MUST-VISIT VEGAN RESTAURANTS IN TEL AVIV

As many of you know, I spent a full 10 days eating and drinking three times a day in Israel with VIBE Israel and four other vegan bloggers. It was the most amazing, eye-opening trip and I recommend everybody visits Israel ASAP! Because it was first and foremost a food tour, highlighting all the various aspects of Israeli cuisine (it is a melting pot of so many cultures!), we visited A LOT of vegan restaurants. And after the week-long trip was done, my hubsby met me in Tel Aviv and we continued on the hummus-and-falafel filled journey just the two of us.

Tel Aviv is widely considered the vegan capital of the world - by one estimate there are at least 400 vegan and vegetarian restaurants there. I thought that the food was very good in all the restaurants that I visited during my time there, but here’s a more compact list of great vegan restaurants (or regular restaurants with amazing vegan food) that I consider must-visits when in Tel Aviv:

416

416 is a restaurant that has it all - tasty vegan food (including the most incredible mock meats!), great, ambiance and very tasty cocktails. It is a mixture of American and Israeli cuisines and the result is mind-blowing!

Photo by Amir Menahem

Photo by Amir Menahem

OPA

This is one of the restaurants that surprised me the most. Vegan fine-dining with incredible flavours and textures! I love everything fermented and a lot of their savoury dishes had those aspects in them. But my favourite dish of the night was the chocolate and hazelnut dessert - to die for!

Photo by Amir Menahem

Photo by Amir Menahem

Green Roll Sushi

This is definitely not your average sushi. Firstly, because it is fully vegan and secondly, because it is definitely the most over-the-top sushi I’ve ever seen. Imagine maki rolls with crispy sweet potato crumbs and spicy vegan mayo, plated gorgeously with edible flowers. A veggie foodie’s dream!

Frishman Sabich

A few of you have already become aware of my love for this Tel Aviv street food through this blog post but if you’re in Israel then you have to try the one from Frishman Sabich. In addition to the sabich they also have falafel sandwiches and even a sabich-falafel combo. During my food tour of the city I tried a few different ones but this was definitely my favourite AND they have reusable metal plates for pickles, so they use less plastic!

Photo by Anett Velsberg

Hummus Abu Hassan

This is a legendary hummus place among Tel Aviv locals - and for a good reason! Their fresh pitas, different types of hummus and sides are all super good. I loved their classic hummus the most, but the chunky and lima bean ones were very delicious as well. And you have to try eating the hummus with raw onion - it might seem weird at first (definitely was for me) but you don’t actually taste the onion that much, you just get the crunch from it :)

PS. You can buy the hummus & extras to go and sit on the bench next to the restaurant, overlooking Old Jaffa buildings and the sea in the distance. So lovely!

Picture by Anett Velsberg

Hummus and Co. / חומוס ושות’

This quaint restaurant in Florentine is definitely worth a visit. Their falafels were the crispiest and lightest that I’ve ever tasted, which is why I’d go back there is a heartbeat. Their hummus, pickles and salads were also very tasty and the food itself was relatively inexpensive. The place had a huge line outside so it is obviously popular among locals too.

Picture by Anett Velsberg

The Hebrew Bakery / המאפיה

We stumbled upon to this bakery completely by luck. They have a huge selection of vegan pastries - both sweet and savoury - and they are baked fresh throughout the day.

My favourite from the sweet ones was the rugelach (it was the only vegan one I saw during my time in Israel) but their jam - and halva-filled pastries were amazing too. From the savoury options I loved the vegan schwarma pastry - it had a bit of curry powder in it that made it very unique. Since our Airbnb was near this bakery, then we ended up coming here every morning for a coffee and a pastry. Heavenly!

Hamalabiya

A trip to Israel isn’t complete without a taste of their classic dessert - the malabi. It’s a creamy custard topped with rose syrup and crunchy bits, the perfect combination of Middle Eastern flavours and textures.

Hamalabiya has multiple restaurants around the city dedicated to this dreamy dessert (which they make completely vegan) but I also recommend trying the warm cinnamon-y custard called Sachlev (only served during winter) and their rose-flavoured beer, which is only sold on the spot.

