A close competitor of the great and famous HUMMUS – This roasted eggplant dip is for any smoky and feisty dip lover.
My hummus obsession didn’t die for years until I found its underrated but savoury & smoky cousin – Baba Ghanoush! Most of the smokey flavour comes from roasting the eggplant and the creaminess comes from sesame seed paste, also known as tahini.
This dip is also 100% gluten free and made from wholefoods only like fresh brinjals, sesame seeds, and whole spices like smoked paprika and freshly ground cumin.
I have omitted raw garlic to make this recipe more allergen friendly, but feel free to add in a clove or two for an extra boost of flavour!
A close competitor of the great and famous HUMMUS – This roasted eggplant dip is for any smoky and feisty dip lover.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: baba ghanoush, meditarranean, middle eastern
Servings: 4
Equipment
1 Baking Tray
1 High Speed Blender
1 Bowl
Ingredients
2mediumbrinjals
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1lime
1 tbsptahini
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4tsp black pepper
salt
Toppings
Olive Oil
Smoked Paprika
Coriander
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200C.
Halve 2 medium brinjals (or 1 huge brinjal) and spray with olive oil. You can choose to omit the oil if you are making this recipe oil free.
Roast the brinjals for 30 minutes.
Scrape the flesh and leave the skins* out. Combine roasted eggplant into a blender with lime, tahini, smoked paprika, cumin powder, black pepper and salt.
Blend until a thick mixture is formed. Transfer contents into a bowl and make a dent or a depression in the dip with a spoon. Top with some olive oil, smoked paprika and coriander.
Notes
This recipe is 100% gluten free.
You can omit olive oil completely if you’re making this recipe oil free.
You can choose to include the skins while blending the mixture to keep this recipe low waste. Blend the skins first, followed by the rest of the ingredients.
Matcha and chocolate is an underrated combination – these pancakes give you the perfect boost of energy in the morning.
If you’re looking for the perfect booster breakfast that is vegan and refined sugar free, nothing beats this chocolate-y caffeinated pancakes. They are also mildly sweet, fluffy and versatile. You can switch up the chocolate sauce for something lighter if you prefer, like maple syrup. You could also add some fresh fruit as toppings, like strawberries and blueberries for a more well-balanced breakfast.
Many think that pancakes don’t taste the same without milk and eggs. I’m here to show you that they can still be fluffy and soft without using any animal products! I’ve been making pancakes this way since I turned vegan and it’s just so good!
You can also drizzle maple syrup on the fresh pancakes
Using a good quality matcha powder is also very important to ensure your pancakes tastes mildly earthy and bitter like matcha should. I use the Barista Blend from Naoki Matcha.
Barista Blend from Naoki Matcha
You can also use gluten-free oat flour in place of self-raising flour. Other gluten-free options for plant milks include soy, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia and bamnut milks. I usually use Oatly’s Organic Oat Milk as it only contains oats and water – no other additives and preservatives like many other plant milk brands.
This underrated combination of flavours give you the perfect boost of energy in the morning.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American, Fusion
Keyword: chocolate, matcha, pancakes
Servings: 4
Equipment
2 Mixing Bowls
1 Frying Pan
Ingredients
1cup self-raising flour(or gluten free oat flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tspmatcha powder (heaping)
1/8tspsalt
1cup plant milk
1 tbspapple cider vinegar
1 tspvanilla extract
Toppings
Chocolate Chips
Matcha Powder
Instructions
Mix wet ingredients – milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract – and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, sift flour and combine other dry ingredients like baking powder, sugar, matcha powder and salt.
Combine wet ingredients with dry but do not overmix! Overmixing will cause the batter to become dense.
You can fold in chocolate chips into the batter or add them as you are frying your pancakes.
Heat your frying pan with minimal heat. Pour 1-2 scoops of batter to the frying pan, ensuring the pan is very mildly hot.
Add in chocolate chips if you have yet to in the previous step. Once you see bubbles on one side, flip over the pancakes. The pancakes should look smooth in texture.
Repeat this for the rest of the pancakes and serve with maple syrup or melted chocolate. Top of with extra matcha powder.
