Recipe: Crunchy Veg Vegan Pad Thai

From goodhousekeeping.com

A great recipe to use up vegetables and scrambling the tofu adds not only protein but an egg-like texture 

Rammed full of crunchy vegetables and ready in just 35min, this vegan pad Thai is sure to become a midweek favourite.

Yields: 4 serving(s)          Prep Time: 20 mins    Cook Time: 15 mins   Total Time: 35 mins   Cal/Serv: 483

Ingredients

• 125 g 

  small broccoli florets

• 200 g 

  flat dried rice noodles

• 1 tbsp. 

  vegetable oil

• 300 g 

  silken tofu, drained

• 3 

  spring onions, sliced diagonally

• 100 g 

  mangetout, sliced diagonally

• 1 

  red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced

• 1 

  carrot, peeled into ribbons with y-shaped peeler

• 75 g 

  bean sprouts

• 2 tbsp. 

  unsalted peanuts, chopped

• Lime wedges, to serve

FOR THE SAUCE

• 100 ml 

  vegetable stock

• 2 tbsp. 

  soy sauce

• 2 tbsp. 

  light brown soft sugar

• 4 tbsp. 

  smooth peanut butter

• 3 tbsp. 

  lime juice

• 1 tbsp. 

  sriracha hot sauce

• 1 

  garlic clove, crushed

• Directions

  • 1. Step 1Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cook the broccoli for 3min; drain. Meanwhile cover the noodles with just-boiled water and leave to soak for 10min.  
    2. Step 2Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Add the tofu and stir-fry for 2min, breaking the tofu up with a spatula so it resembles scrambled eggs. Add the spring onions, mangetout, pepper, carrot and drained broccoli and fry for 5min, stirring, until veg are just tender. 
    3. Step 3Drain the noodles and add to pan with the bean sprouts; toss together and cook for 1min. Stir through the sauce. Scatter over peanuts and serve with lime wedges.
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    5. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a46567389/vegan-pad-thai/

This Butter Bean Stew Is Packed Full Of Veg

From plantbasednews.org

Perfect for batch cooking and weeknight dinners, this butter bean stew is a great addition to your weekly recipe rotation 

It’s safe to say that butter beans are having a bit of a moment right now. Also known as lima beans, they’re a hugely popular addition to stews, curries, soups, casseroles, and desserts all over the world. If you’re looking for a new vegan butter bean dinner recipe, try out this simple veg-packed stew.

Beyond their culinary appeal, butter beans also offer notable health benefits. As well as being rich in fibre, they are also a good source of plant-based protein, making them an ideal choice for vegans and plant-based eaters. The beans are also packed with essential nutrients such as iron, magnesium, and potassium, contributing to overall well-being and supporting various bodily functions.

The below recipe, which comes Natali Eleftheriou (owner of Natilicious Food) features a wide range of vegetables including carrot, celery, and leek. It’s a perfect weekday dinner, and ideal for meal prepping.

Butter bean stew

                     Butter beans are a great source of plant protein - Media Credit: Natlicious Food

Did you know that butter beans (aka lima beans) are full of protein, fibre, iron and B vitamins? This recipe is ideal for meal prepping and batch cooking as it freezes well, and it tastes even better after a day or two.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic, crushed or finely sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into small cubes
• 1 celery stick, cut in small pieces
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 1/2 tsp of each sugar, paprika, oregano, chilli flakes (optional), basil, garlic granules
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 3 x 230g butter beans (drained weight), drained and washed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can of plum tomatoes (400g)
• Handful of fresh thyme and dill
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large pot, on a medium heat, sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and leeks with the oil, until translucent. This will take 7-8 minutes, stir occasionally.
• Add the sugar and sauté for a minute to caramelize the veggies.
• Continue with the veggie cube, tomato paste and dried herbs. Sauté for a minute before you add the butter beans, bay leaf and plum tomatoes.
• Break the tomatoes with a wooden spoon and add 400ml of boiling water.
• Bring to boil and simmer covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Check the seasoning and add the fresh herbs.
• Serve with kalamata olives, onions and bread of choice (I used garlic bread). You can keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days and you can also freeze it.

This recipe was republished with permission from Natilicious Food. You can find the original here.

https://plantbasednews.org/veganrecipes/dinner/butter-bean-stew/

Craving Shrimp? This Company Just Made A 3D-Printed Vegan Version

From plantbasednews.org

New technology is offering meat eaters cruelty-free alternatives to their favourite foods 

Food tech company Steakholder Foods has developed the world’s first vegan 3D-printed shrimp.

