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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.

Creamy Polenta with Red Wine Mushrooms

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A comforting and rich dish, this Creamy Polenta with Red Wine Mushrooms is great for entertaining, but easy enough for a decadent-tasting meal for two.

Ingredients:
For the Polenta:
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups soy milk
1 tbsp herbes de provence, crumbled
1 cup polenta (or cornmeal)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Mushrooms:
1 red onion, finely sliced
350g mushrooms, sliced (I used 250g chestnut and 100g shiitake)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup suitable-for-vegans red wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
1 heaped tsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed to a smooth paste with a little cold water
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Add the vegetable broth and soy milk to a large saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the herbes de provence. Sprinkle in the polenta, whisking vigorously as you go (there’s no need for the water to be boiling or even warm to start polenta).
2. As soon as the polenta starts to spit, reduce the heat to low. Stir occasionally until the polenta starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Add the nutritional yeast, if using, and season to taste.
3. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms and the onion until the liquid released from the mushrooms is reabsorbed. Add the garlic and stir for a few seconds before stirring in the wine. Mix in the tomato purée and thyme and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cornflour mixture and allow to thicken. Season with black pepper.
4. Serve the mushrooms on top of the polenta, garnished with a little parsley 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.

Sticky BBQ Cauliflower Bites

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A simple budget recipe that’s a great way to sneak vegetables into those who are somewhat reluctant to eat them, but also a real treat for everyone else.

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1-1.25 cups water
1 large head cauliflower, cut into evenly sized florets
1 cup barbecue sauce

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C. Lay a silicone mat or parchment paper on a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt and pepper together.
3.Whisk the water into the flour, starting with 1 cup and adding extra if needed. You should have a thick, pancake-like batter without lumps.
4. Dip each cauliflower floret into the batter to coat evenly, before shaking off excess. Place the florets on baking tray. Reserve any remaining batter.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, and then flip. Cover any gaps in the batter with the reserved batter, and bake for another 10 minutes.
6. Remove cauliflower from oven, brush with barbecue sauce, flip and brush the other sides. Bake for 10 minutes more.
7. Serving suggestion: mashed potato and a suitable-for-vegan dip.