Sticky Sriracha-Lime Cauliflower

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Delicious piled high on a wrap with all of your favourite vegetables, these cauliflower bites are intensely flavoursome. This uses a whole cauliflower, and serves 4. The recipe for the minty coconut yogurt dip is below.

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized florets

For the batter:
1 cup flour (I used wholemeal spelt)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion salt
Pinch allspice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup soy (or other all-plant) milk

For the glaze:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp lime pickle
1 tbsp mango chutney
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp maple syrup

For the Minty Coconut Yogurt:
250g all-plant coconut yogurt
1 bunch mint, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C and line a baking tray with a silicone sheet.
2. Mix all of the batter ingredients together. Toss the cauliflower in the batter, spread on the baking tray, and bake 20 minutes, flipping once.
3. Meanwhile, make the glaze by mixing all ingredients together.
4. When the cauliflower has baked for 20 minutes, toss in the glaze. Return to the baking tray and bake for 5 minutes more.
5. Combine all of the minty coconut yogurt ingredients well.
5. Serving suggestion: suitable-for-vegans wholegrain tortilla wrap, Moroccan-Spiced Hummus, lightly sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, and mangetout, steamed kale.

Sri Lankan-style Romano Bean Curry

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This curry is moderately spicy (but can be easily adjusted) and very bright in flavour. It takes under 15 minutes to make and serves 2.

Romano beans are long, flat green beans, but you can substitute them for French green beans, sugar snap peas, mangetout, etc.

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp black onion seeds
6 curry leaves
400ml can coconut milk
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp garlic-ginger paste
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch red chilli flakes
2 tsp hot or medium curry powder
Pinch ground cardamom
1 tsp lemon juice
Pinch suitable-for-vegans sugar
400g Romano beans, topped, tailed, and sliced on the diagonal into 2cm lengths

Directions

  1. In a large, stainless steel pan over a medium-low heat, sauté the onions until starting to soften. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  2. Add the mustard seeds, black onion seeds, and curry powder. Cook until the seeds start to turn fragrant.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, covered for 8 minutes.
  4. Season with salt to taste. Serve with rice, if desired.

Diner-Style Bean Burger with Classic Sauce

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Have a knife and fork, or a stack of napkins, on hand, because this could get messy! This burger serves 2 very hungry people, but if there are sides we’d recommend 4 smaller patties. The fixings are up to you; we went with lettuce, tomato, sauerkraut, pickled cucumber, and lightly fried onion.

For the Burger

Ingredients
1 red onion, finely chopped
180g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 can haricot beans
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp suitable-for-vegans Worcester sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke (or smoked paprika)
1 tbsp herbes de Provence
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp tamari
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

 

Directions
1. Sauté the onion and mushrooms over a medium heat until the onions are lightly caramelised. Add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds.
2. Mash the beans in a large bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients.
3. Form the mixture into patties, wrap in foil, and steam for about 30 minutes.
4. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes more. Fry and serve.

For the Sauce

Ingredients
6 tbsp Creamy Potato Dressing, or other neutral-flavoured creamy vegan sandwich spread
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
3 tbsp suitable-for-vegans ketchup
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
Mix all ingredients. Serve with the burger and enjoy.

Brinjal Bhaji (Aubergine Curry)

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Pleasantly spicy, incredibly fragrant, and full of textural contrasts, this aubergine curry serves 4 with rice.

Ingredients

3 medium aubergines, cubed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black onion seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 red onions, chopped
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp soy sauce
3/4 cup vegetable broth
100g frozen peas
1 tsp garam masala

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with a silicone sheet or baking parchment, and spread the aubergine out in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes, turning once.
2. Meanwhile, preheat a large pot, and add the seeds. When they start to move about, remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Dry-sauté the onion until softened, adding a splash of water if they start to stick. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, and turmeric for 30 seconds more. Stir the seeds back in.
4. Add the tomatoes, soy sauce, vegetable broth, peas, garam masala, and aubergine to the pot. Simmer until the liquid is mostly thick and evaporated and the aubergines are soft.

