Did you know November is Vegan Month? It’s true! Even if you don’t follow a vegan diet normally, going totally plant-based for a day, a week or even the whole month is a great way to discover new recipes and flavours. We’ve gathered together some of our favourite vegan recipes, from sweet to savoury, that you can whip up quickly and easily. Enjoy!
Vegan Chilli
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 red pepper, cut into chunks
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 400g can black beans, drained
- 400g kidney beans, drained
- Lime wedges, guacamole, coriander and rice to serve
Method
Heat the oven to 200c/180 fan/gas 6. Put the sweet potato chunks into a roasting tin and drizzle over 1 ½ tbsp oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin. Mix it all up until the chunks are coated, season with salt and pepper and roast for 25 mins until cooked.
Heat the remaining oil over a medium heat and add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally until soft then crush in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the remaining spices and tomato puree. Mix and cook for 1 more min.
Add the red pepper, chopped tomatoes and 200ml of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins. Tip in the beans and cook for 10 more mins before adding the sweet potato and season to taste. Serve with lime wedges, guac, rice and coriander.
Tofu and Black Bean Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the sauce
400g can black beans, drained and rinsed
75g dark brown soft sugar
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 red chilli, finely chopped
For the stir-fry
350g tofu
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red pepper, sliced
300g pak choi, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 spring onions
Cooked rice noodles to serve
Method
Make the sauce first – tip half the beans and the rest of the sauce ingredients into a food processor bowl and add 50ml water. Season and blend until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and heat gently for 5 mins.
Drain the tofu and pat dry with kitchen paper. Toss in a bowl with the cornflour then set aside. Heat your wok to a high temperature, add some oil then pop in the tofu. Stir-fry for 5 mins until golden brown at the edges. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add 1 tsp vegetable oil to your wok along with the shallots and fry until soft. Pop in the peppers, the rest of the beans, pak choi and spring onion. Cook for 3-4 mins, add the tofu and bring to the boil for a minute. Serve with the noodles.
Sweet potato and coconut curry
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Thumb-sized piece root ginger, peeled
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp cayenne
2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced
2 red peppers, sliced
250g red cabbage, shredded
1kg sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
300g passata
400ml coconut milk
2 tbsp peanut butter
Small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
Cooked couscous, to serve
Method
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onion. Fry for 10 mins until soft and then add the garlic and grate the ginger straight into the pan. Stir in the paprika and cayenne and cook for another minute, then tip into a slow cooker.
Return the pan to the heat and add another tbsp of oil along with the chilli, red pepper and shredded cabbage. Cook for 5 mins and then add to the slow cooker. Use the remaining oil to fry the sweet potatoes for around 5 mins, then pop them into the slow cooker, too.
Pour the passata and coconut milk over the sweet potatoes, stir to mix together and put the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours until the sweet potatoes are tender. Stir the peanut butter through, season with salt and pepper and serve with couscous and the coriander.
Vegan brownies
Ingredients
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
½ tsp coffee granules
80g vegan margarine, plus extra for greasing
125g self-raising flour
70g ground almonds
50g cocoa powder
¼ tsp baking powder
250g golden caster sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Method
Heat the oven to 170c/150c fan/gas 3 and grease and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper. Mix the flaxseed with 6 tbsp water and set aside for 5 mins.
Melt 120g chocolate in a pan along with the coffee, margarine and 60ml water. Allow to cool slightly.
Put the flour, almonds, cocoa, baking powder and ¼ tsp salt into a bowl and stir until smooth. Whisk the sugar into the melted chocolate mixture and beat until smooth and glossy. Stir in the flaxseed mixture, vanilla extract and remaining chocolate, then add the flour mixture. Spoon into the baking tin.
Bake for 35-45 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool then cut into squares and serve.