Notes
You can substitute self-raising flour for gluten-free oat flour or regular oat flour.
Instead of coconut sugar, you can also use brown sugar or refined sugar.
The type of plant milk used can also be kept flexible – I used oat milk. You can use soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, hazelnut milk…the options are endless!
Ensure the chocolate chips you use are vegan. Many chocolate brands contain milk solids.
100% vegan and gluten goodness! Make this healthy popcorn tofu at home in just 10 minutes. It’s crunchy, firm and juicy!
Crunchy Popcorn Tofu
Here with another tofu recipe because tofu is life! It’s also a great source of vegan protein.
This popcorn tofu recipe is simple and it cleared out in just a few minutes by my family because it made such an addictive snack! It can also be easily used in wraps and salads – like in my Vegan Pasta Salad with Ranch Dressing – as well as a meat substitute in dishes.
This Curry Udon is rich, creamy, flavourful and wonderfully pairs with crunchy Eggplant Katsu coated in breadcrumbs. This is a collaboration with one of my favourite vegan food bloggers, Priya (@spices.and.spoons)
Curry Udon with Eggplant Katsu
This was a wonderful collaboration between me and my friend, Priya. She is a vegan food blogger too and goes by the handle @spices.and.spoons on Instagram! She makes amazing and authentic vegan Indian recipes and is such an inspiration.
The idea for this dish came about because I love noodles and unfortunately, many Katsu Curry dishes are predominantly meat based. Priya consulted her friend from Japan on how to make this dish vegan but also authentic by not changing too many components compared to traditional Katsu Curry.
I also found eggplant to be a wonderful substitute for regular Katsu because of it’s crunchiness when fried and the tasty texture when you bite into it.
There is 2 parts to this recipe – making the curry for the udon and the eggplant katsu. You can find the full recipe below.
This Curry Udon is rich, creamy, flavourful and wonderfully pairs with crunchy Eggplant Katsu coated in breadcrumbs. This is a collaboration with one of my favourite vegan food bloggers, Priya (@spices.and.spoons)
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: curry udon, japanese, vegan
Servings: 2
Equipment
1 Large Pot
1 Frying Pan
Ingredients
Curry Udon by @spices.and.spoons
5sliceskombu or dried kelp
7 dried shitake mushrooms
1.5cup hot water
2 cubes curry roux
1tbsptoasted sesame oil
1 white onion
1/2cup sliced carrots
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp mirin
1pack udon noodles
Toppings
Scallions
Black & White Sesame Seeds
Chili Sesame Oil
Eggplant Katsu
1 mediumeggplant
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp corn starch
`1 tsp salt
1tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup water
1/2cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup neutral oil
Instructions
Curry Udon
Make kombu dashi (broth) by combining 4-5 small pieces of kombu / dried kelp and 7/8 dried shiitake mushrooms to 1 cup of hot water. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
Strain and keep aside. Slice the mushrooms length wise to use later.
Add two cubes of curry (store bought Japanese curry cubes) to 1/2 cup of hot water and stir until it is fully dissolved.
To a heated pan, add toasted sesame oil. Then add thinly diced white onions, carrots and mushrooms. Sauté until the onions are caramelized.
To this add kombu dashi, dissolved curry roux, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp mirin and stir well to combine. Add more water to adjust consistency as the mixture will get thicker as it cooks.
Bring to a gentle boil for about 7-8 minutes until the broth is glossy & semi- thick.
Pour the curry over cooked udon noodles ( I used frozen ones from Asian store) and garnish with scallions, sesame seeds and chili sesame oil.
Eggplant Katsu
Slice 1 medium eggplant into round slices and 1cm thick.
Mix together 3 tbsp plain flour, 1 tbsp corn starch, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp onion powder and add 1/2 cup water gradually (add more to get a thick paste, but the batter should not be runny).
Heat up oil in a pan and coat the slices in the mixture. Coat it again in breadcrumbs.
Deep fry it until golden brown. Drain the excess oil on a tissue and serve with udon noodles.
If someone had made this Gochujang Tempeh sandwich back when I was a tempeh hater, I would have folded. This gorgeous gorgeous Gochujang Tempeh is meat-y, spicy with a hint of sweetness.
