A pasta salad, packed with flavour and one that actually can be had as a meal in itself.
Now that the weather is warming up and Spring is well and truly on its way, I find myself craving a big ol’ bowl of salad for lunch. I have been working on building up a repository of salad recipes that actually work well for lunch. Very often, salads work great as a side on an accompaniment to a meal. But if eaten as a meal itself, I find myself hungry soon after.
Today’s recipe for my Avocado Pasta salad is a hearty one. It leaves you filling satiated and full of energy for a while. I love salads because they are so versatile and you can use whatever ingredients you have access to, and still end up with a really good salad. This salad is perfect for a work lunch or even to take to a potluck, a BBQ or a picnic. Whatever the occasion, even though this salad is plant-based, it is sure to please vegans and meat-eaters alike. I have shared the omni version of this salad before and it was a popular recipe then, so I figured it was time that I tried a plant-based version. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
So, if like me, you can’t wait for summer to roll around, try this salad out.
Avocado Pasta Salad
4
servings15
minutesA pasta salad, packed with flavour and one that actually can be had as a meal in itself.
Ingredients
1/2 cup of broccoli florets1/2 cup corn kernels
2 cups uncooked macaroni
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 red capsicum
1/4 yellow capsicum
2 spring onions
1 can of red kidney beans
A little coconut bacon (optional)
- For the dressing –
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup plant coconut yogurt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves and stalks, roughly chopped
A pinch of hot cayenne pepper powder (or to taste)
Directions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add some salt. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 30 seconds to a minute, or till its done to your liking. Drain the broccoli and reserve the cooking liquid.
- To the same pot, add the corn kernels and let it cook till done. When it has cooked, scoop the corn out of the water and set aside.
- Top off the pot of cooking liquid, add some more boiling water and when the water reaches a rolling boil, add the pasta. Cook till the pasta is done. Make sure the pasta is a little al dente and not overcooked.
- Drain the pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Dice the capsicum and thinly slice the spring onions.
- Blitz all the dressing ingredients till it reaches a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the cooked pasta, broccoli, corn, drained kidney beans and all the veggies. Add the dressing and gently toss to combine. If you’re using coconut bacon, add a little coconut bacon to the salad and mix through.
- Serve up and garnish with a little sprinkling of some more coconut bacon.
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Zucchini Curry with Rice and Crumb-fried Oyster Mushrooms
A creamy, mildly spiced, coconut-based Zucchini Curry served with rice and crumb-fried Oyster mushrooms. This makes the perfect Goan-inspired vegan meal.
Today’s post is a tribute to the humble Goan ‘Xit-Kodi’ (rice and curry). Typically this would mean either a Fish or Prawn curry served with some crumb-fried prawns or fish. My vegan take on this is a slightly different, mildly spiced curry with some Zucchini. If you had access to some white-pumpkin (also known as doodhi, long-melon or New Guinea Bean), that would work really well with this curry too. Zucchini doesn’t need much cooking, which is why I add it almost at the very end of the cooking process and thats what makes this curry a quick and easy recipe. However, if you’re using doodi or long melon, I would recommend adding it after the spice mix and letting it simmer till the vegetable has cooked.
This meal is a simple and quick one to put together. Today, I’m going to make it even simpler by using spice powders for the curry instead of a ground masala.
Onto the crumb-fried oyster mushrooms. In my opinion, the crumb fried oysters complete the meal. Don’t leave it out. It adds crunch and variety to the meal, not to mention, it is absolutely delicious. It is really easy to make and you can work on it while the curry is simmering away, which means you can get the meal on the table much sooner. My husband and I really enjoy these mushrooms with the little dipping sauce (I’ll add that recipe below) even by itself.
So if you’re entertaining or looking for vegan party food ideas, this is a must-try. Just remember to make a big batch, because these will disappear. The size of these little bites is totally upto you. I like to size these to be bite-sized which makes them perfect finger-food. I leave the little mushrooms whole and tear the bigger ones into two or three pieces depending on size. This also helps them all cook through uniformly.
There are a few elements to this meal and if you multi-task efficiently, you can have it all prepped in no time at all. There is no right or wrong way to do this. Here’s what works for me –
- Start by washing and soaking your rice
- Cut the onion, chilli, zucchini and tear the mushrooms
- Prep the spice powder blend
- Soak the tamarind
- Prep the batter for the mushrooms
- Pre-heat oil for deep frying
- Start on your curry
- When the curry is simmering, cook the rice and fry the mushrooms
Hope this helps.
