From cannelloni to cachopo: recipes of plant-based versions of popular international dishes

One of the many interactive sessions on offer for attendees at the Alimentaria food and drink trade fair held this week was ‘Vegan food for non-vegans’, in which representatives of vegan food company and restaurant chain Flax & Kale showcased five plant-based versions of some popular dishes that often contain meat or animal products.

The dishes ranged in both ingredients, preparation style, and origin, as Mexico, France, Italy, and Spain were all countries whose cuisine was included in the 45-minute session.

So, to save you time, below is a summary of all the recipes that attendees were able to see being carried out in front of them, before being able to try the food once prepared.

Vegan cream cheese toasted brioche

Flax & Kale have made their own vegan cream cheese, which uses almond milk that they ferment, before treating it to improve the texture.

Despite the almonds, the presenter assured that it did not have a strong taste of almonds, but has a “rather interesting milky touch” to its flavour.

Furthermore, it still contains 100% of the protein of normal cream cheese, but with just 1% of the saturated fat.

Ingredients

• Vegan almond-based cream cheese

• Brioche bread

• Raw tomatoes

• Semi-dried tomatoes

• Kalamata olives

• Oregano

• Basil

• Vegan green pesto

• Parmesan cheese

• Wild garlic

• Seaweed caviar

• Salt

Method

1. Toast the brioche

2. Spread the philadelphia cream cheese across the length of the brioche, making sure it maintains a thick, creamy texture

3. Then, in a separate bowl, mix together the semi-dried and raw tomatoes, one-by-one adding the olives, oregano and basil, and salt

4. Add and mix into the bowl the vegan basil green pesto and parmesan

5. Distribute the newly formed mixture on top of the cream cheese

6. Finish by sprinkling some garlic powder and the seaweed caviar on top for flavour

Vegan cannelloni

This is made with a vegan minced meat, which has recently been relaunched with a new flavouring and texturing, and a vegan foie.

The cannelloni itself has a semolina wheat base. And the normally milk-containing béchamel sauce is made from cashew milk

Ingredients

• Flax&Kale plant-based cannelloni

• Ingredients

• Vegan minced meat

• Vegan foie

• Cannelloni

• Béchamel sauce

Method

1. Stuff the minced meat and foie into the cannelloni as a filling

2. Pour the milk onto the canelones

3. Pour a thick layer of the béchamel onto the canelones as well, making sure to cover nearly the entire thing.

4. Gently grate a small amount of the red truffle over the top

Mexican toast

Ingredients

• Open taco base

• Chipotle chilli

• Plant-based Carne picada

• Flax&Kale cheddar style plant-based cheese 

• Coriander

• Chopped tomato

Method

1. Spread guacamole on open taco base

2. Then spread vegan chipotle chili on top

3. Mix chopped tomato in with coriander, onion and piquillo pepper

4. Distribute over chili

5. Pour over the melted plant-based cheddar cheese

Vegan cachopo

Ingredients

• Baked potatoes

• Flax & Kale plant-based Cachopo

• Piquillo pepper

• Plant-based gluten-free panko

• Cooked cherry tomatoes

• Vegan café de Paris sauce

Method

1. Create a base of the baked potatoes

2. Add some of the cooked tomatoes to accompany the potatoes on the side

3. Place that with the plant-based cachopo on top

4. Top it all off with the café de Paris sauce

Dessert - Ice cream and forest fruits

Ingredients

• Forest fruits

• Red berry sauce

• Flax&Kale Almond-based vanilla ice cream

Method

1. Put a selection of forest fruits forest fruits into a bowl

2. Pour over the forest fruits some red berry sauce

3. At this point, spoon some Flax&Kale Almond-based Vanilla ice cream

4. Finally, add some Flax & Kale cola-flavoured kombucha, kombucola