Irish Colcannon

Colcannon is an Irish staple that can be cooked with either kale or cabbage, and it can be served as a a side or a main dish. This version is easy, cheap, quick, and nutritious. It serves 4 as a side.

Ingredients:
5 medium potatoes
100g kale, finely chopped
1 bunch scallions (green onions), green and white parts minced
Plenty of minced, fresh parsley
2 tbsp all-plant milk (I used soya) or cooking water
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Optional additions:
suitable-for-vegans mustard
or
suitable-for-vegans horseradish
or
nutritional yeast

Directions:
1. Add the potatoes and kale to a large pot with plenty of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender (ours took 12 minutes).
2. Drain the potatoes and kale and return to the pot over a very low heat for a few seconds just to remove any excess liquid.
3. Mash the potatoes with the all-plant milk (using a little more if necessary). Mix in the scallions and parsley, season to taste (add in one of the optional ingredients, if desired), and serve.

Sweetcorn and Chickpea Fritters

The best thing about these easy fritters is that you you can change the flavour profile easily by adding different combinations of spices. The recipe calls for a food processor, but you can easily make these with a masher instead. This recipe makes 8 fritters.

Ingredients:
285g (drained weight) sweetcorn
240g (drained weight) cooked chickpeas
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp water
6 tbsp gram flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp white pepper

Directions:
1. Pulse (or mash) the sweetcorn and chickpeas until most are mashed but there are still some chunky bits.
2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients (the mix may be wetter than you imagine; trust me!).
3. Heat a frying pan over a medium-low heat and lightly brush with oil or spritz with spray oil.
4. Take 1/4 cup of the mixture and place it in the pan, pressing down to flatten. Repeat until you have four fritters in the pan. Cook 3 minutes, flip, and cook 3 minutes more.
5. Keep warm while you cook the rest of the fritters.
6. Serve with a sauce of your choice if desired.

Slow-Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes

Intensely sweet, these flavourful tomatoes are easy to prepare, and they make a wonderful addition to salads, sandwiches, or can be eaten on their own as a tasty snack.

Preheat an oven to 120C, line a baking tray with a silicone sheet, and halve as many tomatoes as you wish to roast–we used cherry and plum tomatoes here. Toss the tomatoes in a bowl with a tsp balsamic vinegar, and a generous helping of freshly ground black pepper, salt, and crumbled dried oregano. Place onto the tray in a single layer, cut-side up, and roast for 2-3 hours (depending on size and thickness of tomatoes; the cherry tomatoes took 2 hours).

Peanut-Butter Chocolate Energy Balls

These sweets are just as delicious and moreish as chocolate truffles but far less processed and very quick to make. They make a fantastic pick-me-up after a workout, or are delicious with a cuppa as a sweet treat.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dates
1/4 cup pecans
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
Coconut flakes, ground almonds, or crushed pecans for dusting, if desired

Directions:
1. Process all the dates and pecans in food processor until very fine.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, and process further to combine.
3. Roll into small balls, roll in the coconut/ground almonds/crushed pecans, and refrigerate for 30 minutes for best results (although you should probably eat one while you wait for “research” purposes).

Twice-Baked Tempeh Potatoes with Red Pepper Sesame Sauce

These potatoes are a fusion of textures from the creamy potato filling to the crispy skins. This recipe serves 2 hungry people as a main, or 4-8 as a side.

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes
2 tbsp suitable-for-vegans hummus
3 tbsp soy milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
150g ready-to-eat (steamed and marinated) tempeh, finely diced
2 green onions, finely diced
2 tbsp fresh, minced parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Red Pepper Sauce:
1 red pepper, roughy chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 heaped tsp suitable-for-vegans Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, and bake for 60 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by blending all ingredients.
3. Allow to cool, halve, and scoop out the filling. Mash with the hummus, soy milk, garlic powder, nutritional yeast. Stir through the green onions, tempeh, and parsley. Season, and return the filling to the shells. Spoon about a tsp sauce over each potato half, and bake in the oven for 15 more minutes.

