Recipes

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There’s nothing worse than getting in from a long day at work and having to spend your evening preparing dinner for the the whole family. Take the stress out of dinner time this March with our easy to make meals for all to enjoy!

Vegan lemon cheesecake For the base: 30g coconut oil, plus extra for greasing, 100g blanched almonds, 100g soft pitted date

For the topping: 300g cashew nuts, 2 ½ tbsp agave syrup, 50g coconut oil, 150ml almond milk, 2 lemons (zested and juiced)

One Put the cashews in a large bowl, pour over boiling water and leave to soak for 1 hr. Meanwhile, blitz the ingredients for the base with a pinch of salt in a food processor. Grease a 23cm tart tin with coconut oil, then press the mix into the base and pop in the fridge to set (about 30 mins).

Two Drain the cashews and tip into the cleaned out food processor. Add all the remaining topping ingredients, reserving a quarter of the lemon zest in damp kitchen paper to serve, then blitz until smooth. Spoon onto the base and put in the fridge to set completely (about 2 hrs). Just before serving, scatter over the reserved lemon zest.

Spicy black bean tacos 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 3 garlic cloves (chopped) 3 x 400g cans black beans (drained and rinsed) 3 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 ½ tbsp honey, 1 ½ tbsp smoked paprika, 1 ½ tbsp ground cumin

For the guacamole: 1 small garlic clove, 2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander, 1 green chilli (sliced), 2 avocados (halved and stoned), juice 1 lime

For the salsa: 110g pack pomegranate seeds, 1 green chilli (finely diced), 1 small white onion (finely diced), small handful fresh coriander (chopped)

To serve: 8-12 corn or flour tortillas, chipotle or other hot sauce, soured cream or coconut yogurt

One In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the garlic. Fry until golden, then add the beans. Pour in the cider vinegar, honey and spices along with 1 tsp or more of salt, to taste. Cook until warmed through, crushing gently with the back of your wooden spoon, then set aside.

Two The best way to make the guacamole is with a large stone pestle and mortar, but you can use a medium bowl and a flat-ended rolling pin instead. Crush the garlic, coriander and chilli into a rough paste. Scoop in the avocado with a little salt and crush roughly – you want it chunky, not smooth. Squeeze in the lime juice and set aside.

Three Mix the salsa ingredients in a small bowl. Heat a griddle pan or steamer and quickly griddle the tortillas or steam a stack of them to warm up. Reheat the bean mixture. To serve, put 1-2 heaped tbsp of beans on a tortilla. Top with a big spoonful of guacamole and some salsa, hot sauce and a dollop of soured cream or yogurt.

Stuffed red peppers 100g wholewheat couscous (rinsed and drained), 3 tbsp raisins, bunch parsley (roughly chopped), 25g pine nuts, 100g feta (crumbled), pinch of cinnamon, 3 tbsp olive oil, 290g jar grilled whole peppers (drained and rinsed)

ONE Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the couscous and raisins in a bowl with a pinch of seasoning and just cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for 5 mins.

Two Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir through the parsley, pine nuts, half the feta, the cinnamon and 2 tbsp of the oil. Mix and season to taste.

THREE Generously stuff the peppers with the couscous mix (any leftover stuffing can be served next to the peppers), then lay them in a small roasting tin and scatter over the remaining feta. Drizzle with the remaining oil and bake in the oven for 15 mins until hot and the feta has turned golden.

Vegan cookies and cream brownies 265g self-raising flour, 245g soft brown sugar, 50g cocoa powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 110ml vegetable oil, 1 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar, 85g dairy-free coconut yogurt, 150g vegan cookies of your choice (we used Oreos), broken into chunks

ONE Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 and line a 18 x 30cm brownie tin with baking parchment. In a bowl mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa and ½ tsp salt. In a jug mix together 125ml water with the vanilla, oil, vinegar and yogurt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until smooth and combined.

two Pour the mix into the tin and smooth the top. Push the chunks of vegan biscuits into the batter, leaving some poking out of the top. (We used Oreos, which are made with dairy-free ingredients, although be aware that allergy information indicates that these may contain traces of milk.) Bake for 30-35 mins, until set but still squidgy in the middle. Leave to cool in the tin, then cut into squares.

Sausage Ragu 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion (finely chopped), 2 large garlic cloves (crushed), ¼ tsp chilli flakes, 2 rosemary sprigs (leaves finely chopped), 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 6 pork sausages, 150ml whole milk, 1 lemon (zested), 350g rigatoni pasta (or any other pasta), grated parmesan and ½ small bunch parsley (leaves roughly chopped) to serve

One Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 7 mins. Add the garlic, chilli and rosemary, and cook for 1 min more. Tip in the tomatoes and sugar, and simmer for 20 mins.

Two Heat the remaining oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Squeeze the sausagemeat from the skins and fry, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 5-7 mins until golden. Add to the sauce with the milk and lemon zest, then simmer for a further 5 mins. To freeze, leave to cool completely and transfer to large freezerproof bags.

THREE Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain and toss with the sauce. Scatter over the parmesan and parsley leaves to serve.