Friday, 17 July 2020

5 Vegan Recipes I’ve Been Loving in Lockdown

Cooking is something which calms me down. Being in the kitchen, have a bit of a boogie and creating something (hopefully) delicious, is something that will never fail to make me feel better. Food is my escape, part of my self-care and a means of exploring food and learning new things. That’s why during lockdown and social distancing, cooking and baking has been super important to me (as those of you who follow me on Instagram will be able to tell from my stories). Although I am yet to make a banana bread… Here are some of the recipes I’ve made several times in lockdown and will definitely make again in the future. They’re all pretty easy so don’t worry if you’re not a top chef!



1. Fruit Crumbles


Fruit crumbles are potentially my favourite food ever, specifically rhubarb crumble. If I could live off them for the rest of my life, I would. To me, crumbles are something which should be shared, and I love making them for my family and housemates.I don’t have a specific recipe for this one, as I like to switch up the fruit I use and sometimes the actual crumble. Some of my favourite include plain ol’ apple, apple and plum, nectarine and plum and, as I already mentioned, rhubarb. These can be changed depending on what’s in season and what you can find in stores (I like to go with whatever I can find plastic free if possible). Crumbles are also a great way of ensuring fruit doesn’t go to waste. For instance, I find Nigella’s strawberry crumble (sounds weird but it’s actually very tasty) great for using up strawberries which are on the brink of going off. And of course, all crumbles are made better with cream or custard (I use the Alpro vegan alternatives). 



2. Lemon Drizzle Cake


For a while, I’ve struggled to find the perfect vegan cake recipe, and to be honest, in this recipe, I think I may have found it. It’s moist, super lemony and completely moreish. I get a bit addicted to it when I’ve made some and it goes down super quickly. As it uses ingredients such as vegan yoghurt and ground almonds, so there’s even some protein in there!



3. Miso Roast Aubergine


I’ve discovered a real love for aubergines this year, and have included them in a lot more of my meals, from snacks or sides like crispy baked slices, to curries and tagines, with BBQ pulled jackfruit, and to making them the main event themselves. This recipe does just that: it puts aubgergine at the front and centre of the meal. I love the taste of miso, and it clicks really well with the softness of the cooked aubergine flesh as well as the crispy skin. I like to serve it with couscous and greens and have for a lunch. 



4. Tofu Makhani


After I left Newcastle, I had a craving for the tofu makhani I’d had from the vegan takeaway Karma Kitchen a few weeks before. It was so good and I was desperate to try and recreate it. After a short search, I found this recipe. The recipe I found isn’t as thick and creamy as the one from Karma Kitchen, and is spicier, but it’s still great and fills the metaphorical hole in my stomach which had been there for several weeks. I love adding a lot of mango chutney to this (and really, to any curry, I just love mango chutney) and you could add some extra greens if you fancied. 

Find the recipe here (I accessed it during a free trial and wrote it down).


5. Fluffy American-Style Pancakes 


Who said vegans couldn’t have pancakes?? These are honestly lush and are ridiculously easy to make and use ingredients I often have in the cupboard anyway. I’ve made these with several different toppings, including blueberries and yoghurt suggested in the original recipe and my attempt at a warm raspberry coulis (frozen raspberries heated in a pan with some lemon juice and sugar), and they’re so good. I’ve had a few different vegan pancakes in cafes before, and these are certainly just as good.  




Have you been cooking much in lockdown? What have you been making? I'd love to find out!



If you liked this post you might like: Being Vegan in Disneyland Paris | What I Eat in a Day

4 comments:

  1. All of these recipes look absolutely delicious! Fruit crumbles are to die for - my favourite is apple. My boyfriend always adds oats into the crumble mixture too which I haven't seen many places but it's a great addition! I've never tried roasted aubergine before; but need to - not sure why it's taken me this long. That Tofu Makhani looks divine too - veggie curries are always the best. Thank you for sharing all these wonderful recipes and inspiration!

    Paige // Paige Eades

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    1. You really should try roast aubergine, it's so good. It's probably my favourite vegetable at this point haha. I hope you like any of these recipes if you try them!

      Jemima x

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  2. These recipes look so yummy especially the pancakes! http://www.dellalovesnutella.co.uk/

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    1. They're incredible and super easy - I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

      Jemima x

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