Zucchini Curry with Rice and Crumb-fried Oyster Mushrooms
Course: Mains, SidesCuisine: GoanDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes40
minutesA creamy, mildly spiced, coconut-based Zucchini Curry served with rice and crumb-fried Oyster mushrooms. This makes the perfect Goan-inspired vegan meal.
Ingredients
- For the Zucchini Curry –
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 birdseye chilli, slit vertically
2 zucchini, cut into thick slices
1 heaped teaspoon Kashmiri chilly powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper powder
3/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
A walnut sized ball of tamarind
A piece of dried mango (optional – see note)
2-3 pieces of dried kokum (optional – see note)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 can coconut milk
Salt, to taste
- For the Crumb-fried Oyster Mushrooms
A small punnet of oyster mushrooms (about 150 gms)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornflour
Salt, to taste
Black pepper powder, to taste
A pinch of extra-hot cayenne pepper
Bread crumbs, to coat the mushrooms
Oil, for deep frying
- For the Dipping Sauce –
1-2 tablespoons of vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of tomato ketchup, or to taste
A few drops of Tabasco sauce, to taste
Directions
- For the Zucchini curry –
- Start by soaking the tamarind in 1/4 cup of warm water and set this aside.
- In a vessel, heat the coconut oil on medium heat. Add the red chilly and let it warm through. Next add the chopped onion. Saute till the onions have softened and start browning on the edges.
- Add the spice powders and fry off for a minute or two. At this stage add the dried mango and kokum, if you’re using any. (Please see note below for substitutions.)
- Add 1 tablespoon of water to prevent the spices from burning. Let this cook off till most of the water is absorbed. You may need another tablespoon of water at this stage. Please see recipe video below. Let this cook off till most of the water is absorbed.
- Now add a can of coconut milk and stir through. Let it come to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the curry simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it and add water to adjust the consistency as required.
- When there’s a couple of minutes left in the cooking process, add salt and tamarind paste to taste and the zucchini slices.
- Cook for another 2 minutes. Check for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Take the curry off the heat and serve piping hot with some rice.
- For the crumb-fried oyster mushrooms –
- Heat the oil for deep frying.
- Prep the mushrooms into similar sizes. I leave the small ones whole and tear the bigger ones into 2-3 pieces depending on the size.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cornflour, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to a bowl and mix through. Using a little water, whisk to form a lump-free batter. Add the water gradually till you get a consistency that is thinner than pancake batter. (Make sure to not leave it either too thick or too thin. It should be thick enough to coat the mushrooms. Please see video for example.)
- Place the breadcrumbs on a plate.
- Once the oil has heated, dip the mushrooms into the batter and let any excess batter drip off. Place this into the breadcrumbs and make sure the mushrooms are well coated with the breadcrumbs. Carefully place in the oil and let it fry on medium heat till golden brown and crisp.
- Drain on some kitchen paper while you cook off the rest of the mushrooms and serve hot.
- For the Dipping Sauce –
- Place the mayonnaise, ketchup and Tabasco sauce in a little bowl and stir well. Check for seasoning and adjust the quantities as required to suit your taste.
Serve alongside the crumb-fried mushrooms
Recipe Video
Notes
- I’ve used some dried raw mango pieces and dried kokum along with tamarind. If you don’t have the dried mango and kokum, adjust the amount of tamarind pulp till you get the desired tartness in your curry.
- Zucchini doesn’t need much cooking, which is why I add it almost at the very end of the cooking process and thats what makes this curry a quick and easy recipe. However, if you’re using doodi or long melon, I would recommend adding it after the spice mix and letting it simmer till the vegetable has cooked.
How to make Idlis from scratch
Idlis are soft and fluffy steamed rice cakes, made from a fermented batter. Serve them hot with a nourishing sambhar and a tangy chutney.
If you’ve never heard about idlis before, you are in for an absolute treat. They are little steamed savoury rice cakes that are made from a fermented batter and are relished with a piping hot sambhar (lentil and vegetable stew) and a tangy coconut chutney.
Back when I lived it Mumbai, these idlis, like a lot of other South Indian snacks were readily available in local South Indian restaurants as well as little street food stands that dot the city. It was really easy to pop in to one of these joints for a piping hot plate of them. So needless to say, while we really enjoyed South Indian food, back then, I never even thought of making them at home. Ofcourse if you’re ever overcome with a feeling of adventure and feel the urge to try making them at home, you could buy the batter from a lot of little local shops. I did buy the batter a few times, but only ever to make Dosa – another South Indian treat that I’ll share with you very soon.
