pasta Archives - Feast of Plants

Creamy Beetroot Pasta (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 11:00:06 +0000

Skip to the recipe It’s no surprise to hear that going for a plant based diet can be good for you. The benefits of fruit and vegetables is well known, and the UK’s five-a-day campaign recommends everyone gets at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Easy right? Well not quite — a recent survey found the average Briton only eats 2.7 portions of fruit and veg a day! UK diets revolve around meat so much that I’ve had friends tell me they couldn’t go vegan because they wouldn’t know what to eat. To make things easier, here are five simple tips I used, to help you reduce your meat intake, and maybe even make the transition to vegan one day: Try new things. Don’t just stick to the same few veg you know, instead try to pick up something new every time you shop. Whether that’s an interesting fruit to liven up your dessert or a new veg that you’ve always wanted to try, this will naturally increase your range of recipes. Eat the rainbow. Vegetables come in every colour of the rainbow and the more you eat, the more nutrients you’ll have. What’s more, the more colourful your plate, the more you’ll want to eat it. From red tomatoes to blue corn, white daikon to Kale so dark it’s almost black, you’re sure to find something you love and have a plate that looks amazing! Eat More Beans and Legumes. Beans are so versatile and a great source of protein. Try adding them to soups or stews or simply have them as a side dish. Thanks to also incredibly cheap, you might even find your food bills go down! Make a list of your favourite meat based dishes and then investigate substitutes. You can still have your favourites, just makes some easy swaps. For example, if you like chicken consider having tofu instead or if beef is your thing, try some mushrooms, while well prepared jackfruit can work well in the place of pork. The key here is to focus on flavours and textures that are similar to the foods you currently enjoy. Experiment with vegan substitutes. As meat-free lifestyles have become more popular, many companies have realized that they can have a whole new customer base by introducing vegan versions of their products into the market. Try simple swaps to vegan mayonnaise, cheese, or other alternatives in your cooking and you might find you can still enjoy your favourite foods just made plant based! Today’s dinner ties in with point two in this list – eat the rainbow. It’s bright, colourful pink comes from beetroot and everyone loves it, even those who claim to hate beetroot! Packed with essential nutrients, beetroot is a great source of fibre, folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. What’s more, If you’re looking for an incredibly easy, tasty, and child friendly dinner then this is it. If you use precooked beetroot, you can have dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes. Topped off with a herby, nutty sprinkle, and served with a seasonal salad or maybe even some garlic bread, you’ll have the easiest dinner you ever made and some seriously happy diners! Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients For the Pasta: 260g Beetroot, well scrubbed 350g Pasta (we use gluten free spaghetti) 3/4 Cup Cashews, soaked 3 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 Garlic clove, peeled 1/2 tsp onion powder t tbsp Olive Oil 1 tsp Salt For the Herbed Crunch Sprinkle: 1/3 cup Walnuts, roughly chopped 2 tbsp Fresh Mint, chopped 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped 1 tsp crushed Chillies (optional) 1 tsp Lemon zest (optional) Directions If you’re using precooked beetroots then skip this first step and move straight on to cooking your pasta. I like to either roast my beetroot or cook them in the instant pot for an easy hands free method. Oven method: Preheat the oven to 200 C (180 Fan/400 F). Trim off the stalks, drizzle with a little oil and wrap well in foil (no need to season yet). Bake in the preheat oven for 45 minutes, or until the beetroots have softened enough that a knife will sink easily into them. Instant pot cooking: Pour a cup of water into the base of the pressure cooker before adding a trivet or steamer. Trim the stems from the prewashed beetroot and place onto the trivet. Cook on high for 28 minutes with a quick release and carefully remove the lid. The beetroots should be cooked and soft. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, but for a minute less so it’s a little al dente. Reserve approx. 300ml of the cooking water before draining. While the pasta cooks, take a few moment to make the sprinkle. Roughly chop all the ingredients together on a board until well combined. Set aside in a small bowl. Place your cooked beetroot into a blender along with the rest of the ingredients and the reserved pasta water. Blend until completely smooth. Transfer the cooked pasta back into the pan and pour the sauce over the top, stir well. Taste and add seasoning as needed, adding a little more water if it feels a little thick. Serve in wide bowls topped with a generous serving of the sprinkle on top. Serve immediately with more of the sprinkle to pass at the table. Notes I find the chillies and lemon zest can be the more controversial part of the dish. While I love the extra notes they bring to it, if you’re cooking for children or anyone a little picky, then you may want to skip them! Allergy Notes: This is naturally vegan, gluten free, and soy free but leans heavily on nuts for the creamy texture. If nuts are a problem for you, you can try subbing out the cashews for about 115g of firm tofu and add the pasta water gradually, until you’re happy with the texture. You can skip the walnuts entirely or sub them with toasted sunflower seeds for a similar feel. If you have any allergies to the ingredients in this dish or have questions on substitutions, leave me a comment below, we love to hear from you!

