Strawberry Tiramisu (Addicted to Dates) is made with layers of homemade sponge fingers and a vegan cheese with fresh strawberry confit.
Here are some simple ways to eat more fruit. Do you get a bit depressed when TV dietitians tell you to eat more fruit and less cake, but the bowl of boring fruit doesn’t appeal as much as the sticky bun? Here are some simple recipes that makes fresh fruit appealing to anyone who has forgotten their natural tastebuds. We are atuned to enjoy fresh fruit. You soon will after making these recipes, and more likely to leave the plastic-wrapped sticky buns and cakes on the supermarket shelf.
Pomegranates are popular in Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine. Many people are put off by having to remove the arils. In fact, it’s really simple. Either tap the top with a wooden spoon to make them fall into a bowl. Or just remove the skin and peel them off in a bowl of water. The arils will float to the top (just drain them off).
Roasted Pears in Ginger Syrup (Full of Plants) is as simple as it gets. Just bake the pears, then serve in a homemade maple ginger syrup and serve with vegan vanilla ice-cream or coconut cream.
Thick Blueberry Tart (Full of Plants) is naturally sweet, and full of antioxidants.
Aquafaba Strawberry Mousse (Full of Plants) is so pretty, and really simple to make. It uses aquafaba (the leftover brine water from canned chickpeas) to give it a ‘meringue’ feel and taste.
Rhubarb is a very popular ingredient in desserts across England (and Scandinavia). It’s too bitter to eat raw, so always cook with natural sugar. Here are some nice plant-based recipes to try. Try this simple Rhubarb Cake (Vegan Sandra) to start you off. The leaves are toxic so bin them to naturally biodegrade, as they contain a substance that could harm garden friends in the compost bin. Keep rhubarb away from pets.
Vegan Rhubarb Curd Tart (Fare Isle) contain a little strawberry for added colour. The bars are set with seaweed- based agar agar and use coconut oil to replace the butter.
This Rhubarb Crisp (Bojon Gourmet) is both vegan and gluten-free. It combines tangy rhubarb with vanilla and lemon, with a crunchy oat and almond topping.
Vegan Rhubarb Bars (Short Girl, Tall Order) includes layers of delicious shortbread topped with a creamy rhubarb curd. Bake and slice into squares, then dust with icing sugar (Suma and Wholesome! are good vegan brands, in the UK and US respectively).
White Chocolate Cheesecake with Rhubarb & Ginger (Lazy Cat Kitchen) is fit for a party. White chocolate is combined with the tangy rhubarb, although it’s best to avoid ginger for pregnancy/history of miscarriage, as it could induce early labour. Or try the same blogger’s yummy-looking rhubarb & ginger buns (keep fresh dough away from pets).
Raspberry Rhubarb Tart (Green Smoothie Gourmet) are good for breakfast or dessert, and use a fresh fruit compote and yoghurt, with a nutritious oat flour crust. Ideal before or after a workout.
3-Ingredient Fruity Vegan Jello (Simple Vegan Blog) is an ideal alternative to jelly, many brands are made with gelatine (animal bones). This only takes 10 minutes to make, then leave it to set in the fridge. It’s made with any type of fruit juice (or add more water for less sweet jelly), sugar and agar (a seaweed setting agent from Japan).
If you like this recipe, check out the blogger’s lovely e-book bundle of 30 simple vegan meals and 30 vegan smoothies. A bargain and each of the recipes has a colour photo and gluten-free options.
Vegan Panna Cotta with Stone Fruit (Nourish) is made with poached fruits of your choice, which are boiled and then set aside, while you simmer the liquid into a syrup. Make the vegan panna cotta then pour into moulds to cool and set, then turn onto plates and serve with the fruits and cooled syrup. Serve leftover fruits with plant-based yoghurt or ice-cream.
This stunning vegan fruit tart (Pick up Limes) is made with almonds, and flavoured with raspberry and rhubarb (always bin rhubarb leaves, as their toxin can harm creatures in the compost bin). This tart is sweetened with dates and made with vanilla and buckwheat flour. The almond paste contains omega-3 friendly flaxseeds and protein-rich nuts.
The fruit topping is made with fresh raspberries and sliced rhubarb, with optional vegan powdered sugar garnish (two good brands are Suma and Wholesome! in the UK and US respectively).
Here are some recipes to make a vegan fruit tart.
Shortbread Crust Mini Fruit Tarts
These mini fruit tarts (My Darling Vegan) are an ideal alternative to those fruit tarts you see in grocery stores, filled with custard. These begin with a lemon shortbread crust, which is filled with coconut cream cheese, and then topped with fresh berries – choose from strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or blueberries.
