This buckwheat salad makes a great light meal. The earthy flavours of buckwheat are complemented by crunchy celery, mushrooms and asparagus. This is an elegant main dish salad that is vegan and gluten-free. If you marinate the celery the previous night, or in the morning, this dish can come together in under half an hour, making it perfect for weeknights. It also stores really well, making it a great meal prep dish.
Marinating celery
Celery is definitely an underrated vegetable. It can be so much more than just something to serve as a dip carrier. In this recipe, I marinate the celery for a few hours in vinegar and mustard, which lifts the flavour of the celery to the next level. It retains its delicious crunch, and the bits of celery gives wonderful bursts of bright flavour. This pairs so well with the earthy buckwheat, the umami of the mushrooms, and the delicate asparagus flavour.
Why use buckwheat?
I know it may seem that buckwheat is just one more thing to keep in the pantry, but I do think it is a worthwhile addition. Buckwheat can be used in place of rice in most recipes, and it is a pretty good upgrade – it has about 56% more protein than rice by weight (11.7g vs 7.5g per 100g). It is rich in copper, magnesium and manganese. Now, let’s be clear – I’m not saying you should not be eating rice, but it is good to increase the variety of foods in your diet. Not only does it give you a better chance of getting the micronutrients you need, but you are also feeding your gut bacteria a variety of types of fibre.
Ingredients and substitutions
Mushrooms: I used a mix shitake, enoki and king oyster mushrooms in this recipe – that is the mix that my supermarket sells. I think it works really well in this recipe, but most combinations of mushrooms would work. I won’t use brown mushrooms, as it would make the salad look a little dirty.
Asparagus: If it is isn’t asparagus season, broccoli would also work well in this recipe.
Buckwheat: Brown rice or pearl barley would work well as substitutes, but please adjust the cooking times accordingly.
I have opted not to use olive oil in the marinade, but if you are OK with a slightly higher calorie version of the dish, feel free to add some. It will be tasty.
Serving the salad
If you eat it immediately after cooking the buckwheat and asparagus, it will be slightly warm. The celery will hold up to the heat and stay crunchy, but it also tastes great cold if you serve it the next day.
Buckwheat salad with marinated celery, mushrooms and asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 small red onion
- 2 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1/3 cup sherry vinegar You can substitute another good quality vinegar such as red wine vinegar, raspberry etc
- 300 g Raw buckwheat groats About 1¾ cup
- 2 small punnets Mixed mushrooms (about 300g) About 2 small punnets
- 1 bunch asparagus (170g)
- ¼ cup pomegranate aerils optional
Instructions
Marinade the celery
- Finely chop celery (you will need about 4 sticks to make a cup of chopped celery). Peel the onion, halve it and slice fine half rings.
- Mix the mustard into the vinegar and add a pinch of salt. Add this to the onion and celery and marinate for at least an hour, or up to a day.
Roast the vegetables
- Slice the asparagus into 2.5 cm / 1 inch sections. Slice the mushrooms. Place these on a baking tray lined with a silicone sheet (or lightly oil a baking sheet). Season with salt and black pepper. Roast the vegetables at 220°C (430°F), stirring once.
While the vegetables are roasting, cook the buckwheat
- Bring the buckwheat to a boil with about 3 cups of water and ½tsp salt. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and let it cook for about 20 minutes.
Assemble the salad
- Let the mushrooms and asparagus, as well as the cooked buckwheat, cool slightly. It does not have to be completely cool – just give it a few minutes. Mix the buckwheat, mushrooms, asparagus, and the marinated celery and onions, as well as any leftover marinade. Give it a taste, and season with some more salt and black pepper. Garnish with pomegranate. It is optional, but adds a nice touch.
Nutrition
Vegan aniseed rusks
These vegan aniseed rusks use a rich, yeast-leavened dough that is flavoured with aniseed. They are delicious eaten fresh or dried.
I’ve already written about how much South Africans love rusks in my Buttermilk and Oat rusk recipe. Although the variety of rusks are nearly endless, most rusks fall into one of two broad categories. The first category uses baking powder and typically contains buttermilk. The consistency of the dough is thinner and more like a batter than a bread dough. These rusks are cut into fingers after baking.