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Cajun Palm Hearts with Gnocchi (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 17:00:45 +0000

As a general rule, Kenny and I don’t celebrate valentines day. Instead we celebrate the anniversary of our first date on the 8th of February. It’s a date that actually means something to us, not just a socially mandated date for romance. Of course, for you that means you get our anniversary dinner just in time for valentines day. This year I returned to heart of palm for their lobster/scallop like texture but without any relation to any actual fish. Tossed in cajun spices and paired with fluffy homemade gnochi, in a creamy, herby sauce, this makes for a deliciously tasty dish that seems like it’s so much more work than it actually is. We had plenty of potatoes so I made gnocchi from scratch, making sure to make double what we needed so half can be frozen for another quick dinner. Gnocchi is one of those great dishes that can be whipped together from cupboard basics, even from leftover mash, to make a tasty dinner. You’ll pay through the nose for it in a fancy restaurant, do it yourself you’ll realise just how easy it can be but you can happily buy gluten free and vegan gnocchi from the supermarket if you don’t have the time. Makes: Serves 2-3 Ingredients For the Homemade Gnocchi: 1 Kg Potatoes, aim for floury rather than waxy if you can 1/4 Chickpea Flour 1/4 cup Water 150g Gluten Free Flour* 2 Tbsp Olive OIl 1/4 tsp Salt For the Cajun Spiced Palm Hearts: 2 x 400g tins Palm Hearts, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup Cornflour 2 tsp Cajun Seasoning 1/2 tsp Onion Powder 1 tsp Paprika 1/2 tsp Lemon Pepper 1/2 tsp Basil 1/2 tsp Rosemary For the Creamy Herb Sauce: 60g Vegan Butter 4 Garlic Cloves, minced 5 Tbsp Gluten Free Flour 250ml Vegetable Stock 300ml Plant Based Milk 1/3 cup Nutritional yeast 1 tsp Thyme 1/2 tsp Basil 1 tsp Tahini (optional) Salt & Pepper to taste Directions For the best textured gnocchi, bake your potatoes rather than boil them. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees (200C fan/425 F). Prick your potatoes all over and place into the oven until the inside is soft. This will vary depending on the size of the potato but averages out at 45 minutes – 1 hour. Allow to cool completely before scooping out the insides. Whisk together the oil, chickpea flour, and water. Place the potato into a large bowl and mash until smooth. use a fork, potato ricer, or masher – really don’t use a food processor as this will bring out the starch and make the mash gluey. Add in the chickpea mix and almost all the flour. Mix lightly with a spoon before turning out onto the worktop. Kneed just until the dough is smooth and firm, try not to overwork the dough to make it too heavy. If too soft or wet add more flour as needed but it’s best to err on the side of caution to get the lightest gnocchi, the dough should be moist but not sticky. Cut the dough into quarters and roll into long tubes roughly the same thickness as your thumb. Cut into pieces no larger than an inch. Now here you can be a little creative, dig out something to shape your gnocchi – you can use the back of a fork, a grater, even a gnocchi board if you have such a thing – anything with a flat base and shaped to allow sauce to cling to the gnocchi. I tend to use a small cooling rack but dig out what you think will work best for you. Using your thumb press the dough in and down the length of your improvised gnocchi board. The gnocchi should curl into a slight “C” shape, and the backs should capture the impression the dents. Set each gnocchi aside on a sheet of greaseproof paper and dust with a bit more flour if needed. Remember that the ingredients for this recipes makes double the amount of gnocchi needed for this. If you’re freezing the excess, put on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper in a single layer. Place in the freezer until solid before placing into freezer bag. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (180 Fan/ 400 F). Slice the palm hearts into chunks about the same width as your thumb. Toss well in the rest of the ingredients before putting onto a lined baking tray. Spritz with a little oil and place into the oven, baking until crisped around the edges, or for 25 – 30 minutes, turning once. While the palm hearts bake, make the sauce and bring a large pot of water up to boil. Melt the butter in a medium pan and add the garlic, cooking until fragrant. Slowly add in the flour, stirring constantly, until fully mixed and the mix has started to brown slightly. Add in the herbs and nutritional yeast, now gradually add in the stock and milk, stirring until completely combined. The mix should coat the back of a spoon, if too thick then add a little bit more milk as needed. When heated through, I tend to prefer to run the mix through a blender to make sure it’s extra smooth but this is completely optional. Add in the tahini (if using – it adds a little more creaminess but can be skipped), taste and season as needed. This isn’t in the ingredients but often at this point I like to throw in a handful of frozen veg like sweetcorn and peas because there’s no such thing as too much veg. Without overcrowding the pan, put the waiting gnocchi into the boiling water. The gnocchi is cooked when it floats – this should take 3-5 minutes. Drain well and toss both the gnocchi and palm hearts in the sauce. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and a touch of chilli flakes. Notes You can use leftover mash to make equally good gnocchi. About 950g – 1Kg of mash will work here but if you’ve already added butter then skip the olive oil in your chickpea blend. * If your flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum then add about 1/2 tsp. Allergy Notes; This recipe is vegan, gluten free, soy free and nut free. If sesame seeds are an allergen for you then just skip the tahini.

