I kept this really simple – you can whizz it up in a food processor in a couple of minutes.

Vegan Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

30g fresh basil

30g walnuts

1 clove garlic, finely chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast powder

3 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tablespoons water

Method

1. Remove the leaves from the basil and put into the food processor. Add the walnuts and process until basil is well chopped and walnuts are in small pieces.

2. Add the garlic, salt and nutritional yeast powder and process for a few seconds. Then gradually add the olive oil.

3. Add water until the pesto reaches the desired consistency.

This will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Pesto is traditionally served mixed in with pasta.

A quick meal tonight. Some people are under the impression that food bloggers always cook things from scratch: and we do, often. I enjoy making tortillas and rotis, I enjoy toasting and grinding spices fresh for the meal, I enjoy making pizza bases.  But there are times when we take shortcuts: and this is one of those times.  The ‘cheat’ ingredient in this is a Patak’s  Rogan Josh curry paste. This can be cooked from start to finish in about 20-30 minutes maximum, and it’s the sort of dish that you can start and then get on with something else, just re-visiting occasionally to stir.

Use whatever vegetables you have to hand: although I have to say my choice made a very good curry.  The red lentils are added for extra protein and to thicken the sauce.

Vegetable Rogan Josh

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 courgettes, ends removed, cut in half lengthways, and then chopped

1 cup green beans, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup frozen spinach (or use a large handful of fresh, chopped roughly)

2 tablespoons rogan josh curry paste

500ml (1.5 cups) carton of passatta (or use a 400g can of chopped tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of tomato puree)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup red lentils, washed.

Method

1. Heat oil in large pan. Add chopped onions and turn heat down to cook gently for about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, and saute for another minute.

3. Add courgettes and green beans. Turn up the heat and saute, stirring often for about 4 minutes.

4. Heat water in a kettle and add to another saucepan. Bring to the boil, and add lentils. Simmer for 15 minutes until mushy. Drain.

4. Meanwhile, add rest of ingredients to the vegetables. Stir well.  Turn heat up until boiling, and then turn down to a simmer. Stir occasionally, until frozen spinach (if using) has softened, and has heated through. Add lentils to curry, and stir in well, bringing back to a gentle simmer.

5. Once vegetables are cooked thoroughly it is ready.  Serve with rice or chappatis, or naan bread.

You can vary them by adding chopped fresh chives or a finely chopped chilli, or sundried tomatoes or finely chopped garlic. You get the idea…I’m sure you can think of more things to add!

Ingredients

225g white flour

75g vegan margarine

4 tbls nutritional yeast flakes (this adds cheese flavour to the scones)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

125 mls soya milk

1 tsp mustard (this helps bring out the cheese flavour)

Method

PREHEAT OVEN TO 180/350/GAS MARK 4

1. Sieve dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl.

2. Add margarine in small pieces and rub into flour mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Mix milk and mustard together, and add to dry ingredients, stirring well with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough.

4. Sprinkle some extra flour onto a work surface, and place dough on centre. Shape gently with hands until it forms a rough ball shape. Flatten with hands, and then roll out until 1″/1.5 cm thick. Using round biscuit cutters, (or a small cup if you don’t have cutters) cut out 12-16 scones. Roll the remaining dough into a ball, flatten with hand and roll out. Repeat until all dough is gone.

5. Place scones onto a baking sheet and bake in oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

6. Take out of oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Can be eaten warm or cold.

Mexican Breakfast

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil

1 can pinto or borlotti beans, drained and rinsed.

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove finely chopped

3 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, finely chopped, or 7 slices of jalapeno pepper from a jar, finely chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

juice of 1/2 a lemon

Method

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and fry gently until soft (about 5 minutes), stirring regularly.

2. Add garlic and fry for another minute.

3. Add half the can of beans and, using a potato masher, mash beans into onion and garlic mixture.

4. Add tomatoes,the rest of  the beans, jalapenos and salt and pepper to taste. Cook gently for a few  minutes.

5. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice, stir in, and that’s it! You’re good to go!