The second category uses yeast for rising. They are formed into balls before baking in a loaf tin, and the loaves are torn into rusks after baking. The most common type of these rusks is aniseed rusks – and that is what we are making today.
Making the dough
The recipe starts with making an enriched dough. It is important to get the hydration (how wet the dough is) right. If it is too wet, it is difficult to shape. If it is too dry the texture of the final rusk will not be as delicate. Flours are different, so you may have to fine-tune the quantities I have given to suit what you are working with. You are looking to form a dough that is soft but not sticky. If you can form the dough into a smooth, glossy ball, you are on the right track. Knead the dough for 10-12 minutes to ensure that the gluten in the dough develops.
Once the dough is smooth and elastic, you will let the dough rise for the first time. You want to dough to roughly double. It should take about an hour if it is rising in a warm place.
Now is the fun part – shaping the rusks. First divide the dough in half – you will be making two loaves. Pinch off a piece of dough roughly the size of a golf ball, and roll it to form a cylinder. Stand up the cylinder in the loaf tin. Repeat this, placing the cylinders to form rows of three. Repeat with the second loaf tin. Cover the rusks and let them rise for the second time.
The rusks are then ready to bake. You are looking for a nice golden brown colour when they are done. The glazing is optional, but it does add a nice touch.
Ingredients and substitutions
Cashew nuts: The cashew nuts give a lovely rich, buttery flavour to the dough. Traditional recipes would use butter, and while the coconut oil does add the fat content, I feel the flavour of the cashews adds a lot of character. For a nut-free version, omit the cashews and increase the coconut oil.
Aniseed: Aniseed is a mediterranean spice with a mild, licorice flavour. While star anise is commonly recommended as a substitute, in this application I think your best bet for a substitute with a similar flavour is caraway seed. If you can’t find either of these spices – or if you don’t like the taste of aniseed – add some vanilla or even almond essence.
Aniseed Rusks
Equipment
- two loaf tins
Ingredients
- 100 g cashew nuts
- 100 g coconut oil
- 2 cups soy milk
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 packet yeast (10g per packet)
- 5 cups flour
- 2 tsp Anisseed
For the glaze
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp apricot jam
Instructions
- Soak the cashews for a hour in water to soften (or boil them for five minutes). Blend the cashews with half the soy milk until smooth
- In a small saucepan, heat the remaining soy milk, and add the coconut oil and sugar, and stir until the coconut oil is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Don't boil the mix (you don't want the dough to be too hot when adding the yeast)
- Remove the milk/sugar/oil mix from the heat and add the blended cashews. Check that the mixture is not too hot (it should be warm but not hot), and add the yeast.
- Add the flour to a mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer). Add the salt and anisseed.
- Add the liquid to the flour mix and knead for 10 minutes. I use the dough hook of my stand mixer.
- The dough should be smooth, soft and elastic. Cover, and let the dough rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.
- Prepare two small loaf tins (I spray them with cooking spray).
- Divide the dough into two (one half for each loaf tin)
- Pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into a cylinder, and place into the loaf tin. Keep doing this, forming rows of three dough cylidners.
- Let the dough rise in the tins until doubled, again about 30-45 minutes.
- Bake the rusks at 180°C for 35-40 minutes. You want the tops to be a fairly dark golden brown
- Let the rusk loaves cool in the tins for a few minutes, then turn them out, and let them cool a little more. When the loaves are still warm, tear the loaves into rusks. You should at least have one or two fresh warm rusks.
- To dry the rusks, place them in a low oven, about 90°C/194°F for 3-4 hours, then turn of the oven and leave them in the warm oven overnight.
The best vegan clafoutis
This really is the best vegan clafoutis recipe. It has a perfectly creamy, custard-like centre and golden, puffy top and edges. You may think this isn’t possible in an egg-free clafoutis, but trust me, this recipe delivers!
