To mark National Carrot Day today, we’re sharing a recipe from our Vegelicious team.

The Vegelicious scheme offers bulk orders of fruit and veg to community organisations.  Participants just need to commit to receive either a half pallet (400kg) or a full pallet (800kg) of mixed fruit and vegetables on a regular basis (either weekly or fortnightly).

To find out more about Vegelicious, check out this post.

Vegelicious Carrot Biryani

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 green chilli chopped (deseeded if you don’t like it very hot)
• 1 garlic clove peeled
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 3 carrots grated
• 2 x 200g pouch brown basmati rice
• 150g frozen peas
• 50g roasted cashews
• Coriander and yogurt, to serve

Method

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, tip in the onion with a pinch of salt and fry until softened, around 5 mins, then add the chilli and crush in the garlic and cook for 1 min more . Stir in the spices with a splash of water and cook for a couple of mins before adding the carrots and stirring well to coat in all of the spices and flavours.
• Tip in the rice, peas and cashews, then use the back of your spoon to break up any clumps of rice and combine with the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook over a high heat for 5 mins (it’s nice if a bit of rice catches on the base to give a bit of texture to the dish). Scatter over the coriander with spoonfuls of yogurt, then serve straight from the pan.

To mark World Vegetarian Day today, we’re sharing a recipe from Rachael, one of the team at FareShare Greater Manchester.

Rachael says it’s “One of my staple veggie recipes is this one that I made up in the early 1990s. For it to be entirely vegan, either omit the Worcestershire sauce, or use a vegan alternative. Similarly, if including wine, use a vegan brand that’s not made with animal-derived fining agents.”

Rachael’s Vegetarian Sausage Ball Sauce

Ingredients

• 150g of dried Sosmix or similar veggie/vegan sausage mix – (My preference for this recipe is the original Sosmix product, which you can buy online from the vegetarian and vegan retailer Alternative Stores https://sosmix.com/where-to-buy-sosmix/ or buy loose from some zero waste shops)
• 1 large onion, or 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 2 cans of chopped tinned tomatoes
• 2 or 3 medium cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped or crushed
• 1 level teaspoon of dried mixed herbs
• 1 level teaspoon of dried sage
• 1 medium bay leaf
• A small pinch of paprika
• A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, or a vegan alternative (bear in mind that the original Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce and some other brands contain anchovy extract)
• Half a glass of red wine (optional)
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• A very small pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of sundried tomato paste
• I also sometimes add a half teaspoon of rose harissa paste to the pan if I want to give the recipe a bit more zing.
• Half a pint (approximately 300ml) of boiled water
• Pasta of choice
• Cooking oil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method

• About 15-20 minutes beforehand, put the dry sausage mix into a bowl and add about a teaspoon of either dried mixed herbs or dried sage.
• Mix together and then add the amount of cold water recommended by the sausage mix’s manufacturer and mix again into a sausage-like paste. (If you’re using Sosmix, the ratio is 150g of Sosmix to 250ml of cold water).
• If using other dried sausage mixes and the paste seems a little crumbly, adjust the consistency by adding a little more water and stirring the mixture, but take care not to make it too wet because it has to absorb more liquid during the cooking process. It just needs to be the right consistency to hold together. Set the mixture aside to give the ingredients time to hydrate.
• Boil a kettle and add about 300ml (half a pint) of boiled water to a stock cube in a jug and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
• In a large pan, lightly fry the chopped onions over a medium heat in a small amount of cooking oil. As they start to become translucent, add the cracked black pepper and paprika and continue to fry for a few minutes, stirring constantly to release the oils in the spices and to ensure that they don’t burn.
• When the onions are almost done, add the chopped garlic and stir for just a couple of minutes until it becomes translucent, taking care not to let it burn, or it will become bitter. Now add the hot stock, chopped tomatoes, sundried tomato paste, wine, dried herbs, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce, and the rose harissa paste, if desired. Add a tiny pinch of cinnamon at this point if you wish, but bear in mind it’s a very strong tasting spice. I recommend adding only a tiny amount first, then stir and taste the sauce, and only add more cinnamon according to your taste, if required. If you’re not a fan of cinnamon, leave it out of the recipe. It’s only there for a tiny degree of background warmth.
• Stir and leave on a medium heat to simmer.
• The sausage mixture should be firm enough to work now, so use a teaspoon to scoop out small portions about the size of a 10p coin and then use your hands to roll the portions into balls. When you have used up all the mixture, place the balls into the sauce in the pan, pushing them down well into the sauce so they are completely covered. Leave to simmer for about half an hour, during which time the sausage balls should expand and become soft as they absorb the flavoured stock. During this stage, you can gently stir the mixture from time to time, occasionally turning the sausage balls over to ensure that they have evenly taken on the cooking liquid.
• Whilst the sausage mixture is cooking, separately cook a pan of your favourite pasta, or you might like to serve the dish with steamed vegetables, or anything else you fancy as an accompaniment.
• When the sausage mix balls are soft and have increased in size and the sauce is reduced, the dish is ready.
• Take out the bay leaf.
• Serve with your favourite pasta or side dish and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil to finish it.

