Category Archives: Uncategorized

Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegan

Homemade chili croutons

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Baked croutons

Ingredients:

    • 5 slices of brown bread – or any left overs bread
    • Chili flakes
    • Black pepper
    • Salt
    • Olive oil
Bread slices
Bread slices

Method:

Heat the oven at 180°C.

Cut the bread in squares like on the photo. Place on the oven tray and season with chilli, salt, pepper, oil. Mix well and bake for 15 minutes at 180°C. Don’t forget to stir as you bake. This will allow all the sides to dry out and crisp.

Making croutons is one of the best ways to use bread that is about to go off. They will keep for 3-4 weeks in a sealed container.

Another version of the crouton can be used a replacement for cereals. Mix about half a teaspoon of sugar in 1 table spoon water… drizzle the mix over the bread cubes, toss and bake dry for 15-20 minutes at 180°C.

For the cereal version, feel free to add flavouring in the water/sugar mix… a drop of cinnamon or vanilla essence would be great!

Enjoy.

Serving suggestion
Serving suggestion

I used my savoury croutons to finish off the soup posted in the previous recipe. And for the cereal version? Just add milk.

PS: original recipe created as part of the foodbank menu on http://www.MadeByHortense.com

 

 

 

 

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Hot dishes, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegan

Vegan Stir fried rice

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Ingredients for 4 portions:

  • 250g white rice
  • 250g broccoli
  • 100g aubergine
  • 50g leek
  • 50g celery
  • 1 and half fresh tomato
  • 1 onion
  • Garlic granules
  • 1 chilli pepper (optional)
  • Soy sauce
  • Vegetable oil
  • Dry lemongrass powder
  • Salt

Method:

Precook the rice following the instructions on the package.

Floret the broccoli, cut the aubergines and tomatoes, cut the celery and leek, dice the onion, set all that aside.

In a wok, heat 3 tablespoons of oil, then fry onions, aubergine, Leek and celery at once for 4 minutes stirring continuously.  Now add the tomatoes, broccoli, chilli and lemon grass. Stir, then add the precooked rice and 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce. Mix well, adjust the seasoning, stir from bottom to top of the wok for 5 minutes. Take away from the heat and serve. Enjoy.

Serving suggestion
Serving suggestion
Recipes, Sweet, Uncategorized, Vegan

Golden coconut thins

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Ingredients:

  • 100g desiccated coconut
  • 150g sugar
  • 10 hazelnut – roasted and crushed
  • Salt

Method:

Spray a bit of oil on the flat tray that will be used to cool down the thins. The light spread of oil will prevent the  thin from sticking to the used surface.

Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts

Mix the crushed hazelnuts to the coconut.

Melt the sugar on high heat, then stir until it becomes golden and really clear.

Melted sugar
Melted sugar

Add a pinch of salt to the melted sugar, then put in the coconut and hazelnut.  Mix very quickly with a spatula until the sugar is completely absorbed. This process should take 1 minute max… it has to be done very quickly.

The mix is flattened and scored
The mix is flattened and scored

Remove from the hob and lay the mix very flat on a dish prepared for it. Using a rolling pin or the back of the spatula, continue to flatten the mix, then create tracks as above on the picture.

The best ones to bite are the ones that are not compact
The best ones to bite are the ones that are not compact

The tracks you have created will allow you to easily break off the thins once the mix has cooled down and hardened.

If you rather make balls and have a high heat tolerance. You will have to move very quickly as the mix can cool down and harden within a minute… The balls can only be rolled by hand.

...And here is what I made few months earlier... in the dark

…And here is what I made few months earlier… in the dark

Note: melted sugar can be really painful if not handled with care. No children should be around when you are doing these thins.

Adding salt to the melted sugar breaks down its sweetness.

General, Hot dishes, Recipes, Uncategorized

Veggies and sausage parcel with beetroot coleslaw

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Veggie parcel & beet slaw
Veggie parcel & beet slaw

Ingredients for 5 portions:

Ingredients for this recipe
Ingredients for this recipe
  • 3 medium parsnips
  • 4 medium carrots
  • 1 large sausage (long life) or 4 hot dogs
  • 1 large leek
  • 1/2 tin of tomato soup
  • 1 onion
  • 2 beetroots
  • Mayonnaise
  • 1 Jus-Rol short crust sheet
  • Vegetable oil

Method:

Preheat the oven at 200C before starting the prep.

Cut the medium onion in 2. Keep half for frying and half for later. Peel 2 carrots, the 3 parsnips then, cut each of them in 4 length way. Cut the leek same way. Place them all in a large bowl.

Fry the smaller saussage cuts with onion for more flavour
Fry the smaller sausage cuts with onion for more flavor

In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil.  Fry one half of onion that has been diced, then lightly brown every side of the browned sausage.

All covered with the tinned tomato soup...
All covered with the tinned tomato soup…

Once that is done, pour the content of the frying pan on the vegetables. Also add the 200ml of tomato soup, salt and Pepper. Then, crush 1 stock cube on the melange before mixing all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

All in the Jus-Rol pastry sheet...
All in the Jus-Rol pastry sheet…

Spray a bit of oil on the oven tray and lay on it the pastry sheet. Then, carefully place on its middle all the vegetable and the sausage. Making sure that the sausage is placed at the heart of the vegetable heap. Now bring up the sides of the pastry so the content will not fall to the side.