This recipe uses coconut milk, so ensure your coconut milk is monkey-friendly. It also uses vegan butter, so choose a vegan butter free from palm oil.
This recipe uses a vegan cream cheese. There are many on the market, so choose one that is free from palm oil and in zero waste packaging. A good one is Kinda Co Cashew Cream Cheese.
Keep vegan cheeses away from pets, as some contain toxic ingredients like macadamia nuts.
Fruit coulis does not last long in the fridge, but it’s a good idea to learn to make your own. A coulis is simply a thin sauce that was created by a French chef in the 19th century, and is made by pureeing and straining fruits (you can also make vegetable coulis for savoury dishes). Here are some nice ideas.
Raw Brownies with Raspberry Coulis (The Vegan 8) are rich chocolate treats with no dates, and topped with a homemade berry sauce. Free from oil and gluten.
This simple raspberry coulis (Great British Chefs) is a good recipe to start. Made simply with raspberries and icing/powdered sugar (choose an organic vegan brand, others may have bone char or egg), use it on desserts, ice-cream or in cakes and pavlovas. Also try their recipe for a blackberry coulis.
Slushies are given different names, depending on where you live. Basically a blend of shaved ice with sugar and fruit, the original granitas were created in southern Italy, as a refreshing treat in high summer. Known as snow cones in the US, here you likely know them as Slush Puppies, those frozen treats sold in newsagents that go round in a machine. But they are made with sweeteners and artificial flavours and colours. The blue (raspberry?) version contains E133, a food dye banned in many countries (Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Germany and Norway) due to concerns over health. It’s also found in cans of peas (who knew peas were blue?)
It’s also good to make your own, as many frozen slushies and granitas are coloured with dead beetles, for the red or pink colours. These are labelled as cochineal or carmine (the American spelling). Instead, try this homemade Coconut Lime Watermelon Slushie (Minimalist Baker – use with Biona Organic Coconut Milk (no monkey-harvesting). Simple to make and hydrating too. Or go for a Cherry Lime Slushie (even contains protein and calcium, due to the cashew butter).
Summer Fruit Slush (Gourmande in the Kitchen) is a blend of watermelon, strawberries, raspberry and cherry, with coconut water, lime and grapefruit.
Blueberry Slushy (Feasting at Home) offers an antioxidant boost with this 2-ingredient drink that is a simple blend of fruit and freshly squeezed OJ. No added sugar, and use any berries you choose.
Poached Pears with Vanilla Bourbon
Pears are not only delicious (as long as you buy them ripe) but also are actually high in calcium, so a great fruit to eat, if you are vegan. Also called ‘butter fruit’, these rich sweet fruits are good poached if too hard to eat raw, and also nice in many types of desserts. Related to roses, there are 3000 varieties, with China eating more than anyone on earth.
Spiced Poached Pears with Turmeric, Ginger & Cardamom (Quite Good Food) are inspired by an Indonesian dish. Serve with plain vegan yoghurt or ice-cream, coconut whip or vegan custard. Sweetened with maple or brown rice syrup.
Roasted Pears in Ginger Syrup (Full of Plants) is a simple 5-ingredient recipe that bakes pears in maple ginger syrup. Serve with coconut whip or vegan vanilla ice cream.
Easy Baked Pears (Minimalist Baker) is a super-simple recipe, packed with pears and nutrients. Naturally buttery, it only takes 1 dish and 30 minutes.
No-Bake Chocolate Pear Tart (Full of Plants) tops maple-glazed pear slices with a dark chocolate sauce. No oven required.
Vegan Spiced Apple Doughnuts (Avant Garde Vegan) are made with bread flour and palm-oil-free vegan butter, along with fast active dried yeast and plant milk. The filling is made with cinnamon-spiced cooking apples and caster sugar (check it’s vegan).
If you like this recipe, check out chef Gaz Oakley’s book Vegan Christmas, packed with wonderful recipes. Gaz is a professionally trained Welsh chef, who is taking the world by storm with his amazing recipes and photos.
These refreshing homemade strawberry slushies (Addicted to Dates) are an ideal way to get your daily fruits. Topped with a homemade vegan meringue topping, they also contain kombucha (a sparkling tea – this does have a few contraindications for some and can be difficult to find, so just leave it out, if preferred). Avoid kombucha for pregnancy/breastfeeding, weak immune systems and those sensitive to caffeine.
This chef is author of the fabulous book No-Bake Vegan Desserts. A trained classical chef, recipes in the book include Creamy Pistachio Tart, Cherry Bomb Cheezecake, Cardamom, Vanilla & Clementine Crème Brûlée, Banoffee Cupcakes and Salted Caramel Donuts
Vegan Raspberry Ripple Magnums (Addicted to Dates) are ideal for anyone who likes Magnums or raspberry ripple ice-cream or both. This traditional English flavour is made into homemade vegan ice-cream, paired with salted caramel and a chocolate shell.
