‘Vegan One-Pot Wonders’: Recipes from satay noodles to warm chickpea salad

Cooking without animal products should never be an obstacle. Here, Jessica Prescott shows how easy it can be with these inspirational dishes

Use your noodle: a nice satay udon dish (Bec Hudson)

This is a household favourite that comes together in minutes once you’ve got your water boiling. If you aren’t familiar with kaffir lime leaves, don’t be put off by their inclusion in this recipe. They are easier to find than you think and once you’ve tried them you’ll want to use them in everything.

There are very rarely any leftovers for this dish, but if there are they are delicious both hot and cold. Of course, substitute the udon or soba noodles for any noodles you like; however, thick are better, as they hold the heavy ingredients more easily.

Serves 2-4

270g soba (buckwheat) or udon noodles

200g shelled frozen edamame, thawed

200g baby spinach

1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander, plus extra to garnish (optional)

5 fresh kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced

Fresh chilli, thinly sliced, to garnish

For the satay sauce

125g smooth peanut butter

60ml tamari

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon tamarind paste

100ml warm water

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, make the satay sauce by combining the peanut butter, tamari, maple syrup and tamarind paste in a small bowl.

Add the warm water and stir. It should be thick but slightly runny. If it seems too thick, add more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached (the amount of water you need will depend on the consistency of your peanut butter). Set aside.

Once the water is boiling, add the noodles and cook according to the packet instructions. Add the thawed edamame for the final minute and the spinach for the final 30 seconds. Drain in a colander and shake to remove excess water.

Return the noodles, edamame and spinach to the pan and add the dressing, diced avocado, sesame seeds, coriander and kaffir lime leaves. Toss to combine then serve in bowls, garnished with fresh chilli and additional coriander, if you’re a fan.

TIP: You can make the sauce ahead of time and it will keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Warm Chickpea Salad

Always a crowd pleaser, this salad is inspired by fatteh - one of my favourite Middle Eastern dishes.

Serves 4-6

For the roasted chickpeas

2 x 400g tins chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed

60ml olive oil

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

2 Lebanese flatbreads, torn into bite-size pieces

Handful of flaked almonds

Olive oil spray (optional)

For the rest of the salad

2-3 handfuls of greens such as rocket, spinach or baby kale

1 cucumber, sliced into 2mm-thick rounds

1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced

Large handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Large handful of fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

For the dressing

125g coconut yoghurt

140g tahini

60 ml water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Juice of 1 lemon

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

Preheat the oven to 200C (400F/gas 7). Put the chickpeas in a deep baking tray and pat them dry with a clean tea towel. 

Drizzle with the olive oil then sprinkle with the spices, onion powder, garlic powder and salt and use a spoon to stir and get all the chickpeas nicely covered in oily, spicy goodness. Place in the hot oven and roast for 30 minutes, giving the chickpeas a stir about halfway through cooking.

While the chickpeas are in the oven, make the dressing. Place all the ingredients in a small bowl or screw-top jar and stir or shake until well combined. Add more water if you need to, to get it to a pourable consistency. Taste and adjust the salt and maple syrup if necessary, then set aside.

Add the flatbread and almonds to the baking dish (spraying the flatbread with oil if you like), and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the bread is lightly golden and crispy.

Remove the chickpeas and flatbread from the oven and allow to sit for a few minutes then loosen from the bottom of the dish using a spatula. Just before you are ready to eat, top the chickpeas and flatbread with leafy greens, cucumber slices, diced avocado, mint and parsley. Enjoy immediately,with a generous drizzle of dressing. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Just before you are ready to eat, top the chickpeas and flatbread with leafy greens, cucumber slices, diced avocado, mint and parsley. Enjoy immediately with a generous drizzle of dressing. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Pumpkin, spinach and sundried tomato risotto

This is a recipe from my Berlin dinner party days, which makes it surprising that it never made it into one of my earlier cookbooks. Yet here we are, and I am so glad I waited.

Serves 4-6

Generous glug of olive oil

1 onion, diced

About 500g pumpkin, seeded, and flesh cut into 1 cm pieces (leave skin on if possible)

1 litre veggie stock or vegan “chicken” stock

300g arborio rice

3-5 garlic cloves, finely minced

100ml white wine

3-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon salt

A good handful of sundried tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces

A good few handfuls of baby

Spinach (about 150 g/5oz)  

As much fresh basil as you can get your hands on

Lots of freshly cracked black pepper

Dried chilli flakes to taste (optional) 

Generous handful of toasted pine nuts, lightly crushed in a pestle and mortar

Boil a kettle full of water and measure out your vegetable stock in a heatproof jug so that you have the hot stock ready to go.

Once the onion and pumpkin have been cooking for 20 minutes, add the rice and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, for another 3-5 minutes, using your wooden spoon to shift any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.  

Add a cup of hot stock and stir, stir, stir. It is recommended to allow each cup of stock to be absorbed by the rice before adding more, but I have cheated in the past and added all of it so I could join dinner guests in the living room and it was fine. I just made sure everyone knew to give it a stir when walking past. Now that I have kids, it’s much the same, and if I’m worried that too much liquid will be absorbed before I can get back to the hob and add the next lot, I plonk it all in and give it a good stir whenever I can. If it’s spluttering too much, reduce the heat to medium.

After about 30 minutes, the rice should be cooked, the liquid should have all been absorbed, and the pumpkin should be mushy with some chunks remaining.

Remove from the heat and add the nutritional yeast, salt, sundried tomatoes, spinach and half the basil and stir until the spinach is wilted. Add plenty of black pepper to taste (and chilli if using).

Spoon into warm bowls and top with pine nuts and the rest of the basil. Risotto is best eaten fresh, but you can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, adding a little water when reheating to get it to a silky consistency.

‘Vegan One-Pot Wonders’ by Jessica Prescott (Hardie Grant, £15) Photography © Bec Hudson