Vegan Inspiration

If you are already loving a veggie diet or want to embrace your inner vegan for the month of January we are always here to help.  Our chefs would love nothing more than to be cooking up some devilishly delectable vegan fare for you in our kitchens but sadly that is not to be – however, the recipes that follow are some of their favourites and could be yours too if you give them a whirl at home:

Winter Vegetable Fritters 

These golden fritters are 100% delicious and 100% vegan. Perfect for a tasty mid-week treat. Cook them alone or with the added sides for a full-on fritter feast!

FOR THE PUMPKIN CHUTNEY:
2 medium onions, diced
60g fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
250ml cider vinegar
700g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and diced
1.2kg pumpkin (1kg once peeled and deseeded) cut into 1cm cubes
225g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
FOR THE PUMPKIN PUREE :
50ml olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Sprig of thyme
250g pumpkin, cut into 1cm cubes
FOR THE FRITTERS:
¼ white cabbage, finely sliced
¼ red cabbage,finely sliced
¼ celeriac, coarsely grated
1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
1 beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated
1 medium potato, peeled and coarsely grated
125g gram flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp madras curry powder
4 tbsp oil
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
Sterilised jars for the leftover chutney
METHOD
  1. To make the chutney, place all the ingredients except for the salt and sugar into a casserole pan with a lid. Top up the pan with enough water to cover the ingredients.
  2. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, with the lid on, for 20 mins or until the pumpkin is tender. Remove the lid and stir in the sugar. Continue cooking on a gentle heat for a further 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced to a syrup. Add the salt and divide amongst sterilised jars.
  3. For the puree, heat the oil in a pan and gently fry all of the ingredients for 4-5 mins over a medium-low hear. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook for a further 10-15 mins, or until tender. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a food processor. Blend to a smooth puree, season to taste and set aside in a warm place.
  5. Place all of the fritter ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly, making sure the vegetables are coated in a thin later of the flour and spice mix. Add 2 ½ tbsp water and mix again. To test the fritters, shape a small handful into a ball. It should stick together, if it doesn’t then add a little more flour.
  6. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Shape a handful of the mixture into a ball and place into the pan. Flatten the ball with a spatula and repeat with 3 more balls of mixture. Fry for 2-3 mins on each side or until cooked through and beginning to turn brown and crispy.
  7. Transfer the fritters to a baking tray lined with kitchen towel and continue cooking the rest of the fritters in batches until all of the mixture is used up. You can keep the fritters warm by putting them in a low oven whilst your fry the others, if needed.
  8. To serve, divide the puree between 4 plates and top with the fritters. Serve with pumpkin chutney.

 

Chickpea and Coriander Cakes with Tomato Sauce and Aubergine Caviar

Cracking little vegan chickpea cakes that everyone will enjoy along with a sauce, salad and wonderful aubergine ‘caviar’ to take them to the next level.

Ingredients

For the aubergine caviar

1 aubergine

½ lemon, juice only

Pinch of sugar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 

For the tomato sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tsp tomato purée

2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Pinch of caster sugar

 

For the chickpea cakes

2 x 400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

½ clove garlic, crushed

½ red chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp caraway seeds

½ tsp ground fenugreek

½ lemon, juice only

Flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Small bunch coriander, chopped

Olive oil

 

For the chickpea and tomato salad

Olive oil

1 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

½ onion, finely diced

½  290g jar of roasted red peppers, drained and finely diced

½ clove garlic, crushed

½ red chilli, finely chopped

1cm piece of ginger, grated

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

Small bunch mint, picked and finely chopped

Small bunch coriander, roughly chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method

  1. To make the aubergine caviar, place the aubergines directly onto an open gas flame and cook until the skin is charred and crisp and the flesh is soft. Alternatively, place in a pre-heated oven at 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and roast for 25 minutes.
  2. Slice the aubergine lengthways and scoop out the flesh into a blender. Discard the skins. Add the lemon juice, salt, and sugar and blend while slowly pouring in the olive oil until emulsified. Set aside.
  3. To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and gently fry the garlic for 20 secs without colouring. Add the purée and cook for 2 mins, then add the chopped tomatoes, thyme sprigs, sugar and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce is thick.
  4. To make the chickpea cakes, heat a splash of olive oil in a casserole dish and fry the onions for 5 minutes without colouring. Add the garlic, chilli and spices and sauté for a further 20 secs. Set aside until cool.
  5. Divide the chickpeas and crush half of them using a fork and season with salt. Purée the other half using a blender, gradually adding the olive oil until emulsified. 
  6. Once cool, add the lemon juice, parsley and coriander to the onion mixture and combine with the crushed and puréed chickpeas. Shape into patties.
  7. To make the salad, heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and fry the onions for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic  and fry for a further 30 seconds. Combine with the rest of the salad ingredients.
  8. To serve, fry the cakes in a non-stick pan, using as little oil as possible, until an even golden colour on each side. Spoon the reheated tomato sauce and the aubergine caviar on to a plate with the salad and sit the cakes on top.