Disgustingly Healthy Lunchbox Bulghar Wheat (v)

Tomorrow is meat free monday which for me means a vegan day. I'm also in the throes of trying to empty out my completely over full cupboards in preparation for the imminent house move so this is an eclectic gathering of ingredients, but trust me as it's also very tasty. And healthy, did I mention that already?

For one person you need:
1/3 cup bulghar wheat
2/3 cup boiling water
1/4 tsp vegan stock powder
1 large pinch spices (I used moroccan seasoning)
2 tsp each of hazlenuts, cashews and pine nuts
4 dried apricots, sliced into small pieces
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1 stick celery, cut into small dice
1/2 small red onion, diced
2 tsp olive oil


Place the blughar wheat and stock into a tub and pour over the water. Stir. Add the onion, nuts and apricots and soak till all the stock has been absorbed (it's important to add the nuts and apricots now as you want them to soften and plumpen with the wheat and onion needs to lose it's harshness in the water too). Add the seasoning, oil, pepper and celery and stir. Leave to get to know each other over night and scoff for lunch the next day. Feel truly virtuous.

Dried Fruit Compote

A true lentil knitting, sandal wearing veggie recipe this one. But it still tastes nice despite that ;-)

For about 6 servings you need:
500g mixed dired fruits (I used apples, apricots, sultanas, raisins, figs)
250ml apple juice
some spices - I used 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and about 6 crushed cardamon pods

Lob everything into a pan, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 15 mins. Leave with a lid on for another 45 mins or so to let the fruit plump up. Serve au natural or with museli, on top of porridge or with a dollop of natural yogurt if you're not vegan (and vegan yogurt if you are!).

Apricot and Ginger Loaf

A cake, yummy. A healthy cake??! Not too sure about that! I didn't realise when I set out to make this that it was fat free, but it is and also contains loads of dried fruit so it's positively like eating healthy food, even though it's cake.

Adapted from Rose Elliott's Vegetarian Express cos I didn't have any prunes to make into a puree, only apricots.

You need:
About 10 dried apricots
Couple of tbsp of water
200g soft brown sugar
50g stem ginger in syrup
2 tsp ground ginger
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 eggs
150g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
125g mixed dried fruit (I love Waitrose mixed vine fruit, very succulent and no manky currants, just big juicy sultanas, raisins and cherries)
3 tbsp boiling water

Begin by putting the apricots into a pan with a couple of tbsp water and heat gently. Leave simmering for about 15 mins, then blitz to a puree with a stick blender.

Mix everything else into the apricot puree, slob into a lined loaf tin and then bake at 160 degrees for 30-45 mins.

Scoff but feel healthy cos it's fat free and full of fruit innit :)

Veggie Tofu Burgers

I wanted a nice veggie burger for lunch. None of that pre-brought frozen stuff today, but rather the 1970's in a bun - all lentils and tofu and earnest-ness so I can pretend that burgers are good for you.

The recipe I came up with was based on something posted on an internet forum:
Ingredients:
100g oats
75g flour
250g tofu
3 carrots grated
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 tbsp mushroom ketchup
1 tbsp hendersons relish
1 egg, beaten


Directions:

Lob everything apart from the egg into a food processor. Blitz until it's the consistency you want (I like mine smooth to hide the scary bits from Lex!). Add the egg and mix till the mixture comes together. Sometimes you can omit the egg if it's moist enough (or you want a vegan version)

To cook place on a lightly oiled baking tray and bake in the oven at 180C till cooked (approx 10 mins).

Serve in a bun with salad (I feel that alfafa and cucumber and raw onion are obligatory here!) and relish and sweet potato wedges on the side. Sit back in a smug haze of healthy eating induced glow...