Vegan Cooking for One: Over 150 simple and appetizing meals. Leah Leneman

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СКАЧАТЬ of eggless noodles, some made from wheat flour and some from rice flour. Wholemeal (whole wheat) Chinese-style noodles are available at some health food stores. Most need little or no cooking, making them an ideal food for those in a hurry.

       Dessert

      Dessert is not a necessary part of anyone’s diet, and many people are perfectly happy to end a meal with a savoury taste. Unfortunately, there are many of us brought up in such a way that a meal simply is not complete unless it ends with a sweet. For those of us in that situation all that can be done is to try and make the sweet course a healthy addition to the diet.

      Fresh fruit is the most commonly suggested healthy dessert, but for die-hard sweet-toothed types, a fresh apple, pear or banana, which may be very welcome in the morning or between meals, does not constitute a real dessert. That is not to say there aren’t some fresh fruits which do. In the summer months fresh strawberries, raspberries, and similar soft fruit – particularly if served with cashew or coconut cream – certainly does, also sweet melons and the like. In the winter tropical fruits like fresh pineapple or mango are definitely reserved for dessert. Another winter fruit which can be classified as a dessert is the persimmon (also called Sharon fruit). For those who have not tried this fruit, it should be eaten when it is so soft it feels almost rotten. The skin is peeled off and the inside is unbelievably sweet.

      Canned fruit is not the same, of course, but there are an increasing number of varieties canned in juice rather than sugar syrup: served with cashew cream or custard made from soya milk, they can serve as a pleasant dessert as well.

      Nowadays there are an increasing number of vegan sweets available, both in the UK and USA, including ready-made puddings and dairy-free ice creams. Naturally a convenience-type dessert can never be the same as a home-made one, which is why I have included sweet recipes for one in Sunday meals, when there may be extra leisure time to make them.

       Staples

      A shopping list precedes each week’s menus, but it is assumed that certain foods will be kept permanently in the larder, and therefore those foods do not appear on weekly shopping lists. The items considered staples are the following:

      HERBS

      Sage

      Thyme

      Marjoram

      Basil (sweet basil)

      Oregano

      Bay leaves

      Rosemary

      Mint

      SPICES

      Nutmeg

      Cinnamon

      Cloves

      Ginger

      Turmeric

      Cumin

      Coriander

      MISCELLANEOUS

      Wholemeal (whole wheat) bread

      Sea salt and black pepper

      Garlic salt

      Baking powder

      Raw cane sugar

      Wholemeal (whole wheat) flour

      Yeast extract

      Nutritional yeast flakes or powder

      Soya milk

      Soya cream

      Soya yogurt

      Cornflour (cornstarch)

      Peanut butter

      Bulgur wheat

      Vegan Parmesan

      Mustard seeds

      Chilli powder or cayenne pepper

      Paprika

      Garam masala (a mixture of spices)

      Vegan margarine

      Vegetable oil (e.g. soya or corn)

      Extra virgin olive oil

      Soya sauce

      Cider vinegar

      Tomato paste

      Brown rice

      Wholemeal (whole wheat) spaghetti and macaroni

       Introduction to the New Edition

      In the 10 years since The Single Vegan was published, many new vegan products have appeared on the market, and existing ones have become much more widely available. Both in the UK and USA there are vegan cream cheeses and even sour cream. The UK is better for hard cheeses, with varieties ranging from Cheshire-style to Edam-style. They do not behave quite like dairy cheese insofar as they do not brown on top of a dish under a grill (broiler) or in the oven, but they do melt very satisfactorily. In the USA most so-called non-dairy cheeses contain casein, a dairy derivative, but there are some completely vegan ones to be found. I have used hard vegan cheeses in some of the new recipes but for the sake of flexibility have not specified any particular kind. Those who have a choice can experiment and see which kind is most appealing in any particular dish. Anyone unable to find a vegan hard cheese at all can make the mixture described under ‘Scalloped Tofu au Gratin’ in Week 5 of Spring/Summer menus (see page 47).

      Plain soya (soy) yogurt is now readily available, but anyone unable to find this can easily make it, using a commercial yogurt ferment on soya (soy) instead of dairy milk. Vegan Parmesan can easily be found in both the UK and USA and is great for Italian-style dishes. Soya (soy) cream is now readily available in the UK and makes a useful addition to the vegan larder. Sliced imitation ‘chicken’ and ‘turkey’ are also readily available, and though one wouldn’t want to eat too much of them, I have used them in some new recipes to add variety and show how they can be incorporated into hot dishes rather than just sandwiches. I have also used frozen vegan ‘fishless fishcakes’ in a couple of recipes to show their versatility.

      Apart from substitutes for dairy and meat products, other new foods have also appeared to extend the vegan range of dishes, in particular sun-dried tomatoes, both dried and in oil. Both will keep for a long time and therefore can be used in single-person recipes without needing to be used up. Fresh herbs are now much easier to find and therefore have been included in some of the new recipes. Coconut milk is delicious, but a stardard-size can is enough for four people; I have therefore used it in only one week’s menus but in four separate dishes.

      Another change in the last 10 years has been my realization of how useful a microwave oven can be for anyone cooking meals for one. I have suggested this as an alternative СКАЧАТЬ