Recipe: Butter Beans Shaak (curry) within 15 minutes

This Shaak is simple, filling and quick to make. It involves minimal preparation and tastes delicious.

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients for butter beans Shaak

•    1 (240g) can of butter beans or use dried butter beans which would need to be soaked for 12 hours, the water drained and then boiled in fresh water
•    2 tomatoes - blended
•    1 fresh chilli – blended
•    3/4 of a tablespoon of sunflower oil or olive oil
•    1/2 a teaspoon of mustard seeds
•    1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
•    2 sweet neem leaves
•    1 pinch of asafetida
•    1 pinch of turmeric powder
•    salt to taste
•    1 teaspoon of dried coriander powder
•    1 handful of freshly chopped coriander
•    6 wholemeal mini wraps

How to make butter beans Shaak

1.    Heat the oil in a pan and then add the mustard seeds, cumin, sweet neem leaves and asafetida
2.    After the seeds have popped add the tomatoes and chilli
3.    After a 2 minutes, add the butter beans, turmeric powder, salt and dried coriander powder
4.    After 3 minutes add the chopped coriander, stir and let it cook for 5 - 7 minutes
5.    Fold each mini wraps in half and serve the butter beans alongside it

We enjoyed this with mini wraps. It can also be eaten with rice or Rotli.

Recipe: Pinwheel Biscuits

Ingredients for vegan pinwheel biscuits

• 2 & 1/4 cups of wholemeal wheat flour
• 3/4 cups of vegan butter - I used Vitalite
• 1/2 of cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon of Flaxmeal
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 1/2 cup of vegan dark chocolate
• 2 - 3 tablespoons of Almond milk
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence

How to make vegan pinwheel biscuits

1. Mix the Flaxmeal with water and leave it to stand
2. Cream the butter and sugar until it's fluffy
3. Add the Flaxmeal mix
4. Melt the chocolate in a Bain Marie
5. Blend the flour with the butter cream to form a dough and add some milk as required
6. Add the vanilla essence
7. Divide the dough into half
8. And the melted chocolate to one of the half mix
9. Knead the dough for 5 mins - the dough should be fairly stiff
10. Divide each portions of the flavoured dough into 2
11. On a cling filmed rolling board roll out the dough to create 8 -9 inch round shapes
12. Ensure that the vanilla dough and the chocolate dough is kept separate
13. Place the chocolate rolled out circular shapes onto the vanilla and fold together to form rolls - like a Swiss roll
14. Wrap in cling film and leave in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours
15. Once set, cut out equal pieces of the biscuits and bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown
16. Cool them on a cooling rack and enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Jigna Malde.

Recipe: home-made yoghurt

This was quick, easy and really rewarding. I'm not sure why I was so chuffed about it. Perhaps it was because it reminded me of the enjoyment I got from the yoghurt that my Grandmother used to make yogurt at her home. Either way, I think anyone who likes yoghurt, should try it at least once! :)

Ingredients for vegan yoghurt

• Boil 1 mug of milk

• 3 teaspoons of your yogurt starter - I used Tesco Free From Natural Yogurt

How to make vegan yoghurt

1. Boil the milk - I used soya milk but I plan to try it with oat milk soon

2. Let it cool until it feels hot if you put your finger in it but it is tolerable

3. When it is the temperature described above, mix in the yogurt starter

4. Put a bowl of water or something in the microwave and heat it using full power, for 2 minutes

5. While the microwave heats up, put the yogurt mix in an airtight container

6. Put the container within another airtight container, which has a lid and put the lid on it securely

7. Wrap a towel around it

8. Without turning it on, put it in the microwave and leave it there for about 6 hours

9. Don't open the microwave during this time

10. When you remove it, it will be warm and should have set

11. Put it in the fridge so it's cold and ready to eat 

Home made vegan yoghurt

Recipe: Pasta with homemade sauce and soft cheese within 30 minutes

This dish was an on the spot creation and it turned out really well! :)

Ingredients for pasta sauce

•    3/4 of a teaspoon of coconut oil
•    1 (400g) can of chopped tomatoes
•    1 fresh chilli – cut into 3 pieces
•    1 handful of roughly chopped coriander
•    salt to taste
•    pepper to taste
•    ground cinnamon to taste
•    ground nutmeg to taste

How to make vegan pasta sauce

1.    Add the coconut oil to a pan and heat it
2.    Meanwhile blend the tomatoes, chilli and coriander
3.    Add this to the pan when the oil has warmed up
4.    Let it cook for 5 minutes
5.    Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg
6.    Let it reduce until it's the way you like your pasta sauce (ragu) to be - I like mine to be quite thick so I cook it on a medium high heat for about 20 minutes

Ingredients for the pasta

•    pasta of your choice - I  use rigatoni
•    1 tablespoon of vegan spread - I  use Pure Sunflower Margarine
•    1 tablespoon of salt

How to make the pasta

1.    While the ragu is reducing, put the kettle on and put the boiled water, pasta and salt in a large pan and stir
2.    Check the pasta after 7 minutes and if it’s cooked the way you like it, drain the water, add the margarine and stir
3.    Put the pasta on the plate, add the sauce on top, and garnish with some soft vegan cheese

Other ingredients

•  freshly ground pepper
• soft vegan cheese - I used Tesco Free From Cheddar Style Spread

Serving the pasta with vegan soft cheese

1. Serve the pasta creating a wide strip of it along the plate
2. Add freshly ground pepper
3. Add the sauce to the middle of the strip of pasta so that all of the pasta isn't covered in the sauce
4. Spoon some soft vegan cheese on to the sauce and enjoy!

Serving suggestion

Create a circular shape with the pasta, leaving a hole in the middle for the sauce, on top of which you could put the soft vegan cheese. 
Serve with the soft vegan cheese on the side.