Picture by Amir Menahem

Leggenda Ice Cream

Last but not least, I had to include an ice cream place in this list. Tel Aviv has very many ice cream shops that serve vegan scoops but I loved this one the most. They had a vegan ferrero rocher ice cream that tasted JUST LIKE THE REAL THING!

Photo by Anett Velsberg

There are so many great vegan restaurants in Tel Aviv that this list is definitely not complete. If you have more time in Tel Aviv, I really recommend visiting Dilek’s Turkish Bakery for the vegan boreks, Meshek Barzilay and Anastasia for tasty vegan food and Zakaim for their hand-torn fried potatoes (among other things).

I am so thankful for Vibe Israel for inviting me out there to experience their amazing food scene. They organize very interesting tours throughout the year so make sure you check out their instagram to keep up with what they’re doing!

Raspberry Mousse Cake

I love a no-fuss cake recipe - and this is exactly it! Blitz together the base, blend the filling and refrigerate until set. Decorate and slice up. So easy! Not to mention that it is absolutely delicious, super fruity and can be changed up for any berries that you have. You can also play around with the toppings - vegan whipped cream is really delicious here too.

1. To make the base, place the Graham crackers in a food processor and process until you get a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and process again until evenly mixed. 

2. Press mixture to the bottom of the spring-form tin. Use the flat bottom of a glass to get it even. Place in the fridge until needed.

3. For the filling, heat the coconut milk and agar agar in a small saucepan until boiling, stirring frequently. Boil for 20 seconds and then take off the heat.

4. Pour the coconut milk-agar agar mixture into a high-speed blender and add the silken tofu, cream cheese, maple syrup and raspberries. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes, until very smooth, the pour onto the prepared base.

5. Place cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours to firm up.

6. Decorate with fresh berries and a few tablespoons of maple syrup.

7. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.

For the base:

200 gr / 7oz vegan Graham crackers or Digestive biscuits (gluten-free if needed)

1/4 cup /60 ml melted vegan butter or coconut oil

For the filling:

400 ml/ 1 2/3 cups full-fat coconut milk

1 1/2 tsp agar agar

170 gr /6oz silken tofu

170 gr / 6oz vegan cream cheese

80 ml / 1/3 cup maple syrup or date syrup

250 gr / 8.8oz fresh or frozen and defrosted raspberries

For garnish:

250 ml / 1 cup fresh berries of choice

1-2 tbsp maple syrup

Sabich

Last week I got back from the trip of a lifetime - a vegan food tour in Israel with VIBE Israel, shared with four other vegan foodies like me. From the first day there I was taken aback with how much there is to see, and most importantly, how much there is to eat!

Even though there is no one specific Israeli food thanks to the mixture of cultures, much of the food they have is naturally vegan, such as every vegan’s favourites pita, hummus and falafel. On top of that, Israel has 5% vegans and 5-7% vegetarians, so there is a lot of demand for tasty vegan restaurants. There is also a vegan non-profit called Vegan Friendly that started out by getting restaurants to have more vegan meals on their menus and now also deals with labelling the products that are vegan (so that they’re easier to see in the supermarkets), organising animal rights marches and so much more!

During the week we tasted so much delicious food - from vegan Turkish boreks, to Arabic food to vegan fine-dining (stay tuned for a blog post on this topic!). But my favourite food was one of their street-food staples - the sabich. Imagine a freshly-baked soft pita bread filled with fried aubergine, salad, pickles and lots of tahini and sauces. SO GOOD! The traditional one they sell has eggs too but if you remove them then you’ll get a completely vegan, super delicious dish. I wish I could go back for more!

Because of this, the first thing I decided to cook for my fam when I got back was (my recreation of) a sabich. And, to my delight, it tasted pretty close to the real thing! I hope you try out the recipe I’ve created and love it as much as I do :) xo

1. Arrange the sliced eggplants in a single layer on a large plate or platter and sprinkle lightly with salt.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the sliced eggplant and cook for 5-7 minutes on either side until golden brown.

3. Make the salad by combining the tomato, cucumber, onion, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mixing until combined. Set aside. 

4. Prepare the sauce by whisking together the tahini, water, lemon juice, salt and pepper until you get a smooth, runny sauce. Set aside.

