EACH WEEK, WE ask a home cook about the dishes they’ve been whipping up of late. The kind of food you don’t need a recipe for, from quick snacks to empty-the-fridge dinners.
This week, Emma Phelan (@the.hungry.phelan) shared the five plant-based dishes that she can’t get enough of.
“I’ve been vegan for six months now and it has given me a much deeper insight into what and why I eat,” she says. “I originally became vegan for health benefits but with every dish I’ve made I’ve become more concerned about climate breakdown and how our diets affect this ongoing issue.”
Emma, who’s currently sitting her Leaving Cert, says cooking is a welcome escape from exams: “The past year has been jam packed with exams, revision and stress but when I’m cooking it all vanishes.”
It’s like making food is my way of coping with the Leaving Cert.
From a simple summer pasta dish to a chocolate and coconut cake, below are five of Emma’s go-to dishes…
1. American berry pancakes: There is no better way to start the day than with these bad boys! Best loaded and served with 100% peanut butter (palm oil free), soy yoghurt and frozen berries. It’s amazing how just flour, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and soy milk can be made into such a work of art! Some people think vegan food is boring, but it’s definitely not.
2. Classic banana bread: You cannot go wrong with this banana bread recipe! Breakfast, lunch or supper, this is the ideal treat for anytime of the day. It tastes great on its own or toasted with jam and vegan butter. The best way I’ve found to decorate banana bread is by adding slices of banana to the top before baking. Sometimes a sprinkle of vegan chocolate/nuts/berries gives this loaf an extra oomph in all its beauty!
3. Avocado and broccoli tagliatelle: This dish has such summer feel about it. The zesty fresh avocado sauce brings the pasta from 0 to 100 real fast! You can use any pasta shape or type really but I use tagliatelle. It’s a refreshing dish that should be devoured under the warm sun (doctor’s orders!).
4. Smokey cauliflower bites with stir-fry noodles: This Asian-inspired dish is perfect for all occasions or to spice up your midweek meals. The cauliflower is packed with flavour and is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Stir-fries are a real go to at the moment with exams as they’re so easy yet so delicious. I tend to use peanut satay sauce for my noodles and if I don’t have any I make my own using just water, peanut butter and soy sauce.
5. Chocolate and coconut cake: Filled with coconut buttercream and frozen berries, this really hits the spot after a hard week at work/school. Not only is this cake beautiful and decadent but it’s also super healthy and gluten free.
We all deserve a treat at least once a week and this comes without any guilt. If heaven was in cake form, I’m pretty sure this would be it.
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