Vegan Brunch
Chef: Zoe From: UK Serves: 2
Time: Prep: 25 minutes, cooking time: 30 minutes
We had great fun this week with our veganuary brunch cook-along. It was lovely seeing everyone’s screens whilst we cooked along together, and sharing different breakfast tips. We discussed aiming for 30 different plants a week and how this can help us to have a more diverse gut microbiome. And it’s not as difficult as you think, plants can include wholegrains, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices and pulses as well as fruit and veg! These brunch dishes are not only tasty, but also include lots of different plants, so are a great way to start the day.
Baked crispy hash browns
To make these even more nutritious, you can switch these with sweet potatoes, as one of our participants did, in which case reduce the time you boil them below to 5 minutes.
Ingredients
2 small/medium potatoes (about 250g in total)
Half a teaspoon of smoked paprika
a handful of fresh herbs, such as rosemary or sage (optional), chopped
Half a teaspoon of garlic powder (or can sub with fresh garlic or leave out)
Quarter a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Quarter an onion (diced)
Tablespoon of oil (olive or sunflower)
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 180c.
Par-boil the potatoes for 7 minutes (or 5 minutes for smaller potatoes). Drain and allow to cool.
Once the potatoes have cooled down, grate them using the large teeth of the grater. Place them in a mixing bowl with all the other ingredients. Stir well, and finishing mixing together with your hands.
Lightly grease a cupcake or muffin tray or flat baking tin. Take about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and either press into the cupcake tray or if using a baking tin, shape directly onto this – making patties with your hands – pressing down slightly.
Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, turning the tray round halfway through.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Smoky beans
So much tastier and healthier than processed baked beans, that tend to be full of sugar. And they only take 7 minutes to make… these were a hit!
Ingredients
150 grams of chopped tomatoes (tinned are best for this dish as they need less cooking time)
1 tin of haricot or cannelini beans, drained
1 garlic clove
Half an onion (diced)
Half a teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 tablespoon of oil (olive or sunflower)
Method
Heat the oil in a small to medium saucepan. Add the onion and cook on a medium heat for about a few minutes, stirring often.
Crush or chop your garlic and add this to the pan with the smoked paprika. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often.
Add the tomatoes and drained beans to the pan. Bring to the boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes. (you will need to cook for about 10 mins longer if using fresh)
Remove from the heat and serve.
Vegan scramble
You can switch and add in different veg in this dish – whatever you have going, for example mushrooms, spring onions, any greens, cabbage, or leftover cooked veg.
Ingredients
75 grams of chickpea (gram) flour
Quarter teaspoon of turmeric
100 millilitres of water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Teaspoon of cider vinegar (optional)
Pinch of garlic powder (optional)
Half a red onion
1 garlic clove
50g of greens, such as spinach, kale or spring greens
half a teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of garam masala (optional)
Method
Place the chickpea flour in a jug or mixing bowl. Slowly add the water, stirring as you go, to avoid it being lumpy. You want a very thick pancake mixture consistency.
Add in the turmeric, garam masala, garlic powder cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. Mix well and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Finely chop your onion. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium to large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and stir.
Meanwhile finely chop your garlic and greens and add this to the pan with the cumin seeds. Cook for 3 minutes stirring often (spinach will take a bit less time, tougher greens slightly longer.
Move the cooked onion mix to the side of the pan. Add in a little more olive oil (about a tablespoon), and pour in the chickpea flour mixture. Wait for it to set for about 20 seconds, then scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula and gently stir in the greens. Leave it again for another 20 seconds, and repeat this process a few times, gently scrambling the mixture each time, until it is cooked all the way through.
Remove from the heat and serve.