tomato Archives - Feast of Plants

The Best Instant Pot Tomato Soup (Vegan & GF)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 11:30:47 +0000

See the recipe Tomato soup is the ideal comfort food. As we head into February, weather predictions are that we’re going to hit minus temperatures again here in London. So, when you come home from this cold, an easy but comforting tomato soup is just what you need to warm you up. There are probably as many recipes for tomato soup as there are fish in the sea at this point, and I’m sure everyone will claim theirs is the best. Recipes will vary wildly from using cream, spices, to using a vegetable base such as carrots and celery. Some people only use fresh tomatoes while others will swear that you only need tinned. Then comes the debate about whether is should be smooth and creamy, or chunky and interesting. Personally, I love a good creamy tomato soup on a cold day. I like to roast my tomatoes first so fresh are a must, paired with some roasted garlic and a good vegetable base and you’ll have a winner every time. To great that great creamy taste while staying vegan, I add cashews to the mix. Cooking them with the rest of the soup negates the need to soak them and they blend well with the rest of the soup. What to serve with it? This is an easy question. The traditional pairing with tomato soup is a good grilled cheese, the creaminess of the cheese really compliments the acidity of the tomatoes. Want to go a little bit fancy? Why not make some grilled cheese croutons for a fun option. As for toppings, a generous lump of basil pesto (vegan of course), or a swirl of vegan crème fraiche both pair very well here. Ingredient tips? This is one of the most accessible recipes and I imagine most items will be easily found in your local supermarket. The perhaps oddest item may be the vegan fish sauce, I use this one but you can substitute some gluten free soy sauce if you’d prefer. This homemade tomato soup is both creamy, smooth and super easy to make - the perfect solution for those cold winter nights!

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Easy Vegetable Chilli (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 12:00:50 +0000

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 don’t need to have planned ahead and have beans soaking overnight (it’s better, but you don’t have too). Here in the UK we’ve had 3 storms in the last week alone. We’ve been lucky enough to have not suffered any damage but it’s been a cold winter with some horrible wind. So after coming in from a stupidly cold winters day, not able to feel my feet or hands, I decided I was just not going out again. Dinner had to be made from what we had in the house. With the cupboards getting a little bare, beans would have to be involved, add a glut of tinned tomatoes and some sweet potatoes that really need eating and we’re off with a delicious Veggie Chili that’s just perfect for a cold day! Toppings You can enjoy chilli by itself but for me, the toppings are what really makes it. Our favourite options that work well include; Tortilla Chips Lime and Coriander Rice Guacamole Cashew sour cream Pickled red onions Sliced chillies (for those who just can’t get enough heat) I tend to reach for the guacamole and pickled onions as I love that extra acidy tang to bring out all the flavours of the vegetables and spices. Kenny will reach for the extra sliced chillies as he loves it extra hot, and sour cream is great for those who don’t have much of a head for chilli. Leftovers? Chilli is one of those dishes that can be even better after a day or two in the fridge so box up your leftovers in an airtight container. It should be excellent to eat for up to 5 days. Alternatively, it will happily sit in your freezer till your next cold day. It you want something different the next day but want to use up your leftover Chilli then it makes a great base for a new take on vegan burritos. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients For the Chilli: 1 tbsp Oil 2 Onions 2 Sticks of Celery 2 Carrots 2 Peppers, I like a mix of red and green here 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes 2 Garlic Cloves 2 TIns of Chopped Tomatoes (400g each) 250g cooked Kidney Beans* 250g cooked Black Beans* 1/3 cup mixed Quinoa 250ml Vegetable Stock 2 tsp cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tbsp Chilli Powder 1 dried Ancho Chilli 1 tsp oregano Lime juice, to taste Salt & Pepper to taste Suggested Toppings: Tortilla chips Lime & Coriander Rice Guacamole Pickled Red Onions Cashew Sour Cream Sliced chillies Directions Start by roughly chopping your veg, Chilli is not a dainty dish so we’re looking for small enough to fit in your mouth but not certainly not small. Heat the oil in large pan on a medium heat. Throw in the onion, carrot and celery and saute until the onion softens. Add in the rest of the fresh vegetables and cook until the garlic is aromatic and the onion begins to brown, but don’t let the garlic burn. Now add your tinned tomatoes, beans, quinoa, stock and spices. Stir well and don’t forget to season. Bring up to a boil, cover, and leave to simmer for the next 45-60 mins, or until or the veg is soft and the quinoa is cooked and tender (cooking time may vary depending on how chunky you’ve made your vegetables). Check on it occasionally and give it a gentle stir. Before serving, add a squeeze of lime juice, taste and check seasoning levels – not just for salt and pepper this time but also to make sure you don’t want to add any additional heat or another squeeze of lime (that little hit of acid can really bring out the spices). This works really well served family style with all the toppings on the table so everyone can make it their own. Notes * I cook my beans from dried in the pressure cooker as this is both cheaper and, in my opinion, much taster. If you want to use tinned, 250g is aprox the same as one tin of drained and rinsed beans. Allergy Notes: This is naturally vegan, gluten free, soy free and nut free. If you have any allergies to the ingredients in this dish or have questions on substitutions, leave me a comment below.

