Veganuary recipes from The Food Wife

VEGANUARY RECIPES

This month FRAN STEVENS, aka The Food Wife, suggests a great snack, main meal and pudding to try if you are trying out Veganuary!

KOREAN-SPICED NUTS AND SEEDS

Makes approx 1kg

I recently catered for a group of friends, providing nibbles to accompany some delicious wines from Cru Wines in Bradford on Avon. One of the savoury offerings were these Korean-spiced nuts and seeds, an experiment which turned out really well!

This recipe uses the Korean red pepper powder Gochugaru for a warming glow. You can of course adjust the quantity to achieve your desired heat (this quantity was by no means hot) or you could use different spices to your taste. The maple, oil and salt quantities will provide the right amount of coating for whatever you choose to coat 1kg of nuts and seeds.

I used 800g of mixed nuts and 200g of mixed seeds in my recipe, this ratio had enough seeds to allow them to cling to the nuts for added taste and texture.

Ingredients 1 tsp fine salt 4 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp coconut oil 4 tbsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder) 1kg mixed unsalted nuts and seeds (I used cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and linseeds)

Method Melt the maple and coconut oil together ( this can be done on a hob or in a microwave).

Mix this with the salt and chilli. Add the nuts and seeds and then stir to ensure everything is coated.

Spread on a lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven (180°C fan) for 20-25 minutes (checking occasionally to make sure they aren’t burning) until they are toasted.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container (this way they should stay fresh for a couple of weeks).

SWEET POTATO & CHICKPEA CURRY

Serves 6

I’ve been trying to work more vegetarian recipes in to our diet, and this has become one of The Food Husband’s favourites. It is so satisfying that you really don’t miss the meat! This recipe is actually vegan, gluten free and best of all, delicious. It is mild in heat but rich in spices and is pleasingly creamy, though lighter on calories due to the relatively small amount of coconut milk used.

Whilst this recipe serves 6, I will make a batch for the two of us and freeze two extra meals to enjoy later. I simply defrost in the fridge for 24 hours and gently reheat to serve. I like to serve this with brown rice, cooked according to the pack instructions.

Ingredients 1 tbsp coconut oil 2 onions, diced 2 garlic cloves, finely diced 2 inch ginger, peeled and diced 3 tsp cumin seeds (ground if preferred) 1 tsp mustard seeds (ground if preferred) 1 tsp ground turmeric 2 tsp garam masala 2 cloves 8 cardamom 2 pieces of cassia bark or cinnamon 2 small handfuls of curry leaves Small tin coconut milk (160ml) 300ml vegetable stock 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes 2 tins of drained chickpeas Salt and pepper to taste

Method Melt the coconut oil on a medium heat and add the onion, garlic and ginger. Soften for a couple of minutes and then add each of the spices, stirring to ensure they don’t burn. Add the small tin of coconut milk along with the vegetable stock (ensure you use a gluten free stock if you need to keep the curry suitable for those with a gluten intolerance/ allergy). Add the cubed sweet potato and simmer until tender (this should take about 10 minutes). Five minutes before you are ready to serve the curry add the 2 tins of drained chickpeas to the pan, and heat through. Season as necessary (be aware that the stock you have used may well be salty enough). This week I served it with some homegrown Swiss chard, roughly sliced and sweated in a little coconut oil with a crushed garlic clove, ¼ tsp of dried chilli flakes, ½ tsp coriander seeds and ½ tsp of ground cumin seeds. Delicious.

DARK CHOCOLATE & TAHINI BANANA MUFFINS

Makes 12

This ticks so many boxes, a stunning flavour combination, dairy-free, vegan and gluten-free (if needed) so lots of dietary requirements are catered for, so hopefully everyone is happy with the result.

Best eaten fresh but still gorgeous eaten over a few days, just refresh them by giving them a short zap in the microwave (10-15 seconds should do it). Ingredients 3 large/4 medium very ripe bananas, mashed 70g vegetable oil 120g dark soft brown sugar 100g tahini 270g (gf if required) plain flour (add 1/3 tsp xanthan gum if using gf flour) 30g cocoa powder 2 tsp baking powder (gf if required) 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (gf if required) 100g dark chocolate (gf & vegan as required) broken into 24 pieces

Method Preheat oven to 190°C fan and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Lightly combine the banana, oil, tahini, sugar, cocoa, flour (plus xanthan gum if gluten-free), baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. For a light muffin minimal mixing is required.

Fill each muffin case with a heaped tablespoon of the batter. Top each with a piece of chocolate and then cover with the remaining muffin batter. Top each with another piece of chocolate.

Bake for 25 minutes and then remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm.

You could also sprinkle a few sesame seeds on the top of each before baking.

• thefoodwife.co.uk

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