Try these 5 vegan weight-loss recipes

Lots of us try to lose weight in January. Post-Christmas it’s easy to feel like you’ve overindulged and piled on the pounds. If you’re trying to eat more healthily this year, maybe you’ve given some thought to going vegan. Cutting back on meat and dairy can have many positive health benefits. With that in mind, we’ve curated 5 easy vegan meals you can knock up in no time using your FlavorStone pan. Bon appetit

1)  Green Bean Curry

What you need

• 200g frozen green beans
• A couple of medium-sized potatoes
• A block of firm tofu
• 1 white onion
• 3 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
• A tin of coconut milk
• A god squeeze of tomato puree
• A dash of soy sauce
• 3 tsp of curry powder
• Salt and pepper

What you do

1. Slice the potatoes as thinly as you can then fry them on both sides in your FlavorStone pan with a tablespoon of oil and some salt
2. Cut the tofu into cubes and add in with the potatoes until nicely browned
3. Empty the potatoes and tofu onto a plate, then fry off the onions and garlic in oil until golden brown
4. Add the coconut milk, tomato puree, curry powder and soy sauce to your FlavorStone pan.
5. Give everything a good stir and bring to a simmer.
6. Add the green beans and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Finally, add the potatoes and tofu back into the pan, stir together and season to taste with salt and pepper.

2)  Lentil Vegetable Soup

What you need

• 1 onion
• 3 fat cloves of garlic
• 2 medium carrots
• A handful of mushrooms
• 1 courgette
• One tin of plum tomatoes
• A good handful of red lentils
• Vegetable stock cube
• 1 heaped tsp dry basil
• A handful of baby spinach
• Salt and pepper

What you do

1. Dice the onion and fry in your FlavorStone pan, over a medium heat, in a little oil.
2. While this is happening, crush the garlic, slice the mushroom and chop the carrot and courgette into dice – add to the pan.
3. Give everything a good stir and saute for 5 mins
4. Add the tinned tomatoes, a pint of boiled water and the vegetable stock cube.
5. Bring to the boil and add the lentils.
6. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the veg is tender.
7. 5 minutes before the end, roughly chop the spinach and add to the pan with the dried basil.
8. Season to perfection and serve.

 3)   Vegan Cauliflower Risotto

What you need

• Olive oil
• 3 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 whole cauliflower, chopped fine in a food processor
• A good handful of baby spinach
• A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley

What you do

1. Gently warm the olive oil in your FlavorStone pan then add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
2. Add your cauliflower ‘rice’ and a good pinch of salt.
3. Turn up the heat to medium and cook until the cauliflower softens.
4. Add the spinach and stir gently until it wilts.
5. Season to perfection and garnish with chopped parsley.

 4)  Black Pepper Tofu

What you need

• 1 medium aubergine
• 220g mushrooms
• Soy sauce
• Runny honey
• Rice vinegar
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs black coarse-ground peppercorns
• One block of firm tofu
• One small onion, thinly sliced
• Grated fresh or dry ginger
• 2 red chillies
• Bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

What you do

1. Heat your FlavorStone pan over medium heat and add a good splash of olive oil. Dice up the aubergine and fry until browned then remove onto a plate.
2. Roughly chop or tear up the mushrooms and fry until browned then remove to the aubergine plate.
3. Now create the sauce by mixing together the soy sauce, a squeeze of honey, sugar, pepper and a splash of vinegar.
4. Cut the tofu into cubes and fry in your FlavorStone pan until crisped – do it in batches if you need to – then remove to a fresh plate.
5. Add another splash of oil to your FlavorStone pan, and stir-fry the crushed garlic, sliced onion and spring onions, ginger and chillies until softened.
6. Pour in the sauce, along with the aubergine, mushrooms and tofu. Give it all a good stir and heat through.
7. Serve over steamed rice or noodles.

5)  Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

What you need

• 180g rinsed quinoa
• 6 red peppers
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 200g finely chopped mushrooms
• 3 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
• A good squeeze of tomato puree
• 1tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1tsp oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1 can kidney beans
• Handful frozen sweetcorn

What you do

1. Halve and deseed the peppers, rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper
2. Place on your FlavorStone pan and roast in the oven at 180 for 15 minutes. Then, using the cool-touch handle, remove your FlavorStone pan from the oven.
3. Now for the stuffing. Put the quinoa in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Put a plate over the bowl and leave for 15 minutes until fluffy.
4. Next, heat your FlavorStone pan over a medium heat and fry the onion until soft – about 5 minutes.
5. Add the mushrooms and garlic and fry until the mushroom have released all their liquid.
6. Add the spices and tomato puree and stir-fry until they release their aromas. Add half a pint of boiling water and crumble in the stock cube. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
7. Add the quinoa, beans and sweetcorn, then simmer for 5 minutes or so until the liquid has reduced.
8. Spoon the mixture into the cooled peppers as evenly as you can. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or so until crisped on top.

FlavorStone Diamond is great for anyone looking to eat more healthily. Although we’ve suggested using oil in some of these recipes, you can just as easily leave it out. The innovative non-stick surface of the FlavorStone Diamond pans means you can cook with little to no oil without leaving any sticky residue inside the pan.

You can find more delicious, simple and healthy recipes for your FlavorStone Diamond pan here.