6 vegan recipes that meat eaters will love

Is it possible to eat vegan food that’s as satisfying, sumptuous, and comforting as their meat-based counterparts? The growing popularity of vegan cuisine – particularly amongst non-vegans – has made the concept of “plant-based eating” enormously trendy, but not always easy. Monica Shaw has picked out six great vegan recipes that even carnivores will love.

Last year, Veganuary reported a 183% increase in participation in 2018, with over 168,000 people pledging to go vegan during the month of January (and record numbers have already signed up this year). It’s interesting to note that almost half of these people consider themselves “omnivores”, while only 17% are strict vegans and the rest vegetarian or pescatarian. It points to a growing trend amongst the general population – not just vegans – towards eating less meat.

Our reasons for eating less meat are myriad – health concerns, the environment, animal welfare – but almost all can agree that taste will help usher in more plant-based eating. Those “pulled jackfruit” burgers might be tasty, but such imitations can often leave people longing for the real thing. If you want to create a vegan meal that won’t leave carnivores feeling like something was missing, then look to world cuisines that naturally lend themselves towards vegetarian fare. Think India, Mexico, Morocco, and Japan, places where vegan staples (pulses, tofu, vegetables) have been embraced for centuries. These cultures have it figured out!

For inspiration, we’ve collated six delicious and satisfying recipes that prove vegan dishes can stand on their own.

Tarka Dal

Indian food has to be one of the ultimate vegan options out there, with many dishes – particularly those from Kerala – being inherently vegan or vegetarian by nature. A great starting point is dal, a generic word for pulses, typically made with lentils and for which there are endless variations. A great starting point is Jenny Chandler’s Tarka Dal, a classic recipe that’s very easy to make. Serve with rice and greens for a hearty, wholesome meal. And always make extra as the leftovers are superb and it freezes beautifully, too.

Recipe: Tarka Dal

This recipe is from Super Pulses: Truly modern recipes for beans, chickpeas and lentils by Jenny Chandler published by Pavilion Books. The book is a lexicon of bean and lentil inspiration. Many of the recipes are vegan or vegetarian, but it also includes meat and fish recipes, too. This is a great book for those who might not want to cut out meat completely, but certainly find ways to cut back, or augment their meat dishes with more pulses and plants. (Image credit: Clare Winfield)

Pumpkin and Lentil Tagine

Moroccan tagine works brilliantly as a vegan dish and can be made with all manners of pulses and vegetables. Vegetarian chef Erin Baker uses pumpkin and lentils in her vegan tagine, but you could easily add other seasonal vegetables. This is the ultimate winter warmer.

Recipe: Pumpkin and Lentil Tagine

Erin Baker runs The Natural Cookery School in the Cotswolds and has just released The Veg Table, a vegetarian cookbook focussed on world recipes. It’s highly approachable – lots of complex flavours but quite straightforward recipes that are ideal for everyday cooking. (Image credit: Michael Ruggier)

Tacos with Maple, Lime, and Chipotle Marinated Tempeh

If you haven’t tried tempeh then it’s time to get on board with this uber healthy fermented soy product that’s full of protein and a sponge for flavour. Tempeh works particularly well with sweet/smoky flavours and has a heartiness that is enormously satisfying. Marinade is the key, and it’s worth leaving ample time to ensure your tempeh is allowed to soak up whatever flavours you throw at it. Try this Mexican twist on tempeh from Demuths Cookery School.

Recipe: Maple, Lime and Chipotle Marinated Tempeh Tacos

Demuths Cookery School offers vegan cookery courses at all levels in the city of Bath. Their website includes a huge recipe database of beautiful vegan recipes so if you can’t make one of the course, you can easily make their recipes at home. (Image credit: Rob Wicks)

Five Spice Smoked Tofu Nuggets

Elly Pear has created a vegan version of chicken nuggets using smoked tofu. They are “ridiculously delicious”, particularly when served with satay sauce. Perfect as party food or served with rice and veggies for a tasty and nutritious supper.

Recipe: Five Spice Smoked Tofu Nuggets

Check out Elly’s newest book Let’s Eat which includes over 90 pescatarian recipes centred around vegetables, grains, and pulses. (Image credit: Martin Poole)

Frying Pan Turkish Flatbreads

Everybody loves pizza, and whilst vegan mozzarella does exist, lovers of the Buffalo kind will be sorely let down. Instead, turn to these Frying Pan Turkish Flatbreads from Anna Jones where cheese isn’t part of the equation.

Recipe: Frying Pan Turkish Flatbreads

Anna’s latest book The Modern Cook’s Year won the Guild of Food Writers Cookery Book Award and OFM’s Best New Cook Book of 2018. It’s a superb collection of vegetarian recipes focused on seasonality.

