Vegan Recipes

Vegan Eats: Rainbow Veggie Risotto

Risotto is one of my all-time favourite meals. For a long time, I never bothered to learn how to make it because I assumed it was way too much effort (if you haven’t already noticed, I am a super lazy chef). Once I tried it though, I realised that it wasn’t as much effort as I thought. Yes, you do have to put in a bit more time than you do when cooking other meals, but it’s pretty much just standing and stirring. If you put on a good playlist (I recommend Unwind 90’s on Spotify), then you can turn your stirring time into a stirring dance party!

Anyway, without further ado (what even is ado?) here is my Rainbow Veggie Risotto… enjoy!

Rainbow Veggie Risotto

Serves 2 with leftovers.

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups of Arborio rice
½ cup pearl barley
1 ½ cups of mushrooms
3 stalks of spring onion
1 small brown onion
1 leek
2 heaped tablespoons of minced garlic (less if you’re a vampire)
1 tablespoon of dairy-free butter (I use Nuttelex Buttery)
Olive oil
1 zucchini
1 bunch broccolini
Half a cup of red capsicum
Half a cup of semi sun-dried tomatoes
½ cup white wine
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cups chicken-style stock
Fresh red chilli to garnish

METHOD

Chop all veggies into your preferred size and put to the side.
Chop onion, leek and spring onion and put in a pan with one tablespoon of dairy-free butter and a dash of olive oil. Cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Add arborio rice & pearl barley and mix well. Cook for another minute.
Add white wine and stir through. Cook until absorbed completely (approx. 90 seconds).
Add 1 cup of veggie stock and cook until absorbed completely.
Continue adding ½ cup veggie stock and cook until absorbed. Repeat when absorbed and keep stirring.
In a separate pan, add a tablespoon of dairy-free butter and throw all the veggies in and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes (except mushrooms and semi sun-dried tomatoes). Stir as required (you want them to get a bit brown but not burn them).
After about 5 minutes, turn the veggie pan off and keep to the side.
Give your risotto a taste test to see how you’re travelling. Continue adding veggie/chicken-style stock and stirring as required.
Add mushrooms to risotto pan and stir in. Now is also a good time to throw in a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Keep tasting the rice, and when it tastes just about cooked, throw in the veggies and semi sun-dried tomato. Mix through and add another half cup of veggie/chicken-style stock for good measure. Salt and pepper, too!
Cook until rice is cooked then serve with some nutritional yeast and fresh red chilli on top.
Enjoy!

NOTES

It tastes 150% better if you drink a glass of red wine during the cooking process. Fact.
I usually use a combination of mushrooms (like button, swiss, shiitake and enoki) but I only had button mushrooms when I made this. I couldn’t be bothered to go to the supermarket so it had to do!
This is a good recipe for getting rid of your leftover veggies from the week that are looking a bit sad. They will taste delicious in this, trust me!
This recipe requires a bit of multi-tasking. If you’re a bit slow in the kitchen, get a helper or avoid this recipe until you’re capable of doing more than one thing at a time.
I also ran out of veggie stock after about 1 cup, so I used chicken-style veggie stock after that (I told you my recipes are made up as I go).
If you really want to make it rainbow, add some yellow capsicum and roasted beetroot in the mix. I would’ve done this myself, but I didn’t have those ingredients and couldn’t be bothered to go to the shops (I am such a dedicated food blogger).

Remember – eating just one vegan meal a day can make a really big difference. It is an easy and tasty way to help the planet, the animals, and yourself!

September 3, 2018

Eats Vegan Vegan Recipes

10 Easy Food Swaps For Transitioning Vegans

If you’re considering a transition to veganism or just want to reduce your consumption of animal products, there’s a good chance that you have no idea where to start. Don’t worry, I was once in your shoes!

2018 is a great time to become a vegan, or to start consuming less animal products. Unlike a few years ago, today we are lucky to have plenty of options when it comes to substitutes for popular animal products. When I first began to think about a transition to veganism, it was hard to consider giving up some of my favourites, like cheese and ice-cream (despite the fact I was, and still am, lactose intolerant).

