Easy Caprese Penne

Ready in: 15 minutes
Serves : 2

I really wanted some mac and cheese but it's warm out for once so I also felt like something a lot lighter than that. Cut to me staring into the fridge for 15 minutes and this is the magic I discovered. I get that you may be questioning the 'easy' part of this recipe considering it has 3 separate components, but the ingredients for each are minimal and easy to make (everything can be made by the time the pasta is cooked). Plus you can include or omit as many parts as you like and it'll still be amazing.

Ingredients

• 150g penne pasta
• 1 cup vegan soft cheese
• 1 handful basil

Tomato Sauce

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp liquid sweetner

Pesto

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 cup basil
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of half a lemon

Method

1. Cook the pasta in boiling water for 15 minutes or as long as it says on the bag.
2. Add the pine nuts, basil, garlic and lemon to a blender and puree.
3. Fill a small bowl with boiling water. Run a knife over the skin of half of the tomatoes, just enough to break the skin but not enough to cut through the flesh. Then add these to the boiled water for 2 minutes. Remove and place in cold water for 10 seconds. 
4. Slide the skin off the tomatoes and put into a pan, along with the tomato puree, liquid sweetener and 1/2 cup of water. Mash the tomatoes with the spoon to help it break down into a sauce. When it starts to boil, turn the heat down and add the rest of the tomatoes and basil to the sauce. Simmer until the pasta is cooked.
5. When the pasta is done, drain it keeping about 1/4 cup of the water in the pan. Mix the soft cheese in with the water and then mix in the pasta.
6.  Then add the sauce and pesto.

Bombay Masala Bagels

Ready in: 15 minutes
Serves : 2

There simply aren't enough savoury breakfast options in the world, even before you discount all non vegan options, so I'm on a one woman mission to some how turn literally everything into a savoury vegan breakfast option. 

Lesson 1 - If you can find a way to add yoghurt to it, you can call it breakfast.

I'll keep you updated on my findings. Anyway, here is my take on Bombay Masala Toast which is an Indian street food consisting of a potato filled toastie.

Ingredients

• 2 toasted bagels
• 1 large potato
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• 1 tbsp coconut yoghurt
• Juice of half a lime

Salsa

• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 mango
• 1/2 small red onion
• Juice of half a lime

Method

1. Peel and chop the potato into small cubes.
2. Boil potato for 10 minutes or until soft
3. When cooked mash the potato, together with the chaat masala, yoghurt and lime.
4. Toast the bagels
5. Whilst toasting the bagels,  finely chop the avocado, mango and onion and mix in the lime as well as adding a pinch of salt and pepper.
6. Spread the potato mixture on the bagel and top with the salsa.

Substitutions

-If you have mango chutney and are not in the mood for prepping salsa first thing in the morning, you can just drizzle that on.

Warm Japanese Salad

Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a side
Ready in: 25 minutes

I made WAY too much of this for 1 person, so (after using it for display purposes, naturally) I put it in the fridge and took it to a picnic the next day and its was just as good cold. Although, jokes on you if you're British and think you're getting another chance to picnic again anytime soon....

 Ingredients

• 1 pepper
• 1 aubergine
• 1 red onion
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped deep fried tofu
• 2 cups bean sprouts

• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1/2 tbsp liquid sweetener
• 1 tsp tamari
• 1tsp garlic power
• 1/2 tsp ginger power
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Garnish

• Spring onion
• Sesame seeds

Method

1. Slice the aubergine into thin strips, place on a baking rack and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
2. Slice the pepper, onion, and cook in a wok with the mushrooms for 10 minutes.
3. Add in all other ingredients and cook for a further 5 minutes. 
4. Add in the cooked aubergine for the final couple of minutes.
5. Plate up and garnish.

Onion Soup with Smokey Maple Butter Croutons

Ready in: 25 minutes
Serves : 2

People keep joking about how summers over but I'm refusing to let the Negatrons bring me down. Let's be practical though it's been getting pretty cold and whilst I'm hardly reaching for my winter coat, I have been eating a lot more warm comforting foods. That includes this soup, for which I waited precisely no seconds after cooking to start eating. Which is why I now have blisters all over my mouth. Smart move, sister.

