From greatbritishlife.co.uk
‘When you’re the only vegan on a cooking show that is going out to people around the world, that’s some pressure,’ says Crawley-based Romina Callwitz of the responsibility she felt to the plant-based community when she was a contestant on Crazy Delicious.
She was one of 30 contestants picked to try and impress chefs Heston Blumenthal, Niklas Ekstedt and presenter Carla Hall with creative home-cooked creations using ingredients from an edible set for the Channel 4 show, which aired during lockdown.
Since then, there has been an explosion in interest in veganism, largely driven by concerns about health, animal welfare and the environment, and Romina,better known as Romy, has seen her recipes gracing the pages of magazines and on TV shows, as well as writing her cookbook The Ultimate Guide to Vegan Roasts.
Sainsbury’s Future of Food report predicted that a quarter of the British population would be vegan or vegetarian by 2025 and the ‘trend’ slows no sign of slowing down.
The annual Veganuary movement, which encourages people worldwide to try vegan for the month of January and beyond, sees over a thousand new plant-based products launched to market each year (1,480 in 2025, according to the not-for-profit organisation that runs Veganury) and is the perfect time to test the water, says recipe developer and food photographer Romina.
She has been vegan for more than a decade after moving to the UK in 2012 from Aachan, on the Belgium/Germany border, where she was brought up on the meat-heavy diet that was traditional to the region.
‘My mum, who did most of the cooking at home, is Bavarian, which is even more meat-focused so the type of meals I had as a kid were about as far away from veganism as you could get,’ she explains. ‘The area where I lived had 20 different dishes, and you’d eat them on repeat.
‘I didn't really venture much outside of my comfort zone when it came to food and trying other cuisines before moving to London,” she admits. ‘But you can get pretty much anything there so that sparked a real interest in food generally for me.’
With so many options now available to her, it also meant she could become vegan – an idea she’d been toying with since childhood, following a triggering ordeal.
‘I remember when I was about 12, visiting some members of our Bavarian family, and they hunted and my dad used to go with them – not so much because he enjoyed the hunting, but he loved the silence of being in the forest,” she explains. “They brought back a deer they had shot, which they butchered and hung to bleed out and as an inquisitive – and also somewhat naïve – child, I wanted to see it. I think that’s where I made the first real connection of where meat came from.’
From that moment, she could no longer eat venison – and would even have to leave the house when her mother cooked it. She also became increasingly fussy with other meat options.
When she moved to the UK, initially working as an au pair in London but then moving out to Forge Wood in Crawley, she met a host of people who had turned vegan for a variety of reasons and made the switch overnight in 2014.
‘I remember the last thing I ate was sushi and I just thought, that’s it and threw the sushi away,’ she says. ‘I then began frantically Googling what I might be ablet to have for breakfast the following morning. I think I made banana pancakes for a month straight.’
At first Romy found it difficult to get plant-based inspiration beyond the restaurants she visited but soon started experimenting and, with a degree in photography, began taking pictures of her home-made dishes, initially posting on a blog she called Romy London, and then on Instagram.
‘I think what put me off going vegan for all those years was the idea that it would restrict my options, but for me, it’s had the opposite effect,’ Romy, 36, explains. ‘I started replicating vegan dishes that I liked eating in restaurants and that resonated with people.’
It was then, as her community of vegan-curious followers began to build on social media, that her beautifully photographed recipes piqued the interest of TV researchers, and she was asked to audition for Crazy Delicious.
As the only vegan cook on the show, Romy was really put to the test, particularly with the ‘invent a classic round’, which was based on a cheese toastie.
“It was a really fun time but quite stressful – I was just so nervous,’ she admits. ‘As a photographer, I’m used to being behind the camera, not in front of it.’
Romy’s ‘cheese’ toasty smoothie bowl sadly didn’t get her through to the final but when the programme re-aired on Netflix, she went viral.
‘I had so many messages from people who had watched the show saying how unfair it was – I essentially had to make a version of cheese, whereas the other contestants could just use cheese,’ she laughs. ‘But I met some great people and made new friends along the way.’
