Katy Beskow - 15 Minute Vegan Comfort Food

To Mum and Dadcontents The breeze catches my face, a coat nestled around me, the sea air is bracing yet refreshing. In times of trouble, this is where youll find me. Walking along the East Yorkshire coastline in a pair of wellies (no matter what the weather) in search of escapism, clarity and comfort. I pour a steaming hot beaker of tea from my flask, reassured that this home-brewed elixir will keep me warm. On my knee sits a white paper package, which I unwrap with anticipation and care, every layer revealing the seaside aroma of malt vinegar, rising with the steam of the chips. Some chips have skin on, others dont, but all are sprinkled with salt and vinegar.

Theyre piping hot, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Theres no elegance, nothing fancy, not even a wooden fork, but at that moment, I find comfort. Comfort food is something that will make you feel better. Whether it is an instant comfort when youre eating it, the mindful process of cooking for family or just yourself, or the nostalgia that takes you back to a happy place. Sometimes its a meal youve created, or sometimes its a bag of chips eaten at the beach. Wherever you find comfort food, sit back and enjoy it.

Vegan comfort food can be simple and effortless. You can also take comfort from the fact that your food is cruelty free, ethical and sustainable, with nobody suffering for your moments of pleasure. And those moments are important. Lets get away from the phrase guilty pleasure, as you should never feel guilty about the food youre enjoying, just enjoy the choice youve made. Having hours to spend in the kitchen is a luxury, one that should be enjoyed and fulfilled to create culinary magic! For most, including myself, this luxury is not always possible, but limited time doesnt have to mean limited creativity, and all of these recipes have been tried and tested to be on your plate in fifteen minutes or less. This is a wonderful thing at a time of need, when all you want is to be comforted by a special dish.

People often associate comfort foods with a long cooking time a misconception that also applies to vegan cooking. Finding comfort in food is personal, from the shopping process to the way you eat it. Theres nothing comforting about having to travel to lots of specialist food shops to find weird and wonderful ingredients, so youll find all the ingredients in this book are readily available at supermarkets. Ive arranged the book into five chapters: Comfort Classics, Social, Solo, Sides & Bites and Sweet. There really is something for everyone at every time, whether you are vegan or not. If youre not a confident cook, youll find these recipes easy to follow, with familiar flavour combinations.

I hope this book empowers you to create moments of comfort, no matter how little time you have. what is comfort food? Sometimes, theres just that one thing that will make you feel better after a day that has not gone according to plan. That mouthful of something humble can evoke memories of happier times, just when you need reminding. Perhaps you just deserve something nourishing, flavourful and homemade, with no good reason other than you fancy it. Comfort food makes us feel better. It can nourish more than just the body, but the mind and the soul too, which is exactly what food should be about.

Comfort food isnt simply about getting nutrition from certain foods for the sake of physical health, but enjoying the cooking and eating experience, with all the satisfying moments that make you feel happy, secure and at home, wherever you are. Everyone has their favourite comfort foods. And comfort food can be whatever you want it to be, as long as it makes you feel good. Perfectly imperfect, unpretentious and made with love are the common ingredients in all comfort foods everything else is up to you. Whether you want to eat it from your favourite bowl, from a tub on a picnic blanket or from a paper bag at the seaside, comfort food is all about tasting your food and enjoying the moment. Comfort food is often associated with autumnal and wintry foods: think casseroles and golden pastries, anything creamy and of course, sugar-coated puddings.

These may not be commonly associated with vegan food, and especially vegan food that can be prepared in fifteen minutes. It is a misconception that vegan comfort food takes hours to prepare, as without any meat, fish, eggs or dairy products there are fewer food-safety risks, and the basic ingredients can be easy and quick to cook. Embrace new ingredients (or those unopened ones at the back of your storecupboard). Its also very easy to substitute familiar products with vegan alternatives, which are now widely available and affordable. Vegan cooking is easy when you step out of the meat- and-two-veg way of thinking. Theres no limitation to what you can create, with familiar kitchen equipment and no specialist cookery skills required.

Alongside the operational ease of cooking vegan comfort food the fast, easy way, you can rest assured that the food you are eating is cruelty free. When you make the ethical decision to lead a vegan lifestyle, or create a meal that is vegan, you are making a conscious choice to be cruelty free, where no animals are exploited. Take comfort in the ethical choice youve made, alongside enjoying the delicious food youve created. An increasing number of people are choosing to lead vegan lifestyles for many different reasons, including ethical values, sustainability, reduction of food costs and environmental issues, and more people are questioning where their food comes from and the production methods used. This in turn makes cooking and eating a more mindful process, being aware of what your food is and how it makes you feel. choosing your ingredients Shopping for ingredients is the first step to creating the perfect plate of comfort food, whether you are eating alone or cooking for friends and family. choosing your ingredients Shopping for ingredients is the first step to creating the perfect plate of comfort food, whether you are eating alone or cooking for friends and family.

Choose with compassion, be tempted by what looks delicious and never be afraid to try something new. All the ingredients in this book can be found at supermarkets, so you wont have to visit multiple shops before you can start cooking. When buying any processed ingredients, do ensure they are vegan friendly by looking out for labelling or reading the ingredients list. There is a host of resources available online to help understand which ingredients, including E numbers, are from animal sources, but labelling on packaging is improving all the time to make this easier. plant-based milks, yoghurt, cream and cheese Dairy-free milk, yoghurt and cream are versatile ingredients that can be used in both savoury and sweet dishes. Many brands are ultra-heat treated (UHT), so they have a long shelf life, making them perfect to keep in your kitchen cupboard or fridge ready to create comfort food when you need it most.

There are many brands and varieties of non-dairy milks, including soya, almond, oat, cashew and hemp. Soya and almond milks are the most versatile to use in cooking, but try a few and choose your favourite. Supermarket own brand plant-based milks can be excellent quality and worth a try in your cooking, rather than splashing out on branded products. Vegan yoghurt products tend to be soya or coconut based, making them perfect to use in smooth sauces in savoury dishes, but also to add to desserts or as a simple breakfast with fruit. Unsweetened soya yoghurts are the most versatile for cooking, but look out for vanilla flavours for instant sweetness to puddings. Youll find soya and oat single cream in the chiller fridges and often UHT on the ambient shelves.