Speedy Chana Saag

/in , , , , , , , /by

Perfect for novice cooks, this meal is warming, nutritious, and ready in just a matter of minutes. If you wish, you can cook the tomato sauce for longer to reduce it, but it’s delicious as it is.

Ingredients
1 cup vegetable broth
3 cups baby spinach
400g can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 cup suitable-for-vegans tomato sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp onion granules
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp curry powder (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp turmeric
Pinch ground ginger

Directions
1. Place all ingredients into a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Heat over a low heat, stirring frequently, until spinach is wilted and curry is heated through.
3. Season to taste with salt, lime juice, and extra spices if desired.

Marinated Aubergine and Pear Sandwich

/in , , , , /by

Balancing the savoury marinade of the aubergine with the sweetness of the pear, this dish takes under 15 minutes, since it has all of the flavour of the marinating process without the time outlay. Serves 2.

Ingredients

For the Marinade

2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp suitable-for-vegans BBQ sauce
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp onion granules
1 tsp smoked paprika

For everything else

1 aubergine/eggplant sliced into 1/8-1/4 inch slices
1 long sweet pointed pepper, sliced into strips
1 large handful greens (I used spinach and baby kale)
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 pear, sliced
1 suitable-for-vegans wholegrain demi baguette

Directions

1. Mix the marinade in a shallow bowl.
2. Heat a frying pan to medium low, and fill the bottom with a thin layer of water (or vegetable broth, if desired)–just enough to cover. Place the aubergine slices into the water and allow to soften–about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat a health grill or a griddle pan to high. Chargrill the peppers until lightly blackened in spots and slightly softened. Remove when done, and transfer to a plate–they don’t need to be kept warm.
4. Transfer the aubergine slices to the marinade, toss, and then lift out with a slotted spoon, allowing the excess marinade to drip off. Add to the griddle pan and allow to cook enough to pick up some colour.
5. Halve the demi baguette. Fill with the vegetables, as desired, and enjoy.

Sweet Spinach, Pea, and Basil Smoothie Bowl

/in , , , , /by

A deliciously healthy smoothie bowl made with ingredients that you can find in your local supermarket. Don’t worry; this doesn’t taste like vegetable soup: the flavours of the fruits are dominant.

Ingredients:

For juicing

1/4 cucumber
1 slice pineapple
1 apple
1 kiwi fruit

For blending

2 frozen bananas
Large handful spinach
Large handful frozen peas
Handful oats
15-20 basil leaves

For decorating (suggestion)

Fresh, dried, or frozen fruit
Nuts and seeds
Coconut flakes
Suitable for vegan muesli or granola

Directions:
1. Juice the pineapple, cucumber, apple, and kiwi.
2. Add to the blender with the bananas, spinach, oats, peas and basil. If the mixture is too thin, add more oats or frozen peas. If too thick to blend, add a little more liquid (all-plant milk would be suitable).
3. Pour into a bowl (or two, depending on desired serving size), and serve decorated according to taste.

Simple Silky Greens Soup

/in , , , , , /by

Ideal for novice cooks, this serves 6, and takes under 20 minutes to make.

Ingredients
1 leek, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 head broccoli, in florets
2 courgettes (zucchini), roughly chopped
200g frozen green beans (French beans)
200g frozen garden peas
150g spinach, roughly chopped
1.5 litres vegetable stock
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
Black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Heat a large stock pot over a medium low heat, and sauté the leeks for about 3 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the pepper.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Blend in batches, return to the pot, and season with black pepper (and, if you like, some crispy fried onions and all-plant (e.g. soya, coconut, almond) plain yogurt).

Vegan Jelly Sweets

/in , , , /by

These vegan jelly sweetsare lower in refined sugar than shop-bought versions (although you can increase the sweetener to taste). These use agar (find in your health store in powder or flake form; it’s derived from red algae) to create the gummy texture.

Ingredients:
1 cup orange, cherry, apple, or berry juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
Pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp agar powder, or 4 tbsp agar flakes

Directions:
1. Add the juice, syrup, salt and vanilla essence to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer.
2. Add the agar, and simmer 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until dissolved.
3. Pour the agar mixture into a flat baking dish, or into moulds. Chill for 40 minutes, and then release from the dish and cut into shapes, if desired.

Creamy Cauliflower Pasta Sauce

/in , , , , /by

This inexpensive, oil-free and relatively simple pasta sauce is made of blended cauliflower and beans, and when served with a pasta of your choice, it’s filling but not heavy. It serves 4 people with 125g egg-free dried pasta per person, and vegetables of choice.

