Makes 12

When the weather somewhat starts to resemble summer in Newcastle, I escape to the kitchen for my own summer fun. Scones are literally one of the dopest treats ever. Lovely on their own with a cuppa for a morning or afternoon treat, or as part of a high tea, these scones will surely impress the vegans and non-vegans among you.

Ingredients

• 3 cups plain flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/3 cup Nuttelex, chilled
• 3/4 cup soy milk (plus a little extra for brushing)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a tray with baking paper.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl.
3. Slowly pour in the milk and mix with a butter knife until just combined. Don’t overwork it, they’ll go hard!
4. Tip the mixture out onto a lightly flowered surface and gently bring together.
5. Roll out the dough to about 2cm thick.
6. I used a drinking glass to cut out the scone shapes before squishing in the sides gently to make them a bit thicker and also make a less perfect shape.
7. Place on the baking tray so they are all touching and lightly brush each one with soy milk.
8. Bake in the oven for about 18-20 minutes until lightly golden.
9. Serve with jam and Soyatoo whipped cream!

Makes 14 cookies

This week I’ve just had the urge to bake. I don’t know if it’s because I just got a new Mixmaster tattoo, or because I have about 1 million packets of icing sugar in my pantry. Instead of partying, at 10pm on Saturday night I had the urge to bake melting moments. I’ve never made them before but I had them finished within about 90 minutes. With a hint of lemony goodness, these tasty morsels were definitely worth the clean up. Plus I didn’t wake up the next day with a hangover.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup Nuttelex
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup custard powder
• 1/3 cup icing mixture

Filling

• 3 tablespoons Nuttelex
• 2/3 cup icing sugar
• Juice of half a lemon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150°C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. With an electric mixer, combine the Nuttelex and vanilla until light and fluffy.
3. Sift in the flour, custard powder and icing sugar and mix until well combined.
4. Use a teaspoon to measure out the mixture and roll into balls, placing about 3cm apart on the baking tray.
5. Bake for 15 minutes until slightly brown.
6. Allow to cool completely.
7. While the biscuits are cooling, use an electric mixer to beat together the Nuttelex, icing sugar and lemon juice until light and fluffy.
8. Evenly spoon out the filling mixture onto half of the biscuits and gently place another biscuit on top to create a sandwich.

Serves 2

I needed to make a side salad to accompany my Eggplant Parmigiana but didn’t have many regular salad ingredients on hand. This salad is so simple but really fresh, light and a perfect accompaniment to a heavier meal. I’ve added my really simple Lime and Balsamic dressing, but feel free to add any dressing you like!

Ingredients

• 2 large handfuls of mixed leaves.
• 1 pear, thinly sliced,
• 1/2 lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pecans

Dressing

• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seeded mustard

Method

1. Rinse the salad leaves and place evenly on a plate or platter.
2. Carefully place the pear and cucumber on the leaves and sprinkle with the pecans.
3. Whisk together the lime juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and mustard to make the dressing.
4. Pour the dressing over the top and serve.

Difficulty: Medium

You know those times when you just suddenly decide to make something and it fails horribly? This is not one of those times. I decided to make this eggplant parmigiana for my family on Friday night and let me just say it is one of the most darned delicious meals I’ve ever made. Pretty big call, I know, but there’s only one way to find out if I’m lying…

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants
• 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups soy milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups dried breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons dried mixed herbs
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons Parmazano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 block mozzarella Cheezly
• Small handful of basil leaves

