Category: Mains

1. Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry

   Posted on 10:00pm Tuesday 23rd Apr 2019

   

   Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry

   Let's get one thing straight, i absolutely love sweet potato. I love it baked, mashed, as fries or wedges, if there is a way to eat sweet potato, chances are I love it. Unfortunately, Him-Bivore (Jack) absolutely despises it, and the only way i can get away with using it is by hiding it in his favourite food… curry!

   So this one is the culmination of years of compromise between us both and has always been a go-to when I’m feeling sweet potato, this is one we use so much that i can't understand why i haven't shared it with you all sooner!

   The spinach adds some great colour, flavour depth and is great for packing in some more vitamins and protein (bet pop-eye would approve of this one!)

   This recipe genuinely couldn’t be any easier. It’s only got 4 easy steps and is sure to make everyone think you spent way more time in the kitchen than you did.

    

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   Recipe

   Yield: 4 servings

   Total Time: 30M

   Ingredients:

   • 1 tbsp olive oil

   • 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm cubes

   • 1 large white onion, diced

   • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

   • 1 tsp ground cumin

   • 1 tsp turmeric

   • 1 fresh red chilli

   • 1 x 400ml can reduced fat coconut milk

   • 250ml vegetable stock

   • 150g baby spinach

   • 1 tsp dried ginger or 1 inch piece peeled and grated

   • Rice to serve (optional)

   • Fresh coriander (optional)

   Method:

   1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan, fry off your onion, garlic and spices for a few minutes until the onion is softened.

   2. Add your coconut milk, veg stock and sweet potato and then bring to the boil on a high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook until the sweet potato is soft, this will take about 10 minutes, but you can test it by gently stabbing a large piece with a knife.

   3. If you’re serving with rice, this is the time you’ll want to pop that on, just cook as per instructions on the packet.

   4. Add in your spinach and gently stir into the curry, once this is wilted you're all ready to go, serve topped with chopped coriander and any accompaniments you like!

    

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   You can substitute the sweet potato for regular potatoes if you prefer, and it also cooks great with pak choy or other similar leafy greens. I always like to keep my curries fairly mild by picking a chilli with gentle flavours, but you can crank up the heat with this one by adding in some extra chilli powder or fresh chopped chillies.

   How did it go? We love to hear your feedback, so make sure to let us know in the comments below how you got on and whether you made any changes!

   We’d love to see what you come up with! Remember that you can share your foodie makes with us using the hashtag #HBivore.

   Follow us on Facebook and like us on Instagram to keep up to date with our latest recipes, news and content. You can also use the form below to receive all our news straight to your inbox each week.

   Written by Amy Northwood
   Her-Bivore
   My passion for food and conservation has led me to where I am now! My aim is to show people that veganism can be diverse, tasty and adapted to fit every lifestyle and budget!
   You can find me on Instagram

   

    

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2. Cashew Mac and Cheese

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 15th Apr 2019

    

   

   This was another recipe that we hadn't got around to writing up yet. I’ll be honest upfront, I never really very much liked Mac ‘N’ Cheese before I went vegan.

   Now, after hearing the vegan outcry for Mac ‘N’ Cheese I was persuaded to give it a go…

   Consider me converted. You’re obviously a Mac ‘N’ Cheese fan as you’re here, so get ready for a recipe that packs a huge punch of creamy cheesey flavour that’s but delicious and satisfying.

   ---

   Recipe

   Yield: 2 servings

   Total Time: 30M

   Ingredients:

   • 4 cups of macaroni (I cheated and used ditaloni rigati / ridged tubes)

   • 2 tbsps oil

   • 1 small onion diced

   • 3 bulbs garlic diced

   • ½ tsp mustard powder

   • 1 tsp salt

   • 1tsp cracked black pepper

   • 100g / 1 cup cashew nuts

   • 1 cup of free-from grated cheeze (optional)

   • 1 cup water

   • 2 tsps of cider vinegar

   Method:

   1. Bring a pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook your pasta as per the packet instructions and drain in a colander when done.

