Recipes

Five Ingredient Vegan

Three deliciously simple recipes from Katy Beskow’s new book

Coconut and squash traybake

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 3 cm cubes (about 500 g prepared weight) Handful of green beans, trimmed 200 g basmati rice 400 ml canned full-fat coconut milk 1 tbsp vegan mild curry paste Sea salt, to season

Serves 4

Directions Sometimes dinner is as easy as adding everything to a roasting tin and letting the oven do all the hard work. This simple traybake will be ready to serve in less than 45 minutes. I love serving it with wedges of lemon for a fresh contrast to the coconut milk.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C/350 °F/gas mark 4.

Arrange the butternut squash and green beans in a deep roasting tin and scatter in the rice.

In a jug, mix 200 ml cold water with the coconut milk and curry paste until combined. Pour this into the roasting tin, making sure it covers all of the ingredients. Cover with foil, then bake in the oven for 40–45 minutes until the squash is tender.

Remove from the oven and carefully lift off the foil. Season with sea salt before serving.

This recipe also works well with frozen butternut squash, saving you peeling and chopping time. Frozen butternut squash is available from most supermarkets and is a useful addition to your freezer.

No-fish cakes

Ingredients

4 baking potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped 400 g canned jackfruit, drained and rinsed 4 tbsp vegan mayonnaise 2 spring onions (scallions), very finely chopped Generous handful of flat-leaf parsley, very finely chopped Sea salt and black pepper, to season 4 tbsp sunflower oil

Makes about 10 All the flavour and texture of fish cakes – but completely vegan! These no-fish cakes are golden and crisp on the outside, while being fluffy and fragrant inside. The secret? Canned jackfruit. Jackfruit is a fruit grown in South Asia; it has a naturally meaty texture and is able to absorb flavours well. It is now widely available in large supermarkets, Asian supermarkets and health-food shops, sold canned or vacuumpacked. I love serving these with wedges of lemon for squeezing, and a little unsweetened soya yogurt, sprinkled with fresh dill.

Directions

Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the potatoes. Boil for 20–25 minutes until softened. Drain, then return to the pan and mash until smooth. Allow the mashed potato to cool to a temperature that is comfortable to handle.

Separate the chunks of jackfruit into strands, discarding any tough parts. Add the strands to the pan with the potatoes along with the mayonnaise, spring onions and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, then stir to combine all of the ingredients.

Once combined, shape the mixture into patties about 5–6 cm in diameter (approximately a heaped tablespoon of mixture per patty). Place on a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour (this will help to firm them up for easier cooking).

Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan until hot. Carefully add up to four of the patties to the pan and cook over a medium-high heat for 5 minutes until golden, then use tongs to turn them over and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm while you cook the remaining no-fish cakes. Cook the no-fish cakes in several batches to avoid overfilling the pan, making turning easier and ensuring even cooking. Serve hot.

Zesty bread and butter pudding

Ingredients

800 ml vanilla soya milk 4 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) 6 tbsp thick-cut marmalade 8 thick slices of white bread, cut diagonally into quarters 4 tbsp sultanas (golden raisins)

Serves 6–8

Vanilla-flavoured soya milk can be found in most supermarkets and health-food stores.

This traditional British pudding is delicious, comforting and warming on a cold winter’s day. There’s no need to use vegan butter on the bread, as the vanilla–marmalade custard absorbs and moistens it beautifully.

Directions

Heat the vanilla soya milk in a pan over a medium-low heat until hot but not boiling. Spoon in the cornflour and use a whisk to mix until combined. Continue to cook for 8–10 minutes until thickened, whisking frequently. Stir in the marmalade and cook for a further minute.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C/350 °F/gas mark 4.

Arrange the quarters of bread in a deep baking dish, allowing them to overlap. Sprinkle the bread with the sultanas. Pour over the hot vanilla–marmalade custard, then leave to stand for 10 minutes to allow the bread to absorb some of the custard.

Bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes until golden and bubbling at the corners. Serve hot.