That being said, most South Indian homes, make their batter from scratch. I somehow never got around to trying that out. Until I moved to Sydney, that is. Here, you can still go visit an Indian restaurant and most of them serve up some South Indian food. Some Indian grocery stores stock the fermented batter too. The only catch is, you may have to travel a bit to get to one such restaurant or store. Also, if you do find one, it can be quite pricey. I mean, I always knew what went into the batter. There was nothing stopping me from trying it out at home. So, a few years ago, that’s exactly what we did.
Making good Idlis from scratch is a fairly simple process. It is a little lengthy, but it’s mostly hands-off time to let the batter ferment and such. There is very little hands-on time involved.
There are three basic elements that make a great Idli plate –
- The Idlis – Today I’m going to share with you my tried and tested process for making the batter from scratch and how I make soft and fluffy Idlis using this batter.
- Sambhar – A Sambhar is a lentil and vegetable stew that’s really easy to make. I’ve shared my recipe in the past. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can check it out here – Vegetable Sambhar
- Tangy Coconut Chutney – This no cook recipe uses just a few ingredients and can be served alongside a variety of South Indian meals and snacks like Dosas, Vadas and so on. You can check out my go-to chutney recipe here.
The Idli batter –
Making the batter is a fairly simple process. However, there are a few tips to keep in mind to make sure you get the best results.
What type of rice can be used?
For best results, use Idli rice. Idli rice will be labelled as such and is quite easy to find in most Indian grocery stores. Idli rice is a short grain variety of rice that is par-boiled. Being par-boiled doesnt mean it will look soft or semi cooked. It will still look and feel like uncooked rice and you will find it stocked with other varieties of rice.
If you can’t find Idli rice, use another short or medium grain rice. I would not recommend Basmati rice for this.
The rice to lentil ratio –
I personally find that a 1:4 ratio works best. I’ve tried a few other variations but this gives me the best results. So for every 1 part of urad dal (hulled and split black lentils), I use 4 parts of rice.
Grinding the batter –
Ideally a wet grinder is used to grind the grains into a batter. I currently use my Vitamix blender to grind the grains and it works beautifully. You can also use any other high-speed blender.
If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you will still be able to make the batter in a regular blender. You will just need to grind it in smaller batches. I have successfully used my old Phillips blender in the past.
Fermenting the batter –
The fermentation process can be a little fickle from time to time. Also, depending on weather conditions, the time taken to ferment your batter can also differ. I’ve had to experiment with the process quite a few times to figure out what works best. These tips should give you an idea of what to expect.
The batter needs a warm environment to ferment. If it’s warm where you are, the batter can simply be left on your kitchen counter to ferment. But if it is cooler, leave the batter in a warm spot in your house.
For me, unless it’s a hot day here in Sydney, I usually place the batter in my unheated oven and leave it there to ferment for about 8 hours. During winter, I warm up my oven for a couple of minutes at 100ºC, just till the oven is at room temperature (or what a summertime room temperature would feel like), turn the oven off and leave the batter to ferment in there.
How to tell if you’re batter is fermented?
The batter will have increased in volume. This increase is fairly significant, so make sure you use a large vessel for this. You will also notice that the top layer of the batter is slightly frothy. Your batter will also have developed a slightly fermented aroma.
If you don’t notice these changes to your batter, leave it to ferment for another couple of hours or so. There are times where it has taken me upto 10-11 hours for the batter to ferment.
How to make Idlis from scratch
Course: BreakfastDifficulty: Medium3
dozen15
minutes15
minutes3
minutes8
hoursIdlis are soft and fluffy steamed rice cakes, made from a fermented batter. Serve them hot with a nourishing sambhar and a tangy chutney.
Ingredients
3 cups Idli rice
3/4 cup urad dal (hulled and split black lentils)
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
Salt, to taste
Directions
- Wash the rice, dal and fenugreek seeds with cold running water about 3-4 times or until the water runs clear.
- Place the washed grains and fenugreek in a large bow. Add some fresh water to the bowl. Use enough water to cover the grains by about 2 inches. Leave this to soak for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours of soaking, grind it to a batter using a little of the soaking liquid as needed. You need a thick batter, almost like the consistency of a pancake batter. You may need to do this in batches.
- Transfer the batter to a steel stockpot or large vessel. (The vessel should be large enough to hold about double the quantity of the batter, because the batter will expand as it ferments.) Cover the vessel and set aside in a warm spot for about 8 – 10 hours to ferment. (Please refer to the section on “Fermenting the batter” in the post above.)
