The available range of vegan bread spreads and luncheons is still fairly small here in Aotearoa New Zealand. I guess this has cultural reasons, since I have never eaten as much as sausage as growing up in Germany

If the vegan bread spread or luncheon should be gluten-free as well, things can get a little tricky. So I decided to try my own version. The result was amazing! It’s so easy to make and has a lovely flavour. Just like with the meat based sausage, in the end it is mostly the herbs and spices that make the dish.

And there are so many flavour possibilities:

• Pizza flavour with basil and oregano
• Nice and spicy with chili and paprika
• Smoky with either liquid smoke or smoked paprika
• Mushroom – with mushroom powder and parsley
• …and more

This vegan luncheon recipe is very easy to make. Only the soaking of the sunflower seeds takes some time. For the gelling I use the vegan alternative agar agar powder. Additionally I use some guar gum to make it bind better. It also works without the gum though.

For the forms I use a simple drinking glass which I gently heat up with some hot water before filling it with the hot mixture. Of course you can use all sorts of suitable, heat-proof containers and forms.

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Super Easy Luncheon with Sunflower Seeds (Vegan, Gluten-free, Soy-free)

Sunflower seeds are so amazingly versatile! This savoury vegan luncheon is another proof. This recipe is not only vegan and gluten-free but also without soy and without nuts.

Cuisine Deutsch

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword gluten-free, Luncheon, nut-free, soy-free, Sunflower Sead, vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Soaking time 4 hours hours

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

• 50 g sunflower seeds (soak in water for approx. 4 hours, then rinse and drain)
• 200 ml water
• 1 1/2 tsp agar agar powder
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp guar gum
• 1/4 tsp chili (or to taste)
• 1 garlic clove

Instructions

• After soaking the sunflower seds, rinse and drain them thoroughly. Then place them in a powerful blender together with the remaining ingredients. Then blend until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into a small pot and bring gently to the boil.
• Let the mixture simmer on low heat for a few minutes while stirring constantly.
• Fill the mixture into a heat-proof form and let cool down a little. Then store in the fridge until set. Enjoy

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

Tomatoes always make me think of pasta. And so it happened that I saw this recipe by The Pesky Vegan. It sounded so yummy and oh yeah, it is! He uses lemon peel and lemon juice. What a flavor explosion that was! You can find the recipe, called Easy Cheesy Pasta Sauce here.

After that amazing flavour experience, I kept thinking about this sauce. And when I made it again, I decided to add a few of my favourite ingredients for pasta sauce: vegetables! Oh my! It was very yummy too

Easy Vegan Pasta Sauce – Mix, Heat or Dip!

And it’s super easy to make! You can mix it with the freshly boiled, hot pasta or heat it up in a separate little pot. But you can also have it raw as a dip. I’m so excited about this! And of course it vegan, gluten-free and once again oil-free. A big Thank You to The Pesky Vegan for this inspiration! 

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Creamy Vegan Vegetable Pasta Sauce (Gluten-Free, Oil-Free)

I had this giant cherry tomato plant growing wild in my garden – it inspired me to create this creamy vegetable pasta sauce! Adapted from The Pesky Vegan’s recipe, I added my favourite veggies for extra flavour and nutrients. It’s quick to make, oil-free, and perfect with pasta or as a dip!

Course Main, Pasta

Cuisine European, Fusion, Plant-Based, Vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword gluten-free vegan recipe, oil-free pasta sauce, vegan pasta sauce, vegetable pasta sauce

Servings 2 big portions

Author The Vegan Monster

Equipment

• 1 Blender

Ingredients

• 100 g cashews (or sunflower seeds – these need soaking in water for approx. 6 hours though)
• 100 ml water
•  150 g zucchini
• 100 g carrot
• 20 g celery (or more if you like)
• zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 tbsp  nutritional yeast flakes
• 2-3 tbsp  ground paprika
• 1 tbsp  coconut sugar
• a few pinches ground chili
• salt to taste

Instructions

• In a blender, simply blend all ingredients until smooth.
• You can either mix it with the freshly cooked, still hot pasta. Or heat it up up in a small pot.
• Tastes very well with roasted veges or as a dip.

Notes

Enjoy!