As always, a bit of research saved the day. It turns out that there’s plenty of ways to swap your favourite foods for a completely vegan, not always healthy, cruelty-free version…

SWAP MINCE FOR MUSHROOMS OR BROWN LENTILS

I absolutely perfected my spaghetti bolognese recipe a few months before becoming a vegetarian. It was my all-time favourite meal; and when I finally realised that consuming the flesh of a dead animal was actually pretty gross, I knew I needed to recreate my beloved spag bol recipe in a cruelty-free kind of way.

Enter mushrooms and brown lentils.

You can use one or the other, but I find that combining them is the best option for a delicious mince-like consistency. The secret is to dice your mushrooms into tiny pieces, as well as using a variety of mushrooms if possible. I like using button, swiss, shiitake and enoki mushrooms. Then, all you have to do is drain and rinse your brown lentils and viola – a mince replacement for spag bol! Should I share my awesome vegan spag bol recipe with you all?

SWAP YOGHURT FOR COCONUT YOGHURT

I have to admit – I wasn’t always a massive fan of yoghurt. As those with a lactose intolerance would know, there are some dairy products that give you worse symptoms than others, and yoghurt was one for me. I tried soy yoghurt for a while, but found the consistency was a bit too runny for my liking.

I tried a few other options, like lactose-free yoghurt (which still contains dairy) and coconut yoghurt. The lactose-free yoghurt was okay, but when I decided to give up dairy altogether it was no longer an option. As for coconut yoghurt, I just couldn’t find one that I liked, so I decided to simply stop eating yoghurt.

Then, I discovered Nakula Organic.

A post shared by Nakula Coconut Products AU (@nakulaorganic) on Mar 28, 2018 at 2:29pm PDT

Nakula Organic is owned by a guy called Lachy, who runs the business with his family. Lachy also happens to be a good mate of Scott’s. Starting with their Nakula Organic Coconut Water, the family brand began developing other coconut products to add to their range.

When they brought out their coconut yoghurt, I was willing to give it a go, and man am I glad I did. Their coconut yoghurt is literally the only one that I’ve actually genuinely loved. They have a variety of flavours (my favourite is mixed berry) and you can find it in the yoghurt section at Woolies. It is delicious on its own or mixed with fresh fruit and granola or muesli for a yummo brekky!

SWAP MILK FOR SOY/RICE/COCONUT/OAT MILK

Ahh, milk. Such a strange concept. Did you know that humans are the only species that still consumes milk after weaning? Not just any milk, but the milk of another species? Human are funny creatures. Anyway, you already know my thoughts on consuming milk so I’m going to skip right ahead to the whole swapping side of things. That is, after all, the point of this post.

Milk substitutes have been around way longer than any other vegan substitute. I guess we can thank all those lactose intolerant people who can’t handle dairy products. Did you know that most adults will go through a period of lactose intolerance or discomfort caused by the consumption of dairy in their lifetime? That’s because we’re not designed to drink it in adulthood! Oops, I’m getting side tracked again…

There are plenty of milk substitutes out there, but personally, I tend to drink soy, rice, coconut and oat milk. I always have soy milk in my coffee, but opt for coconut, rice or oat milk at home. I use them to make my regular breakfast of oatmeal (I usually go half coconut/half rice or oat milk), and when I make pancakes or a creamy sauce.

What’s your favourite non-dairy milk? Tell me in the comments!

SWAP SCRAMBLED EGGS FOR TOFU SCRAMBLE

Scrambled eggs were my absolute favourite way to enjoy eggs. I am ashamed to admit the age I was when I first learned how to make scrambled eggs properly (hint – I was definitely an adult).

Eggs were the last thing I gave up before committing to veganism. I thought it would be a lot harder than it was, but it still wasn’t exactly easy. These days, after nearly eight full months of living on a completely vegan diet, I must admit I don’t really miss them.

Sometimes, however, I do get a bit of a hankering for those scrambled eggs I used to love so much. Luckily, there’s an alternative in the way of tofu. Yes, tofu!

A post shared by E L L I E ⋆ B U L L E N (@elsas_wholesomelife) on May 17, 2018 at 6:09am PDT

A lot of people assume that tofu (and lettuce) are the only things that vegans eat. Firstly, I’d like to say that I would happily chow down on a head of iceberg lettuce by itself even before I stopped eating meat. Iceberg lettuce is delicious. Secondly, tofu is extremely versatile.

