If you love a good Italian pasta, try this vegan carbonara. It’s not my recipe: it’s all Marco’s doing – he almost outcompetes my Italian friends in his love of pasta, and he knows how to cook!
Sunflower Mac
Mac ‘n cheese was a big favourite of mine as a kid, when I lived in Canada: the Kraft kind, from a box. Of course my parents never bought that stuff, I’d get it as a treat once in a while when I visited my best friend next door. And a few months after I moved back to South Africa, I received a big parcel in the post with a dozen boxes of Kraft mac ‘n cheese – best surprise ever!
Berliner Pfannkuchen
When in Berlin, have a Berliner? Or make a vegan one? Yep, I’ll take the bait. I’ve just moved to Berlin for who-knows-how-long, and I thought I’d celebrate the occasion by trying my hand at veganising the city’s traditional pastry. It’s very similar to a doughnut: a light, sweet dough that’s fried until it puffs up, then filled with jam and covered with sugar.
French Toast
I grew up enjoying pain perdu (French for ‘lost bread) as a weekend treat: crusty day-old bread, soaked in a milk-and-egg mixture, fried, and served up with syrup and fruit. You might also know it as eggy bread (the British take), but it’s a classic dish known and enjoyed in different parts of Europe for ages: the earliest-known recipe dates back 1,600 years! Serve it as a sweet treat with syrup and berries, or as a savoury breakfast with ketchup and vegan sausage 🙂
Meaty Marinated Mushrooms
While I love a good store-bought vegan meat burger patty or seitan sausage, nothing beats a marinated portobello mushroom. It’s so flavourful, and full of umami: pop it on a bun for a burger, or have it alongside veggies and whole grains.
Turmeric Latte
Warm yourself up with a tasty and comforting Turmeric Latte, and get your anti-inflammatory boost. Did you read my post about the magic that is turmeric? I also explain why it’s a good thing to use black pepper and a bit of oil, when consuming turmeric.
Vanilla Ice Cream
I’ve been making this ice cream for years, ever since I bought my little Krups ice cream maker. The recipe works like a charm, as long as you follow the directions: freeze the bowl properly (the colder the better), make sure the custard thickens nicely, and cool it enough before making the ice cream.
Tofu Scramble
You could fool many an egg-lover with a couple blocks of tofu, a some turmeric, and kala namak (black salt from volcanic rock, with a sulphurous taste). I’ve made variations of this scramble so many times over the years, for vegans and meat-eaters alike, and it’s always a hit. Depending on the type of tofu you use and what you add to it, you can really get a very eggy scramble going: but without the cholesterol and saturated fat.
Vegan Mushroom Risotto
If you’re looking for a bit of wintery decadence, try this. For mushroom lovers only, though: I did not hold back on the mushrooms in this one!
Creamy Garlic Pasta
This is one for the garlic lovers, for a weeknight where you need something easy and quick, but delicious and a little decadent.
Meaty Vegan Bolognese
If you’re the type who loves (or used to love) meat for its rich flavour and texture, this is for you. That’s the thing: usually, when people switch over to plant-based foods, the foods they miss the most have strong flavours and textures. So the challenge is to reintroduce those elements to your plant-based cooking.
Avocado Spinach Pasta
I had some beautifully ripe avocados on hand, some Swiss chard sitting in the fridge from a week ago (but still fresh because I had the foresight to de-stem, clean and pack them into airtight bags!) and some limes. Obviously, the answer was creamy avocado spinach pasta!