Sauce

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tin diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Spray a large rectangular oven dish with olive oil spray.
3. Slice the eggplants about 1cm thick. You want to use the biggest pieces for the parmigiana but you can also make a mini one in a smaller dish with the smaller pieces (that’s what I did!)
4. Place the eggplant slices in a strainer and pour the coarse sea salt over the top. Leave for about 20 minutes.
5. With some paper towel, gently press the eggplant to remove the excess liquid and salt.
6. In a shallow bowl, combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Whisk with a fork and set aside.
7. In another shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, herbs, nutritional yeast, Parmazano and salt. Mix well.
8. Dip each piece of eggplant in the soy milk mixture, then coat with breadcrumbs. Dip it back into the soy milk and then coat with breadcrumbs once more. Carefully place on the baking trays, leaving about 2 cm between each piece.
9. Bake for about about 20 minutes. The crumbs will only brown slightly.
10. Meanwhile make your sauce by first sautéing the onion and garlic in the olive oil.
11. Add the tomatoes before adding the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
12. Lay out the eggplant pieces in the baking dish in two rows, with each piece slightly overlapping (look at the photo for guidance).
13. Pour the sauce down the middle of each row being careful not to add too much.
14. Crumble the Cheezly over the top of the sauce.
15. Bake for about 15 minutes or until Cheezly has melted and started to brown.
16. Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.

Serves 4

We had about one thousand zucchinis in our fridge and they needed to be used very quickly. I also had a hankering for koftas because I hadn’t made them since I lost my favourite recipe for them many moons ago. I decided to marry the surplus zucchinis with my craving and set out to crack the kofta code. They are delicious as a meal served with rice but you can also just make the balls smaller, put the sauce on the side and take them along to a party.

Ingredients

• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 cups grated cauliflower
• 1 1/2 cups besan flower
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Oil

Sauce

• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tin diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garam marsala
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C and grease an oven dish.
2. Heat a little oil in a small saucepan and sauté the garlic and onion.
3. Add the tinned tomatoes and bring to the boil before adding the herbs, salt, spices and brown sugar. Set aside.
4. In a bowl, combine the zucchini, cauliflower and besan flour before throwing in the salt and spices. Mix well.
5. Measure out heaped tablespoons of the mixture and shape into balls.
6. Make a 5mm layer of oil in a large saucepan on med-high heat.
7. Add the balls and turn as each side browns.
8. After removing koftas from the heat, place them in the oven dish and pour the sauce over the top.
9. Heat in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

If you’ve been following Like a Vegan for a while, you would already know that I don’t like summer. At all. Because of this I constantly have to do things to make summer more bearable. For my birthday recently, a great friend of mine made me an extreme Italian vegan feast and did a fantastic job. The least I could do was take a beverage along for the crew to enjoy so I took this Pink Lemonade. You don’t have to make it alcoholic but it is a premo cocktail if you’re that way inclined.

Ingredients

• 2 lemons, sliced
• 1 packet of sherbet
• Ice
• 4 tablespoons grenadine syrup
• 4 shots vodka
• 1 large bottle of lemonade

Method

1. Grab four tall glasses and run some of the lemon around the rim.
2. Tip the sherbet onto a plate and press the rim of each glass into it to line with sherbet.
3. Fill each glass with some ice and lemon before adding the vodka and grenadine. Save 4 lemon slices.
4. Top up with lemonade.
5. Cut a slit in the remaining lemon slices and place on on the rim of each glass. Throw in a fancy straw and serve!

Serves 4

We all know nachos are great, it’s a scientific fact. An unfortunate fact is that nachos can also be a calorie-fest. While the occasional Mexican fiesta pig out is definitely warranted, it’s nice to know that you can still enjoy nachos without the guilty “I just ate way too much” feeling afterwards. Baking tortilla chips is such a good solution to the corn chip dilemma and fresh avocado in lieu of guacamole means cutting out the cream substitutes!

