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Onigirazu

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This is the perfect lunchbox food. Try it if you don’t believe us!

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup sushi rice, cooked according to package directions
100g mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 spring onion, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/4 red bell pepper (if following the plan, then take the slice from from the side of the pepper and leave the rest of the pepper uncut; we’ll be using it tomorrow), sliced thinly
4-5 sheets nori

Optional: 
2 tbsp vinegar (rice vinegar, preferably, but cider is also acceptable)
1 tbsp liquid sweetener (we used maple syrup)
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
Sweet chilli sauce
Soy sauce

Method: 
1. If you wish to season the cooked rice, heat together the vinegar, sweetener, and salt. Stir through. 
2. To cook the mushrooms, fry over a low heat with the garlic until the liquid that they release has been evaporated. You can also add ginger and some soy sauce if desired. 
3. To assemble the onigirazu, lay a sheet of nori on a piece of cling film. Spread with a little sweet chilli sauce if desired (although they taste great without!)
4. Moisten hands to put a square of rice in the middle of the nori. Top the rice with some of the cooked mushrooms, carrot, spring onion, avocado, and bell pepper. 
5. To fold, bring opposite corners in to just past the centre point, keeping the parcel nice and tight. Repeat with the remaining two corners. 
6. Wrap the parcel in cling film and leave for a few minutes to allow the nori to soften. 
7. To serve the onigirazu, cut through the centre with a sharp knife, cutting through the cling film. 
8. Unwrap to serve, and enjoy.

Two-Tone Pepper Soup

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This fun talking-point for guests is simple to make, and great fun to eat. It serves 4, and you can choose whatever colour peppers you like. We’ve chosen green and yellow for the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 green bell peppers, roughly chopped
4 yellow bell peppers, roughly chopped
1.2-1.6l vegetable broth

Directions:
1. Preheat two saucepans over medium-low heat. Divide the onions and celery between the two and sauté until the onion starts to become translucent. Add the garlic, and sauté for 15 seconds.
2. Add the green peppers to one saucepan and the yellow peppers to the other. Add enough broth to cover, and bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the ingredients of the saucepan containing the yellow peppers to a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a jug. Repeat with the saucepan containing the green peppers, and transfer to a separate jug.
4. Pour from both jugs into a bowl at the same time and at the same speed to keep the colours of the soup separate. Season to taste, and enjoy.

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).

Crustless Tofu and Vegetable Tart

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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.

Vegan Sushi

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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.

Macaroni and Bell Pepper Sauce

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This is a deliciously umami yet sweet dish that’s got all of the flavour of comfort food with minimally processed ingredients and no oil! It’s incredibly quick to make the sauce–just blend and heat. Serves 2.

Ingredients
250g broccoli, steamed
200g macaroni, cooked according to package directions
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 large cloves garlic
1 tbsp miso paste
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cornflour or corn starch
1/4 cup water

Directions
1. Blend all of the ingredients apart from the broccoli and macaroni.
2. Add the blended sauce to the cooked pasta and broccoli. Heat gently until the sauce has thickened.
3. Serve.

Moroccan-Spiced Hummus

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This beautifully vibrant hummus is a breeze to make, incredibly tasty, and inexpensive if you have a well-stocked spice cabinet.

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas
1 red pepper
1/2 red onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried mint
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp tahini

Directions

Blend all of the ingredients, adding a little extra water if necessary to reach desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Because this hummus is oil-free, it may separate in the fridge. Just stir it all back together.

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.

Cranberry-Stuffed Marrow with Tahini-Miso Dressing

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A delicately flavoured recipe, lifted by a zingy umami dressing and the addition of dried cranberries to the stuffing. This serves 2.

Ingredients

For the Marrow

1 marrow
1 tsp oil (I used rice bran oil)
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped almonds, toasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries
100g couscous, cooked according to package directions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Dressing

1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp yellow miso
2 tbsp warm water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the marrow in half lengthways. Score each half about 3/4 way through lengthways and then widthways. Scoop out the cubes of marrow and set aside. Place the marrow in a roasting dish and cover with aluminium foil. Roast for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium low heat. Add the onion, peppers, and the marrow chunks. Cook until the onions and peppers are lightly softened. Add the almonds, cranberries, and couscous.
3. When the marrow is roasted, remove the foil and stuff with the pepper-couscous filling. Cover again with foil and return to the oven for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together with a fork. Serve the marrow with a generous amount of dressing.

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.