Clafoutis has now reclaimed its place as one of my favourite weekend breakfasts. Yes, it is technically a desert but I’m definitely a dessert for breakfast person. It is a great way to use the last of the week’s fruit before our weekly shop. The blender batter takes minutes to make, and while you need about 20 minutes for it to bake, you are not chained to a stove during this time.
What is a clafoutis?
Clafoutis is a traditional french dessert, typically eaten in the summer when cherries are abundant. Some people describe it as a cross between a cake and a baked custard, although most recipes tend more towards the custard side.
Why this recipe works
The vegan alarm bells tend to go off when you hear “custard” because custards rely on eggs for thickening, creaminess and flavour.
When we gave up eggs, clafoutis was probably one of the things I missed most. I tried several other recipes for vegan clafoutis (most of these are based on silken tofu), and while they weren’t necessarily bad, they did not have that wonderful clafoutis character.
This recipe uses mung beans as an egg replacer. You may be sceptical, but this is the same stuff that goes into Just Egg, which is not available where I live. Just Egg uses mung bean protein isolate, but here we are using the whole bean. The soaked beans blend into a very smooth batter that behaves like eggs in the most amazing way when cooked. Also, the mung beans add more protein than three eggs and add fibre too.
I’ve added baking powder to the recipe. Conventional clafoutis does not contain baking powder, as the eggs bring the puffiness. The clafoutis will collapse when it comes out of the oven (just like its egg-based cousins), but I still think it makes for a nicer end product.
I have used a very moderate amount of sugar in the batter. If your fruit is not very sweet, or if you just have a sweet tooth, you can increase the amount of sugar. Also, where I live granulated sugar is vegan. Although I have not tested the recipe with other sweeteners, I’m fairly confident that you will be able to substitute this without issues.
What fruit can I use in clafoutis
The traditional clafoutis uses cherries, but this preparation is so flexible, it lends itself to a variety of fruits. My personal favourites are figs, raspberries and plums. Apples are also good, but they need some pre-cooking. Do not use too much fruit – this will make the clafoutis too wet.
Clafoutis variations
This batter is incredibly versatile. In addition to varying the fruit as described above, you can also vary flavour additions. Some of my favourite variations include:
- Replace the vanilla with about a 1/4 teaspoon almond essence. This is especially good with cherries.
- Vary the alcohol in the recipe – Kirsch is great with the cherries, I enjoy rum with peaches or calvados with apples.
- I’ve also made raspberry and chocolate clafoutis, by adding 1-2 tbsp of cacao powder to the batter.
How to serve the best vegan clafoutis
I often have this for breakfast, cut into quarters, and topped with a light dusting of icing sugar and perhaps some toasted flaked almonds. If you are having it for dessert, a little vanilla ice cream would be great.
Related recipes
If you have mung beans left over, try this recipe for vegan South African pancakes.
The best vegan clafoutis
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- ½ cup yellow mung beans, soaked
- 2 cups soy or other plant milk
- ½ cup cake or all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar This quantity is for moderate sweetness. Add more if you prefer more sweetness
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp brandy
- 2 cups cherries
Instructions
- Soak the yellow mung beans for at least an hour or overnight.
- Drain and rinse the mung beans, and add to a blender cup
- Add about half of the soy milk (if you have a big, powerful blender you can add all the soy milk at once – it does not quite fit in even the largest of my Nutribullet cups
- Add the sugar, salt, baking powder, vanilla and flour. Blend until smooth.
- Add the rest of the milk and stir until well combined
- Prepare the fruit, depending on what you are using. If you are using cherries, some people prefer to keep the stones in. Lately, I've been using defrosted black, sweet cherries, so there is not real prep there. If you are using stone fruit or apples, cut in about ⅛ chunks.
- Spray a large cast iron (30 cm/12 inch) pan with non-stick spray (or grease the pan). It is also possible to split this into two individual servings, which will cook a little quicker. You can also bake this in a pie or tart dish of similar size.
- Pre-heat the pan, then add the batter and the fruit. Then, pop the clafoutis into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes at 200 °C / 390 °F. The clafoutis will puff a little, but it is normal for it to deflate when taken out of the oven. The center should be custardy.