Ingredients

• 10 tortillas
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Olive oil spray
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups of corn niblets
• 1 1/2 cup 5 bean mix
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 green chilli, finely sliced (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and spray 4 oven trays with olive oil spray.
2. Cut each tortilla into 8 pieces and lay out evenly on the trays.
3. Spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with paprika and salt.
4. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and crisp, be careful not to burn.
5. In a large bowl, combine the tomato, onion, corn, beans, garlic, lime juice salt and pepper.
6. Spread out the tortilla chips on 4 plates, leaving some space in the middle.
7. Spoon the tomato mixture into the hole. Top with avocado and chilli.
8. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

It looks like summer has finally hit, which means it’s time for more salads! The salad is nice and simple to make way for the star of the show; the crusted tofu! With a slightly cheesy and herby twist, this crispy tofu really livens up any basic salad. I’ve included the recipe for my Wholegrain Mustard, Lemon and Agave dressing as well, that’s just how nice I am. You don’t necessarily have to use this tofu in a salad either, serve it wit vegetables or couscous or rice or with some sauce on its own, it’s really that good!

Ingredients

• 1 500gram block hi-protein firm tofu
• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons dried mixed herbs
• 2 tablespoons Parmezano (if not available, nutritional yeast will do)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 handfuls rocket
• 1 1/2 cups baby beets, cut in half
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 red onion, sliced finely
• 1 lebanese cucumber, julienned
• 1/3 cup macadamia nuts

Dressing

• 1 tablespoon seeded mustard
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons agave syrup

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Cut the tofu into chunks, you can either make small cubes or larger pieces- I trust you.
3. Mix together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a shallow bowl, set aside.
4. In another shallow bowl or dish, combine the breadcrumbs, herbs, Parmezano, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Mix well.
5. One by one, coat your tofu pieces with the soy milk before transferring to the breadcrumb mixture. Coat well with the crumbs and then place on the baking tray.
6. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes before turning the tofu to bake the other side for another 10 minutes or so. It won’t brown too much, don’t stress if it doesn’t!
7. While the tofu is baking, combine the salad ingredients either in a large bowl or on individual plates.
8. In a blender or food processer, whizz up the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil and agave. Dressing is done!
9. Add the tofu to the salad ingredients, mix through and drizzle with the dressing.
10. Chow down.

Serves 4

Don’t let the picture fool you, this dish is DELICIOUS and one of my all-time favourites for Christmas lunch. Mum says it’s so easy she couldn’t believe anybody would even want a recipe but the easiest recipes can be the best! You can get the mock duck breast from Asian groceries or your local mock meat emporium. The grocer I go to has this brownish looking one and also a reddish looking one, go the brown one for this recipe. I know I’ve been saying I’d post a guide to mock meats, and I will, it’s just taking a little longer to compile than I expected… Let’s try for 2012 ay?

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 3 dried shitake mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 packet of mock duck, thawed and sliced into strips
• Enough of your favourite vegan gravy powder to make 4 cups of gravy

Method

1. Overnight, soak the shitake mushrooms in the water. Squeeze out all of the liquid from the mushrooms into the water. Discard the mushrooms and set the liquid aside.
2. In a large wok, heat the oil and add the “duck”. Heat until crisp and brown before removing from the heat and keeping warm
3. Using the same wok you used to cook the “duck”, put together your gravy using the shitake liquid.
4. Once the gravy is ready, stir through the “duck” and serve hot with vegetables and/or salad.

Serves 6

First things first; CHEESY JUNK RULES! Secondly, this is barely a recipe. Despite this, I decided to share because it was darned delicious and sometimes it’s nice to hear about super easy things to make when you can’t be bothered with a huge dinner production. You can add whatever you want to this really, the options are endless. I served mine with a side of greens but you could easy make this a tasty component to any meal.

Ingredients

• 1 litre water
• 4 cups dry macaroni
• 1 packet Angel Food – Vegan Cheesey Sauce Mix
• 3 cups soy milk
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped facon bits
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Boil the water and add the macaroni, cook until al dente.
2. While the macaroni is cooking, prepare the Cheesey Sauce according to the packet instructions.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan before frying the onion and facon bits.
4. After about 2 minutes, add the macaroni and stir through the Cheesey Sauce.
5. Add the salt, pepper and parsley. Serve hot!