Going back to basics

In the dim and distant past the British relied upon one simple meal - meat, potatoes and two veg. It is a remarkably sound principle even today, even for a vegetarian.

It's especially good when you are Inclusive Cooking because you have to start with some very basic ingredients so there is much less chance for an untoward ingredient to slip in under the radar!
 

Let's start with the meat!

Or not. Let's face it, I'm a veggie, I hope that anyone who comes to my house is going to understand that any dish I cook is simply not going to have meat in, but I know there will be people reading this who are confirmed meat eaters and so is everyone at their table and I don't want to leave you out. (Whisper it, but there have even been occasions where I have served meat and two veg with (brace yourself) MEAT (and a vegetarian alternative) and that's the sort of adaptability this meal gives you.)

So what do I know about meat? Not a lot but I know a man who does - my local butcher. Butchers can be a helpful bunch, tell them your needs and he or she can normally sort you out a cut of meat that will fit your requirements, not only that they will tell you how to cook it too. (Do take a pencil and paper and keep a note so you don't have to call them back!)

If you don't have a lovely local butcher then I guess you will head for the supermarket but beware of the pre-packaged meats, I'm not saying never buy them I'm just saying beware of the added ingredients ESPECIALLY on the pre-cooked meats. They might have butter or oil in there to improve the look or the taste (?) or they might have flour to stop the pieces sticking together. Read the ingredients carefully and assume nothing!

Veg with your vegetables?

So what if you don't want to have meat, what are the alternatives? The best way to avoid an allergic reaction is not to buy pre-prepared foods but home cook instead, so here's my suggestion of a few simple homemade alternatives to meat:

• Omelette  (if egg is allowed) and if you are adding more veg is infinitely variable. If egg is not allowed a passable vegan omelette can be, here's an example http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/09/vegan-omelette-for-one.html
• Large flat mushrooms coated in a little oil and oven baked are lovely. Sprinkle over a little chopped parsley when they are done.
• Bean purees are easy to make using canned beans and a food processor.
• Grilled polenta with added spices can be lovely.
• Grilled halumi cheese is also nice unless you are vegan or have an allergy to dairy; it also works great on the BBQ if brushed with a little oil (but keep it away from the meat!)
• Lentils in various forms are easy (boil red split lentils in the same way as you did for the soup in the previous post, I'll share my recipe for lentil loaf soon.)
• Life is too short to stuff a tomato and stuffed peppers I find dull but there are plenty of recipes for this on the Internet. 

There is soooooooo much you can easily do, so the above should not be considered an exhaustive list just the tip of the iceberg!

If you want to buy something pre-prepared then look for a meat substitute, something that is meant to look, even taste like meat while not being meat. In the UK Quorn is a brilliant example of this. Quorn have carefully reproduced the taste (ish) and texture (also 'ish') of most mainstream meat, a walk down your supermarket frozen or refrigerated isles should confirm this. To be honest despite my initial misgivings I like Quorn and I use it a lot but many of the products have gluten traces in (barley malt extract appears to be in all the 'brown' products) and it is not vegan because it contains egg.  Also Quorn themselves suggest that you should not be giving their product to children under 2, they don't say why but I suspect it just doesn't contain enough essential fatty acids for their growing bodies.

If Quorn is not an option for you have a look along the rest of the frozen isle, there just might be something there you can use (chances are it will also be labelled 'organic').  Vegetable cutlets, burgers and sausages are all options. Try a trip to your local 'Health-food' store; they usually have banks of freezers containing various vegetarian and vegan delights which are easy to cook.  (If this is not something you buy often it may be worth talking to the staff to see if they can recommend anything.) 

If you are buying something pre-prepared read the label carefully, really carefully. My biggest pitfalls are 'vegetable oil' which can mean anything and 'vegetable fat' which is almost always palm and a big problem for me. Also in the UK cornflour doesn't have to be made from corn, it is often made from wheat, oats also contain gluten so need avoiding too. Milk products too can be easily hidden away (usually as lactose). If you are not sure leave them alone and go for the home-cooked option.

Potatoes

Boiled, steamed, baked, roasted, fried or chipped. They are all options. Sometimes you will need to remove the skins (some oral allergy people do react to them, plus those who need high energy, low fibre meals) other times you can leave them on (I prefer the flavour). But do buy fresh, keep them in the dark and either wash or peel well.

Alternatives for potato if you want to keep the carbohydrates up include plain rice, pasta or baked sweet-potato and if you'd rather reduce the carbs try well mashed cauliflower (I'm not kidding, it's a great alternative to 'regular' mash) or turnip and celeriac mash.

And the vegetables?  

("Oh they'll have the same as me" - No one under 30 is going to get that) 

While there are some notable exceptions (for example celery) most veg once peeled and cooked will be suitable for most people. Carrots, parsnips, swede (Swedish turnip), peas, cabbage, beetroot, turnip, celeriac even pumpkin or butternut squash should all be considered.  I use sweetcorn and broccoli a lot but these can cause problems for a few food sensitive people, as can some green beans. If it's for a guest ask them which vegetables they use at home and try to stick to ones close to those.

I like to steam my vegetables on the hob. It uses less energy so I've been told, plus it has the handy advantage of producing a reasonable vegetable stock as a by-product. (When you've turned off the heat and removed the veg add some salt, pepper, a bay leaf and if possible some roughly chopped celery to infuse their flavour while the liquid cools.) But you could boil (though that might lose some nutrition) or microwave, just make sure it all gets piping hot.

If you are serving toddlers, big sticks of vegetables can work well (I love watching it ooze between their fingers when they give it a good squeeze). On the other hand if you (or someone at your table) has Crohn's Disease, Colitis or just needs to be able to get to the calories more easily you might want to consider turning the veg into mash or puree. Even better roast the veg then puree it! (Yummy)

Gravy

This meal can be served without gravy but for many people it's a must. There are lots of vegan/vegetarian gravy mixes out there, there are even some that are low salt and gluten free and most of them are, in my opinion hopeless. Some are not just bad they are unbelievably AWFUL. If you don't think so stick a link in the comments below to one you can trust. The only one I am prepared to give a link to here is Free & Easy, which is easy to make, easy to get (all the big supermarkets say they stock it) and has a good flavour.

If you want to make some yourself then take two heaped teaspoons of cornstarch (not regular cornflour which in the UK usually contains wheat) add a small amount of water and mix to a thin paste. Add your gluten free vegetable stock (I use Knorr) and a heat until it thickens. If it really has to be brown add some vegan Worcestershire sauce. (The links are just to help you indentify products you can use they are not 'endorsed' or sponsored.)

Conclusions

What I like about this meal is the flexibility it provides, even with the most allergic. By sticking to fresh veg that you have cooked yourself and a very simple meat or alternative you will be able to find a single meal that suits EVERYBODY without having to give different people different dishes. It's just so 'inclusive'. 
And what I LOVE about this meal is that if you are prepared to try lots of different vegetables prepared in plenty of different ways you can have it every day for a year and never have exactly the same meal twice.

I hope you like it as much as me. xx