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Vegan & Gluten Free Ravioli Two Ways

Feast of Plants — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 16:02:16 +0000

I did a thing and I am oh so proud of it. I made homemade pasta, it was vegan and gluten free and it was oh so tasty, and I’ll teach you to do it too. It’s not difficult and you don’t need a lot of special equipment. You will need time and patience but hey, we’re in lockdown, time isn’t something we’re short of right now. Get the kids involved, they’ll love it, or spend your next Friday night making pasta, while you watch something fascinating. I found it really quite satisfying. But first, before we look at pasta, we need to talk about flour. Gluten free flour to be specific. I’m a big fan of Nicole from Gluten Free on a Shoestring. Her recipes guided me on my first nervous steps of gluten free cooking all those years ago and for a long time, her flour blends have been my default. Her blend for mock better batter style flour is still my favourite – even if my version of it is tweaked ever so slightly (I skip the brown rice flour and use sorghum flour instead). So when I refer to gluten free flour in my recipes you can know this is what I’m using. It comes with xanthan gum already included and it’s incredibly easy to make in large batches so you can have a jar of flour just there and ready to use. As a general rule you should be (mostly) fine subbing in your favourite GF flour blend instead, even if its shop bought, but if you choose to do so, be prepared to have to be a little more flexible with the rest of the recipe. Different flour blends might need a little more, or less liquid and always check to see if you need to add your own xanthan gum. But back to pasta. My big tip for this recipe? Make a double batch and freeze half of it for an unbelievably quick dinner that’ll remind you of those heady days when we could actually eat in a restaurant. To freeze, lay out your ravioli on a lined baking tray making sure they’re not touching, and place in the freezer. Once solid simply tip into a freezer safe bag, seal, and store till needed. Cooking instructions are the same as below, it just might take slightly longer. Enjoy! Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients For the Pasta Dough: 275g Gluten Free Flour* 70g Chickpea Flour 1 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp White Pepper 1 Tbsp Olive Oil 125ml Aquafaba** 125ml Hot Water For the Cashew Ricotta: 300g Cashews, soaked overnight 125ml Plant based Milk 1 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice 1 1/2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 tsp Garlic Powder 1 tsp Onion Powder Salt to taste For the Beetroot Filling: 550g Cooked Beetroot 200g Cashew Ricotta 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast 2 Tbsp Mint leaves, finely chopped 1/2 tsp Nutmeg Salt & Pepper to taste For the Butternut Squash Filling: 600g Butternut Squash, peeled & roughly chopped 250g Cashew Ricotta 3 Tbsp Sage Leaves, chopped 1/4 tsp Nutmeg 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes Salt & pepper to taste To Serve: 115g Vegan Butter Handful of Walnuts, roughly chopped 1/4 cup Sage leaves 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes Salt & Black Pepper to taste Directions First things first, pick your filling. The ingredients given will fill one batch of pasta so either pick one or do both but half the amounts. To make the pasta: Sift your dry ingredients into a bowl. Chickpea flour can be incredibly lumpy and the last thing you want to find in your pasta is lumps of unmixed chickpea flour. I used a standmixer with the dough hook attachment for the next bit but you can do this by hand if you’re patient and feeling strong. Pour the liquid ingredients into a well in the centre and kneed until smooth. When ready, a good pasta dough should be firm but not at all sticky. You should be able to kneed it with your hands and still have clean hands afterwards. If it’s too sticky then add a little more flour, no more than a tablespoon at a time, and continue kneading until the texture is just right. The dough can be used straight away or wrapped very tightly in cling film and placed into a fridge for up to 2 days. Making the Cashew Ricotta: This batch is a development from the version in my lasagne soup but the method is the same. If you prefer my old version then feel free to use that instead. Once the cashews are soaked, they should be soft and mailable to the touch, drain well and placed to a blender jug. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. It’s ready, place until the fridge until needed. You may not need all of it for this recipe but anything you don’t need will be great on toast! To make the beetroot filling: Want to know a secret? When I’m doing this I don’t bother peeling the beetroot. If buying them raw they should be well scrubbed before cooking but I’ve never seen the point in peeling them when they’re about to go in the blender. Top and tail the beetroot before throwing the in blender with rest of the filling ingredients apart from the mint. Blend until smooth and stir through the mint leaves. Taste and season to taste, each batch of beetroot will be different so don’t be afraid to keep tasting till you get it right. To make the butternut squash filling: Preheat the heat to 220 degrees (200 Fan/435 F). Toss the squash in a little oil and season lightly before roasting for 45 min – 1 hour, or until soft and caramelised around the edges. Mash the squash with a fork or potato masher (I’m not a fan of using a blender for this one as I prefer the more interesting texture). Add the rest of the filling ingredients and stir well. Taste and season as needed. Forming the Ravioli: Before starting make sure you have a few basic items to hand; a rolling pin, biscuit cutter (I use this to cut out my ravioli), lined baking tray, damp tea towel, and a fork. I like to separate the pasta dough into 4 equal sized portions when rolling out as it just makes everything a lot easier to handle. Make sure you keep the rest of your dough firmly wrapped into cling film while you work to stop the dough drying out. Place your dough onto a very lightly floured surface and roll the dough until its about 2mm thin and slightly transparent. To make sure the dough doesn’t stick to the work surface, turn and flip regularly, adding more flour as needed. When the dough becomes too large to easily turn without tearing, don’t be afraid to use the rolling pin to help. When rolled out, cut out as many shapes as possible with the biscuit cutter. Cover the shapes with the damp tea towel and repeat with the rest of the dough. Here we come to one of the best parts of working with GF dough – if you have any offcuts, don’t throw them away. Knead them back into a smooth ball of dough, and keep rolling and cutting until you’ve used all the dough – no waste here! I like to put my filling into a piping bag for this next step but a steady hand and a spoon will work just as well. Line up half of your pasta shapes on the workbench and place about half a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each. Brush the edges with a little water using your finger before covering with a second piece of dough. Carefully press down, removing any air from inside and sealing using a little pressure around the edges. Lightly crimp around the edges with the fork before placing on the lined baking tray – repeat until all the pasta dough has been formed into ravioli. To cook, bring a large pan of water up to a boil and place the butter into a wide frying pan. Once the butter is melted add the sage and walnuts. Cook, stirring occationally, until the walnuts are toasted and the sage leaves are crispy. Stir in the rest of the ingrediants and season to taste. Meanwhile, place the ravioli into the simmering water and cook until the ravioli floats – fresh pasta doesn’t normally take more than 2-3 minutes. Gently, drain well and serve with a drizzle of the sage and walnut butter. Enjoy! Notes * Check to see if your blend contains xanthan gum. If it doesn’t then about 8g will work well here. ** Tinned aquafaba should be reduced before using. Simmer in a pan until reduced by a third and the liquid is thick and silky. Allergy Notes; This recipe is vegan, gluten free and soy free but not nut free. If nuts are an allergen for you then substitute the cashew ricotta with tofu ricotta and skip the walnuts for a tasty sage butter.

