Jammy tomatoes and butter bean hummus toast
This is a great low-effort, high-impact lunch if you’re feeling something healthy and cosy at the same time. Mix some sliced red onion with lime juice and salt to pickle them, then roast cherry tomatoes with lemon, cumin, oil and salt until bursting and jammy. Meanwhile, blend up butter beans, garlic, olive oil, tahini, lemon and salt until thick and creamy (or more time/student friendly – grab a pack of hummus). Then just get some toast ready, spread on the bean mix, then the tomatoes (don’t skimp out on the juices), pickled onions and some coriander. A super quick and warming lunch to set up the afternoon perfectly.
Turkish bulgar wheat salad
This is kind of the spicy Turkish cousin to a tabbouleh. A gorgeous dish to add to your vegan repertoire and a real crowd pleaser, especially if you put the effort in for the traditional ingredients. Boil bulgar in a tomato paste, hot pepper paste and boiling water concoction until cooked. Then mix it up with finely chopped tomatoes, spring onion, parsley and cucumber, a glug of olive oil, some pomegranate molasses, pul biber (classic Turkish red pepper flakes, otherwise chilli flakes work), salt and pepper. You can serve it with other dishes or it’s perfect solo for a traditionally vegan taste of Turkey.
Cinnamon rolls
These cinnamon rolls really did something to my flatmates, vegan and non-vegan alike – they won’t shut up about them actually. They’re nostalgic and the perfect recipe to show vegan food can be just as good, if not better. Mix up almond milk, vegan melted butter, sugar, dry yeast, flour and salt for the dough, which then rises for an hour to ensure that traditional fluffy, tender texture. Then knead, roll to a rectangle and spread over plenty cinnamon, sugar and butter. Roll into a log and cut into pieces. Let them rise a little longer, bake, then drizzle over some icing (powdered sugar and almond milk works well) while warm for the full gooey effect.