Using medium firm tofu and turmeric, you can create a similar meal to scrambled eggs, without the horrendous cruelty that occurs within the egg industry. To prove this, I will post a tofu scramble recipe on my blog soon – stay tuned!

SWAP CHEESE FOR VEGAN CHEESE

Cheese – it used to be my kryptonite.

Before I became a vegan, I loved cheese. Far, far too much for a lactose intolerant person. I remember once going to a birthday picnic for a friend and eating pretty much an entire spring onion and chives cream cheese wheel. Afterwards, I actually looked about six months pregnant because I was so bloated. Did it stop me from eating cheese? Of course not!

Luckily, with my transition to veganism came my resistance to cheese. I couldn’t stop eating it for my own health, but I could stop eating it because, well, not my mum, not my milk!

Still, I missed cheese so much, and it is probably the one animal product I miss most since becoming a vegan. In the past year, however, there’s been a rise in the availability of dairy-free cheese varieties, and for that, I am very grateful.

My favourites are Bio Cheese Cheddar Slices (perfect for burgers and toasted sangas), Bio Cheese Shred Pizza and Sheese Mozzarella Vegan Cheese (both great for pizza). You can even buy vegan versions of soft cheese like brie and camembert in some specialty stores!

A post shared by Jess Ettridge 🌿 (@mindful_moose) on Apr 27, 2018 at 2:52am PDT

SWAP MAYO FOR VEGENAISE

I’ve always been a big fan of the simple salad sandwich, and personally, no salad sandwich is complete without mayonnaise. Mmmm, mayo. Unfortunately for vegans, mayonnaise is made with eggs. Fortunately, Vegenaise is not made of eggs, and tastes just like mayonnaise – it’s a sandwich miracle!

Created by the wonderful people at Follow Your Heart, Vegenaise is available in Woolies and other specialty stores. Try it – it really is better than mayo.

A post shared by Follow Your Heart (@followyourheart) on Jun 26, 2018 at 1:04pm PDT

SWAP MEAT PATTIES FOR VEGGIE PATTIES

Hands up if you’re a vegetarian or vegan and you’ve felt personally victimised at a BBQ? Just kidding, but just because you no longer want a dead cow on your burger, doesn’t mean you should miss out!

There are a gazillion different types of veggie patties, such as lentil, black bean, chickpea, potato or a combination of all the above. Most supermarkets sell a variety of veggie patties (as well as veggie sausages), or you can make your own!

A post shared by Beyond Meat (@beyondmeat) on May 14, 2018 at 4:14pm PDT

SWAP HONEY FOR MAPLE SYRUP

I can hear you all now – wait, honey ISN’T vegan? Well, yeah, it comes from a bee, which despite being a buzzy little insect, is still considered an animal. Bees are actually very critical to the health of the environment and the survival of humans on earth in general.

Those little black and yellow bees are responsible for the pollination of over 80% of flowering plants on earth, including 70 of the top 100 human food crops – wow! So, why isn’t honey vegan again? Well, it is produced by the bees (duh) and is also their main source of energy. So, if we’re eating all their honey, how are they going to buzz around pollinating all our flowering plants and food crops? They’d be so tired!!

Honey is sweet but living in a world where our ecosystem functions properly is sweeter. If you want to learn more about the bee’s role in the ecosystem and why honey isn’t vegan, click HERE!

Oh yeah, I was supposed to include a swap here, right? Like I said before, honey is sweet, but MAPLE SYRUP is sweeter!! Yeah, that’s right. Maple syrup is the perfect swap for a natural sugar hit.

Make sure you buy the 100% Canadian natural maple syrup though, otherwise you’ll find lots of added nasties. I use maple syrup just about every day to sweeten my oatmeal, and it tastes even sweeter knowing that I’m helping to keep those bees buzzing around helping our planet survive!

