The Charcoalblue Cookbook: Plant-based Edition

Plant-based Dishes

Clean Food Dirty Girl (Blog)

Michelle Gunn | Associate Director CBX, The Bay Area

A selection of plant-based recipes from the blog Clean Food Dirty Girl

Clean Food Dirty Girl help people eat more plants while celebrating human imperfection.

Eggless Egg Salad

This Eggless Egg Salad has everything you love about traditional egg salad—a yummy texture, crisp veggies, and luscious creaminess—without any of the drawbacks.

Click here for the full ingredients list and recipe!

Classic Plant Based Potato Salad

Made with a delectably seasoned creamy sauce, and a whole lotta love, this take on a classic potato one of our most popular plant based recipes ever, beloved by omnis, judgmental in-laws, kids, and coworkers alike.

Click here for the full ingredients list and recipe!

African Peanut Stew

Peanut soup is a popular West African dish sometimes called Nkate, Nkawan, or Maafe. We introduced our whole food plant based interpretation of African Peanut Stew in 2017 and since then, it’s been an all-time favorite of our community.

It’s gluten-free, omnivores love it, kids love it, picky mothers-in-law love it, and you’ll love it, too. Have a peanut allergy? Don’t worry, we got you. We don’t think a peanut allergy should keep you or your loved ones from enjoying this African Peanut Stew, AKA possibly the most delicious soup in the world, so we’ve got you covered with three substitution options that we recommend. Choose whichever works best for your situation and budget.

You can serve your stew immediately with a few chopped peanuts on top or you can let it cool, store it in the fridge, and serve reheated the next day. The flavors will continue to meld and the stew will thicken as it cools. It only gets better.

Click here for the full ingredients list and recipe!

Dhal with Crispy Sweet Potato and Quick Coconut Chutney

Jenni Harris | Director TC EMEA, Charcoalblue London

Serves Four

This dhal is from Anna Jones. Anna believes that vegetables should be put at the centre of every table, and is led by the joy of food and its ability to affect change in our daily lives.

Ingredients

FOR THE SWEET POTATOES

2 sweet potatoes, skins on, washed and roughly chopped into 1.5cm cubes

1 tsp cumin seeds

1⁄2 tsp fennel seeds

FOR THE DHAL

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

A thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

200g red lentils

1 × 400ml tin of coconut milk

400ml vegetable stock

2 large handfuls of spinach

A bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped, stalks and all

Juice of 1 lemon

FOR THE COCONUT CHUTNEY

50g unsweetened desiccated coconut

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

10 curry leaves

20g piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 red chilli, finely chopped

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Pour 150ml of boiling water over the coconut and leave to soak. Put your sweet potatoes on a roasting tray and add a good pinch of salt and pepper, the cumin and fennel seeds and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast in the oven for 20–25 minutes, until soft and sweet in the middle and crispy brown on the outside. In a large saucepan, sizzle the garlic, ginger, chilli and red onion in a little oil for about 10 minutes, until soft and sweet. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar, then add to the pan with the other spices and cook for a couple of minutes to toast and release the oils. Add the lentils, coconut milk and stock to the pan and bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down and bubble away for 25–30 minutes.

While that is cooking make your chutney. Drain the coconut and put it into a bowl. Fry the mustard seeds and curry leaves in a little oil until they begin to crackle, then pour the mixture over the coconut. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the ginger and chilli and give it a good mix. To finish your dhal, take it off the heat, then stir in the spinach and allow it to wilt a little, stirring in half the chopped coriander and the lemon juice too. Pile into bowls and top with the crispy sweet potatoes, spoonfuls of the coconut chutney and the remaining coriander.

Creamy Cashew & Tofu Curry

Sian Thompson | HR Manager EMEA, Charcoalblue London

Serves Four

Thai-style curries always seem to go down well and this one is low on carbs and high in flavour. If you don't like tofu, try Quorn pieces instead.

