I recently told you about a new vegan cooking guide called RootyFuel.
Available as a 7-day e-book or a 31-day fully supported collection of videos and recipes, RootyFuel is designed to help you get to grips with down to Earth vegan cuisine.
It has been designed to help vegan and vegan-curious cooks learn what works best for them in their own kitchens.
To celebrate the end of a competition I was running for RootyFuel (winner announced soon), I am thrilled to be sharing their recipe for vegan saag aloo.
Be sure to follow RootyFuel on Instagram and head to their website to see if their curses are right for you or a friend.
Saag Aloo
Serves 2
Ingredients
300g new potatoes
150g baby spinach leaves
200g frozen peas
4tbsp tinned coconut milk
1 red chilli
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 knob ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 vegetable stock cube made with 150ml boiling water
1 tsp nigella seeds
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of ground tumeric
1tbsp coconut oil
Method
Slice the new potatoes into quarters then Boil for 10 minutes or until cooked Place the spinach in a colander and pour boiling water over to wilt then run under cold water
Once the spinach has cooled squeeze the water out of it
Cook the peas according to packet instructions
Place the coconut oil into a pan with the cumin seeds on a medium heat for 2 minutes or until they become fragrant
Add the ginger and garlic, curry powder and turmeric, tomato paste and coconut milk (just use the film milk from the top of the can
Add the cooked peas and potatoes
Cook for 3-4 minutes then add the spinach
Cook for 2 minutes
Serve with nigella seeds and fresh sliced chilli on top
Plant Based Planet, curated by vegan chef and writer Sareta Puri and content creator and blogger The Vegan Food Fiend, is being released in the next couple of weeks (date to be announced soon).
The book features 150 plant-based recipes from contributors representing over 100 countries.
But Plant Based Planet is more than just a collection of recipes. It is a social action project with two core aims:
To highlight the diversity in plant-based cuisine and the importance of honouring those from other nations, cultures and diaspora who share their heritage through food.
To support Food Empowerment Project, a food justice charity working to build a fairer and more equal food system for all.
Curators and editors, Sareta and Kym (The Vegan Food Fiend), came up with the idea after becoming frustrated at the lack of diverse stories and voices in plant-based cooking. The book showcases and amplifies the breadth of plant-based cuisine around the world, with recipes and food stories from a range of contributors from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
Belgian co-curator Kym said “Food is such a unique and meaningful form of communication and sharing. It’s important for us to celebrate and amplify a diversity of voices and stories, especially when it comes to plant-based eating, which has been practiced by cultures and religions around the world for centuries.”
Scottish-Indian co-curator Sareta said “The foods we make, share and eat represent us and our food histories. However, the most visible people sharing foods from across the world are often not from the communities or cultures which they are cooking the food of. We want this book tochange that and for people to become more aware of the political nature of food.”
Recipes include Filipino kare kare, Palestinian maqlouba, South African chakalaka and Swedish ‘meatballs’. The book features contributions from well-known chefs such as Tomi Makanjuola (Nigeria), WoonHeng Chia (Malaysia) and Liz and Joe from Eat Chay (Vietnam and Hong Kong), as well as other chefs, cookbook authors, bloggers and home cooks.
Each contribution includes a guided recipe, an introduction to the creator and a personal story about their dish and/or food heritage.
The book has also been created to raise awareness of and raise funds for Food Empowerment Project (www.foodispower.org), a food justice organisation that aligns with both editors’ values. Food Empowerment Project (F.E.P.) seeks to create a more just and sustainable world by recognising the power of the food choices we make. Their work includes vegan outreach and education, tackling unfair working conditions and addressing lack of access to healthy foods in communities of colour and low income areas.
All profits from the book will go to F.E.P. and the curators hope to raise at least £5,000 for the cause.
All contributors to the book – including the editors – have participated on a voluntary basis, and the only costs incurred are for the digital hosting/sales platform and a limited print run. All profits after these minimal costs will go directly to the charity.
