# What Vegans Eat: Over 100 Simply Delicious Dishes

Brett Cobley

‘A cracking cookbook bursting with delicious plant-based recipes’ BOSH!What do Vegans Eat? The mystery is there is no mystery, from comforting Italian dishes to Sunday Roasts and Simple Suppers – vegans can have it all!So, whether you’re giving Veganuary a go, cooking for a vegan friend, or simply cutting back on meat and dairy, look no further!Discover what vegans eat: everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner; on-the-go; with their gang; for special occasions; to feed a crowd; and for treats!This book will also hold your hand as you take your first vegan steps; show you how to stock up on the basics; and teach you quick tricks to ensure you never go hungry even when your cupboards feel bare. Dig in to discover your new go-to dishes, including:Pancake stacksPB&J Soaked OatsEpic BruschettaGreen Pea and Pesto SoupSpicy Bean Sub SandwichArancini with Arrabiata SauceWarm Asparagus SaladItalian Flag LasagneMexican PizzaWhite Wine & Pesto GnocchiGourmet GratinThai Curried Tofu SkewersLinguini FusionOreo MousseBlueberry and Lemon Drizzle CakeBrett Cobley’s (@EpiVegan) mouth-watering recipes – loved by his 58k Instagram followers – celebrate flavour, ingredients, the joy of cooking and, most importantly, eating!

COPYRIGHT

HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2018

FIRST EDITION

Text © Brett Cobley 2018

Photography © Andrew Burton 2018

Jacket design by © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018

Jacket photographs © Andrew Burton 2018

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

Brett Cobley asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

Food styling: Emily Jonzen

Prop styling: Alexander Breeze

Find out about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green

Source ISBN: 9780008320799

Ebook Edition © December 2018 ISBN: 9780008320805

Version 2018-12-10

DEDICATION

The process of writing this book has been incredibly

rewarding and enjoyable. It also took a huge amount

of time and energy, so I would like to dedicate this

book to all my friends and family for the amazing

love and support I received throughout this process!

I would also like to say a big thanks to the team

of people that worked on this book for their hard

work and expertise. Without the individual strengths

of a team working together, success is never possible.


CONTENTS


Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Why write this book?

Top tips for new vegans

Pantry essentials

Flavour makers

Plant milks

Bases and basics

Where’s your protein?