Spicy Gochujang Tempeh Sandwich
Yes, I was a former tempeh hater. I didn’t like how it smelled and how it tasted but only then I realised, I was not preparing it the right way! Tempeh is an ingredient made by fermenting soy beans so it contains all the good stuff – aka Lactobacillus acidophilus (probiotics!). Since vegans don’t consume traditional yoghurt because it contains dairy, vegan fermented foods like tempeh, kimchi and sauerkraut are life savers indeed!
This Gochujang Tempeh actually contains pan-fried tempeh in gochujang sauce, JUST Egg, spicy mayo and crunchy Korean seaweed flakes. I used the one from Bibigo, a Korean Cuisine brand.
Bibigo Korean Seaweed Flakes
Unfortunately, I have not tried a gluten free version of this because store-bought gochujang contains gluten by default because it contains barley and wheat. However, Koko Gochujang does offer a gluten-free Gochujang so if you are able to find those in Asian stores, feel free to substitute that!
Here’s how I make my gorgeous gorgeous Gochujang Tempeh sandwich
If someone had made this Gochujang Tempeh sandwich back when I was a tempeh hater, I would have folded. This gorgeous gorgeous Gochujang Tempeh is meat-y, spicy with a hint of sweetness.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: Asian, Fusion, Korean
Keyword: gochujang, sandwich, snack, tempeh
Equipment
2 Frying Pans
Small bowls
Ingredients
Gochujang Tempeh
50gtempeh block
1 tsp gochujang
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
2tsp sesame oil
1tspwater(to mix)
sesame/olive oil (for frying)
Spicy mayo
1 tsp gochujang
1 tbsp vegan mayo
Toppings
1burger bun or sandwich bread
seaweed flakes
1JUST Egg(folded)
Instructions
Pan fry tempeh in a splash of olive oil or sesame oil until crispy on both sides. This should take about 5 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, fry the JUST Egg (folded version) until crispy and soft.
Add together the ingredients for the sauce – gochujang, soy sauces, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Pour the sauce mixture over the tempeh and coat evenly.
Prepare gochujang mayo by mixing gochujang with vegan mayo. Slice the burger bun into half horizontally.
Assemble the ingredients in this way: Bun/Bread > Spicy mayo > JUST Egg > Gochujang Tempeh > Seaweed flakes > Bun/Bread. Slice into half vertically and enjoy!
Notes
Unfortunately, I have not tried a gluten free version of this because store-bought gochujang contains gluten by default because it contains barley and wheat. However, Koko Gochujang does offer a gluten-free Gochujang so if you are able to find those in Asian stores, feel free to substitute that!
You can substitute rice wine vinegar for mirin or white vinegar.
You can use any type of bread to make this sandwich. Sourdough or plain white bread would be amazing!
These peanut miso noodles are tasty, nutritious and don’t compromise on protein.
Miso Peanut Noodles
These 15-minute noodles are made with simple ingredients like mild sodium miso, gochujang and soy sauce. You can easily make them for lunch, dinner or meal prep.
The tempeh is also seasoned well with soy sauce and the sauce mixture prepared for the noodles. Tempeh is an incredible source of protein for vegans and vegetarians, packing up to 18g of protein per 100g of serving. Though it slightly less than meat, you can pair this additionally with high protein ingredients, like peas, edamame or roasted chickpeas!
The gluten free version of this recipe requires the noodles to be substituted with gluten free noodles (like brown rice ramen or rice noodles), soy sauce with tamari and gochujang with chili paste or chili flakes. Remember to also check if your miso is gluten free. I use the organic low sodium miso as shown below.
These peanut miso noodles are tasty, nutritious and don't compromise on protein.
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Fusion
Keyword: asian, noodles, ramen, tempeh
Servings: 1
Equipment
1 Plate
1 Small Pot
Ingredients
1 servingvegan ramen noodles
1 tbsppeanut butter(unsweetened)
1 tsp miso
1 tsp gochujang
1 tsplight soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tspsesame oil
2tbspwater
Pan Fried Tempeh
1tspsoy sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsppeanut sauce mixture
1 tsp corn starch
3 tbsp water
Instructions
Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce. Cook the noodles according to package instructions.
