Vegan made simple
Meals without sacrificing flavour
ELLIE BULLEN’S FOCUS is on simplifying meals — without ever sacrificing on flavour or nutrition.
In Simply (Mostly) Vegan Kitchen she shows how to bring more flavour, more plants and more joy into cooking and every day.
The meals are wholesome enough to share with even the littlest member sof the family whether it’s hearty salads, onepot sinners, on-the-go breakfasts or treats.
AVOCADO, KALE and PESTO TOASTIE
In my opinion, you can’t go past pesto on a toastie. It is so flavourful and you only need a small amount for it to hit the spot. Accompanied by two of my other favourite ingredients, avocado and kale, this simple toastie is one I make often.
Ingredients
1Tbsp vegan butter
2 slices of sourdough
1 Tbsp vegan pesto
1⁄2 cup finely chopped kale
1⁄4 avocado, sliced
1 slice of vegan cheddar cheese freshly ground black pepper, to taste dried chilli flakes, to taste
Method
Spread the vegan butter on one side of the sourdough slices. Top one of the unbuttered sides with the pesto, kale, avocado and cheddar cheese. Season with black pepper and chilli flakes to taste, then top with the other bread slice, buttered-side up.
Toast in a preheated sandwich press until golden and crisp or cooked to your liking.
Serves 1; make gluten
free by using gluten free bread
GINGER-CARAMEL PUDDING
I’m just going to say it — I think this ginger-caramel pudding is the perfect Christmas dessert. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup and medjool dates, it is deliciously sweet and has a warm kick from the ginger. It was an absolute hit with my family; I hope you love it as much as we do.
Ingredients
150g (1 cup) wholemeal flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp baking powder
1⁄4 tsp sea salt 250ml (1 cup) soy milk 1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp maple syrup 6 medjool dates, pitted 1 Tbsp finely grated ginger 3 Tbsp olive oil vegan vanilla icecream or natural coconut yoghurt, to serve
Caramel sauce
3 Tbsp maple syrup 2 Tbsp vegan butter 125ml (1⁄2 cup) soy milk 1⁄4 tsp sea salt
1⁄4 tsp vanilla extract
Method
Preheat the oven to 170C fanforced. Line a 15cm x 10cm baking tin with baking paper.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and set aside.
Place the soy milk, chia seeds, vanilla extract, maple syrup, dates, ginger and olive oil in a food processor or blender and blend for 45 seconds or until smooth. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix gently until just combined.
Transfer to the prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes.
While the pudding is baking, prepare the caramel sauce by placing all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Remove the pudding from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Pour over half the caramel sauce, then return the tin to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the pudding comes out clean.
Allow the pudding to rest for 5 minutes before serving warm with the remainder of the caramel sauce and a scoop of vegan icecream or coconut yoghurt. —
Serves 4