Stokes Sauces: Meat-free Mondays - Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday...

Taking the 'eat' out of meat

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/ketchup-and-sauces

Even the heartiest of carnivores could and should have a break from meat from time to time.

We go meat free at least once a week. It might just be a simple fridge supper using up leftover vegetables and salad in a risotto, omelette or pasta improvisation.

There's always a tin of tomatoes sitting in the cupboard next to something tasty from Stokes to bring everything to life.

This risotto used half a squash, cubed, painted with Stokes Chilli Ketchup and roasted with a drizzle of olive oil. Folded into the latter stages of the risotto as it formed gradually with white wine and vegetable stock, then garden peas for sweetness, texture and colour - the whole dish was delicious.

Tasty treats without meat

Sage & Onion Roast

An old and versatile favourite that can be served hot with gravy and vegetables, cold as a salad, or sliced into a really tasty sandwich. Spice it up with Stokes Chilli Jam and serve it up with a salsa using Stokes Burger Relish and sliced cherry tomatoes - yum.

You'll need:

Olive oil
1 onion, diced finely
2 sticks of celery, ditto
2 tbsp of toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp of chopped walnuts
100 g of chestnuts, chopped
3 tbsp of sage, chopped
100 g of Quorn mince
125 g of breadcrumbs
200 ml of vegetable stock
3 tbsp of Stokes Chipotle Ketchup
3 eggs, beaten

Here's how:

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5.

In a little oil, soften the onion and celery for 6 or 7 minutes. Add all the nuts, sage and mince, combining all the ingredients before adding the breadcrumbs and ketchup.

Cook this all through for 10 minutes then add the stock and simmer for 2 minutes. Scoop everything into a large bowl and allow it to cool before folding the eggs in and seasoning the mixture.

Spoon this into a lined loaf tin, pressing it down firmly, then bake for 30 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and turn the loaf out upside down onto a greased baking tray, then bake for a further 30 minutes.

Beetroot Falafel

You'll need:

200 g of raw beetroot, diced
1 x 400 g tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cloves of garlic, grated
2 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce
2 tbsp of Stokes Beetroot Relish
Plenty of parsley, chopped
2 tbsp of chopped walnuts
80 g of breadcrumbs
The zest of 1 lime
2 tsp of ground cumin

Here's how:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.

Roughly pulse all the ingredients. Form a handful of the mixture in your hands, pressing it tightly to the size of a golf ball.

You should get 14 falafel balls from this mixture. Place them all on a greaseproof paper lined baking tray and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Serve them in a salad, pop them in a pitta, or just enjoy them as a snack from the fridge with a minty yogurt dip.

Shepherdless Pie

You'll need:

Olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 tbsp of dried mixed herbs
2 tbsp of plain flour
400 g of Quorn mince (approx)
2 tins of tomatoes
3 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup
1 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce
Any other vegetables hiding in the fridge
500 ml of vegetable stock
Mashed potato with Stokes Creamed Horseradish Sauce

Here's how:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.

Soften the onion for 5 or 6 minutes then another couple of minutes with the garlic added. Combine the pepper, mince and herbs in the pan with the onion and garlic.

Stir in the flour (to help thicken the 'meat'), then add the tomatoes, brown sauce and ketchup.

Pre-cook any vegetables such as carrots and celery until soft, then add them with any other faster-cooking vegetables to the mince and just cover with most (not all) of the stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more stock as needed.

Spoon the mince mixture into a large oven proof dish and let it cool (it's easier to lay the mash on top when it's cooler). Finally layer the horseradish mash on top and bake for 30 minutes.