Imam Bayildi (Vegan Aubergine Recipe)

This aubergine dish, full of spices, rich tomatoes, and tender smokey aubergines is so tasty that, as legend has it, the Turkish Imam fainted with pleasure when he tried it (hence the name which translates as 'the Imam fainted'). There are hundreds of versions of this dish as it's eaten across the former Ottoman empire regions, from South East Europe to Western Asia, each region having its own influence. This recipe involves two stages of cooking your aubergine - the first step can be done however you like - in the oven, on the BBQ, or wrapped in foil among hot coals (the latter two options can create a delicious smoky flavour). For the second step, once stuffed, you just finish them off in the oven to let the flavours infuse and reduce to become thick and rich. 

This vegan Imam Bayildi recipe can take centre stage on your plate, served with some rice or fresh bread to mop up the juices, or works well as a side dish. I served mine up with some crispy sesame coated baked tofu and steamed asparagus. 

Vegan Imam Bayildi Aubergine Recipe 

Ingredients (serves two as a main or four as a side dish):

• 2 aubergines

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 white onion, finely diced

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 8 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped

• 1/2 tsp caster sugar

• handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

• pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat your oven to 180C (350F). Half your aubergines lengthways, score the flesh deeply in a diagonal pattern, then brush with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil. Pop them on a baking tray and roast (or arrange them on the BBQ) for 20-25 minutes until the flesh is browned and soft enough to scoop out. 

Now heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan and saute the onion for around 5-10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and spices, and cook for a further minute, stirring to release the oils from the spices. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper, then scoop out the flesh from the aubergines, roughly chop, and add it to the pan. Allow to simmer for around 10-15 minutes, then add the parsley.

Lay the empty aubergine halves on a baking tray, then stuff them with the tomato-onion mixture, filling them as much as you can (don't worry if some spills out). Then place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove, scatter with a little more parsley and enjoy warm or allow to cool and eat at room temperature.

Nutrition (per two aubergine halves with one cup of brown rice):

• Protein: 15.1g (Women: 30.2% / Men: 27.5%)

• Iron: 4.2mg (Women: 28.4% / Men: 48.3%)

• Calories: 569 (Women: 28.5% / Men: 22.8%)

• Sugar: 26.6g (Women: 29.6% / Men: 22.2%)

• Total Fats: 17.1g (Women: 24.4% / Men: 18.0%)

• Saturated Fat: 2.5g (Women: 12.5% / Men: 8.3%)

• Salt: 0.4g (Women: 6.7% / Men: 6,7%)

• Fibre: 28.0g (Women: 93.3% / Men: 93.3%)

See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.

Rich vegan Moroccan roasted vegetable tagine

This incredibly rich, full-flavoured vegan tagine starts life as a few humble ingredients. Other types of stews where similar ingredients are simply chucked in a pan are missing out on so much - it's the roasting of the vegetables, then the gentle simmering all together with the delicate spices in the oven that creates the richness of flavour and consistency that this tagine has in abundance (it's the same culinary chemistry principles that makes this roasted vegetable ratatouille so good). The addition of good quality Ras el Hanout is important to really make the dish stand out - it's a North African blend of spices available in most large supermarkets amongst the spices or world food sections, essential for any tagine recipe. This dish freezes really well so you can easily double-up on the ingredients and stock up some portions in your freezer for a healthy, vegan, warming pick-up on a rainy day!

Recipe note - I'm not the biggest fan of dried fruit in savoury dishes, so I've replaced dried apricots with some date syrup - this provides even more richness and a subtle touch of sweetness, without having chunks of chewy dried fruit. It's just a personal preference but feel free to use 2-3 Tbsp chopped dried apricots instead if you prefer. 

Rich Vegan Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Tagine Recipe

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2 Tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed / olive oil

• 1/2 a large butternut squash, cubed to 1-2cm pieces*

• 1 small aubergine (eggplant), cubed to 1-2cm pieces

• 4 Shallots, sliced

• 5 tsp Ras el Hanout

• 1 red onion, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 Tbsp Harissa paste

• 250ml vegan stock (reduced salt)

• 1 x 400g tin good quality chickpeas

• 2 large good quality tomatoes, roughly chopped

• 3 tsp date syrup / treacle

• Handful fresh coriander (cilantro)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 packet Oumph! vegan chunks

• To serve - cook 28g dried cous cous and 28g dried quinoa as per packet instructions then mix them together.

* I like to wash the squash and leave the skin on - it adds another texture to the dish and helps prevent the squash falling apart (which can happen if freezing and reheating)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C.

