Roasted, seared, salty, grilled, caramelised crowd-pleasers can certainly come out of a veggie box. Don’t worry, vegans are not jealous of the best stuff in their diet. There’s plenty for everyone, and it’ll help everyone hit their 2026 health, climate, sustainability and animal welfare goals. Here are 3 of the simplest. For more, attend our workshop on Mon 9th, details here.
Number #1: dried tomatoes in olive oil – umami bombs. This can be purchased in jars for vast sums from Italian delis, or you can make it yourself: (1) buy a bag of dried tomatoes (2) put them in a jar (3) cover them in olive oil (4) leave it for weeks, so the tomatoes rehydrate with olive oil and create an amazing flavour. If you can resist eating them all straight out of the jar, you can do lots with them from canapes to sandwich toppings.
Number #2: crispy kale. (1) Cut the thick stem part of the kale leaves away, (2) smear the leaves with olive oil – yes, you get an oily hand! (3) spread out across a baking tray, (4) roast for 7 or 8 mins at 200°C in a fan oven – there you have it: you have just created something delicious out of that big daunting mass of green stuff!
Number #3: fruit salad with sweet tahini sauce. The sauce transforms it, so this is great even if you’re not a fruit lover – (1) chop up the fruit, (2) mix up 4 tablespoons of tahini, 2 tablespoons of honey, 4 tablespoons of oil (any will do – coconut is interesting) and 2 tablespoons of OJ, (3) spice it up with 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger and a bit of salt. That’s it.