  A nice veggie, (but not vegan), variation is to cook the sausage balls and sauce, as well as some pasta shapes in a separate pan, then when both are fully cooked, mix the two together, place in an ovenproof dish, put some roughly torn chunks of Buffalo Mozzarella cheese on top and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted into the rest of the dish. You could use a firm vegan cheese alternative as a non-dairy option.

Every year in the UK, 4.6 million tonnes of food is wasted — much of it still edible. Here at FareShare Greater Manchester, we rescue food from going to waste in the food industry and redistribute it to charities and community groups who serve their communities with food.

On International Food Loss and Food Waste Day, we’re sharing a brilliant recipe to use odd bits of veg and cauliflower trimings to make a tasty snack and reduce food waste at home! This super recipe has been created by our friend Kala Mandviwala from Chiit Chaat Indian Street Food & Tameside Meals Project.

Zero Waste Vegetable Bhajis

Ingredients:

• 1 x small onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 x tbsp gram flour
• 1 x tsp curry powder
• Cauliflower trimmings & leftover veg thinly sliced
• Splash of water (just enough to bring it all together – so it’s sticky, not wet)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper

Method:

• Mix all the dry ingredients together and add in just enough water to bind it all together to form a sticky batter mix.
• Shallow fry in the frying pan for two to three minutes on each side until crispy.
• They taste great on their own, or served with a yogurt & mint dip and side salad.
• Enjoy!

As January is slow cooker month, we’re sharing some tasty slow cooker recipes which were created for FareShare Greater Manchester by the Manchester United Foundation’s chefs. Slow cookers are a great way to produce low-cost tasty meals using left overs and are very cheap to run. This slow cooker lentil dahl recipe will also work for Veganuary!

Slow Cooker Lentil Dahl

Serves 4 portions

Cooking time: 6 hours on a high heat

Ingredients:

• 200g yellow lentils (soak these in cold water overnight)
• 200g green lentils (soak these in cold water overnight)
• 1 large onion (finely sliced)
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes (2 x 400g)
• 1 inch fresh ginger (minced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 20ml vegetable oil or 20g butter
• 1 fresh green or red chilli
• 2 tsps tomato puree
• 450ml water
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of cracked black pepper

Spices

• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds

Method:

• Heat the spices in a dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes on a low heat.
• Grind the spices in a pestle and mortar or wrap them in a clean cloth and crush with a rolling pin or heavy pot until they turn into a powder. Keep aside until the end.
• Melt the butter or heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and chilli to the pan.
• Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and the smell of garlic and ginger fill the air.
• Pour the contents of the pan into the slow cooker and add the remainder of the ingredients (except spices, salt & pepper).
• Stir well and cook for 5 ½ hours on a high heat.
• Add the spices to your Dahl and stir well, taste and add salt & pepper as required.
• Serve with a wedge of lemon and naan or roti bread.

This recipe contains ALLERGENS. Please check all ingredient lists carefully if you need to avoid allergens in your food, including all food labels.

As January is slow cooker month, we’re sharing some tasty slow cooker recipes which were created for FareShare Greater Manchester by the Manchester United Foundation‘s chefs. Slow cookers are a great way to produce low-cost tasty meals using left overs and are very cheap to run.