- Once the batter has fermented, remove as much batter as needed for immediate use in another bowl. Store the rest of the batter in the fridge for future use. You can store the batter for about 3-4 days.
- To make the Idlis –
- Work with the batter that you intend to use immediately. To this batter, add a little salt to taste.
- Grease an Idli stand with a little oil.
- Ladle the batter into the idli moulds till they are filled about 80%. The Idlis will rise and expand during cooking.
- Steam the Idlis for about 15 minutes on medium heat till they have cooked through. Pierce the idlis through the centre with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the idlis are ready to serve. If it is still a little sticky, cook for a couple of minutes more or till done.
- Take the stand out of the steamer and leave to rest for a couple of minutes. Demould idlis by running the blunt edge of a butter knife around the edges to loosen it from the mould. Serve hot!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Please note, the number of Idlis will depend on the size of the mould you use.
- Idlis are best eaten immediately after cooking, but any leftovers can be refrigerated and steamed till re-heated thoroughly and eaten the next day.
How to make a Vegan Moussaka
This vegan Moussaka made with layers of eggplant, potato and a flavour-packed mushroom filling, topped with a luscious white sauce, is definitely a must-try.
Moussaka is a classic Greek baked dish thats typically made up of eggplant and lamb mince. Its a dish that I’ve made for years and every time I make it, I wonder why I don’t make it more often. It’s been ages since I last made it, so I decided it was time. The weather was perfect. With autumn rolling in, the days are a tiny bit cooler. And that means it’s finally ok to crank up the oven.
With the weather in my favour, now there was just one little hurdle. We no longer eat meat. I had to turn this into a really delicious Vegan Moussaka. It’s easy enough to simply sub in the lamb with TVP (textured vegetable protein) or a fake meat option from the supermarket, but we don’t really enjoy that stuff. I have used it in recipes a few times, but I much prefer using vegetables instead. So today, that’s the version I’m going to share with you.
Let’s talk about the cheese. While I do use plant based cheese in my diet, I try and keep that to a minimum. This sauce is ideally made with some cheese and I have added it to the recipe. However, the sauce is just as good even without the cheese. The flavours and textures of all the elements of the casserole work really well together and the sauce brings everything together brilliantly. So if you’re trying to restrict your intake of processed food, feel free to leave the cheese out, like I’ve done in the recipe video.
To make this recipe a little healthier and to reduce the hands on cooking time, I’ve roasted the potatoes and eggplant instead of pan frying it. This way you use less oil in the cooking process and I find that the flavours are much better.
Overall, this is a relatively easy dish to make. There are a few elements that have to be prepped and then its just a matter of layering everything and baking it off. Just allow yourself a little extra time.
Vegan Moussaka recipe
Course: Mains4
servings15
minutes30
minutes40
minutes1
hour10
minutesThis vegan Moussaka made with layers of eggplant, potato and a flavour-packed mushroom filling and finally topped with a luscious white sauce.
Ingredients
2-3 eggplants
2 potatoes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste
- For the Mushroom filling
1 onion, diced
1 stick of celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
8-10 cup mushrooms
5 portabello mushrooms
3 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Red chilli flakes, to taste
- For the white sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 – 2 cups soy milk
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/4 cup grated cheese
Salt, to taste
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. (You can also use nutmeg powder instead)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 200ºC.
- Peel and cut the potatoes into slices. Keep the slices on the thicker side.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the potato slices and sprinkle some salt, to taste. Toss them well and place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
- Slice the eggplant, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some salt over the slices. Toss them well and place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake the potato and the eggplant slices for 15-20 minutes or till done. Do not overcook the vegetables.
- For the Mushroom Filling –
- Chop the mushrooms into a chunky dice.
- Dice the onion, celery and carrots and mince the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat.
- Add the onion and saute for a couple of minutes till it starts softening.
- Add the celery and carrots and let these cook off on a medium heat for about 5-8 minutes or till they have softened a bit.
- Add the minced garlic and stir through.
- Add some red chilli flakes, to taste, the oregano and black pepper powder. Stir through.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and stir through. Let it cook off for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes.
- Season with some salt and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
- For the White Sauce –
- Add the oil and butter to a pan on medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the flour. Stir it through and let the flour cook off for a minute or two till it develops a nutty aroma. This means that the flour has cooked off. Do not let the colour change.
- Add a splash of the soy milk and stir thoroughly and then add the rest of the milk. You can use a whisk to help get rid of any lumps in the sauce.
- Add some salt, to taste.