- You can either serve the clafoutis immediately, or let it cool a little, but you should eat it while it is still warm. It is great sprinkled with a little icing sugar
Fennel and apple risotto
This healthy vegan fennel and apple risotto recipe prove that you don’t need lots of butter and cheese to make a tasty risotto. Fennel and apple is a great combination.
There really is only one rice to use here – Italian arborio rice. This short grain rice is essential to creating the creamy texture of the dish.
Top tips for a good risotto
- Use the right rice – Italian arborio is the way to go. A long grain rice will simply not work.
- Decent stock: I do make risotto with instant stock but pick a good one, and specifically one that isn’t too salty.
- Get the rice to release starch to create a creamy texture. And how do you do that? Keep the rice simmering in just enough stock to cover the rice, and stir frequently. It is the action of the rice granules rubbing up against each other that releases starch. Boiling the rice in lots of water will not allow that to happen
- Keep your stock simmering during the process. You don’t want to cool down the rice every time you add a ladle.
- Add enough liquid at the end to make the final texture creamy. It should ooze! If you can shape the risotto into a tower, it is too dry.
- Don’t overcook the rice – like pasta, it should be al dente
Ingredients and substitutions
What makes this fennel and apple risotto work is a few great ingredients that compliment and balance each other, so, while there is some room for substitution, keep the balance of flavours in mind.
Fennel: You are looking for fennel bulbs for this recipe, and you want to find a nice plump one. Don’t go for a packet of small ones – they tend to be stringy.
White wine: Use a crisp dry white. For substitutions, vermouth works well, especially if you don’t want to open a bottle. I like to freeze the rest of the wine in half a cup to cup portions for later use.
Walnuts: I like the walnuts in this recipe because the slightly bitter notes balance the sweetness of the apple well. You can substitute pine puts, or even almond slivers
Currants: I used them for their nice zingy sweetness. If you don’t have currants, I’d rather leave them out. I feel raisins would be too sweet.
Apples: Bit of a brag here, I’ve been using apples from my own apple tree. I have not idea what the variety is, but something tart like granny smith is what you need.
Fennel and apple risotto
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan to keep the stock simmering
- 1 larger pot to cook the risotto in
- 1 soup ladle or cup to add warm stock to the risotto
Ingredients
- 1 whole onion
- 1 bulb Fennel
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 apple Use a tart variety
- ¼ cup dried currants
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- black pepper
- ¼ cup walnuts
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion. Halve the fennel bulb, remove the root and slice it thinly.
- Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in a small saucepan. You want to be able to add hot stock to the risotto as it cooks.
- In another pot, saute the onion and fennel in a little oil until the onion is translucent and tender. Add the garlic and apple and saute for a minute more. Add the dried currants.
- Add the rice and toast the rice for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the wine. Let the wine cook for a minute to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Now, add a ladle of stock and stir.
- Keep adding stock a ladleful at a time until the rice is cooked but still has a bit of a bite. Add the nutritional yeast, and add a final ladle of stock. The risotto will continue to absorb liquid and you want the consistency to be creamy and not stodgy. This should take about 15-20 minutes
- Spoon the risotto into bowls. Garnish with reserved fennel tops and walnuts.
Nutrition
Fig salad with smoky tofu
I feel it is my duty to make the most of fig season, and this fig salad with smoky tofu is a great way to celebrate figs. I love figs’ taste, texture, and the beauty they bring to any dish. There are of course many desserts that showcase figs, but they are fantastic in main dish salads. There are many classic salads that pair figs with things like mozzarella and ham. Here, I replicate some of those flavours and textures with smoky, marinated tofu. The marinade is sweet, salty and smoky and perfectly compliments the figs and greens.
Key ingredients and substitutions
The marinade: I used chinkiang vinegar, but you can substitute sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar. You can substitute the coconut aminos with soy sauce.
The salad: I used rocket (arugula) for the greens. Watercress or radicchio or a mix of these would also be great. This is not a salad for a mild lettuce – you need the bitterness to balance the sweet notes. When it is not fig season, you could also use melon, for a different take on this salad.