   2. Meanwhile, fry your onions off in a pan with your oil. When they are soft, add in your garlic, mustard powder, salt and pepper and fry for a further 2 minutes.

   3. Add in your cashews, cheeze and water. Keep it on a low simmer for about 5 minutes.

   4. Carefully transfer your ingredients into a food processor with your cider vinegar and blend until nice and smooth. You can add more warm water if it appears too thick.

   5. Add your sauce to your pasta and mix it all together! 

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   Vegan Macaroni Cheeze in just 5 steps… You would have thought it’d actually be a difficult recipe right?

   How did you get on with this recipe? Did you make any changes or add anything in? I’m kinda considering that this would make an awesome pasta bake so if you have a go at that, be sure to share it!

   Don’t forget that you can share all your foodie makes and ideas with us on Instagram using the hashtag #HBivore.

   Follow us on Facebook and like us on Instagram to keep up to date with our latest recipes, news and content. You can also use the form below to receive all our news straight to your inbox each week.

   Written by Jack Ricketts
   -Him-Bivore
   Marketing has always been my career focus. I am striving to promote a plant-based lifestyle to the masses through positive campaigns and sharing the benefits of veganism. The animals, and the planet, need us more than ever to make a change. 
   You can find me on Instagram

   

    

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3. Barbeque Jackfruit Quesadillas

   Posted on 6:00pm Sunday 7th Apr 2019

   

   So I woke up this morning with no idea what to cook for dinner tonight.

   I scrolled and scrolled for inspiration when I came across some quesadilla recipes that needed veganising. I’ve never had a quesadilla before. I didn’t even know how to spell it until further research was done.

   Regardless of my lack of knowledge when it comes to tortillas, tacos, burritos, quesadillas etc. These were so easy to make and tasted delicious.

   While I was preparing these, a resident quesadilla expert came along and told me that I probably had too many ingredients for them. However, we’re going to skip over that fact, accept they are delicious and assume that whatever I made falls within the spectrum of what is a quesadilla.

   Here you go:

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   Recipe

   Yield: 4 servings

   Total Time: 30M

   Ingredients:

   • 4 Tortilla Wraps

   • 120g barbecue sauce

   • 1 400g tin of jackfruit

   • 4 chestnut mushrooms

   • 1 medium white onion

   • 1 red bell pepper

   • 2 spring onions

   • 200g grated vegan cheese

   Method:

   1. Drain off your jackfruit and cut the core off the nice fleshy pieces, use two forks to ‘pull’ the fleshy pieces apart, removing any seeds you may find. Mix the flesh with your barbeque sauce. I used Jack Daniels BBQ sauce.

   2. Fry off your onions in a large pan until they’re browned. Then add your barbecue jackfruit mix, mushrooms and pepper. Heat through for a couple of minutes on a high heat and then remove from the stove.

   3. Spread your cheese over 1 half of your tortilla, then add your jackfruit mix, your spring onions and then another layer of cheese on top before folding over. Repeat for all 4.

   4. Place your quesadillas into a George Foreman grill or cook in a clean hot pan for around 5 minutes, then cut into three before serving.

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   I told you they were easy. They take no time at all and make for a fantastic dinner or snack.

   You can also mix up the ingredients for whatever your preference. This would also work really well with soya mince and any combination of vegetables. If I had had some hot sauce in the cupboards, you could bet that I would have thrown that in too.

   We’d love to hear what you made your quesadillas with! Be sure to share all your foodie makes with us using the hashtag #HBivore.

   Follow us on Facebook and like us on Instagram to keep up to date with our latest recipes, news and content. You can also use the form below to receive all our news straight to your inbox each week.