After 40 minutes ... let it cooldown
After 40 minutes … let it cool down

If necessary, cover it all with foil to maintain the shape. Place the parcel in the oven for 40 minutes at 200C. Serve with a small beetroot slaw.

3 colors for the coleslaw
3 colors for the coleslaw

Preparing the coleslaw: peel and grate the beetroot, and the 2 remaining carrots. Also grate the leftover onion. Place all in a bowl. Add salt and pepper, plus 3 full tablespoons of mayonnaise. Mix and set aside. The onion can be replaced by white or red cabbage. If you are not fan of coleslaw just serve the parcel with a simple green salad and a light vinaigrette.

Up close! Bon App'
Up close! Bon App’
Hot dishes, Recipes, Uncategorized

Beef casserole

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Beef casserole with baby potatoes
Beef casserole with baby potatoes

Ingredients for 4 portions:

Casserole ingredients
Casserole ingredients
  • 100g celery – chopped
  • 1 big onion – cut
  • 600g baby potatoes – rinse and roughly cut
  • 400g Beef casserole
  • Vegetable oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • Thyme

Method:

In a deep pan, heat 3 tablespoons of rapeseed oil. Fry together thyme, onion and celery for 2 minutes, then add all the potatoes and brown for 5 minutes.

Now add 700ml of stock, cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes soften. Now add the contents of the casserole tin over the potatoes, adjust the seasoning and cover for another 10 to 15 minutes on high heat. Check that the potatoes are firm, but, starting to dissolve. If not, leave for another 5 minutes but, stir to make sure that the bottom of the pot isn’t burning.

The casserole is ready.

Do not eat the flower!!!
Do not eat the flower!!!

Generally there aren’t many pieces of meat in tinned casseroles. So, if you’ve got some bacon in the house, feel free to add them from the beginning of the cooking process with the onion and celery.

Bon appetit!

Download the booklet here to see what I’ve used from the parcel for each dish and also the shopping tips at the bottom of each page

From the parcel: tin of beef casserole.

Shopping tips: Celery, leeks are great ingredients to always have in the house. Lidl often has these two on offer and 3 large leeks can be bought as a bundle from 89p – £1.

Uncategorized

Corned Beef Pizza

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Pizza wedges & Ketchup
Pizza wedges & Ketchup

Ingredients for 4 portions:
• 6 slices of brown bread
• 150g Corn beef
• 100g tinned mushrooms – sliced
• 2 mozzarella balls – thinly cut
• 100ml tomato sauce
• 1 big potato (or 2 depending on size)
• Paprika – 1 teaspoon
• Vegetable oil

Ingredients for the pizza
Ingredients for the pizza

Method:
Preheat the oven at 180C.
Start by preparing all the toppings and set aside ready to use. Then, remove the crusts from the bread and cut the slices into triangles (from corner to corner).
Lay the bread on the oven tray ready to add the toppings.

Pizza: Layers layers
Pizza: Layers layers

For each piece of bread add toppings in the following order: tomato sauce, corn beef, mozzarella pieces. Once it is all done, set aside to prepare the potatoes wedges.

Potato wedges & paprika
Potato wedges & paprika

Rinse and cut the unpeeled potato, cut it into wedges. Add a teaspoon of paprika, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Mix well and precook for 5 minutes, then, spread the wedges on an oven dish.

Now, place both (potatoes and pizza) dishes in the oven for 25 minutes at 180C. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving with ketchup or mayonnaise. Enjoy.

Bread crumbs
Bread crumbs

Make some bread crumbs: You know the bread crust that you cut, do not throw them away. Just cut them in smaller pieces, add a pinch of salt, sprinkle any dried herbs, a drizzle of oil, toss and place in the oven for 15 minutes at 180C. Why not put in with the pizza and potatoes to save on energy?
These crusty crusts will serve as topping for salads or soups or even snacks.

Brown bead, homemade pizza
Brown bead, homemade pizza

Et voila!

Cold dishes, General, Hot dishes, Photos, Recipes, Sweet, Uncategorized, Vegan

Download The Bank Cook booklet

12 Comments

Homemade biscuits
Homemade biscuits

Hi, thank you for visiting the page today. This blog is still being populated but,  If you’d like to download the booklet, please go ahead and click on the link below.

Recipes for food banks users – Low res PDF

If you are business and would like to sponsor the printing of a number of booklets please request the High Res PDF by emailing nashjulie9@gmail.com.

Please note, this booklet is not for sale.

Be blessed.

Hortense

 

General, Uncategorized

Welcome

Image Leave a comment

HJ food parcel sample

“Honey seems tasteless to a person who is full, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.” Prov. 27:7

Welcome to theBankCook.com.

Here, you will find extended versions of recipes from “The Bank Cook” booklet that you may have received.

The Bank Cook booklet was created with all food banks’ users in mind. The recipes are free to print, copy and distribute. So, if you receive food parcels, from your local food bank, church bank, council bank or community bank, this is for you!

Please download a free copy from this  link or just ask your local food bank centre to download and print for its clients. A background free version is also available here.

You or your local food bank can request a high resolution  PDF of the book by email to nashjulie9@gmail.com.

Thanks for visiting.

Every blessing.

Hortense