Fig salad with smokey tofu
Ingredients
For the marinaded tofu
- 3 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar Substitute sherry or balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos substitute soy sauce
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 1 block tofu Use smoked tofu if you have it
For the salad
- 1 packet rocket
- 5 fresh figs
- ½ Red onion
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- Balsamic reduction to taste, to drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F.
- Tear the tofu into rustic pieces. You can, of course, dice it, but I think the tearing it looks more interesting, and the marinade sticks well to the rough surfaces. Add the tofu to a baking tray
- Mix the marinade (vinegar, maple syrup, coconut aminos and smoked paprika) in a small bowl. Our the marinade over the tofu, and toss to coat. If you have time, you can leave this to marinade. It is not essential.
- Bake the tofu for 20-30 minutes, tossing once or twice.
- Meantime, finely slice the red onion. Prepare the figs. You can simply halve them, but I like to open them by cutting a cross in the top of each, and gently pressing the bottom to open the fig.
- When the tofu is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly. Arrange the greens and sliced onion on a platter. Add the figs, and place the tofu between the figs. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the salad, and finally give a drizzle of balsamic reduction
Nutrition
Home smoked tofu without a smoker
This method allows you to make homemade smoked tofu without a smoker. It is quick, and easy and cleanup is effortless. You don’t even need wood chips – tea and rice will be the smoking medium
What equipment do I need?
A suitable pot or wok. I use a carbon steel wok I’ve had for years. Any cast iron pot will also work. I’d avoid stainless steel pots, as the dry heat you will be applying may damage the pot. You will need a lid that fits on the pan or wok.
- A cooling rack, metal grill, or metal trivet that you can place inside the wok. The food will rest on this grill, and you will need some space between the smoking medium at the bottom of the wok and this rack.
- Enough foil to line the wok
- Rice and tea leaves to act as a smoking medium
- How to smoke tofu
Begin by lining your pan or wok with foil. Use enough so that there is at least two to three cm (about 1 inch) excess over the edges. Add a handful of rice to the bottom of the wok, and about 3-4 teabags of tea. You can also use a few heaped teaspoons of loose leaf tea. The rice helps to regulate the burn of the tea leaves.
Position your rack above the smoking medium. I have a round steel trivet that works really well with my wok – the curvature of the wok means that there is an inch or so gap between the rice/tea mixture and the trivet. If you are using a flat bottomed pan, you will need something to lift the rack from the bottom of the pan. One option is to use an inverted foil tray with holes pocked into it.
Place the food on top of the rack. Do not let the food touch the sides of the pan, as the bits that touch the sides will burn. This is what my setup looks like at this stage. The tofu shown here is marinated, but you can smoke it plain.
Put a lid on the wok. Fold the excess foil over the lid to improve the seal. Place on high heat. After about 5-10 minutes, you will see a little smoke escaping. Reduce the heat medium. I use about a 20 minute smoking time. If you prefer a milder smoked taste, check the tofu after 10 minutes and taste a piece. If, at this stage, you feel you would like a stronger smoky taste, just check if there is still some unburnt tea before returning the wok to heat.
Tea smoked tofu
Equipment
- Wok
- wire rack
Ingredients
- 2 blocks tofu
- 1 handful rice
- 4 tsp tea
Instructions
- Press the tofu for about 30 minutes. I do this by placing the blocks between two cutting boards, and putting my nice heavy cast iron mortar and pestle on top of this.
- Slice the tofu into 1 cm / half inch slices. Baste with a marinade if using.
- Line a suitable (see notes above) wok/pot with foil, and use enough to wrap back over the lid to seal. Put the rice and tea in the bottom. Put your rack on top of this, ensuring that there is some space betweem the rice and tea mixture and the rack. Read the notes above the recipe for more details
- Place the tofu slices on the rack. Make sure the tofu is not touching the sides of the wok. Cover with the wok lid and seal with foil. You can also place a wet tea towel around edges
- Put the wok on high heat. Reduce the heat after about five minutes. Smoke for 10-20 minutes, depending on how smoky you want it. On your first attempt, you may want to start with about 10 minutes. You can always reseal the pot and smoke it again if needed.