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Sweet Potato Gnocchi (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 12:38:57 +0000

The end of summer has arrived, the kids are heading back to school and holidays are coming to an end. I admit we don’t have kids but life always seems to speed up this time of year. There’s this subconscious feeling that time is running out, just as the days start getting shorter. I even had someone quip to me last week that ‘Christmas is only four months away’! With the hectic days it’s still important to take some time to chill. Surprise, surprise, I’ve always enjoyed using mindful recipes as a chance to pause. Gnocchi is so easy to make, a few leftovers, a spare 30 minutes, and you have some comforting little pillows. I don’t see myself ever attempting homemade pasta (gluten free and vegan). It’s so much work without much reward. But gnocchi, is both easy to make and actually tastier than shop bought version. Fresh gnocchi is fluffy, comforting, full of flavour, and so quick to cook. Boil yours for just a few minutes or pan fry till crispy. Toss with a little pesto or toss with your favourite pasta sauce. You can eat it as soon as it’s ready or it keeps well in the fridge. So whip up your gnocchi when you’ve got time on the weekend and you’ll have dinner ready in just three minutes on your busy day during the week. Let me know what you do with yours! Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients 600g Cooked Sweet Potatoes* 70g Potato Starch** 100g Chickpea Flour 100 – 200g Gluten Free Flour 1 tsp Salt Directions Peel and mash your cooked sweet potatoes. In a large bowl mix the potatoes with the starch and chickpea flour. Gradually mix in the gluten free flour, a quarter cup at a time, until you form a soft, slightly tacky dough. The amount of flour you might need for this will depend on how much liquid your sweet potatoes contain. I find it easier to switch from a bowl to a lightly floured counter top once you get closer to a dough like texture and kneed in the flour. Feel free to use whichever method works best for you but if you’re using the counter then I find a bench scraper to be essential. Cut the dough into four equal sized pieces before rolling each one into thin tubes, ever so slightly thicker than your thumb. Now cut the dough into 1 inch pieces and lightly flour. If you wish, you can roll of the back of a fork for those classic gnocchi ridges but that’s entirely optional. Cooking the gnocchi just in boiling water is the classic cooking method. It will result in light, pillowy dumpling and can be just so quick. Boil a large pan of salted water before adding your gnocchi. The gnocchi is cooked and ready to eat when it floats to the top – remember to stir in case any of them stick to the bottom. Drain completely. For Crispy Gnocchi (optional): Going the extra step and crisping your gnocchi before eating takes a little longer but it worth it for a tasty crisp outside to pair with their delicious fluffy inside. Cook the gnocchi as per above before heating a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan, on a medium to high heat. Cook until crispy on both sides, touching only to flip once one side is cooked. Once cooked using your preferred method, toss in your favourite accompaniment – pesto, some crispy sage leaves maybe – and eat straight away. Notes * If you don’t have any cooked sweet potatoes to hand then toss about 700g of scrubbed sweet potatoes in the oven, pricked a few times. Cook until soft at 200 degrees – the time this takes will vary depending on the size of your potatoes but will likely take between 45-60 minutes. ** Corn starch and tapioca starch work as good substitutes here if you don’t have any potato starch to hand. Allergy Notes; This recipe is vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free but keep an eye on anything you put with your gnocchi as plenty of classic pairings – like pesto – aren’t always allergy friendly.