Italian-Inspired Chickpea Salad

An incredibly bold and lively Italian-Inspired Chickpea Salad from Frances McCormack, this takes just minutes to make andis served with a Wholegrain Mustard and Balsamic Dressing. Packed with flavour, this makes a great sandwich spread or topping for a bed of greens. Serves 1 as a large salad, or 2 as a side or sandwich spread.

Ingredients:
For the salad
1 can chickpeas, drained and minced
1 roasted red pepper (I used one from a jar), finely diced
3 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
8 black olives, finely chopped
Large bunch basil, chiffonaded

For the dressing
1 tbsp suitable-for-vegans wholegrain mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Mash the chickpeas. Mix with all of the salad ingredients.
2. Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Season to taste.
3. Toss the salad with the dressing, a little at a time, tasting as you go (I used all of the dressing, but I like bold flavours).

Crustless Tofu and Vegetable Tart

Bound to be a winner for lunch or breakfast, this tart is sett on the outside and slightly creamy inside. It’s filled with vegetables and potatoes for for plenty of colour, texture, and flavour.

Ingredients:

For the Vegetables:
2 medium potatoes, peeled and finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely diced
10 black olives, finely chopped
1 bunch asparagus, in 1 inch pieces
4 green onions (scallions) chopped
1 cup spinach, minced
1 bunch basil, minced

For the Tofu:
400g tofu, drained and pressed
2 tsp onion granules
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 cup aquafaba (liquid from can of chickpeas)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 heaped tbsp yellow miso
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp chickpea flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Oil a loose-bottomed cake tin.
2. Sauté the potatoes until browned. I used the air fryer at 200C for 15 minutes, tossing midway through.
3. Add the potatoes and vegetables to a large bowl.
4. Mix the tofu ingredients in a food processor. Stir into the vegetables and mix well to combine.
5. Transfer the mixture to the cake tin, and even off the top. Sprinkle with plenty of black pepper.
6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake 40-50 minutes more, or until set (check with a knife inserted into the centre; there will be a little residue on the knife, but the tart shouldn’t be too wet). Serve and enjoy.

Broccoli with Hazelnuts

Quick, easy, and incredibly delicious, this serves 4 as a side.

Ingredients:
1 head broccoli, cut into florets (save the stem for salads or stir-fry)
1/4 cup hazelnuts
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:
1. Lay the hazelnuts on a baking tray. Place in an oven heated to 170C for about 10 minutes, or until golden.
2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a simmer. Add the broccoli and cook 4-5 minutes until done to your liking. Drain, and run under cold water to stop further cooking.
3. Remove hazelnuts from oven, place into a tea towel, and rub to remove the skins. Allow to cool until suitable to handle, and then roughly chop.
4. Toss the broccoli with nuts, ginger, chilli flakes, and soy sauce in the pot to heat through.

Ginger-Miso Cabbage Salad

Perfect for packed lunches or picnics, this is even easier to put together if you can use the shredding attachment on a food processor.

Salad:
200g red cabbage, shredded
150g white cabbage, shredded
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
1 large carrot, shredded
2 tbsp golden raisins or cranberries
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted in a frying pan until golden

Dressing:
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
pinch dried ginger
1 heaped tsp yellow miso

Directions:
1. Mix all of the salad ingredients.
2. Mix all of the dressing ingredients.
3. Mix the dressing into the salad.

Vegan Sushi

You won’t believe how easy this is to make until you try it. If you’re not used to rolling sushi, we recommend you watch an online tutorial.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups sushi rice
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
large pinch salt
1/4 cucumber, cut into batons
1 carrot, cut into batons
1 bell pepper, any colour, cut into batons
4 sheets roasted nori

Directions:
1. Cook the rice according to package directions.
2. Heat the rice vinegar, maple syrup, and salt in a small saucepan until combined.
3. Lay a sheet of nori on a clean kitchen towel, shiny side down. Wet a spatula and layer rice evenly across the nori, leaving an inch of nori free from rice at the top edge.
4. Make a line each of carrot, cucumber, and bell pepper down the middle of the nori.
5. Use a towel to roll the sushi tightly from the bottom up. Wet the top edge with a pastry brush dipped in water, and seal.
6. Cut with a sharp knife, wetting it between cuts.