Creamy Cashew Tomato Pasta

The creamiest, most divine pasta that comes together in less than half an hour! This is a weekly favourite at our house because it requires almost no time at all and EVERYONE loves it. Feel free to add any toppings too - baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms are all delicious additions!

If you are looking for more recipes like this, be sure to check out my Deliciously Vegan iOS App and my E-Book!

Serves 4

Time: 20 minutes

1 lb / 450 gr pasta of choice, such as brown rice pasta

1 cup (250ml) raw cashews

3/4 cup (180ml) boiling water

1/2 cup (125ml) canned diced tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

1 tsp maple syrup 

1 tbsp onion powder

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1 tsp dried thyme

1-2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Large handful basil leaves, roughly chopped, to serve

1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

2. While the pasta is cooking, add the cashews, water, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, onion powder, dried thyme, garlic, nutritional yeast (if using), lemon juice (if using), sea salt and black pepper to a high-speed blender and blend until very smooth. If you don’t have a high-speed blender then soak the cashews in hot water for at least 1 hour before blending.

3. Add the sauce to the cooked pasta and stir until coated.

4. Divide between bowls and top with chopped basil and a sprinkle of black pepper. Enjoy!

Easy potato dahl

Dahl is the Indian word for lentils, and that’s what this dish is all about. Red split lentils, simmered and spiced to perfection.

The best way to make use of this recipe is by using whatever curry powder you have. When I first made this I had exactly two tablespoons of Korma curry powder and it worked like a treat. Next time it was just a medium curry paste and it was still absolutely amazing.

I like to play around with the additions to this – sometimes add potato, other times sweet potato or butternut. It all depends on what you have in the pantry. But always, always top with some fresh coriander!

Ingredients

2 tbsp cooking oil

1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, minced

1 small red chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsp medium curry powder/curry paste of your liking

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tbsp dried curry leaves

juice from 1/2 medium-sized lime, more if needed

2 potatoes, roughly chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes (400g)

200 ml coconut cream

1 cup water

1 cup red lentils

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

fresh coriander (cilantro) for garnish

2 cups cooked  basmati rice, to serve

freshly baked flatbreads, to serve

Method

Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, chilli, ginger and all the spices and curry leaves. Fry until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the potatoes and fry for 3 more minutes, until slightly golden.

Add the coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, water and lentils and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes, until the potatoes and lentils are soft.

Season with salt, pepper and lime juice. Serve over cooked rice with flatbreads and garnish with fresh coriander. Enjoy!

CORN & CHICKPEA BURGERS

Sunday bun-day is upon us again, this time in the form of the perfect corn and chickpea burgers.

There’s something about piling up all the best ingredients between two toasted buns that makes it pretty much unbeatable in terms of delicious, comforting food. I filled mine with spicy vegan mayo, avocado, tomatoes, red onions, cashew cream cheese, rocket, cilantro and of course, the most important part, the chickpea and corn patty.

As a side I made some crispy baked potato wedges which are also really nice to eat up the leftover spicy vegan mayo with. (hehe)

The patty is soft, yet holds it’s shape both when frying and biting into it (it’s the whole wheat flour that I used!). If you are feeling like you’d like to experiment a bit then I’m sure a bit of crushed nuts/grains would be a nice addition to the texture as well.

But for today, this is just perfect. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients

For the patties:

1 can chickpeas (400g), reserve the water

150g  canned sweetcorn

handful of coriander

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

zest and juice from 1/2 lime

3 tbsp aqua faba (chickpea water from the can)

4 tbsp whole wheat flour + more for dusting

oil, for frying

6 burger rolls, toasted

avocado, thinly sliced

150ml vegan mayo mixed with 1,5 tsp Sriracha and juice from 1/2 lime

6 tbsp cashew cream cheese

2 medium sized tomatoes, thinly sliced

handful of rocket

fresh coriander

Method

To make the patties, all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until combined but chunky. Cover your hands with flour and shape the mixture into 6 (or more) patties. Place in the fridge for half an hour, then heat up oil in a pan and fry the patties until brown and crusty on both sides.