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Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Gnocchi Dumplings (Vegan, GF, NF)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 14:00:11 +0000

When storm Francis hit a few weeks ago, cravings for bad weather food started. Foods like a warming soup, something comforting to sip while the winds rage outside. While the weather has now recovered, the soup that I came up with at the time is a great recipe and one I’ll keep coming back to as the weather gets colder. Roasting your peppers and tomatoes deepens the flavours. It’s not difficult, and takes very little effort but the massive flavour boost you get in return makes it so worth while. The tomatoes will emerge from the oven as little umami bombs of flavour while the peppers will add depth and sweetness. I admit the Gnocchi is entirely optional here but it’s the perfect addition if you’re looking to turn a light lunch into a satisfying dinner. I used my gnocchi – the sweet potato really compliments the flavours! Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients 4 Peppers, preferably red 500g Tomatoes 1 large onion, finely diced 1 Carrots, finely diced 1 Celery Rib, finely diced 2 Garlic Cloves, minced 3 Tbsp Rice 1 Tbsp Dried Basil 1 Tbsp Dried Thyme 1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes 2 Tbsp Vegan Fish Sauce 1.5 Ltr Vegetable stock 300g Gnocchi Salt & Pepper to taste Directions Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees (190 Fan/400 F). Split the peppers in half and deseed them before placing on a baking tray, skin side up. Halve the tomatoes and place on a tray cut side up. Drizzle the tomatoes with a touch of oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Place both trays into the oven and roast until the peppers are charred all over and the tomatoes are well roasted, between 45 minutes to an hour. When done, place the tomatoes to one side and put the peppers into a bowl and tightly cover for 10- 15 minutes. The steam will loosen the skin, making it easier to remove. Peel off the skin and discard, you don’t have to be too careful. Place your favourite soup pan on a medium heat with a touch of oil and saute the carrot, onion, and celery until softened and the onions are translucent. Add in the garlic and saute for another minute, until fragment. Using a touch of the stock, deglaze the pan and scrape up any brown spots that have clung to the bottom. Place the gnocchi to one side and add in the rest of the ingredients, including the roasted vegetables and stock. Simmer on low for 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are ready to fall apart. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Optional: Strain the tomato soup over a fine mesh strainer for maximum smoothness. Place back onto a low to medium heat and add the gnocchi. Lightly simmer until the gnocchi floats. Season to taste and serve with fresh crusty breadrolls. Notes Optional: if you want to make the soup creamy, add a few tablespoons of vegan creme fraish and a touch of oat milk. Allergy Notes; Make sure you use gluten free gnocchi to make this gluten free. It’s naturally vegan, nut free and soy free.

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Vegan Shakshouka (with no tofu in sight!)

Feast of Plants — Wed, 20 May 2020 12:00:25 +0000

Shakshouka is one of those classic regional dishes that has as many different versions as it does regions who lay claim to it. A rich, spicy, tomato sauce with poached eggs, and plenty of bread for dipping. Traditionally it’s most commonly used for breakfast (and a great hangover cure!) but it works wonderfully for any time of day and we always used to love it for dinner. It’s one of those meals that made taking that final step towards being vegan and giving up eggs quite hard, so today I wanted to have a go at tackling a vegan shakshouka. There have been plenty of attempts to veganise this dish but most of them use tofu to replace the eggs. Given how much we loved this dish I want to make it something we can have fairly regularly so tofu was out for us. Instead I’ve gone for something that compliments the spicy tomato base. I’ve designed this version to work well with frozen items or pantry staples (some of which I tend to prepare myself when batch cooking) so whether you want a quick dinner, a midnight snack, or something to help ease that hangover, hopefully this will be just the thing. We dipped in thick slices of a warm gluten free loaf and it was delicious – just what I’d been missing! Makes: Serves 3-4 Ingredients For the topping: 2 Aubergines* 230g Butter beans 1 Tbsp Olive Oil 3 Garlic Cloves, minced 1/4 Tsp All Spice 1/2 tsp Sumac 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice 2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped Salt & Pepper, to taste For the spicy sauce: 1 Tbsp Oil 2 Tbsp Harissa 1/2 Tbsp Tomato Puree 340g Peppers, sliced** 4 Garlic Cloves. minced 1 Tsp Cumin 1/2 Tsp Coriander 2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes (aprox. 800g) Salt & Pepper, to taste Directions Start with the topping, set your oven to 200°C (180ºC fan/400ºF). Roast the aubergines whole for 45 minutes to an hour making sure to pierce them a few times before placing on the roasting tray. When you take the aubergines out of the oven, the inside wants to completely soft while the skin will be starting to burn a little. Peel the aubergines as soon as you can bear it (the longer you leave them to cool, it harder it will be), and discard the skins. Put the aubergines and beans into a bowl together along with the rest of the topping ingredients and roughly mash everything together. Taste and season well – this works a lot better with a generous crunch of pepper. For the main body of the shakshouka, heat the oil in a wide saute pan over a medium heat and add the garlic, gently sauteing till the garlic just starts to soften. Now add your harissa, tomato purée, peppers, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Stir and cook on a moderate heat for about 10 minutes, or until the peppers have softened. Add the tomatoes, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Taste for seasoning. Make a few dips in the sauce and dollop in your aubergine topping, easing the sauce over the edges of the mix. Simmer gently with a lid on for another 10 minutes or so, until the sauce is thick and the aubergine mix is warmed through. Serve with thick crusty (gluten free) bread for dipping and a touch on parsley if you want to be fancy. Notes * I like to have a few roasted aubergines in my freezer (its the perfect thing to do if your aubergines are starting to turn). ** We tend to have a bag or two of sliced peppers in the freezer for quick dinners and this works equally well with frozen as with fresh. Allergy Notes; This is one of those rare recipes that is already vegan, gluten free, nut free, and soy free with no substitutes needed!

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