Makes about 12‐15 cakes or 4 burgers!

1 swede, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
75g marg
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tbs Garam masala
200g breadcrumbs
Olive or sunflower oil for frying

Cook the swede in simmering, salted water for 20 minutes or until soft.
While it cooks, slowly fry the onions in 2 tbsp of the marg, until soft and caramelized – this will take about 20 minutes. Towards the end of cooking, add the masala and garlic and cook for a few minutes more.
Drain the swede in a sieve, let it sit and steam for a moment, then toss it and the remaining butter in the pan with the onion and spices.
Mash until smooth. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Then form into golf ball‐sized nuggets.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper to your breadcrumbs and spread into a dish. One by one, roll the balls into the breadcrumbs to coat, gently pressing the balls into flat little cakes.
Drizzle enough oil in a frying pan to form a 1cm layer.
Heat until quite hot and carefully add each cake. Cook until golden on each side, about 3 minutes. Make sure the sides of the cakes get browned as well.
Serve warm with lime wedges and natural yoghurt flecked with finely chopped fresh mint and garlic. OR make them bigger and they are like veggie burgers!

Ingredients:
1 large tablespoon tahini
juice of half a lemon
2 gloves garlic
2 Veg Van beetroot (1 small and 1 big)
300g of butter beans (soaked overnight makes this recipe quicker!)
(fresh thyme if you have any)
Method:
1. Boil the beetroot until soft but not falling apart
2. pressure cooker the butter beans until really soft
3. in a blender, first blend together the tahini and lemon juice, then add the garlic, butter beans and finally the beetroot. Blend until smooth.
4. spread on bread or eat as a dip for carrot sticks – Enjoy!

Ingredients

250g plain flour
50g ground almonds
Pinch of salt
1 heaped tsp ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves
1 lemon
125g soft brown sugar
100g butter
4 tbsp honey
3 tbsp syrup taken from a jar of stem ginger
1 tbsp black treacle
3-4 lumps stem ginger in syrup
2 eggs
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Line a cake tin with a piece of foil so that is overlaps the lip of the tin a bit.

Put the flour, ground almonds, salt, ginger and cloves into a mixing bowl. Grate the zest of the lemon and put it into the bowl. Put the soft brown sugar and butter into the saucepan.

Add the honey, ginger syrup and treacle. Finely chop the pieces of stem ginger and add them to the pan. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and add it too.

Place the saucepan over a low heat, stirring from time to time until the butter and sugar have melted. Switch off the heat.
Pour the honey mixture into the bowl of flour and spices. Stir well until you get a thick mixture. Break in the eggs one at a time, beating them in well with the wooden spoon.

Put the bicarbonate of soda into a cup and add the cold milk and a tablespoon of hot water. Dissolve the soda and add this mixture to the bowl, beating it in slowly at first and then really well.

Pour the mixture into the foil-lined tin. Put the tin into the hot oven for about 30-40 minutes. Test whether the cake is ready by sticking a skewer into the centre – it should come out clean.

Remove the tin from the oven and leave for a few minutes, then lift out the cake with the foil and cool completely on a wire rack and then enjoy.

serves 6 – 8 people

• 700 g (1&1/2 lb) jerusalem artichokes
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 450 g (1 lb) carrots
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 75 g (3 oz) butter
• 1.5 L (3 pints) light stock
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel and slice artichokes then put them into a bowl of cold water to prevent them from discolouring. Peel and slice the carrots. Melt the butter in a cooking pot and soften the onion and celery for 5 minutes, then stir in the carrots and artichokes. Add some salt and put the lid on and let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes on a low heat. Then pour in the stock, stir well, put the lid back on and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Then liquidise the soup. Taste to check the seasoning, re-heat and serve.

Vegetable Pasta Bake – Serves 2-4

5-6 tbsp olive oil
1large onion, peeled and cut into 8
1 medium butternut squash, cut into large chunks
200g mushrooms, sliced
100g kale, chopped
5 fresh ripe tomatoes roughly chopped or 1 x 400g can of tinned tomatoes
1 tbsp of tomato paste (if using fresh tomatoes)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely chopped
About 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
100g Parmesan or Cheddar cheese
250g dried pasta

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Pour 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large roasting pan and add the chopped onion, butternut squash, mushrooms and kale. Season with salt and pepper, toss them in the oil and bake them for 30 minutes, turning them half way through. If you’re using fresh tomatoes dilute the tomato paste in a mug or jug with 225ml boiling water, stirring well to mix it in evenly. Add the crushed garlic, tomatoes and tomato stock if using to the baking dish, mixing it well with the vegetables and return it to the oven. Meanwhile cook the pasta for a minute or two less than the time recommended on the pack. Drain the pasta and mix it into the vegetables along with the parsley. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is golden.

