Advertisement
Treat yourself!
Frugal and fabulous!
Online temptation...
What's on at the football club?
Vegan recipes: Meet the dairy-free veggies
You finally get to grips with catering for vegetarians, and then a generation of vegans comes along! A new culinary challenge has arisen now that more people are turning their backs on a diet based on meat and dairy products. So, if you're a vegan yourself, or catering for a vegan, take a look at Delia's collection of tasty non-dairy vegetarian recipes.
Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Garlic and Chilli
This one is pure pasta eaten and savoured for its own sake with the minimum amount of adornment – just a hint of garlic, chilli and olive oil.
Mashed Black-eyed Beancakes with Ginger Onion Marmalade
Black-eyed beans are the lovely nutty beans that are popular in recipes from the deep south of America and, with the addition of other vegetables, they make very good beancakes.
Crunchy Roast Potatoes with Saffron
This is my old favourite recipe for roast potatoes but with a new twist, and that's a flavouring of saffron – not too much, just a hint – and with the added dimension of a deep saffron colour, which makes this look even more irresistible.
Slow-cooked Root Vegetable Soup
Something happens to vegetables when they're cooked very slowly for a long time: their flavour becomes mellow but at the same time more intense, and your kitchen is filled with aromas of goodness. This soup is also completely fat-free. For vegans, serve without the Greek yoghurt.
Roasted Tomato Soup with Purée of Basil and Olive Croutons
When you oven roast tomatoes something magical happens, the flavour is concentrated and the toasted edges also give a lovely flavour, making this the best tomato soup recipe ever.
Tuscan Bean and Pasta Soup
This is a big, hefty soup, perfect for the winter months with a light main course to follow. For vegans, serve without the Parmesan.
Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Fennel
This delightful combination of flavours makes a very attractive first course. I love to serve the peppers on a faded antique plate that I have, which shows off their outstanding colour. The dish needs lots of really good bread, as there's always a profusion of fragrant juices.
Soba Noodle Salad with Soy and Citrus Dressing
Soba noodles are made with buckwheat and are traditionally served either hot in soups or cold in salads. The salad version is my favourite and you can, of course, use any green salad leaves in this recipe: rocket and young spinach leaves would be very good.
Mexican Guacamole
The first time I ever used Tabasco (hot chilli sauce) was when I made my first guacamole. This spicy Mexican purée, made with fresh avocados, chillies and ripe tomatoes, is still a great favourite. Serve it as a first course with good crusty bread or as a dip with raw vegetable strips.
Hummus Bi Tahini
If you want to make the proper authentic version of this you'll need to hunt out some tahini paste, which is available at supermarkets and health-food shops.
Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil
Good bread, good olive oil – what more could you want? Just two things: very red, ripe plum tomatoes and basil leaves. It's perhaps the best bruschetta of all, and perfect for serving with drinks before a meal instead of serving as a starter.
