As the seasons change, and with October marking a celebration of harvest, the bountiful yield from our soils offers an excellent opportunity to appreciate all the wonderful veggie recipes inspired by nature's menu.
PeCAN volunteer Amelia Young tells us more...
Plant-based recipes might range from fast and easy after school dinners, such as pasta dishes, to warming stews for a cosy night in. With online sources from BBC Good Food’s Autumn Recipe collection, to New Leaf Alresford’s recommended dishes - there’s something for everyone, and you may even realise that cooking veggie is easy and fun, not to mention the benefits to gut health, immune systems and carbon footprints.
Anthro-planetary health organisations such as the EAT Lancet Commission and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) point towards reducing our meat intake as an effective tool for decarbonisation. With livestock supply chains accounting for 14.5% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, a turn towards a low-meat diet could be vital for planetary health.
Although the statistics are worrying, it is important to acknowledge the small things that we, as consumers, can do to help. For this reason, we encourage you to try these tried and tested autumnal vegetarian recipes:
Butternut Squash & Roasted Red Pepper Lasagne
There’s no reason to miss out on this family favourite if you’re cooking without meat. This recipe blends the sweet, nutty flavours of squash with the smoky tang of roasted red peppers. Although the prep time is a bit longer, it's well worth the effort.
I made this recently at home. On the left are the roasted red peppers and butternut squash, before being layered with feta into the lasagne sheets. The image on the right is the finished product from the BBC website.
There’s a link to the Good Food recipe below, which incorporates spinach into the dish for an extra iron boost:
bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/caramelised-squash-spinach-lasagne
The plants you'll need: butternut squash, garlic, sage, spinach, pine nuts, nutmeg
Curried Red Lentil Soup
This autumnal delight is quick and easy to prepare, bursting with those warm colours and flavours of the season, carrying just a hint of spice to warm you up on a rainy night.
Recipe provided by New Leaf Alresford:
newleafalresford.org/curried-red-lentil-soup/
The plants you'll need: onion, bay, red lentils, carrot, celery, lemon, garlic, ginger, chillies
Mushroom, Sweet Potato & Lentil Cottage Pie
Another classic gone veggie! With the addition of lentils, this recipe provided by the Riverford Veg website ensures that those reducing their meat intake won't miss out on meals packed with protein. See below for the link:
riverford.co.uk/recipes/lentil-cottage-sweet
The plants you'll need: onion, celery, carrot, mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, bay, puy lentils, chopped tomatoes, sweet potato, potato