Lentil Loaf

Ingredients

1 cup green lentils, washed

1 cup red lentils, washed

1 cup of cooked rice

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 teaspoons mixed herbs

2 vegetable stock cubes

salt and pepper, to taste.

Method

1. Boil water in kettle, add to a large saucepan. Add green lentils and cook gently for 1o minutes.

2. Add red lentils to green and cook for another 15 minutes.

3. In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan, and gently fry onion and garlic until soft. Add rice and cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes.  Set aside.

3. Drain lentils, and then put back in saucepan. Mix in onions, garlic and rice, and rest of ingredients.

4. Spoon into a greased 2lb loaf tin (or use a loaf tin liner, which is much easier!)

5. Flatten down mixture.  Bake in oven, 180 C, 350 F for 45-60 minutes. The loaf should be firm when you press down on it.

6. Turn out from pan, and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before slicing. As you see, I did big chunks instead of delicate slices!

Serve with vegetables of choice – I served it with peas and potatoes roasted in olive oil with garlic and rosemary.

This is a extremely simple recipe  and will take a maximum of 5 minutes work to prepare the ingredients – the rest of time is cooking time.

I apologise for the photograph, it’s certainly not one of my best – I’ll redo it over the next week or so!

Smokey Chick Peas

Ingredients

1 onion finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried parsley

2 400g tins chopped tomatoes

2 large apples, peeled, cored and diced

1 400g tin chick peas

salt and pepper to taste.

Method

1. Heat olive oil in large pan. Add onions and garlic, and fry on a low heat until soft and translucent.

2. Add smoked paprika and stir in. Add rosemary and parsley and stir.

3. Add tinned tomatoes and heat until boiling. Turn down to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add apples and chick peas and cook for 5 minutes, so apples still are slightly firm.

Serve with chunks of bread,  over rice or with mashed potato and spinach.

You see seitan used mainly in Chinese cuisine – if you go to a Chinese restaurant and see ‘mock meat’ or ‘wheat meat’ on the menu, that is seitan. (And yes, it is pronounced say-tan, like the devil himself!)

Although it’s simple to make it takes time: once the seitan is mixed, in needs to rest for a while (like bread) and then needs to be simmered for 45-60 minutes. But don’t be put off by the two lists of ingredients for the seitan: honestly, it is really quick and easy to make!

The recipe for seitan will make enough for 3 meals for 2-3 people: you can freeze the rest for next time.

The rest is simple and quick to make. Throw in whatever vegetables you have: I used broccoli, green beans, sweetcorn, broad beans and a handful of frozen mixed peppers.

The hoisin sauce is available in supermarkets, but will be a lot cheaper in a Chinese supermarket, if you have one near you.

I’ve split the recipe into two, as you will probably want to make seitan again, but can use it in a lot of different recipes. I’ll be experimenting with it over the next few weeks and months, so watch out for more recipes.

You will struggle to find vital wheat gluten flour in supermarkets and stores: I bought mine online from http://www.flourbin.com/

Unfortunately, the postage & packaging make this expensive to buy on it’s own: so buy some other types of flour, or some herbs and spices from them as well.

Another supplier is http://www.avidlite.co.uk/acatalog/Ingredients.html – this works out cheaper for a small amount, if you want to try it first.

Seitan Hoisin Stir Fry

Ingredients for seitan

2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/4 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Method

1. Add garlic powder and ginger to flour and stir.

2. Mix liquids together and add to flour mixture all at once.

3. Mix well together.

4. When it forms a stiff dough knead it for a minute or so, then let to rest for 5 minutes.

5. Knead for another minute, and then rest again for about 15 minutes.

6. Cut gluten into pieces. The gluten will increase in size when cooked, so cut the pieces a bit smaller than you need. (I sliced mine like a loaf, and then cut the slices into strips).

