Month: September 2021

We love this vegan jambalaya recipe for camping – it does take a bit of time to cook, but the smell of it cooking over a fire is amazing, and it can be made using the tomato tin for measurement, so no extra equipment required. It’s also one of those recipes that improves with age – it seems to taste even better once you reheat it.

Once you throw everything into the pan, you just need to keep an eye on it to ensure that the rice doesn’t boil dry – so it’s a great excuse to sit by the campfire and do nothing as you ‘watch dinner’!

It’s also delicious with potatoes and broccoli roasted in a little olive oil and salt.

This serves 6.

Ingredients

6 chopped vegan sausages – we used Richmond’s.

2 tins chopped tomatoes

2 tins water

Half tin red wine

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp oregano

1 white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 celery sticks, chopped finely

1 red pepper, chopped

1 tbsp vegan stock (we used Bouillon)

120g brown basmati rice

400g butter beans, rinsed and drained

Parsley to garnish

Olive oil to cook

Method

Heat a large pan with 2 tbsp olive oil and fry the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes.

Add the celery, chopped tomatoes, pepper, 1/2 can of stock, beans, paprika, oregano, sausages and rice the cover the pan and simmer, adding more stock and wine until the rice is cooked and stirring every so often.

Garnish with parsley and serve!

If you like this, try our other recipes for vegan camping.

I first made this vegan lentil dhal when I was ill with the dreaded coronavirus, so wasn’t fully able to appreciate how good it smells and tastes! It’s such a comforting dish and really easy to put together, as well as being full of nutrition and goodness.

Ingredients

500g red lentils

1 litre vegetable stock

1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes

2 white onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped or minced

1 tsp dried turmeric

1 tsp dried coriander

1 tsp dried paprika

1 tsp dried cumin

2 tsp dried ginger

Vegetable oil for frying

Fresh coriander to garnish

3 chopped cherry tomatoes to garnish

1 tbsp lime to season

Salt and pepper to season

Method

Heat a large pan with the vegetable oil and brown the chopped onions.

Add the garlic and spices and fry for another minute or two.

Add the vegetable stock and lentils and simmer for 10 minutes till the lentils have absorbed the liquid.

Then add the can of chopped tomatoes and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Season with salt, pepper and lime and garnish with fresh coriander and the fresh chopped cherry tomatoes.

If you like this, try our Vegan Vada Pav spicy potato roll.

Buddha bowls are such a perfect way to have lunch as you can have a little bit of everything. you fancy in them. They’re apparently named for their big round belly shape and usually contain grains, vegetables, a dressing and some protein. I like mine as colourful as possible, and usually some tofu ends up being in there somewhere – this lemon and sage tofu buddha bowl is one of our favourites.

The first rule of tofu – and I can’t stress this enough – is to press it – and then marinade it for AT LEAST 24 hours, if not more. I always wince when I see recipes that tell you to take some pressed tofu, wave some dressing at it then fry it or bake it. It’s not enough – your tofu will end up tasting bland and nothingy and might even put you or the person you’re serving it to off tofu for life! Patience is a virtue with tofu. The more you marinade it the better it will taste.

Ingredients

1 block firm tofu

Juice of two lemons

2 teaspoons sage

Salt

Pepper

Method

First press the tofu, using a tofu press or by wrapping it in a tea towel, putting it in a sieve, then putting the sieve over a bowl with heavy books on top of the wrapped tofu. Press for minimum one hour.

Prepare the marinade. I usually marinade in my tofu press but you can also do in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, sage, a pinch of salt and pepper to the bowl or press. Chop the tofu in cubes and marinade in the lemon juice mixture. Add warm water to ensure the tofu is completely covered and marinade for 24-76 hours.

Then heat your oven to 180C (fan) and bake the tofu in its marinade in an oven dish for 20-30 minutes, until it’s golden.

I had this with roasted dill potatoes, roasted tomatoes with thyme, and roasted carrots marinaded in miso. It’s delicious drizzled with our smoky cheeze sauce. Other suggestions to add to the tofu in a buddha bowl –

Vegan smoked salmon

Tomato polenta fingers

Pickled veg and/or peanut broccoli

Spicy tempeh, potato and cauliflower

Japanese mushrooms and greens.

And if you like this, try our green vegan coriander soup.

This vegan pasta arrabbiata is one of those staple recipes that’s great for days when you’re too busy to think about what to make for dinner and just need something you can throw together now. ‘Arrabbiata’ means ‘angry’ in Italian, and this chilli-spiked tomato sauce does have a kick, but not one that will blow your head off. Native to Rome, it’s something I used to eat a lot when I lived in Italy many years ago.

These days, we have a lovely Italian neighbour who often brings us fresh tomatoes from his greenhouse that I use to make this sauce. Make a batch for now, and a batch to freeze, so you’ve always got some of this zingy sauce ready to go.

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil

1 kg fresh tomatoes

1-2 tsp chilli flakes, depending on how hot you like it.

Handful basil leaves

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 white onion, chopped finely

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Handful sliced black olives

You’ll also need a blender.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees(fan)

Place the tomatoes in a baking dish and toss in 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. Roast for 15-20 minutes.

Once the tomatoes are ready, heat the other 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan or wok over a medium heat and fry the onions and garlic for five minutes.

Then blend the tomatoes with the onion and garlic, plus the balsamic vinegar, in your blender, to make a sauce. Serve with your favourite pasta – we like this with penne or rigatoni – and garnish with the fresh basil and sliced black olives.

If you like this, try our lemon spaghetti with chickpeas and sage!