Ingredients

400g frozen cauliflower, steamed for 8 minutes or until warmed through and tender
1/2 cup white beans of choice
2 tsp mixed Italian herbs (parsley, rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme)
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
2/3 cup unsalted all-plant milk
1/3 cup cold vegetable broth
1 tbsp yellow miso paste
1 tsp suitable-for-vegans Dijon mustard
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp onion granules
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley to taste, minced

Directions

  1. Blend all ingredients in a jug blender until smooth. Season to taste and blend again.
  2. Add to cooked pasta and vegetables to heat through. Season to taste again, and stir the parsley through.

Oat and Bean Burgers

/in , , , , /by

Once you have a good vegetable burger recipe, you can adjust the flavour profile to your taste. Try changing the herbs and spices in this recipe to create your own flavours: add basil, oregano, sundried tomatoes and even chopped mushrooms for an Italian burger; choose garam masala and curry powder; you can even try fajita spices and serve with salsa. Have fun, experiment, and play around with flavours on top of the base recipe to make this your own. This recipe makes 8 patties.

Ingredients

Base Ingredients
2 x 400g (gross weight) cans cooked beans (I used one can of kidney and one can of cannellini)
1 red onion, quartered
1 red pepper, deseeded and quartered
1 cup oats

Flavourings
1 tbsp suitable-for-vegans Dijon mustard
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp soy sauce
pinch chilli flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C, and line a baking tray with parchment or a silicone sheet. Pulse the beans, onions, and red pepper in a food processor until fine and combined. If you don’t have a food processor, finely dice the onions and pepper, and mash the beans. Combine.
2. Add the oats, and pulse to combine further (or mix by hand). Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add the flavourings suggested above, or experiment and create your own. Try to have about 2-4 tbsp wet ingredients among the flavourings so that the burgers are not dry.
4. Combine all ingredients well, preferably using your hands. Squeeze a handful of the ingredients together: they should hold without crumbling. If your hand is very, very sticky, add some more oats; if the mixture feels too dry, add a little suitable-for-vegans ketchup, mustard, or tomato purée.
5. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, flatten out, and place on the baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake 10 minutes more. Serve in a suitable-for-vegans bun with preferred salad vegetables and sauce of your choice (I have used creamy potato dressing on mine).

Creamy Broccoli Soup

/in , , , , /by

This speedy Creamy Broccoli Soup takes under 20 minutes, is oil-free, and serves 2 (generous portions) and is great for those on a tighter budget. The spices create an interesting flavour profile with just a tiny bit of heat.

Ingredients

1 onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp wholemeal flour
1 large head broccoli, roughly chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp suitable-for-vegans yellow or Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
pinch white pepper

Directions

1. Heat a soup pan or large pot over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, adding a splash or two of water if the vegetables start to stick.
2. Mix the flour with 1/4 cup vegetable broth from the 4 cups. Add to the vegetables and cook stirring, for 1 minute more.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
4. Blend the soup with an immersion blender, or in batches in a jug blender. Season to taste, and adjust the seasoning if desired.

Can’t Cook Baked Beans Two Ways

/in , , , , , /by

Baked beans are a British and Irish lunchtime and breakfast favourite, and this recipe will show you two ways to change the flavour profile to create more variety.

Many brands of canned Irish and British baked beans are suitable for vegans; always check with the manufacturer, and repeat regularly to ensure there have been no recipe changes. Other readers may have more difficulty obtaining suitable-for-vegan baked beans, but the import section in the local supermarket may stock some of the suitable-for-vegan European brands.

Pizza Baked Beans

Ingredients

400g can suitable-for-vegan baked beans
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp yellow miso
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Place the baked beans into a small saucepan over a the lowest heat.
2. Add all ingredients to the beans, and stir through to warm.

Curried Baked Beans

Ingredients

400g can suitable-for-vegan baked beans
1.5 tsp curry powder OR all of the spice mix below

Spice Mix

1/2 tsp onion granules
1/4 tsp ginger
Pinch cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
Pinch chilli powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp garam masala
Salt, to taste

Directions
1. Place the baked beans into a small saucepan over a the lowest heat.
2. Add all ingredients to the beans, and stir through to warm.

Serving suggestion: baked potato and steamed greens, or wholemeal toast.

“But I Can’t Cook” Lentil Bolognese

/in , , , , /by

About 10 minutes to put together. Cheap as chips. If you can open cans and jars and set a kitchen timer, you can make this. Serves 2.

Ingredients

150g dried spaghetti
1 x 400g can green or brown lentils
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp salt (1 tsp for the spaghetti water; 1 tsp for the sauce)
1 tsp maple syrup
A few handfuls of baby spinach

Directions

1. Boil a kettle full of water. Transfer it to a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and sprinkle in one of the tsp of salt. Add the spaghetti, and set the kitchen timer to the time advised on the packet.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to a smaller saucepan. Simmer on low until the spaghetti is cooked.
3. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain.
4. Add the sauce to the spaghetti. Taste, and promise never to tell yourself that you can’t cook again.