This week’s cauliflower chickpea curry recipe will also come in handy for anyone participating in Veganuary!

Cauliflower & Chickpea Curry with Cauliflower Bhajis

Serves 4 portions

Cooking time: 4-4 ½ hours on a high heat

A small amount of frying is required for this dish before it goes into the slow cooker.

Ingredients for the curry:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion (diced)
• 2 large carrots (diced)
• 1 large potato (chopped)
• 1 large cauliflower (washed and cut into medium florets, save the stalk and leaves)
• 2 tbsp of curry powder (hot)
• 1 fresh chilli (thinly sliced)
• Small bunch of coriander (roughly chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 inch fresh ginger (peeled & minced). Alternatively, you could use 1 level tsp of ground ginger
• 1 tin coconut milk (400ml)
• 400ml water
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1 tin chickpeas (400g drained)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of white pepper

Method:

• Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan on a medium heat.
• Fry the cauliflower florets until light, golden brown in colour. Remove from the heat and place in the slow cooker.
• Heat the remaining oil and fry the diced onion, carrot & potato for 1 minute. Add the garlic, chilli and curry powder and cook for a further 1 – 2 minutes. This will start to fill your kitchen with a lovely fragrance!
• Transfer the contents of the frying pan into the slow cooker and add the coconut milk and chickpeas along with the stock cube and water. Mix well and cook on a high heat for 4.5 hours.
• Once the time has passed, stir well and taste. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to season if required. Sprinkle in the chopped coriander.
• Serve with boiled or microwave rice and naan/flatbread.

Bhajis (made from the cauliflower trimmings)

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower trimmings
• 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 tbsp gram flour
• 1 tsp curry powder
• A splash of water (just enough to bring it all together – sticky, not wet)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying

Method:

• Mix all the dry ingredients together and add just enough water to bind it all together to form a sticky batter mix.
• Shallow fry in the frying pan for 2-3 minutes on each side until crispy.

This slow cooker chickpea curry recipe contains ALLERGENS. Please check all ingredients lists carefully if you need to avoid allergens in your food, including all food labels.

Did you know that January is slow cooker month? Slow cookers are a great way to produce low-cost tasty meals using left overs and are very cheap to run.

All this month, we’ll be sharing some tasty slow cooker recipes which were created for FareShare Greater Manchester by the Manchester United Foundation’s chefs.

Slow Cooker Pasta Bolognese

Serves 4-5 portions

Cooking time: 6-6½ hours on a high heat

This dish requires a little cooking before it goes into the slow cooker.

Ingredients:

For the Bolognese

• 400g mince (beef, turkey, veggie or pork) [Tip: this dish is usually made with a mix of minced beef & pork, but any will do]
• 1 large onion (diced)
• 3 large carrots (diced)
• ½ tsp of dried Italian mixed herbs
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes (2 x 400g)
• 1 stock cube (beef, chicken or vegetable)
• 50ml water
• 3 tsp red wine vinegar (optional)
• 1 tbsp tomato puree (40g)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper
• Pinch of sugar

For the pasta

• 320g Penne pasta
• 300ml water

Method:

• Wash, peel and dice the carrots and onions into small cubes (alternatively if you have a blender, blitz them with a little water; tomato puree, herbs, salt, pepper, sugar – to a pulp).
• Heat a large pot on the stove and add in the minced meat. Using a wooden spoon, break up the meat into small pieces and fry until it is brown in colour (if using vegetarian mince, this does not require browning).
• Add the carrot, onion, tomato puree and fry until soft.
• Once cooked, mix all of the ingredients together and place in the slow cooker. Stir well, pop the lid on and cook for 5 hours on a high heat.
• Lift the lid, stir the sauce and add the penne pasta (uncooked) with 300 ml of water. Stir well, replace the lid and cook for a further 1 hour.
• After that time, lift the lid, stir the sauce and check the pasta is cooked. Taste to check the seasoning and consistency of the sauce. If it’s too wet, leave the lid off and cook for a further 10 minutes.
• Serve with garlic bread and grated parmesan (optional).

This slow cooker bolognese recipe contains ALLERGENS. Please check all ingredients lists carefully if you need to avoid allergens in your food, including all food labels.