Hearty vegan comfort food for winter

Winter is most definitely here, so it’s time for some vegan comfort food that’s easy to make and even easier to enjoy!

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

400g dried lentils

100 ml vegetable stock

Can plum tomatoes

1 white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 large chopped carrot

Handful parsley

3/4 large floury potatoes

Splash balsamic vinegar

Method

Soak the dried lentils in a bowl of water overnight.

Next day, peel and boil the potatoes till soft, and set aside.

Heat a little oil in a large wok and fry the onion and garlic for 3 minutes on a medium heat.

Add the lentils, stock and tomatoes and simmer for half an hour, stirring regularly. Add the vinegar five minutes before taking off the heat.

Meanwhile, mash the potatoes.

Line a ceramic dish with the mince and top with the potatoes, either spooning it on or using a piping bag.

Cook till the potatoes are browning on top and serve garnished with parsley.

Twice baked potatoes

Twice baked potatoes - ultimate vegan comfort food.

Ingredients

6 baking potatoes

1 large chopped red onion

2 handfuls dill

Handful parsley

Nutritional yeast

Grated vegan cheese

Method

Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven, cut in half and scoop out the insides.

Mash or rice the almost baked potatoes with the dill, nutritional yeast, red onion and grated cheese.

Bake for a further 20 minutes and serve garnished with parsley.

Sea buckthorn – one of nature’s lesser known super heroes

Sea buckthorn berries grow in abundance at Gullane beach, where we often go swimming. I’d noticed the berries before, but hadn’t really paid them much mind. That was until our last visit, when I got chatting to a lovely lady who was snipping them into a basket. She told me that they contain many times the amount of vitamin C as your average orange and that she was going to make them into a tonic that could be taken daily.

I was intrigued and used Colin’s pen knife to cut a few sprigs for myself. When I got home, on the lady’s advice, I put them in the freezer for 24 hours to take away the astringency and then made them into a juice. You can also use the berries to make jams, powders, tonics and in baking.

Reading more about sea buckthorn, I learned that it has a number of health benefits. As well as being packed with vitamin C, it’s full of potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron. It’s also thought to be good for heart health, and for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol in some cases.

Here’s how I made the juice –

  1. Add equal quantities of blueberries and sea buckthorn, which has been frozen and de-thorned, to your juicer.
  2. Add the same amount of water as fruit to the juicer – so I used 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup sea buckthorn berries, and 1 cup water.
  3. Add a teaspoon of maple syrup and blend!

Vegan coconut and vanilla face and body scrub

This totally vegan coconut and vanilla face and body scrub has to be one of the nicest things I’ve ever put on my face. My skin felt so soft and smooth afterwards and it smells AMAZING – that’s because it actually is good enough to eat!

The good news is that it’s the easiest thing ever to make. You only need three ingredients, plus a container – I used an old body scrub container but you can use a small plastic tupperware if you don’t have any old packaging.

Ingredients

1 cup coconut oil, melted

2 cups coconut sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method

Melt the coconut oil in the microwave or over a low heat on the hob and combine with the sugar and vanilla.

Mix it up with a little warm water, apply to face and body, massage in and rinse off!

Healthy vegan pumpkin and turmeric flat bread with pesto, kale, pumpkin seeds & roasted tomatoes

This chewy, flavour filled vegan pumpkin and turmeric flat bread is packed with goodness and makes a delicious lunch topped with the warm garlicky pesto, juicy tomatoes and seeds that taste just like popcorn!

For the bread

Ingredients

260g plain flour

150g pumpkin puree (take the insides of a pumpkin, discard the seeds and blend to a puree in a blender)

3 tbsp plant milk

1 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp nutrional yeast

1 tbsp melted vegan butter

Method

Put the ingredients together in a bowl and combine till they form a dough. Knead the dough for five to ten minutes then let it rest for half an hour.

Then divide into small balls, rolling each one into an oval or rectangular shape of around 3-4mm thickness.

Bake in the oven at 175 degrees for 20-25 minutes. It’s a little harder to tell if this bread is baked as it’s already a golden colour, so from around 15 minutes check in on it till it seems ready. It will be a little puffed and lightly browned.

For the pesto

Make this ahead of the bread and topping, or while the bread and topping are in the oven.

Ingredients

100g kale

85g walnuts

75ml olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

Method

Put the ingredients together in a blender and blend till smooth.

For the topping

While the pumpkin bread is baking, make the topping.

Ingredients

100g kale

500g tomatoes

Pumpkin seeds from one pumpkin, rinsed in a sieve

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

Method

Toss the kale, tomatoes and seeds in the olive oil, salt and nutritional yeast and bake in a hot oven until crispy – for about 20 minutes.

Spread the pumpkin bread with the warm pesto then top with the kale, tomatoes and pumpkin seeds and enjoy!

