Ingredients

For the lasagne

1 pack of “tofu leaves” or equivalent (you can also use regular wheat lasagna squares)

For the rocket, basil and almond pesto

a large bunch of arugula, cleaned and blanched in boiling water for 1 minute then drained
a large handful of fresh basil, cleaned
1 garlic clove, peeled
5 tablespoons nutritional yeast (flakes)
10-11 tablespoons finely crushed almonds
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
80 ml filtered water
50 ml extra virgin olive oil

To complete

shaved almonds, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180 C. To make the pesto, process all ingredients with the help of a food processor. Once you have reached the desired consistency, set aside. Spread a little olive oil around the inside of a glass or ceramic baking pan (altrnatively, you can use parchment paper, to be placed n a regular baking pan). Put a lasagna square down first and layer on some pesto. Repeat until you have no squares left. Top with a final but thinner layer of pesto, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and bake for 15 minutes, until the top begins to get brown. Remove from oven, top with the shaved almonds and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

For the tofu

the juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons shoyu
2 tablespoons apple vinegar
half a teaspoon powdered ginger
the juice of about 6 cm fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
50 ml sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
200-250 g organic, firm tofu, cut into cubes

For the peppers

2 cm fresh ginger root, peeled and julienned
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut into halves
3 tablespoons apple vinegar
the juice of half a lemon
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
a few pinches of whole sea salt
half a red pepper, cleaned and blanched in boiling water then rinsed under cold running water and peeled
half a yellow pepper, cleaned and blanched in boiling water then rinsed under cold running water and peeled

To complete

black sesame seeds, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

In a bowl or jar mix the lemon juice, shoyu, apple vinegar, ginger powder and ginger juice, sesame oil and toasted sesame oil and maple syrup. Place the tofu cubes in a bowl, pour the marinade over, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, tossing occasionally. The longer the marinade time, the tastier the tofu. In a glass jar, combine the ginger, garlic, apple vinegar, lemon juice, rice malt syrup and salt. Cut the peppers into strips and place them in the jar. Secure with the lid and refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours. Remove the peppers from the fridge around half an hour before serving. Once the tofu has marinated, heat some marinade in a wok or large heavy-bottomed frying pan and cook the tofu over medium heat until golden on all sides. Serve the tofu and the peppers with some of the left-over tofu marinade and the sesame seeds.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

The pepper marinade can be reused at least once to marinate other peppers or different vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, radishes, zucchini -which will all pick up a peppery flavour.

Ingredients

150 g chickpeas, to be soaked in filtered water for around 9 hours then rinsed and drained
200 g soy yogurt, unsweetened, unflavoured and GMO-free
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
1 small cucumber, cleaned and diced
1 long green pepper, cleaned and diced
a large handful pf fresh parsley, cleaned and finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted then ground into powder
freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Cook the chickpeas until al dente. Rinse them under cold running water, drain well and let cool. In the meantime, combine the soy yogurt, olive oil, curry powder, turmeric and salt in a bowl and whisk until smooth. When the chickpeas are completely cold, transfer them into a sald bowl, add the cucumber, green pepper, parsley and garlic and toss. Stir in the spiced soy yogurt, add the cumin and white pepper, toss again and refrigerate. This salad is best served very cold.

Ingredients

250 g peeled potatoes
1 large zucchini, cleaned and cut into pieces
1 clove of garlic, peeled and cut into halves
2-3 cm fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons shoyu
a pinch of Himalayan salt
freshly ground white pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
200 ml unsweetened and unflavoured oat milk
150 g plain tofu
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
3 teaspoons mild curry powder
a handful of fresh basil, cleaned
a few fresh thyme sprigs, cleaned
4 teaspoons agar agar powder mixed with 100 ml unsweetened and unflavoured oat milk
50-60 g vegan ham, chopped

Makes 4 servings (or a 25 cm long terrine).