7. Simmer in broth (recipe below) for 45-60 minutes.

Ingredients for broth:

4 cups  boiling water
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce

Method

1. Combine water and sauce in a large saucepan. Bring broth to a boil.

2. Add strips of seitan one at a time. Bring water to the boil again.

3. Reduce heat to simmering and cover saucepan.

4. Cook for 45-60 minutes.

5. Drain.  Any additional liquid can be added to sauce below, or otherwise disposed of.

The seitan will keep in the freezer for a few months, or in the fridge for a few days.

Hoisin Stir Fry Ingredients

I have veganised the recipe by using  soya flour and water as an egg substitute and vegan margarine – simple!

Ingredients

100g vegan margarine

100g caster sugar

1 tablespoon of soya flour, mixed with 2 tablespoons water (used as an egg replacer)

100 g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

125g dessicated coconut

Glace cherries cut in half, to decorate.

But forget looks: taste it. The depth of the taste is stunning: one fork-full will lead to another, as the combination of flavours teases and pleases your palate.

This is based on the recipe ‘Manzana Chilli Verde’ in the excellent recipe book Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero – if you haven’t got a copy I suggest you buy one – here’s the link to the book at Amazon UK  http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/dp/156924264X?tag=invihand-21

I used green tomatoes in this, as I had a glut of them – if you don’t have any, use courgettes instead.

Chilli Verde with Butter Beans

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes

2 tbs olive oil

1 large white onion, chopped finely

3 jalapenos, sliced (if you can’t buy them fresh, you can generally buy them ready sliced in jars in the ethnic sections of supermarkets)

1 green pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced

3 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 pound green tomatoes (if you can’t get these use courgettes to keep the green theme) chopped into small chunks

2 green apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly

2 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 cup chopped spring onions

1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed

juice of one lime (or 1 tablespoon of lime juice)

Method

1. Place chopped potatoes in a small saucepan, and cover with boiling water. Bring back to boil and cook for 10 minutes until potatoes are soft in the middle. Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil, and add onions, jalapenos and green pepper and saute for 10 minutes, until soft.

3. Add garlic, cumin, oregano and salt. Saute for one minute. Add white wine and green tomatoes (or courgettes) and cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Add vegetable stock, apples, spring onions and coriander. Bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.

5. Turn off heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Put half of the mixture into a food processor and pulse process until slightly chunky. Add back into mixture and stir.

6.  Add potatoes and butter beans and lime juice and bring back to a simmer. Cook for a further five minutes to heat butter beans and potatoes through.

Serve with corn bread – I added jalepenos to this recipe

Tofu Balls in a Rich Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

For tofu balls

400g firm tofu, drained and squeezed to remove most of the water

1 onion, chopped finely or grated

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp ground cumin

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast powder

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 heaped tablespoon egg replacer or soya flour

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 – 2 cups breadcrumbs (I’m being vague here, because it differs depending upon how much water is left in your tofu after squeezing)

For tomato sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cans chopped tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt, to taste.

Method

PREHEAT OVEN TO 180 C/350 F

1. Crumble the tofu, and then mash with a fork until it is of an even consistency.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the breadcrumbs, and mix well.

3. Add 1 cup of breadcrumbs and mix in with your hands  (using your hands is the best way to judge the texture). If the mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs. The mixture should be soft but not too wet or sticky.  You should be able to roll it into balls between your hands without it coming apart in your palms.

4. Once you have the correct consistency, roll the mix into balls about 2 cm in diameter – you should be able to make about 16 balls.

5. Cook in oven for 15-20 minutes until firm.

6. While the balls are cooking, make the sauce:  heat the oil in a pan. When heated, add the garlic, and stir for 1 minute.

7. Add the tomatoes and heat through. Then add the rest of the ingredients.

8. Cook on a low heat until sauce is reduced and is thick and chunky. This will take about 10 minutes. Keep warm on a low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure the sauce doesn’t start sticking to the bottom of the pan.

9. Serve  by putting the tofu balls on the plate first and pouring the tomato sauce over the top. Serve over pasta, or accompanied by thick chunks of bread.

Serves 3-4 people.