Monday, January 31, 2011

Tasty Lasagna with Parmazano Bechamel

A hungry vegans must have!



Parmazano Bechamel? What! Yes it is true, this is like the lasagna you might have had years ago, now even better...VEGAN!


Lasagna with Parmazano Bechamel 
You will need:
1 packet of Dried Lasagna Sheets (egg free), 300g TVP or Vegan Mince, 1 large Brown Onion, 3 Carrots, 1-2 cloves of Garlic, 2 tins of Chopped Tomatoes, 1-2 tbs Tomato paste, 6-8 fresh Button Mushrooms, 2 cubes of Vegetable Stock, 50g Margarine, 3-4 tbs Plain Flour, 250ml Dairy Free Cooking Cream, 500-700ml Water, Vegan Parmazano Powder, Herb Salt, Black Pepper, Thyme & Marjoram or Oregano

Mince Mix
  • Dice the onion and grate the carrot. Fry on a medium heat in a non stick pan until soft.
  • Add the sliced mushrooms, mince and crushed garlic. Sauté for a few minutes on a lower heat (if your heat is too high it will burn the garlic, giving it a bitter taste)  
  • Sprinkle the herb salt, black pepper, thyme and marjoram / oregano into the mince mix. Add the paste and crushed tomatoes.
  • Taste! If needed add more spices. A tip can be to add a small amount of sugar, tinned tomatoes will taste sweeter and riper.
  • This is the mince mixture done.



Parmazano Bechamel
  • Melt the margarine, add the flour and stir until it forms a paste.
  • Add the dairy free cooking cream and your vegetable stock cubes. When the mix thickens, start adding you water slowly while stirring and simmering on a medium heat. 
  • The parmazano powder should be added now. How much you add is up to you, depending on how cheesy you want it. I use around 2tbs
  • Add a pinch of herb salt and some black pepper.
  • Taste! Season more if needed.


  • Start layering your lasagna with the mince mix, then bechamel and pasta on top. 
  • Continue with this until your oven dish is filled.
  • Remember to always start and finish (top and bottom) with the two sauces.
  • Cook in the oven for 40-45min on 200-225C / 390-440F
  • Always check on your lasagna during it's cooking time. If it is getting too dark, lower the oven temperature. 
  • Poke the lasagna with a cake tester before taking it out of the oven, ensuring the pasta is cooked.
  • I like it served with a simple and fresh side salad containing: lettuce, tomato and cucumber.



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Coconut Pot with Mixed Veggies and Rice

This is our own take on a dish we once had at the vegetarian restaurant Chutney in Stockholm.


Very tasty when the rice soaks up a lot of the coconut sauce. This dish can be cooked on a very slim budget, seeing as you can use fresh, tinned or frozen vegetables.

Coconut Pot With Mixed Veggies and Rice
You will need:
2 tins of Coconut Milk, 1 tin (400g) of Chickpeas, ½ a head of Broccoli, ½ a head of Cauliflower, 1 tin (400g) of Beansprouts, 1 tin of Bamboo Shoots, 1 bag of Spinach, 1 large Brown Onion, 2 Vegetable Stock Cubes, Herb Salt, Black Pepper, Chili Flakes & Basmati Rice.
  • Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into bouquets. Dice the onion and start frying all of the vegetables in a preheated pan using a vegetable oil of your choice.
  • Add the vegetable stock cubes, black pepper, herb salt and chili flakes.
  • Stir while adding the coconut milk, once all mixed, add finely sliced spinach (or 5 cubes of prechopped frozen spinach)
  • Cook the basmati rice according to the directions on the packet
  • Taste! Add more spices if needed, but be careful with the salt
  • Once the broccoli and cauliflower are soft and the rice is cooked, the meal is ready to enjoy

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Blueberry Pie

Quick and tasty pie served with creamy vanilla sauce!




This blueberry pie is, to me, the tastiest of pies. Crunchy crumble with warm, sweet blueberries.


Blueberry Pie
You will need:
1.5dl (2/3 cup) + 0.5dl (1/4 cup) Sugar, 2dl (3/4cup) Oats, ½ tsp Baking powder, 2dl (3/4cup) Plain Flour, 100g Dairy Free Margarine, 1tbs Potato or Corn Starch & 250g Blueberries. (round shallow pie tin)
  • Mix 1.5dl (2/3cups) of sugar with oats, baking powder, plain flour and the dairy free margarine.
  • The mixture should have small crumbs with no lumps of margarine left. I find using my hands and crushing the lumps with my fingers to be the easiest way. 
  • In a new bowl mix the blueberries with the potato starch and 0.5dl (1/4cup) of sugar.
  • Grease the pie tin and add 2/3 of the crumble mixture. Gently tap the mixture until it forms a base. Stir the blueberries once more before adding the mix on top of the pie base. 
  • Finish off by adding the rest of the crumble mix. Do not press the crumble mixture down, just let it sit loose on top, it will form a better crumble after baking.
  • Bake in the oven for 15min on 250C / 480F
  • Serve with vanilla sauce or vanilla ice-cream, vegan options of course


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The Start Of The Vegan Swedes Blog

Our first post will be on our filling weekend dinner. Containing oven roasted potatoes, spicy soy fillets, marinated mushroom hats, peas, slaw and two tasy sauces.