- Add mustard and stir through till the mustard dissolves.
- Add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Stir well.
- Cook till the sauce thickens, stirring constantly.
- Lastly, add the cheese (if using), stir through and take the pan off the heat.
- To assemble the Moussaka –
- In an 8×8 inch square baking dish, place the roasted potatoes in a layer at the bottom. Try and keep the layer even without too many gaps.
- Next, layer the roasted eggplant slices over it.
- Spoon the mushroom filling in an even layer over the eggplant.
- Pour the sauce over the filling evenly.
- Bake at 200ºC for 15-20 minutes or till the sauce is all hot and bubbly.
- Take the moussaka out of the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve with a fresh garden salad and some garlic bread.
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Pav Bhaji – A quintessential Mumbai Street Food Delight made Vegan
Pav Bhaji – A quintessential Mumbai Street Food delight that is chock full of veggies and made into an indulgent treat with generous lashings of butter. Today’s recipe is a vegan version of this treat.
Today has me longing to get back to normal. Back to the days where we could travel freely, explore, meet up with loved ones and all that good stuff. It’s probably the weather, which is cold, wet and grey here in Sydney. It’s days like this that also have me longing for some comfort food. For me, personally, comfort food changes from time to time. Sometimes, its a big bowl of soup, other times its a big bowl of steamed broccoli. I know, right! Broccoli = comfort food? At times I wonder whether thats normal. Well that’s a mystery for another day, but on more normal days, comfort food is usually Indian food and more often than not, the Street Food kind.
Today, I’m going to treat you to one of my favourites – the good ol’ Mumbai style Pav Bhaji. Never heard of it before? Well, there’s 2 components to it Pav – bread (not any bread, but a dinner roll thats split in two, buttered and lightly toasted.) and Bhaji – a mixed vegetable mash that has been cooked in butter with some beautiful, mild, but warming spices and topped off with some more butter. Usually the bread is toasted on the same pan the veggies are cooked on and it absorbs some of the flavours of the veggie mix, but today we’re keeping things simple. I’m just going to use another pan.
If you’d like to try your hand at making some delicious Laadi Pav, try this recipe out. It works like a charm. In the spirit of keeping things simple, I’m just using some store-bought bread rolls today.
The Bhaji or vegetable mix is a really versatile component. Everyone that makes a Pav Bhaji, has their own version. A lot of recipes call for a Pav Bhaji Masala. You can find this at almost any Indian grocery store, but I usually refrain from buying something like this spice mix that has just one use. And seeing how Pav Bhaji is an indulgent treat, we don’t make it very often. So after some experimenting, I figured out a combination of simple spices that works really well. The best part is that these spices are really common and if you cook Indian food, you most likely already have them in your kitchen.
So let’s get cooking.
Pav Bhaji (a Vegan version)
Course: MainCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy5
servings15
minutes30
minutesPav Bhaji – A quintessential Mumbai Street Food delight that is chock full of veggies and made into an indulgent treat with generous lashings of butter. Today’s recipe is a vegan version of this treat.
Ingredients
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, cubed
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup green peas
1 teaspoon oil
3 tablespoons of butter, plus more to butter the bread
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 green capsicum, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 – 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder (or any other mild variety)
1 teaspoon + 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 cup Passata
Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Fresh coriander, chopped
5-10 bread rolls (This depends on the size of the bread rolls as well as portion sizes, which on an average may be 1-2 rolls per person)
- Toppings –
Butter
Onion, finely chopped
Fresh coriander finely chopped
Some lemon / lime wedges
The amount of each of these toppings depends on how much you’d like to add to each portion.
Directions
- Boil the potato, carrot, cauliflower and green peas in sufficient water and a little salt (I use about 1/2 teaspoon of salt) till tender.
(I use a stovetop pressure cooker and this typically takes me 10 minutes. This will vary depending on your pressure cooker.) - Heat the oil in a large pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Sauté the onions for a couple of minutes till they start softening.
- Add the chopped capsicum and cook till they soften a little.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Next, add the turmeric, freshly cracked black pepper and chilly powder and 1 teaspoon of garam masala powder. Stir well and let the spices cook off for a minute, making sure they don’t burn.
- Add the Passata and stir through. Cook this mix for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the boiled vegetables to the pan and stir through. Add a little cooking liquid (from the boiled vegetables) about 1/4 cup. Let this cook off for about 8-10 minutes. If needed, add small amounts of the vegetable stock to get the desired consistency. You don’t want it very runny, but you are looking for a loose consistency.
