Well, here we are. Hunkered down in our houses, trying to work, or wrangle kids, or both, or figuring out how we’re going to get any Children’s Nurofen, or if our parents will be ok, or how safe are we when we head out to work, or how are we going to get our families to like beans all of a sudden, or how we’ll feed our children who have allergies, or how we’ll pay our bills now that our businesses are going under, or how our immunocompromised friends will stay safe, or that we have to go work a double shift in the ICU, or how our elderly neighbours will fare, or how to teach grade 6 maths to kids who’d rather watch TikTok, or will there be any milk when we actually do get to the shops, or quieting squabbling siblings, or any number of cares weighing on us at the moment, above and beyond the cares we were already labouring under.
These truly are frightening times and I worry about us all. Not to mention the long term impacts this will have on everybody for years to come. We all had nightmares here last night and that’s from a family who are healthy, safe, level-headed, and will more than likely get through this crisis relatively unscathed. My stomach is in constant knots thinking of the struggles the people of the world are facing, all while being lighthearted and calm for the children’s sake.
The thing that is getting me through is the thing that always gets me through: home and hearth. This is where we are together as a family, where life goes on, where good food is made, music is always on, and cosiness is paramount. I take my position as chief nest-featherer very seriously and it certainly helps to feel in control of the things I can control, and keep our family traditions going. We all need them right now.
I’ve never been more grateful that I can bake a loaf of bread, can a tomato harvest, knit a blanket, and make a meal out of nothing. These sorts of things suddenly seem more important than anything.
With that, here are my favourite things. I hope they become your favourites too. I cannot overstate the importance of your home smelling like something delicious from the oven when the world outside has gone to shit.
Breads
My number one piece of advice to you in breadmaking is get yourself some bread improver, if you can find it. I stubbornly avoided it for years, but honestly it’s the only way you’ll make that soft white bread you grew up on in any kind of hurry.
Plain white bread (recipe is for garlic bread, but bake it without the garlic butter and in a bread tin, if you have one. Otherwise go rustic in a big slab on a tray!)
Traditional brown soda bread (swap wholemeal for white flour to make regular soda bread or damper, excellent for when you can’t get yeast)
Southern buttermilk biscuits (good for when you only have self-raising flour, or if your loaves keep failing and you need a break – it will happen!)
Crumpets (this has just reminded me I’ve never blogged the English muffin recipe – stay tuned)
No-knead, no-yeast dinner rolls
Wraps/flatbreads: Mix one cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 150ml of water together in a bowl. Leave to rest for about 20 minutes. Then divide into 12, roll out flat as you can, and dry-fry in a hot pan until brown on each side.
Sweet baking basics
Scones – pumpkin – savoury – raspberry and white chocolate
Pikelets – banana pikelets – apple and cinnamon – GF buckwheat blueberry
Vegan pancakes (helpful for when you can’t get your hands on eggs!)
Vegan French toast (ditto!)
Simple cakes
Raspberry jam cake (can sub jam with whatever tinned fruit you have on hand, or frozen/fresh)
Biscuits, Crackers, Slices and Muffins
Egg-free banana and peach muffins
3 – ingredient cheesy crackers
Puddings and Desserts
Bread and butter pudding – and another
Apple and golden syrup pudding
Peach cobbler (excellent with any kind of tinned fruit you have, really)
Storecupboard Staple Meals
Risotto – pumpkin and fennel – goat cheese and tomato – mushroom – pumpkin and pea – millet risotto – substitute literally any veggie you have on hand – its a good way of eating the ones you don’t particularly like, and may even save a canned veg situation that’s not that palatable on its own or in another dish. Desperate times!
Rissoles – meatballs – lasagne (made with TVP, not mince)
Polenta – with ratatouille – cheesy polenta with egg and chilli – fried polenta
Pasta – find all my favourites here.
Beans – spicy black beans, vegetarian ‘fish’ cakes using cannellini beans, white chocolate blondie bars using white beans, smoky baked barbecue beans, homemade refried beans, black bean and corn salsa, pumpkin and cannelini bean salad, Disney World bean chili, black bean quesadillas, spicy black bean quinoa bowls –Mexican bean dip.
lentils – chipotle lentil tacos – lasagne – balsamic lentil bolognese – Vegetarian Meatloaf – lentil curry – spiced lentil soup – Sprouted Lentil Salad with Lemon and Feta – Sprouted Lentil and Roasted Beetroot Salad with Goat Cheese – crock-pot kitchari – sweet potato and red lentil bisque – vegetarian shepherds pie – other goodies in this post.
Rice – Mexican rice – roasted cauliflower and brown rice salad – teriyaki pineapple fried rice – easy fried rice – sweet chilli tofu and rice – golden rice salad – pumpkin and brown rice salad
Quinoa – Miso roast pumpkin and quinoa bowl – quinoa and raw veggie salad with green goddess dressing – quinoa, goat cheese and antipasto salad – quinoa “meatballs” – veggie quinoa bites – lemon quinoa salad with herbs and feta – carrot and avocado quinoa bites – quinoa fritters – roasted veggie quinoa burgers – roast vegetable and quinoa salad – quinoa tabbouli.
Chickpeas – Chickpea Tagine with Cinnamon, Cumin and Carrots – Simple Minestrone – Roasted Pumpkin Hommus – Baby Beet and Feta Salad – plain hummus – Space Curry
Tofu – Southern Fried Tofu – Quick Sweet Chilli Tofu and Rice – Tofu Banh Mi – General Tso’s Tofu – Smoky Barbecue Kebabs
Soups
Red Lentil Veggie Soup with Roasted Potato Croutons
Minted Pea Soup with Goat Cheese and Watercress
Potato and Cabbage Soup with a Jalapeno Twist
Vegetarian/Vegan Thai Coconut Soup for One
Hoisin soup with marinated tofu and rice
Roasted Pumpkin soup and Wholemeal Bread
Pumpkin and ginger soup with coconut and chili
Cheesy Veggie Soup – fabulous if you’re having to use frozen or canned
Stocks and Sauces
How to make the best full-flavoured vegetable stock
Homemade smoky-sweet barbecue sauce
Old-fashioned Aussie-style homemade tomato sauce
Simple Roasted Tomato Sauce with Canned Tomatoes
Other posts that might be useful
The Veggie Mama Harvest: making sauces, jams and preserves
31 Bean Recipes for People Who Hate Beans
Eating from your pantry stores: Two weeks of meals
Top Tips to Slash Your Grocery Bill
The Secret to the Best Homemade Playdough Ever
5 Free Printable Playdough Mats
The Coronavirus Homeschool Diary: Day One – things to do
Activities for toddlers – a round up of what we love
Go well out there. May the force be with you x
Thank you so much! I’ll have fun going through these recipes. Having enough flour to go the distance might be the thing but so good to have these to hand if the shops don’t stock breads etc.
Dude!!! What an epic post!!! So many good recipes that are now my family favourites but you have just reminded me that you still have so many I want to try. Stay healthy my friend xx
Thank you Stacey for so many recipes, wow! It is certainly a time for comforting food and all things homely and frugal. Take care. x