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Creamy White Wine Spaghetti with Seared Hearts of Palm (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 12:00:24 +0000

Seared hearts of palm can look just like scallops. With their mild taste and melt-in-your-mouth buttery texture once cooked they can taste just like them too. Pair with a pile of pasta smothered in a creamy, garlicy sauce and you’ll have a dinner fit for any special occasion. What’s more, you’ll only need to spend 15 mins in front of the stove for this dinner with minimal prep work! This is so easy to make, a child could probably handle it with with few issues. The hearts of palm will cook easily if you just leave them alone in the pan, don’t mess around with them and they’ll be happy. Cashews are the secret to this creamy sauce that you’ll swear has really cream in. Seriously, you’ll have dinner in 20-15 minutes and you’ll be ready to think it was made in a restaurant rather than your own fair hands. Makes: Serves 3-4 Ingredients For the Hearts of Palm: 1 400g tin of Heart of Palm, drained and rinsed 1/4 tsp Celery Salt 1/2 tsp Paprika 1/4 tsp Sumac 1/4 tap Ground Black Pepper 1 Tbsp Oil For the Creamy Spaghetti: 225g Cashews 375ml Vegetable Stock 250g Gluten Free Spaghetti 1Tbsp Vegan Butter 1Tbsp Olive OIl 4 Garlic Cloves, minced 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes 250ml White Wine* 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast 15g Fresh Parsley, finely chopped 80g Spinach (optional)** 1 tsp Lemon Juice Salt & Pepper to taste Directions For best results, I recommend soaking your cashews overnight in the stock. If you loose track of time then heat up the stock to almost boiling before adding the cashews. Once soft, blend the cashews and stock together until completely smooth to create a thick savoury cream. Put to one side till needed. Slice the hearts of palm into thick rounds, no more than 2cm thick. If you have time, score a shallow crosshatch pattern into both ends of the rounds. You can skip this if you’re short on time but it will help the dry rub be absorbed. Mix the spices together and scatter onto both sides of the rounds. Heat the oil in in a large, wide bottomed pan until shimmering and add the scallops. Don’t overcrowd the pan so be prepared to do a few batches if your pan isn’t large enough. Sear the heart of palm rounds on a medium to high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Once they’re in the pan, only turn once and try not to touch them too much so they can form that nice crust. The palm hearts should be done when they develop a nice crust on both ends and are soft and buttery all the way through, this should take about 10-15 minutes. While cooking the palm hearts try to multitask and cook both the pasta and sauce at the same time. Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the pack. When ready, reserve about 500ml of the pasta water. At the same time, place both the oil and butter into a large frying pan. Place onto a medium heat until the butter is melted and add the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook until the garlic has softened and is just starting to brown. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Boil until the liquid has reduced to at least half. Reduce the heat to low and add the cashew cream we whipped up earlier along with the nutritional yeast. Mix well with the reduced white wine before gradually adding the pasta water a quarter cup at a time until you reach a consistency you’re happy with, we’re aiming for a sauce similar to single cream keeping in mind it will continue to thicken as you finish the last few steps. Remove from the heat and add the parsley, lemon juice and spinach stirring until the spinach has begun to wilt. Taste and season well, adding more lemon juice to balance if needed. Now toss through the pasta and palm hearts. Serve immediately in bowls piled high. Notes * Admittedly I don’t often have white wine in the house as I don’t drink. If you don’t have any to hand then a substitute of half vegetable stock and half white wine vinegar will work as well- just make sure you don’t skip any part of the simmer. ** I couldn’t resist throwing in the spinach but if you want to skip it, it won’t affect the taste. Alternatively a handful of frozen peas will work just a well. Allergy Notes; Using the Gluten free pasta will ensure this dish is gluten free as well as vegan (provided your pasta is without eggs, most are), and soy free. I’m afraid it’s a little tricky to avoid the nuts in this one but you can purchase oat or soy cream as a decent alternative.

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Vegan Lasagne (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 12:36:53 +0000