Make the mixture for the tempeh. Pan fry tempeh on both sides in olive oil for about 5-10 minutes until crispy.
Pour the sauce over and sauté until mixture thickens.
Pour peanut miso sauce over noodles and mix well. Serve with fried tempeh, spring onions and sesame seeds!
Notes
The gluten free version of this recipe requires the noodles to be substituted with gluten free noodles (like brown rice ramen or rice noodles), soy sauce with tamari and gochujang with chili paste or chili flakes. Remember to also check if your miso is gluten free.
You can sub rice wine vinegar with mirin or white vinegar.
I used soy bean tempeh for this recipe, but any type of tempeh should work.
You can substitute peanut butter with cashew butter or sunflower seed butter, if you have a nut allergy.
These vegan, gluten free & refined sugar free fudgy brownies are so addictive, you may not want to share this one! 😉
Vegan Fudgy Brownies that are ACTUALLY healthy!
I’ve been craving snacks lately but I don’t prefer desserts with refined sugar because it leaves me feeling tired and lowers my energy level throughout the day. However, this lovely fudgy and chocolate-y brownie recipe is refined flour free, refined sugar free and gluten free.
There is also a misconception that any vegan dessert tastes subpar since we don’t use butter or eggs. But in this case, we don’t NEED any butter or eggs for the brownies to get a nice fudgy center and a crackly top. I hope I’ve convinced you to at least read on!
How to Make Oat Flour
And you probably guessed it right! I used oat flour to get these fudgy brownies. You do have to ensure your oat flour is gluten free because regular oats contain gluten or traces of gluten.
You can easily make oat flour at home by pulsing oats into a blender in intervals. Firstly, you have to choose the right type of oats. Rolled oats are the best and I got mine from Bob’s Red Mill.
I then pulsed it 5-6 times to get finely ground oat flour. It’s simple, easy, cheap and doesn’t require too much effort! Make sure you don’t blend it or pulse it for too long, if not it will no longer have the texture and look of regular flour.
Wet Ingredients – mashed banana, gluten free plant milk like soy, almond or cashew milk, vanilla extract, creamy peanut butter
Toppings – organic chocolate chips or cacao nibs
The peanut butter elevated the flavour profile of the brownie. You can also substitute this with any other nut butter, like almond butter or cashew butter.
Tips and Tricks to get the Perfect Brownies
1. Do not overmix!
When you add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture, do not overmix. Overmixing can cause the brownies to be more dense in nature after baking. We want a fudgy but also cakey texture once baked.
2. The more chocolate chips, the better
Chocolate chips often contain refined sugar so choose organic and healthy alternatives if you can. If that is not accessible to you, you can also try using raw and unsweetened cacao nibs or one that is sweetened with yankon syrup.
And mix IN the chocolate chips while setting some aside to top the brownie.
Storage
These brownies are fresh when stored outside for about 3 days and last up to a week in the fridge. You can microwave them for a few seconds or bake them for 5 minutes at 180C to retain the taste and texture when you eat them again.
Easy to make and filling homemade chipotle-style salad that’s easy to meal prep! With spiced baked tofu, veggies, black beans and an ultra creamy dressing.
Southwestern ‘Chipotle’ Style Salad
This vegan salad recipe is perfect for any meal and also for sharing. I’ve always seen the salads from Chipotle online but never got to try because we don’t have an outlet here – so I made a vegan version at home to see what the hype was about.
Salad Base – I used a lettuce mix from Just Produce. They have really cool salad mixes but you can also use regular butterhead lettuce or romaine lettuce for this salad.
Beans – sautéed canned black beans. Black beans are my favourite and I save a lot of time by using the canned version!
Vegetables – corn, chopped tomatoes. You can grill the corn for a more smokey flavour. Instead of tomatoes, you can also add salsa.
Protein – spiced baked tofu with spices like smoked paprika, turmeric, onion & garlic powder.
Dressing – creamy southwestern style dressing made with SILKEN TOFU!
