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Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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Want an easy sandwich filling? Try this Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Date and Mustard Dressing quick and cheap dish.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
2 tbsp sweetcorn
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
Suitable-for-vegans bread

For the Dressing: 
1/2 cup soy yoghurt (I used sweetened; if you have plain, you can use that too)
1 tbsp suitable-for-vegans Dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp miso paste
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion granules
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 
1. Lightly mash the chickpeas. Mix with the sweetcorn and tomatoes. 
2. Mix all of the dressing ingredients. 
3. Mix about 2/3 of the dressing, or more if you desire, into the chickpea mix. Season to taste. Serve.

Soured Tofu Dip

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Don’t be put off by the mention of “sour” in the title. This is adequately balanced by both sweet and salty notes. Perfect for tacos, nachos, wraps, in soups and stews, and it will show you just how versatile tofu can be.

Ingredients

1 block silken tofu (approx. 350g; more or less than this is fine)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp maple syrup
Generous pinch salt

Directions

Blend everything together. Season to taste, and enjoy.

Consider varying this recipe up with the addition of some herbs or garlic (or both!)

Creamy Macadamia Salad Dressing

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A good dressing can transform even the most basic of salads. This is particularly delicious with a range of roasted and cooled vegetables (sweet potatoes, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and even some roasted chickpeas) or with a very simple salad of a crispy lettuce like cos or romaine, red onions, bell peppers, and cucumber. It’s oil-free and with a good balance of sweet and umami to complement almost any savoury flavours or to cool down spicy food.

Ingredients

1/2 cup macadamia nuts, soaked in boiling water overnight, or boiled in a saucepan full of water for 15 minutes
1/4 cup plain all-plant (e.g. soy or coconut) yoghurt
1/4 cup all-plant milk
1/4 cup water
1 tsp suitable-for-vegans Dijon mustard
1 tsp white wine or cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions

Drain the macadamia nuts and add to the blender with the other ingredients. Blend until smooth, adding a little extra water if needed to make the dressing smooth (this will depend on the speed of your blender).

Tofu Ranch Dip or Dressing

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A creamy, cool dip that’s perfect with sticky BBQ cauliflower bites, or thinned out further and served as a salad dressing.

Ingredients

1 pack firm silken tofu
2 tsp garlic granules
2 tsp onion granules
1 tsp dried dill
1 tbsp cider or rice vinegar
1 tbsp pickle brine (optional)
2 tsp maple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
Soy milk, or other all-plant milk, to thin as desired

Method

Whizz all of the ingredients in a food processor, scraping down the sides as necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings as required.

Miso-Carrot Dipping Sauce

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A simple, budget recipe that’s great fun for children, and very versatile. It can be used as a spread, or even a sauce for pasta or vegetables. This recipe makes a large batch, but it keeps in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed container.

Ingredients

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 heaped tbsp yellow miso
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp yellow or Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes and carrots together until the potatoes are tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
2. Place all of the ingredients into a blender with 3/4-1 cup of the cooking liquid until you achieve the desired consistency.

Creamy Potato Dressing

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This oil-free dressing is incredibly cheap and easy to make, and it’s a fantastic spread for sandwiches, dressing for potato salad or a dip for french fries, if you like potatoes with your potatoes. You can vary it by adding some sriracha for a spicy dip; 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley and 1 tsp garlic powder for a garlicky version; or even some smoked paprika for a smoky dip. This recipe makes 2 jars’ worth, so scale it down if desired. Because there is no oil, it will separate when stored, so just stir it back together again.

Ingredients

500g potatoes, peeled, boiled and cooled
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
3/4-1 cup water

Method

Blend all ingredients in the blender, adding the water a little at a time until you like the consistency. The dressing will thicken in the fridge.

Rainbow Grainbowl with Balsamic Maple Mustard Dressing

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A flavoursome and filling main dish that serves 2.

Ingredients

For the grainbowl

2 carrots, grated
1/4 red cabbage, grated
1 parsnip, grated
1 red onion, finely shredded
1/4 cucumber, finely sliced
1/2 red pepper, finely sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, finely sliced
1 avocado, sliced
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
1 cup cold leftover grains (e.g. spelt, buckwheat, rice, quinoa)
4 large handfuls salad greens (e.g. rocket, spinach, watercress)

For the dressing

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp suitable-for-vegans Dijon Mustard

Method

1. Layer the base of a bowl with salad greens.
2. Top with the shredded and sliced vegetables, with the avocado and seeds on top.
3. Sprinkle grains over.
4. Mix all dressing ingredients. Serve with salad as desired.

Miso-Ginger Salad Dressing

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You may not have tried miso before, but its flavour is delicious, it’s incredibly rich, and it adds beautiful umami notes (with a hint of sweetness) to dishes. Because it’s fermented, it’s supportive of a healthy gut. You can find miso in the Japanese section of your supermarket, in your local Asian market, or in a health food store.

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced
3cm piece ginger, minced
1 shallot or 2 tsp red onion, minced
2 tbsp lime juice
2 cups cooked white beans, or one can, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp white miso paste
3 tbsp maple syrup or other suitable-for-vegan liquid sweetener
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2-1 cup water, or amount needed to thin to desired consistency

Method

Purée everything in in a blender or food processor. Cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Sesame seed aoili

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Shown here with a pinch of smoked paprika and herbes de Provence, this is a simple, flavourful alternative for those moments when you just want a little spread for your sandwich or to add a little extra flavour and body to salad dressings. No need to blend up a block of tofu or try to get soy mik and a cup of oil to emulsify.

Ingredients
2T sesame seed butter (as opposed to tahini — I use a fairly traded brand)
2T unsweetened soy milk
1T white pickling vinegar (or to taste)
1t lemon juice
1/2t fresh garlic, minced
1/4t coarse sea salt
1-3t cold water
Coarse sea salt to taste

Optional: Add red Thai chili, more garlic, black pepper, fresh tarragon, basil, dill, dried herbs,ginger, black salt, turmeric, nutritional yeast, curry powder, toasted sesame oil, za’atar spice mix, or any number of other flavours. Replace the sesame butter with cashew butter for something a little sweeter.

Note: Pickling vinegar is normally double strength white vinegar. You can use regular white vinegar, but you may need additional seed butter (and skip the water) to balance it out in terms of flavour and consistency. Other plant milks — even water should work, but depending on what you use, colour, consistency, keep time may all vary.

Directions
Mix the sesame seed butter with the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, and soy milk until the sesame thickens and becomes fluffy. This will take a minute or so of mixing. The sesame will change colour and become smooth and creamy. You can also blend the mixture with the garlic as well (garlic is an emulsifying agent). I usually don’t bother with a quantity this small. Add the coarse sea salt and 1t cold water, and mix.

At this point, the flavor will be quite sharp. Add any additional flavours you like, stir to combine, and then let stand at least 5 minutes. Add cold water 1 teaspoon at a time till you get the consistency and flavour that suits your. If you make it too thin or you find the taste too sharp, add additional sesame seed butter and continue to adjust — although the flavour will mellow with more stand time and it will further thicken if refrigerated.