In Simple (Mostly) Vegan Kitchen, Ellie Bullen invites you into her home and shares the food she has been cooking for her family. Ellie's focus is on simplifying meals - without ever sacrificing on flavour or nutrition. You'll love her hearty salads, one-pot dinners, on-the-go breakfasts, slow-cooker dishes, crispy air-fryer snacks and sweet treats.
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These simple and delicious (mostly) vegan meals are wholesome enough to share with even the littlest members of the family and are sure to bring some sunshine into your day, so it's time to fill your kitchen with colourful veggies and get cooking!
- Simple (mostly) Vegan Kitchen, by Ellie Bullen. Plum, $39.99.
Butter cauliflower curry
I recently invested in a slow cooker and, not to be too dramatic, but it's been life changing. The slow cooker makes preparing dishes like this nourishing cauliflower curry so easy. I hope this dish becomes a staple in your household, as it is in mine.
Ingredients
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 vegetable stock cube
50g natural coconut yoghurt
155g frozen peas
juice of 1/2 lemon
Curry paste:
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground cumin
2.5cm piece of ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 long red chilli, roughly chopped
To serve:
steamed rice
finely chopped coriander leaves
natural coconut yoghurt
freshly ground black pepper
finely chopped red chilli
Method
1. To make the curry paste, place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth paste.
2. Turn your slow cooker to the sauté setting. Add the avocado oil and, once it is hot, add the curry paste and sauté for one minute. Add the cauliflower florets, tossing through and sautéing for a further minute. Add the tomatoes, coconut sugar, vegetable stock cube and coconut yoghurt. Stir well, then cover with the lid, switch the slow cooker to low and cook for seven to eight hours, until the cauliflower falls apart when tested with a fork and the sauce is nicely reduced.
3. Before serving, add the peas to the slow cooker and stir through. Cover with the lid and cook for five to 10 minutes, until the peas are soft. Add the lemon juice right before serving.
4. Serve the butter cauliflower curry with steamed rice, coriander leaves, coconut yoghurt, a little black pepper and red chilli.
Serves 4.
Lentil bolognese sausage rolls
These lentil sausage rolls are perfect for a picnic on a summer's day and will be devoured by both kids and adults.
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 tbsp finely chopped oregano leaves
400g can lentils, rinsed and drained
210g canned chopped tomatoes
40g crushed walnuts
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
vegan puff pastry sheets, thawed
black sesame seeds, for sprinkling (optional)
your choice of dipping sauce, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and oregano and cook for three minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the lentils, tomatoes, walnuts, salt and pepper and cook for three minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
3. Place the pastry sheets in front of you and spoon the filling along the edge of each pastry sheet that's closest to you leaving a 2cm border. Gently shape the filling into a sausage, then, working with one pastry sheet at a time, fold the pastry over the filling and roll it up into a large sausage roll. Top with a few sesame seeds, if desired, then cut the sausage rolls into lengths of your choice.
4. Transfer to the prepared tray and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed up and golden. Allow the sausage rolls to cool slightly and serve warm with your choice of sauce.
Serves 4.
Apple crumble breakfast bake
Is there anything better than dessert for breakfast? This apple crumble is a quick, easy and hearty sweet dish that can be enjoyed at the start or the end of the day (or anywhere in between, to be honest). I often share this with my family and friends - everyone loves the flavour combination of apple and cinnamon.
Ingredients
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and finely diced
2 medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g rolled oats
50g almond meal
45g desiccated coconut
1/3 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp vegan butter
natural coconut yoghurt, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan-forced.
2. Place the apple, date, cinnamon and vanilla extract in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Transfer to a small baking dish.
3. Place the oats, almond meal, desiccated coconut, salt, coconut sugar and vegan butter in the bowl and mix with your hands until well combined. Scatter the oat mixture on top of the apple, then transfer to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown.
4. Allow the crumble to cool until warm, then spoon onto plates and serve with a dollop of natural coconut yoghurt on the side.
Tip: This crumble also doubles as a dessert, so keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for when you are in need of something sweet after dinner. It will keep for up to two days.
Serves 4.
Nana's baked rice pudding
There is something so nostalgic about a baked rice pudding. I love making this delicious, creamy dessert - it's so easy to put together and is always a crowd-pleaser! The cinnamon and vanilla add a subtle warmth, which makes this a wonderful after-dinner treat for a cold winter's night.
Ingredients
200g medium grain rice
1 litre soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
To serve (optional)
vegan vanilla ice cream or pouring cream
ground cinnamon
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced.
2. Place a large flameproof casserole dish or saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice, soy milk, vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and three-quarters of the sugar. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the rice is partially cooked but still slightly crunchy.
3. Transfer the rice mixture to a small baking dish if you've used a saucepan. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top, then transfer the pudding to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbling on top.
4. Serve the rice pudding warm with vegan ice cream or pouring cream and a sprinkle of extra ground cinnamon, if desired.
Serves 4.