Mushrooms, jacket potatoes, beans...with a twist!

So, for those of your who read right down to the last paragraph of this post on Saturday you'll have seen that my dad's '3 favourite foods were':

"Mushrooms

Jacket Potatoes 

Baked beans"

Pretty classic stuff... so how was I to turn these into some kind of special Father's Day meal....hmmm?

In the end it all came together with a twist to the tale... Jacket potato skins and juicy grilled mushrooms for stuffing with smoky baked beans on the side, complete with spicy 'cheesy' whipped mash and a big salad. The baked beans dish was inspired by this recipe from Susan at the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, and the 'cheesy' mash inspired by Kathy's stuffed skins here at Healthy Happy Life.

Plus then there was a baked fruit custard dessert....cos I happen to know he loves custard too. I need to take some more photos of that as the light was fading! Recipe with you shortly ;-)

It was a great success! To top it all off I gave my dad a little package of dark chocolate (as he's also a dark chocolate lover) courtesy of the Real Food Source...yum!

Smoky apple baked beans

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients:

2 onions- finely chopped
1 large red pepper-finely chopped
4 garlic cloves- crushed (I reduced the amount called for in original recipe as my dad is not a huge fan)
1 apple- finely chopped
1 ½ large cans canellini beans (or mixed beans)

sauce:
1 large tin tomatoes
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbs molasses
A few drops of chipotle sauce to taste

Method:

Sliced or process the onion, peper, garlic and apple into small pieces. Saute the mixture for 5 mins until softening. Blend the sauce ingredients together in a seperate pan/blender and then add the the onion mix. Add the beans and stir through before cooking the mix for another 5 minutes.

In theory you could serve this mix as it is, but true to baked bean style I poured the mix into a pan and baked for approx 20 mins whilst preparing the remainder of the meal, I served it whilst the top was bubbling and beginning to form a golden skin at the edges.

Spicy cheesy whipped mash

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients:

Approx 1 heaped cup cooked potato (middles of 4 potatoes)
2tbs hummus
2tbs nutritional yeast
2tbs salsa sauce
chipotle sauce to taste
¼ - ½ cup heated non-dairy milk to achieve desired consistency

For skins:
4 jacket potatoes- baked as usual
coconut oil
sea salt

Method:

Prepare the jacket poatoes in the oevn s usual. Alow to cool slightly before halving and scopping out the entres. Set centre aside. Generously cost the skins with coconut oil (or other oil) for a crispy skin and spinkle with salt. Place back in the oven for approx 20 minutes at 200C scooped side up, until golden. 

Meanwhile add the potato and remaining ingredients to a bowl and using a hand blender (I used my Thermomix throughout) blend until whippy and creamy, adding  little extra liquid as needed. If you use the potato whilst hot and add hot liquid the spicy mash should still be warm to serve.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

An ode to Dad (and a recipe roundup!)

On the eve of Father's Day ...a little poem :-)

My Dad and I

My dad and I we think alike,
He knows just what I mean
Before I even say a word
He reads just in between.

My dad and I we like to dream
Inspire each other on.
Reminding me what I can achieve,
Beyond my comfort zone.

My dad and I like to pretend,
That we follow with the crowd.
But it’s finding our own direction
That makes me stand so proud.


In the months after I turned to a plant based lifestyle and began this blog back in August 2011, my dad took an active interest in what I was doing. Most of those in my life, supported me and were happy to share my meals and were even intrigued by my recipes, but had no real inclination to change anything for themselves. That was cool, there was no pressure there and that was never my direct intention as I transitioned through this stage in my life. But if people decide to question their own 'habits' and ingrained ways of doing things after having seen the changes I have made and the impact on my life then that gives me a huge amount of joy.

My dad went this one step further, he embraced the plant based lifestyle as I did and has since been my biggest ally... constantly reading, researching and buying the newest book out on the market. In moments when my mind may have faltered or I felt as though being 'different' is too hard, I always have my dad to support me and whether he knows it or not that support means the world.

So today, on the eve of Fathers's Day, a little recap of some of his favourite recipes from the blog.  (plus scroll down for a little giggle...)


To all your dad's out there....enjoy your day tomorrow! 

Chocolate orange smoosh bars... the original and best!

Everyone loves a good roast....these lentil balls make a perfect meal!

A 'throw it together' protein packed meal...topped with cashews!

Soup...any kind really (this is my favourite)

A veggie tart is always a winner with guests 

Banana bread 
(ok I cheated- I added this for me...but everyone loves banana bread right!!)

For a final giggle... last weekend I emailed my dad to ask him what 'his 3 favourite foods' were. In my head I was anticipating he would answer with sweet, nutty or fruity things as I was thinking along the lines of making him a special cake or desert of some sort for Father's Day. 

However, due to my somewhat vague question, the response I received was (I quote) "mushrooms, jacket potato, beans"  ha ha, that would make some amazing cake!!  Hmmm, i'm still thinking what do with that response so you'll have to wait to next week to see what happened. :-)