A good lasagne is a labour of love and one of those dishes that is greater than the sum of it’s parts. Everything needed is basics I tend to always have in the house. It’s not difficult and all it needs is plenty of time to turn into a rich, filling, tasty, comforting dish that will feed a crowd with ease. This recipe features a rich lentil bolognese and creamy bechamal – you won’t miss the meat here! I always make a huge batch in a large roasting tin so we can freeze the leftovers as it freezes so well. What’s more, even though it can take a while a good proportion of that time is cooking where you leave it to it’s own devices so it’s the perfect meal for working from home. Take a few minutes to do the prep work and leave the bolognese simmering for a few hours. When you’ve got another few minutes make the white sauce, throw everything together and bake. Normally I’ve give you a few cooking options with something like this but because this is such a big batch cook, the bolognese won’t fit in my instant pot. So … no slow cooker or pressure cooker options here I’m afraid but if you decide you don’t need as much as I’ve give here I bet you could halve this recipe and easily fit it into your slow cooker or instant pot. Don’t feel like lasagne tonight? Then the lentil bolognse will work great as a standard spaghetti bolognese. Feel like you need a few extra veg with this? A quick side salad pairs really well. Want to push the boat out? Garlic bread is the ideal pair to this dish. Enjoy and let me know if you enjoyed this feast! Makes: Serves 6-8 Ingredients For the Lentil Bolognese: 1 cup Red Lentils 1 cup Brown lentils 2 Sticks of Celery, fine diced 3 Carrots, finely diced 2 Large Onions, finely diced 1 Red Pepper, finely diced 6 Garlic Cloves, minced 250g Walnuts 300g Mushrooms 3 tins Chopped Tomatoes, 400g each 2 Tbsp Tomato Puree 1 Ltr Vegetable Stock 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 2 Tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce 1 Tbsp dried Thyme 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano 2 tsp Rosemary 1 tsp Basil 3 Bay Leaves 1 tsp Chilli Flakes 1 tsp Yeast Extract* 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg For the Bechamel (White sauce): 140g Vegan Butter 40g White Rice Flour (sweet rice flour works best here if you have it)** 30g Tapioca Flour** 1.25 Ltr Plantbased Milk, oatmilk is my favourite here 2 tsp salt 1 tsp White Pepper 1/2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 Tbsp Vegan Green Pesto (optional)*** For the Lasagne: 18 Gluten Free Lasagne Sheets Your favourite vegan cheese (optional) Directions Dig out your largest casserole pot so we can start with the bolognese. Place your pot on a medium heat on the hob and add a glug of oil. Throw in the onion, carrot and celery and gently saute, stirring occasionally until softened. This will likely take between 10-20 minutes, be patient. Once the vegetable are soft, add the garlic and red pepper. Continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant and the pepper has just started to soften. While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the walnuts and mushrooms. Now while I love mushrooms, Kenny hates them so whenever I use them i a dish they have to be hidden. if you have a similar picky people in your house then blend the mushrooms into a paste – this will cause them to just disappear into the mix. Don’t skip the mushrooms, you won’t taste them but they do add a great meaty base. If everyone i your house can tolerate mushrooms them just finely dice and put to one side. Really finely dice the walnuts, I tend to pop them into a food processor until they look like breadcrumbs. Put to one side with the mushrooms. Add just a touch of the stock at this point and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the brown bits that have stuck to bottom. From this point it’s really simple, add all the rest of the bolognese ingredients and stir really well, making sure everything is well combined. Bring up to a simmer, partially cover, and drop the heat as low as it can go. Very slowly simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally. While the bolognese cooks, whip together the white sauce. Melt the butter in a medium pan over a low heat. Add the flours and whisk until smooth. Season well and cook until the mixture turns a very light, golden colour, about 10 minutes. At this point there are two methods you can use to mix in the milk. The traditionally method is to add the milk a little at a time. Pour in no more than a few tablespoons of milk and mix really well, until fully combined. Repeat until all the milk is fully added and no lumps remain. The second method is to preheat the milk until almost simmering (like with normal milk, don’t let it boil) then put the roux and milk into a high speed blender and mix on high until fully combined before returning to the pan. Be as quick as you can with this so the temperature doesn’t drop too much. Whichever method you use, once combined turn up the heat to medium high and bring the sauce up to a boil. Turn the heat down a little a simmer, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken to a texture similar to double cream. Mix in the nutritional yeast and pesto (if using), taste and season if needed before removing from the heat. When the bolognese is ready, taste and season if needed. Preheat your oven to 180 C (160C Fan/350 F). Lightly grease a 30cm by 40cm roasting tin, paying particular attention to the sides so the pasta doesn’t stick too much during cooking. Start layering up your lasagne starting with an even layer of bolognse, cover with a layer of uncooked lasagne sheets then coat with a layer of white sauce. Repeat (bolognese, pasta, sauce, bolognese, pasta sauce ….) until the tin is full, finishing on the white sauce. Tightly cover with a sheet of greased foil (seriously, don’t forget to oil your foil first or the pasta will stick to it like glue) and bake in the preheated oven. After 45 minutes remove the foil, top with cheese (if using, I love a homemade mozzarella) and place back into the oven for another 15 minutes or until the top is crispy. Rest for a few minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy! Notes Don’t feel like lasagne tonight? the lentil bolognese works great with spaghetti for an equally tasty weeknight dinner. *If you can’t find a yeast extract that works for you then substitute with 1/2 Tbsp of your favourite soy sauce substitute and 1/2 tbsp of nutritional yeast. It won’t be the same but it’ll get you close. Marmite isn’t gluten free but you can find alternatives that are. **If you don’t have these to hand you can try just subbing in cornstarch – it won’t be quite the same but it’s a traditional recipe for a gluten free roux. ***adding pesto to the white sauce adds an interesting extra dimention to the lasagne but it will still be tasty without it. We use a free from pesto which is both vegan and nut free. Allergy Notes; To make this nut free, substitute sunflower seeds for the walnuts and make sure you use a nut free pesto.

