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Twice-Baked Tempeh Potatoes with Red Pepper Sesame Sauce

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These potatoes are a fusion of textures from the creamy potato filling to the crispy skins. This recipe serves 2 hungry people as a main, or 4-8 as a side.

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes
2 tbsp suitable-for-vegans hummus
3 tbsp soy milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
150g ready-to-eat (steamed and marinated) tempeh, finely diced
2 green onions, finely diced
2 tbsp fresh, minced parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Red Pepper Sauce:
1 red pepper, roughy chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 heaped tsp suitable-for-vegans Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, and bake for 60 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by blending all ingredients.
3. Allow to cool, halve, and scoop out the filling. Mash with the hummus, soy milk, garlic powder, nutritional yeast. Stir through the green onions, tempeh, and parsley. Season, and return the filling to the shells. Spoon about a tsp sauce over each potato half, and bake in the oven for 15 more minutes.

Creamy Cauliflower Pasta Sauce

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This inexpensive, oil-free and relatively simple pasta sauce is made of blended cauliflower and beans, and when served with a pasta of your choice, it’s filling but not heavy. It serves 4 people with 125g egg-free dried pasta per person, and vegetables of choice.

Ingredients

400g frozen cauliflower, steamed for 8 minutes or until warmed through and tender
1/2 cup white beans of choice
2 tsp mixed Italian herbs (parsley, rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme)
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
2/3 cup unsalted all-plant milk
1/3 cup cold vegetable broth
1 tbsp yellow miso paste
1 tsp suitable-for-vegans Dijon mustard
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp onion granules
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley to taste, minced

Directions

  1. Blend all ingredients in a jug blender until smooth. Season to taste and blend again.
  2. Add to cooked pasta and vegetables to heat through. Season to taste again, and stir the parsley through.

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.

Grilled tofu braised in red pepper, cauliflower rosé with red sweet potato and kale colcannon

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A luxurious sauce for tofu that will also work with seitan, mushrooms, as a pasta sauce and other dishes with a reimagination of traditional Irish side dish.

For the tofu
1 block of extra-firm, high quality tofu (approximately 1/2 lb)*
1/4 cup of olive oil
2T of tamari
2T of agave nectar
1T of lemon juice
1T of garlic, minced
1/4t of coarse sea salt

For the sauce
2T of cooking oil
1T of garlic, minced
2 cups of cauliflower florets
1 red pepper, roasted and chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of passata (tomato puree)
2T of nutritional yeast
2T of arrowroot powder whisked with 1/4 cup of water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the colcannon
1 large red sweet potato (about 2 cups)
2T of cooking oil
1/4t – 1/2t coarse sea salt (to your taste)
2 cups of chopped kale
1t of white vinegar
1 scallions minced, leave about 2″ – 3″ of green for garnish

Instructions

Make the tofu and roast the vegetables first. Make the sauce, and then the colcannon.
Slice the tofu length-wise into four pieces.
Press the tofu if you have a press or wrap in a clean kitchen towel and lay something heavy on your tofu (e.g., a cookie sheet and then something heavy to distribute the weight effectively for about 15 – 30 minutes or as directed by your press).
Whisk the marinade ingredients until well-combined.
Then with marinade and marinate covered for at least 30 minutes, turning at least once.**
When ready, remove the tofu from the marinade and preheat the oven to 450F.
Grill the tofu on a clean oven rack for 10 minutes or so each side (if you prefer not to grill directly on a rack, use an oiled cookie sheet).
Look for light grill marks and the tofu will lightly brown). Ovens vary; use the colour as a guide.
Spoon 2t of marinade onto each slice and cover consistently.
Repeat for the other side when you turn them.
Perforate the red sweet potato in a few place with a fork.
Lightly oil the potato and roast until fork tender (about 40 minutes).
Lightly oil the red pepper and roast until lightly charred (or use the standard stove top method if using a gas stove).
When done, remove the pepper from the oven.
Reduce the oven heat to 350F and turn the potato over.
Let the pepper stand 15 minutes to cool, and then peel, core, seed and chop.
Bring the cooking oil to heat on medium high.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add the cauliflower and red pepper and saute for 7-8 minutes.
Add the stock and deglaze the pan.
Cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft but not mushy.
Add the passata and puree the cauliflower and red pepper until smooth.
Return to a low simmer.
Add the nutritional yeast.
When the tofu is ready, remove from the oven and add it to the sauce.
Cover and simmer/poach the tofu in the sauce for until ready to serve (about 45 minutes to an hour).
Once the sweet potato is fork tender, remove it from the oven and let stand to cool 15-20 minutes.
When cool, preheat the oven to 400F.
Peel and mash the potato.
Mixed with the kale, sea salt, scallions, vinegar and olive oil to thoroughly combine.
Add to two ramekins and bake for about 20 – 30 minutes until the potatoes are lightly browning.
Remove the ramekins from the oven and let cool about 5-10 minutes.
Remove the sauce and the tofu from head at the same time and let stand.
Remove the tofu.
Return the sauce to a light simmer.
Whisk the arrowroot and water.
Add the mixture to the sauce, continuously stirring until thickened.
Add the tofu to the plate.
Spoon sauce over thoroughly.
Garnish with scallions.
Carefully turn out the colcannon from the ramekins.
Season to taste and serve.

(1) You can marinate the tofu before grilling, but it simmers for a long time in a thick sauce. The quality of the tofu makes a big difference to how it tastes in a dish.
(2) The longer the tofu marinates, the more it will absorb the flavours of the marinade. 30 minutes is enough, but 1-2 hours is better.