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

The base of this dressing is:

1/4 cup cashews (or other nuts)
1/4 cup water
OR some plant-based yogurt (I looove Raglan coconut yogurt)
1 to 2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar (or other sweetener)
salt and pepper to taste
a bunch of herbs (my favourites: parsley and dill)
additional options: chopped spring onions and/or minced garlic…

Instructions:

1. If using the nut option, blend cashews with water until smooth (a small bullet blender is best for this).
2. Transfer creamed cashews (or yoghurt) to a dressing jug or serving bowl.
3. Add apple cider vinegar, coconut sugar, salt & pepper to taste and stir well to combine.
4. Then either shortly blend some herbs or chopped them finely and stir into the dressing as well.
5. Store chilled until serving. Use within approx. 3 days of making.
Enjoy!
Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.
 

I love how these dressings are not only vegan and gluten-free but they also don’t need additional oil. Yes, the cashews naturally contain oil. And that is something that is actually a good thing – in balance of course. Make sure to add a good source of Omega 3s to your diet. (I am not a trained nutritionist. If you have questions or worries, please consider taking professional advise).

What I also like about this dressing, it’s super easy to make without any elaborate preparation. It yields about 250ml, but it tends to thicken up a bit. Simply water it down if needed

Makes approx. 250ml:

3/4 cup (110g) cashews
100g carrot
1.5cm piece ginger (or more if you like)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (or fresh if you like)
2 small garlic cloves
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup (125ml) water

Instructions:

1. Blend all ingredients in a powerful blender until smooth.

2. Transfer into serving bowl or dressing container. Keep in fridge and use within about 3 days or so.

3. Should thicken up too much, just add a little extra water.
Enjoy! 

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

What I love so much about this salad dressing, it’s super easy to make. And it lasts a while when chilled. I would recommend to use it within approx. 3 days after making.

This is a basic recipe. You can do lots of variations, combine different sorts of nuts for example. While I have used almonds, you can also use cashews, or macadamias etc. in this yummy vegan salad dressing. Beetroot can be cooked or raw.

Makes approx. 200 ml

1/4 cup (35g) almonds (or any other nut), soak in water for at least 8 hours, rinse and drain
1/2 cup (125ml) water
40g beetroot (or more if you like), cooked or raw
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 garlic clove
salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in a powerful blender and blend until smooth.

2. Transfer to serving container. Then rinse the blender with a tiny bit of water and add to the dressing.

3. Keep chilled and use within approx. 3 days after making.

Enjoy! 

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

The other day I found myself dreaming of my vegan cashew “cream cheese”. Then I glanced at my walnuts, soaking in a jar on the window sill; and another batch of fresh beetroot on the kitchen counter. And there it was! I have to warn you though, walnuts have a strong, unique flavour that might not be to everyone’s taste. You can substitute them with more cashews, or sunflower seeds, or blanched almonds, or….

Also, due to natural oxidation, the top layer of the cream cheese will turn slightly grey. This is normal and doesn’t affect the taste or quality.

Makes approx. 250g of cream cheese:

3/4 cup (100g) cashews (soak for 8 hours, then rinse and drain)
3/4 cup (80g) walnuts (soak for 8 hours, then rinse and drain)
1/3 teaspoon salt
20g raw beetroot (or more if you like)
probiotic powder from two capsules
1/4 cup + 1-2 tablespoon water

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a powerful blender until smooth.

2. Scoop into a sterile jar, place lid on only loose so that the probiotic little helpers can breathe.

3. Place the jar in a warm place for at least 10 hours. Depending on how warm it is and how active the probiotic bugs are, the vegan “cheese” will take between 10 and 20 hours. Once the ‘cheese’ has risen and you can see small bubbles, it is ready.

4. Place in fridge and consume within a week.

Enjoy! 

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

But I’ve wanted something raw with a similar flavour kick to it. And that was when radish season kicked in here in New Zealand. There is this spray-free framer at the farmers market who grows these amazing multi-coloured radishes. They look and taste amazing!