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Gnocchi Puttanesca-ish (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 12:00:26 +0000

Lets just pretend this recipe doesn’t exist for anyone with an Italian background – I think I might get into trouble for messing with an Italian classic! Translated as ‘Spaghetti a la whore’, Putanesca is traditionally a spaghetti based dish. While there are plenty of arguments on where this was originally invented, one of my favourites is the claim it was originated in the brothels of the Spanish Quarters as a dish mistresses made for their clients. With a few tweeks from the original, it’s perfect for a quick, one pot dinner. The comforting little pillows of Gnocchi cook perfectly in the sauce. Finished with some vegan mozzerella and finished under the gill till it melts, its the perfect dish to have in your back pocket for a midnight snack or a quick dinner. Tangy, salty, fresh, creamy cheese, and comforting little gnocchi pillows – can you imagine a more perfect end to a long day? Makes: Serves 2-3 Ingredients 250g Red Onions, roughly chopped 1 Red Pepper, roughly chopped 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed 1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes 800g Tinned Chopped Tomatoes 2 tsp Vegan Fish Sauce 70g Pitted Black Olives, halved 1 Tbsp Capers, drained & diced 500g Gnocchi 5 Basil Leaves (with extra for garnish) 100g Vegan Mozzarella Salt & Pepper to taste Oil for Cooking Directions Place a large, wide bottom pan on a medium heat with a touch of oil. Add the onions and red pepper and gently soften, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and chilli and cook for a minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes, fish sauce, olives, capers, and gnocchi, and bring to a gentle simmer. Very gently simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the gnocchi is soft and the sauce has thickened. Taste and season before stirring through a handful of fresh basil leaves. At this point you may need to transfer your dish to an oven proof tray, I tend to use oven proof pans so this step wasn’t needed for me. Scatter over torn chunks of the mozzarella and grill until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Serve scattered with a few extra basil leaves. Notes Allergy Notes; This dish is vegan and gluten free. To make sure it’s nut free then make sure you pick a vegan cheese that works with your allergy needs.

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Vegan Spaghetti Alfredo

Feast of Plants — Fri, 01 May 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Carbs are my comfort food, and there’s no mistaking it, some days you just want a big bowl of pasta with a creamy sauce. But its a weeknight, so you want it to feel decadent but to be relatively healthy too, and well, I’m still me, so vegetables were going to have to be involved here. So in response to that urge I revisited Pasta Alfredo with the thought of putting my own stamp onto it. Done right, with a cauliflower and cashew base, the sauce is wonderfully smooth and creamy. However, I like a little bit more depth to my meals – it needed more than your standard pasta and sauce combo. If you’re a regular follower of my Instagram page you’ll know I have a slight obsession with roasted tomatoes and these made the ideal counterpoint to this dish. Seasoned before roasting with dried herbs, garlic, and chili these come out of the oven bursting with flavour. These little umami bombs lift the dish into something else along with a little curve ball of balsamic vinegar. You’ve now got an almost sinfully creamy sauce, thanks to the addition of the cashews, enough flavour and depth from the toppings to make your mouth water and yet I think there’s 3 of your 5 a day squeezed in here (the cauliflower, peas, and tomatoes). Not bad for a quick weekday pasta craving. Serves: 4, Generously Ingredients 12 Large Vine ripened tomatoes 1/2 tsp Garlic Granules 2 tsp Oregano 2 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes 2 tsp Rosemary 1 Large Cauliflower 1 tbsp Oil 3 Large cloves of Garlic 90g Cashews 750ml Vegetable Stock 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 tbsp lemon juice 350g Frozen Peas Balsamic Vinegar, to taste (optional) Fresh Parsley, to taste (optional) Salt & Pepper to taste Past of your choice, I like spaghetti or tagliatelle Directions Preheat your oven to 200°C (190°C Fan) and lets start by looking at the tomatoes. Halve them, put them on a lined baking tray cut side up and season well with salt and pepper. Mix together your dried herbs, garlic granules and chili flakes and spread this mix evenly over your tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and place in your oven and roast for about 60 minutes or until they take on a good colour. While they’re cooking its time to pull together the main part of the dish, the cauliflower alfredo sauce. Preheat your instant pot in the saute function and while its warming you can prepare the rest of your vegetables. To prep the cauliflower, discard the leaves*, break up the florets, halve the stem and cut into even chunks. I want to be quite clear here – don’t throw the stem away, it’s perfectly edible, you’ve paid for that and its going to be used and eaten as part of the recipe – as such you may want to clean or trim off the very end if you’re feeling fancy. Roughly chop your garlic and add this along with the the oil into your warmed instant pot. Saute until the garlic becomes fragrant and add the cauliflower, cashews, and stock. Stir well, turn off the saute function, seal, and cook on high for 5 minutes. As there’s a lot of liquid here, you’ll want to use a 10 minute natural release when the cooking is complete. Now this next bit is where you may want to be careful, everything wants to be transferred to a blender and pureed until completely smooth. Whether you prefer to use an immersion blender or a stand blender – you’re dealing with very hot liquids so please be careful. When the sauce is smooth, transfer back to the instant pot and set to keep warm (if needed), gently stir in the peas, nutritional yeast and lemon juice. When your pasta is just ready, stir through the sauce, taste and season as needed – the sauce and pasta are ready when the peas are just cooked and still taste fresh. When your tomatoes are ready, chop them very roughly. Serve your pasta with a potion of the chopped tomatoes on top, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Not your traditional spaghetti alfredo but oh so tasty! Notes * Cauliflower leaves are perfectly edible too so don’t just throw them away! While I wouldn’t recomend putting them into your stock pot (like most brassicas) they roast up a dream, add interest to salads, or why not throw them into your next kale or cabbage recipe? Allergy Notes; I used GF pasta and keep an eye on your stock – I like to use my own or use Marigold Vegan Bouillon when I don’t have any in. I’d suggest checking your shop bought stock powders as gluten sources like wheat are often used as thickeners. I’m afraid this one can’t be nut free!