01

WHAT VEGANS EAT EVERY DAY

For breakfast

Breakfast every day

Pancakes

PB&J soaked oats

Chia pudding

Quinoa and apple porridge

Dirty beans on toast

Chocolate orange chia pudding

Stealing the show

Apple and cinnamon French toast

Vegan omelette

Benedict of the doubt

On the go

Quick bites

Vegan pesto

Pesto muffins

Pesto stuffed mushrooms

Pesto avocado toast

Classic bruschetta

Epic bruschetta

Carrot and coriander soup

Wholesome tomato soup

Garlic mushrooms

Peppered cashew cheese sauce

PB&J toastie

Perfect for packed lunches

Smoky bean stew

Raw pad thai

Peanut butter and tofu sarnie

Tomato tapenade

Sweet and smoky sandwich

Spicy bean sandwich

Mushroom and pesto sandwich

Grilled aubergine sub sandwich

Watermelon salad

Courgetti and pesto

Smoky butternut farro risotto

For mains

Lunch every day

Arancini

Arrabbiata sauce

Marinara sauce

Green pea and pesto soup

French onion soup

Bean minestrone

Chickpea tuna baked potato

Broccoli bowl

Asparagus salad

Warm Italian salad

Green pea bowl

Sweet potato salad

Dinner every day

Mushroom tagliatelle

Cottage pie

Protein-packed peppers

Cauliflower steaks

Pasta e fagioli

Linguini fusion

Sausage and lentil casserole

Sag aloo

Savoury ‘biscuits’ with mushroom gravy

Roasted new potatoes with garlic aioli

02

WHAT VEGANS EAT WITH THEIR GANG

Cooking for a crowd

Crowd-pleasing classics

Caponata

Rainbow slaw

Fresh potato salad

Coconut, chickpea and spinach curry

Chickpea chow

Squash madras

Garlic and coriander naan

Pizza dough

Mexican pizza

Chilli non carne

Garlic and herb tear and share

Poppy seed onion rings

Tater tots

Onion bhaji burger

Walnut and potato tacos

Hasselback squash

Zucca al forno

Sundried tomato, red pepper and garlic dip

Special occasions

Zeviostrone

Open lasagne

Gourmet gratin

Thai green greens

Asparagus risotto

Gnocchi

White wine and pesto gnocchi

At the weekend

Street food

Spring roll burritos

Hash daddy

Mac and cheese

Mac and cheese burger

Asian veggie kebabs

Italian veggie kebabs

Asian veggie kofte

Thai curried tofu skewers

Easy escalivada

Sticky tamarind patatas

Chilli bean toastie

Stealing the show

Spanish frittata

Vegan nduja calzone

Parmigiana calzone

Italian flag lasagne

Smoked paprika and maple syrup dough balls

Brilliant basic bread

Stuffed sag aloo bread

03

WHAT VEGANS EAT FOR TREATS

Griddled peaches with candied walnuts and ice cream

Banana coconut milk rice pudding

Black Forest shake

Peanut butter bananas

Peach crumble

White choc chip macadamia nut blondies

Oreo chocolate mousse

Mango lassi

Strawberry lassi

Carrot cake

Chocolate chip banana bread

Decadent choc chip banana bread and butter pudding

Banana bread French toast

Chocolate and cherry tart

Blueberry and lemon drizzle cake

Blueberry and lemon muffins

Little chocolate and pear puddings

Cookie butter brûlée

Merry garcia ice cream

Lists of Searchable Terms

About the Author

About the Publisher


Why write this book?


‘What do vegans eat?’ This is a question that every vegan has been asked multiple times, or one that is often pondered by those yet to take the vegan plunge. There have even been songs written about it! But in this book I hope I’ve answered that question once and for all, with delicious, no-nonsense, simple and realistic recipes that are tasty and satisfying.

You might have friends who follow a vegetarian diet, which excludes meat, poultry and fish but usually includes eggs and dairy, but not realise that a vegan diet is more discerning when it comes to animal welfare. A vegan diet rules out all foods that derive from animals in any form, including dairy products, eggs, gelatine and honey.

There are so many reasons to go vegan – and amazing food is a big one! Discovering incredible flavours through simple ingredients, getting creative with your cooking and sharing the love of good food with family and friends is so rewarding. On top of this, you’ll be effortlessly showing compassion for animals and respect for other living creatures, while also experiencing the health benefits of cutting meat and dairy from our diets that have been proven time and again. The impact of animal agriculture on our environment – from deforestation, to the use of fishing nets – is one of the reasons why I am, and always will be, vegan. However, your diet and lifestyle is a very personal choice. So, no matter where you are in your journey to veganism, I hope that this will be the book that helps you cook with confidence and creativity for yourself as well as friends and family, and ultimately encourage you to ponder, why did I ever eat any other way?

Make sure you visit my Instagram page @epivegan, for lots more recipe photos including all the recipes you’ll find in this book!

Top tips for new vegans

When doing anything new it can feel like there is a lot of pressure to get it right first time, and this can lead to negative thinking about the journey to reaching that goal, where one slip-up might lead to giving up. Adopting a vegan diet can take time as you learn more about what’s in your food and you explore new ingredients. So don’t panic – simply take care, read the labels, ask what something contains if you’re not sure, but, most importantly, if you find you’ve eaten something and realised afterwards that it wasn’t vegan, do not despair and don’t give up!

Here are a few of my top tips so you won’t get caught out:

• Look out for milk. One of the most common issues when grabbing lunch or a snack on the go, or doing your weekly shop is that so many things contain hidden milk. This is most prominent in things like snacks: crisps commonly have milk powder in the flavouring, occasionally even in salt and vinegar flavours. Milk is also often hidden by its different names, so watch out for anything with lactic or whey in the name.

