Today, vegans can enjoy a wide range of food options thanks mainly to chefs around the world caring about their diners needs and expanding their collective repertoire. Here are a few recipes you might consider adding to your home cooking library, vegan or not.
RED QUINOA WITH TOFU AND MUSHROOMS
– 500g broccoli florets
– 300g oyster mushrooms
– 3 tbspns oil
– 500g fresh tofu
For the marinade:
2 tbspns sumac
3 tbspns tamarind paste
3 tbspns fresh ginger, ground to a paste
1/2 tspn black pepper
2 tspns cayenne pepper
2 tbspns maple syrup
pinch salt
For the quinoa:
500g cooked red quinoa
2 tbspns coconut milk
3 tbspns fresh ginger, ground to a paste
60g raisins
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
• Press and dry your tofu and slice into sizeable portions no thicker than 1cm each.
• Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade for the tofu and marinate the tofu for 45 minutes in the mixture. Turn the tofu every 15 minutes to get a good coverage.
• Heat a fry-pan with the oil and cook the tofu. Add the remaining marinade mixture and the broccoli when the tofu is cooked. Cover with a lid and leave to steam cook for five minutes. Add the oyster mushrooms and cook for a further three minutes uncovered. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• With the cooked quinoa in a separate mixing bowl, add the coconut milk, raisins and ginger paste. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste before plating a bed of red quinoa onto which the tofu will be served.
MUSHROOM AND ARTICHOKE CHOWDER
2 tbspns olive oil
1 white onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
120g oyster mushrooms
1 tspn fresh thyme
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 potatoes, cleaned and finely diced
300ml water
1 vegetable stock cube
1/2 tspn dill
1/2 tspn celery seeds
1 tspn ground black pepper
1 tspn soy sauce
400g artichoke hearts
1 tbspn fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
300ml soy milk
60g button mushrooms
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
• In a large soup pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are transparent and the garlic is slightly browned.
• Add the oyster mushrooms and stir.
• Add the thyme, celery and finely diced potatoes into the pot and gently mix. Let it simmer for three to four minutes. In a separate bowl, mix the water and vegetable stock cube and stir until dissolved.
• Add the stock liquid to the potato mixture with the dill, celery seeds, black pepper and soy sauce. Cook for a further 20 minutes. Increase the heat and add the artichoke hearts, flat leaf parsley and soy milk.
• Finally add the chopped button mushrooms and then simmer another six to eight minutes. The chowder should be a little thick. Remove and serve immediately with a sprinkling of fresh parsley on the top.
LIME AND AVOCADO SALAD
300g farfalle (bow-tie) pasta, cooked
2 avocados, ripe
4 tbspns coriander leaves, roughly chopped
3 limes, juiced
3 limes, zested
3 tbspns mayonnaise
1 tspn garlic paste
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
1 purple onion, finely diced
garnish coriander leaves
3 tbspns fresh chives, chopped
• Drain the cooked pasta and chill before preparing further.
• Peel and pit the avocado. Put it in a food processor together with chopped cilantro, lime juice and zest, mayonnaise and garlic paste. Blend it until it’s smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer the avocado sauce to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked pasta and toss well to coat the pasta evenly. Add the finely diced onion and toss to combine evenly.
• Spoon the salad into a serving bowl and garnish with additional coriander and chopped chives.