A post shared by Wicky Nicky (@wickynicky) on Aug 14, 2018 at 1:36pm PDT

SWAP BUTTER FOR NUT BUTTER

I was never a huge butter fan growing up, and despite my love for sandwiches as mentioned above, I never put butter on them. Sometimes, if I’m eating pasta or a curry and have some fresh bread, then I don’t mind a bit of butter but other than that, I’m pretty indifferent.

Using butter in cooking is another story, though. There’s nothing more delicious than frying up some mushrooms with garlic and greens to throw on some avocado toast for brekky, am I right?

So, what do I use if ‘real’ butter isn’t an option? Nut butter, of course! Specifically, Nuttelex Buttery. It tastes like real butter, it is delicious, and it is vegan. Enough said!

SWAP ICE-CREAM FOR COCONUT ICE-CREAM

I saved the best for last, trust me. By now, you are all well aware of my lactose intolerance and the fact that it didn’t stop me from eating my favourite dairy products before I turned vegan. Ice-cream was definitely high on my list of favourite dairy products, and high on the list of things that made me very sick.

I started eating dairy free ice-cream long before I cut dairy out of my diet for good, but I was always so jealous of the awesome flavours that non-vegans and dairy lovers could get. As for me, the only good flavour that existed was chocolate. Nothing else, just chocolate.

These days, that has all changed and there are now plenty of great options for a tasty, flavourful dairy-free sweet treat. There is one clear standout though…

BEN & JERRY’S DAIRY FREE ICE-CREAM!

Oh my lordy, if you haven’t tried it, then get to your nearest Woolies and buy a tub right now. I am not kidding, do it. I’ll wait.

A post shared by Ben & Jerry’s (@benandjerrys) on Jul 17, 2018 at 1:45pm PDT

Okay, you should be back by now. I probably should have told you which flavour to get but if you’re as smart as I think you are (and are capable of reading minds) then you would’ve grabbed the Coconut Seven Layer Bar, aka the most superior flavour out there. Sure, the other flavours are great too, but oh man, there’s something so incredibly delicious about that one. I can smash through a tub in one go if I’m not super careful. It is THAT good.

Even if I wasn’t lactose intolerant or a vegan, I would still go for Ben & Jerry’s Coconut Seven Layer Bar. Just try it, please. Oh, and yes, it is obviously totally worth the $12 price tag. You’re welcome.

So, there you have it – 10 easy swaps for transitioning vegans, or those who just want to consume fewer animal products in their diet. Your challenge after reading this post is to adopt at least one of these swaps in your diet this week! Let me know how you go.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

August 20, 2018

Eats Vegan Recipes

Vegan Eats: Mushroom & Lentil Mini Pies

When I was a kid, I LOVED meat pies. Growing up in Australia, they were everywhere. My first ever job was at the local bakery, and at the end of my shifts, I was always given all the pies to take home and shove in my freezer. We lived off pies the entire time I worked there.

Obviously, since I no longer eat meat, pies weren’t an option anymore. This sucked because sometimes you just get a hankering for something savoury that only a meat pie can satisfy.

So, I decided to create my own vegan version of a meat pie using mushrooms, lentils and plenty of other yummy veggies.

These little guys are bloody delicious. I actually ate half of them immediately after making them (I do not recommend this). They’re great to serve at parties, as little snacks, or as a full meal (around 2-3 pies with other veggies or salad).

I’ve also got a little surprise from the lovely Tully Zander from Vegans First at the end of the post… I hope you like dessert!

Let me know what you think!

Mushroom & Lentil Mini Pies

Makes 12.

INGREDIENTS

3x sheets of vegan shortcrust pastry (I use Borgs, you can get it at Woolies)
1 large onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups mixed mushrooms (I used button & shiitake)
1 small zucchini
2 small carrots
½ cup leek
2x 400g cans of brown lentils
1 ½ cups of vegetable stock
3 tablespoons of vegan gravy powder (I use Orgran)

