Vegan recipes from Easy by Roxy Pope and Ben Pook

All recipes extracted from Easy by Roxy Pope and Ben Pook, published by Penguin Michael Joseph. Photography: Yuki Sugiura 

Sweet potato katsu recipe

This popular dish gets a veganuary glow up with tasty and nutritious sweet potato. 

Serves 4 |Preparation time: 8 minutes 

Cooking time: 20 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 
 

600g sweet potatoes, sliced into 1cm thick rings 

Vegetable oil  

Salt and pepper 

250g jasmine rice 

1 onion, peeled and chopped 

2 carrots, diced into small pieces 

6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 

1tbsp medium curry powder 

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk 

1tbsp maple syrup 

40g panko breadcrumbs 

2 spring onions, finely sliced 

METHOD 

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/gas 7 and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place the sweet potatoes on the tray, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with pinches of salt and pepper. Toss, then roast for 20–25 minutes, or until soft. 

Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the packet instructions. While the rice is cooking, heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Fry the onion, carrot and two-thirds of the garlic for 8 minutes, then add the curry powder and a pinch of salt and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the sauce from the heat and blend until smooth. 

Drizzle a little oil into a separate frying pan and add the remaining garlic along with the panko and pinches of salt and pepper. Fry for 3 minutes or until the panko is golden, stirring constantly to prevent burning. 

To serve, place a portion of rice on each serving plate, along with some katsu sauce and sweet potato. Sprinkle over the toasted panko and finish with the spring onions. 

 Kale & chickpea broth bowl. Photo: Yuki Sugiura

Brothy kale and chickpea bowl recipe

An amazingly satisfying lunch dish, or an impressive starter for your veganuary dinner parties. 

Serves 4 |Preparation time: 5 minutes 

Cooking time: 10 mins 

INGREDIENTS 

3tbsp vegan butter or margarine 

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 

1l vegetable stock 

2tbsp miso paste (we use white miso) 

150g chopped kale 

2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

½ a large baguette, sliced  

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped  

Salt and pepper 

METHOD 

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large pot on a medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the stock, miso paste, kale and chickpeas. Bring the broth to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5–6 minutes, until the kale is soft. 

While the broth is simmering, toast the slices of baguette in a hot griddle pan or place them on a large baking tray and put them under the grill for 1–2 minutes on each side, or until golden. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter with the garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Then spread the garlic butter all over the warm toasted bread. 

Stir ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper into the broth, and serve in bowls with slices of garlic bread. Top each bowl with extra black pepper to serve. 

Miso & caramel chocolate tart. Photo:Yuki Sugiura
Miso and caramel chocolate tart recipe

This rich and indulgent dessert tastes as good as it looks - just be sure to use 70% dark chocolate to prevent the mixture splitting.  

Serves 8 |Preparation time: 20 minutes 

Cooking time: 5 minutes plus 2 hours cooling time  

INGREDIENTS 

12 dates, pitted (we use medjool) 

250g vegan biscuits 

125g vegan butter or margarine, melted 

2tsp miso paste (we use brown rice miso) 

240ml tinned full-fat coconut milk 

1tsp vanilla extract 

2tbsp maple syrup 

200g 70% vegan dark chocolate 

METHOD 

Put the dates into a small bowl and cover with hot water straight from the kettle, then leave to one side. Reserve a biscuit to decorate with later, then put the rest of the biscuits into a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs. Put the crumbs into a mixing bowl along with the vegan butter or margarine and stir until fully combined. 

Transfer the biscuit base to a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin and use your fingers to spread it out evenly across the base and up the sides. Then place the tart in the fridge while you carry out the next steps. 

Wipe out the food processor. Drain the dates and put them into the processor along with the miso paste, 80ml of coconut milk, the vanilla and 1tbsp of maple syrup. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as you go. Remove the tart from the fridge and, using a spatula, evenly spread the miso caramel filling all across the base. Pop the tart back into the fridge. 

Pour a couple of centimetres of water into a saucepan over a low heat. Place a metal or glass bowl in the saucepan, making sure the bottom doesn’t touch the water. Break the chocolate into the bowl, then add the remaining coconut milk and the rest of the maple syrup. Stir until fully melted, then pour the chocolate into the tin on top of the caramel and tap the tin against the worktop to smooth out the top. 

Refrigerate the tart for a minimum of 2 hours, or until set. To serve, remove the tart from the tin, finely crush the reserved biscuit and sprinkle it in a circle on top of the tart.