It also brought about a book deal, not about her vegan smoothie bowls she became famous for, but her favourite meal – the great British roast dinner.
‘It’s the meal here in the UK that meat-eaters feel they would miss the most by going plant-based so it was my mission to put roasts back on the table for vegans,’ she says.
So, what’s the key to plant-based living? Keep it simple and easy, she says.
‘Dramatic changes are too overwhelming so you’re less likely to stick to them. Try a vegan roast dinner one Sunday, or switch out breakfasts or a couple of mid-week dinners. That will give you the confidence to experiment, whether you just want to introduce more plant-based food to your diet, try Veganuary or want to turn vegan for good.’
Romy’s Veganuary dinners in under 30 minutes
Creamy One Pot Gnocchi Bake
This is a pure comfort meal and perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. It's loaded with Italian flavours and comes together in under 30 minutes, so there’s zero fuss!
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients (serves 3-4)
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 400g-tin Whole Plum Tomatoes
1 400g-tin full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 packs Mr Organic Italian Organic Gnocchi
100g fresh spinach
50-70g dairy-free cheese, freshly grated
3-4 tbsp pangrattato (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
Add the whole plum tomatoes, crushing them with a spatula to release their juices. Add the coconut milk, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Add the gnocchi straight from the pack and stir to coat in the sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook until the gnocchi are tender. This should take roughly 10-12 minutes.
Stir in the spinach until wilted, then remove from the heat and top with dairy-free cheese.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted & starts to form a golden crust.
Enjoy alongside a glass of chianti.
Butter Chickpea Curry
In this dish, the chickpea doesn’t just contribute to a hearty texture but also fuses with a medley of aromatic spices to create a luscious, velvety sauce.
Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
(serves 4)
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 large onion, finely diced
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
1 tbsp of curry powder
1 tbsp of garam masala
1 tsp of smoked paprika
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
2 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tin Chopped Tomatoes
2 tins of Chickpeas
400ml full-fat coconut milk
2 tbsp of vegan butter, softened at room temperature
2 tbsp of nutritional yeast
Salt to taste
Fresh chilli & fresh coriander for garnish (optional)
Basmati rice & homemade naan bread to serve
Method
In a large pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the finely diced onion and sauté until it becomes translucent.
Stir in the minced garlic and grated ginger, and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Add the curry powder, garam masala, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and stir well to coat the onions. Sauté for a couple of minutes to enhance the spices' fragrant flavours.
Incorporate the tomato paste into the spiced mixture, stirring it thoroughly. Continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes until the paste deepens in colour. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, stirring to combine, then let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas to the pan. Stir to blend them into the tomato mixture.
In a blender, combine the second tin of chickpeas, including the liquid from the tin, coconut milk, softened vegan butter and nutritional yeast until you get a smooth, creamy sauce.
Pour the creamy chickpea sauce into the pan with the tomato mixture, combining the two. Continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.
Season to taste with salt and garnish with fresh coriander and diced chilli, if you prefer a little heat. Serve with a side of fragrant basmati rice and fluffy naan bread.
One Pot Spaghetti Lentil Ragu with Spinach
With a flavourful blend of veggies, lentils, and pasta, this is sure to satisfy any appetite!
Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients (serves 3-4)
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 brown onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
240ml red wine
1 tin Chopped Tomatoes
1 tin Lentils, drained and rinsed
200g Spaghetti
250ml vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 large handful spinach
salt & pepper to taste
fresh basil & vegan parmesan to serve
Method
Start by sautéing the celery, onion & carrot in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add a tablespoon of tomato paste and deglaze with the red wine. Stir in a tin of chopped tomatoes and lentils.
Add the spaghetti alongside the stock, and a bay leaf. Let everything simmer together until the pasta is cooked through.
Finally, remove the bay leaf and add a large handful of spinach, then cook for a few minutes until wilted.
Season to taste with salt and pepper & serve hot garnished with fresh basil and a sprinkling of vegan parmesan cheese.
No comments:
Post a Comment