   Written by Jack Ricketts
   -Him-Bivore
   Marketing has always been my career focus. I am striving to promote a plant-based lifestyle to the masses through positive campaigns and sharing the benefits of veganism. The animals, and the planet, need us more than ever to make a change. 
   You can find me on Instagram

   

   Stay up to date with all our latest articles email:* First Name:* Last Name: Subscribe This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    

    

    

4. Vegan Savoury Quiche

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 18th Mar 2019

   

    

   Vegan Savoury Quiche

   Quiche was something I never ate much as an omni, so I can't really remember what it tasted like! All i can do is promise you that this vegan quiche is absolutely delicious, and you won’t regret making it! 

   I love quiche as a nice light meal on a summer's day, served with a big crispy salad and maybe even some new potatoes if I'm feeling fancy.

   In the recipe I’ve put to use a food processor for blending your tofu, but I’ve actually made this one with a food mixer too and it works fine! You don’t get a mix quite as smooth, but if you turn your mixer up nice and high it will break up the tofu and blend it all together just fine.

   I didn’t specify a flavour on this blog title, because you really can just fill it with whatever you like! I want to make one with the Vivera bacon pieces… but I love a purely plant based one too! I kept things simple with tomato and spring onion, but whatever you have around would work too! 

   Here’s some extra ideas:

   • Broccoli and asparagus

   • Quorn smoky ham style slices and  vegan cheese (Applewood would be amazing!)

   • Bell pepper and leek

   • Butternut squash and kale

   • Tomato and basil

   • Spinach, mushroom and pea

   • Caramelised onion and courgette

   You get the idea, make it however you want!

   This is also a great way to boost your protein for the day, as one block of tofu has a whopping 50g of protein (based on cauldron extra firm tofu).

   I used an 18cm tart dish for mine, but you can use slightly bigger, or even make individual quiches if you like!

   Make sure you let me know what flavours you put together in the comments below, and as always share photos of your foodie makes with us on instagram! 

    

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   Ingredients

   Crust:

   • 250g/ 2 cups plain flour

   • 125g/ 0.5 cups vegan margarine, cold from the fridge

   • 2 tbsp water

   Filling

   • 1 block firm tofu

   • 2 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast

   • ¾ cup  / 180ml cup unsweetened plant milk

   • 2 cloves garlic

   • Salt and pepper to taste

   • 12 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

   • 3 spring onions, cut into rings
     
     

   Method:

   1. Preheat the oven to 180c. To make the crust, gently mix together your plain flour and vegan margarine on an electric mixer, then add your water a tablespoon at a time. If your mix still isn't coming together, you can add a little more water, but be careful not to make your dough soggy, you want it soft enough to work with but not so soft it’ll break!

   2. You can either use a loose bottom dish or a ceramic quiche dish. Roll out your pastry to about half a cm thick and about 2 inches bigger than your dish, then gently place into the tart dish, and use your fingers to carefully push the pastry into the sides, but be careful not to stretch it. You want to leave the extra pastry hanging over until it’s all fully cooked, filled and recooked.

   3. Take a piece of baking parchment just bigger than your dish, and scrunch it up in your hands, this will make it easier to work with. Place into your tart case and then fill with baking beans or uncooked rice (this will keep the shape of your quiche case while it cooks)

   4. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked, then remove from the oven, place to one side to cool.

   5. While your pastry case is cooking, fry off ¾ of your spring onion with 8 of your tomatoes (that’ll be 16 halves until they're soft and browned.

   6. Drain your tofu, and squeeze out any excess water over the sink, then in a food processor, combine your tofu, nutritional yeast, garlic, plant milk, salt and pepper until smooth.

   7. Move your tofu mix into a large bowl, and then gently mix in your cooked spring onions and tomatoes. Once combined, tip the mixture into your tart case (you might have a little extra mix depending on your pastry size and shape) and use a spatula to even out. Top with the remaining halved cherry tomatoes and spring onions then bake for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

   8. Leave to cool for a few minutes before serving. Once cooled, this quiche is great to eat cold too and will last for 3 days in the fridge!

    

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   We hope you loved this quiche as much as we did, and we’d love to see what you come up with! Remember that you can share your foodie makes with us using the hashtag #HBivore.