Recipe: Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients for vegan chocolate truffles

• 200g of vegan dark chocolate
• 7 tablespoons of vegan vanilla ice cream - I used Swedish Glace Smooth Vanilla flavoured iced non dairy dessert
• 1 tablespoon of crushed roasted hazelnuts
• 30g of grated vegan chocolate

How to make vegan chocolate truffles

1. Break the vegan dark chocolate into small pieces and melt in a large bowl by placing it over a pan of hot water
2. While the chocolate is melting, warm the vegan vanilla ice cream to room temperature
3. Once the chocolate is melted, spoon in the vanilla ice-cream and crushed roasted hazelnuts
4. Mix it until you have a smooth mixture
5. Pour the mixture into a plate lined with greaseproof paper
6. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 45 minutes
7. Then put the plate into the fridge for another 45 minutes
8. Once the mixture is completely solid, remove it from the fridge and cut into small (truffle size) pieces using a knife
9. Roll each piece into a ball, and then coat using the grated chocolate

I made 2 different versions of this dish. I coated one with vegan hot chocolate powder and another with desiccated coconut. Both were nice! :)

Recipe & photo courtesy of Sagar Shah.

Recipe: Date and Nut Slices

This recipe creates a tasty, replenishing, healthy snack.

The recipe makes about 15 pieces but it depends on how big cut them and how thick the 'roll' is.

Ingredients for vegan date and nut slices, also known as, Khajur Paak

• 1 packet of pitted dates (250g)
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 bowl of mixed nuts (almonds, pistachios, cashews) - roughly ground/chopped nuts
• Desiccated coconut

How to make vegan date and nut slices, also known as, Khajur Paak

1. Roughly chop dates and place them in a large saucepan
2. Add the water and heat for about 15 minutes
3. The dates will softened and form a paste-like consistency
4. Add the mixed nuts and mix well
5. Roll the mixture into cylindrical rolls - about 4 c.m. in diameter
6. Coat the rolls in desiccated coconut
7. Cover the roll with greaseproof paper and put in the fridge for at least 12 hours
8. When ready to eat, slice the rolls into 1 c.m. thick pieces

Recipe kindly provided by Rehma Chandaria. Photo courtesy of Sagar Shah.

Recipe: Pista Barfi within an hour

This dessert melts in your mouth!

I made them for a family get together and was asked if they were vegan. :) I took that as a compliment, because those who didn't follow a plant-based diet, were suddenly impressed by, and interested in, the recipe.

This recipe creates about 12 small pieces, less if you cut them to a bigger size.

Ingredients for vegan pista barfi

• 100g of creamed coconut
• 150g coarsely ground pistachios
• 50g of golden syrup
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1/2 of a teaspoon of cardamom powder
• A cup of flaked almonds, whole pistachio nuts or pieces of  dried fruit

How to make vegan pista barfi

1. Melt the creamed coconut by placing it in a bowl on top of a pan of hot water i.e. not in the water itself - I keep it in the plastic packaging
2. Put the ground pistachios, golden syrup, vanilla essence and cardamom powder in a blender and blend 
3. Once the the creamed coconut has softened/melted, add it to the blender and quickly blend all the ingredients together - if you aren't quick, it will begin to solidify again 
4. Pour the mixture into a mould, lined with cling film - I used a plastic take away container
5. Decorate the mixture with flaked almonds, whole pistachio nuts or pieces of  dried fruit
6. Leave it to cool for 10 - 20 minutes
7. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes
8. Remove it from the fridge and use the cling film to lift the piece out of the container
9. Take the piece off the cling film and cut to size

Recipe initially developed by Anabel Zalvidar
Photo courtesy of Sagar Shah.

Recipe: A smooth, crunchy, cold and warm dessert within 5 minutes

This is what I call fast sweet food.

Ingredients for a crunchy, warm and cold vegan dessert

• Swedish Glace Iced Non - Dairy Dessert - we used Vanilla
• Pecan and Maple Crisp cereal

How to make a vegan crunchy, warm and cold vegan dessert

1. Put some scoops of the Swedish Glace in a bowl
2. Add some Pecan and Maple Crisp cereal on top
3. Enjoy!

This created a smooth and crunchy dessert which was simply moorish.

Recipe: Pancakes within 15 minutes

Here's a way to  make pancakes within 15 minutes!

Ingredients for vegan pancakes

• 1 and 1/2 cups of soy milk
• 1/2 a cup of soft silken tofu
• 1/3 cup of coconut oil in its solid form
• 1 and 1/2 cups of flour - you can use coconut flour, self raising flour or plain flour
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg powder
• 2 chopped apples
• 1/2  a cup of chopped Pecan Nuts

How to make vegan pancakes

1. Blend the soy milk, soft silken tofu, coconut oil, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and the chopped apples
2. When it's all blended, add the chopped Pecan Nuts and fold them into the mix
3. Heat a pan so that it is heated evenly
4. When it's ready, add a little oil
5. Then add large spoons of the mix and cook it for a few minutes
6. When bubbles appear, flip it and cook it until both sides are golden brown
7. Roll and serve with fruit or drizzle with some syrup to make it a tad sweeter

Recipe: Cashew Cream

Cashew Cream is often used as a substitute for dairy whipped cream. It can be enjoyed with fruit, on cakes, in crepes, with pancakes and more.

Ingredients for vegan cashew cream

• 1 cup of raw cashews
• 3 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

How to make vegan cashew cream

1. Soak the cashews in 3 cups of water for 4 hours
2. Drain the excess water
3. Blend the cashews
4. Add 1/2 cup of water, the maple syrup, vanilla essence and lemon juice
5. Blend again
6. That's it :)