Back in the day ... that's me with the cup in my gob
I've never yet been on a dig where there wasn't at least one vegetarian or vegan. And there's always been a tedious ass-hat trying to wind them up - and that really needs to bite the dust. Volunteers and staff members on excavations are increasingly requesting vegetarian food, or vegan food, or - for medical reasons - food that is gluten-free, or lactose-free, or low in sugar. And good on them. People who choose to try to care for the planet in this way and look after their own health should be welcomed in my book, not excluded or derided.
This post is part of a series about enabling volunteers to participate fully on Digs
1 Excavation - Let's Talk About the Mental and Physical Challenges
2 Excavation Challenges - Food, Fieldwork and Difference
3 Please Feed the Archaeologists (Recipes 4 All)
5 Dig Food: It's Vegan and Gluten-free and Type2-friendly - prep & stores
6 A week of fieldwork recipes - vegan, gluten-free and Type2-friendly
Even in the challenging and often cramped conditions of a dig kitchen, it isn't that difficult to cook enough food to cater for everyone's basic needs. A lot of meals can be designed so that they can feed everyone on the dig anyway; or planned so that a portion can be separated out into a different pot at an early stage of cooking and adapted for vegans and vegetarians or for anyone who has dietary needs around, say, Diabetes, Crohn's or Coeliac.
A Dig Cook does need to understand ingredients and be pretty intuitive about estimating appetites, quantities and flavour. Yes, vegans eat lentils - but pulses do need quite a bit of flavour added, or they're bland.
So it's vital to ask for information about dietary needs at an early stage of registration, and act on it. The person in charge of the Dig Kitchen can then stock up on necessary ingredients to take with them, in case they're not available locally (a Google search should confirm this), such as vegan gluten-free bouillon.
I do use vegan 'dairy' and 'meat' substitutes, and by the fieldwork season of 2018 a whole new range of plant-based vegan 'dairy' products such as milk and cheese should be coming into supermarkets, at less cost than the current offerings available. The vegan world is starting to open up to non-vegan consumers who are looking for a particular kind of ethical, healthy diet.
Bouillon - vegan, gluten-free
Here are some recipe ideas, and I've labelled them for ease of reference around 4 main themes: vegan (& dairy-free); vegetarian; gluten-free; 'health-aware' (eg low in sugar and fat) - there is a lot of overlap!
Everything on my blog was made with cramped cooking conditions in mind - i.e. in a basic kitchen with one sink, using a cooker with four gas rings and one electric oven, and no food aids other than: knives; scissors; bowls; a whisk; a potato masher; a spatula; wooden spoons; regular cutlery; baking trays; pots & pans; measuring jug; oven gloves & tea towels. Nothing fancy. Nothing false.
I do use a lot of 'cheats' - eg garlic powder or granules instead of chopping garlic; canned tomatoes instead of always chopping fresh ones; and cake and pizza mixes instead of making them from scratch. Catering sizes can be very economical. It's all about information, and planning around it.
VEGAN meals and 'sides'
Many vegan meals can be eaten by everyone. By definition, they are meat-free and dairy-free, and additionally some are also gluten-free and low in sugars. It's really worth worth having a few 'all rounder' favourites in the Dig Kitchen's repertoire. The recipe ideas are all designed with 'Dig Cooking' in mind - difficult conditions and, frankly, limited time and money.
Breakfasts are easy - fruit, breads, dairy-free spreads, cereals, 'milk' made from plants (eg soya, almonds) are all fairly easy to access. Lunches can be sandwiches or pitta breads with hummus, salads, chopped or grated vegetables, vegan cheese; alongside a vegetable soup.
Recipes for these soups, and dinners in the evening, are below. These aren't necessarily 'stand alone' meals - they need to be served with something else. And I've lots of ideas on my previous blog piece about the basic store cupboard ingredients needed for a Dig Kitchen.
Lentil, Carrot and Tomato Soup
Chop and boil carrots, and add vegan bouillon, and add rinsed lentils and simmer until everything is soft. Chop and add tomatoes, or tinned tomatoes, and chopped onion and garlic. Add seasoning (which could include something spicy like paprika or chilli).
Simmer and mash till it's a good soupy consistency.
