Sweet Potato Hash

Serves: 4
Ready in: 45 minutes

I feel like my recipe for hash changes every single time I make it, but this sweet potato hash was a good one. It's filling but not to heavy and the joy of it is that you can throw in any bits of veg you have lying around.

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 can sweet corn
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp any vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder

Garnish

• juice of 1 lime
• avocado
• vegan sour cream

Method

1. Chop the sweet potatoes in 1cm cubes and mix with 1 tbsp oil, smoked paprika and onion powder.
2. Roast potato mixture for 35 minutes, turning occasionally.
3. In a pan, saute the onion, pepper, mushrooms and garlic in 1 tbsp oil for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the red wine, tomato puree, corn and beans and cook until the potatoes are done.
5. Mix in the potatoes and garnish with lime juice, avocado and vegan sour cream 

Substitutions

Red wine - vegetable stock
Sweet potatoes - potatoes, pumpkin, squash
Pinto beans - whatever beans you have will give you a similar effect

Chipotle Chickpea Toast

Ready in: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

I invented this chipotle chickpea recipe when I was having the kind of day where I needed to eat like, now. But I also really wanted something tasty. The kind of day where your energy has gone but you need some joy in your life, and of course we all know that that joy can be found in a tasty morsel. Cut to me hanging off the kitchen cupboards lamenting the lack of food in the house. 1 tin of chickpeas and an almost empty tub of guacamole later and I'd managed to scramble this together. It was so quick and so easy that I've had it about 20 times since. Sometimes I add another 1/2 cup of vegetable stock and cook for an extra 20 minutes for a mushier, thicker chickpea. 

Ingredients

• 4 slices bread (I just used sliced seeded bread)
• 1 can drained chickpeas
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp chipotle paste
• 1 tsp cornflour

To serve

• Juice of half a lime
• guacamole
• spring onion
• coconut yoghurt

Method

1. Saute chopped onions and garlic in a pan until soft
2. Add the chickpeas, stock, tomato puree an chipotle paste to the pan and mix in.
3. Mix the cornflour together with 1 tbsp cold water and add to the pan
4. Simmer until the stock has thickened to a saucy consistency- about 10 minutes
5. Toast the bread and top with the chickpeas, guacamole, spring onion and yoghurt

Substitutions

• Chickpeas - You can really use any bean you have. I've done this with borlotti and pinto and had the same effect. 
• Chipotle paste - You can substitute for 1tsp of any other chili paste you have or 1 chopped medium heat chili and another 1/2 tbsp tomato puree.

Sticky Gochujang Tofu

Serves: 2
Ready in: 30 minutes

I'm completely aware that I was taking a bit of a gamble when I first decided to see if gochujang and red wine were a compatible duo but I had a sad looking dribble of wine left in the bottle so I threw caution to the wind and whacked it in the pan. It helped to add a more savory edge to the fermented taste of the gochujang whilst also helping to dilute the spiciness. Because it is quite a spicy sauce, I recommend having it with some sort of fresh and juicy cooked veg like courgettes or with a salad.

Ingredients

• 200g extra firm tofu
• 2 courgettes
• 1 yellow pepper
• 30ml red wine
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp liquid sweetener 
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp vegan oyster sauce
• 2 tsp white miso paste

Method

1. To a pan, add the wine, stock, gochujang, sweetener, tomato puree, miso and vegan oyster sauce and boil down to a thick syrup (about 20 minutes) stirring frequently.
2. In a separate pan, saute the chopped courgettes and pepper for about 5 - 10 minutes. 
3. Once the sauce has become thick, add the cubed tofu and cook for another 5-10 minutes

Substitutes

• Red wine - you can just skip it entirely if you like.
• Gochujang - any kind of chili paste would be fine but I'm not sure if you'd get the same kind of sticky texture. 
• Tofu- I've also used this sauce on cauliflower buffalo wings

Maple Soy Aubergine

Serves: 2 as a side

Ready in: 30 minutes

I didn't know that honey soy was a thing until I went to Australia a couple of years ago, where honey soy chicken is literally everywhere. Obviously I can't eat most of the ingredients, so I waited until I got home to veganise it. It's been two years and I now basically just see all other foods as a vessel for this sauce. Aubergine is my favourite way to eat it though. It soaks the juice up perfectly when baking and anything left then caramelises on top.

Ingredients

• 1 aubergine
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp powdered ginger

Method

1. Slice the aubergine longways into 4. Then score crosses into the flesh being careful not to cut through the skin or through the bottom. You want all sauce to stay inside the aubergine. 
2. Put on a baking dish and into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes.
3. In a pan saute the garlic and then stir in the maple syrup, soy sauce and ginger. Simmer until thick and bubbling - about 5 minutes.
4. Remove the baking dish from the oven to brush a coating of the sauce onto the aubergine every 5-7 minutes until done.