Denise Smart - Veganeasy! Amazing Food in Just 5 Ingredients

This book is a celebration of veg and simplicity.

Vegan cooking isnt complicated, expensive or dull. You can make delicious food with just a few ingredients, often in less than 30 minutes, using everyday ingredients.

In this book, you will find over 60 quick-and-easy recipes for every mealtime, including snacks, divided into three chapters. We all love brunch and need quick, everyday breakfast ideas too, so both are covered in chapter 1 ().

Every recipe uses five ingredients mostly fresh or perhaps a herb or spice to liven things up. On top of these, there are five basic ingredients that recur throughout the book. They are inexpensive and essential cupboard items, so get these in your kitchen ahead of time and you will be ready to make fast, tasty, vegan meals any time of day.

The recipes will hopefully inspire you to go on and create recipes of your own. Whether you are a committed vegan or someone who wants to eat the occasional vegan meal, I hope you will find this book useful.

So lets get started

Youll find these five basics used throughout this book in addition to the five ingredients listed in the recipes. Youll probably already have most of them to hand they are ingredients that you only need to buy once in a while but will keep for weeks. If you have these staples stored in your fridge or cupboard the world is your oyster.

A mild-flavoured olive oil is great for cooking and can also be used in salad dressings and for drizzling over foods. You could stock up on an extra virgin olive oil too, if you wanted, but its not essential. Extra virgin olive oil adds excellent extra flavour to dressings and dishes, but dont use it for cooking.

Use this oil for shallow- or deep-frying. It can also be used in baking.

Used throughout the book to season dishes to taste. Choose a good-quality sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Again, choose good-quality stock cubes. They are a clever way to pack more flavour into your cooking. Check labels as some vegetable stock cubes contain milk derivatives.

You can usually find vegan plant milks in the chiller cabinet and on the shelves in shops. The non-chilled milks tend to be a bit cheaper, but taste exactly the same as the refrigerated ones. Keep a plant milk on hand in your cupboard or in the fridge. Choose unsweetened check the label for sneaky additions. Fortified ones are a good source of calcium and vitamins B2, B12 and D. In general, they can be used interchangeably in cooking, so it is all down to the flavour you prefer. In the book, youll see recommendations for milks that work particularly well in recipes, but if you have another milk to hand, use that instead.

Made from soya beans, this has a very subtle flavour.

Made by blending almonds with water. Good for cooking or pouring on cereals, it has a mild nutty flavour.

Adds a tropical flavour. The taste is stronger than other milks and coconut milk typically has a higher fat content. Great as a drink in its own right.

Cans of precooked beans and pulses in water are a great time-saver and a good source of protein and fibre. Kidney beans, black beans, green lentils and chickpeas are great ones to have in the cupboard. Save the liquid from cans of chickpeas to make meringues or to thicken sauces. Choose cans with no added salt.

Add seasoned cans of tomatoes to recipes for an additional quick flavour boost herb, garlic and chilli are all excellent.

Eat a rainbow a day, shop regularly to avoid waste and choose seasonal and home-grown options (to reduce air miles) wherever you can seasonal and local tend to be cheaper than imported fruit and veg too. Good basics to have are onions, potatoes, carrots and coloured peppers.

Instant flavour providers with minimal hassle try customising the recipes here with harissa, Thai curry, Indian, jerk, chipotle, Moroccan, sundried tomato, olive tapenade and free-from pesto. If using pastes, remember to check the label to ensure they are vegan (some contain milk powder or fish sauce).

Perfect for adding crunch and texture and a good source of fatty acids, protein and fibre. Make your own nut butters using peanuts, cashews or almonds. Sprinkle a handful of seeds or nuts over your breakfast, soups or salads. Packs of mixed seeds make a great snack. Milled flaxseeds, mixed with water, can be added to cakes in place of eggs.

Most dried varieties of pasta are suitable for vegans, but there are now vegan varieties of fresh pasta and gnocchi too. Rice noodles and many other varieties of noodles are vegan-friendly, but check the label. You can also make your own vegetable noodles, such as with courgette, if you want to pack more veg in.

Save time with ready-made vegan shortcrust, puff or filo pastry, which are all readily available.

I like to keep a selection of brown, jasmine, basmati, risotto and pudding rice in my kitchen. Not just an accompaniment, rice easily absorbs other flavours to make a delicious main in its own right. For grains, try buckwheat and quinoa (both technically seeds), couscous, spelt, barley and freekah. The packs of microwave grains and rice make a meal in minutes and are a good way of trying different grains.

There are many delicious vegan spreads to enjoy on your toast and to cook and bake with. Make sure, when baking, that you use a vegan spread that is marked suitable for baking, otherwise the recipe might not work.

Bean curd, or tofu, is derived from soya. It is made by curdling fresh soya milk, pressing it into a solid block and then cooling it. An excellent source of protein, tofu is a versatile ingredient.

Vegan plant-based yoghurt is available in many varieties, but plain, vanilla and coconut are common ones. Eat with cereal, pancakes and puddings. Also great to stir into sauces for added richness. As with vegan milks, find your favourite.