Comice Pears with Chocolate sauce
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 Comice pears, ripe but still firm
For the chocolate sauce
100g of Plain dark cooking Chocolate
1 tbsp butter / marg
3 tbsp golden syrup
4 tbsp milk / or soy milk

Method

• Pour 1.5 litres cold water in to a medium saucepan, and add the vanilla and sugar. Stir well and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.
• Peel the pears, leaving the stalk intact, and cut a sliver from the base to allow the fruit to stand up in the pan. Place the pears in the liquid, adding a little more, if needed, to ensure the pears are fully submerged. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Test that the pears are tender by piercing with the tip of a sharp knife. Drain well and discard the poaching liquid. When the pears have cooled a little, remove the cores using an apple corer or small, sharp knife.
• Make the sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small saucepan and melting slowly over a gentle heat. Stir occasionally until everything has melted and formed a glossy sauce.
• Serve the pears warm with the chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients
• 5tbsp honey
• 250g mascarpone cheese
• 500g rhubarb, cut into 3cm cubes
• 500g Cox’s apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 500g Conference pears, peeled, cored and sliced
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 200g caster sugar
• 200g butter, softened
• 200g ground almonds
• sliced almonds, to garnish

1. For the mascarpone cream, mix the mascarpone and honey together and place in the fridge ready to use. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4
2. Place the rhubarb and apples into a large saucepan along with the brown sugar. Place on a low heat and cook until soft
3. Place the eggs and caster sugar into a bowl and beat until fluffy. Beat in the butter and ground almonds to form a smooth paste
4. Place the rhubarb, apples and pears in a baking dish approx. 25cm/10in wide and 8cm/4in high and spread the almond mixture on top. Decorate the top with the sliced almonds and place in the oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown
5. Serve hot with the mascarpone cream

We hope to see you at the Van soon and remember Eat 5-a-day the Veg Van way!

Love from all of us on the Veg Van! x

We’re having another sweet and juicy apple filled week on the Van with a special promotion. When you spend £5 you can get 3 apples free! There are Cox, Gala and Jonagold to choose from so be sure to visit the van this week. We also have Bramley cooking apples, and Conference and Williams pears.

This week’s recipe -

Simple Vegetable Casserole Serves 4

Parsnips provide an excellent source of vitamin C, fibre, folic acid and vitamins B6 and E. Parsnips provide similar nutritional benefits as potatoes although are lower in calories and contain more fibre! This recipe is a great way to keep warm this winter whilst eating healthily at the same time.

Ingredients

• 2 onions, each cut into 6 wedges
• 3 carrots, cut into chunks
• 3 celery sticks, cut into chunks
• 400 g (14 oz) swede, cut into chunks
• 3 parsnips, about 300 g (10½ oz) in total, cut into chunks
• 1 litre (1¾ pints) hot vegetable stock
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 150 g (5½ oz) pearl barley
• 2 tsp dried sage
• salt and pepper

Method

1.   Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF, gas mark 4). Put the onions, carrots, celery, swede and parsnips in a large flameproof casserole. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
2.   Add the garlic, pearl barley, sage and seasoning. Stir to mix the vegetables together. Cover and transfer to the oven to cook for about 1 hour or until the vegetables are just soft, and the barley is tender.

Enjoy this warming casserole and we hope to see you at the Van soon!

After the indulgences of the festive season eating healthily is often on people’s minds in January. Eating 5 portions of fresh fruit and veg a day can help reduce heart disease and cancer and the Veg Van is the perfect way to make sure you get yours!

This week’s recipe -

New Years Kale Soup  Serves 4‐6

Kale is a nutritionally rich food containing vitamins A, C and E,  minerals including manganese, iron, calcium and potassium and phytochemicals such as sulphoraphane (linked to cancer prevention) – perfect for that New Year’s detox

Ingredients

* 1 bunch chard, 1 bunch kale
* 1/2 bunch parsley
* 1 ¼ litres water
* 1 large potato
* 2 onions, chopped
* 2‐3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 3 tsp olive oil
* 700‐900ml vegetable stock
* 1 tbsp lemon juice
* Seasoning
* Pinch of cayenne

Wash chard and kale and trim from stems; slice the leaves. Combine chard, kale and parsley in soup pot with water and salt. Peel potato; cut it into big pieces and add. Bring water to boil, turn down heat, and let simmer for about 30mins. Heat 2 tsp olive oil; cook chopped onions slowly, with a sprinkle of salt, until golden and soft. This will take up to 45 minutes; you only need to give them a stir once in a while, and it’s the slow cooking that develops the sweetness. Add the caramelized onions to the soup.

Put 1 tsp oil in the pan and stir chopped garlic until it sizzles. Add garlic to pot; simmer everything for a few minutes. Add enough broth to make the soup; puree in a blender in batches. Return soup to pot, bring it back to a simmer, and taste. Season, add lemon juice, stir well and enjoy!

Here’s to a kale-filled and apple-munching January! Hope to see you at the Van soon,

Love from all of us on the Veg Van! x

Because these ‘long’ potatoes are cut in half lengthwise and then scored with a sharp knife, there is no need to parboil them.
Serves 6. Takes 1 hour 10 mins.

Ingredients
6 or 8 long medium baking potatoes
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp fresh rosemary sprigs
Sea salt

Method
Peel the potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Using a sharp knife, make a number of parallel cuts in the curved top of the potato at a 45 degree angle, without cutting right through.
Brush the potatoes with olive oil, scatter with rosemary leaves and sea salt, basting occasionally.