METHOD

Preheat oven to around 190-200 degrees.
Grease muffin tray with dairy-free butter.
Cut each of the pastry sheets into 4 squares and place one square into each section of the muffin tray. There’ll be a bit of pastry leftover at the top to pull over the top once you’ve added the filling.
Dice mushrooms, carrots and zucchini into small cubes.
Drain and rinse lentils and put in large bowl.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper to lentils and mash.
Dice onion & leek and add to pan with garlic and a dash of olive oil and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add mushrooms, carrots & zucchini and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add a dash of paprika and about 1 tsp of Italian herbs and mix well.
Add lentil mash with ½ cup of vegetable stock and stir to mix all together.
Cook for 1 minute then add another cup of vegetable stock and 3 tablespoons of vegan gravy powder.
Add another pinch of salt & pepper and simmer on low for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. It will start to thicken up, but you don’t want it too dry so add a dash of vegetable stock if you need to.
Take off the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.
Spoon filling into each section of the muffin tray, then fold the top over to seal.
Brush with any dairy-free milk and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Put in oven and bake for around 50 minutes or until golden on top.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

NOTES

I didn’t have any fresh herbs, but I’d recommend using fresh rosemary and thyme if you have it instead of dried herbs!
You can also use the same recipe to make one large pie – just use a different baking dish and however much pastry you need.
I like to experiment with different types of pastry. You can also use puff pastry if you like, just check the ingredient list to make sure it’s vegan-friendly.
Another yummy way to have these is by adding a little dollop of mashed potato on top to turn them into mini Shepherd’s pies!
These mini pies are great for picnics, parties or just as a snack. The first time I made them, I took them to a party and no-one even realised they were vegan!

I’m a terrible baker, so don’t expect any dessert recipes from me. But, if you’re a dessert person, then you’re going to LOVE this decadent chocolate cake recipe by Tully from Vegans First. It is entirely VEGAN and entirely delicious!

Remember – eating just one vegan meal a day can make a really big difference. It is an easy and tasty way to help the planet, the animals, and yourself!

August 13, 2018

Eats Vegan Recipes

Vegan Eats: Loaded Garden Avocado Toast

When I became a vegan, one of the things I missed the most was a good, hot brekky. I used to enjoy eggs on toast with yummy sides like mushrooms and tomatoes, but now that I no longer eat eggs, I knew I had to come up with another tasty option.

Enter my Loaded Garden Avocado Toast!

Full of yummy ingredients, this brekky or lunch option is quick, easy and super delicious.

Enjoy!

Loaded Garden Avocado Toast

Serves one person.

INGREDIENTS

1-2 slices of dark rye bread
1 avocado
1 stalk spring onion
½ tablespoon of vegan butter (I use Nuttelex buttery)
2 stalks broccolini
2 stalks asparagus
1 teaspoon minced garlic
A handful of alfalfa sprouts
1 tomato, thinly sliced
Fresh red chilli to garnish

METHOD

Slice spring onion and add to pan with garlic & butter on medium heat.
Pan fry for around 1 minute, then add chopped mushrooms, broccolini and asparagus.
Pan fry for around 5 minutes.
Toast rye bread.
Spread avocado on the toast and add the alfalfa sprouts on top.
Layer the sliced tomato and add salt & pepper.
Add pan mix to layered toast and garnish with fresh red chilli.
Enjoy!

NOTES

Feel free to swap out ingredients if you don’t like them, for example, some super weird people don’t like tomato, so just omit it. Also, if you’re not a fan of fresh tomato but you like it cooked, simply dice it up and cook with the pan mix.
Again, use as much or as little garlic as you like. I will always use more than is considered normal by most standards.
The toast is yummy even without the pan mix – just avocado, alfalfa sprouts & fresh tomato is delicious. I often slice up some fresh spring onion to sprinkle on top with the fresh red chilli if I’m not including the pan mix.
I’ll have to do a tofu scramble recipe too – it’s also really yum with this dish.

Remember – eating just one vegan meal a day can make a really big difference. It is an easy and tasty way to help the planet, the animals, and yourself!

August 2, 2018

Eats Vegan Recipes

Vegan Eats: Garlic Chickpea & Roasted Vegetable Cous Cous

Hello and welcome to the very first recipe on my blog!

I made it up as I went, and it turned out pretty good.

That’s how most of my ‘recipes’ work. They’re usually inspired by an existing recipe, which I then alter by changing ingredients or amounts. I’m a bit of a wildcard in the kitchen, and I like to experiment (ask Scott about my ‘Shepard’s Pie Lasagne’ which is exactly what it sounds like and it is delicious).

