5:2 STUFFED MUSHROOMS (vegan).

Two field mushrooms, spread with Pateole mushroom pate and Meridian pesto, pan-fried curried wedges and broccoli - totalling 424 calories.

Wipe the mushrooms and place them in a microwavable dish. Remove the stalks (but leave them in the dish) and spread the mushroom pate over the mushroom, followed by the pesto. Microwave, on full power, for 6-7 minutes.

165g mushrooms 22 calories
54g mushroom pate 124 
15g pesto 75
218g potato 158
One-cal spray 14
100g broccoli 31

I wasn't intending to fast today, until I realised I had to be out of the house before 12, to shop for the first of the three teaching sessions I had this afternoon and evening. I hadn't had breakfast (rarely do, these days), so I simply missed out lunch and only ate when I returned after 7.

I wanted something quick, so I had stuffed mushrooms with pan-fried curried wedges and broccoli. This only amounted to 424 cals, so I had some strawberries dipped in dark chocolate for dessert. All in all, I was pretty stuffed.

SAVOURY VEGAN TARTS

Just 10 minutes in the oven at 220C

Bread dough:
200g (1 mug) white bread flour
1 crumbled stock cube
1 teaspoon curry powder
125g (1/3rd mug) lukewarm (handhot) water
1 good teaspoon fresh yeast (or level teaspoon dried active yeast)
25g sunflower oil (I used the oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes)

Filling/topping:
4 dessertspoon Pateole mushroom pate
1 dessertspoon vegan pesto (Meridian)
4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped small
4 slices mushroom, 4 slices tomato

VEGAN PIZZA My best yet!

Choice of two toppings

Saturday is pizza day in our house - and today, I think I excelled myself.

I wanted a variety of toppings, so I covered half of the pizza with a rich tomato sauce and the other half with three layers: First I spread it with Pateole mushroom spread, then Meridian pesto and finally topped it with a layer of hummus.

I then scattered mushrooms, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and a few pieces of vegan cheese (Violife). I neglected to add a sprinkle each of nutritional yeast and dried oregano, but, no matter, the pizza was absolutely gorgeous.

I have to say that, of the two toppings, the mushroom pate/pesto and hummus combination just edged it for flavour. I've used these three ingredients in different pairings before, with very good results, but the three together are absolutely amazing!