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Vegan Mac & Cheese

Feast of Plants — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, it’s a satisfying bowl of carbs – but it’s all based on veg that’s begging to be used from the bottom of the fridge. This recipe has been a life saver for me when we really need to go to the shops and all we have in the fridge is odds and ends of old veggies. Brought together that old veg can make something extraordinary with out really much effort or tie spent. I also like to tell myself it’s much healthier than your typical non-vegan mac & cheese as it actually contains some vegetables! A lot of this recipe is really quite forgiving so feel free to make it work around what you have. It’s ideal for the bulb ends of the butternut squash which so often I leave till last because they’re extra work to prepare, no need to peel and if the odd seed makes it into the sauce, no one will notice. It’s vegan, it’s gluten free, but I’m afraid I haven’t been able to find any nut free substitutes on this one! Even so, I hope those of you who can have it, enjoy it as much as we have. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients 200g Potatoes, scrubbed 70g Butternut Squash, no need to peel 70g Onion, this is normally about half an onion 2 small Garlic Cloves, peeled (or 1 large) 75g Cashews, soaked 60ml Coconut milk 180ml Water or Stock 2 1/2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 tbsp Lemon Juice 1 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp cayenne 1 tsp Paprika 285g Pasta, we use Gluten Free 2 slices of Gluten Free bread Directions Preheat your oven to 200 C/ 190 Fan/ 400 F. You’re going to be blending everything together eventually so you don’t need to be too careful about being pretty with your vegetables. Very roughly chop your fresh vegetables, leaving your garlic cloves whole. Simmer for 15 mins in a small pan until they’re nice and soft. Meanwhile, cook your pasta for maybe a minute less than you normally would. Reserve about a quarter cup of pasta water to one side, drain the pasta and place in a large casserole dish to wait for it’s sauce. Blend your gluten free bread into breadcrumbs and set to one side. Rinse out your blender. Place your simmered veg into the blender along with all the rest of your unused ingredients. You can use the water from the veg for your water here – the extra infusion of flavour and starch from the potatoes will actually help the consistency of the sauce. Blend until completely smooth. Mix your sauce together with the pasta along with your reserved pasta water. Be gentle so you don’t mash up the fragile pasta but try to make sure it’s fully combined – you really don’t want a little pockets of dry pasta. Top with your breadcrumbs and place into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the breadcrumbs have turned golden brown. Serve and enjoy! Notes Sometimes I like to toss a few spices on my breadcrumbs just before baking, paprika, chilli flakes, and tumeric all work well here. Just see how you’re feeling. Allergy Notes; To make this gluten free, just use GF pasta and bread per the note above. Unfortunately, this recipe is just not friendly to those with a nut allergy due to the cashews – sorry about that one!

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Butternut Squash and Kale Spaghetti

Feast of Plants — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

There are days when I just don’t want to cook dinner, when I’m tired, can’t be bothered, or just want something with very little effort. This is the recipe I make when those moods strike. It’s incredibly easy and once you’ve roasted the butternut squash there’s really only 15 minutes more work. So if you’re getting tired of social distancing, tired of cooking, and just overall frustrated – pull together this dish, pour yourself a glass of wine, and breathe. Believe me, it’ll all feel better over a massive bowl of carbs! Makes: Serves 2 (Generously) Ingredients 900g Butternut Squash 1Tbsp Paprika 300g Spaghetti 2 Red Onions 4 Garlic Cloves 4 Sun-dried Tomatoes 200g Kale* 2 tsp Crushed Chillies 40g Walnuts 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice Salt & Pepper, to taste Directions Peel and roughly dice your butternut squash. Toss with plenty of salt and pepper, the paprika, and a touch of oil. Bake in a hot oven at 220º C (200ºC Fan/425ºF) for 1 hour, tossing halfway through. When cooked, mash the squash a little and put to one side. There really isn’t much prep in this recipe and that’s what helps make this so quick. Thinly slice the onions lengthwise, mince your garlic, cut the tomatoes into thin strips, finely chop the walnuts, and shred your kale. That’s all – with everything else you should be eating in just 10 minutes. Put your spaghetti on to cook and while it simmers you’re going to make up the flavourings. Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan. Fry the onion and garlic gently on a medium heat, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn. Once softened and just starting to brown, add the chilli flakes and kale. Cook for another few minutes, stirring frequently until your kale has softened slightly. Add your mashed squash, tomato strips and walnuts, stirring thoroughly and allow to toast for a minute or two. Finally add your cooked and drained pasta along with the lemon juice and toss we. Season to taste and serve – wasn’t that quick? Notes * I like to use frozen kale, it comes pre-cut and lasts that bit longer Allergy Notes; To make this gluten free, just use Gluten Free pasta. If walnuts are an allergen for you then just leave them out

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