5. To assemble, spread hummus, amba and schug in the pita. Add a few of the potato pieces to the bottom followed by the eggplant, salad, pickles and  tahini sauce. Sprinkle with kala namak for an eggy taste (if using). 

6. Repeat with rest of pitas and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 medium-sized eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds

1 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp canola oil

2 potatoes, peeled, cooked and roughly chopped

2-3 regular or wholewheat pitas, sliced at the top to create an opening

1/4 cup hummus

2 tablespoons amba sauce (optional)

1-3 tbsp schug other hot condiment like harissa, to taste

1/2 cup Israeli pickles

Pinch of kala namak (black salt) (optional)

For the salad:

1/2 cup diced deseeded tomato

3/4 cup diced Persian or English cucumber

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

For the tahini sauce:

2 tbsp tahini

3 tbsp water

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Make sure you check out VIBE Israel’s Instagram to stay in the loop with what they’re up to!

2-Ingredient V/GF Sweet Potato Pizza

I have been ultimately slack in updating this blog, so I’m finally posting another recipe! A vegan and gluten-free pizza dough that is FULL of goodness and only takes 2 ingredients. Kinda hard to believe, I know! This dough can also be rolled out and cooked on a non-stick frying pan for excellent flatbreads. Eating these with hummus is heavenly!

So without further ado, here’s the recipe that we’ve been making on repeat for the past two weeks!

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

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Make the dough by mixing together the sweet potato puree, oat flour, sea salt and oregano until you get a firm dough. The dough should not be sticky at all - if it is then add a bit more oat flour.

3. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 depending on how many pizzas you want and roll out on a floured surface, the transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

4. Remove the dough from the oven and add the marinara and your toppings of choice. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the dough is crisp an slightly browned and the toppings are cooked through.

5. Best served immediately.

Ingredients

this makes 2-3 pizzas

2 cups (500 ml) sweet potato puree

2 cups (500ml) wholegrain (gluten-free) oat flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp dried oregano (optional)

Toppings:

1 cup (250ml) marinara sauce

3-4 mushrooms, thinly sliced

4-5 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced

handful of fresh basil, for serving

other topping options: red peppers, zucchini,

olives, capers, vegan cheese, etc.

This dough keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days and is excellent for flatbreads too!

Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Muffins have always been my favourite go-to, quick baked treat. These ones come together so quickly and they have a wonderful tangy flavour. Combine that with poppy seeds and you've got yourself a real winner! 

When I was growing up the poppy seed rolls were one of my favourite baked treats. I haven't eaten one in years now but baking anything with poppy seeds reminds me of a simpler time when young Anett could easily eat one or two of those pastries a day straight from the bakery. Those where the days, eh?

If you want more delicious vegan baked treats and other recipes then check out the Deliciously Vegan App - there's over 200 recipes there already and counting! Over the past months I've put most of my emphasis on creating more recipes for the app, and to be completely honest, this blog as been left a bit on wayside. But I am working on new recipes for you my blog peeps now, so hold tight!

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Ingredients

makes 6 big or 9 small muffins

• 2 cups plain flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• 3 tbsp poppy seeds

• 1/2 tsp powdered vanilla (sub vanilla extract)

• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp organic brown sugar or coconut sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/3 cup melted vegan butter or avocado oil

• zest & juice of 1 lemon

• 1 cup soy milk

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

for the glaze:

• ¾ cups powdered sugar

• 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a cupcake tray with muffin liners.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, poppy seeds, vanilla, sugar and salt. Mix well.

In another bowl, combine the melted butter, lemon juice, soy milk and apple cider vinegar. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones by folding the batter gently until smooth and incorporated. Spoon into cupcake liners and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice until you reach the desired consistency. Pour over muffins. Enjoy!

Vegan blueberry latte

A beautiful, fruity latte, perfect for winter and summer alike. 

Summertime in Nordic countries means two things - slightly warmer weather than the rest of the year and an abundance of things to forage in the forests. Mushrooms and berries, most importantly. 

This recipe highlights my favourites - wild blueberries or bilberries. They've got so much flavour and punch packed into a small round package, it's impossible not to love them! In summer we usually freeze as much as we can for the winter ahead, perfect for making these lattes later in the year!