Apple, Coconut and Maple Syrup Vegan Breakfast Bake

I ended up making this vegan breakfast bake with apple, coconut and maple syrup as I wanted to find some new recipes to make with the glut of apples in our back garden. This needs quite a lot of apples, but it’s a lovely breakfast or pudding and serves around four medium bowls. You can be healthy and eat it with some vegan yoghurt – coconut would be especially delicious with this – or be like me and eat it with some ice cream.

Ingredients

2lb apples – quarter then chop quarters into four slices. Peel if you prefer but you don’t need to.

4 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp apple juice

2 tbsp cornflour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

6 tbsp vegan butter, soft or melted

4 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp plant milk

2 oz plain flour

8 oz oats

2 tbsp raisins

4 tbsp pecan or walnuts

4 tbsp chopped coconut

Ice cream or yoghurt for serving

Method

Mix the apples in a bowl with the cinnamon, 4 tbsp maple syrup, apple juice and cornflour, making sure the apples are completely coated in the mixture.

Line a baking tin with this mixture.

Mix the butter, 4 tbsp maple syrup, plant milk, flour, oats, raisins, nuts and coconut together in a bowl and pour over the top. Bake at 175 degrees for around 45 minutes or till golden on top.

Serve with ice cream or yoghurt!

Vegan Knishes with Potato and Dill

The lesser know little sister of the bagel, these vegan knishes are so delicious hot or cold – and there are hundreds of variations on them using various fillings – this one is another favourite. This version is pretty carb heavy so you might need a wee lie down after eating them! They’re delicious with sour cream – recipe here – and mustard butter, which is just 4tbsp butter mixed with 1 tsp wholegrain mustard.

Method

Dough

125 ml vegetable oil

1 tsp white wine vinegar

250 ml vegetable stock

300g plain flour plus extra for kneading.

1/2 tsp salt

Filling

750 g potatoes, boiled and mashed or riced

10 g dill

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1tsp nutritional yeast

Make the dough by combining all the dough ingredients together to form a smooth ball. Cover in clingfilm and leave for an hour or so.

Roll the dough out into a thin rectangle. Combine the mashed potatoes, olive oil, salt and nutritional yeast and spread along the bottom third of the rectangle, then roll the pastry up and cut into 8 knishes of squat round shapes.

Bake in the oven till golden and serve with sour cream and mustard butter!

Vegan Spaghetti Carbonara

Is there anyone who doesn’t like spaghetti carbonara? The good news is that – as with everything – there’s a vegan version so no one needs to miss out! This vegan spaghetti carbonara recipe is really quick and easy with little prep and easy to find ingredients.

I’ve given the recipe for the sauce here and will leave pasta quantities up to you. This amount is enough for roughly four large bowls of carbonara.

You’ll need a blender to make this – I used a Nutribullet.

Ingredients

1 packet Quorn vegan ham, chopped into small squares. You can swap this for vegan bacon or use both!

Handful parsley to garnish

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

400g cashews, soaked in water and drained

250 ml plant milk

150 g frozen peas

Method

First, blend the cashews, garlic, milk, onion powder, nutritional yeast and salt together. Add some warm water or olive oil if the consistency isn’t runny enough for you.

Then cook the pasta, adding the frozen peas to the water a couple of minutes before the pasta is cooked.

Heat the sauce in a large wok, adding the ham and the pasta, and combine. Garnish with the parsley and serve!

Vegan Laksa with Tofu and Peas

This vegan laksa is easy to make with a bit of prep, but once you’ve made a big batch you can freeze it and reheat it on cold days, sick days, and can’t be bothered to cook days. So warm and comforting with a spicy kick!

Ingredients

4 tbsp sesame oil

6 cloves of chopped garlic

3 cm ginger

3 – 4 tsp chilli powder depending on how spicy you like it

2 tsp cumin

1 white onion, chopped roughly

Litre vegan vegetable stock

1 tin coconut milk

100g dry rice noodles

4 tbsp fresh coriander

1 block tofu, which you should press 72-12 hours beforehand. Do this using a tofu press or suspending the tofu in a sieve over a bowl and covering it in heavy books for at least two hour. Then chop into 2 cm square cubes and marinade in soy sauce and a pinch of salt. The longer you marinade it, the better it will taste.

100g frozen peas

2 limes

1 tsp sesame seeds

Method

Make the laksa paste by blending the garlic, ginger, chilli powder, cumin, 2 tbsp coriander and white onion with 150 ml stock in a blender.

Heat up a pan with 2 tbsp sesame oil and heat the paste over a low heat for ten minutes.

Slowly add the stock and coconut milk, then add 2 tsp salt and simmer.

After 10 minutes add the rice noodles and peas and continue to simmer and stir for another 5 minutes.

