World Vegan Day is here, and boy, have we got some exciting recipes for you! Whether you’re looking for a chocolate heaven, a hearty dinner or a warming hangover cure, we’ve got you covered. 

Mushrooms & Big Beans on Sourdough

The first delicious recipe we’d love to share with you is so versatile that you can fit it into whatever meal you make. Like posh beans on toast, this can be a fantastic hangover cure after a big night. This recipe serves 2 people and takes just 25 minutes from start to finish.

This mix of prebiotic foods such as garlic, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and beans has our guts thrilled, but the real star here is the use of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).

EVOO stimulates the growth of good bacteria in the gut, helping to prevent the bad bacteria from taking over and increasing the risk of life-threatening diseases, allowing you to stay healthy and thriving.¹

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 10 cherry tomatoes (quartered)
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp fine salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper (plus extra for serving)
• 400g can of butter beans drained & rinsed (optional)
• 250g button mushrooms (sliced, halved or quartered)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp brown sauce
• 2-4 thick slices of sourdough bread
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Method:

1. Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 3 mins, then add the tomatoes and tomato puree and cook for 7 mins.
3. Roughly mash the tomatoes with the back of the spoon, and then add the sugar, salt, and ground black pepper.
4. Add the remaining olive oil, stir in the mushrooms and butter beans, and cook for 10 mins.
5. Stir the soy sauce and brown sauce in and cook for a further 3 mins.
6. Meanwhile, toast the bread, drizzle it with olive oil, and put it on plates. Pile on mushrooms/toms/bean mixture, season with salt/pepper, and sprinkle over the parsley.

Tips:

• This meal can be used in a jacket potato, as a pasta dish or rice dish instead of on toast!
• You can substitute cherry tomatoes with 200g chopped tomatoes and tinned butter beans for any other type of beans and soya sauce for tamari!
• Great as a nice brunch with avocado and an egg on top!

Vegetable Moroccan Tagine

That ingredient list may look long, but my god, is it worth it. Fresh, hearty and full of flavour, this Moroccan tagine will become a staple in your house. Give yourself 2 hours for this one and get it plated for 4 people. The prebiotic fibre in this recipe is endless, and we’re here for it! 

Some studies have found that ginger increases the growth of some important species of beneficial bacteria - Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium – behaving very similarly to a prebiotic.²

Ginger can positively impact digestion, helping move food through the digestive tract and limiting the risk of anything getting stuck.³

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• A large cube of fresh ginger (grated)
• Grated rind of lemon & ½ lemon Juice
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 200g Spinach washed (roughly cut)
• 400g can of butter beans drained & rinsed (optional)
• 250g Mushrooms (sliced, halved or quartered)
• 500g Butternut Squash (cut into small cubes) (can be frozen)
• 1 x tin of chickpeas (rinsed & drained)
• 2 x tin of chopped tomatoes
• 20 Olives (halved) black or green
• 20 Dates (halved)
• 20 Apricots (halved) or approx 4 oz of any dried fruit/nuts
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp fine salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper (plus extra for serving)
• ¼ tsp Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Ground ginger
• ¼ tsp Ground Cumin
• ¼ tsp Coriander
• ¼ tsp Harissa (optional)
• ½ tsp (smoked) Paprika
• ½ tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 pint of Vegetable stock
• Fresh Coriander to serve

Method:

1. Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan (with a lid) over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and gently sweat for 10 mins, then add All of the dried spices, ginger, and garlic and cook for further 5 mins stirring gently.
3. Add the tomato puree, lemon rind, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
4. Add the remaining olive oil and stir in the butternut squash, mushrooms, butter beans, chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, and stock and bring to a boil.
5. Gently simmer (lid off) for 45 mins.
6. Add dates, olives, and dried fruit (mixing in well).
7. Place spinach on top of the tagine, cover with a lid and continue to simmer for 15 to 30 mins.
8. Once the spinach has thoroughly wilted, mix it well and test its taste. You may need to add more seasoning or sugar to your taste!
9. Garnish with fresh coriander.
10. Serve with cous-cous/Rice or quinoa.

Tips:

• Best cooked the day before and left overnight to mature!
• Serve with chopped pitta bread and hummus as a side dish.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

This last one is possibly our favourite - a cracking dish for a sweet tooth! You’ll need 1 hour plus cooling time for this recipe, and it’s certainly worth the small wait.

The apple cider vinegar in this recipe is a godsend for the gut. A source of probiotics, apple cider vinegar adds new species of live bacteria to the gut microbiome, which is useful to maintain the necessary diversity of bacteria needed for optimum health.

Apple cider vinegar has been shown to reduce inflammation in the gut, making it easier to manage foods your body struggles to digest.⁴

Ingredients:

• plant milk 170ml
• vegan yoghurt 190g
• apple cider vinegar 1 tsp
• caster sugar 250g
• vegetable oil 145g
• vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
• plain flour 220g
• cocoa powder 100g
• espresso powder 1 tbsp
• baking powder 1 tsp
• bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp
• fine sea salt ¼ tsp

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

• vegan dark chocolate 110g
• vegan butter 100g, room temperature
• vegan margarine 100g, room temperature
• cocoa powder 20g
• icing sugar 200g

Method:

1. Firstly, you'll need to heat the oven to gas 4/180C/fan 160C/ and line two 20cm cake tins with baking paper.
2. Mix the plant milk, yoghurt, vanilla bean paste, caster sugar, apple cider vinegar, and vegetable oil in a measuring jug. Set aside.
3. Sift the remaining ingredients (not the buttercream ones!) in another large bowl and mix. Add the wet ingredients you just mixed to the flour mixture and beat gently ensuring you stop once they are just combined. Divide the batter between the two tins you prepared earlier and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. You'll know its ready when a toothpick or skewer can be inserted into the centre of the cakes and comes out clean. Next, you must ensure the cakes cook completely on a wire rack once they are cool enough to remove from their tins. 
4. While the sponges are in the oven, its time to make your buttercream. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave or over a pot of hot water, stirring often to ensure you don't end up with burnt chocolate. Once it's done, set it aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Combine the butter and margarine into a bowl, beat until smooth. Sift the cocoa powder into the mixture and beat again until smooth. Use a dessert spoon to add the sifted icing sugar and beat well in between . 
6. Add the room temp dark chocolate and beat well until you get the consistency you are looking for; fluffiness is key. Before you add the frosting to your sponges, the sponges should be cool to the touch. If they aren't cool, the frosting will melt and become greasy.
7.  Add your frosting to your sponge!

Tips:

Frost the cake however you'd like; we recommend a layer on the top of one sponge, adding the second sponge on top of it and adding a final layer on top of the second sponge. You can frost the sides too and add decoration if you'd like!

A note from us

Thank you to the wonderful Rebecca Drew and Elly Gault for creating and sending in these recipes.

We’d love to hear your recipes - vegan or otherwise. Send them to us at info@thegutco.com with a picture and a short description of why you love it, and we just might feature it on the blog!