Spicy Stir-Fry Vegetable Soup

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This spicy loaded soup is ready in 15 minutes and serves 8, so feel free to halve the recipe. If you don’t like spice, reduce the amount of chili or omit altogether. Feel free to use the recipe as a roadmap: no ingredient is essential, so experiment with the vegetables and see which flavours appeal to you.

Ingredients

1 red onion, sliced
3 bell peppers, sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 inch piece of ginger, quartered and thinly sliced
150g button mushrooms, quartered
2 bok choy, the white ends sliced and the green tops left whole
2 red chilis (optional), sliced
1/2 block tofu (approx 150g), cubed
2 litres vegetable stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp yellow miso paste

Method

1. Sauté the onions in a large soup pot over a medium-low heat. When they start to colour, add the peppers, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, bok choy whites, and chilis.
2. When the vegetables have started to soften, add the tofu, stock, and soy sauce.
3. Don’t bring the soup to a boil; instead, allow it to simmer over a low heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the bok choy and the miso, and stir. Simmer for two minutes more.

Japanese Marinated Tofu

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This budget meal is perfect with noodles or rice and stir-fried vegetables as an accompaniment. There is an air fryer option available. Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 block extra-firm tofu (approximately 350g), drained and pressed
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp shichimi togarashi, or Japanese seven-spice spice mix
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp rice vinegar

Method, Oven Option

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a baking tray with parchment or a silicone sheet. Cube the tofu, and arrange it on a single layer on the tray.
2. Bake for 20 minutes, turning once.
3. While tofu is baking, mix the rest of the ingredients for marinade.
4. Remove the tofu from the oven and combine with marinade in a shallow dish. Toss to coat well. Leave for 10 minutes at least, and increase the oven temperature to 190C.
5. Remove the tofu from the marinade, return to baking tray, and bake for 5-10 minutes more until sauce has caramelized.

Method, Air Fryer Option

1. Preheat the air fryer to 160C. Cube the tofu, and arrange it in the pan. Bake for 8 minutes, turning once.
3. While tofu is frying, mix the rest of the ingredients for marinade.
4. Remove the tofu from the oven and combine with marinade in a shallow dish. Toss to coat well. Leave for 10 minutes at least, and increase the air fryer temperature to 180C.
5. Remove the tofu from the marinade, return to pan, and bake for 4 minutes more.

Besan Dosa

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This is Besan Dosa–a gram flour pancake–with a difference: sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Multiply the quantities of the dry mix and store in a lidded container in the fridge for easy and quick breakfasts. This takes about 10 minutes to prepare from start to finish, and serves 2.

Ingredients

For the dry mix

1/2 cup gram flour or besan
1 tbsp ground flaxseeds or linseeds
1/2 tsp onion granules
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
Pinch turmeric
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch black pepper
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp nutritional yeast

For cooking

Small handful of spinach, shredded
1 green onion, finely sliced (1 tbsp reserved for garnish)
3-4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped with a kitchen scissors (1 tbsp reserved for garnish)

Method

1. Preheat a lidded frying pan over a medium heat (we don’t have a lid for our frying pan, so we use the lid of our soup pot, which fits just inside the rim of the pan).
2. Mix all dry ingredients.
3. Stir the spinach, green onion, and sun-dried tomatoes into the dry ingredients.
4. Add 1/2 cup water to the mix and stir well to combine. Now, a little at a time add more water until the mix becomes a pouring consistency.
5. Spray the frying pan with a little oil (if it is not a nonstick pan), or wipe over with a piece of kitchen towel dipped in oil.
6. Pour half of the mix into the frying pan and tilt the pan to allow the mix to form a circle.
7. Cover the pan and allow the dosa to cook for 2-3 minutes until little bubbles appear on the surface and the underside is slightly browned. Turn, and cook on the other side 1-2 minutes more. It must be fully cooked, because raw gram flour doesn’t taste good at all.
8. Keep warm in an oven on a low heat until the other dosa is cooked. Serve, if desired, on some of your favourite toasted bread with more spinach, and garnished with the reserved tomatoes and green onions. We spread our toast with a little of the cream from the top of a can of coconut milk for the interesting flavour.

Sweet Potato Coconut Curry

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This fragrant and warming meal takes under 20 minutes. It serves two people on its own, or four served with rice.

