See the recipe Obliviously, this dish is inspired by Chilli con Carne. If you’ve not heard of it before, this is a Tex-Mex dish normally made with minced beef, chili peppers, and a mixture of spices. The meatiest of all the chillies, it’s been a challenge to make a vegan version that will make most meat eaters just as happy. But I brough this to a pot luck with friends last week and it was incredibly popular, I think I might have cracked it. Let’s talk about flavour Let’s be honest, this chilli recipe is not quick, it’s all about building up the flavour layer by layer. However, I guarantee…
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Easy Vegetable Chilli (Vegan & Gluten Free)
See the recipe As a child I hated kidney beans with a passion. I would sit, hovering over my mother’s Chilli Con Carne, picking out every dark red, hated bean before even deigning to eat the dinner she had lovingly cooked. These days, I acknowledge that beans and lentils are part of a balanced vegan’s diet but it took hard work for me to get past my own legume phobia. That and cooking my beans from dried. I don’t know what it is about tinned beans but the texture just isn’t nearly as good as when you’ve cooked them yourself. It’s cheaper and, even better, with a pressure cooker you…
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Beet Burgers (Vegan, GF)
If you’ve taken a look at my recipe for Beetroot Wellington then you’ll know that recipe started as a burger. This is that burger. It works beautifully as a cheeseburger, the earthiness of the beetroot pairing perfectly with the smoothness of a great vegan cheese. But to make the best burger, a messy burger that you’ll need napkins to eat but will never regret – use my peppercorn sauce. Believe me, it’s a revelation. What’s more, it’s easy to make a batch for a crowd as they cook in the oven. Want to prep a batch in advance? They freeze or can be stored in the fridge in an airtight…
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Beetroot Wellington with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce (Vegan, Gluten Free)
This recipe started out life very differently. I was working on a new Beet Burger recipe (don’t worry – you’ll see it this week, it’s amazing!) and had a shock of inspiration. Big meals like Christmas and Thanksgiving can be tricky for vegans as there are few big, dramatic centrepieces to build a fancy roast meal around. A lot of those that do exist are impressions of meat, like vegan friendly roast turkey. Now I have no problem with these dishes, but I wanted a dish that was both vegan and gluten free while elevating vegetables to the centrepiece. My trial beet burger was meaty and interesting enough that it…
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Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Fragrant Vegan Meatballs (Vegan & Gluten Free)
Vietnamese noodle salad, or Bun Cha as it’s also known, is one of those great dishes that is both light and filling. Perfect for warm summer days, it can be eaten without that horrible heavy feeling. Originating in Hanoi, Vietnam, this rice noodle salad is normally paired with pork meatballs. I’ve embraced the asian flavours here and created some truely delightful veggie meatballs that are both tasty and easy to make. Baked in the oven, these pair perfectly with the salad dressing. I like to serve this on a bug central plate, allowing everyone to build their bowls as they like and use the dressing for dunking the noodles, vegetables…
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Kidney Bean and Quinoa Burgers (Vegan & Gluten Free)
It can be tricky sometimes to meet the craving for a good meaty vegan burger without soy or gluten. Finally I think I’ve done it, and it’s easier than I thought it would be! The burger is deeply tasty, full of protein, and doesn’t fall apart like so many veggie burgers. This all comes from investigating an interesting new ingredient: Methylcellulose. The secret to the texture of beyond meat, this binder has the unique ability to firm up when hot. Since discovering it, I’ve been taking a second look at all my burger recipes to see if it can improve their texture. Want a burger that tastes as good as…
