pan. Tip the pan slightly to try to create a round shape,  but try to leave space around the edge of the pan, so you can flip it. After about 3 minutes, check the pancake is golden brown underneath, then flip with a spatula. 

In the meantime, mash the banana with a fork. 

When each pancake becomes ready, you can cover them with a plate to keep them warm together. Ensure the oil is hot when you come to do the next pancake. 

Fill the pancakes with banana and plump sultanas (hot or cold). Alternatively, you could use the traditional lemon and sugar topping.

Costings

To give an estimation of prices for ingredients bought in a supermarket, self-raising flour is approximately 80p for 1.5kg, and soya milk is approximately £1 for a litre. One banana is about 20p, and sultanas are £1.80 for 500g packet.  A litre of apple juice is about 85p. Therefore to make 4 pancakes, the overall cost should be £1.40

Reduce waste

There will be leftover ingredients – to reduce waste, use the flour within a couple of months in cakes, biscuits, veggie burgers and flatbreads. Sultanas can be used as snacks instead of sweets, and soya milk is good in tea and on cereal.

Cheap & Easy, Main dishes, Recipes, Starters and soups, Vegan on a Budget

Air-Fryer Chick Pea Fritters

Makes around 26 fritters so you may want to cut the quantities below in half.


Cost based on tinned chick peas = £3.80 for 26 fritters; £1.90 for 13 fritters at Lidl prices (March 2025) but they don’t sell nutritional yeast so the price for that is from Tod Almighty opposite the Golden Lion (the cost of ingredients would be less if dried chick peas are used).

Preparation time: 20 minutes.

Air frying time: 15-25 minutes

Ingredients

480 grams or 2 cans of cooked chickpeas.
1
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour or chick pea flour for a gluten-free version
40 grams nutritional yeast (Engevita)
2-3 tablespoons dried parsley
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed or chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon salt
2 twists black pepper
Oil for coating prior to cooking.

Method

    Preheat the air fryer to 200 degrees C.

    Add all of the ingredients except oil to a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. The mixture should sticky enough to form into fritters. Add water if necessary.

    Shape the mixture into small & flat fritters (small fritters are quicker to cook – try a roughly loaded tablespoon full of the mix per fritter).

    Use a brush, spray or fingers to apply a minimal coating of oil to both sides of the uncooked fritters.

    Place the fritters in the air fryer, leaving spaces between them.

    Cook for a total of 15-25 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over half way through the cooking period.

    Remove from the air fryer and serve.

    Photo of a person using a potato masher to mash chickpeas for this recipe. Also shows ingredients containers and trays for the air-fryer

    Serve the fritters on their own, with a squeeze of lemon, a tomato sauce or a tahini sauce, They go well with pitta bread too.

    

This recipe is also suitable for pan frying in 2 tablespoons of oil or baking in an oven at 200 degrees C for 20 minutes or so. However, an oven is a more costly way to cook than frying on an induction hob or cooking in an air-fryer…it also contributes more to climate change.

    1. If you have dried chickpeas, they will double their weight when cooked properly. So 480 grams of soaked (overnight) and cooked chickpeas requires 240 grammes of dried chickpeas.

      Chick peas are also known as garbanzo beans in Spain and America.

      You can reserve the liquid in the cans or after cooking chick peas. This liquid is called aquafaba and can be used in other recipes mainly as an egg replacer. ↩︎