Ingredients

2tbsp coconut or rapeseed oil

1 medium aubergine (around 225g), cut into roughly 2cm chunks

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 12 wedges

350g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into roughly 2cm chunks

4tbsp Thai red or green curry paste*
*please note, some curry pastes contain fish sauce

1 x 400ml tin of full-fat coconut milk

100g cashew nuts, roughly chopped

1 large pepper (any colour), deseeded and cut into roughly 2cm chunks

20g fresh coriander, leaves roughly chopped

280g firm or extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 2cm cubes

300g cauliflower rice (optional)

Instructions

Heat 1tbsp of oil in a large, deep frying pan or shallow casserole dish over a high heat. Add the aubergine and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.
Reduce the heat, add the remaining oil, onion and squash to the pan and fry gently for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the curry paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the coconut milk, half the nuts, the pepper and 100ml of water.
Season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Cover the pan loosely with a lid, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir the aubergine and half of the chopped coriander into the pan and return to a simmer.
Add the tofu, cover and cook for a further 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the aubergine is softened and the tofu hot. Add a splash more water if the curry reduces too much.
Sprinkle the reserved coriander and cashew nuts over the dish, and serve with freshly cooked cauliflower rice on the side, if using.

Aubergine and Tomato Confit

Gabe Weisberg | Project Manager CBX, The Bay Area

Serves Four

Whenever I travel, I like to take a cooking class and I highly recommend that you do it as well. The last time I was in Paris, my wife and I took a class with a chef who had owned a number of restaurants throughout France and had recently retired in Paris. When I say she lived in Paris, I mean that her house was 200 feet from Sacré-Coeur! It was magical to cook a meal in that home as you had a panoramic view of Paris from the top of the hill! This recipe is about as French as it could get, we’ll take something healthy and smother it in fat and make it taste amazing but you also feel like you are eating something akin to a salad. This is one of those meals that takes me back to that place. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do, and please let me know if you make it!

Ingredients

2 aubergine

4 tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

1.5 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

30 seeds of coriander

2 Bay leaves

Salt (fleur de sel is non-negotiable here)

3 tbsp orange blossom or lavender honey (or regular honey, if you're not feeling bougie today)

Instructions

Preheat the oven at 275 degrees F. In a deep sheet pan mix together the honey, coriander seeds, bay leaves and half of the olive oil.
Slice the aubergine and tomatoes into ¼” slices. A mandolin makes quick work of this.
Finely mince the garlic gloves.
Layer the slices of aubergine and tomato, alternating, while standing them up in rows in the sheet pan. Think of an oreo container, damn, now I want oreos.
Add minced garlic and salt to the top of the tomato and aubergine.
Pour the remaining olive oil over the mixture and bake for 75 minutes.
Once the vegetables are cooked, remove them and place in a container.
In the dish where vegetables were cooked, add the balsamic vinegar. Mix and pour on the vegetables.
Serve chilled, a minimum of 2 days after, and a maximum of 2 weeks after it was cooked.

Noodles with Coconut + Greens

Christian Wallace | Senior Consultant TC EMEA + Environmental Coordinator, Charcoalblue London

Serves Four

This is a wonderfully warming vegan recipe.

Again by my favourite chef Nigel Slater who writes so beautifully I’ve actually read his recipe books like a novel! This recipe is warming and moreish, I love it!

Ingredients

FOR THE PASTE
50g ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 small red chillies
2 large stalks lemongrass
3 spring onions, chopped
3 tsp turmeric
40g fresh coriander, leaves and stems
2 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil

FOR THE SOUP
3 large shallots
3 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil
500ml vegetable stock
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
4 makrut lime leaves
150g thin noodles
190g assorted greens, such as chard and spinach
8g mint leaves
10 coriander leaves

Instructions

Make the spice paste: peel and roughly chop the ginger, then put it into the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic, chillies (minus their stalks), lemongrass (outer leaves discarded, the rest roughly chopped), and the spring onions and turmeric. Process for a few seconds, then add the coriander and the vegetable oil. Process for a few seconds to a coarse paste, scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula, then process briefly again. If the mixture refuses to soften to a paste, add a tablespoon of water.
For the soup, peel the shallots and slice them in half lengthways. Warm the oil in a large casserole over a moderate heat, then add the shallots, cut side down together with a tablespoon of water, and let them cook for about 10 minutes, covered with a lid. Turn them from time to time and cook until almost tender. Add the spice paste and fry with the shallots for a couple of minutes, then add the stock, coconut milk and lime leaves. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
Put the kettle on. Put the noodles in a large heatproof jug or a large bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Meanwhile, wash and trim the chard and spinach, then cut the stalks into fine shreds and add to the soup. Place the leaves on top of one another, roll up tightly and shred with a kitchen knife. As soon as the stalks are tender add the leaves, then the mint and coriander leaves.
Drain the noodles, then use kitchen tongs to transfer them to four warm bowls. Ladle the sauce over the noodles and serve.