So I had to try and make my own vegan, raw radish sauce with them. And I was not disappointed. This sauce is amazing with burgers! You could try it with these Kidney Bean Soy Burgers, the Mushroom Burgers or the Quinoa Burger. It definitely tastes amazing and lifts the whole dish to another level

And while they taste amazing, radishes have amazing health benefits as you can see in this article. Also, you can eat the greens! Chop them up and add them to your salad or sandwich. There are so many options

Makes about 1 cup of dip/sauce:

1/2 cup (70g) cashews
up to one bunch fresh radishes
up to 1/4 cup water, if needed
salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Place cashews, some of the water and most of the radishes into a powerful mini-blender and blend until smooth. Use more water if needed.

2. Add salt to taste and also add more radishes if you like it spicier.

3. Grate one or two radishes to add as garnish.

Enjoy!

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

Because for quite some time, I had this bottle of probiotic capsules sitting in my pantry, meaning to use it to try some cultured cheese alternatives.

When I first made this vegan cream cheese, I couldn’t believe how much it reminds me of that popular brand. OK, it’s been many years since I last had it, but in my opinion it really does taste very similar. A great advantage: while eating it, you’ll get your probiotics as well!

You can use pretty much any seed or nut. My preferred blend at this stage is cashews and macadamias. You can also use it as salad dressing. So yummy!

This recipe will create one large jar of vegan ‘cream’ cheese. If you wish to have a smaller amount, you might need to make it in a powerful mini-blender (my large high-speed blender struggles with amounts that are smaller than what’s listed below).

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Super Easy Cultured Cream ‘Cheese’ (Vegan, Gluten-free, Raw)

When I first made this vegan cream cheese, I couldn’t believe how much it reminds me of that popular brand. A great advantage: while eating it, you’ll get your probiotics as well!

Course spread

Cuisine German

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan

Keyword Almond, Cashew, dairy-free, Fermented, raw, soy-free, Spread

Servings 1 large jar

Equipment

• powerful mini-blender

Ingredients

• 140 g cashews soak them in filtered water for at least 4 hours, then rinse and drain
• 1/2 cup macadamias soak them in filtered water for at least 8 hours, then rinse and drain
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup filtered water start with less and add more if needed
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
• 2 content of probiotic capsules

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients until tick, creamy and smooth.
• Transfer to a suitable container. I like to use small mason jars. Make sure you don’t fill it more than half full (it will grow once it ferments). Loosely place lid on top, don’t close it to allow it to breathe.
• Place in a warm spot for at least 8 hours. In my experience it needs to be at least 20°C, or even better 25°C. Because it is colder than that in my home, I use a chilly bin into which I place a hot water bottle and the jars with soon-to-be cream ‘cheese’. Add salt & pepper to taste. Store in fridge and use within about 4 days.

Notes

Give it a try! It’s amazing and admittedly quite addictive

Enjoy!

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

I’ve been using sun-dried tomatoes for quite a while now. They can add some zing to many dishes. But they almost take the lead role in this dish. Combined with dried basil and oregano it creates a delicious pizza flavour.

Please note: I have baked the sweet potato without peeling until it became soft enough so that you can easily scoop it out of the peel. Depending on your oven this should take about 40 minutes. Let cool down properly.

For 1 small bowl you need:

10 sun-dried tomatoes (without oil)
3/4 cup water
2/3 cup baked, golden kumara/sweet potato (about one medium sized)
1 cup cooked cannellini beans
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Let the tomatoes soak in the water until they are softer.

2. Transfer to a high-speed blender or food processor. Add remaining ingredients and blend to a fine cream.

3. Transfer into serving bowl and let rest a while in the fridge before serving.

Enjoy!

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

Whenever I have a new batch of raw crackers in the dehydrator, I start thinking about new dip ideas. Today I turned those thoughts into action! So I’ve made this simple but super delicious, creamy salsa dip. I just love the combination of capsicum and chilli!

This recipe is super easy to make, if you have a high-speed blender. It also very versatile, you can use many different spices and veges

For 1 small bowl you’ll need:

3/4 cup (100g) macadamias (or other nuts)
1/2 cup water
1 small red capsicum
1/2 medium sized carrot
1 heaped tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt (or less if you wish)
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (make sure you start with less if you don’t like it too spicy…)

Preparation:

1. Blend all ingredients to a fine cream.

2. Transfer to a small serving bowl and let rest in the fridge for a short while before serving.

Tastes great with carrot and zucchini sticks but also with crackers

Enjoy!

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.