Recipe Recap: All things Vegan

When embarking on a vegan diet, you need to make sure that your body is getting all the nourishment it needs. A vegetarian-based diet can definitely be an excellent path to follow if your diet is well planned, however, if it’s just a trend you’re following, you might be missing out on lots of essential nutrients. So, that being said, here are my top picks from this past week of researching yummy vegan recipes. Bon Appetit! 

Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes by Minimalist Baker

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp each cumin, coriander, cinnamon, smoked (or regular) paprika
• Optional: Pinch of sea salt or lemon juice

• 1/4 cup hummus (or tahini)
• juice of 1/2 lemon (~1 Tbsp)
• 3/4 – 1 tsp dried dill (or sub 2-3 tsp fresh)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Water or unsweetened almond milk to thin
• Optional: Sea salt to taste 

• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley, minced
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• Chili garlic sauce

1. Preheat oven to 205°C and line a large baking sheet with foil.
2. Rinse and scrub potatoes and cut in half length wise. This will speed cooking time. Otherwise leave whole and bake longer (approximately double the time (45 min – 1 hour).
3. Toss rinsed and drained chickpeas with olive oil and spices and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Rub the sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil and place face down on the same baking sheet (or another baking sheet depending on size).
5. While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, prepare your sauce by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine, only adding enough water to almond milk to thin so it’s pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more garlic for more zing, salt for savoriness, lemon juice for freshness, and dill for a more intense herb flavor. I found mine didn’t need anything else.
6. NOTE: If you don’t have hummus, tahini will make a great base substitution for the sauce – just adjust the seasonings to accommodate the lack of flavour tahini provides.
7. Also prepare the parsley-tomato topping by tossing tomato and parsley with lemon juice and setting aside to marinate.
8. Once sweet potatoes are fork tender and the chickpeas are golden brown – roughly 25 minutes – remove from oven.
9. For serving, flip potatoes flesh-side up and smash down the insides a little bit. Then top with chickpeas, sauce and parsley-tomato garnish. Serve immediately.

The Best Vegan Burger by Jamie Oliver

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 x 400 g tin of chickpeas
• 1 x 340 g tin of sweetcorn
• ½ a bunch of fresh coriander
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 lemon, zest of
• 3 heaped tablespoons plain wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting
• sea salt
• rapeseed oil
• 1 small round lettuce
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• tomato ketchup
• 4 wholemeal burger buns

1. Drain and place the chickpeas and sweetcorn into a food processor. Pick the coriander leaves, then add half to the processor along with all of the stalks. Add the spices, lemon zest, flour and a pinch of salt, then pulse until combined, but not smooth – you want to retain a bit of texture.
2. On a flour-dusted surface, divide and shape the mixture into four equally sized patties (roughly 2cm thick). Pop onto a tray and place in the fridge for around 30 minutes to firm up.
3. Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the patties and cook for around 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through, turning halfway.
4. Meanwhile, click off, wash and spin-dry four nice lettuce leaves, then finely slice the tomatoes horizontally.
5. Squeeze a large dollop of ketchup onto the base of each bun (toast them if you like), then top with the burgers. Layer over a couple of slices of tomato, a lettuce leaf, a few coriander leaves and finally the burger tops. Serve with a crisp, green salad, if you like.

Decadent Chocolate Avocado Mousse (3 ways) by Poppies and Papayas

Ingredients (makes 5-6 servings)

• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips 
• 2 ripe large avocados
• ¼ cup dark cocoa powder (you want to make sure to get the dark)
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 pinches sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons soy milk (skimmed milk or lactose free milk) 

Variations:

*Mint: Add 1 teaspoon organic peppermint extract

**Spiced Thai Ginger: Add 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger and ¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne  (depending on your preference)

***Vanilla: Add an additional teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Set up a small double boiler by filling a small saucepan with a little water and placing a small ceramic bowl inside. Put the chocolate chips inside the bowl and heat the saucepan over medium to melt the chocolate.
2. Meanwhile add the avocados, cocoa powder, maple syrup, sea salt, vanilla, soymilk, and additional spices to your food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the chocolate when melted and continue to process until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
3. Spoon the creamy smooth mousse into a glass bowl, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to develop and the mousse to set. Garnish each serving with chocolate shavings and a strawberry. 

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