• Anti-caking agents can also crop up in unexpected places, and these often contain animal bone – they are called things like ‘bone phosphate’.

The following ingredients are never vegan, so check for these:

ALBUMEN – an egg white protein.

BEESWAX – comes from bees, obviously!

CASEIN – a protein obtained from dairy.

COCHINEAL (CARMINE) – is a dye made from acid extracted from female insects.

CONFECTIONER’S GLAZE – uses shellac, which is made from beetle cocoons.

FOOD-GRADE WAX – often from beeswax, and therefore bees.

GELATINE – jellified animal fats, often used as a gelling agent in food.

ISINGLASS – a gelatine obtained from fish.

LARD – animal fat.

RENNET – this is used in cheesemaking and comes from milk.

VITAMIN D3 – often comes from fish, beef liver or eggs (unless specified as a vegan alternative).

WHEY – a protein from milk.

Pantry essentials

NUTRITIONAL YEAST

A pantry must-have! Available in most supermarkets, health food stores and online. Nutritional yeast has a cheesy, nutty taste and is a great source of B vitamins, including B12, which is often referred to as a hard-to-get vitamin in the vegan diet. It contains antioxidants and has been proven to lower cholesterol, but another great factor is the amount of protein it contains – 9g per serving, which is 20 per cent of most people’s recommended intake.

GOOD FOR: Thickening sauces and adding a slightly cheesy taste!

VEGAN CREAM

This is a great addition to the pantry and is widely sold in all major supermarkets by brands such as Alpro as soy cream, and Oatly as oat cream.

GOOD FOR: Soy cream is perfect for creamy pasta sauces or for pouring over a tasty steaming dessert. It’s a great alternative to single cream; it can’t be whipped like a double cream; but that’s where coconut cream comes in!

TOFU

Great to have in the cupboard or fridge. The silken version usually comes in a tetra pack; it’s long-life and doesn’t require refrigeration, while firm tofu comes in a block packed with water, either plain, flavoured with spices or smoked.

GOOD FOR: Silken tofu is amazing for recreating egg-style dishes and creamy sauces. Firm tofu is perfect for cubing, slicing, marinating and baking or frying.

TINNED CHICKPEAS

I’ve saved the best to last. Chickpeas are unbeatable for versatility and they are the perfect pulse to fill you up!

GOOD FOR: Always have chickpeas handy and remember to save the juice, or aquafaba as it’s known, for making mayonnaise, meringues, omelettes and so much more. The chickpeas themselves can be used in vegan tuna, hummus and koftes.

SPILL THE BEANS

Beans and pulses are a pantry staple as they are an excellent protein source.

GOOD FOR: Everything from a mince replacement to cooking up minestrones or beans on toast, they are the perfect addition to any dish when you want an extra boost of fibre and protein. The types I always have to hand in tins are:

HARICOT BEANS

GOOD FOR: You’ll be most familiar with these as those in the classic tin of baked beans. Perfect for creating your own beans on toast or served in a BBQ sauce.

GREEN LENTILS

GOOD FOR: Replacing minced meat in cottage pie, Bolognese or simply adding to a dish as a protein-boosting side. Plus they are quick to cook, and if bought tinned they are even quicker!

RED LENTILS

GOOD FOR: A curry or dhal dish and ideal when you want to make a cheap, satisfying, wholesome meal.

KIDNEY BEANS

GOOD FOR: You’ll have undoubtedly been using these nutritionally packed beans in your chillies already. They are also great for making spicy bean spreads or adding to tacos.

BUTTER BEANS

The only ‘butter’ you’ll ever really need! Perhaps the heartiest of all the beans.

GOOD FOR: Perfect for taking on flavour, these are generally big beans and are really satisfying to bake or add to a minestrone as they have an almost creamy texture.