Flavour and variety in versatile vegan menu (+recipes)

Why become a vegan? Well, for a start, cutting out all animal products can mean virtually eliminating the risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and possibly some types of cancer. And then there is the feel-good factor - your energy shoots up and your weight is likely to drop.
Vegans eat all sorts of plant foods - fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds and avoid any foods derived from animals or fish including dairy products, eggs, honey or jellies prepared from gelatine.
Recently I enjoyed a vegan lunch prepared by Jinu Abraham the executive chef at the Heritage Hotel in Auckland. Jinu feels vegan dishes are healthier than normal standard fare.
On the menu at Hector's Restaurant, one can find a variety of vegan dishes.
Encouraged by the hotel's managing director - a vegan - Jinu developed several simple, flavourful dishes that look stunning on the plate.
Very few restaurants in New Zealand cater for vegans. And when it comes to menu choices, vegans shouldn't be discriminated against, just as people who don't eat pork or beef for religious reasons should not.
And what about the bias on MasterChef New Zealandthat eliminated a contestant because she was vegan? I would have thought that having a vegan chef on board would help introduce variety and interest to a menu.
With a little imagination, many everyday meals can be egg, dairy, fish and meat-free. There are even substitute products available, such as parmesan cheese prepared from powdered tofu. Ask at wholefood stores for these or check the web for local sources.
RECIPES
CRUSTED TOFU, EGGPLANT PUREE & SAFFRON VEGETABLES
Based on a recipe created by Jinu Abraham for Hector's restaurant.
Eggplant Puree: 1 large eggplant
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Tofu: 6 x 1cm thick slices firm Tofu (about 300g)
2 tablespoons miso paste
6 slices (dairy-free) white bread, crusts removed
3-4 tablespoons margarine (dairy-free table spread)
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
Vegetables: 1 small leek, thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
200g spinach, washed and chopped
few strands saffron
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200C.
To prepare the eggplant purée, peel the eggplant and dice. Toss with the sugar and oil in a roasting pan. Roast, until caramelised. Purée and season.
Place to one side.
Spread the tofu slices with the miso paste. Cut the bread slices into similar sizes to the tofu. Combine the margarine and garlic. Spread on the bread strips. Sandwich each piece of tofu between 2 strips of bread. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Sweat the leak in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan, until softened.
Add the wet spinach, saffron and seasonings. Steam, until very tender. Using a blender, coarsely chop.
Heat the remaining oil and pan-fry the tofu sandwiches until golden on both sides. Cut in half and assemble on serving plates together with the warmed eggplant purée the leek/spinach mixture.
Can be served with rounds of potato cooked in a little vegetable stock and margarine. - Serves 2-3
KUMARA & CHICKPEA CURRY
Coconut cream could replace the stock for a richer curry.
3 medium (500g) kumara, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 teaspoons curry powder
400g can each: diced tomatoes, chickpeas
2 cups well-flavoured vegetable stock
large bunch coriander, chopped
Steam or microwave the kumara, until just tender. Cut into 2.5cm chunks.
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Sauté the onion, until transparent. Add the garlic. Add the curry powder and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, drained chickpeas and stock and bring to the boil.
Add the kumara to the curry together with the coriander. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Great served with rice. - Serves 4
MIXED-NUT LOAF
I used hazelnuts and walnuts.
250g mixed nuts
1 each: onion, red or green pepper, carrot
2 large button mushrooms
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons wholemeal flour
1/3 cup each: fresh breadcrumbs, vegetable stock
2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs
salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 190C. Lightly oil a 20cm x 10cm loaf pan.
Place the nuts in a roasting pan. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until lightly golden. Rub the skins of the hazelnuts, if using. Finely chop the nuts.
Chop the onion and pepper. Grate the carrot. Dice the mushrooms.
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add the pepper and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add the grated carrot and cook for another minute.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the flour. Add the breadcrumbs, vegetable stock, nuts, mixed herbs and seasonings.
Pack into the loaf pan, pressing down with a spoon. Bake for around 35 minutes.
Great served with mashed potatoes and a gravy prepared from vegetable stock.
- Serves 4

JAPANESE-STYLE CORN SOUP
3 cups fresh or frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups light vegetable stock
1 tablespoon miso
1/2 cake tofu
Cook the corn in the water for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Purée in a blender with a little of the stock. Return to the saucepan, add the remaining stock and sieved miso. Bring to the boil.
Cut the tofu in 1cm cubes and add to the soup. Serve immediately.
- Serves 4
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