OK so Veganuary is over; so what now?! If you’re like me, you may have relied heavily on processed foods and takeaway which undoubtedly broke the bank. Am I right??…Thought so.
So let me set you a challenge. I will show you how to make quick easy and delicious food that is cheap as well, and in the process, you will build your own veggy pantry, rely less on processed foods and get more creative in the kitchen. All I need from you is a bit of your time and the commitment to at least try them out.
A lot of these dishes have been inspired by our own Luna’s restaurant menu, and many of them you can actually find in our menu :).
Now, first rule about keeping to a tight budget is to cook in larger quantities. I found that many times though, the internet is overcrowded with recipes that include too many ingredients for only one meal, thus making it too expensive in the long run. This recipe will be the base for at least 4 other dishes, it’s freezer friendly and only requires a few ingredients.
What you will need:
- 2 cans plum tomatoes
- a few tablespoons of vegetable oil (or any other neutral in taste, like rapeseed, avocado, or groundnut oil). If you do not want to use oil, just add water or veggie stock.
- 30 to 35g salt
- 500g onions (around 3 large white)
- 40g garlic
- 5g thyme
- 5g rosemary
- 50g basil (you can add less if you’re not a big basil fan, min I would say is 15g)
Preparation:
Start by chopping roughly the onion and garlic.
In a large sauté pan, add oil, onions and salt. Sauté on medium heat until the onions are translucent (around 5min).
Add garlic, thyme and rosemary. Sauté for another 3min.
Add the canned tomatoes, bring to a boil, lower the heat and leave to simmer for around 20min.
Remove from heat and add the basil.
With a hand blender, or a food processor or whatever you have on hand, blend all ingredients until smooth. be careful not to burn yourself.
And that is it! You can make a simple quick pasta, by boiling the spaghetti, or any other type of pasta to package instructions, add a few tablespoons of this sauce, mix and enjoy just like this or with a bit of vegan parmesan. I am not a fan of parmesan so I usually either eat it like this, with vegan cheddar cheese or with extra chickpeas.
Next we’ll be making soya and lentil ragu using this as our base.
Hope you give this a try! Do follow me on my social media and tag me in your photos :).
Love, Nico
