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.

Peppers with Sundried Tomato and Isot Pepper Stuffing

For a long time, I hated stuffed vegetables. They were either soggy or undercooked and had plain, flavourless fillings. So when I was stuffing these beautiful red peppers I decided to make a rich filling out of kidney beans, smoky isot pepper and sundried tomatoes. The peppers were roasted before stuffing to intensify their flavour.

This recipe is super good for an easy weeknight dinner. It comes together very easily, and you can make a salad to have on the side while the peppers are roasting. Isot pepper adds a wonderful depth of flavour to this dish, but if you can't find it, you can replace it with 1/8 tsp of chili powder.

Peppers with Sundried Tomato and Isot Pepper Stuffing

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 long peppers/capsicums
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
10 sundried tomatoes
1 (400 g) can kidney beans
1 tsp isot pepper/urfa biber
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
100 ml breadcrumbs (gluten-free if you want)
3 tbsp water

Method 

1. Cut the peppers in half. Remove stem and seeds. Roast at 200 C for 20-40 minutes, until they're as soft as you like them. Chop the onion finely and mince the garlic. Rinse the sundried tomatoes and chop them finely.

2. Heat an oiled pan over medium heat. Fry onion until softened. Add garlic and fry for a few minutes. Add sundried tomatoes and fry for a few minutes more. Remove from heat.

3. Drain and rinse the kidney beans. Mash them and combine with the onion mixture and all remaining ingredients. Stuff the peppers and roast for 10 more minutes.

Vegan Bechamelkartoffeln

When I was a child, I hated white sauce. I would dread having Macaroni Cheese, or worse yet, Cauliflower Cheese. I've gotten over my cauliflower doubts thanks to roasting it with lemon juice. Now I've come to see how delicious white sauce (aka bechamel) can be.

I stumbled across this recipe last winter while I was looking for quintessentially German recipes. Bechamelkartoffeln, steaming hot potatoes in creamy white sauce, are a perfect winter side. Add a vegan sausage and a little salad, and you've got dinner. I changed the original recipe a little to make it vegan and easier to follow if you've never made a bechamel before.

Vegan Bechamelkartoffeln

Serves 4
Lightly adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes
1 onion
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flour
250 ml soy milk
250 ml vegetable stock 
salt, pepper and nutmeg

Method  

1. Peel and dice the potatoes. Add to salted water and boil until tender. Dice the onion.

2. Heat margarine in a pan over medium heat, and fry the onion until soft. Add the flour and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the soy milk slowly, whisking between additions to avoid lumps. Add the vegetable broth. 

3. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about ten minutes, stirring regularly. Add the potatoes and simmer for a few more minutes. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Garlic Spinach

This garlic spinach is healthy and super easy to throw together. It's also delicious!

Garlic Spinach

Serves 2

Ingredients

120 g spinach (1200 ml chopped)
3 cloves of garlic

Method

1. Chop spinach and mince garlic. Heat an oiled pan over medium-high heat. Fry garlic for one minute. Add a handful of spinach and fry until wilted. Add the rest of the spinach, handful by handful. Season with salt and pepper.