This also makes a great sauce, or basis for vegan stews and bakes.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Pea Soup
Soak rinsed, dried peas for 2 hours (while you're doing something else!), and simmer for 45 minutes. Add vegetable bouillon and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
Add chilli flakes, black pepper or paprika to taste. That's it. Done. A vast pot for very little money.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Mushroom Curry
A very simple curry made from fried onion and mushrooms, with canned chopped tomatoes added. Spice up with mild curry powder, garlic powder and a little ground cumin and ground coriander. Add seasoning.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Marrow, rice and vegetable curry rings
Marrows - large courgettes (or zucchini) - are abundant and cheap in the summer. Slice them, de-seed them, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Add a filling - this one is cooked rice, and a curry made from fried onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, curry powder and garlic powder - and bake for a further 20 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Courgette (Zucchini) Curry
Fry onions and chopped marrow / courgettes (zucchini). Add garlic powder, a little curry powder, ground cumin and ground coriander. Add seasoning eg black pepper to taste.
Add canned chopped tomatoes, stir and simmer. A simple curry 'side' for everyone.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Noodle & Lentil Stew with Croutons
I took some of the lentil soup (see above) and added some cooked vegan noodles, canned sweetcorn and peas. Simmer for a few minutes till warm.
The 'croutons' are a piece of bread I cut up with kitchen scissors and put on a baking tray in the oven for ten minutes. I used spelt and rye bread, but any will do if it's vegan.
Vegan; vegetarian; health-aware
Rice Noodles with Vegetables
Rice noodles are easy to prepare - just soak in boiling water for ten minutes. Then add them to a pan or pot in which you've fried vegetables like onion, peppers (capsicums), mushrooms, carrots and broccoli. Add seasoning such as garlic powder, ground ginger, seasoning and soy sauce to taste.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Ratatouille
Fry onion, aubergine (egg plant), courgettess (zucchini), peppers (capsicums), mushrooms. Add garlic, mixed herbs, seasoning. Add canned chopped tomatoes. Simmer.
You can add other vegetables to this, if you have a glut.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Roast Vegetables
Basically, chop a load of vegetables and drizzle them with a little olive or vegetable oil - then stick them in the oven and roast them for 45-60 minutes. These are sliced sweet potato, spring onion, orange capsicum, tomato and mushroom.
Great side dish.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Stuffed Peppers
Cut peppers in half and de-seed them. Fill with a mix of cooked rice, mushrooms and onion. Add seasoning.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.
You can add any other vegetables you have to hand; and if you don't want a crunchy top, place tomatoes slices over the rice.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Vegetable Stack
This is basically lentil soup, simmered down, served on rice as a sauce, with a topping of ratatouille and fresh sliced tomatoes.
Served here with flat bread.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free (if no flat bread); health-aware
Vegan Bolognese
I used a supermarket soya 'mince' - soak for a minute in boiling water before use. I added it to fried onions, grated carrot, chopped peppers and mushrooms, and stirred in some garlic granules, mixed herbs and seasoning.
Finally I tipped in some canned tomatoes and simmered. Ideas about how to use it (cheaply) are below.
You can use lentils instead of soya mince (which are also gluten-free).
Vegan; vegetarian; health-aware
Marrow stuffed with Vegan Bolognese
I've chosen marrow because they're cheap in summer (and I grow them!), but you can also use squashes or aubergines (egg plants), or big baked sweet potatoes or regular potatoes
Slice the marrow length-ways and scoop out seeds. Bake for 30 minutes. Fill with vegan bolognese mixture and bake again for 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.
Vegan; vegetarian; health-aware
Wholemeal Pasta Bolognese
Pretty much all dried pasta is vegan. This is wholewheat pasts served up with the vegan bolognese.
Vegan; vegetarian; health-aware
Bombay Potatoes and Chickpea Curry
Bombay potatoes - boiled potatoes tossed in some canned chopped tomatoes with curry powder and seasoning. Keep it quite 'dry'.
Chickpea curry - canned or cooked chickpeas, again simmered in canned chopped tomatoes and curry powder with added ground cumin, ground coriander and garlic. Add some vegetables eg courgettes and peppers. This should have a little 'sauce'.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Rice Salad
This is such a simple 'side'. It's cold cooked rice (white or wholegrain) with salad ingredients such as tomato, cucumber, canned sweetcorn, carrot and lettuce or chicory - whatever's in season, available and affordable, really.
Serve with a simple dressing of olive or vegetable oil, and lemon juice or vinegar, mixed together with seasoning.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware
Banana and Custard
Not a lot of people know this but ... Bird's custard powder itself is vegan. So make it up with almond milk or soya milk, serve it up with bananas or other fruit - hot or cold - and it's a good end to a hard digging day.
Vegan; vegetarian; health-aware (check for sugars)
Baked Fruit
Bananas, apples and pears can be baked in the over for between 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar or cinnamon (or both) to taste.
You don't even need to remove the skins - just slice in half, cover with a bit of foil, and bung them in the oven.
Vegan; vegetarian; gluten-free; health-aware (check for sugars)