Your taste buds will not be able to comprehend that this is vegan - as the beefy pasta layers coupled with an INSANELY good béchamel is delicious enough to blow their tiny white socks off. While I'm in no way knocking my favourite vegetable lasagna, I recognize that those with hard to please family members and friends - may not find it the slam-dunk of a recipe they need to convince such company that leaving the furry friends be is totally do-able. Filling in the blanks (left by meat and dairy) with veg doesn't do it for everyone, I get it. So here's my answer to that, and it's flippin' fantastic!

P.S Don't be put off by the long ingredients list. The bulk of it you probably will already have in your pantry.

Serves 6-10

Ingredients

"Meat" Sauce

• olive oil
• 1 onion, diced small
• 1 stick celery, diced small
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• 350g vegan mince (e.g. Gardein veggie ground etc.)
• 700ml tomato passata
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 "beef" stock cube
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried Italian herb mix
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp maple syrup (or other liquid sweetened)
• 1 tbsp vegan worstechire sauce
• salt & pepper
  Béchamel
• olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced small
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour (GF or not)
• 2 cups unsweetened soy milk
• 2 tbsp coconut cream (the thick stuff from the top of a can)
• 1/2 tsp vegetable stock powder
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp white miso
• 1 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
• pinch nutmeg
• salt & pepper
  Extra Ingredients
• 2 packets lasagna sheets (GF or not)
• 2 large handfuls, baby spinach
• 4 tbsp vegan parmesan (or other hard vegan cheese to top), optional

Method

1. Start by making your "meat" sauce, by heating a glug of olive oil in a large pot and adding the onion, celery and garlic. Sauté until starting to soften. Add in the mushrooms and sauté until they are softened. Add the vegan mince, breaking it up with a spoon and browning it off/defrosting it (if cooking from frozen).
2. Once tender, add the passata. Fill up the bottle halfway with water and add this to the pan as well, along with the remainder of the "meat" sauce ingredients. Stir to combine, put the lid on and let simmer away for 30 minutes.
3. Pop your oven on to 200C.
4. Now make your béchamel. Grab a small/medium non stick saucepan/pan and add a drizzle of oil along with the onion and garlic. Sauté until soft and starting to go golden. Add in the butter and let melt completely. When bubbling, add in the flour and stir immediately for a couple of minutes to cook the flour slightly.
5. Add in the soy milk in splashes at first, then small and bigger glugs, stirring or whisking thoroughly to combine after each addition. Once all the soy milk has been added, stir with a wooden spoon until thickened or until the first bubbles appear.
6. Take off the heat and add in the remaining béchamel ingredients. Whisking once more to combine.
7. Once the "meat" sauce is finished simmering, take off the heat and get out a large/deep baking dish ready to assemble your lasagna.
8. Add a little olive oil and then a little sauce, alternating between sauce and lasagna sheets. When you think you're at the halfway point, add a little (like 10%) of the béchamel along with the spinach to a layer. Once all the "meat" sauce is used up, top with another layer of lasagna sheets and finish with the béchamel, smoothing it out to all the edges. Finish by sprinkling over the vegan parmesan (if using).
9. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes until golden, bubbling and the pasta sheets are tender. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Who doesn't love a thick Udon noodle covered in gingery soy-ness with some hearty tofu and crisp veg in there as well? Not many, Honeybunches, not many. It's a delightful combo and one I happily gobbled down, and will be doing again very soon. It's a superbly straightforward midweek dinner, or Friday night "take-out" kind of meal to whip up - which can include heaps of veg in there as well. Happy days!

Serves 2
(Double the quantities of everything bar the marinade to have it serve 4. The recipe makes enough marinade to double the recipe.)

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (or any liquid sweetener)
• 3 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce if not GF)
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
  Stir-Fry
• 250g firm tofu
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 250g udon noodles (or other GF noodles, like rice noodles if GF)
• sesame oil
• 1/2 bunch spring onions, chopped
• 1/2 broccolini bunch, chopped
• 1 pak choi, thickly sliced
• handful snow peas/sugar snaps, top and tailed
• sesame seeds, to serve

Method

1. First make your marinade, by whisking all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. The recipe makes enough marinade for 2 rounds of this recipe.
2. Cut your tofu how you'd like it, press out moisture on all sides with paper towel. Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick fry pan and add the tofu, crisping up on both sides. Add some salt & pepper to the tofu, while cooking to season. When lightly browned, remove the tofu from the pan, setting it aside until needed.
3. Cook the udon noodles according to packet instructions and set aside until needed.
4. Meanwhile add a little sesame seed oil to the fry-pan the tofu was cooked in and add the spring onions. Stir for a minute or so, then add in the broccolini, pak choi and snow peas, tossing for a minute or so more until just tender. Add the tofu back to the pan and ladle in as much of the marinade as you desire. Stir to coat, then add the noodles and toss to combine.
5. Serve with sesame seeds sprinkled over the top.

