vegan 'parmesan' topping aka 'vegan crack'

99% of vegans will recognise this:

Nutritional Yeast - affectionately known as 'vegan crack'.

Want something to taste vaguely cheesey?  nutritional yeast.
Completely messed up a meal? nutritional yeast.

First you use it as an ingredient but soon you find yourself spooning it on to your food.  Before you know it, you've stuck the spoon in to the container and are eating yeast as a midnight snack.

Personally, I'm not a massive fan of the texture of nutritional yeast.  I wanted something I could add to foods I used to coat in cheese - I needed something similar to parmesan. So, after a quick hunt on the net and some experimentation - here's what I came up with.  Be warned - it's additive!

Vegan parmesan

(note: I use american measurements as if you have measuring cups it is far less time consuming.  I am also used to cooking based on how things look)

3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2tsp garlic powder
1tsp sea salt 

Mix together and keep in a container ready to put on ALL the things.

Places where you can buy nutritional yeast:

- ocado
- health food shops (not holland and barrett afaik)
- amazon
- online health food shops (veggie stuff, goodness direct)
- ebay 


I have more recipes ready to type up!

Persimmon and port salad

This is somewhere between coleslaw and salad in texture and very sweet in taste.

1 persimmon (Sharon fruit)
1/2 can kidney beans drained
2 handfuls spinach
3 grated carrots
Mixed sprouted legumes and seeds (roughly same amount as carrot)

Dressing
2tbsp port
2 pinches lemon salt (or sea salt)
1tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp agave nectar (honey substitute)
1 tbsp garlic powder
Pepper to taste

Refried Beans and coconut roasted butternut squash

Refried Beans

1 cup dried pinto beans*
1/2 cup dried black beans*
1 onion (finely chopped)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1tsp salt
350 ml hot water

*substitute for a similar amount of canned beans if desired.

- Soak beans overnight or for 12 hours.  Drain and rinse.
- Place all ingredients in slow cooker and stir
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours
- Drain liquid from beans. KEEP LIQUID
- Add liquid in as desired and mash until it's half beans, half stodge.

The beans will thicken over time.
I have not included a picture because in all honesty refried beans do not look that desirable out of context!  I can assure you though that they taste amazing.  Especially in a burrito with chilli (last recipe on here), salsa, gaucamole, sour cream and roasted butternut squash(next recipe).

Coconut Roasted butternut squash

This recipe is incredibly simple but tastes amazing.  If you've been craving cheese but are vegan or can't otherwise eat it - try this.  It doesn't taste like cheese but used inside a burrito gives that same sort of satisfaction!

Butternut squash
small can coconut cream (full can per whole squash) -note: not coconut milk
handful sesame seeds (optional)

- Slice the butternut squash and put in roasting dish
- Cover evenly with coconut cream
- sprinkle sesame seeds on top (optional)
- Roast at 200c for 30-40 mins until soft and lightly browned

Use in a burrito or on risotto

Slow cooked bean and grain chilli

Welcome to The Vegan Spoon!

I plan on using this blog to post recipes as well as recording my journey in to veganism.  

Having been a vegetarian for 16 years, I made the decision a few months ago to become vegan.  My reasons were primarily ethical but with increasing lactose intolerance make sense in terms of my health too.

So....on to the recipes!

Slow cooked bean and grain chilli

birthday burrito containing this chilli

I have been making and adapting this chilli for a few years now.  It tastes great with rice or in a burrito.  Here it is in its current carnation:

1 red onion (chopped)

1.5 aubergines

1 red pepper

2 tins chopped tomatoes

2 tins kidney beans in chilli sauce

1/2 cup bulgar wheat or quinoa

1/4 cup lentils

1 standard chilli

4 cloves garlic

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 tsp ginger 

2 tsp chilli powder (mild, hot or mixed to taste)

1tsp tumeric

1tsp paprika

1 tbsp black treacle (trust me on this!)

1 tbsp olive oil (for frying)

Fry onions and 1 cloves garlic in olive oil.  Mix in the ginger, tumeric, paprika, half the chilli powder and half the lemon juice and fry until lightly browned.  

Put in to your slow cooker along with all other ingredients and mix to ensure all ingredients are wet.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours.   Simples

  

This chilli was made most recently as part of a burrito dinner party to celebrate my birthday.  I will be sharing other parts of the meal e.g refried beans, quacamole etc on this blog soon.