Korean Vegetable Bulgogi

Bulgogi literally means “fire meat” and is usually made with beef. The secret is in the sauce, a salty/sweet/savoury concoction that happens to also work really well with vegetables. Kellie’s Korean Vegetable Bulgogi is her vegan take on this dish, using aubergine, mushrooms, and walnuts to give a “meaty” minced beef texture and some seriously hearty comfort food.

Recipe: Korean Vegetable Bulgogi

Kellie’s website Food to Glow is loaded with vegan global food recipes like this, so worth a browse if your particularly after big flavours and lots of colour. (Image credit: Kellie Anderson)

Roast Pumpkin with Savoury Sage & Pumpkin Seed Granola

Those of you who are sceptical about vegan food should try this delicious recipe from Mildreds Vegan Cookbook by Daniel Acevedo and Sarah Wasserman. Yes, it's vegan but omnivores would enjoy it too and the pumpkin seed granola is wonderfully versatile.

Daniel and Sarah write: Since cooking with pumpkin and squash looms large in the USA’s national cuisine, Americans are well acquainted with the strange hinterland in which the pumpkin and squash reside, somewhere between sweet and savoury. Europeans, meanwhile, used to baulk at pumpkin pie one minute and pumpkin risotto the next, but we are adjusting. Although we draw the line at serving squash or sweet potato with marshmallows, we think you’ll enjoy the combination of sweet and savoury in this winter side dish, perfect for serving with a vegan roast or for a holiday meal. Alternatively, this could easily be bumped up into a salad dish in its own right by adding some peppery leaves. Use gluten-free oats for a gluten-free option.

Serves 6–8, depending on the size of the pumpkin/squash

FOR THE GRANOLA

50g (1¾oz) jumbo oats

25g (1oz) pumpkin seeds

½ tablespoon sea salt flakes

4 sage leaves, roughly chopped

½ teaspoon roughly chopped thyme leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 teaspoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon Smoked Chilli Jam (see below) or 1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly and a large pinch of smoked paprika and chilli flakes

FOR THE PUMPKIN

I small pumpkin or butternut squash, de-seeded and cut into wedges 2cm (¾ inch) wide

50ml (2fl oz) light olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

6 sage leaves

1 To make the granola, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F),Gas Mark 3½. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

2 Mix the oats, pumpkin seeds, sea salt and herbs together in a bowl. Measure out the oil, maple syrup and chilli jam into a jug and whisk with a fork to combine. Add to the oat mixture and mix together well.

3 Turn the granola mixture out on to the lined baking sheet and bake for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

4 To roast the pumpkin, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F),Gas Mark 6. Line a roasting tray with baking parchment.

5 Toss the pumpkin or squash wedges with the oil, sea salt and sage in a bowl. Turn out on to the lined roasting tray and roast for 45 minutes–1 hour until cooked through but still holding their shape.

6 Crumble the granola over the warm pumpkin or squash and serve.

Smoked chilli jam

We use this sweet smoky condiment both as an ingredient and as a dressing. It adds a real depth of flavour to our Savoury Sage and Pumpkin Seed Granola and glazes, and can be thinned with a little water or orange juice and used to marinate tofu or tempeh before cooking. It pairs wonderfully with any chargrilled vegetables but especially peppers and leeks). If you cook up a big batch and jar it up nicely, it makes a great gift too.

GF

MAKES 10–15 SERVINGS

1 red pepper

light oil (such as sunflower,groundnut or light olive oil)

1 chipotle chilli in adobo sauce

500ml (18fl oz) water

350g (12oz) demerara sugar

grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

2½ tablespoons agar agar flakes

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

¼ teaspoon liquid smoke (see below)

½ teaspoon salt

1 Start by roasting or charring your red pepper, either in a hot oven, on the hob over a gas flame or on the barbecue.

2 If using the oven method, preheat to 240°C (475°F), Gas Mark 9. Rub the red pepper lightly with oil, sit on a baking tray and roast for about 15–20 minutes, turning frequently, until the skin is blistered on all sides.

3 Alternatively, place the pepper directly on a gas burner of the hob turned to high, turning frequently with tongs, until the skin blisters, or do the same over a hot barbecue.

4 Transfer the red pepper to a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to cool, then peel off the skin and remove the stem, core and seeds.

5 Blend the red pepper and chipotle chilli with the measured water in small blender, or in a measuring jug with a stick blender, to a purée. Add the purée to a saucepan with all the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer, giving the mixture a whisk with a balloon whisk every so often to make sure the agar agar dissolves into the liquid.