Ingredients

1 tsp suitable-for-vegan red chilli paste
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
400g sweet potato, peeled and in medium dice
1 small cauliflower, in florets
150g mushrooms, quartered
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, medium dice
4 green onions, chopped
100g spinach
Handful basil, torn

Method

1. In a lidded frying pan, or a wide-rimmed pot, mix the red chilli paste, coconut milk, vegetable broth, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Simmer for a minute or two until the sauce becomes fragrant.
2. Add the sweet potatoes and cauliflower, cover, bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, peppers, and green onions, re-cover, and simmer for 2-3 minutes more until cauliflower and sweet potato are cooked for your liking.
4. Turn off the heat, add the spinach and basil, recover, and allow to steam for about 2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
5. Serve and enjoy.

Sneaky Macaroni

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This dish takes under 20 minutes, serves 4-6, and is a hearty budget recipe. It’s called Sneaky Macaroni because the sauce is rich in phytonutrients, but you’d never know it from the taste!

Ingredients

75g pasta per person
2 heads broccoli, cut into the smallest florets you can manage

For the sauce

400g sweet potato, peeled and diced
200g carrots, peeled and chopped
1 can white beans (e.g. butter beans)
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp yellow miso paste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp suitable-for-vegans Dijon mustard
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, or more to taste
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp onion granules
1 cup soy milk
1-2 cups vegetable broth, or as much as needed to thin the sauce to the desired consistency
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Make the sauce by placing the carrots and sweet potato in a large pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer until fork tender–about 7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, adding the broccoli in the last 3-5 minutes of boiling time, depending on your preferred doneness.
3. When the sweet potatoes and carrots are cooked, drain, and add to the blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Blend to the desired thickness, adding enough vegetable broth to reach a smooth consistency.
4. Add the desired amount of sauce to the pasta, and stir through to warm. If the sauce has been sitting for a while and has thickened, stir through some more water or vegetable broth.

Sweet Potato Confetti Toast

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A colourful, simple lunch or side that takes under 20 minutes to make. This serves 2 people.

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled
1/4 each red, yellow, and orange bell pepper (or just use 3/4 of one colour of your choice if you prefer), finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 avocado
1/2 tsp each garlic powder and onion granules
1 tsp lime juice
1 pinch red chilli flakes
salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Cut the potato into four long, 1/2-cm thick slices. To stop the potato rolling around as you try to cut it, take a thin slice from one side, and use this flattened side as the base to stabilize the potato.

Place the potato in a preheated health grill for 15 minutes, turning once. Alternatively, run it through the toaster for two rounds.

Meanwhile, mash the avocado with the garlic powder, onion granules, lime juice, chilli flakes, and salt and pepper.

Top the toasted sweet potato with the avocado, and sprinkle on the bell peppers and onion.

Roasted rutabaga, green apple and fennel soup

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Accented with ginger and scallions, this is a simple soup with a luxurious texture and comforting, subtle flavours. Add a little minced garlic (1T) for a little extra flavor.

2 cups peeled and diced rutabaga*
2 cups trimmed, cored and diced fennel
2 tart baking apples (preferably granny smith)*
1 scallion, minced (2″ of green reserved for garnish)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2t coarse sea salt
1T fresh grated ginger
2 cups of unsweetened soy milk
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Toss everything up to (but not including) the soy milk in a large bowl until well-coated.
Spreading in a shallow even layer and roast until lightly browned (about 1 hour). Ovens vary; use the colour and texture as your guide.
Set aside about 2-4T of roasted vegetables for garnish and puree the remainder.
Add the soy milk and puree further until smooth.
Bring the soup to a simmer on low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the nutritional yeast and stir to combine.
Ladle the soup out into bowls and garnish with a little roasted vegetable and scallion greens.

*Produce is often waxed to preserve moisture (including apples and rutabagas), and the wax may be made using animal products. Apples, for example, are still often coated with shellac made from insects. Organic apples are more likely not to be coated, but even some organic apples in the United States in particular are coated with beeswax. Choose unwaxed to be safe.

Triple scoop blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry frozen dessert

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Sometimes you need all three.

Ingredients

3/4 cups frozen blueberries
3/4 cups frozen raspberries
3/4 cups frozen strawberries
3T lemon juice each, separated
1 1/2 cups frozen banana, separated
1/2 cup soft, dried dates, pitted and chopped (or to taste)

Optional: 1t powdered maca root if you like. You could add a little chopped chocolate to the strawberry, ginger to the blueberry, a splash of white wine or 1T roasted red pepper to the raspberries to make the dish more ornate, or just keep it simple. You can leave the bananas out if you prefer or for a more sorbet like texture, but in that case, you may need to reduce the lemon juice a little and/or date more dates to taste.

Method

If your dates are quite dry, soak them a little ahead of time. Puree each set of berries separately with 1T lemon juice, 1/2 cup bananas and 1/3 dates. Scoop out and enjoy!