   Follow us on Facebook and like us on Instagram to keep up to date with our latest recipes, news and content. You can also use the form below to receive all our news straight to your inbox each week.

   Written by Amy Northwood
   Her-Bivore
   My passion for food and conservation has led me to where I am now! My aim is to show people that veganism can be diverse, tasty and adapted to fit every lifestyle and budget!
   You can find me on Instagram

   

   Stay up to date with all our latest articles

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5. Broccoli and Cashew Ricotta Tarts

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 16th Mar 2019

   

   Jump to Recipe >>

   Tarts are so easy to make but never fail to impress, I find they’re the perfect starter for a dinner party or a fancy homemade dinner, or simply have two served with salad as a delicious light meal.

   When Amy and I used to work at a restaurant together, there weren’t very many vegan options available. Except only for tarts - so we both grew quite fond of them.

   Naturally, we had been meaning to create our own tartlet recipe. I’ve been experimenting with all different pastries (filo, shortcrust and puff) and all sorts of fillings - so I’m sure these will just be the start of our recipes of tarts and tartlets. This was a great first choice as we were keen to try out this amazing, new, vegan ricotta recipe in it!

   You can either soak your cashews in cold water for an hour or, if you’re pushed for time, just cover them with boiling water for 5 minutes. The cashews blend up to produce a great tasting vegan cheese, similar to ricotta, but at just a fraction of the price. One reason I love making my own products as much as possible is so that I know exactly what is going into them.

   Anyway, without further ado: 

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   Recipe

   Yield: 4 Individual Portion Tarts

   Total Time: 30M

   Ingredients:

   • 2/3 cup / 100g of cashews

   • 1/2 head of broccoli

   • 1/2 cup / 25g sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped

   • 1 medium leek, chopped into rings

   • 1 tbsp lemon juice

   • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

   • 1/3 cup / 80ml cold water

   • 1 tsp garlic powder

   • 1 tsp celery salt

   • pinch of oregano

   • pinch of basil

   • pack of shortcrust pastry (Check the label, I used JusRol, or you can make your own here.)

   • oil

   • 1/4 cup / 35g pine nuts (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, breadcrumbs or soya nuts would also work)
     
     

   Method:

   1. To make the ricotta - put the cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 5 minutes to soak.
      
      

   2. Drain off the water and put your cashews in a food processor with the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, celery salt, oregano, basil and your cold water and blend until smooth.
      
      

   3. Cut the florets off of your broccoli fairly small and place into a small frying pan with your leek and cook off with a small drizzle of olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes until the broccoli is nearly cooked, then turn off the heat and leave to one side until needed.
      
      

   4. Lay out your pastry and allow to warm to room tempature, if you're rolling your own, you want it nice and thin. Cut into square large enough to cover your tart cases, then gently press into the cases and then trim any extra.
      
      

   5. Mix your broccoli mix, sun dried tomatoes and ricotta in a bowl and spoon the mixture into your tart cases and then top with your chosen nuts of seeds. using a small pastry brush, coat the edges of your pastry with oil to help them brown in the oven.

   6. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes and serve. We served ours with a side salad and red onion chutney.

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   We really enjoyed making these (and eating them!). Obviously, there’s lots of room to experiment with this recipe. You could try different fillings and different toppings in any combination. I’m looking forward to trying out a spinach version next.

   We’d love to see what you come up with! Remember that you can share your foodie makes with us using the hashtag #HBivore.

   Follow us on Facebook and like us on Instagram to keep up to date with our latest recipes, news and content. You can also use the form below to receive all our news straight to your inbox each week.

   Written by Jack Ricketts
   -Him-Bivore
   Marketing has always been my career focus. I am striving to promote a plant-based lifestyle to the masses through positive campaigns and sharing the benefits of veganism. The animals, and the planet, need us more than ever to make a change. 
   You can find me on Instagram

   

   Stay up to date with all our latest articles

   • email:*
   • First Name:*
   • Last Name:
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