Brussel Sprouts in Maple Bourbon Sauce

Josh Loar | Senior Consultant / Blue Team Principal, Charcoalblue Chicago

Serves Six | Prep time: 15mins | Cook time: 30mins

This amazing side-dish could be a meal in itself! Even folks who don't like Brussel sprouts RAVE about this recipe!

Ingredients

2 lbs Brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved

½ cup candied pecans, chopped

2 oz bourbon

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. On a foil-lined baking sheet, place Brussel sprouts, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine and flatten into an even layer.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crispy, turning halfway through.
In a skillet, over medium-high heat, add the bourbon and balsamic vinegar. Stir the sauce.
Bring the bourbon to a boil and then add the maple syrup and brown sugar, stirring constantly until sauce begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and add in the cooked Brussel sprouts, and candied pecans. Stir to combine and serve.

Ellie's Caramelized Onion Tart

Ellie Kneissl | Project Manager CBX, New York

Ingredients

Olive oil
Sugar
Sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar, or red wine
Good fruit preserves or fresh figs (I usually use peach or blackberry)
Honey
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 small sprig of rosemary
¼ cup oat milk
1 tbsp flour
1 sheet prepared puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm's is vegan)
2 oz vegan cheese (Tree Line or other cashew cheese)

Instructions

Using a large pan or skillet, heat the oil over low heat. I like to use a cast iron pan, but any large, heavy pan will do.
Add the sliced onion, sugar and rosemary. Cook the onions until they are a rich golden brown, stirring occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. This can take from 30 to 45 minutes depending on heat level and how thinly you sliced the onions.
Add the vinegar or wine using it to scrape up any browned or burnt bits from the pan. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the oat milk and flour together until smooth. Pour the mixture over the onions and mix it all together well.
Dust your countertop lightly with flour and roll out your puff pastry to roughly 10 inches by 14 inches and place it gently onto the baking sheet.
Scoop your onion mixture onto the pastry and use a fork to spread it out evenly, leaving a border of about 3/4”-1”.
Place dollops of your fruit preserves or fig slices and ‘cheese’ evenly around the onion mixture.
Gently fold the edges of the pastry up to form a lip and brush with the leftover drippings from the onion mixture.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed.
Drizzle lightly with honey and serve!

Quick Pasta + Chickpeas

Hellena Schiavo | Event Space Design Manager CBX, Los Angeles

Serves Two | Prep + Cook time: 20mins

Pasta e ceci (pasta and chickpeas) is one of Rome’s most iconic dishes, the only dish so essential that it shows up on both Tuesdays and Fridays on the informal meal calendar. Granof’s version has 5 ingredients, I bet every single one is in your pantry right now, and takes 20 minutes, which is why there’s no making it just once. We all need more 20-minute dinner magic in our lives!

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (from one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
½ cup uncooked ditalini pasta
2 cups water
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

Instructions

In a medium-large heavy-bottomed pot or deep sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until it shimmers.
Add 2 smashed cloves of garlic and cook, stirring until it becomes lightly, barely browned but very fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste, salt, and pepper and cook them with the garlic for 30 seconds or so.
Add the chickpeas, pasta, and boiling water.
Stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, lower the heat, and simmer until the pasta is cooked and a lot of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning and ladle into bowls.
Make finishing oil: Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small sauce- or frying pan over medium-low heat with remaining clove of garlic, rosemary, a pinch or two of salt and pepper flakes, until sizzling; pull it off the heat as soon as the garlic is going to start taking on color. Drizzle this over bowls of pasta e ceci and eat it right away.

Mushroom, Sun-dried Tomato + Rice Burger

Vicky Crocker | Business Development Coordinator, Charcoalblue London

Serves Eight | Prep time: 15mins | Cook time: 35mins

This is a great base recipe that you can tweak to your heart's content. It uses brown rice as a binder in the burger to give it firmness and texture and soak up any excess liquid. Too many veggie burgers are just mush in a bun!

