Midweek Meals: Five easy and tasty vegan dinners to try this week

From casual curries to comfort-eating faves, cooking (and eating!) vegan has never been easier

Vegan cuisine can be exciting, flavoursome, comfy - and easy

Red lentil dahl

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This recipe will be deliciously rich the following day as the flavours come out even more so try to make enough for a few meals!

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Indian

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• ½ onion, finely diced

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, grated

• 1 medium red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

• 3 tsp cumin

• 1 tbsp medium curry powder

• 200g red lentils washed and drained

• juice of 2 limes

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

• 500ml boiling water

• bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

1. In a large pot melt the coconut oil. Add the vegetables and sweat off gently on a low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the dried spices and cook for roughly another 2 minutes.

2. Stir in your lentils, lime juice and chopped tomatoes. Add the water and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for another 15- 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

3. Serve topped with heaps of fresh coriander and a good dollop of natural yoghurt!

Vegan shepherd’s pie

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This comforting dish uses lentils and it is just as delicious as the meat version, with a rich vegetable layer and creamy mashed potato topping

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 55 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 onions, finely chopped 

• salt

• pepper

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 tins of lentils, drained and rinsed

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 2 bay leaves

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. 

3. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 

4. Add the lentils and cook for about 10 minutes on a low heat.

5. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée, and bay leaves and bring to the boil. 

6. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Meanwhile, make the mash. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10–15 minutes, until tender. Drain, season and mash well. 

8. Place the cooked mince in a large ovenproof dish and top with the mash. Bake for 20 minutes. 

9. Divide the pie between warmed serving plates.

Crispy tofu in a black pepper sauce

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

A punchy yet balanced sauce filled with chillies and garlic elevates the golden, crispy tofu for a delicious, spicy supper

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 800g firm tofu

• cornflour (coarse)

• 150g butter

• 12 shallots, thinly sliced

• 4 red chillies, thinly sliced

• 12 garlic cloves, crushed

• 3 tbsp kecap manis sweet soy sauce

• 3 tbsp light soy sauce

• 4 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 3 tbsp minced fresh ginger

• 2 tbsp caster sugar

• 5 tbsp coarsely crushedblack pepper

• 16 spring onions chopped

• rapeseed or other healthy vegetable oil

Method

1. In a large pan or wok, heat enough rapeseed oil to deep fry your cubed tofu in (roughly 5mm up the sides).

2. Cube the tofu and dust liberally in the cornflour. Arrange plenty of paper towels nearby to catch the excess oil from your cubes. Fry the tofu in a few batches until crisp and golden brown, removing them onto the paper towels when ready. The cooked tofu can be set aside for now.

3. In a bowl combine with a whisk the different soy sauces with the sugar and black pepper.

4. Remove oil from pan and add butter to melt.

5. Add shallots, chillies, ginger and garlic cooking on a low to medium heat for roughly 15 minutes until soft.

6. Add the black pepper sauce and cook for a minute before adding the tofu to warm through. Lastly add the spring onions. Serve with steamed wild rice.

Vegan sausage rolls

This recipe also uses the one thing that I can never make myself: puff pastry. Believe me, I’ve tried, but it’s impossible! Luckily you can just pick up a roll of vegan puff pastry in most supermarkets

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 50g pecans

• 50g whole almonds

• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

• 1⁄2 a large onion, peeled and grated

• 1⁄2 an apple, grated (skin on is fine)

• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, needles stripped and chopped

• 1 sprig of fresh thyme, leaves stripped and chopped

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

• 1 sheet of vegan puff pastry

• handful of sesame seeds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

2. Put the chickpeas in a food processor and blend until smooth(ish). There will still be some chickpeas visible and it will be a thick, lumpy paste. Spoon into a bowl.

3. Put the pecans and almonds in a high-speed blender (such as a NutriBullet) and mill into a chunky flour. Set aside.

4. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Toss in the onion, apple and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the herbs and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes, until the onion is golden and softened. Add to the chickpeas and stir to combine.

5. Add the milled nuts to the chickpea mixture along with the nutritional yeast (if using), tomato purée and the tamari or soy sauce and stir again into a thick dough. It will be a little wet, but it should still be easy to roll with your hands.

6. Unroll the pastry sheet onto a clean board and slice it lengthways to make two long strips of pastry, stretching it just a little bit on each side using your hands. Spoon the chickpea mixture into the middle and mould it into a long sausage shape. Fold the pastry over the filling, then press the edges of the pastry with your fingers, sealing it tight. Slice into 12 mini sausage rolls.

7. Carefully lift the rolls onto the lined baking tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil, then sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until golden around the edges.
   
   No Fuss Vegan by Roz Purcell, published by Penguin Ireland (€25)

Brown rice and lentil pilaf with crispy garlic

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

We’ve been making this a lot lately as it is perfect for a quick lunch or easy dinner. Nutty brown rice, savoury lentils, melt in your mouth caramelised shallots and intense, crispy fried slices of garlic.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed

• Sea salt

• Black pepper

• 2 bay leaves

• Olive oil

• 250g brown rice

• 200g cooked green lentils from a tin, rinsed

• 3 banana shallots, peeled and quartered

• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly

• 4 scallions, sliced thinly

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium high heat. Add the minced garlic and bay leaf and stir around the pot for a minute or two until fragrant. Add the uncooked rice to the pan and stir around until is it all coated in hot garlicky oil. Pour in enough boiling water to cover the by around an inch. Season with a good pinch of salt and cook uncovered for around 30 minutes until the rice has soaked up all of the water and becomes tender with just a hint of a bite. Discard the bay leaves. Add the cooked lentils to the pan of hot cooked rice and stir well to incorporate.

2. In another smaller saucepan heat another 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat and add the shallot quarters along with a pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper. Stir until the shallots become translucent and browning on the edges.

3. Heat 60ml of olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium high heat. Add garlic slices to the hot oil, reducing heat to medium low and fry the garlic slices until well browned. Remove from the hot oil with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with kitchen paper.

4. Place the warm rice and lentils in a bowl and top with the caramelised shallots, crispy garlic and lastly the thinly sliced scallions.