The base of the sauce is made from silken tofu and it makes any sauce ultra creamy! Paired with smokiness from the smoked paprika and tanginess from the lemon juice, the dressing is super addictive! You can even use this dressing in a pasta salad.
You could also add some freshly diced avocado for an extra creamy kick to this salad.
This recipe is allergen free – it’s 100% gluten free and nut free!
Infusing Asian flavours into recipes is my favourite thing to do – this vegan sandwich is packed with flavour from the teriyaki tofu, vegan mayo and fresh vegetables.
Teriyaki Tofu Vegan Sandwich
Sandwiches are one of the easiest meals to make and are also great meal prep options! You just have to chop and prepare your vegetables, protein in advance so making it only takes 5 minutes.
For the sandwich, I used a baguette but you can use any type of bread. Personally, I would recommend plain, lightly toasted bread to make sure the flavours of the tofu stand out. This kind of reminds me of Banh Mi (a Vietnamese Baguette filled with pickled radish, carrots, coriander and alternative meat substitutes).
Ingredients Needed
Making a loaded sandwich is also a great way to use up any leftover vegetables. I layered my sandwich with:
Bread – baguette or any plain lightly toasted white bread sourdough works as well.
Veggies – we used locally produced lettuce mix from Just Produce, sliced tomatoes and thinly sliced carrots
Teriyaki tofu – pan-fried to crispiness and coated with a signature homemade teriyaki sauce
Sauce – I used the vegan mayo option by Heinz.
Toppings – I topped the tofu with toasted sesame seeds for an extra boost of flavour and crunch.
The Process
The teriyaki tofu follows a very simple process – you would have to coat the tofu in a dry corn starch mixture before pan frying it crispy. The homemade teriyaki sauce is simply made from ingredients like soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, & sesame oil. Topping the tofu with toasted sesame seeds gives it an extra boost of umami-ness and crunch.
I used a baguette instead of regular bread for this vegan sandwich
The recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free bread and substitute the soy sauces for gluten free tamari.
Storage & Serving
You can bring this to office for lunch – let the sandwich cool completely, then wrap it in parchment paper or aluminum foil and bring it in a lunch box.
I would recommend putting the sandwich together before you consume that day instead of preparing it days in advance because it may get soggy. You can prepare the ingredients in advance but put them together on the day of consumption or right before consumption.
You can keep the teriyaki tofu in the fridge for up to 2 days. I used fresh tofu so I try to consume it as soon as I can for the best and freshest flavour.
Cut tofu into long, rectangular blocks. Mix together corn starch, onion powder, garlic powder and salt.
Coat tofu slices in corn flour mixture and pan fry until crispy (I used about 1 tbsp olive oil)
Mix the marinade ingredients – light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup and sesame oil. Pour over the tofu in the pan and give it a good mix. Take off heat immediately afterwards.
You can mix in some toasted sesame seeds if you're using the tofu for another dish.
Layer the sandwich with bread, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, tofu, toasted sesame seeds and vegan mayo in that order.
Cut the sandwich into half and it's ready to eat!
Notes
The recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free bread and substitute the soy sauces for gluten free tamari.
You can substitute rice wine vinegar with white vinegar or mirin.
This recipe will not work with soft or silken tofu, only firm tofu. You can freeze and thaw the tofu for an even firmer and chewier texture.
This chewy knife cut noodle dish drenched in a spicy and sour sauce with a whole lot of chopped coriander is the literal bane of my existence.
Cilantro Lime Chili Noodles
This is another rendition of my peanut chili noodles – but I wanted something that was zesty, tangy and spicy all at the same time. The beautiful combination of cilantro, lime and chili aside, the star of the show were really these knife cut noodles!
This the brand of the Taiwan Knife Sliced Noodles. It is pretty affordable and there are 5 noodles blocks in one packet. It also comes with a scallion oil seasoning but I prefer making the sauces for my recipes from scratch so I didn’t use them.
Taiwan Knife Sliced Noodles
I used mild pepper chili flakes but feel free to use any spice level you would like! For a gluten free option, you can either use brown rice ramen, noodles or rice noodles.