This chef is author of the fabulous book No-Bake Vegan Desserts. A trained classical chef, recipes in the book include Creamy Pistachio Tart, Cherry Bomb Cheezecake, Cardamom, Vanilla & Clementine Crème Brûlée, Banoffee Cupcakes and Salted Caramel Donuts.
This post is part of a series, where we look at popular duos, in this case lemon and blueberry. Often used as a duo to make pancakes or cakes, this duo is ideal for people who like fresh food. Blueberry Lemon Vegan Ice Cream (Crowded Kitchen) is made with creamy coconut, naturally sweetened by the blueberries. Far better and more unique than store-bought. Lovely for summer desserts.
Fresh lemons are easy to find, go for organic to avoid the oily wax (roll the lemon between your hands before juicing, to get more juice). Fresh blueberries are also nice, but again choose organic or freeze from the pick-your-own farm.
Oil-Free Blueberry Lemon Muffins (The Vegan 8) are made with coconut milk and plant yoghurt, sweetened naturally with maple syrup.
Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake (Plantiful Bakery) is a beautiful three-layer cake, filled with blueberry jam, and decorated with a vegan lemon buttercream frosting (use palm-oil-free vegan butter).
Lemon Blueberry Cake (Rainbow in My Kitchen) is soft and juicy, sweet and tangy. Perfect with a tea or coffee, you don’t need any frosting. Dust with powdered sugar (avoid xylitol as it’s not even labeled that it’s lethal to pets, who could die if they even eat a morsel dropped on the floor – just stick with a little natural sugar instead).
Vegan Peach Tarte Tatin (Eat This) is a German recipe, just right-click to translate it into English. It’s made with a palm-oil-free shortcrust or puff pastry, trimmed to fit the braised fruit in the pan. You can add salt and black cumin to the leftovers to enjoy as a snack.
Fresh peaches are often sold in summer, you may be fortunate enough to have them in your garden. You could always use other summer fruits to mix this recipe up like nectarines, or make an autumnal version using plums. Serve wtih vegan cream, custard or ice-cream.
Most pastry in shops contains palm oil, so make your own vegan pastry for these baked goods. It’s really simple to do, with just a few ingredients. Keep fresh dough away from pets, as it can expand in the stomach.
Vegan Pumpkin Galette (Lazy Cat Kitchen) can also be made with squash, and contains garlic and nutmeg (so keep away from pets) and is made cheesy with some B12-rich nutritional yeast.
Stone-Fruit Galette (Fare Isle) can use any combination of fruits like peaches, plums, cherries, apricots or nectarines. The blogger suggests simply using whatever’s in season.
Vegan Blackberry Galette (Rainbow Plant Life) is easy-to-make with fresh blackberries housed in a buttery pie crust, then topped with fresh herbs (mint and basil) and vegan ice cream.
Vegan Peanut Butter & Jam Tart (Rainbow Nourishments) is something rather special. It uses palm-oil-free vegan biscuits and peanut butter (choose a brand free from palm oil) that sits alongside raspberry jam. A simple recipe with less than 10 ingredients, and can be made gluten-free.
Cranberry Vegan Frangipane Tart (Lazy Cat Kitchen) contains a cranberry jam bottom, topped with a frangipane containing orange zest and cardamom, for lovely flavour and texture contrast. The jammy cake is then studded with whole cranberries (Scandinavians could use lingonberries, to sub).
Apple cake is one of the most popular traditional cakes you can make. Different from apple pie, it’s less popular in the UK and North America, but very popular in mainland Europe. People in Germany and Poland eat it often, and in Scandinavia, sour apples are used, topped with sugared cinnamon. Choose palm-oil-free vegan butter, if used. Keep fruit pips/seeds, dried fruits, pecans and spices (nutmeg/mace) away from pets.
Vegan Apple Cake with Sultanas (The Veg Space) features a rustic cake with juicy sultanas and big chunks of apple, topped with crunchy demerara sugar. Perfect for a vegan tea treat. Always choose organic apples, as most conventional apples sold in stores are coated in shellac (made from dead insects) to make them shiny. Some towns have community orchards, where you can pick organic apples for free, or visit your local farm shop for better choice of seasonal apples, which will taste nicer with no food miles, and cost less too.
Vegan Apple Cider Bundt Cake (Short Girl, Tall Order) is made with fresh chopped apples. Ideal for autumn, the apple cider glaze on top completes this beauty.
