Tomato Toast

This has been my favourite breakfast lately. It's not really a recipe: just spread some nice toasted bread with margarine, top with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tomatoes taste amazing like this, and it's a great way to get some vegetables first thing in the morning.

Variations:
1. If you like it with a little more pep, add a few drops of tabasco sauce.
2. If you're not so into margarine, skip it and drizzle with good olive oil.
3. Use cucumbers instead of tomatoes.

Balsamic Mushroom Bruschetta

These juicy mushroom bruschetta make a great vegan starter. The sharp and sweet vinegar plays well with the fresh parsley and savoury mushrooms. And they only take a few minutes to put together!

Balsamic Mushroom Bruschetta

Makes 4 slices

Ingredients

1/2 onion
250 g button mushrooms
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt
4 slices of nice bread
flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Method

1. Dice the onion, slice the mushrooms, and mince the garlic. Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until glassy. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.

2. Add the mushrooms and fry until they release their liquid. Then add the balsamic vinegar, and cook until the liquid is gone. Salt to taste. Top slices of toasted bread with the mushrooms and a generous amount of chopped parsley.

Zwiebelmett (Mince with Onions)

Zwiebelmett is basically mince with onions and spices, which people often eat spread on buns. I've never tried real Zwiebelmett, since I had already been vegan for some years before I came to Germany. I'm not sure who first thought of the idea of making it out of rice cakes, but there are many versions of this recipe online in German.

While I was researching this, I found out that Germans sometimes shape Mett into a "Mettigel" (a mince hedgehog) for parties, and decorate it with onions for spikes. Definitely going to have to try that for my next party!

A Mettigel (Picture from Wikipedia)

Zwiebelmett (Mince with Onions)

Makes 600 ml - enough for a small Mettigel!

Ingredients

18 thin or 9 thick rice cakes (100 g)
1 onion
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
pepper

Method

1. Crumble the rice cakes. Add 300 ml water and mix well. Mince the onion. Mix the onion, tomato paste, salt and pepper with the rice cakes.

2. Check the consistency. If it's too dry, add 50 ml more water. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. When you're ready to serve, taste and add a bit more salt and pepper if you like. This is nice on buns by itself or with some chives or a few slices of cucumber on top.

Pambazos

One day, when I was sloping around the internet looking for recipes, I stumbled across this delicious-looking one for Pambazos by Warren Elwin, and thought I have to make this vegan. Pambazos are salsa-coated fried sandwiches from Mexico. I filled this one with vegan sausage, capsicum and potato and topped it with coleslaw. Wrapping them in paper before you eat them is a good idea if you don't want to be covered in sticky salsa.

Pambazos

Inspired by this recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients

500 ml red cabbage

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 onion

1 capsicum

2 cloves garlic

1 pack vegan sausages or chorizo

3 potatoes

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp salt

a pinch black pepper

4 big ciabatta-style rolls

lots of salsa

vegan margarine

Method

1. Thinly slice red cabbage. Toss with vinegar, sugar and salt. Set aside. Peel, dice and boil the potatoes.

2. Dice onion and capsicum and mince garlic. Heat 1 tbsp margarine in a pan over medium heat. Fry vegetables for 10 minutes, or until soft. Chop up the sausages, add and fry for 5 more minutes. Remove mixture from the pan.

3. Add 1 tbsp more margarine to the pan and fry potatoes until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the spices to the pan, along with the fried vegetables and sausages. Mix well and fry for a few more minutes. Remove from the pan.

4. Cut rolls in half, remove some of the dough from the inside, and coat completely in salsa. Add 1 tbsp margarine to the pan. Fry two at a time on both sides until browned. Add more margarine between batches as needed.

5. Put the filling on the rolls and top with coleslaw. Wrap in paper or foil and enjoy!