Sweet Potato Pizza with Barbecue Tempeh and Bean Béchamel

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With a soft and dense base, this isn’t like traditional pizza dough, but it’s filling, satisfying, full of flavour, and probably too nice to share. But if you insist on sharing, this will serve 2.

Ingredients

For the Base

700g sweet potato, peeled, cooked, and cooled until tender
100g rolled oats
100g coarse wholemeal flour (or flour of your choice)
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

For the Béchamel

1 cup white beans (I used butter beans)
11/2 cup soy milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 tbsp yellow miso
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

For the Tempeh

150g tempeh, steamed for 15 minutes, and chopped small
2 tbsp barbecue sauce
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp soy sauce (or to taste)
1 tbsp maple syrup

To assemble

Steamed kale, as desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Line a 9″ dish with silicone or parchment (I used a loose-bottomed flan tin for easy removal).
2. In a food processor, blend the sweet potato. Add the oats, flour, flaxseeds, garlic powder, and salt until potatoes are smooth and all ingredients are well combined.
3. Place the potato mixture into the prepared dish and smooth out. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the top starts to turn golden.
4. Meanwhile, make the béchamel by blending all the ingredients.
5. Mix the barbecue sauce, water, soy sauce, and maple syrup in a shallow dish. Add the tempeh and toss.
6. When the potato is ready, invert onto a baking tray and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes more until what is now the top is lightly golden.
7. Remove from the oven, spread with béchamel, add kale, top with tempeh, and bake for 10 minutes more. Cut and serve.

Cannellini Bean and Red Cabbage Stew

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A simple, budget recipe, bursting with colour, and oil-free, this stew is bound to please. Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 leek, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
250g red cabbage, finely shredded
2 cans tomatoes (400g each)
1 l vegetable stock
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp hot paprika
200g cooked cannellini beans
To garnish, soured tofu

Directions
1. Sweat the leek, garlic, carrots, and celery in a large stock pot over the lowest heat possible for 10 minutes. If they start to stick, add a splash of water.
2. Add the red cabbage, tomatoes, vegetable stock, lemon juice (which serves the function of preventing the cabbage from losing its colour) and paprikas to the pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the carrots are fork tender.
3. Add the beans, and warm through.
4. Serve garnished with some soured tofu, if desired.

Fennel and Mushroom Penne in a Lemon and Garlic Sauce

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Delicately fragrant, vivid, and lively, this comforting gluten-free dish is full of nutrients. Eat your fill!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 leek, finely chopped
250g mushrooms, sliced
1 fennel bulb, quartered and finely sliced
150g tenderstem broccoli (substitute with broccoli florets if tenderstem is hard to find)
5 sage leaves, finely minced
Small bunch each basil and parsley, minced
200g brown rice pasta
2 large handfuls baby spinach

For the sauce

50g white beans of choice
150g silken tofu, drained
Zest 1 lemon
Juice 1/2 lemon
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup unsweetened, unflavoured all-plant milk of choice (soy milk used here)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Steam the fennel and broccoli until just tender (about 5 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid, and rinse to remove the excess starch.
3. Sauté the leeks and mushrooms over a medium heat in a non-stick pan until softened (about 5 minutes). Add the sage.
4. Blend all the sauce ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
5. Add the sauce to the leeks and mushrooms vegetables, thinning out to desired consistency with a little of the reserved cooking water. Toss in the pasta, fennel, and broccoli to warm through.
6. Serve the pasta on a bed of spinach, garnished with a little extra lemon zest, more black pepper, and the minced basil and parsley.

Jewelled Greens and Beans Salad

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A simple, filling, and nutritious salad that’s full of flavour and texture. This would work well with miso-ginger salad dressing or even balsamic vinaigrette.

Ingredients (per serving)

1 cup baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup beans of choice
1 cup steamed broccoli
1 carrot, peeled and cut into strips with the peeler
2 tbsp pomegranate seeds

Directions

Use the spinach as a base, top with the rest of the ingredients, and enjoy.

Speedy Chana Saag

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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

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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.