(Please see the recipe video below.) - Using a potato masher, mash all the vegetables to a chunky mash consistency.
- Check for seasoning and add more salt, as needed.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala powder and stir through.
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter and stir through. Take the pan off the heat.
- Split the bread rolls in two and butter both sides and toast off lightly. The bread is best buttered and toasted just before serving, so toast as many as you intend serving immediately.
- To serve, spoon out a portion of the Bhaji, top with a knob of butter, some chopped onion and fresh coriander and some lime / lemon juice. Serve hot with the buttered and toasted bread.
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cooking time will depend on how you boil your vegetables. It takes me about 10 minutes in my pressure cooker. Your pressure cooker may take longer or if you’re cooking it in a pot on the stove, it could take longer. Please consider this while calculating cooking time overall.
- Leftover bhaji keeps well. Reserve some of the vegetable stock in a little jar and refrigerate along with the bhaji. The next day, heat the bhaji on the stovetop. If it is too thick, add a splash of the reserved vegetable stock to get the desired consistency.
- The bread is best buttered and toasted just before serving. So toast only as many as you intend serving immediately.
How to make Vegan Basil Pesto
This Vegan Basil Pesto is packed with flavour and is great in salads, sandwiches and pasta. Use your abundant Basil Harvest to make it.
Summertime means an abundance of fresh Basil. If you don’t grow your own yet, you should consider it. Its a great way to have basil on hand all through summer to add to your pasta, pizzas and sandwiches. You can also make your very own Pesto at home.
If you follow a plant based diet, you’ve probably noticed that most of the Pesto options in stores are just not for you. They all have Parmesan cheese in it. And if you’re in Australia, another thing that you may have noticed is, if you can find a Vegan option, it is usually way more expensive. Tell me it’s not just me that feels that way.
Well the good news is, you can make your own Basil Pesto at home in literally under 5 minutes. And today, I’m going to show you how.
Typically, this pesto is made with pine nuts. However, pine nuts can be expensive. So to make this recipe accessible for all, today I’m using walnuts in the recipe. You can use either. Both options are equally delicious.
This Vegan Basil Pesto has bags of flavour and is a great little condiment to have on hand. I use it in sandwiches, salads and in Pasta recipes too.
If you’re making your own batch of Pesto at home, you should try my easy Homemade Vegan Parmesan recipe too. It’s another great little condiment to have on hand.
Vegan Basil Pesto
Difficulty: Easy10
minutesThis Vegan Basil Pesto is packed with flavour and is great in salads, sandwiches and pasta. Use your abundant Basil Harvest to make it.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
1/4 cup Walnuts
Juice of 1/4 lime, or to taste
Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Place all the ingredients except the oil in the jar of your food processor and blitz.
- With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil.
- Scrape down the sides of the jar at the halfway mark and blitz again, till you’re left with a coarse paste.
- Check for seasoning and adjust if needed.
- Store in a clean, dry, airtight bottle in the fridge and use as needed.
Recipe Video
How to Make Vegan Mayonnaise
A must-have condiment, this Vegan mayonnaise recipe is simple and easy, and is perfect for sandwiches, burgers and salads.
As the days start to warm up, I start craving lighter food. Here in Australia, our summers can get pretty intense and on those hot days, I don’t really feel like cooking. I’m sure a lot of you feel the same. Thats where all the salads, sandwiches and grilling comes to the rescue. You’re probably wondering what salads, sandwiches and grilling does someone on a plant-based diet do. You’ll be very pleasantly surprised to know that there’s so much that can be done. And these recipes are beautiful, flavourful and you won’t even miss the meat / dairy etc. I’m going to share a few of those recipes with you in the days to come.
Today, I’m going to start with the basics – a good Mayonnaise recipe. Most burgers, sandwiches and even some salads call for some Mayo. And while you can purchase a jar of vegan mayo in the shops, its usually around the $7-8 mark, which I find quite pricey. After you’ve made a batch at home, you can be sure you’ll never reach for a store-bought jar again.
My vegan Mayo recipe uses just a handful of pantry staples and comes together in about 30 seconds. Yup, you heard that correctly. In the time it takes me to type this post out, I would’ve probably whipped up a dozen batches of this mayo, if not more.
I use an immersion blender to whip up my Mayo and this makes the whole process super easy. Here’s another handy tip for you – if you can find a jar with a mouth wide enough to fit your immersion blender, you can make and store your mayo in the same jar. So there’s minimal washing too. I store my Mayo in an airtight glass jar in the fridge and it easily lasts for a couple of weeks.
