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Slow-Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes

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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).

Italian-Inspired Chickpea Salad

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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).

Giant Couscous Salad with Dijon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

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The finely chopped vegetables in this salad mean that the flavours of each meld better. The addition of dried fruit creates an interesting contrast with the peppery rocket. This serves 2 as a lunch or 4 as a side.

Ingredients

For the Salad

150g giant couscous, cooked according to package directions and allowed to cool*
100g bell peppers, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
50g sugarsnap peas, finely sliced
6 grape tomatoes, quartered
4 baby beetroot, cooked, and finely diced
30g dried apricots, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped

For the Dressing
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp suitable-for-vegans Dijon mustard
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water

To serve

Rocket
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Mix all salad ingredients together.
2. Mix all dressing ingredients together.
3. Serve the salad on a bed of rocket with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour over the dressing to taste.

*If you can’t find giant couscous, use regular.

Spinach and Basil Orzo Stew

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A 20-minute easy meal with a side of sweet roasted tomatoes; you’ll be glad you made this when you see how little washing-up there is. It serves 2-3.

Ingredients

250g cherry tomatoes on the vine
1 yellow pepper, medium dice
2 tsp Italian herbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, fine dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
250g orzo
3 cups vegetable stock
1 x 400g can tomatoes
100g baby spinach
½ tsp suitable-for-vegans sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
15 g basil leaves, torn

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 220C. Line a baking tray with a silicone sheet. Toss 125g of the tomatoes and yellow pepper in 1 tbsp vegetable broth, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of Italian herbs. Transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Remove the yellow peppers after 15 minutes, and roast the tomatoes for 5 minutes more.
2. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion over a medium-low heat for 2 minutes until just softened. Add the garlic for 30 seconds more, and deglaze the pot with about 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth. Add the orzo, the rest of the broth, the remaining de-vined tomatoes, the canned tomatoes, the sugar, and the balsamic vinegar, and simmer 8-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until cooked.
3. Stir in the spinach, yellow pepper, and basil until the spinach is wilted. Serve with the roasted tomatoes.

Griddled Vegetable Sandwich

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Full of everyone’s favourite vegetables, this recipe makes two full sandwiches and takes under 15 minutes.

Ingredients

For the baste

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp suitable-for-vegans wholegrain mustard
1 clove garlic, minced

For the griddling vegetables

3 small mushrooms, sliced
1/2 courgette/zucchini, in thin slices lengthwise
1 bell pepper, deseeded and in quarters
1/2 small aubergine/eggplant, in thin rounds

For everything else

4 slices suitable-for-vegans wholemeal bread
Mixed greens (kale, spinach, lettuce, etc.)
2 heaped tbsp hummus
2 heaped tsp red onion relish
2 thin slices red onion, in rings

Directions

1. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat, or preheat a health grill.
2. Mix the basting ingredients.
3. Place the prepared vegetables on a plate and baste their top sides. Transfer them to the grill or griddle pan, basted side down, and baste on the other side.
4. If using a health grill, close the lid until the vegetables are cooked (approximately 5 minutes). If using a griddle pan, cook until starting to colour underneath, flip, and cook on the other side.
5. Meanwhile, toast the bread on one side only.
6. When the bread is toasted and the vegetables cooked, spread the hummus on the toasted sides of the bread. On two slices of the bread, layer on the greens, griddled vegetables, and red onion. These will be the bases of your sandwiches.
7. On the remaining slices of bread, spread some of the relish; these will be the tops of your sandwiches. Place the relish-spread bread on top of the sandwiches, untoasted-side-up. Return the sandwich to the griddle pan or health grill to toast the untoasted sides.