Ingredients

200g organic short grain brown rice

375ml water

200g white mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, diced

30g basil, finely sliced (including stalks)

50g sun-dried tomatoes, soaked and roughly chopped

40g fresh coriander, leaves and stems

2 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil

Instructions

Rinse the rice, then transfer it to a large pot with a lid (one that does not have holes in) and pour in the water. This is deliberately slightly less than you would normally use, to give the rice some bite and ensure it can absorb any excess liquid from the mushrooms.
Bring the water to the boil, stir the rice and then reduce the heat to a minimum with the lid on. After about 15mins, stir the rice again and check to see how far the rice is from being done. Once the water has evaporated, stir once again, turn off the heat, put the lid back on and leave for another 5mins. We're aiming for the rice to be just undercooked, with a definite bite.
While the rice is steaming, heat some oil in a wide frying pan. Add the sliced mushrooms, basil stalks and onion and spread them out to cover the base of the pan evenly. Fry on a medium to high heat, stirring occasionally, until all the water has evaporated from the mushrooms and the mixture is starting to brown and stick to the pan. Scrape this brown sticky stuff from the pan with a wooden spoon: it's full of flavour.
Stir the mushroom mixture into the rice along with the sun-dried tomatoes and basil leaves. Season the burger mix with a generous amount of salt and pepper, then transfer it to a food processor and blend until coarse. You should be able to just make out the rice grains, so do not over-blend to a puree but if it is too coarse and the rice grains are whole, the burgers will not hold together as well.
For best results, put the blended burger mix in the fridge and leave to chill for an hour. Roll the burger mix into 100g balls before pressing them into patties, then fry each burger on a medium heat.
To serve the burgers, serve on a bun of your choice (can be gluten free), some vegan mayonnaise and chilli sauce, then add your choice of salad and cashew cheese. Enjoy!

Mushroom, Tahini & Harissa Spaghetti

Emma Savage | Senior Consultant TC EMEA, Charcoalblue Bristol

Serves Four-Six

In this dish the mushrooms are blitzed to a minced-meat consistency so it's easy to forget they are the key ingredient. This full-bodied, gratifying noodle dish draws inspiration from the dan dan noodles of the Sichuan province of China. You can make it as a dry noodle dish, or simply add water or milk to make it more of a soup.

Ingredients

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 kg chestnut mushrooms

6 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

4 tbsp light soy sauce

3 tbsp rose harissa

2 tbsp tahini

1 lt boiling water

400g spaghetti, cooked according to the packet instructions

1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced diagonally from root to tip

1 small packet (about 30g) of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Sesame seeds

Instructions

Toast the sesame seeds and chilli flakes in a small, dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until they release their aroma. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Put the mushrooms into a bowl of a food processor and pulse until roughly blitzed, ensuring not to over-process. Alternatively, chop the mushrooms finely by had.
Heat a wok or large saucepan over a high heat. Add the chopped mushrooms to the dry pan and fry for 5-6 minutes, or until they have released some moisture and are nicely browned. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, then add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes, or until it is translucent.
Add the cinnamon, cumin and pepper to the pan and fry for 2 minutes. Now mix in the soy sauce, harissa and tahini. Stir in the boiling water as desired (and milk, if using), depending on whether you want just enough sauce to coat all the noodles, or more of a soup. Season with salt and extra soy sauce to taste, then increase the heat and bring to the boil.
Stir in the cooked noodles, spring onion and coriander, and as soon as the noodles have heated through, serve with the toasted sesame seeds and chilli flakes sprinkled on top.

Hummus Sandwiches

Becky McAuley | HR Coordinator Americas, Charcoalblue New York

Hummus sandwiches are a go-to on days I need a quick lunch. They can be can be as basic as you wish, or augmented accordingly!

Ingredients

Your favorite hummus
2 slices of whole wheat bread, or
1 flatbread
Americas recommendation: Toufayan flatbread

Optional Additions:
Tomato or grape tomatoes
Container or vegan pesto
NY Metro Area recommendation: Gotham Greens Vegan Pesto, or St. X Vegan Basil Pesto
If you want to to get really fancy:
Leftover falafel (my dad makes his own, I do not!)
MorningStar Farms Chik'n Nuggets, etc

Alison Roman's Chickpea Stew

Joe Schermoly | Consultant Americas, Charcoalblue Chicago

This is #thestew, Alison Roman’s internet-famous recipe, as delicious as it is beautiful. Spiced chickpeas are crisped in olive oil, then simmered in a garlicky coconut milk for an incredibly creamy, basically-good-for-you dinner that evokes South Indian chickpea stews and some stews found in parts of the Caribbean. While the chickpeas alone would be good as a side dish, they are further simmered with stock, bolstered with dark, leafy greens of your choosing and finished with a handful of fresh mint.

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped

1 ½ tsp ground turmeric, plus more for serving

1 tsp red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 (15-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk

2 cups vegetable stock

1 bunch Swiss chard, kale or collard greens, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces

1 cup mint leaves, for serving

Toasted pita, lavash or other flatbread, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey!
Add greens and stir, making sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.
Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you'd like.

