Crustless Tofu and Vegetable Tart

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Bound to be a winner for lunch or breakfast, this tart is sett on the outside and slightly creamy inside. It’s filled with vegetables and potatoes for for plenty of colour, texture, and flavour.

Ingredients:

For the Vegetables:
2 medium potatoes, peeled and finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely diced
10 black olives, finely chopped
1 bunch asparagus, in 1 inch pieces
4 green onions (scallions) chopped
1 cup spinach, minced
1 bunch basil, minced

For the Tofu:
400g tofu, drained and pressed
2 tsp onion granules
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 cup aquafaba (liquid from can of chickpeas)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 heaped tbsp yellow miso
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp chickpea flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Oil a loose-bottomed cake tin.
2. Sauté the potatoes until browned. I used the air fryer at 200C for 15 minutes, tossing midway through.
3. Add the potatoes and vegetables to a large bowl.
4. Mix the tofu ingredients in a food processor. Stir into the vegetables and mix well to combine.
5. Transfer the mixture to the cake tin, and even off the top. Sprinkle with plenty of black pepper.
6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake 40-50 minutes more, or until set (check with a knife inserted into the centre; there will be a little residue on the knife, but the tart shouldn’t be too wet). Serve and enjoy.

Waste-Not Want-Not Soup

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Don’t throw those vegetable scraps away. You can slow-simmer them for a flavourful vegetable broth, or you can turn them into a hearty soup that’s very easy on the budget.
Ingredients:
2 medium onions, medium chopped
3 parsnips, medium dice
3 carrots, medium dice
1 small turnip or swede, medium dice
Stems from a bunch kale, chopped
Cauliflower leaves, chopped
Outer leaves of a savoy cabbage, finely shredded
Stem of 1 broccoli head, chopped
Inner stalks and leaves of celery, chopped
2 potatoes, medium dice
2 l vegetable broth
2 tsp turmeric
1.5 cups soup mix
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1) Sauté the onion in a large soup pot until lightly coloured.
2) Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until vegetables are cooked to your liking.
3) Serve.

Broccoli with Hazelnuts

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Quick, easy, and incredibly delicious, this serves 4 as a side.

Ingredients:
1 head broccoli, cut into florets (save the stem for salads or stir-fry)
1/4 cup hazelnuts
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:
1. Lay the hazelnuts on a baking tray. Place in an oven heated to 170C for about 10 minutes, or until golden.
2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a simmer. Add the broccoli and cook 4-5 minutes until done to your liking. Drain, and run under cold water to stop further cooking.
3. Remove hazelnuts from oven, place into a tea towel, and rub to remove the skins. Allow to cool until suitable to handle, and then roughly chop.
4. Toss the broccoli with nuts, ginger, chilli flakes, and soy sauce in the pot to heat through.

Ginger-Miso Cabbage Salad

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Perfect for packed lunches or picnics, this is even easier to put together if you can use the shredding attachment on a food processor.

Salad:
200g red cabbage, shredded
150g white cabbage, shredded
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
1 large carrot, shredded
2 tbsp golden raisins or cranberries
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted in a frying pan until golden

Dressing:
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
pinch dried ginger
1 heaped tsp yellow miso

Directions:
1. Mix all of the salad ingredients.
2. Mix all of the dressing ingredients.
3. Mix the dressing into the salad.

Easy Breakfast Tortilla Bowl

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Short on time? This breakfast can be made in a flash and should keep you full until lunchtime.

This Breakfast Tortilla Bowl from Frances McCormack is incredibly quick and simple to make.

Ingredients (per bowl):
1 flour or corn tortilla bowl
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 banana
2 tbsp suitable-for-vegans granola
2 tbsp dried fruit

Directions:
Heat the tortilla bowl according to packet directions. Layer in the peanut butter and banana, and top with dried fruit and granola.

Vegan Sushi

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You won’t believe how easy this is to make until you try it. If you’re not used to rolling sushi, we recommend you watch an online tutorial.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups sushi rice
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
large pinch salt
1/4 cucumber, cut into batons
1 carrot, cut into batons
1 bell pepper, any colour, cut into batons
4 sheets roasted nori

Directions:
1. Cook the rice according to package directions.
2. Heat the rice vinegar, maple syrup, and salt in a small saucepan until combined.
3. Lay a sheet of nori on a clean kitchen towel, shiny side down. Wet a spatula and layer rice evenly across the nori, leaving an inch of nori free from rice at the top edge.
4. Make a line each of carrot, cucumber, and bell pepper down the middle of the nori.
5. Use a towel to roll the sushi tightly from the bottom up. Wet the top edge with a pastry brush dipped in water, and seal.
6. Cut with a sharp knife, wetting it between cuts.

Spinach Pesto Pasta

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A budget, quick and easy dinner that serves 4.

Ingredients:
500g wholewheat fusilli
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
1 can butterbeans, drained
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
5 cloves garlic
2 large handfuls spinach
Very large bunch basil
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp yellow miso
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, add half the artichoke hearts, the butterbeans, soy milk, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, spinach, basil, nutritional yeast and miso. Blend until smooth.
3. Drain the pasta, reserving about a quarter cup of the cooking water. Return to the pan with the pesto, the remaining artichoke hearts, and the tempeh.

Breakfast Muffins

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A perfect grab-and-go breakfast that’s oil-free, lower in sugar than other muffins, and great to make in advance, keeping up to three days in a sealed container. This recipe makes 12 muffins and a small loaf or cake, or 18 muffins. They are not incredibly sweet, so if you like sweet muffins, add an extra 0.25 cups suitable-for-vegans sugar.

Ingredients
1 apple, grated (leave the skin on for its nutritional benefits)
1 carrot, grated
1 banana, mashed
1.25 cups wholemeal spelt flour
1 cup oat bran
8 dates, finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp ground flax
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
1.25 cups soy milk
0.25 cups maple syrup
1 cup blueberries

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a muffin pan with silicone muffin cases. If making a small loaf or cake in addition, set a silicone loaf or cake dish on a baking tray, or spray a metal dish with a light mist of suitable-for-vegans spray oil.
2. Mix all ingredients.
3. Layer into the tins.
4. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin.

Macaroni and Bell Pepper Sauce

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This is a deliciously umami yet sweet dish that’s got all of the flavour of comfort food with minimally processed ingredients and no oil! It’s incredibly quick to make the sauce–just blend and heat. Serves 2.

Ingredients
250g broccoli, steamed
200g macaroni, cooked according to package directions
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 large cloves garlic
1 tbsp miso paste
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cornflour or corn starch
1/4 cup water

Directions
1. Blend all of the ingredients apart from the broccoli and macaroni.
2. Add the blended sauce to the cooked pasta and broccoli. Heat gently until the sauce has thickened.
3. Serve.

Mushroom Crostini

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You don’t have to tell your guests how ridiculously simple these crostini are to prepare. Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Ingredients:
4 slices of suitable-for-vegan bread, preferably freshly baked baguette or similar
150g mushrooms, preferably a gourmet mix
1/4 cup Tofutti Creamy Smooth (or equivalent suitable-for-vegan creamy spread)
1/4 cup soy or other all-plant milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chives and/or parsley to garnish

Directions:
1. Lightly toast the bread.
2. Sauté the mushrooms until they have released their liquid and it is evaporated.
3. Lightly whisk the Tofutti, soy milk, nutritional yeast, onion salt, and garlic powder in a bowl with a whisk. Don’t worry about smaller lumps.
4. Pour the Tofutti mixture over the mushrooms and continue to cook on a low heat until the sauce has thickened slightly.
5. Serve the mushrooms over the toast.