Category: Main Course
Baked Potatoes with a Chickpea Curry

Baked Potatoes with a Chickpea Curry

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ONE DAY MORE!! (You could say the musical bug has bitten me hard in the past few days) Just one more day until I can return to the blissful lands of cheese, chocolate and scrambled eggs. I’m so so set for a good mac and cheese right now! I’ve really enjoyed being vegan, and despite the awkward repeats of ‘I’m sorry, I’m a vegan’ at almost every offer of food, it’s been a fun challenge. However with the frenzy everyday life and the challenge of eating in college, come the 1st Feb I’ll be reverting back to vegetarianism.

With things past comes things learnt, so here’s the 3 most important things I’ve learnt from my vegan month:

  1. Chickpeas are life – I definitely couldn’t have lived without these this month! From hummus, to aquafaba to straight old chickpeas in something like this, they’re a real useful staple in a vegan diet – especially as they’re so versatile.
  2. Flavour is underrated – I’ve also found that it’s really important not to compromise on flavour just because you’re limited to plants. So often I was eating bland vegetables with hummus and pita bread, which whilst delicious does lack an oomph of flavour and it made meals really dull and limp. This does use a lot of spices, which I understand that if you’re on a budget you might not be able to get them all, but even some pre-made spice mixes and paprika can be a really good way of getting flavour punched into your meals.
  3. Food food and more food – Most importantly this month I had to remind myself just to keep eating and that there was a lot more out there that I could eat than I originally thought (Oreos and Jelly Tots are vegan – take note!). In the first few days I was either starving or living on carbs, but neither made me feel at all satisfied. But as soon as you’ve found your niche in the vegan food world you forget your restircted diet and just start getting on with life!

Recipe

Serves 2 (plus extra chickpea mix!)

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 2 Large potatoes
  • 2 tbsp Oil
  • 1 Onion
  • 9 Garlic cloves
  • A thumb sized piece of root ginger
  • 1 tbsp Ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp Ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp Garam masala
  • 1 tsp Ground paprika
  • 2 tbsp Tomato puree
  • 800g Chickpeas
  • 400g Chopped tomatoes
  • 100g Creamed coconut
  • 100g Spinach to serve

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200˚C. Microwave the potatoes for 15 minutes on a high heat and then put them into the oven for about 30 minutes until crispy on the outside.
  2. Now make the paste for the curry. Peel and finely chop the onion. Then put the oil and chopped onion into a pan and fry for about 8 minutes until softened.
  3. Spoon the mixture into a food processor and add the peeled garlic, peeled ginger, and ground spices. Then add the tomato puree, onions and a pinch of salt and blitz to a smooth paste.
  4. Transfer the paste back into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes over a medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add the chickpeas and the chopped tomatoes. Stir to mix and then leave to simmer for about 5 minutes.
  6. Add the coconut and 2 tbsp water and simmer the mixture for another couple of minutes.
  7. Serve with the baked potato and spinach!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Crispy fried tofu with sweet potato chips and spicy mexican rice

Crispy fried tofu with sweet potato chips and spicy mexican rice

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Say hello to the big bowl of orange stuff! Yes it’s fairly monochromatic, but who says that a good bowl of food has to be technicolor eh? Since becoming vegan I’ve really missed punchy flavour. So often I end up with just a bowl of veg or a piece of fruit and I think it’s kinda numbed my taste buds. Then I came across Uncle Ben’s rice pouches the other day and it was a true hallelujah chorus moment! They take 2 minutes in the microwave and come out all flavoursome, warm and tasty.

Another sticky point with veganism is the lack of protein sources. I know Huel is a popular choice at the moment, but I’m not that desperate so instead I’ve turned to tofu – a pretty flavourless, jelly-like soy curd. In the past when I’ve had tofu it’s been pretty grim, so I’ve tried my best to get some flavour and texture into it for this dish and I think deep frying it to get a crispy outside is really effective! Especially when served with the rice, it makes a really firey, balanced meal – (And add some sweet potato chips because lets be honest, they improve everything).

