Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes and Brussels Sprouts

This 5-ingredient vegan pasta doesn't look wonderful, but it makes up for its lack in the aesthetic department with punchy flavours: roasted brussels sprouts with a little chilli, bright lemon juice, and savoury sundried tomatoes. The roasted brussels sprouts are great for converting sprout-haters.

Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes and Brussels Sprouts

Serves 4

Ingredients

1000 ml brussels sprouts
chilli flakes
150 ml sundried tomatoes
500 g pasta  (gluten-free for gluten-free option)
1/2 lemon

Method

1. Remove damaged leaves from brussels sprouts, trim bottoms, and cut in half. Sprinkle lightly with chilli flakes, toss with salt and olive oil and roast for 10 minutes at 180 C.

2. Slice sundried tomatoes. Toss with brussels sprouts and roast for 5-10 more minutes, until brussels sprouts are done.

3. Cook and drain pasta. Squeeze the lemon. Toss with the pasta, brussel sprouts and sundried tomatoes.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

I made this creamy mushroom pasta for my family when I was in Aotearoa New Zealand last time. They all enjoyed it, even those who aren't so keen on mushrooms. The delicious creaminess and cheesiness comes from cashews, which are brightened up with a little lemon juice. A luxurious but easy vegan dinner.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Serves 6

Ingredients

500 g angel hair pasta or spaghetti
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
400 g mushrooms (750 ml sliced)
400 ml unroasted unsalted cashews
300 ml soy milk
100 ml water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp chilli powder

Method

1. Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Slice the mushrooms. Heat an oiled pan over medium heat. Fry the onion until glassy. Fry the garlic for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and fry until done.

2. Blend the remaining ingredients (except the pasta) until smooth. Cook the pasta: if you use angel hair, bear in mind that it cooks very fast.

3. Add the cashew sauce to the pan with the mushrooms and heat gently. Add some more water if the sauce is too thick. Serve with a grind of pepper and a grate of lemon zest.

Avocado and Sundried Tomato Pasta

Avocado pasta sauce sounds good, but for a long time we weren't friends. My boyfriend came up with this meal, and it had a long development cycle. We tried many different avocado sauces. But they were all a bit boring, and, well, too avocado-y.

Then he came up with the excellent idea of adding nutritional yeast, and I suggested adding sundried tomatoes. Combined, they take it to another level. This is my kind of avocado pasta: creamy and rich avocado sauce with a hint of cheesiness and bites of savoury flavour from the sundried tomatoes.

This recipe could be your new weeknight dinner staple. It's super easy; the sauce is made in less time than it takes to cook the pasta.

Avocado and Sundried Tomato Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients

500 g pasta (gluten-free if you like)
1 avocado
150 ml sundried tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 tsp nutritional yeast
25 ml olive oil
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

Method 

1. Cook the pasta. While it's cooking, make the sauce. Mash the avocado. Rinse and slice the sundried tomatoes and mince the garlic. Mix with all remaining ingredients and toss with the pasta.

Delicious Kimchi Recipes: Part 1

So you made some vegan kimchi last week. Now what should you use it for? Well, you could eat it straight, or you could make one of these great recipes. Kimchi-based recipes taste complex, but are usually quick and easy. So if you find yourself wanting to get dinner on the table fast, it helps if you have some kimchi in the fridge.

Firstly, if you haven't had kimchi before, this kimchi fried rice (with the bacon and egg omitted) is a great introduction. It's tasty and comes together very fast if you have leftover rice.

Or, if you're in more of a mac and cheese mood, you could cook up a creamy pan of kimchi mac & shews, by replacing the sauerkraut with kimchi. Add some more chili flakes if you want this to have a kick - the kimchi doesn't make it very spicy. Warning: this recipe, although wonderful, does take some time to make.

If you're feeling the cold and want a bowl of spicy stew, this kimchi jjigae along with some rice might hit the spot. It's my favourite winter meal, and, best of all, it comes together in less than half an hour, since we don't have to cook the meat. You'll end up with more than you see in my picture - this is the pot minus one serving, and I was a bit short on kimchi.

Looking for more Korean recipes?

Jjajangmyun (Korean-Chinese Black Bean Noodles)

Easy Vegan Kimchi (Mak Kimchi)