Ingredients

Soup

• 1 white onion
• 1 red onion
• 2 small shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1/2 tsp marmite/vegemite

Croutons

• 1 dinner roll
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Garnish

• Vegan parmesan 
• Fried onions 

Method

Croutons

1. Cut the dinner roll into half inch thick chunks. You can use any bread you like, but a dinner roll is the amount that you're aiming for.
2. In a sauce pan, slowly melt the butter and mix in the paprika and maple syrup but don't let it boil.
3. When fully melted, take off the heat and mix in the bread. You'll need to mix it fast to make sure it all gets coated. Once mixed, leave to sit for a couple of minutes to soak up any leftover residue.
4. Heat in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat for a few minutes on each side. You'll know its done when the sugar in the syrup has started to caramelise and blacken a little in places.

Soup

1. Thinly slice the onions and cook down on a low heat in a pan until soft - about 10 minutes. Stir the onions continuously so that they all cook evenly.
2. Add the minced garlic to the pan and cook for a further couple of minutes.
3. Pour in the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, wholegrain mustard and marmite. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Plate up!

Substitutions

• I found this parmesan cheese in Tesco but but you could use nutritional yeast or even better- vegan gruyere if you have it.
• You could also garnish with truffle oil or fresh parsley.

Bánh Mì Chay

Ready in: 45 minutes

Serves: 2

I feel like the sandwich is having a fancy revival. Gone are the days where you can smear salad cream onto a single slab of white Warburtons before you fold it in half and shove it in your mouth as you go about your day. Instead we marinate our fillings, make the sauce from scratch and pre-pickle the veg. We then over-stuff it to within an inch of its life before sitting down to silently savour every second of goodness, barely stopping to breathe. You have sauce smeared from ear to ear and breadcrumbs in your hair but who cares? You demolish that sandwich! You deserve it!

Ingredients

• 1 Vietnamese baguette 

• 1 cup sliced tofu
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp miso
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
• 2 tsp gochujang paste

Garnish

• 1/4 spiralised cucumber
• Fresh Coriander
• Spring onion
• Fried onions

Method

1. Mix the water, soy sauce, miso, liquid smoke, garlic powder and onion powder in a freezer bag.
2. Add in the sliced tofu and coat thoroughly. Leave to marinate for half an hour.
3. After half an hour fry on both sides on medium head for 5 minutes each.
4. Mix the mayonnaise and gochujang paste together.
5. Slice the bread through the middle and spread half of the spicy mayonnaise on the insides. They put it under the grill for 5 minutes. 
6. When it is ready add all of the toppings to the sandwich and drizzle on the rest of the sauce. 
7. Cut in half and plate up!

Satay Stir Fry

Serves: 2
Takes: 20 minutes

I keep seeing people on holiday uploading pictures of beautiful views and exotic foods, but it's just been making me want to broaden my culinary horizons rather than my literal horizons. It's lucky because I'm probably not going anywhere interesting anytime soon due to the fact that I spend all of my money on food instead of travel. It's a vicious/delicious cycle.

Ingredients

• 1 half red onion
• 1 courgette
• 1 carrot
• 1 red pepper
• 1 handful pak choi
• 1 cup beansprouts
• 1 cup deep fried tofu
• 1 half cup mushrooms

Sauce

• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 tbs chilli paste/hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp tamari
• 1/2 lime

Method

1. Chop onion, pepper and mushroom into thin strips and stir fry for 10 minutes
2. Spiralise the courgette and carrot and add to the stir fry with the bean sprouts and tofu and cook for a further 5 minutes
3. Whilst cooking, mix the sauce ingredients together. I prefer it cold but if you want it warm you can add it to the stir fry along with about a quarter of a cup of water for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
4. For the final 2 minutes, add the pak choi and allow to wilt.
5. Once cooked, remove from the wok and plate up. 

Baked Aubergine

Serves: 4
Ready in: 45 minutes

I wont lie, I thought this up when I drunkenly invited friends over and forgot about it until they turned up. It's good because it tastes like you put more than 15 minutes worth of effort into the prep. Luckily they don't read vegan food blogs...

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry rice

• 1 aubergine
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 red onion
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes

• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp tamari
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder

• Sesame and spring onion to dress

Method

1. Add vegetable stock, tamarind, tomato puree, hot sauce, tamari, garlic powder, onion power and ginger powder in a sauce pan, mix well and bring to the boil.
2. Chop the aubergine, into 1cm cubes and the pepper and onion into similar sized squares. 
3. Once vegetables are chopped add to a baking dish with the sauce and cherry tomatoes and put into a pre-heated, 200C for thirty minutes, mixing every 10 minutes. If it starts to look dry, add in a little water.
4. As soon as the aubergine goes into the oven, start to cook your rice.
5. Plate up with the sesame and chopped spring onion.