If you can't find bilberries then regular blueberries will work just as well! Living in South Africa means that there are no bilberries here, which is why I've used regular blueberries for these pictures too. It tastes really amazing!

10 minutes

for 1-2 people

Ingredients

3 heaped tbsp blueberries, fresh or frozen

1 1/2 cup plant milk (oat/almond milk is best) + more for foaming

1/2 cup water (optional)

1-2 berry tea bags (rooibos works well too)

1 tsp powdered vanilla (sub with vanilla extract)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

 Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat off and let infuse for 5 minutes, then remove the tea bag and pour into cups. Foam the milk by placing a few tbsp in a French press and moving the handle up and down. Pour on top of the latte and sprinkle cinnamon on top. 

Oyster mushroom maki rolls

Every Saturday there is an organic market in Cape Town called the Oranjezicht City Farm Market. We go there as often as we can, stocking up on vegetables and fruits of the season as well as some of the most beautiful mushrooms our eyes have ever seen - including the beautiful pink oyster mushrooms used in these rolls.

They have a wonderfully delicate flavour, ready to be enhanced by whatever you with to cook it with. My favourite additions are simple - a bit of tamari, a bit of mirin, and sesame oil. Wonderful with noodles and rice alike!

We often sautee the oysters, julienne a variety of vegetables, and put the combination into wonderfully textured vegan maki rolls (as you might have heard, my husband loves anything and everything Japanese, including copious amounts of sushi rice each week).

As with any of my recipes - use the filling as more of a guideline and substitute the vegetables and mushrooms with whatever you have in your pantry. 

Ingredients

For the rice:

3 cups/555 gr of sushi rice

700 ml water

1 ribbon of kombu (optional)

For the sushi seasoning:

90 ml sushi rice vinegar (Mizkan works very well)

2 tbsp of sugar

2 tsp of salt

For the mushrooms:

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tbsp mirin

1 1/2 tbsp tamari

1/2 tbsp maple syrup

200 gr oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped

for the filling:

1 carrot, julienned

50 gr of purple cabbage, julienned

3-4 pieces of tenderstem broccolini (optional)

1 large avocado, thinly sliced

Extras: 

4 nori sheets, more if needed

black and white sesame seeds, for garnish

tamari or soy sauce, for dipping

Method

Wash the rice in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear. Place the rice in a pot with the water and soak it for 30 minutes. 

Put the pot, lid off, on a high heat until it starts to boil, stirring gently every 2-3 minutes with a wooden spoon. Once it starts boiling, cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat down to the lowest. Cook covered for 8-10 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed and rice grains fat shiny. Turn the heat off and place a towel over the top of the pot so that no steam escapes. Leave to steam for 15 minutes.

 While the rice is steaming, make the sushi seasoning. Heat all the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Be careful not to boil. Let cool once once. 

When the rice is ready, gently spoon it into a wide bowl (wood or plastic, not metal) with a wooden spoon/spatula and pour the sushi seasoning over it evenly. Fold the rice gently to incorporate the seasoning and cool the rice. 

For the mushrooms, combine the sesame oil, garlic, mirin, tamari and maple syrup in a bowl and add the chopped mushrooms. Let marinate for 5 minutes, then cook on a medium heat until soft and caramelised, 5-7 minutes. Leave aside.

To make the rolls, place a nori sheet on a bamboo rolling mat, shiny side on top. Cover the nori with rice, using wet hands, leaving 2 cm empty on the top.  I keep a bowl of cold water near as I roll to make the process easier. 

Arrange the vegetables and mushrooms in a line near the bottom of the sheet and roll up tightly, wetting the empty nori at the top so that it sticks together. Repeat with rest of nori sheets and vegetables, then cut the rolls into pieces and sprinkle sesame seeds over. Serve with tamari for dipping. 

Vegan banana chocolate chunk muffins

Fluffy muffins, sweet banana & slightly bitter chocolate chips. Ready in next to no time and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

This muffin recipe is another one made with the magic of aquafaba aka chickpea water. It is best to use a can of good quality organic chickpeas (make hummus from those!), drain into a jar and keep in the fridge. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays to use whenever you need it!