To assemble, toast the buns, smear a bit of vegan mayo on the bottom buns, then cover with the avocado, burger patty, tomato, cream cheese, rocket and fresh coriander.

Enjoy!

BEETROOT & SMOKED PAPRIKA FALAFEL PITA POCKETS

 

Sometimes things don’t work out, and that really sucks. But then you get over it, analyse the situation and the end result is even better. Do you agree? This is what happened when I came home one day with the intention of making beetroot patties (for a beetroot veggie burger). After an hour in the kitchen, the patties just did not seem to work. I could just imagine them breaking apart when I was gonna fry them. So I turned the mixture into bite-sized little falafels, perfect to fill up a fresh pita bread. Things made even more sense when I discovered that in addition to pita breads I also had hummus (very necessary for a good pita) and all of these veggies waiting to be used. Without sounding corny, it was meant to be.

And the beetroot falafels – ahhh, they’re just dreamy. I love the taste of smoked paprika together with the earthy beetroot. Combine that with a pocket full of flavoursome vegetables and you are good to go!

Ingredients

2 tbsp cooking oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/2 bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped

3 button mushrooms, finely chopped

1 tsp chilli sauce

1 small beetroot, finely grated

20 ml water

70g cooked black rice

120g red kidney beans

salt

pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

4 tbsp all-purpose flour

3 tbsp breadcrumbs + more if needed

Toppings:

Mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in oil with a bit of hot sauce

Avocado, thinly sliced

Purple cabbage, thinly sliced

Radish, thinly sliced

Fresh coriander

Hummus

Sesame seeds

4 pita breads, toasted

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add the garlic, onion, chilli and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are translucent, then add the beetroot and beans. Add the water and cook for 5 minutes or until the beetroot is tender.

Transfer mixture to a blender and add the rice, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Blitz a couple of times, then add the flour and blend more. You want it a bit chunky. Place mixture in a bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs until the falafel mix is firm enough and then shape it into balls. Place falafels in the fridge for 30 minutes, then either cook on the stove with a bit of oil or in the oven at 180 for 15-20 minutes, turning half way.

To assemble, toast the pitas, cut open and smear with hummus. Place all the ingredients inside and top with coriander and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

THAI RED CURRY NOODLE SOUP with shiitakes and broccolini

 

As you might be able to tell, I’m kind of into Asian food. Perhaps it’s because it’s all the flavours that excite me the most – hot, spicy, sour, umami. Ohh my, I start salivating just thinking about it.

The best thing about this is that it is actually ready in 20-30 minutes, depending on how fast you chop. I finish it is 10. (just kidding). And the best part is that the toppings are actually endless – use what ever you have in your fridge! I always have mushrooms which provide the right amount of umami to the dish, so I used them. And broccolini cause it’s so nice and juicy and crunchy.

This here is everything I love in a bowl of soup. I hope you like it too!

Ingredients

2 large garlic cloves, minced

thumb-sized piece of ginger, minced

oil for frying

750 ml vegetable stock

400 ml coconut cream

4 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste

juice from 1/2 lime

soy sauce, to taste

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

4 shiitakes, thinly sliced

handful of broccolini, roughly chopped

1 packet of rice noodles, cooked in boiling water until tender

handful of coriander

sesame seeds

Method
Heat oil in a medium-sized pot. Add the garlic and ginger and fry until fragrant. Add the stock and coconut cream, mix through and bring to the boil. Add the curry paste and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. When ready, season with soy sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper.

While the broth is simmering, heat oil in a pan and add the shiitakes. Fry until golden, then add a tablespoon of water. Season with soy sauce and lime juice. Remove from pan and add the broccolini, sauté until tender but a bit crunchy. You can add a bit of water to speed up the process. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, place rice noodles in a bowl. Add the shiitakes and broccolini and top with the broth. Garnish with fresh coriander and sesame seeds. Enjoy!