Recipe

Serves 1

Time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Small sweet potato
  • 100ml Sunflower or vegetable oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 30g Cornflour
  • 40g Plain flour
  • 1 tbsp Paprika
  • 100g Tofu
  • 1 packet of Uncle Ben’s spicey Mexican rice

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C. Roughly chop the sweet potato into batons, with the skin on.
  2. Put the potato into a small roasting tin and drizzle with ½ tbsp of the oil. Then season with a little salt and pepper. Put into the oven to roast for 15-20 minutes until starting to brown and crisp. Stir around the tin every now and then to get an even roast.
  3. Now move onto the tofu. Put the cornflour, flour and paprika into a shallow bowl or dish and mix together. Add a little salt and pepper and mix these in.
  4. Cut the tofu into 1cm cubes and then toss them in the flour mixture. Leave the cubes for a couple of minutes whilst you prepare the oil.
  5. Put the rest of the oil into a large saucepan or medium sized frying pan. Place over a medium heat and wait until it gets pipping hot. If you have any herbs to hand you can put one into the oil to check the temperature. If the oil bubbles and spits when the leaf is added it’s ready.
  6. Toss the tofu in the flour mixture again as the moisture from the tofu might have made the flour wet. Then carefully add the tofu cubes to the hot oil and fry for 15-30 seconds on each side until crisp and golden brown.
  7. Transfer the cubes to a plate covered in kitchen roll and then move onto the rice.
  8. Cook the rice according to the packet’s instructions. Then serve with the tofu cubes and the sweet potato chips. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Roast spiced cauliflower with hummus and crispy kale

Roast spiced cauliflower with hummus and crispy kale

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Here comes another bowl of deliciousness that unfortunately doesn’t look as good as it tastes. Why is it so hard to make healthy food look good?! You’re just going to have to trust me on this – it’s a vegan comfort food fiesta in a bowl. I’m seriously thinking that I need to use spices a lot more in my cooking. Up until now I’ve kinda overlooked them thinking that they’re more effort than they’re worth, but when you’re stuck eating vegetables and pulses they’re a sure fire way of bringing some sunshine onto the plate.

Recipe

Serves 2-3

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the cauliflower

  • 500g Cauliflower (about 1 small one)
  • ½ tsp Dried chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp Ras el Hanout
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • A large pinch of Salt
  • 5 Cloves of Garlic
  • ½ tbsp (about 15ml) Soy sauce
  • 90g Honey (or agave if you want to make it vegan)

For the hummus

  • 200g Canned chickpeas
  • 2 tbsp Lemon juice
  • 2 Garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 tbsp Tahini
  • ½ tsp Paprika
  • ½ tsp Ground cumin
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • A few pomegranate seeds

To Serve

  • A couple of handfuls of Curly kale
  • 1 tsp Olive oil
  • 1 tsp Caster sugar
  • A large pinch of Salt
  • A few Pine nuts
  • A few spoonfuls of Pomegranate seeds

Method

  1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Cut the cauliflower into florets and add to the water. Boil for a couple of minutes until par-boiled but not completely cooked. Drain and leave to cool.
  2. Pre-heat the oven to 200˚C. Line a baking tray with foil.
  3. Mix together the chilli flakes, ras el hanout and oil and then add a little salt and pepper to season. Crush the garlic and add it to the mixture.
  4. Rub the cauliflower in this mixture and then spread it out on the lined baking tray. Roast for 10 minutes in the oven.
  5. Mix the soy sauce honey until combined and then brush the cauliflower with this mix.
  6. Put the cauliflower back in the oven and bake for a further 10-12 minutes until golden brown and just starting to char.
  7. Now make the hummus. Drain the chickpeas into a sieve and then rinse them under cold water.
  8. Put the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, salt, tahini, water, paprika and cumin into a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
  9. Taste the mixture and then season to taste with extra salt, pepper, lemon juice and cumin. Spoon the mix into a bowl and then garnish with extra olive oil, pomegranate seeds and pine nuts.
  10. Now make the crispy kale. Put the kale onto a baking tray or roasting tin, taking out any large chunks of stalk as you do. Drizzle the kale with the oil, sugar and a pinch of salt and mix together. Then put in the oven for 3-5 minutes until crispy but not burnt.
  11. Serve the roasted cauliflower with the crispy kale and the hummus on the side!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Vegan Pizza