6 Simmer the jam for 15–20 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool. It should thicken up while cooling until it resembles a firm jelly. Once cool, spoon into clean airtight jars or bottles and store in the refrigerator for 2–3 weeks.

*Liquid Smoke Is simply water that has been filtered through wood charcoal. Try the Living Nutritionals brand (not the kind with additives), which is available from some supermarkets and online.

What to drink: A rich chardonnay or oak-aged chenin blanc would work well with this.

Extracted from Mildreds Vegan Cookbook by Daniel Acevedo and Sarah Wasserman, published by Mitchell Beazley at £25. Photograph © Matt Russell. Mildreds has 4 vegetarian and vegan restaurants in London. For locations see their website

Spinach & agushi curry

I recently chaired a panel on women in food at the Abergavenny Food Festival which included the wonderful Zoe Adjonyoh. I hadn't seen her book Zoe's Ghana Kitchen before but discovered it was full of the most delicious recipes, many of them vegan.

There's also a really brilliant section at the beginning of the book showing and explaining the more unfamiliar ingredients she uses.

Here's one of the recipes that particularly appealed to me.

Spinach & Agushi curry

Serves 4-6

Here’s my twist on traditional Kontomire or nkontomire stew – a delicious vegan spinach curry, to which you can add extra steamed veg of your choice to make it into a more substantial meal.

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon chilli powder

350ml (12fl oz) uncooked Chalé sauce (see below)

100g (3½oz) or about 2 heaped tablespoons agushi (dried ground melon seeds, available in West African and Caribbean shops and also online )

8 guinea peppers, crushed (also known as grains of paradise - optional)

juice of 1 lime

150–300ml (5–10fl oz) water or good-quality vegetable stock, if required

200g (7oz) baby leaf spinach

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Grilled plantain (optiona)

4–6 ripe plantains

1 tablespoon ground ginger

½ tablespoon dried chilli flakes

sea salt

coconut oil (melted) and olive oil, for drizzling

Heat a large, heavy-based saucepan and add the coconut oil. When it has melted, add the onion and sauté over a medium heat for a few minutes until softened, then add the curry and chilli powders and stir well. Stir in the chalé sauce and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes.

Gently stir in the agushi, using the back of a wooden spoon to break down any lumps that may form – the sauce should start to turn creamy and resemble scrambled eggs. Add the guinea peppers, if using, and the lime juice. Leave to simmer over a medium heat for a further 10 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, add the water or vegetable stock a little at a time to loosen it. The colour of the stew will have changed from pink to a mustard colour.

Stir in the spinach and sea salt and black pepper, then simmer gently until the spinach has wilted.

Meanwhile, prepare the grilled plantain, if making. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Using a sharp knife, peel the plantains by cutting the tips off each end and slicing through the skin lengthways (avoid cutting into the flesh), then use your hands to remove the skin. Cut the plantains in half lengthways. Rub with the ground ginger, chilli flakes and sea salt, and drizzle with coconut or olive oil. Grill for 12–15 minutes, turning over halfway through. Serve alongside the spinach curry.

Chalé Sauce

This basic recipe is based on my dad’s everyday cooking sauce. He would whip this up and then literally throw in any type of meat, fish or protein, but it was always tasty.

You can just blend the ingredients and store the uncooked sauce for later use, or cook it and then leave to cool – either way it saves time when making many of the recipes in this book. I make a big batch of this at least once a week – you can easily double the quantity if you want to make a bigger batch, although it’s not necessary to increase the Scotch Bonnet unless you like it extra-extra-hot!

400g (14oz) can tomatoes or 250g (9oz) fresh tomatoes

30g (1oz) or 2 tablespoons tomato purée

1 onion, roughly chopped

5cm (2-inch) piece fresh root ginger, grated (unpeeled if organic)

1 red Scotch Bonnet chilli, deseeded

1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 garlic cloves (optional)

To cook

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon extra-hot chilli powder

Makes 500ml (18fl oz)

Place all the ingredients except the ‘to cook’ ones in a blender and blend together until you have a fairly smooth paste. This is your uncooked chalé sauce.

For cooked chalé sauce, heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan, add the onion and sauté over a medium heat for a few minutes until softened. Then add the curry powder and chilli powder and stir thoroughly to coat the onion evenly. Add the blended tomato mixture and simmer gently for 35–40 minutes.

Use straight away, or leave to cool then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for future use.

What to drink: Zoe has a number of delicious-sounding drink recipes in the book - I'm liking the sound of Sobolo or sorrel juice with this dish. Otherwise you could go for something like a dandelion and burdock or even a lager but I don't think it's a wine kind of dish.

Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen by Zoe Adjonyoh, is published by Mitchell Beazley £25 www.octopusbooks.co.uk

Image credit: Nassima Rothacker