All of it is plant-based, and it is yummy, pretty healthy (most of the time at least), and is good for you, the planet and the animals. Plus, my recipes are easy and usually don’t take too long, so what’s not to love?

Please note that I am not a chef, and the below recipe is not in chef speak so I hope you don’t stuff it up because I explained it terribly.

Have fun!

Garlic Chickpea & Roasted Vegetable Cous Cous

Serves two people with leftovers.

INGREDIENTS

ROASTED VEGETABLES

3-4 medium potatoes
1 medium zucchini
3-4 Dutch carrots
Half a large red capsicum
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Pinch of salt and pepper
Olive oil

GARLIC CHICKPEAS

400g can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 tablespoon minced garlic (you don’t have to use this much – I’m a garlic fiend)
6 stalks of asparagus
4 stalks of broccolini
2-3 stalks of spring onion
1 cup mixed mushrooms (I used half button/half shiitake mushrooms)
Olive Oil

COUS COUS

- ¾ cup dry cous cous (I use San Remo)
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
- 1 ½ cup of boiling water
- 1 large red chilli (to garnish)

METHOD

ROAST VEGETABLES

- - Turn oven on to around 190-200 degrees Celsius on fan bake.
  - Peel potatoes and chop into smallish pieces.
  - Put potatoes in a pot with some water to boil for around 5-8 minutes (you don’t want to fully cook them, just soften before baking).
  - Cut zucchini and red capsicum into bite size-ish pieces (around 2cm long) and put in large bowl with the Dutch carrots (don’t chop these yet).
  - Add the herbs and spices and a dash of olive oil and combine well.
  - Add all vegetables to a baking tray and put in the oven for around 45 minutes or until cooked.
  - When cooked, chop the Dutch carrots into 3cm long pieces.

GARLIC CHICKPEAS

- - Drain and rinse chickpeas.
  - Chop spring onion into 1cm pieces.
  - Chop asparagus and broccolini into 2-3cm long pieces
  - Roughly chop mushrooms.
  - Add garlic and spring onion to a large pan with a dash of olive oil.
  - Pan fry on medium heat for 3 minutes(ish).
  - Add chickpeas and pan fry for 2 minutes (throw in a good pinch of Himalayan pink rock salt too).
  - Add mushrooms, asparagus and broccolini and pan fry for another six or so minutes. Add some cracked black pepper.

COUS COUS

- - Add dry cous cous and all-purpose seasoning to a container with a sealable lid and combine with a fork.
  - Add the boiling water to cous cous mix and put the lid on.
  - Leave for around 5 minutes until cous cous has absorbed the water.
  - Stir with a fork to fluff it up.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

- - Using a large bowl, add cous cous, chickpea mix and roasted vegetables and combine.
  - Serve with fresh red chilli on top and a little bit more salt & pepper (because I told you so).
  - Enjoy a delicious, plant-based, reasonably nutritional, cruelty-free and affordable dish that was pretty easy to make! Congratulations to you, you can now cook at least as well as me!

NOTES

- - This is also a delicious meal to have as leftovers (that why I always make so much). Try it cold, it’s pretty good.
  - The Food Company Chopped Garlic is actually like crack to me. You can get it at most supermarkets I think.
  - I’d recommend using a wok or large pan to cook the chickpeas, etc.
  - I haven’t tried it yet because I thought of it towards the end but next time I’m going to try using sesame oil instead of olive oil for the chickpea mix.
  - The size of your vegetables is up to you. This is a rough guide; cut them per your roasted vegetable preference!
  - This also applies to the choice of vegetables. Feel free to mix it up (e.g swap potato for sweet potato, or red capsicum for tomato).
  - The meal is deliciously versatile – you can take it as a side to a potluck dinner with friends, or you can enjoy it as an entire meal.
  - If you feel like you need something extra, just add it (Scott ate it with salmon but I don’t eat anything with a face so do this at your own risk).

Remember – eating just one vegan meal a day can make a really big difference. It is an easy and tasty way to help the planet, the animals, and yourself!

July 17, 2018