Mushroom-Walnut Spread

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Totally retro, we’re taking you on a trip back in time with this tasty spread. You don’t need to serve it from a hostess trolley with Demis Roussos records playing in the background, but we won’t judge you if you do.

Ingredients

1 leek, sliced
1 small red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
300g button mushrooms, chopped
20g dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted; save the soaking water
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley
1 tbsp yellow miso
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

Method

1. Heat a nonstick pan over a medium low heat. Add the leeks and red onion, and sauté until just starting to colour.
2. Add both kinds of mushrooms and the soaking water, nutmeg, cloves, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms are soft and the liquid has evaporated.
3. Transfer to a blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
4. Transfer to a ramekin and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until set.

Sweet and Crunchy Speedy Walnut Salad

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Who says salads have to be boring? With lots of interesting, complementary textures, plenty of sweetness, and a hint of acidity to balance it all out, this one is most certainly not. This recipe serves four, and is perfect for those who insist that they can’t cook.

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain all-plant yoghurt
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
Zest and juice 1 small lemon
1 tsp maple syrup
2 apples, cored and chopped
4 stalks celery, diced
24 seedless grapes (any colour or a mix), halved
1/4 cup golden raisins
20 walnut halves, toasted and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix the yoghurt, parsley, lemon zest, and maple syrup. Season to taste.
2. In a large bowl, toss the apples in the lemon juice. Add all other ingredients apart from the walnuts, and toss.
3. Mix the dressing through the salad. Top with walnuts and serve.

Bibimbap-Inspired Nourish Bowl

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Although there are many parts to this dish, don’t let that put you off: you don’t have to make a nourish bowl out of the recipes below; instead, you can make these elements as sides over several days or weeks, or just try the one that you fancy. Each one is relatively easy to make. Pictured, clockwise from 12 o’clock, are kimchi, carrot-daikon pickle, mustard-pickled cucumber, red bell pepper, tamari mushrooms, chilli sautéed courgette, garlic-ginger tempeh, baby spring onions, garlic-sautéd spinach. In the centre is sushi rice topped with sea salad flakes and sesame seeds, and miso-sriracha sauce. Serves 2.

Ingredients

Suitable-for-vegan kimchi
1 cup sushi rice, rinsed well and cooked according to package directions
1 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
4 baby spring onions, in matchsticks (2 regular spring onions will do)
1 red bell pepper, in strips
Generous few pinches of sea vegetable flakes of your choice
1 tsp sesame oil

Garlic-Ginger Tempeh
250g block frozen tempeh
1 heaped tsp ginger
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
pinch chilli flakes

Carrot-Daikon Pickle
2 carrots, shredded
5g dried daikon, reconstituted in hot water for 5 minutes, and squeezed of water
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
Pinch salt
½ tsp garlic granules

Mustard-Pickled Cucumber
1 cucumber, shredded
2 tbsp cider or rice vinegar
2 tsp maple syrup
Generous pinch mustard seeds
Generous pinch turmeric

Chilli-Sautéed Courgette (Zucchini)
1 courgette/zucchini, shredded
1 tsp soy sauce
Generous pinch chilli flakes
1 clove garlic, minced

Tamari Mushrooms
300g mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp tamari
1/2 tsp garlic granules
Pinch ginger

Garlic-Sautéed Spinach
250g baby spinach leaves
1 inch piece ginger, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced

Miso-Sriracha Sauce
2 heaped tbsp genmai miso
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tbsp sriracha
Enough water to get to desired consistency

Method

1. Steam the tamari for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, dice into cubes. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the garlic-ginger tempeh ingredients in a shallow bowl. Toss in the cubes of tempeh and leave to marinade for 20 minutes.
2. Prepare the sushi rice according to package directions.
3. Mix the carrot-daikon pickle ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Mix the mustard-pickled cucumber ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
5. Preheat a nonstick pan over a medium heat. In a small bowl, mix the chilli-sautéed courgette ingredients. In another, mix the tamari mushroom ingredients. Pick up the courgette with your hands, allowing most of the liquid to run back into the bowl through your fingers. Sauté in the pan for just a minute or two until softened. Return to the bowl with the liquid, and keep warm. Wipe out the pan, and do the same with the mushrooms; then repeat for the spinach, keeping each vegetable warm in its own bowl.
6. Wipe out the pan once more, add the sesame oil, and allow to heat. Fry the tempeh until golden.
7. Mix the sauce ingredients, tasting and adjusting the flavour as desired.
8. Arrange the sautéed spinach, kimchi, carrot-daikon pickle, mustard-pickled cucumber, red pepper strips, tamari mushrooms, chilli-sautéed courgette, garlic-ginger tempeh and baby spring onions around the sushi rice. Top the rice with toasted sesame seeds, sea vegetables, and a little of the sauce. Stir everything together to serve, or eat as is.

Five-Minute Oat Flatbread

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Simple, quick, tasty, and extremely inexpensive: what more could you ask for in a flatbread? This uses aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chickpeas), which is a superb binder in cakes, and a lovely coating to help your spices stick to oil-free oven fries.