Spicy, smoky tempeh burrito with avocado, spinach and fresh tortilla

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Simple, spicy and rich, this makes enough for 2 good sized wraps, but easily doubles. For a single large burrito, overlap the tortillas by about 5″ – 6″ and roll everything together.

Ingredients

For the filling
1T avocado oil (or similar)
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 cup sweet onion, 1/4″ dice
1/2 cup red bell pepper, 1/4″ dice
1T fresh garlic, minced
1T smoked paprika
1/2T garam massala
1/2t dried red chilis (or to taste)
125g tempeh, minced (use pasteurized)
1/2 to 1T coconut sugar (start with 1/2T but sweeten to taste)
1/2T lemon juice
1 cup mushroom stock
1/2 cup tomato passata (or puree)
2T nutritional yeast
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the tortilla
1 cup heaping whole wheat bread flour
1/2 cup water

For the rest
1 ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and thinly sliced
2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
2T nutritional yeast
A few pinches sea salt

Optional: Fresh habanero, jalapeno or even poblano pepper will add flavour and some heat to this dish. Maple syrup will do fine in place of the coconut sugar if that’s what you have. Use raw spinach if you prefer, but overall, expect some rolling challenges.

Method

First, start the tempeh, then make the tortillas and then the rest. Warm a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add the oil and sea salt. Add the onion and saute for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the red pepper and spices. Saute another 2 minutes. Add the tempeh and coconut sugar. Saute for 3 – 5 minutes, until the pan is starting to brown a little.

Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Add the stock. Bring the pan to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Uncover, add the passata, and simmer another 30 – 40 minutes until the liquid is mostly cooked off. When done, remove from heat and set aside.

When the tempeh is getting thick, start the tortillas. Add the water to the flour. Knead until a smooth elastic dough forms, and then another 2 -3 minutes. Cover with a warm wet tea towel and let the dough rest about 15 minutes.

When rested, break the dough into 2 balls. Roll out on a floured board to 12″ – 14″, and about 1/8″ thick (or use a tortilla press if you have one). Repeat with the other ball of dough.

Warm a large frying pan on medium high heat. Dry fry until the tortilla is done on one side (it will be lightly browned and bubbled). Flip and fry the other side. Set aside and repeat with the other piece of dough. Cover both with a tea towel while you finish everything else.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450F. Add the spinach to a baking sheet or roasting pan and roast for about 5 minutes, until it’s nicely wilted. Remove and set aside. When the tortilla and spinach are ready and the tempeh has cooled a bit, season the tempeh to taste and add the nutritional yeast. Stir to combine.

To fill, add the spinach to a tortilla in a long, thin line toward the middle-bottom of the tortilla. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and nutritional yeast. Add half of the tempeh mixture. Add avocado slices. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and nutritional yeast, and roll up carefully (warm filing can easily tear through a tortilla).

To roll, bring the bottom of the tortilla up away from you over the filling. Tuck. Fold in the sides. Roll over. Repeat with the other tortilla. Let them stand 2-3 minutes (or wrap in foil if you like), and then serve.

 

 

Creamy jicama, clementine and habanero soup

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A simple, mostly raw soup with a wealth of flavours and a little heat. This makes 4 small bowls or 2 large ones.

Ingredients

2 cups jicama, peeled and coarsely chopped
2T sesame seed butter
1 scallion, coarsely chopped, 2 – 3″ green reserved for garnish
1t fresh garlic, minced
4 small, ripe clementines, peeled, pith removed and seeded, 2-3 segments per bowl reserved for garnish
1/2T lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/8t fresh habanero pepper (I use 1/4t), minced with a pinch coarse sea salt
Coarse sea salt to taste
1/4 cup fresh mixed baby greens

Optional: Use dried chili or fresh, minced jalapeño as an alternative and/or sriracha for garnish to add flavour and colour. Oranges will also work in place of clementines, but they won’t work as nicely for the garnish. Add a little olive with the clementines for the garnish for an even richer flavor and colour. Raw sesame seed butter isn’t available everywhere, but you can grind your own, or if you prefer, simply use the regular kind. Raw almond butter will change the texture and colour, but raw cashew butter, macadamia nut butter, a little olive or avocado oil will all go nicely in this soup.

Method

Puree the jicama and sea salt until smooth. Add the scallion, garlic, clementines, sesame seed butter, lemon juice and water. Mince, then crush and grind the habanero with a little sea salt. If you haven’t handled habanero pepper before, be careful. You may even want to use gloves.

When your pepper is a paste, add it with the rest of the ingredients. Puree until mostly smooth and (mostly) creamy. Season to taste. Ladle out and garnish with baby greens, a few clementine segments and serve.