2-minute Mug Brownie

I experimented a lot with chocolate mug brownies before getting the consistency right. Here is the perfected mug brownie recipe.

Vegan Mug Brownie Ingredients

3 tbsp self-raising flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sunflower oil (or any oil that isn't strong tasting)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp water
tiny pinch of salt

Vegan Mug Brownie Recipe

1. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa and oil in a large mug.
2. Add the water SLOWLY to the mug, while mixing with a spoon, so there are no lumps.
3. Microwave for 1.5 minutes.
4. Moan with pleasure.

A great variation is to add raspberry jam to the mix before microwaving.

You can change the consistency of your mug brownie by adjusting the amount of oil - more oil with give you a gooey mug brownie, whereas less oil will produce something more like cake.

Creamy Vegan Lentil Sauce for Pasta

Beans and vegetables are all very well, but sometimes you have a craving for creamy smooth sauces that melt in the mouth. Unfortunately, many creamy pasta sauce recipes use non-vegan ingredients like milk or cream. This is where a hand blender and some slow-cooked red lentils can come in handy for a vegan cook. Smother your pasta with this thick and creamy lentil pasta sauce, which is delicious hot or cold.

Smooth lentil sauce with fusili pasta

Pasta Sauce Ingredients

1 cup dried red lentils

1 cup tomato juice (gives a smoother sauce than canned or fresh tomatoes)

1 clove crushed garlic

dried or fresh basil

Vegan Pasta with Creamy Sauce Recipe

1. Boil red lentils for about 30 minutes until they are soft and mushy.

2. When most of the water has boiled away, add tomato juice and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

3. Flavor with basil, garlic and salt (for an even tastier sauce, replace the salt with vegan miso*).

4. Blend sauce using a hand blender until it is smooth.

5. Serve with pasta, sauteed mushrooms, and green beans.

*Miso powder/paste makes almost any dish richer, but be careful: miso that you buy from your local Asian store will likely contain fish extracts. Mishima Vegetarian Miso makes a great base for soups and sauces.

Vegan Goulash Recipe

Goulash is a Hungarian dish that is traditionally made with meat. You can make vegan goulash with beans such as kidney beans, cannellini beans, or haricot beans - or a mixture. Goulash is strongly spiced with paprika, and you can add extra flavor by using garlic and fresh coriander.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

1 can (400g) kidney beans

1 can (400g) cannellini beans

2 cans (800g) chopped tomatoes

3-4 medium-sized potatoes, diced

100g fresh spinach

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 tbsp paprika

1 liter vegetable stock

handful of fresh coriander

Vegan Goulash Recipe

1. Fry the onion and garlic in a large saucepan until they start to brown. Add the potatoes and fry for a few minutes longer.

2. Add the tomatoes, beans, paprika, and most of the vegetable stock.

3. Leave the vegan goulash to cook for 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Add the rest of the stock as needed to stop the goulash from drying out. The consistency should be that of a thick stew.

4. Add the spinach and stir it into the goulash. It will look like a lot of spinach at first but it reduces dramatically in size as it cooks.

5. Add the fresh coriander and serve immediately.

Vegan goulash is filling enough to eat on its own, or you can enjoy it with crusty bread.

Spicy Couscous Soup

This recipe is more than just a soup, it's a hearty and nutritious meal. The blended beans and the couscous make the soup thick, satisfying and and filling. You can adjust the spiciness by using more or less chili, but the fresh coriander is a must.

10-minute soup recipe

Ingredients

• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 red chili
• 1 stock cube
• 400g can of kidney beans
• 400g can of butter beans
• 100g couscous
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• fresh coriander

Spicy Soup Recipe

Place the tomatoes, garlic, chili and stock cube in a large saucepan and apply a strong heat until the tomatoes start to simmer. Add one liter of water, along with the beans, and stir well. Cover and allow the soup to come to the boil. Take the soup off the heat and blend using an electric hand blender. When it is blended to a smooth and thick consistency, return the soup to the boil and add the couscous and the lemon juice. Cook for three minutes, stir in the fresh coriander, and serve.

Saag Aloo

The Indian dish, saag aloo (spinach with potatoes), is the perfect accompaniment to the Lentil Dahl Recipe in the previous post, with basmati rice as the ideal third component of this meal. Spicy in a way that is flavorsome rather than hot, this saag aloo recipe is both tasty and dangerously more-ish.