Ingredients

100g oats (blended to a flour if you have a blender; left whole if not)
1/4 cup aquafaba
1 tsp each garlic powder and smoked paprika

Directions

1. Mix the oats, spices, and aquafaba.
2. Add extra water if needed to make a sticky dough that you can form into a ball with a fork (the consistency doesn’t really matter here; you can make these very loose like pancakes, or very firm like patties).
3. Preheat a nonstick pan over a medium heat, divide the mix into two, and place in the pan. If you’ve got a firmer mix, you may need to flatten it out with the back of a spatula.
4. Fry for 2-3 minutes each side until the dough is set and lightly golden.

Sweet Potato Banana Bliss

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A sweet and nutritious breakfast that’s well worth getting up for. Serves 2.

Ingredients

250g peeled and cooked sweet potatoes
1 banana
100ml soy (or other plant) milk
150g frozen berries, defrosted
50g oats

Method

1. Blend the sweet potato, banana, and soy milk.
2. Sprinkle the oats across the bottom of a small bowl. Pour over the sweet potato mixture. Leave to soak for 15 minutes.
3. Serve with frozen berries.

Mexican Beans and Rice

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Ideal for packed lunches, this is a budget recipe that cooks up relatively quickly and serves 4.

Ingredients

250g rice, uncooked (produces 500g cooked rice)
2 x 400g cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 carrots, finely diced
100g frozen peas
100g frozen sweetcorn
80g cabbage (we used the tough outer leaves of our sweetheart cabbage), finely shredded
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
150g salsa
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Cook the rice according to the packet directions.
2. Meanwhile, steam or boil the carrots, cabbage, frozen peas, and sweetcorn, until done to your liking. We added the kidney beans too, because sometimes those in tins can be slightly undercooked.
3. Add the cooked vegetables, beans, and cherry tomatoes to a large frying pan or saucepan with the water/broth, salsa, and garlic powder. Cook until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened (about 5 minutes).
4. Serve the rice with the bean and vegetable mix.

Smoky Maple Jackfruit

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This is a flavoursome side, and also makes for an interesting sandwich filling (try it with some rocket and sliced apple or pear). You can find young green jackfruit in brine or water (not syrup) in a can in your local Asian store.

Ingredients

2 x 280g cans (drained weight) young, green jackfruit in brine or water, drained and well rinsed
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp vegetable broth
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven for 220C. Steam or boil the jackfruit for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the ingredients in a shallow baking dish.
3. When the jackfruit is cooked, pull it apart with a fork, and set the seeds aside for eating on their own later.
4. Toss the jackfruit in the marinade.
5. Bake in the baking dish for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Strawberry-Chocolate Parfait

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Although this breakfast seems decadent, it takes under 10 minutes to prepare and will make enough for 4-6 servings. The strawberry cream, chocolate cream, and granola keep well in the fridge in separate containers. This is “technically” breakfast because it’s full of fruit and cereal, but it also makes a really delicious dessert.

Ingredients

2 cups frozen strawberries (or substitute with other frozen fruit, if you prefer)
2 tbsp + 1 tbsp maple syrup
2 cups suitable-for-vegan muesli or granola
300g silken tofu (available in your health-food shop, or in the Japanese aisle of your supermarket)
1 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 pear per serving, chopped

Directions

1. Place the strawberries and 2 tbsp maple syrup in a bowl in the microwave and zap for 2 minutes, until the strawberries start to thaw and soften. If you have got a microwave, you can use a saucepan over a medium-low heat.
2. Meanwhile, in a frying pan over a medium heat, toast the muesli until golden brown (2-3 minutes).
3. Transfer the strawberries to the blender with the tofu and lime juice, and blend until smooth.
4. Remove half of the strawberry mix and set aside. To the rest, add the cocoa powder, the peanut butter, and the remaining 1 tbsp maple syrup. Blend again.
5. Layer a glass or bowl with alternating layers of pear, strawberry cream, muesli, and chocolate cream.Top with some granola, and some more chopped frozen strawberries.

Tomato, Butterbean, and Kale Soup

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This thick and rich soup is full of interesting textures from the kale and the beans. It serves 4.

Ingredients
1 large onion, medium dice
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup suitable-for-vegans vegetable broth, stock, or water
500 ml tomato juice
2 x 400g tins tomatoes
2 tsp suitable-for-vegans sugar
1 tbsp Italian herbs
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 cups kale, tightly packed
1 can butterbeans, drained and rinsed

Directions

1. Heat a large stainless steel soup pot over a medium-low heat. Add the onions and dry sauté, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes until nicely caramelised. Add the garlic and sauté for a further 30 seconds.
2. Deglaze the pan with the broth or water.
3. Add everything else but the kale and butterbeans, bring to a boil, and turn off the heat.
4. Blend the soup until smooth.
5. Add the kale and beans, bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Season with cracked black pepper, sea salt, and some chopped basil or parsley.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad

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A relatively easy salad with wonderful textures, this serves one as a main course or two as a side. Great for packed lunches, but pack the dressing separately so that the lettuce doesn’t become soggy.

250g baked and cooled sweet potato, cubed
1/4 cup cooked black beans
5 leaves romaine/cos lettuce, shredded
2 scallions/spring onions/green onions, diced
2 tbsp unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled
1 tsp each toasted sesame and pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
2 tbsp dressing of choice (e.g. Miso-Ginger dressing)

Directions
1. Add the romaine lettuce to a large bowl. Top with sweet potato. Sprinkle over black beans, scallions, nuts, seeds.
2. Top with dressing. Toss, and sprinkle with nutritional yeast.