This dinner will fill you up and make you love food even more.


How do you prepare it? Here's how:


Oven Roasted Potatoes
You will need:

  • 8 Potatoes 
  • Vegetable Oil 
  • Salt, Black Pepper & Paprika Powder.


  1. Choose potatoes with fresh clean skins. Cut them into thick slices (1.5cm / 0.6in) and leave them in a bowl filled with cold water for 5-10min to drain out excess starch. Dry them in a colinder or pat them dry with a clean kitchen cloth.
  2. Put them back into the now empty bowl and add vegetable oil and spices.               
  3. Preheat the oven to 225C / 440F and cook the potatoes in your oven for around 30min or until golden on the outside and soft on the inside. If the potatoes go dark quickly, just lower the heat.

Marinated Mushroom Hats
You will need:
  • 4 Large Mushroom hats 
  • 100ml Vegetable Oil 
  • 3tbs Light Soy Sauce 
  • Chili Flakes & Black Pepper 
  • 1tbs Paprika Powder 
  • 2tbs Vegetarian Oyster Sauce 
  • 1 Garlic Clove 
  • 100ml Water.

  1. Take the stem off the mushroom.
  2. Mix the vegetable oil, light soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, the crushed clove of garlic, paprika powder, black pepper and as much chili flakes you want to, depending on how hot you want it. 
  3. Finally, add the water. It should be runny but a little thicker than water.
  4. Remember that it should be a lot of marinade as it will also be used for the soy fillets.
  5. Leave the mushrooms to soak up the flavours for 20min before adding the soy fillets, marinating for a further 20min, before frying in a hot pan. (Same directions as frying the soy fillets)

Spicy Soy Fillets 
You will need:

  • 8 Soy Fillets (or dried TVP Fillets) 
  • Water, 50-100ml Light Soy Sauce 
  • Chili Flakes 
  • 2tbs Paprika Powder 
  • 2 Vegetable Stock Cubes 
  • 1tbs Black Pepper (Salt)
  1. Fill a large pot with water, add the soy sauce, chili flakes to taste, paprika powder, the vegetable stock cubes and the crushed black pepper (add salt if needed). Remember to season this boiling liquid a lot as this will flavour your fillets.
  2. Boil the soy fillets according to the directions on the packet. I usually boil mine for 5-10min longer to ensure softness and lots of flavour.
  3. Once they have finished boiling its time to marinade them in the same marinade as the mushroom hats.
  4. Add them in with the mushrooms and let it all marinate for 20min more.
  5. Lift them out of the liquid and fry them in a non stick frying pan with margarine (oil can get to hot and won't produce the same flavour). Remember to only fry them lightly. If you fry them too long or too hot they can become hard and chewy.

Two Tasty Sauces

Cooling Yoghurt Sauce with Garlic
You will need:
  • 200ml Alpro Natural Soy Yoghurt 
  • 2tsp Lemon Juice 
  • Salt & Black Pepper 
  • 1 Clove of Garlic 
  • 2tsp Paprika Powder.
  1. Mix the yoghurt, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and black pepper with the crushed clove of garlic and paprika powder.
  2. The best way to prepare this sauce is by tasting it as you go. These are only estimated measurements for this sauce so feel free to try your own mix.

Spicy Marinade Sauce
You will need: 
  • 100ml Left over marinade
  • 50g Margarine
  • 2tbs Flour
  • 250ml Vegan Cooking Cream & Water.

  1. Melt the Margarine and add the flour. Stir in the left over marinade. Add the vegan cooking cream whilst continuously stirring to prevent lumps developing or the sauce to stick and burn in your pan. Add small ammounts of Water while stirring and simmering. 
  2. Once you feel you have the right consistency, taste. If needed, add more spices or marinade.

Sides of Peas and Home made easy Slaw
You will need:
Peas, Cabbage, Pickled Capsicum/ Bell Pepper, Vinegar, Sugar Salt & Pepper.
  • The peas are easy, just cook or defrost.
  • The slaw is prepared by grating or finely slicing the cabbage. Adding some pickled capsicum/ bell pepper (1/3 of the cabbage)
  • Mix vinegar, salt and pepper into a mild vinaigrette. If you want,  water can be added to this to make it even milder
  • Mix and serve.


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