Having debuted a vegan eel earlier this month, Steakholder Foods has now released a second vegan seafood product. This joins its 3D-printed beef and pork. The new shrimp aims to replicate the texture and flavor of shrimp without harming any marine life.

As with the eel, the new vegan shrimps uses the company’s proprietary 3D-printing technology.

Arik Kaufman, CEO of Steakholder Foods, said in a statement: “By unveiling a second new species of plant-based, 3D-printed seafood this month, we expect to position Steakholder Foods to sell and deliver its first DropJet printer in 2024, offering partners and customers a unique opportunity to benefit from the expanding global seafood market, while making the right kind of impact on the environment.”

3D-printed shrimp could be a gamechanger for more than 25 million marine lives - Media Credit: Steakholder Foods

Saving shrimps

The shrimp market is worth almost USD $70 billion. Moreover, analysts expect it to keep growing over the coming decade.

We don’t know exactly how many shrimps are killed by humans each year. Research has suggested that the figure could be 440 billion farmed shrimps, along with 25 trillion wild shrimps. As such, more shrimps are directly killed by humans for food than any other species.

Steakholder Foods promises a solution for growing demand that takes away all the killing. Its high-volume, efficient, and sustainable production could help put an end to the shrimp market.

As well as saving lives, 3D-printed seafood has a significantly lower environmental impact. The fishing industry is directly contributing to the climate and nature crises. Experts have long stated that our oceans are in danger of becoming severely depleted if we continue to fish the way we do. This is leading to the deterioration of these vital ecosystems around the world. Healthy marine ecosystems help sequester carbon from the atmosphere and are a key carbon store.

Growing interest in vegan seafood

The launch of 3D-printed shrimp adds to Steakholder Foods’ vegan seafood options. The company is trying to increase its product range before a sales push on its 3D printers later this year.

Vegan seafood, dubbed “the next big thing” in 2021, has now become a reality around the world. Products have become more realistic in mimicking the taste and texture of fish. The 3D-printed products will compete with a more conventional vegan seafood alternatives.

HAPPIEE!, a Singapore-based brand, which launched in 2022, sells realistic alternatives to shrimp, calamari, and squid. It uses ingredients like soy, potato, and wheat protein to create its alternatives and is currently available in supermarkets across the UK. 

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/3d-printed-shrimp-steakholder-foods/

Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for beans and greens with tomato and cashew pesto

From theguardian.com

Tomatoes and cashews take the stage in this unconventional pesto that includes nutritional yeast for those essential umami notes and that goes with just about anything

Although the law of diminishing returns should dictate otherwise, no matter how much pesto I eat, I can never get enough. Potentially, this is due to its ability to shapeshift and move between herbs and nuts. You can make a great pesto with basil, rocket, coriander or wild garlic, and with walnuts, almonds and even peanuts. Here, I’ve made one using cashews and sun-dried tomatoes alongside basil leaves and nutritional yeast (in place of the traditional parmesan). The butter beans, chard and leeks are merely vehicles, to aid my general pesto intake.

Beans and greens with tomato and cashew pesto

Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Susanna Unsworth. Photo assistant: Sophie Bronze.

Prep 10 min

Cook 30 min
Serves 4

130g sun-dried tomatoes (drained weight)
50g cashew nuts
40g fresh basil, leaves and tender stems
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Extra-virgin olive oil
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt
2 leeks (200g), trimmed and cut into ½cm-thick coins
2 x 400g tins butter beans, not drained
200g rainbow chard, shredded into 1cm-wide strips
1 fresh long red chilli, stalk discarded, flesh finely diced
Warm crusty bread, to serve

Put the first five ingredients in a small blender with five tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, the lemon zest, three tablespoons of lemon juice and a teaspoon and a half of salt, then blitz until very finely chopped.

Put two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a large frying pan for which you have a lid, and set it on a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the leeks, and cook, stirring occasionally, for eight minutes, until softened. Add the beans and their can liquid to the pan, then simmer for 10 minutes, until the liquid reduces and the beans soften.

Stir in the chard and the sun-dried tomato pesto, cover and leave to cook for 10 minutes, until the chard stalks are tender. Stir in the chopped chilli.

Spoon the beans into shallow bowls, drizzle over more extra-virgin olive oil and serve with warm crusty bread for mopping up.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/jan/27/vegan-recipe-beans-greens-tomato-cashew-pesto-butter-beans-and-greens-meera-sodha