Why Vegan Mayo?
For those on a plant-based diet, its the only way to go. But even if you’re not strictly plant-based, some folks are allergic to eggs and a lot of folks don’t like the idea of raw eggs in the mayo.
In any case, this mayonnaise has a much longer shelf life than the kind that uses eggs. You’ll be amazed at the taste and texture. If you personally didn’t make this stuff, you wouldn’t even be able to tell that it is vegan.
I really hope you try this recipe out.
Here are a few ways in which I use this Mayo –
Vegan Black Bean Burgers
Wasabi Mayonnaise in Vegan Sushi Bowls
How to Make Vegan Mayonnaise
Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy5
minutesA must-have condiment, this Vegan mayonnaise recipe is simple and easy, and is perfect for sandwiches, burgers and salads.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Soy milk
1 cup sunflower oil
1/2 – 1 teaspoon mustard
1 – 1 1/2 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
A little salt, to taste
Directions
- Place all the ingredients in a clean, dry jar. Use an immersion blender and place the head at the bottom of the jar. Blitz everything together and slowly and gradually lift the immersion blender to the top. As you move the blender, the oil and milk will emulsify and in seconds you’ll be left with a gorgeous batch of Mayonnaise.
- Store in a clean, dry, airtight container in the fridge and use as needed.
Recipe Video
Notes
How to make Vegan Parmesan Cheese
This Vegan Parmesan Cheese has a bold, complex flavour that makes it a fantastic plant-based replacement for Parmesan cheese.
It’s January 2021. I’m sure you know that perfectly well. What you probably may or may not know is that every January there is a movement called Veganuary that hundreds of thousands of people the world over participate in. Veganuary = Vegan + January.
There are a number of different reasons why people take part. Some take this as an opportunity to start their vegan journey. Others want to make a small commitment for a month to check and see how it works for them. Irrespective of the reason, I find it very heartening to see the number of people making the switch to a vegan life-style.
When I decided to go Vegan, I thought that I’d miss Cheese the most. See back then, I loved my cheese. And not just cheese, but butter, ghee and dairy as a whole. While we didn’t consume much meat even then, dairy and eggs were big in our household. But what I found very interesting is that as my body adapted to eating more plant based food, I never really missed the dairy or the eggs for that matter.
That being said, every once in a while, especially when a make a big pot of pasta, I find that there’s a little something missing. Yes, I’m talking about the last little grate of Parmesan Cheese. I started subbing everybody’s favourite nutritional yeast (aka Nooch) and now if I have pasta without it, I definitely feel that somethings missing. It’s amazing how the mind and body adapt. While Nutritional Yeast is a good substitute, when I was working on this recipe, I knew that this Vegan Parmesan Cheese would take my Vegan Pasta experience to the next level. It has these little salty pops much like Parmesan Cheese does and the nooch does its cheesy bit, making this the ultimate replacement for Parmesan Cheese.
While you can find a number of Vegan Cheese products in store, they cost a pretty penny. And not just that, sometimes they have a bunch of ingredients that I’m not very comfortable consuming. That where my vegan Parmesan recipe comes in. This recipe is a fantastic one, if I should say so myself. It uses just 4 ingredients (all basic vegan pantry staples – no funny business here) and takes a couple of minutes to make, at most.
This Vegan Parmesan Cheese has become a staple in my home and I hope this recipe helps you too.
How to make Vegan Parmesan Cheese at home
Cuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy5
minutesThis Vegan Parmesan Cheese has a bold, complex flavour that makes it a fantastic plant-based replacement for Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1/2 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
Directions
- Add all the ingredients to your spice or dry grinder. Blitz it in short bursts till it reaches a coarse sand like consistency.
- Store in a clean, dry glass jar in the refrigerator.
Recipe Video
Notes
- You can use a food processor to blend all the ingredients too.
Kale Salad – perfect for the Holidays
A vibrant and colourful salad that’s so full of flavour, this light and refreshing Kale Salad makes a stunning addition to your Holiday menu.
In most parts of the Northern Hemisphere, the Holiday Menu consists of warm and hearty mains and sides. Not here. In Australia, we’re smack bang in the middle of summer at the moment. And while a lot of households will have a roast of some sort, a lot of the food made for the day is light and fresh. At this time of the year, the weather is beautiful and everyone wants to enjoy the outdoors and spend time with family. No one wants to spend the day slaving away in the kitchen.
And while most of the meal is usually meticulously planned, it sometimes happens that a salad in thrown together in a hurry. You don’t want to do that. A salad is light, refreshing and can be healthy, if you choose to make it that way. This Kale Salad that I’m going to share with you today ticks all those boxes.
