Attention vegans and vegetarians: advice sought!

I've made a version of these before, they went down really well with DS and DH. It's a little time consuming, though.
http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/512915

I really love the Fatfree Vegan blog - so many of her recipes look SO delicious! Though I'm currently very excited by my new cookbook that arrived yesterday - Baking With Agave Nectar. I literally want to eat everything in that book NOW. I can't decide what I want to try first. And for any vegans or gluten-free folks, there are a ton of cakes and cookies and pies in there that are suitable for you, too.

My big veggie find over the weekend was that we found an ENORMOUS chicken of the woods mushroom (about three times the size of the one in wikipedia's photo) and a huge copse full of wild garlic while out on a hike near Chesham. Our friends are very keen foragers and vegetarians and triple-confirmed the mushroom and now we've got a hugely stocked fridge full of what they call "nature's Quorn".  We had some on Saturday with some butter and garlic and carrots and courgettes, all on top of some mash with the wild garlic mixed in. SO good!

The World Vegetarian is great if you like diverse food types. Sorry if it's already been mentioned.....

We had this for dinner tonight and it was delicious.  We toasted the cashews and roasted the asparagus instead of boiling.

We hit Borough Market yesterday, and was inspired by this thread to get a Chicken of the Woods mushroom.  I also bought pecorino cheese, and am going to try to make tortellino (with my as yet unused pasta machine I got for my birthday in February!).

And, bizarrely, as I am typing this, Simon Rimmer on 'Something in the Weekend' is making Welsh Rarebit with one!  How strange...


Vicky

I went to our local farmer's market today and bought the most amazing garlic stuffed green olives! I've already eaten about six, so I'm going to reek tomorrow!

Vicky, you'll have to post pictures of your pasta   I've always wanted a pasta maker, but like most things I want, I'm afraid I'd never use it!

Ah, sorry, it got eaten! 

It worked ok though.  I sliced the mushroom really thinly then fried it a bit, then added balsamic vinegar and red wine to the pan until the mushroom was really soft and the liquid was soaked up.  I then put this and little bits of pecorino in the pasta.

The pasta was pretty straight forward too.  Just making dough and putting it throught the machine.  Came out quite well I think.


Vicky

Here is a recipe that my UK vegetarian and carnivore friends have enjoyed.

Black Bean Enchilada Bake

2 cups chopped onion, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups chopped red pepper, fresh or frozen
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup salsa
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 15.8 ounce cans black beans, drained
12 6-inch corn tortillas
2 cups Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese shredded
3 tomatoes chopped (optional)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1/2 cup sliced black olives (optional
Combine onion pepper, garlic, salsa, cumin and black beans in large skillet and bring to simmer over medium heat.

Cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes.
Arrange 6 tortillas in bottom of 9" x 13" baking dish overlapping them as necessary. Spread half of bean mixture over tortillas and sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat layering process with remaining tortillas, bean mixture and cheese.

Cover dish with foil and bake 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and serve warm.

OK folks, here is my report on the Quorn brand of "Bramley Apple Bangers" - they are AWESOME!!!!

As a bit of background, my husband likes to eat sausages for dinner, and I have always been wary of sausages because of the way they are made, particularly all the fat that is purposely added to them during the manufacturing process.  I am aware that a lot of food (e.g., steak, cheese) contains fat already, but to add fat intentionally during the sausage making process makes me ill to think about.  I know it helps the flavour, but I really can't stand to see the fat oozing out.  Thus, in spite of my previously being an active carnivore, I never liked sausage.

So I was delighted to indulge myself in sausage, mash and peas for dinner last night, and to feel guilt-free about enjoying the amazing Quorn sausages. 

One thing that did make them even more magical was my husband's magic gravy recipe (containing Bisto, ketchup, onion marmalade, hot sauce and other weird and wonderful ingredients that all came together amazingly well).

I am now a Quorn convert - I will continue to sample the recommended meat substitutes on this thread and incorporate them into my meals on a more regular basis!

Thanks to all who have given advice and guidance.