Three vegan recipes even carnivores will love

Start with moreish cauliflower chia fritters, move on to a health-packed main-worthy salad, and end with a chewy, gooey brownie - just three of the delicious recipes from vegan cookbook Cooking With Kindness.

Gala's Organic Kitchen's Golden cauliflower chia fritters with green tahini dip

This must be one of the best ways to eat this cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetable. A handy snack to have in the fridge or freezer, they also make sexy finger food. They can even star as a main act for dinner, accompanied by a grand salad. Enjoy the versatility!

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup chickpea (besan) flour, plus extra to adjust consistency if needed (find it in supermarkets and health stores)

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp sweet paprika

1 tsp salt (we use sea salt)

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, optional (if you like your fritters fluffy)

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

pinch of cayenne pepper

cracked black pepper, to taste

1 small head or 1/2 large cauliflower, coarsely grated

4 spring onions, chopped

1/2 bunch parsley, leaves and stalks chopped (roughly 1 cup)

1 cup rice milk, or other plant milk, plus extra to adjust consistency, if needed

coconut oil, for frying

METHOD

1. For the fritters, mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients (except coconut oil) and mix thoroughly. Leave to stand for 30 minutes (this gives the chia seeds, which are acting as an egg replacement, a chance to expand and therefore hold the fritters together).

2. Check the consistency of the fritter mixture and adjust with extra rice milk or chickpea flour to achieve a consistency that will hold together when fried. (It's a good idea to make and test-fry one fritter before doing all of them.) Form the fritter mixture into little rounds with wet hands.

3. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and, working in batches, fry the fritters in coconut oil for about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cauliflower is cooked through in the middle. You can also keep the fritters in a warm oven until ready to serve, which will give them another chance to cook through.

Serve with green tahini dip.

Green tahini dip

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup hulled tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1–2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup parsley leaves, chopped (coriander and mint work well too)

METHOD

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend with ½–1 cup of water to achieve the desired consistency.

Dip will keep for 4–5 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and freezes well too.

Tip: A really good tahini sauce recipe is essential for every good vegan chef, and this dip is it. Serve it as a dip with vegie sticks, crackers, chips, salad - the possibilities are endless. Whenever you're using tahini remember to stir it in the jar very well with a clean spoon first. This will ensure that the thick sediment at the bottom is blended with the oily part on top.

Makes about 20 fritters

The Little Shop of Plenty's kale super salad with goji and ginger dressing

This nutritionally charged salad is a true superhero of a meal, not only loaded with plant protein, but dense with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to boost the immune system.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium beetroot, cut into matchsticks

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar with the mother (see Tip)

1 large bunch kale, stems removed,leaves torn into bite-size pieces

extra virgin olive oil

good quality salt (we use sea salt or rock salt)

2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks

handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves

handful of shredded red cabbage

1/4 cup goji berries

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 cup pepitas (preferably activated and organic)

organic seed crackers or cooked quinoa, to serve, optional

METHOD

1. Toss the beetroot with the apple cider vinegar in a bowl and leave to stand for a couple of hours to soften. (I sometimes leave it to marinate overnight or even for a couple of days in a container in the fridge.)

2. Place the kale in a large bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and give it a good, firm massage with clean hands to break down the fibres and soften.

3. Add the carrot to the bowl with the kale, along with the marinated beetroot (add the cider vinegar used to marinate the beetroot if you like, or set aside for another use), the parsley, cabbage, goji berries, and a drizzle of dressing. Sprinkle the chia seeds over the top (they will form lumps if you just dump them in so make sure you sprinkle!) and toss thoroughly.

4. If you can bear to wait, refrigerate the salad for an hour or two to marinate and allow the goji berries and chia to soften and soak up all the lovely flavours.

5. When you are ready to eat, check whether you need to add a sprinkle more salt and toss through half the pepitas. Add an extra splash of dressing, sprinkle the remaining pepitas on top and serve with seed crackers or cooked quinoa, if desired.

Goji and ginger dressing

INGREDIENTS

50g goji berries

40ml apple cider vinegar with the mother (see Tip)

40ml lemon juice

1/2 tbsp coconut syrup

1-2 tsps grated fresh ginger, or to taste

1 tsp ground ginger

100ml extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp tahini

1/2 tsp ground cumin

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

METHOD

1. Place the goji berries in a bowl with the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon water and leave to stand for about 15 minutes or so to soften (this is important to achieve a smooth result). Place the remaining ingredients in a blender (or food processor), add the goji berries and soaking liquid, and blend until smooth. If too thick, add a dash of water. Taste and adjust the seasoning with extra coconut syrup, cayenne pepper or salt if required.

Tip: Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar (with the 'mother') is an unrefined vinegar that still contains some of the proteins, enzymes and friendly bacteria used in the fermentation process. It can still be found in health food stores. Substitute regular apple cider vinegar.

Serves 4

Buku Cakery's chewy brownie skillet cookies

We all love a good, warm, fudge-centred cookie, and this recipe reinvents that classic favourite for everyone to enjoy. You can whip up a batch of these cookies in no time for surprise guests, and not only are they vegan and refined-sugar free, but gluten free too. Not that any of your guests will be able to tell!

INGREDIENTS

260g rice malt or coconut syrup

30g raspberries, pureed

150g coconut butter (creamed coconut)

100g almond butter

85g buckwheat flour

30g raw cacao

22g tapioca starch

2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

55g dried cranberries

coconut yoghurt or ice-cream, to serve

fresh berries, to serve

toasted hazelnuts, to serve

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and set a heatproof bowl on top. Place the syrup, raspberry puree, coconut butter and almond butter in the bowl and stir until all the ingredients melt together. Remove bowl from the heat.

2. Mix the flour, cacao, tapioca starch and baking powder together and add to the liquid mixture. Stir until just coming together but not fully combined. Add the cranberries and mix until well combined. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

3. Wearing gloves to help stop the mixture sticking to your hands, roll the dough into six balls.

4. Lightly grease 6 x 10cm ovenproof skillets. Place balls of dough in the skillets and bake for 12-15 minutes (12 minutes for soft fudgey cookies and 15 minutes for something a bit firmer.)

5. Serve cookies straight from the oven with your favourite coconut yoghurt of ice-cream, a spoonful of raspberry chia coulis, fresh berries and some toasted hazelnuts for a delicious crunch.

Raspberry chia coulis

INGREDIENTS

240g frozen raspberries, thawed

1 tbsp rice malt or coconut syrup

25g chia seeds

METHOD

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix gently. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Tip: Make the dough ahead of time, for even quicker skllet cookies. Roll dough into balls and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Serves 6.

This is an edited extract from Cooking With Kindness collected by Pam Ahern, published by Edgar's Mission. RRP $35. Photography by Julie Renouf.