Vegan Pizza

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One of the things I’m really missing as a vegan is cheese. I’ve never been much of a cheese person but oh man do I miss a good tangy bit of cheddar or a squeaky slab of halloumi. I know it’s been less than a week but it honestly feels like a year since I started! And pizza, oh pizza, I would kill for a good margherita right now. That said, I have found a way to make a delish pizza that works well without cheese (yes it is possible!) and it’s also super quick so what’s not to like?

Traditionally if I were to make a pizza I’d make the base as well as I love making bread, but when you’re at uni and are over-committing yourself as usual who has time for that? So bring in the ready-made pizza bases. These have honestly saved my life so much! Simply pop on some tomato sauce, whop on your toppings and hey presto – one delish pizza! However, there is still the problem about the cheese. Now I know you can by vegan cheese, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t make up for a good cheddar does it? So what I’ve found is that a good dollop of hummus to dip the pizza in does the same kinda thing! Think of it kinda like the garlic dipping sauces you get from Dominoes, but adding a salty, tangy flavour to the whole shebang. It’s so so good you have to try it!

Recipe

Makes 1 pizza

Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 Aubergine
  • 1/4 Courgette
  • 1 Pizza base (most are vegan but just make sure when you buy it)
  • 3 tbsp Passata (I went for a garlic and herb one)
  • 1/4 Red pepper
  • A few Chestnut mushrooms
  • 1/2 tsp Za’tar (optional)
  • A few tbsp of Hummus to serve

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
  2. Take the aubergine and courgette and use a vegetable peeler (or a knife) to make super thin strips. Lay the strips on a baking tray lined with baking paper and put in the oven to soften for about 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, chop the mushrooms into ¼s and finely slice the red pepper into strips.
  4. Spread the passata over the pizza base in an even layer. Then arrange the vegetables over the top. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and some za’atar if you’re using it.
  5. Bake the pizza in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through and the base is starting to colour. Serve with lots of hummus!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Easy Gnocchi

Easy Gnocchi

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Four steps. Four ingredients. Four sentences. Boom!

No but seriously. I’ve been turning to pasta so much during my time at uni so far that the time has come to look beyond pasta. Admittedly gnocchi isn’t the most different thing I could have turned to, but it’s so quick and comforting that it’s perfect if you want to shake things up a little. Especially now that you can buy packs of semi-cooked ready-made gnocchi in most supermarkets you can rustle yourself up a bowl of this in minutes. As a tip I’d say that in order to get the best tasting dish you can buy a good a quality passata or tomato sauce. The one I used for the dish photographed here was a budget range one and it was so sour that it made the whole thing taste really meh, but if you get a good one (maybe even with herbs in if you want to be a little fancy) it’ll transform the whole dish!

Recipe

Serves 2

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Packet of Gnocchi (around 500g)
  • 400g Tomato passata
  • Fresh bail to garnish (optional)
  • Cheddar cheese or Parmesan to finish

Method

  1. Put a pan of water on a high heat and leave to boil.
  2. Add the gnocchi and cook to the packet’s instructions.
  3. Drain the gnocchi and add the passata. Stir to combine and then leave with the lid on for a few minutes to warm the passata through.
  4. Pop the gnocchi into two bowls and top with the basil and a little grated cheese!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x