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Joe Schermoly | Consultant Americas, Charcoalblue Chicago

This vegan butternut squash mac and cheese is rich, creamy and super cheesy! It’s also so easy to make and the perfect comfort food.

Ingredients

450g Macaroni pasta
Fresh Chopped Parsley

FOR THE ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

750g butternut squash, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garlic, crushed

½ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

FOR THE CASHEW CHEESE SAUCE

150g raw cashews

3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice

480ml vegetable stock

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
Add peeled and cubed butternut squash to a mixing bowl along with olive oil, crushed garlic, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and toss together well.
Spread it out evenly in a roasting pan or on a parchment lined baking tray and roast in the oven for 35 minutes until roasted.
While butternut squash is roasting, add raw cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, dijon mustard, lemon juice and 1 cup of vegetable stock to the blender jug and blend until smooth. Set aside.
15 minutes before the butternut is finished roasting, cook and drain your pasta.
When the butternut squash has roasted, add it to the blender jug on top of your cashew cheese sauce. Add in the remaining cup of vegetable stock and blend until you have a smooth sauce.
Return the cooked pasta to the pot, pour over the sauce and gently toss it together until the pasta is well coated. Stir over low to medium heat for a few minutes to gently warm everything together.
Serve topped with fresh chopped parsley and ground black pepper.

Baked Dhal with Tamarind-Glazed Sweet Potato

Jamie McIntyre | Consultant EMEA, Charcoalblue London

This is one of my favourite plant-based recipes, it’s yummy and only requires one pot!

Anna Jones:
In every book I write there is a recipe that I love a little more than the rest. I don’t feel good about it. Kind of like having a favourite child, no one wants to admit it. And this is it. Turmeric, cardamom and ginger- heavy dhal, topped with tamarind-glazed sweet potato, the stuff of my dreams. Luckily, I only have one actual child.

Jamie:
Minor adjustments we have made to the recipe are:

• 500ml of stock (instead of 750ml)

• One large sweet potato (instead of 750g)

• Brush the sweet potato with the tamarind paste before placing them on top of the lentils (much easier than after!)

Click here for the full ingredients list and recipe!

Vegan Tofu Lasagne

Holly Burnell | Senior Project Manager CBX, New York

Ingredients

1 white onion, chopped
1 head of garlic, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 pkg tofu
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
2 jars pasta sauce – or make your own
1 box lasagna noodles (the hard ones)
8 oz spinach
2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400ºF. Drain the tofu and leave wrapped in paper towels to dry it out.
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook until their liquid is released. Move them to a large bowl.
Sauté the broccoli, pepper and carrot for 5 minutes and add them to the bowl with the mushrooms. Break up the tofu and add it into the veggie bowl then add spices and stir to combine.
To assemble, cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish with a layer of sauce then add one layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with another layer of sauce and spread the veggie mix over that. Cover with another layer of noodles followed by sauce.
Add the spinach and cover it with mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, a final layer of noodles and more sauce on top. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil, add sauce if it appears dry and cook for another 15 minutes. The flavor is best if it is made ahead of time, a day or two before serving.

Orecchiette with Sweetcorn & Green Chilli

Helena Jack | Consultant Australasia, Charcoalblue Melbourne

Serves Four

This recipe is from a wonderful cookbook by Anna Jones’s (‘One pot, pan, planet’) which I keep talking about. This recipe is a perfect weekday dinner – quick, easy, tasty, relatively healthy, and virtually no washing up after! I like to also give it a dash of MAGGI seasoning at the end for extra oomph!

Ingredients

250g rainbow or Swiss chard, stalks and leaves separated

3 green chillies, finely chopped

400g orecchiette or other small dried pasta

250g vegan ricotta-style cheese (I like the Tofutti brand)

350g frozen sweetcorn kernels or the kernels from 2-3 corn on the cob

The zest and juice of an unwaxed lemon

A large bunch of basil, leaves picked

Instructions

Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Finely chop the stalks and shred the leaves of the chard and finely chop your chillies. If you are using frozen corn, put it into a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions or until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the corn (drained if using frozen) and a good pinch of smoked salt or sea salt and black pepper. Cook for 4-5mins (a few mins longer if you are using frozen) until the kernels are tender and beginning to brown.
Next, add the chard stalks and cook for a few mins more, before adding the leaves and the chillies. Cook for a further 4-5mins, until the leaves have wilted.
Drain the pasta once it is cooked, reserving a large mugful of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the frying pan with half the ricotta and half the reserved pasta water and mix well. Turn off the heat, then add the lemon zest and juice. Toss, then, if need be, add more cooking water, so you end up with a silky sauce that coast each piece of pasta.
Toss through most of the basil. Spoon the pasta into bowls, spoon the rest of the ricotta on top and finish with the last of the basil leaves.