I find that the combination of banana and aquafaba creates the most perfect moist muffins, which is why I come back to these again and again. I've also added walnuts and blueberries to the mix and it tastes amazing! So feel free to play around. 

Vegan banana muffins

Ingredients

2 small ripe bananas

3 tbsp aquafaba

3 tbsp almond milk 

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp almond butter

1/2 tsp salt 

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1 cup plain flour

1,5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla powder

40 gr dark chocolate, roughly chopped or dark chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. 

Combine the bananas, aquafaba, almond milk, almond butter, salt and coconut oil in the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, vanilla and and dark chocolate chunks/chips. Fold in the wet ingredients until you get a smooth consistency. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners and scoop the batter into the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until browned on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

SPICY SHIITAKE PANDA ONIGIRI

 

Onigiri has quickly found it’s way into the hearts and kitchen of me and my other half. These little Japanese rice cakes can easily be eaten as a snack or as a full meal (you only need like two or three), and the filling options are endless. This time around I made them in the shape of a panda bear – because they are just toooo cute, am I right? I bet you could trick some kids into eating these as well! Stash some spinach inside. Hehehe. And the filling is our all time favourite – spicy shiitakes with a little bit of lime juice. Dip these into a bit of soy sauce and you’re in snacking heaven.

The real artist behind this humble yet amazing recipe is my dear K – I’m just the one who shaped the onigiri into cute bears. Also, I have a food blog. But he did all the homework and copious amounts of recipe testing for which he really deserves an applause for.

If the rice cakes don’t turn out perfect the first time around, don’t give up. It’s all about practice. It took K about 4 times to make the rice perfectly balanced in terms of sugar/salt/vinegar. And it is definitely worth it!

Ingredients:

300 g Japanese sushi rice

430 ml cold water

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp white/light brown sugar

1 Tsp salt

2 medium sized shiitake mushrooms

1 tsp hot sauce

Squeeze of lime juice

Salt

Method:

1. Wash the rice 3-5 times until the water is almost completely clear. The best way to do this, I find, is by putting the rice in a large sieve and running water through it into a pot below. When the post is full, throw the dirty water out and start again. Once the water in the pot is pretty much clear (imagine filling the pot with clear water then putting a teaspoon of milk in it) then leave then rest the rice in the strainer for 30 minutes.

2. Put the washed rice in the pot you intend to cook it in and add the  water. Leave this to soak for a minimum of 30 minutes. 

3. Cover the saucepan bring it to the boil on a medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

4. Turn the heat to the minimum and cook for another 12-13 minutes. Then remove from heat and rest for 10 minutes. Be careful not to remove the lid during the whole cooking process. 

5. Put your rice vinegar, sugar and salt into a small jar and mix it until everything is dissolved. This is now your complex rice vinegar mixture. Don’t be worried about putting a little too much vinegar in. I play it by eye, often adding about 1/2 Tbsp more vinegar to the mixture than what is stated above. You’ll get put off instantly if your finished rice cakes are under-seasoned.

6. After steaming the rice and making your complex vinegar, put the rice in a bowl while it’s still piping hot (a wooden bowl is best, but plastic will do too) and add the complex vinegar, using a wooden spoon to mix everything by turing and folding the rice. Be as precise and efficient with this step as possible. The rice must be mixed and folded while still hot so as to allow for any excess moisture to evaporate, as well as spreading the vinegar evenly.

7. To make the filling, finely chop the shiitakes and place them in a pan over medium heat with a bit of cooking oil. Fry until soft, then add the hot sauce (depending on how spicy you want it), a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime juice. Take off heat and place into a container.

8. Start to make your cakes. Ensure that your hands are wet before handling the rice. It’ll take a while to get used to the texture and how to mould Japanese rice but once you get it, you’ve got it. A medium handful of rice is about right. Press the rice together in your hands a couple of times to make it stick, then flatten out and put in the filling. Bring the edges together and shape into a ball, flattening it a bit for the final shape. You can now start shaping it into a panda bear!

9.To decorate (and provide an extra flavour/texture) cut the nori into shapes to be put onto the rice. If you want to make them like a panda then cut out shaped like the ones I made, but there are tons of other options as well. Enjoy these by dipping them into soy sauce or just by themselves!