10 delicious vegan summer recipes

Barbecue season

It must be some deeply rooted part of the human psyche that when the sun finally peeks beyond the clouds and the temperature heats up, we are inspired to cook all our food over an open fire.

Summer is barbecue season. We love enormous family gatherings in back gardens, the designated chief barbecuer carefully tending the grill while others chat, kids play and glasses are clinked together. It’s the spirit of summer.

However, barbecues are traditionally the realm of meat. That presents a bit of a problem for those of us who don’t eat animal products.

The following vegan summer recipes all make delicious dishes which you can take along to an omnivorous barbecue. They will likely be snaffled by the non-vegans too, so be sure to take plenty!

Or, they can simply be enjoyed at home as an easy dinner on a hot day.

They’ve all been chosen because they’re light, refreshing and intensely moreish. Just the ticket in the hot summer months!

Vegan summer rolls

If any dish personifies the word ‘refreshing’ better than our crunchy vegan summer rolls, we’ve yet to find it.

Inspired by a classic Vietnamese recipe, our summer rolls are made with crunchy raw vegetables and silky rice noodles. Almonds add protein and a lovely textural contrast.

To finish, wrap the whole lot up in a rice paper wrapper. While the first go might seem a bit intimidating, after a couple of tries you’ll be rolling like a pro!

But the real secret to our vegan summer rolls is the zingy bergamot dressing, Keep it apart from your rolls until you’re ready to eat, then dip your way to crunchy, zesty bliss.

SUMMER ROLLS RECIPE

Cauliflower steaks with parsley chimichurri

These cauli steaks are brushed with a flavoursome mixture of tamari, paprika and olive oil before being roasted. Any cauliflower steak sceptics will be making a beeline for these as soon as they smell the deep, savoury flavours coming from the oven.

However, if you’re on your way to a barbecue, these also make an excellent vegan option. We recommend cutting the cauliflower and brushing each steak with the marinade before you go, to leave the flavours to infuse.

Then simply pop on the barbecue and grill until the steaks are tender and slightly charred.

For extra gourmet points, take along a Tupperware of our irresistible chimichurri sauce.

This South American condiment made with lashings of fresh parsley, olive oil, hemp seed oil and garlic is a traditional accompaniment to the famous Argentinian parilla. It’s designed to go with the flavours of grilled food, including meat, so it’s a great item to take along that everyone can share.

CAULIFLOWER STEAK RECIPE

Vegan poke bowl

If the sunshine is making you long for tropical island vibes, treat yourself to an exotic dinner with our vegan poke bowl recipe.

Originally a traditional Hawaiian dish consisting of freshly-caught fish, seaweed and kukui nuts, poke has taken the world by storm. There are many different versions out there, featuring myriad types of rice, fish, fruit and veggies. There are Japanese-influenced pokes, spicy pokes, and  even pokes that are entirely fish-free.

Our recipe falls into the latter category and is completely vegan. Tofu provides protein and substance while mango adds tropical flavour. Add an addictive dressing made with soy, lime and umeboshi plum vinegar, and you have the dinner of your dreams.

Top tip: if you’re an ex-pescatarian and miss the flavours of the sea, break a sheet of nori and sprinkle over the top of your poke bowl. Divine flavour, and it contains vitamin B12!

POKE BOWL RECIPE

Tortilla rolls

If we could eat peanut butter with every meal, we probably would. Thus, we highly recommend our recipe for sweet potato tortilla rolls with a peanut butter, chia and maple sauce.

These rolls are perfect when you fancy a minimum-effort dinner that delivers on nutrition. Simply slice up a sweet potato into fries and bake in the oven. While they’re cooking, you can get on with the remaining prep for the salad and sauce.

The secret ingredient here is our Organic Chia Seed Powder. Not only does it provide extra protein and fibre, but it thickens the peanut sauce into a dreamy, spoonable consistency.

If you leave your gym trips til after work, this an ideal protein-packed dinner to fill you up afterwards!

TORTILLA ROLLS RECIPE

Vegan sushi

When we think of light meals, we think of sushi. There is something so elegant about these tiny rolls of rice and seaweed, and they pack in a wealth of flavour.

As with the poke bowls above, sushi is - of course - a dish which usually features raw fish. However there are plenty of delicious vegetarian options available too. For example, avocado and shiitake mushroom are popular fillings.

Here, we’ve gone for marinated tofu, dressed in maple syrup, tamari and hemp seed oil, plus crunchy radishes, red peppers and cucumbers.

Wrap it all up in a sheet of nori for a light but filling meal.

VEGAN SUSHI RECIPE

Asparagus and sea buckthorn salad

Salads are any vegan or vegetarian’s summer staple, but you may be getting a bit too used to your go-to recipes by now. Mix it up with our fresh and fruity asparagus and sea buckthorn salad.

Cous cous provides a filling base for our salad, which features radishes and sautéd mushrooms alongside the asparagus.

However it’s the sea buckthorn that is the star of the show.

If you haven’t come across it before, sea buckthorn is a tangy berry which is positively bursting with healthful nutrients.

These include beta-carotene, important for our eyes and skin, vitamin C and omega-7. This latter is hard to find in the world of plants, but sea buckthorn has a high concentration of it.

While you can enjoy tangy sea buckthorn juice to kickstart your day, or silky sea buckthorn oil to nourish your skin, here we’ve chosen to use the dried berries. They have a lovely crunch and provide just the right amount of sharp-sweet flavour to set off the other ingredients.

ASPARAGUS SALAD RECIPE

Related reading

• 11 easy vegan recipes for Veganuary
• 7 Healthy Vegan Workout Snacks