I'm a big fan of sweet slices made out of nuts, maple syrup, chocolate etc. that you can keep in your freezer and grab a piece with a cup of tea in the afternoon or whenever you're feeling like something delectably moreish & bite-sized. This one is another to add to my repertoire. It’s a bit on the more summery-side I guess than my previous caramel slices and snickers slices due to the frozen and fabulously fruity banana coins that form the base of this one. Eating frozen banana for fun doesn't sound like something that works, but I promise, it really does!!

Makes 16 squares

Ingredients

• 2 medium-large bananas, cut into coins
• 1/2 cup smooth and runny peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 tbsp almond butter
• pinch of salt
• 80g dark vegan chocolate
• optional: toasted peanuts to top

Method

1. Take out a 20cm/8inch baking pan (or one similar to that size) and line it with baking paper. Arrange the banana coins over the bottom so that they form a relatively hole-proof layer. Place in the freezer while you get on with your other layers.
2. Prepare your peanut butter, by living it a good stir. Make your caramel by melting your coconut oil (if not already runny) and add the maple syrup, almond butter and salt to it, whisking until super smooth and runny. Melt your chocolate and chop up your toasted peanuts at this point too.
3. Take the bananas out of the freezer, and spread over the peanut butter to form a smooth layer. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the freezer and pour over the caramel, smoothing it into all the crevices. Return it to the freezer until set (about 20-30 minutes).
5. Finally drizzle over the melted chocolate and sprinkle with the toasted peanuts, returning to the freezer to set one last time (will only take a couple of minutes). Remove, slice and serve. Keep it in the freezer when not eating.

Oh ma' goodness, I didn't think I'd taste the day when bang on chocolate and raspberry muffins that are vegan AND GF, that taste THIS good, came into existence. These are bang on, and freakishly-so considering what they are free from. There's a blend of flours that, along with the use of aquafaba, help create a wonderfully convincing muffin situation. Also, choc-raspberry - who doesn't love that combo!

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 tin aquafaba, drained from a 400g tin of chickpeas or beans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 tbsp apple cidar vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chickpea (besan) flour
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup plain flour (GF or not)
• 1/2 cup almond meal (also known as almond flour)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• large handful frozen raspberries
• large handful vegan dark chocolate chips (or chopped vegan dark chocolate)

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C.
2. Take a large bowl and add the first seven ingredients (down to and including the vanilla). Whisk until smooth.
3. Add the remaining ingredients (except the raspberries and chocolate) and whisk again from the center outwards until smooth. Use the back of a spoon to press out any lumps if you have any. Once smooth, add the raspberries and chocolate and gently fold through.
4. Take a 12-hole muffin tin and line it with patty liners, or alternatively grease the tin. Divide (and conquer! Just kidding) the mixture amongst the holes so that they fill 3/4 of the way up. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they are springy to touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
5. Leave to cool for at least 10 minute before devouring!

I used to LOVE these chicken Thai chilli balls my mum would make once in a blue moon as an appetizer when guests came ‘round. The flavours were so bold and they were just so moreish I could have eaten the lot. I was inspired by those flavours when making these and while the texture of course is going to be different, what they are on there own took me straight back to that oh-so-delicious recipe. I know you're going to Hmm and Ahhh when eating these too. So good!

Makes approx. 20 balls

Ingredients

• 1 small-medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks (2 cups)
• 2 cups gardien beef crumbles, defrosted
• 1/2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 large handful coriander, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemongrass, finely chopped or a paste
• 2 tsp maple syrup (or another liquid sweetener)
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp garlic
• zest 1/2 lime
• pinch dried chilli
• salt & pepper
• 1 thick slice of bread OR 2 GF bread slices, blitzed into breadcrumbs
• olive oil
• To Serve: sweet chilli sauce

Method

1. Boil your sweet potato chunks in a pot (or alternatively steam them) until tender. Drain and set aside to cool off for a bit. Then mash into a puree.
2. Grab a large mixing bowl and add all the remaining ingredients (down to and including the breadcrumbs), along with the mashed sweet potato. Mix thoroughly, with a spoon or your hands.
3. Roll the mixture into balls and place on a plate. Chill for 30 minutes. At the 15-minute mark, pre-heat your oven to 200C.
4. Put the balls in a baking tray and toss with a glug of olive oil (alternatively you can cook them in a non-stick fry pan). Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes, then remove turn over and bake for another 15 minutes.
5. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.