3 Crowd-Pleasing Vegan Recipes To Try
Food is my passion, and one of the things that going vegan has gifted me is experimenting with cooking. Getting creative in the kitchen is my favourite thing to do, whether that’s figuring out how to replicate the texture of cheese, or make mushrooms taste delicious to a mushroom hater. I love to know where my food comes from and to make dishes from scratch. Sharing the fruits of this labour with my family, friends and those online who watch my cooking videos is one of life’s biggest joys. With this book I want to make vegan food accessible to everyone, including non-vegans.
I want to share that it doesn’t need to be restrictive or extreme. My ultimate goal is to help you learn how to cook more with plants and incorporate more vegetables, fruits, grains and pulses into your life. Eating more plants can provide extra nutrients, flavours and variety in everyone’s existing diet. It’s about adding over removing, enjoying over restricting, experimenting over repeating.
The recipes in this book are ones from my childhood, adapted versions of my favourite meals growing up, or inspired by my time spent in other countries eating their delicious food. There are many that I just wanted to veganise. I want to take out the complications of being vegan which can make it feel unattainable or impossible. Ultimately, we could all do with including more vegan meals and trialling new ingredients and dishes in our weekly meal plans. This will not only benefit our health and be more sustainable and ethical than buying pre-packaged, animal-based and highly processed food, but also help us to slow down in our day-to-day lives. Getting in the kitchen is like therapy to me! It’s a moment in my day that I can put on some music, stop looking at my phone and create something delicious.
The foundation of my recipes is simplicity. Making them achievable for someone who is coming home from work tired. Making them easy for someone new to cooking. Whatever place you’re starting at with a curiosity for vegan food, I want to simplify things so that it doesn’t become overwhelming to the point of giving up. Most of my recipes are extremely adaptable and I do that to encourage you to get creative in the kitchen. As far as I am aware you aren’t running a restaurant, nor being judged on MasterChef, so let go of any pressure you have for perfecting each recipe you create, and just keep it simple. Nobody else can tell you how to enjoy your food. I therefore want to empower you to make it how you like.
Inspired?
Here are three easy vegan recipes to try at home...
Butter No-Chicken Curry
Butter chicken, or traditionally murgh makhani, is rich, tomato-y and creamy, and easily adaptable. Simply swap the chicken for tofu, your favourite vegan chicken alternative or seitan and substitute the butter for the many vegan butters available now. The most important step is to marinate the tofu to give it depth of flavour. This is ideal for those with a milder palate, or it can be made spicier with additional chilli.
To make the marinade, mix all the spices, ginger, garlic, oil, lemon juice and yoghurt together in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tofu, vegan chicken or seitan and leave to marinade for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
For the curry sauce, blend the cashews and tomatoes together in a blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.
Heat the vegan butter or vegetable oil, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom in a large saucepan over a medium heat for a few minutes. Add the marinated tofu, vegan chicken or seitan, along with the marinade, and fry for 10 minutes, or until golden.
Add the green chilli and fry for a few more minutes.
Pour over the puréed tomato and cashew paste, then add the measured water and adjust if the curry needs more water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add the garam masala and fenugreek, then pour in the coconut cream and stir through.
Serve with coriander and rice or vegan naan.
Roast Aubergine With Harissa Yoghurt
Roasting aubergines brings out their delicious, creamy and earthy depth of flavour. Paired with the sweet spice of the harissa yoghurt, this enhances the Middle Eastern and North African flavours of this dish. I love this as a main, or as a part of a larger spread or side.
Preheat a fan oven to 190°C.
Pierce the aubergines three or four times, then brush with the olive oil and arrange on a large baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the aubergines are completely soft.
Mix the yoghurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and a pinch of sea salt in a medium bowl. Toast the pine nuts in a small, dry frying pan over a high heat, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Melt the butter in the microwave in a microwaveable bowl in 10-second bursts, then stir through the harissa. Set aside.
Cut the aubergines in half, opening them up like a baked potato. Arrange them on a warm platter and season the inside of each one with salt and pepper.
Spoon the yoghurt mixture into each of the aubergine halves, then drizzle over the harissa butter. Finally, scatter over the mint, toasted pine nuts and sliced chilli, and enjoy.
Parmigiana Melanzane
Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Brush each slice of aubergine and courgette with around 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place three or four slices in the pan. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Leave the slices for a couple of minutes to brown on each side, then once golden, remove and set aside on a plate. Repeat until all the slices are browned.
For the sauce, heat the remaining oil in the pan over a medium heat, add the onion and fry for 5-10 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and dried oregano. Fill the empty tomato tin halfway with water and add to the pan, then add a few drops of Tabasco sauce or some chilli flakes and season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook over a medium to low heat for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the topping by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
Tear the basil into the sauce, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
Spread about 3 tablespoons of the tomato sauce on the base of a medium gratin dish, then add a layer of the aubergines and courgettes. Sprinkle over some of the cheese and repeat until all the aubergine and courgettes have been used up, finishing with a layer of aubergine and courgettes.
Sprinkle the topping mixture over the aubergine and courgettes and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden.
Serve with fresh crusty bread and a green salad.
Make it Vegan: Simple Plant-based Recipes for Everyone is out now and is available to buy here.
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