Makes 4 - 450 Calories
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup textured vegetable protein (tvp)
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tins good quality chopped tomatoes
1 stick celery
1 large onion, chopped
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp chopped garlic, dried or 2 cloves fresh garlic
1 tbsp vegan Massel beef stock powder
8 chestnut or closed cap mushrooms
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
½ cup water
Black pepper, to taste
Vegan parmesan, to taste.
200g Mung Bean Pasta
1 Small Bag of Rocker
METHOD:
Fry onions, celery and mushrooms until softened.
Add tomatoes, oregano, dried basil, vegan beef stock, ketchup, dried garlic, tvp and ½ cup of water.
Stir, cover and leave on a medium heat for 30 minutes.
Add black pepper followed by nutmeg.
Boil the pasta in a pan of water for 8 minutes and drain.
Mix the sauce and the pasta together.
Serve each portion with a handful of rocket.
Finally, add vegan parmesan to taste.
My Chef Training
I found the academic side of school very hard. Suffering from dyslexia it became apparent that the vocational side of life was my calling. This is where my love of food took the next step.
At 15, I found my love for cooking. Immediately my confidence grew and I was finally good at something. Excelling my year group with my culinary skills, at 16 I enrolled at the most prestigious catering college in the country, Westminster.
This had to have been one of the most challenging, fun and eye-opening experiences I had in the real world. Commuting from Sevenoaks to London, Monday to Friday, at 16 was thrilling but tiring. Our days in the kitchen started at 9am and finished at 5pm each day. I would then go and work in a kitchen as a paid chef from 6pm-10pm.
Weekends were a no-go. I would then work from 6.30am to 10pm every other weekend and study on alternate weekends. Welcome to the real life of a chef. Or lack of.
During my time at Westminster, I had opportunities to work at the Dorchester Hotel, Hilton Park Lane, City Rhodes, Houses of Commons and Marco Pierre White’s, Belvedere.
This experience helped a team of 6 chefs win the country's biggest catering competition, Toque D’or.
Daniel Welstead Plant Based Vegan Personal Trainer in Sevenoaks