The book will be available to order from plantbasedplanetcookbook.com. To make it affordable for everyone, the e-book is priced at a sliding scale, from £5-15, and there is also a limited edition print run of just 200 copies available for £25 each.
One of my favourite things to happen during Veganuary 2021 was being asked by Oumph! to take part in their Plant It Forward campaign.
Being sponsored to cook with (and eat) food you love is the dream, right?!
If you don’t know, Oumph! is an award-winning business making delicious meat alternatives that are helping people go vegan and stay vegan.
The product range from Oumph! includes seasoned and unseasoned meat alternatives, making them versatile and suited for every occasion. If you are looking to make a gourmet meal, pack a quick snack, or fore up a BBQ, Oumph! has got a product for you.
Check out two of my recent Oumph! creations below.
The Pulled Oumph! worked perfectly in this warm potato salad.
You can ignore the cheeky lettuce in the first image. I’m really not sure what I was thinking, but I swapped it out for parsley in the final dish.
The creaminess of the potatoes and vegan mayo was the perfect accompaniment for the tangy Oumph!.
The Smoky Bits made from wheat are what you need for a solid pasta dish.
I upgraded some penne with broccolini, tomato, mushroom, and Oumph! Smoky Bits. I would eat this meal every single day.
Big thanks to Oumph! for getting me involved in this campaign for Veganuary. My tastebuds had a great time.
You can see the full Oumph! UK range on their website and follow them on Instagram.
Have you ever thought how much you would love for someone to put a recipe in front of you with exactly everything you needed to create the meal?
Leafy Chef is a brand new vegan business in the UK that does exactly that!
Leafy Box recipe boxes are available for either two people or four people. Once you work out how many people you want to feed, you then choose two, three, or four recipes.
There is no delivery cost, which really makes Leafy Chef an attractive thing to try out no matter where you are in the UK.
The recipes included in the boxes sound absolutely mouthwatering and include:
lentil loaf roast with green peppercorn sauce
bbq pulled jackfruit gyros
black bean tacos
chanterelle mushroom carbonara with king oyster mushroom bacon
Extra special news: Leafy Chef will be trading in the FGV section of Walthamstow Sunday Social this Sunday April 28, 2019. Get along between 10am and 4pm to meet the founders and discuss all their amazing recipe ideas with them!
1 packet of vegan empanada cases*
2 cups shredded seitan or other vegan meat 1 cup sliced white onion
2 cups sliced black olives
1 packet of vegan cheese
1 cup of pizza sauce
Vegetable oil for frying
Sauce to serve
Instructions:
– Leave dough/cases in fridge until just ready to use
– Place a small amount of all fillings in the disc and then press closed with fingertips – Use a fork to press the sides together, turning over to repeat the process
– When all empizzanadas are made, heat about 11⁄2 inches of vegetable oil in a flat-bottomed wok
– Fry empizzanadas in batches, turning halfway through cooking, until golden brown – Drain on kitchen towel
– Serve with a spicy tomato sauce
This cross between an empanada and a pizza is really adaptable – mix and match any of your favourite flavours and tastes!
*Many commercially made packets of empanada cases/discs are vegan but if you can’t find one near you, this recipe works perfectly!
If not already warm, heat the salsa verde in a medium/large saucepan
Stir in the totopos/corn chips and stir until they are well covered
Spoon totopos/salsa verde onto a large plate
Add warmed refried beans
Add a couple of tablespoons of vegan sour cream
Place the finely sliced onion on top
Finally, add the avocado to finish
This recipe is for Chilaquiles Verdes (Green Chilaquiles). You can also make Chilaquiles Rojos (Red Chilaquiles) using our Salsa Roja recipe instead of the Salsa Verde. Optional toppings can include anything, but frequently Chilaquiles are served with fried mushrooms, cheese, cilantro/coriander etc.