Saag aloo is vegan if it is cooked using oil rather than ghee (a type of butter traditionally used in Indian cooking). You can use any type of oil for Indian cooking, provided that it does not have a strong flavor.

Ingredients for Saag Aloo (Serves 4)


350 g of pureed fresh or frozen spinach

1 small onion, finely chopped  
1 clove garlic, finely chopped  
1 green or red chilli, finely chopped  
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp fenugreek

1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tablespoon of oil

How to Make Saag Aloo


Step 1 Heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add cumin seeds and toast them for a few minutes.
Step 2 Add the onion, garlic and chili, and fry while stirring for 5-10 minutes.Step 3 Add the potatoes and fry for a few minutes more, stirring to avoid sticking.Step 4 Add the spinach, and a little water, as well as the coriander and fenugreek, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. The water should have boiled away or been absorbed by the end of the cooking process.

Step 5 Serve with basmati rice, brown rice, and/or lentil dahl.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie made with Tofu

I'm getting into the Thanksgiving spirit with pumpkin pie!  Just like traditional pumpkin pie, but using tofu as a binder instead of eggs.

Recipe

Mushroom Risotto

Further proof that you don't need butter, cream or cheese to make risotto rich and creamy if you use tasty, fresh ingredients and good quality risotto rice and vegetable stock.

Ingredients:
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
6 large brown mushrooms
225g risotto rice
1 litre vegetable stock
A little thyme
Splash of soy sauce

This served 3, with a tiny portion left over. Last time I made this I also added a few green soybeans (edamane), which was also nice

I followed a similar process to my pea and mint risotto recipe: fried the ingredients in a little olive oil, added the rice and fried for a further two minutes, then added the stock a little at a time, stirring constantly to help the rice take on the right consistency without sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Pea or Broad Bean and Mint Risotto

This is the best vegan risotto recipe I know of.

During cooking...

The finished product...

Creamy (without the cream), yet light and refreshing. The addition of fresh mint livens up a nutritious meal of rice and peas (and/or beans).

Ingredients (to serve four)

300 g risotto rice
200 g green peas, soya beans, or broad beans (or a mixture of all three)
1 small white onion
1 litre vegetable stock
2 handfuls chopped fresh mint

Pea (or Broad Bean) and Mint Risotto Recipe

1. Fry the onion in a little olive oil in a high-sided frying pan or wok.
2. Once the onion is soft, add the risotto rice and fry for 2 minutes, stirring continuously
3. Add about half the stock and the peas or beans
4. Bring to a gentle boil and allow the mixture to simmer gently for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Add more stock as the rice gradually absorbs the liquid.
5. Close to the end of cooking, stir in the chopped mint. The risotto is cooked when the rice and peas are soft and all the liquid has been absorbed.
6. Serve on dishes, bowls or plates with a mint garnish.

Want more vegan risotto recipes? Check out these tasty vegan risottos:

• Vegan Mushroom Risotto

Dill Vegetable Soup

I've been looking for something to liven up vegetable soup for a while, and this recipe was just the thing! It has everything you would expect from a hearty soup - plenty of veggies, beans, onions and garlic - but the key ingredient is a large dose of fresh dill. It's delicious and surprisingly easy to make.

This soup recipe hails from goodveg.squidoo.com, a great new online vegetarian magazine, full of delicious recipes as well as articles about going vegetarian or vegan, and veggie lifestyles. The aim is to get the word out there that veggie food can be great food and to push this lifestyle into the mainstream:

Check it Out!

Sesame Stir-Fry Recipe

I love Asian cooking, particularly stir-fry.  In this meal I combined toasted sesame seeds with chewy chickpeas, crunchy broccoli, fresh lime, ginger and soy sauce for a wonderful fusion dish.

Ingredients:
1 onion
1 clove garlic
fresh ginger
3 mushrooms
1/2 can chickpeas
30g sesame seeds
few florets of broccoli
dried crushed chilli (optional)
juice of 1 lime
soy sauce

Recipe:
1. Toast sesame seeds and set aside
2. Fry onion, garlic and ginger in a little oil
3. Add mushrooms and broccoli
4. Add chickpeas and sesame seeds
5. Flavour with crushed chilli, lime juice and soy sauce to taste
6. Serve with rice and green tea

I like to add turmeric to my rice to turn it a fun yellow colour.  Turmeric is also very soothing to the digestive system as it has anti-inflammatory properties.