Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. Albert Einstein
What is Quorn ?
"Quorn is a food made by continuous fermentation of the fungus, Fusarium gramineurum. The fungus is grown in a large fermentation tower to which oxygen, nitrogen, glucose, minerals, and vitamins are continually added. After harvesting, the fungus is heat treated to reduce its RNA content to World Health Organisation recommended levels before being filtered and drained. The resulting sheet of fungal mycelia is mixed with egg albumen which acts a binder.
Flavouring and colouring may also be added. The mycoprotein is then textured to resemble meat, before being sliced, diced or shredded. Mycoprotein is a source of protein, fibre, biotin, iron and zinc, and is low in saturated fat.
Mycoprotein has been developed by Rank Hovis McDougall, and is marketed under the name of Quorn by Marlow Foods Ltd (owned by Astra Zeneca ). A wide range of Quorn ready meals are available including curries, pies, and casseroles, and it may also be purchased as chilled Quorn chunks. These may be grilled, sauteed, baked or casseroled.
Mycoprotein is potentially a very useful food item for vegetarians. Since early 2000 the Quorn deli and ingredients ranges have been approved by the Vegetarian Society since the albumin used as a binder in its manufacture has been changed in those ranges from a non free range to a free range egg source. However at present the ranges of ready meals, burgers, sausages etc still use eggs from a non free range source."
Quorn is a registered trademark of Marlow Foods Ltd
Ingredients : 1/3 cup chilled vegan margarine 1 cup plain flour 1/2 onion 1/2 cup sliced Longalife Kaiser Royal As much grated soy cheese as you fancy (I use about a cup) 3 tsps egg substitute powder Approximately 3 tomatoes Sun dried tomato puree (or normal tomato puree) 1 red chilli pepper (finely chopped) (optional)
Instructions : Mix the margarine in with the flour. Rub together until it looks a bit like breadcrumbs. Then add water until you can persuade the whole dough to stick together (about 10 tablespoons - add gradually. It should stick together without being 'sticky'). Roll out on a floured board and put in a greased quiche tin (using a thicker pie dish can give you a soggy crust. I use a 10" tin with a loose base you can push out).
Chop the onion finely, and put it in a pan of boiling water whilst you prepare the rest of the ingredients to soften it up.
Now, mix together the chilli and approx. 2tbsps of tomato puree. Spread this evenly over the base of your quiche. Now chop tomatoes thinly and put on the base in a layer until the whole base is covered. Take Kaiser Royal slices and put in a layer on the top, overlapping the edges of each slice and leaving a bit of a hole in the middle of the quiche. Drain the onions and put on top of your slices.
Mix together egg substitute along with a little soy milk and some salt, pepper and herbs (I use loads of seasoning but you can use what you want). Whisk this well, and pour over the quiche. Grate your soy cheese and sprinkle evenly over the top, and then put in the oven at gas mark 5 (190C, 375F)for approx.45 minutes until the cheese has gone golden brown.
Take out - leave to cool for as long as you want (Nice warm, but I find it even nicer cold - can take as long as 3 hours to cool off completely).
Tofu is made by cooking, mashing and draining soy beans. Then mixing a coagulant with the drained soy milk (whey)to form curds. These curds are then pressed into cakes to form tofu.
Tofu is high in protein, has no cholesterol and is low in fat. It is sold in natural food stores, Asian markets and the produce section of most supermarkets.
There are two broad categories of Tofu, Firm Tofu and Soft (or Silken) Tofu. Firm Tofu is the more versatile of the two varieties. It is truly like the potato in it's utility. Silken Tofu is best eaten raw or used in Soups, most notably Miso Soup. Silken Tofu does not stir fry well. Because of it's consistency, it will not absorb the flavors of the meats and vegetables being fried as Firm Tofu will, and also it tends to crumble. Both Firm and Silken Tofus are available in most grocery stores in the vegetable section. Tofu is like a dairy product in that it must be refrigerated and has a short shelf life. It is normally sold in plastic tubs, immersed in water. Naturally, the water should be poured off, the tofu rinsed and patted dry before using. Silken Tofu often comes inside foil packages from Japan. In this case, the Silken Tofu is ultra-pasteurized and so has a very long shelf life. Firm Tofu is always fresh
Tip
Do not purchase tofu if the packages have bubbles or bulges in them. Spoiled tofu has a yellowish color, smells sour and feels slimy to the touch. If only a portion of the tofu is to be used store the remainder submerged in water, covered and kept in the refrigerator. Change water daily to avoid exposure to harmful bacteria.
Tofu is a substitute for ricotta cheese in lasagna. You can use it to make salad dressings, in cheesecakes, to make mayonaise, in soups, on salad. You can grill, bake, saute' or broil it.
Soybeans
Some Green Soybean Tips : * Substitute green soybeans for lima beans in succotash, or add them to other mixed vegetable combinations. * Mix the beans into soups or casseroles in place of cooked dried beans. * Toss the beans into pasta or rice salads
Some Dried Soybean Tips : * Do not add salt or acidic ingredients (such as tomatoes, lemon juice or vinegar) to yellow soybeans until they are thoroughly cooked or the beans will not soften properly. However, you may add these when cooking black soybeans to help them retain their shape. * You may cook soybeans without presoaking them, but the cooking time will be longer and some beans may break. * The water used for cooking soybeans makes a tasty base for soups, sauces and gravies. The liquid from black soybeans is especially flavorful. * Prepare a big batch of soybeans and freeze them in small containers or zippered bags to be used as needed. * Add cooked soybeans to soups, stews, chilies or casseroles. * Substitute canned and home-cooked beans for each other in recipes (a 15-oz can contains about 1-1/2 cups beans). * Try using black soybeans in recipes calling for regular soybeans or other dried beans.
Here is a vegetarian recipes search engine that crawls over 1500 pages of veggie recipes a month. It is supported by a veggie shoe company : www.veganline.com Thanks to them.
US searches: vegetarian recipes,
vegan recipes, food recipes for vegetarian cooking, easy vegetarian recipes, indian vegetarian recipes, vegan cake recipes, vegan cookie recipes, gourmet vegan recipes, free vegan recipes, vegan tofu recipes, vegan cookies recipes, vegan mexican recipes, mexican vegan recipes
other recipe search engines are at vegweb.com vegeats.com and ivu.org
Their lives something in the world
Vegatopia : A list of vegetarian restaurants in Belgium. (in Dutch)
Planet Veggie Guide to veggie restaurants, shops and groups in East London. Also contains exclusive jewelry, vegan info, links, a message board and a guestbook.
