Delicious vegan recipes

Tempted to go vegan and looking for some easy food swaps? Or maybe you've been following the lifestyle for some time, but want some new food inspo. Feast your eyes on these delicious vegan recipe ideas...

Colourful pesto courgetti

Want a throw-everything-in-a-pan-dish? This rainbow-hued courgetti dish is perfect for a satisfying lunch or light dinner.

What will I need to create this dish?

A spiraliser
1/2 courgettes (depending on how big you want the serving size to be)
3 heaped teaspoons of pesto
A handful of tomatoes, mushrooms and sweetcorn
A splash of groundnut oil

Garnish with a sprinkle of:

Pine nuts

Method

Using a spiraliser and your courgettes, create ribbons of courgetti and set aside.
Chop up all the veg you want to add into your courgetti (mushrooms, tomatoes etc).
Heat a wok or pan and add a drizzle of groundnut oil.
Once it's warm, throw your courgetti and vegetables into the pan. Cook for 3 minutes and stir occasionally.
Add your heaped teaspoons of pesto and mix throughout.
Cook until warm and all the veg is to your liking. Garnish with pine nuts and you're done!

Vegan Middle Eastern-inspired soup

Lentils can become your best friends if you’ve decided to go vegan. They are high in protein, low calorie and can be quite filling too. Batch cook this for lunches or try it as a homemade starter.

What will I need to create this dish?

To create 7-10 servings, you will need:

340 grams of lentils – green or red will work perfectly soaked overnight in cold water
1 large onion or 2 smaller ones, if you are keen on shallots, go for 3 or 4
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
3 tomatoes (skinned and sliced)
Vegetable stock (1-1.5 cubes)
Spice it up with a pinch of: cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper – add to taste

Garnish with a sprinkle of:

Fresh coriander
Freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
Pine nuts

Method

Bring the pre-soaked lentils to the boil and then simmer until slightly soft. Remove from heat, let it cool for 1 hour – and your lentils will be ready to use!
Chop up the onions and tomatoes – don’t forget to take the skin off the latter. Add water to a saucepan and bring to boil. Add lentils and vegetable stock, followed by chopped tomatoes and onions.
After 15 minutes add the tomato paste and your favourite spices to the mix. We suggest cumin, chilli powder, salt and black pepper. Everyone likes a different proportion to spices, so keep tasting to make sure you like the amount of salt and heat from the pepper and chilli.
Lower the heat to lower medium and let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes with the lid on.
Meanwhile, you can prepare the coriander by chopping it finely and crushing a few pine nuts. Next, squeeze some lemon or lime into a glass.
When serving, add the soup into a bowl, top off with lemon juice, coriander and crushed nuts. It’s a hug in a bowl, we promise!

Vegan chocolate 'mousse' recipe

OK so it's technically a smoothie, but because of the creamy texture your tastebuds will be fooled into thinking it's a light, air-whipped mousse.

What will I need to create this smoothie?

1 avocado – make sure it is ripe. Remove the skin and seed.
Almond milk, coconut milk or soy milk
2-3 tablespoons of vegan cocoa powder
Dairy-free dark chocolate – to taste, usually 2-3 tablespoons. To get the measurement right, simply melt it in the microwave first. Alternatively, you can add 4 squares and add more to taste
9-10 ice cubes

Method

Pop all of the ingredients into a blender and start blending. You can always add more ingredients to taste, and substitute ingredients to cater to your particular taste. For example, if you find the smoothie not sweet enough, you could add brown sugar or maple syrup.

Need more vegan recipe inspo? Nutritionist, Charlotte Stirling-Reed tells all...