Whether you are a vegan or just want to incorporate more plants in your dishes, it’s always good to have an arsenal of recipes in your repertoire. You can recreate almost every recipe using plant-based ingredients. From beef wellington to pulled pork tacos, there are a lot of ingredients that works as an amazing meat substitute like jackfruit, mushrooms, etc. Cold winter evenings call for hearty and warming food. Here are some recipe inspirations to get you started-
Lentil Wellington:
This is the tastiest, plant-based version of a beef-wellington. Swap the beef with a hearty blend of lentil and veggies. Start with sautéing onion and garlic in olive oil. Add chopped mushrooms, carrots, cooked lentils and celery. Once the mix is cooked well, add allspice, salt, and pepper to taste. Fill the filo pastry with the cooked lentils and make it into a Wellington shape. Put some sprigs of rosemary on the top. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Allow it to cool and cut it into loaves. You can make a vegan mushroom gravy to serve with it.
Maple Glazed Vegetables:
Roasted vegetables are the perfect accompaniment to the main dish. You can also serve these roasted veggies with brown rice pilaf or any casserole dish. Rinse and dry an assortment of root vegetables. Glaze them in a pan with maple syrup, star anise, cinnamon, thyme, and rosemary. Oven roasts the vegetables at 180 for 30 minutes.
Rosemary Potatoes:
A potato side makes a delicious accompaniment to any meal. Peel and halve baby potatoes. Arrange the potatoes in a roasting pan and drizzle over olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Roast at 350 for 30 minutes. Turn the potatoes to the other side halfway through the roasting process.
Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto:
Create a healthy version of this classic Italian dish with brown basmati rice. Sauté a few garlic cloves in olive oil. Add almond milk, nutritional yeast, and vegan parmesan and keep stirring till it gets saucy. Add in 200 gm of roasted butternut squash. Add in 100 ml of vegetable broth. Cover and cook the rice for 15-20 minutes. In a separate pan, fry a few sage leaves in olive oil. Serve the risotto in a bowl and top it with the crispy sage.
Crostini with Hummus, Pomegranate & Mint:
This is a delicious starter to serve at any dinner. Grill the crostini and drizzle a little olive oil. Top with a dash of hummus. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds and crushed mint leaves. Finish with a sprinkling of sumac.
Your guests are guaranteed to come back for second servings of these delicious dishes. Warm up your winter evenings with hearty food that is healthy and tasty.