Think veggie during National Vegetarian Week

Serves 4

Ingredients

Green layer:

4 kiwi, peeled and chopped

1 pear, peeled and chopped

¼ honeydew melon, sliced

150ml apple juice

Amber layer:

2 mangos, peeled and stoned

¼ honeydew melon, sliced

100ml orange juice

Red layer:

200g strawberries

100g raspberries

¼ honeydew melon, sliced

100ml cranberry juice

Method

Place the green layer into a blender and thoroughly whizz. Transfer to a separate jug and rinse out the blender.

Repeat with the remaining layers.

To serve, share the green layer between four glasses. Carefully spoon over the amber layer and finally the red layer. Serve straight away.

Cook's tip: You can sweeten each layer to taste with a little sugar or concentrated fruit syrup.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Compote:

2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

200g ready to eat prunes, sliced

30g sultanas

200ml apple juice

Yoghurt mixture:

50g blueberries or blackberries (reserve a few for the topping)

200g zero fat Greek yoghurt (or soya yoghurt for vegan option*)

Topping:

75g oats

50g chopped hazelnuts

Pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon

Method

Place the compote ingredients into a large pan and gently simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Fold the blueberries into the yoghurt and set aside.

Place the oats, nuts and nutmeg or cinnamon into a non-stick pan. Gently heat for five minutes, stirring from time to time.

To serve, share out the fruit into four dishes, add a little yoghurt then top with the oat mixture and the reserved blueberries.

(Baked bean banger, lettuce and tomato); Serves 4

Ingredients

½ onion, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

100g mushrooms, chopped

1 standard can baked beans

½ tsp paprika

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ tsp chopped fresh thyme

40g grated vegetarian cheese

1 free range egg

20g sundried tomatoes in oil, drained

1 tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp vegetable stock powder

90g breadcrumbs

25g pine nuts

2 tsp wholemeal flour

Salt and pepper to taste

To coat:

1 free range egg, beaten

50g wholemeal flour seasoned with black pepper and paprika

Relish:

200g tomatoes, chopped

25g red onion, finely chopped

40g sundried tomatoes, chopped

1 lime, juice only

Black pepper and a little salt

To serve:

A few salad leaves

4 bread rolls

60g vegetarian cheese cut into four slices

Method

Gently fry the onion in oil for five minutes until soft, then add the mushrooms. Continue to cook until most of the moisture from the mushrooms has evaporated. While this is cooking divide the tin of beans into two. Set half the can of beans aside and drain off the sauce on the remaining half.

Place the cooked onion, mushroom and drained baked beans in a food processor with the paprika, garlic, thyme, cheese, free range egg (*omit if vegan), sundried tomatoes, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, stock, breadcrumbs, pine nuts and wholemeal flour. Season with salt and pepper and whizz for 10 seconds. Allow the mixture to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Shape the mixture into eight small sausages. Dip in the remaining egg (*omit if vegan), then roll in wholemeal flour.

Gently fry in olive oil for ten minutes, carefully turning from time to time.

To make the relish mix the tomatoes, red onion, sundried tomatoes, lime juice, black pepper and a little salt in a bowl, then set aside.

For each serving, place salad leaves onto a bread roll, top with two sausages and relish. Finally, add a slice of vegetarian cheese (or vegan 'cheese'*) to the frying pan and heat for 30 seconds. Top your sandwich with the cooked cheese. Heat the remaining beans and serve alongside your sandwich.

Serves 4

Ingredients

50g butter

3 tbsp sunflower seeds, roughly chopped

3 tbsp pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped

3 tbsp sesame seeds, roughly chopped

1 ripe banana, mashed

100g rolled or jumbo oats

50g ground flaxseed

50g dried cranberries

3 tbsp golden syrup

Method

Preheat your oven to 200C.

Melt the butter (or margarine*) in a small pan, then add the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Pack into a small, foil lined loaf tin (approx. 18cm x 10cm) and bake for 25-30 minutes, until crispy on top. Leave to cool for at least ten minutes before removing from the tin. Then wait a further 20 minutes before cutting into eight small bars.

Find more recipes at www.nationalvegetarian week.org