food — Recipes — The Plant Based Chef

How to Cook Tofu

For many people tofu has a really negative vibe, boring, tasteless etc etc etc. Sure its hard to change your eating habits and add new textures and flavours to your diet, but you sometimes it worth it. I have heard it all, but mostly I hear “how do you get it to taste good” so here a few ideas.

Coconut, Banana and Quinoa Muffins

This recipe was a slight variation from the recipe that was given to me to cook for Melinda Gates during her visit to Australia. The original recipe contained oat flour and maple syrup.

I found the original recipe a little heavy, so I changed the oat flour to plain flour. The muffin isn’t too sweet, as it’s low in refined cane sugar and low in animal fats such as eggs, butter or vegetable oil. It has quite a bit of fruit in it which makes it quite delicious and almost healthy.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Vegan Lasagne

This is a kitchen staple at my house, we make it in large batches and eat it over a few days or freeze it. Don’t be afraid to mix it up with different vegetables like carrots, leeks, eggplant, capsicums, chilli, pumpkin and zucchini. Play around with it, it you don’t like canned lentils cook some fresh or use a different pulse. Just enjoy.

Masoor Dahl and Yellow Rice

It’s a real shame that Australians generally are not aware of the great benefits of Dahl. It’s the one thing I hunt out when I’m in London and I miss most when I’m back in Sydney. The Dahl Madras from the Paradise restaurant near the Hampstead over-ground station is my all-time favourite, with a nice hot Naan it’s a meal on its own.

In this case red lentil or Masoor lentils, are readily available and cheap in most supermarkets.

Vegan Tempeh and Zucchini Lasagne

This recipe has a number of components but once it’s in the oven theres not much more to do than throw together a salad. Its quite fragile once cooked, but better the next day. Don’t be surprised if there is a little water in the tray the next day, just drain this off and reheat in a 180 degree celsius oven.

Raw Vegan Frozen Raspberry Cheesecake

This is my go to raw vegan cheese cake recipe. It’s not too sweet, with just a wonderful freshness from the raspberries and creaminess from the soaked nuts. Once you have mastered this recipe you can easily add you own twists.

Pilaf Rice with Turmeric

Pilaf rice with turmeric is one of my kitchen staples. The cooking is simple, once you know how, delicious and hard to get wrong if you follow the recipe. Once mastered this recipe is easily replicated and produces perfect rice every time. Make sure you buy a good fresh ground turmeric and a high-quality white basmati rice. If I’m in the supermarket I look for the Riviana extra-long (red packet) its consistently good and readily available.

In Adayavadic cookery the white basmati rice is considered the most easily digestible, but I just love it for its fragrance and firm texture and nutty flavour. You can substitute other rice such as jasmine or even medium or short grain rice, but you will need to adjust the amount of liquid and you get a varying product.

"Gary's Soup": Tomato, Zucchini and Chickpea Soup

I was standing in one of the most beautiful villas in Umbria stumbling around in the fridge trying to come up with something for the staff to eat for lunch. Although wonderfully delicious there was only so much panzanella salad and pasta peperoncino anyone could eat unless of course you were a a local. The issue that I had was that most of the staff weren’t local. And so, forlornly I stood with the fridge door wide open staring into the vast cavity hoping that something would leap out at me whilst the clock ticked away relentlessly in my head.

North African Spiced Okra and Rice

Okra is possibly one of my favourite vegetables yet I only cook it on occasion as most people are a little put off by the texture. I have had some sensational okra dishes all over the world and this recipe is a reflection of many of them. This recipe is super fast and easy to put together especially if your in a rush, as such I have used a jar of tomato passata and a spice blend to save time and money. There is nothing worse than having to buy twenty different ingredients for a recipe that you might only use a few times. As always play around and find the recipe that suits you. Enjoy!

Super Simple Noodles with Kimchi and Tempeh

This isn’t a fancy dish by any means. This is my standby dish when I need this is a fast and healthy food in a hurry. I tend to use what ever vegetables I have in the fridge, in particular broccoli and other greens. What I can’t leave out is the kimchi or the tempeh.

Roasted Chestnut and Lentil Soup with Parsnip Crumbs

This is a really easy soup and perfect for the autumn and winter chestnut season.

If the chestnuts are not in season or unavailable, then substitute extra parsnips. (except for the chestnuts). The chestnuts give an almost sweet creaminess to the soup. Adjust the amount of water to get your own personal idea of thickness and season as much or as little as you like. Remember this soup can take a lot of salt so be wary as once it’s in you can’t take it out.

Chickpea Pancake, Porcini, Baby Onions and Almond Cream

Over the years this recipe has had many different incarnations, from thin crepes to little pancakes with types of various toppings. Chickpea flour, sometimes called besan flour, is very versatile and perfect for gluten free dishes. It has great binding qualities and a distinct spice laden earthy flavour makes it perfect for spice based dishes, like the ever popular onion Bhaji. As with all flours make sure that it is fresh as it tends to lose its aroma, flavour and nutritional qualities over time. Chickpea flour in a great source of vegetable based protein and dietary fibre making it a versatile ingredient in the vegan and vegetarian diet.

Chia Seed Pudding

Everyone on has a recipe for Chia seed pudding, probably because it is easy to make and quite delicious. I usually have a basic mix of Chia seeds and almond milk in the fridge, it lasts several days and proves a blank canvas for the addition of so many tasty ingredients. Just be careful because as Chia seeds gelatinise and bind once the almond milk is added they can tend to form a hard mass unless stirred regularly at the beginning of the process.