And while a lot of folks don’t often enjoy Kale in any form, let alone in a salad, wait till you see this one. There’s very little prep involved. However, with a little attention, the Kale leaves get tender and super delicious. And the dressing is light and simple but so flavourful. This is one of my all-time favourite salads.
Can this salad be made in advance?
Most of the prep for this salad can be done a day ahead, with just the final touches and assembly done on the day you intend to serve it up.
The process of de-stemming (is that even a word? Let’s pretend that it is) the Kale and tear the leaves is probably what takes the longest. And this bit can be done on the previous day. You can also make your dressing a day or two ahead. Just make sure you whisk it all together before you dress the salad.
The rest of the salad comes together in a few minutes.
So let’s take a look at the recipe now, shall we?
Kale Salad
Course: SaladsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutesA vibrant and colourful salad that’s so full of flavour, this light and refreshing Kale Salad makes a stunning addition to your Holiday menu.
Ingredients
- For the salad –
4-6 stalks of Kale
1 large carrot (or 2 small carrots), grated
1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
- For the dressing –
1/2 clove of garlic, finely chopped / grated
2 teaspoons Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Hot English mustard
1/4 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Prep the kale by tearing away the thick stalk in the middle of each leaf and tearing the leafy greens into smaller pieces. Wash and drain well. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
- Mix all the ingredients for the salad dressing till well incorporated. Check for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Pour a tablespoon of the dressing over the prepped kale leaves and massage the leaves for 2-3 minutes. At the end of this 2-3 massage, all the leaves should appear a nice vibrant green and should be covered with all the dressing. If the leaves feel too dry while massaging, add another spoonful of the dressing and continue the process.
- Now add all the other ingredients to the bowl. Drizzle a little more of the dressing over the salad as needed and toss well. Serve up.
Recipe Video
Vegan Jalapeno Cornbread
Speckled with little pieces of the jalapeno pepper, this easy, vegan Jalapeno Cornbread pairs perfectly with a big bowl of chilli.
In my previous post, I’d shared with you one of my all time favourite recipes for a chilli. And I’d served it up with some homemade cornbread. This post, is all about that Vegan Jalapeno Cornbread. I felt it deserved its very own post, because it’s that good.
It’s a simple and easy recipe, and it comes together very quickly. It doesn’t need any time to rest or rise. Infact, I make this right when my chilli is set to simmer.
This cornbread is an absolute crowd-pleaser. Depending on the crowd, it’s really easy to dial the heat level up or down. With minimal prep required, it’s a great recipe to have on hand when entertaining too. This way you can focus on all the other elements of your meal. And let’s take a moment to talk about the taste. This cornbread turns out really delicious. No one is going to believe how easy it is to make. And you don’t need to tell them either. I’ll happily sit down and enjoy a warm piece of cornbread by itself, its that good.
I usually like to serve this Jalapeno Cornbread with a nice, hearty chilli. I’ve shared one of my favourite Chilli recipes in the past. If you haven’t seen that yet, you can check it out here – Vegan Chilli.
Vegan Jalapeno Cornbread
Course: SidesCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy9
servings10
minutes20
minutes30
minutesSpeckled with little pieces of the jalapeno pepper, this easy, vegan Jalapeno Cornbread is a perfect pairing to a big bowl of chilli.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon flaxmeal
*See notes.1 cup polenta
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 fresh jalapeño, chopped
3/4 to 1 cup of plant based milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC.
- In a bowl, place 1 tablespoon of flaxmeal and 3 tablespoons of water. Stir well to combine. Set aside in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. This is your flax egg.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients – polenta, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and chopped jalapeño. Stir to mix through.
- In another bowl combine 3/4 cup of the milk and maple syrup. Stir well.
- Add the maple – milk solution and flax egg to to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. If the mix is too dry, gradually add a little more milk and fold in with a spatula. You are looking for a cake batter like consistency. (See the recipe video for more information.)
- Lightly grease the base and sides of an 8 inch square baking dish. Pour the cornbread mix into the baking dish and spread evenly.
- Bake at 180ºC for 20 minutes or till a skewer pierced through the centre comes out clean.
- Take out of the oven and leave in the baking dish to cool.
- When it’s closer to room temperature but still warm, cut into portions and serve.
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Flaxmeal – You can either buy a packet of flaxmeal from the store. I make my own by simply grinding up some flax seeds in a dry grinder and store it in a jar and use it, as needed.