Korean Fried Tofu

Milo Fox | Consultant Acoustics, Charcoalblue London

Serves Two

This is my attempt to recreate a personal favourite from The Japanese Canteen: Their Korean Fried Tofu. I’ve combined and adjusted a few other recipes to get here – quantities are usually slightly eyeballed so please feel free to taste and alter as you go! A big part of the flavour is from the gochujang so this might not be for you if you don’t like spice at all, but ratios are adjustable depending on your spice preference.

Ingredients

FOR THE TOFU

1 block firm tofu (definitely works with super firm, but I prefer firm – you can always press less firm tofu as well)

Cornflour

Vegetable oil (enough to shallow fry – you can cool, strain, and save for next time)

1.5 tbsp gochujang

3 tbsp ketchup

1.5 tsp soy sauce (tamari if you have it)

1 tsp honey/agave/maple

1 tsp sesame oil

1 clove minced garlic

FOR THE SLAW

1 carrot, peeled and sliced thinly (think julienne)

¼ white cabbage, peel outer leaves off and slice thinly

1 spring onion, sliced into small chunks (or whatever you have to hand – radishes work well)

1.5 Tbsp soy sauce

1.5 tsp honey/agave/maple

1 small garlic clove, peeled and lightly smashed (under the flat side of a knife and give it a hit)

2 tsp ginger (approx.), peeled and lightly smashed

1.5 tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1.5 tbsp sesame oil

1.5 tbsp vegetable oil

FOR SERVING

Cooked medium grain rice, such as sushi rice (wash well beforehand to get that good texture)

Sesame seeds & spring onion to garnish

Instructions

Combine the marinade ingredients for the slaw, coat your chopped vegetables with it in a bowl, and allow to sit for ideally at least 1+ hours (can be made the day before). I keep the garlic and ginger big enough to fish out before eating, but you can always mince these instead. Stir the mixture every now and then to make sure everything's well coated.
Mix together all the ingredients for the tofu sauce (gochujang, ketchup, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and minced garlic)
Cut your tofu into chunks – 1.0x1.0x0.5 inch cooks well but has a nice bite to it. Pat dry with kitchen towel.
Toss the tofu in cornflour in a bowl, making sure it’s coated on all sides.
Bring your oil to a medium heat. Try to use a wide pan to accommodate quite a bit of tofu in one go (and never fill oil higher than halfway up your pan – it’ll rise when you add anything you’re cooking!).
If your pan is only wide enough to do the tofu in two batches, now is a good time to put your rice on (if not, let the rice start a bit before heating the oil).
Test your oil temperature – the end of a wooden spoon should bubble (but not violently) when placed in the oil, or likewise for the corner of a test piece of tofu.
Place as much tofu in the pan as you can, wide side down, without letting pieces touch (they’ll stick initially) – I usually do the whole thing in two batches.
After a minute or so, move the tofu a little so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Once lightly browned/crisped up underneath, turn the pieces over (chopsticks or tongs work great for this).
Once there is some colour on both sides, remove and put straight into a bowl lined with kitchen towel.
Heat the sauce in a small pan over a medium-low heat until it starts to bubble, then take off the heat; Stir as it’s heating so it doesn’t stick.
Once the tofu is all cooked, toss in a bowl with the sauce.
Plate up – rice, tofu, slaw, and any additional garnishes you’d like (sesame, spring onion, coriander).

CJ's Daiquiri in a Jam Jar

Catherine Jones | Training & Development Manager, Charcoalblue London

Ingredients

50ml white rum

25ml lime juice

10ml sugar syrup

Copious ice

Instructions

Make a sugar syrup by gently dissolving caster sugar with some water, on the hob. Leave to cool in a fridge.
Hours later. Slosh the rum and dribble the sugar syrup over ice in an empty jam jar. (Sustainable).
Cut the lime and avoid your fingers.
Squeeze lime into jam jar. If you have cut your fingers in step 3, this will sting.
Shake it like a polaroid picture. Make sure the lid is on first.
Decant into chalice of your choice and imagine you are on a beach.

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