Rub the cubed butternut squash with 1 Tbsp of the oil plus 2 tsp of the Ras el Hanout, scatter on to a baking tray and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. 

Add the cubed aubergine and sliced shallots to the roasting tray, mix everything around, and roast for a further 15 minutes, until the vegetables have browned a little and are tender.

In your tagine (a casserole dish with a lid works fine), heat the other Tbsp of oil over a medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes, adding the garlic for the last 2 minutes. 

Add the remaining 3 tsp of Ras el Hanout and continue frying for a further 2 minutes to release the aromas of the spices. 

Stir in the harissa paste, then add the tomatoes, chickpeas, hot stock and seasoning. Stir in the roasted vegetables, the date syrup (or treacle), then cover with the lid and place in the oven for 20 minutes to simmer. 

Now remove the dish from the oven and add the Oumph! chunks, straight from the freezer. Stir, then cook in the oven for a further 5-10 minutes. 

This vegan tagine goes brilliantly with a 50/50 mix of couscous and quinoa. Simply cook 28g dried couscous and 28g dried quinoa as per packet instructions then mix them together. I also made some quick roasted pitta chips (simply cut up some wholewheat pittas, rub with a little olive oil and dried mixed herbs, then roast for about 10 minutes until crunchy)!

Nutrition (per serving with a portion of couscous / quinoa mix):

• Protein: 28.9g (Women: 57.8% / Men: 52.5%)

• Iron: 7.4mg (Women: 50.0% / Men: 85.1%)

• Calories: 552 (Women: 27.6% / Men: 22.1%)

• Sugars: 16.2g (Women: 18.0% / Men: 13.5%)

• Total Fats: 10.6g (Women: 15.1% / Men: 11.2%)

• Saturated Fat: 0.9g (Women: 4.5% / Men: 3.0%)

• Salt: 1.2g (Women: 20.0% / Men: 20.0%)

• Fibre: 19.9g (Women: 66.3% / Men: 66.3%)

See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.

Vegan creamy celeriac soup

The poor old celeriac - it's too often overlooked because it's gnarled, nobbly appearance scares most of us hurrying down the vegetable aisle. But when cooked right, celeriac is actually incredibly tasty, with a celery-like flavour and delicious, slightly nutty undertones. Plus it packs some impressive health benefits, including significant amounts of potassium which helps to regulate blood pressure, plus vitamin K and phosphorus, both important for bone health, and all with only about a third of the calories of potatoes (by the way, celeriac can also be mashed as a much lower calorie and more interestingly flavoured substitute for mashed potatoes).

Cooked in this soup recipe, it gives us a beautifully subtle celery-like flavour, and when blended, the celeriac helps to create an incredibly rich and creamy texture, so you'd never guess it's actually very low in calories, with only 89 calories per portion (before the bread!) It's a proper comfort-food style soup that'll cheer anyone up on a rainy day - we seem to be getting lots of those at the moment so this creamy celeriac soup should definitely come in handy.

If you like this celeriac soup then you’ll love this vegan celeriac risotto recipe - it’s easy to make but makes a really impressive dinner!

Vegan Creamy Celeriac Soup Recipe

Ingredients (makes 6 portions):

• 1 Tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 white onion, peeled and roughly diced

• 1 leek, washed and sliced

• 1 medium potato, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 medium celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1L vegetable stock

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Fresh parsley and olive oil to garnish

Method:

In a large pan, heat the rapeseed oil on a medium heat and add the onion, leek, potato, celeriac, and garlic, and fry gently for around 10 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. 

Add the vegetable stock, bring the soup up to a boil, and simmer for a further 20 minutes until the celeriac and potatoes are tender. 

Use a stick blender or tip the soup into a blender in batches and blitz until smooth. Add the salt and pepper to taste before serving up. Then garnish with some fresh parsley leaves and a little drizzle of olive oil. Goes brilliantly mopped up with fresh crusty bread... heaven! 

Nutrition (per serving + 2 slices whole wheat bread):

• Protein: 8.9g (Women: 17.8% / Men: 16.2%)

• Iron: 2.1mg (Women: 14.2% / Men: 24.1%)

• Calories: 227 (Women: 11.4% / Men: 9.1%)

• Sugars: 5.4g (Women: 6.0% / Men: 4.5%)

• Total Fats: 5.0g (Women: 7.1% / Men: 5.3%)

• Saturated Fat: 0.7g (Women: 3.5% / Men: 2.3%)

• Salt: 0.8g (Women: 13.3% / Men: 13.3%)

• Fibre: 5.6g (Women: 18.7% / Men: 18.7%)

See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.