These 100% plant-based recipes are full of fiber & flavour and are sure to please everyone around your dinner table, no matter what diet they normally follow. Recipes from the Veganuary Celebrity Cookbook (used with permission) include Bella Ramsey’s Pesto Pastry Spirals, Bellamy Young’s Mac & Cheese, Anne Menden’s Baked Cauliflower, and Tracye McQuirter’s Perfect Pecan Pie.
Bellamy Young’s Mac & Cheese
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
1 box red lentil pasta (rotini/fusilli)
1½ cups unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk
2 TBSP vegan butter
12 ounces of your favorite vegan cheese, shredded (try a mix of cheddar and smoked gouda!)
3 TBSP Nutritional yeast
Salt and Pepper
Paprika
1 crown of broccoli, chopped
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large saucepan, add about 6 cups of water and a few shakes of salt. Bring to a boil.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Drain the cashews. Add to a blender with just enough water to cover. Blend at high speed for about 1 minute or until completely smooth.
- In another large saucepan, combine the cashew cream, the nondairy milk, and the vegan butter. Heat over medium heat until butter is completely melted.
- Stir the vegan cheese into the warm milk mixture and reduce heat to low. Keep stirring until the cheese is completely melted and you have a nice velvety sauce. Add nutritional yeast, plus salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the cheese sauce from heat. Gently stir in the cooked pasta. Pour the sauced pasta into an 8×8 baking dish and use a spatula to spread evenly. Top with a sprinkle of paprika. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the Mac and Cheese is baking, steam the broccoli until it’s bright green.
- Remove the Mac and Cheese from the oven and serve with a heap of steamed broccoli. Great with a splash of hot sauce too!
Bella Ramsey’s Pesto Pastry Spirals
Ingredients:
Frozen vegan puff pastry, rolled
Tomato sauce or any vegan pesto
Vegan cheese
Lots of basil
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
- Roll out pastry sheet.
- Cover with tomato sauce/pesto but leave a thumb width space round the edges.
- Sprinkle on vegan cheese and anything else you fancy e.g. capers, olives, etc.
- Wash, dry, and tear basil leaves if fresh and distribute on top of the cheese.
- Roll up the loaded pastry sheet lengthways until you have a log.
- Slice the log into little spirals and lay them flat on a lined baking tray.
- Bake them in the oven for about 10–15 minutes at 350° F.
(Be generous with the pesto/sauce/toppings)
Anne Menden’s Baked Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1 cauliflower (whole head)
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
4 TBSP olive oil
Fresh basil or Parsley (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C
- Wash and trim the cauliflower and cut off the stalk so that the cauliflower head can sit upright without falling over.
- Steam the cauliflower for 25 minutes in a saucepan with a steamer insert.
- In a pan over low heat, lightly toast the coriander and cumin seeds. Chop the garlic very finely.
- Grind the toasted seeds and chopped garlic in a mortar to form a spice paste. Mix with the remaining spices and olive oil.
- Rub the cauliflower all over with the spice paste and then bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
- After baking, sprinkle with finely chopped herbs if desired.
Tip: A sauce made from unsweetened soy yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and pepper goes particularly well with the baked cauliflower!
Serves 4
Tracye McQuirter’s Perfect Pecan Pie
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups whole pecans
1 cup chopped pecans
¾ cup maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 TBSP ground flaxseed meal
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 TBSP extra-virgin coconut oil (optional)
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
2 TBSP whole wheat or oat flour
1 (9-inch) whole-grain piecrust
Instructions:
- Heat the oven to 350 °F. In a food processor, add 1 cup of the whole pecans and process until a coarse meal is formed. Place the meal in a medium bowl and add the chopped pecans.
- Stir until just combined.
- In a large bowl, combine the maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, flaxseed meal, almond milk, optional coconut oil and sea salt. Add the pecan mixture to the wet mixture and stir until mixed well. Stir in the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time (the batter should be thick although still loose enough to pour).
- Pour the batter into the piecrust. Arrange the remaining whole pecans on top. Bake for 45 minutes. Let the pie cool completely so the filling sets firmly. Serve immediately.
What is your favourite vegan recipe? Please share it in the comments below.