Directions

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water. In the meantime, sauté the zucchini with the garlic and ginger in the olive oil and shoyu over medium heat. Season with the salt and pepper, stir and keep cooking until the zucchini are almost soft. Remove from heat and set aside. When the potatoes are ready, drain them and transfer into the bowl of a blender. Stir the vegetable stock powder into the (200 ml) oat milk and pour the mixture over the potatoes. Add the tofu, nutritional yeast and curry powder and blend until smooth. Throw in the basil and thyme, blend again for a little while and transfer the mixture into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Simmer over low heat for around 5 minutes then add the agar agar mixture, keep cooking for another 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, add the zucchini and vegan ham, stir well and transfer into a terrine mold and let cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours. You can transfer then the terrine into the fridge until serving time or serve, sliced, at room temperature.

Ingredients

150 g vegan labneh or other vegan yogurt based cheese (see this recipe)
1 tablespoon unflavored and unsweetened soy yogurt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a handful of capers, soaked in filtered water for 15 minutes then rinsed, drained and chopped
a few fresh dill sprigs, cleaned and chopped
a pinch of whole sea salt
half a teaspoon paprika
half a teaspoon sumac

Makes one small cup.

Directions

In a bowl, combine the vegan labne and soy yogurt and blend. Add the olive oil, chopped capers and dill and mix again. Season with salt, add the paprika and sumac, stir well and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Garnish with some paprika, sumac and dill and serve.

Ingredients

a 5-6 cm piece of a leek, cleaned and finely sliced
the juice of 1 lemon
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
half a ripe but firm pear, cleaned and sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons grade C maple syrup
100 g smoked tofu, thinly sliced
a large handful of fresh baby spinach, cleaned
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
a few pomegranate kernels

Makes 2 servings. 

Directions

Place the sliced leek in a bowl, add half of the lemon juice and salt and let marinate for about 45 minutes. In another bowl, place the pear slices, add the remaining lemon juice and maple syrup and set aside for about 30 minutes. Sauté the tofu in very little olive oil until brown on both sides then remove form heat and set aside. To assemble your salad, mix the leek, pear, tofu and spinach and add some olive oil. Garnish with the pomegranate kernels and serve.

Ingredients

270 g soft, silk tofu
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
4-5 fresh chives sprigs, cleaned and finely chopped
half a teaspoon ground or powdered piment d’Espelette
the juice of 1 lemon
130 ml extra virgin olive oil

Makes 1 medium jar.

Directions

Place the tofu into the bowl of a mixer. Add salt, chives, piment d’Espelette and lemon juice and blend on medium speed. Continue to blend while slowly pouring the oil until the mixture has thickened. Transfer the mayonnaise into a bowl or jar then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Ingredients

For the crust

50 g cornmeal (GMO-free)
100 g whole wheat flour
100 g whole rice flakes’ flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
a pinch of vanilla powder
70 ml extra virgin olive oil
70 ml natural mineral or filtered water, at room temperature

Makes about  24 discs (tartlets) or 1 20-22 cm crust.

For the custard

4 tablespoons plain and unsweetened soy yogurt (GMO-free)
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
3 tablespoons raw almond butter
a pinch of whole sea salt

Makes about half a cup of custard, which is just enough to top 6-8 tartlets, 6-8 cm each.

To complete

fresh berries (I used raspberries and blueberries)
a sprinkle of powdered whole cane sugar

Directions

First, make the custard. In a bowl, mix the soy yogurt, malt syrup, almond butter and salt. Whisk until very smooth then refrigerate for about 1 hour.

When ready to make the crust, preheat the oven to 180° C. Stir the flours, salt and vanilla together in a large bowl, then add the olive oil to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork. Add the water little by little, to make a good grainy texture. You might not need all the water indicated in the recipe. As soon as the dough holds together, you don’t need any more water. Knead until you have a smooth dough. Transfer the ball of dough in a flour-dusted bowl and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.

When the dough is ready to be rolled, take it and place it on a lightly floured surface. Dust your rolling-pin with flour and roll the dough out to the desired thickness (3-4 mm), then cut out  round disc shapes using a round cookie cutter or  a cup and place the  discs on an oven tray lined with a sheet of parchment paper. Poke a few holes in the  tartlets with a fork to let the steam escape, and transfer the pan into the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until nicely golden (cooking time varies according to the thickness, as well as the oven), then remove from the oven and let cool.

Once the custard is set and the tartlets are cold, arrange them on a serving plate or tray just before serving. Spoon some custard onto each tartlet, top with the raspberries and blueberries and sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Enjoy.