Heat up a separate pan with 2 tbsp sesame oil and fry the tofu cubes for 15 minutes over a medium heat until golden. Add them to the soup and garnish with a handful of coriander, sesame seeds and limes cut into quarters, and serve with a good squeeze of lime.

Vegan Eggs Benedict

I love this vegan Eggs Benedict dish for breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. Like most tofu based recipes, a little prep is required, but the good news is that once you’ve done that you can put it all together wherever, including on a camping trip!

Ingredients

It’s helpful but not mandatory to have a tofu press for the tofu. If you don’t have one you can press the tofu by wrapping it in a tea towel or similar, putting it in a colander over a bowl, and putting heavy books on top of it.

You’ll also need a medium – large frying pan and some oil for frying.

For the muffins

380g flour plus a little extra to knead

2 tbsp very soft vegan butter – I used Naturli.

2 tsp caster sugar

2 tsp fast action yeast

1 tsp salt

200mls lukewarm water

1 tsp baking powder

For the toppings

1 block firm tofu

Kala namak salt – 2 tablespoons

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

6 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp salt

Vegan ham – I used Quorn

Hollandaise sauce – you can make your own using this recipe by Loving It Vegan or use premade such as this one by Inspired Vegan

A bunch of chives

A round implement such as a jam jar lid or cookie cutter to cut the muffins, tofu and ham to your preferred size – you’ll want them to be about 8 – 10cm in diameter.

This makes around 6-9 servings.

How to make

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – the secret to any tofu dish is to PRESS and PREP the tofu. That means pressing the moisture out for at least a couple of hours, and marinading for as long as you can – up to three days if possible so it soaks up lots of flavour.

Press the tofu for at least 2 hours.

Next, cut your tofu into round slices – about 8 – 10 cm wide and 1cm thick. You can use the extra tofu by mashing it up or chopping it into small cubes, including it in the marinade below, and baking or frying it to add to pasta, noodles, salads or sandwiches.

Then marinade the tofu in a bowl or tofu press with the soy sauce and salt. Add warm water to this to make sure all the tofu is covered.

Next, fill your ziploc bag with the kala namak and nutritional yeast. Put the tofu circles in, making sure each surface is covered as much as possible with the mixture. Fold the bag over if you can so the tofu is tightly sealed and leave for another hour or so.

Now, the muffins. Make the muffin dough by combining all of the ingredients, give it a good knead, then leave it to prove for a couple of hours in a clean bowl covered by a teatowel.

Roll out the dough and cut into round shapes using your round cutter that you used for your tofu – you should be able to use all the dough up. If you’re prepping this for later, store the muffin shapes in an airtight box, separating each layer with greaseproof paper or similar.

If you’re making the muffins now, fry the muffin rounds over a medium heat. They can cook – and burn – quickly, so turn the first one over after a few seconds to see how it’s doing and gauge your temperature, then cook on each side until golden.

Next prep the ham by cutting it into circles the same size as the egg. You can use the leftover ham for sandwiches, salads, or even in this recipe for a slightly messier looking egg!

Then make the tofu egg. Make sure each surface of your egg rounds is as well covered as possible with the kala namak and nutritional yeast mix, massaging it in if you can. Using the same pan you used for the muffins, fry each side for a couple of minutes until golden.

Lightly butter the muffins, add the egg and ham, top with the hollandaise sauce and chives and enjoy!

Vegan Millionaire’s Shortbread

A long walk needs snacks, both as a reward for all the miles you’ve trodden and as encouragement to keep going along the way.

Vegan millionaires shortbread

This millionaire’s shortbread is slightly more time consuming as it has three steps, to the point where I put it in the freezer to set so it would be ready in time for our walk! It’s worth the effort though. This makes about 12 medium size squares.

Ingredients

250g plain flour

75g icing sugar

Sea salt

Vegan butter – I used Naturli – 175g for the shortbread and 175g for the caramel

200g maple or golden syrup or agave nectar

175g brown sugar

100g caster sugar

150ml plant milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g dark chocolate

Method

First make the shortbread. After preheating the oven to 170/Gas Mark 4, combine the icing sugar, a pinch of salt and flour in a bowl. Work the vegan butter into the mixture by rubbing it into a breadcrumb like consistency with your fingers until all the lumps are gone. Then press the mixture into a rectangular cake tin, making sure it is tightly packed in to the tin. Prick with a fork all over and bake for 20 minutes until golden. Let it cool.

Then make the caramel. It’s very useful to have a sugar thermometer for this bit. Put the butter, syrup, brown and caster sugar and plant milk in a pan and stir, bringing to the boil until they reach 115 degrees on your thermometer or until is bubbling vigorously. When it gets to that point, add the vanilla and salt and remove from the heat. Stir for ten minutes then pour on the cooled shortbread.

Finally, melt the chocolate – the easiest way is to put it in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water. Pour it over the cooled shortbread and caramel and refrigerate to set (or put in the freezer if you’re in a rush!)