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A fresh take on a British classic, this is a full English with all the vegan trimmings; homemade baked beans, smoky aubergine, fried plantain, and velvety mushrooms, served with toasted sourdough.

From the book

Introduction

Served with a reviving cup of tea, this vegan take on a British classic is what Sunday mornings were made for! An unbeatable mixture of delicious home-made baked beans, sweet and smoky aubergines, velvety mushrooms, juicy cherry tomatoes, spinach and fried plantain. When I was growing up, my grandma used to cook plantains and bacon for us, so naturally plantains became a staple part of my very English breakfasts!

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Ingredients

For the baked beans:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 white onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 × 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 × 400g tins haricot beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
1 tbsp maple syrup
salt and black pepper
For the mushrooms:
375g oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tbsp liquid smoke (or soy sauce or coconut aminos)
1 tbsp soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp chopped parsley
For the smoky aubergine:
2 aubergines
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tbsp liquid smoke (or soy sauce or coconut aminos)
1 tbsp soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
salt and black pepper
For the tomatoes and spinach:
360g cherry tomatoes on the vine
200g spinach
For the fried plantains:
2 ripe plantains
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt
To serve:
8 slices seeded sourdough bread
55g vegan butter
2 avocados, sliced
chilli flakes, for sprinkling
1 tbsp snipped chives

Method

For the baked beans:

Place the vegetable oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper and sauté over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes until softened. Pour in the tinned tomatoes and haricot beans, followed by the balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and maple syrup. Stir together well and cook on a low heat for about 7 minutes.

For the mushrooms:

Place the mushrooms in a bowl with the liquid smoke, soy sauce and chilli flakes, season with salt and pepper and mix until the mushrooms are evenly coated. Place the vegetable oil in a frying pan or griddle pan set over a gentle heat and add the soy-coated mushrooms. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and any liquid has evaporated. Once cooked, sprinkle with the parsley.

For the smokey aubergines:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan, then line a baking sheet with baking paper or grease with olive oil.

Slice each aubergine in half lengthways, then slice each half in half again, giving you four long pieces of aubergine. Finely slice the aubergine pieces lengthways into strips 2–3mm thick.

Mix together all the other ingredients for the smoky aubergine in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Brush the aubergine slices with the marinade, or dip them into the bowl, wiping off any excess, then spread on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, brush both sides of the aubergine slices with an extra layer of marinade and return to the oven to cook for another 15 minutes. Cook the aubergine slices for longer if you want them super-crispy, but keep an eye on them to ensure the maple syrup does not begin to burn. Once cooked, allow them to cool for a few minutes – the texture gets a little more chewy and crispy once cooled.

For the tomatoes and spinach:

Place the cherry tomatoes in a medium saucepan (removing them from the vine first, if you prefer) and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes on a low heat until tender, then tip in the spinach, season again with salt and pepper and cook until the spinach is slightly wilted.

For the fried plantain:

Cut both ends off each plantain, then use a sharp knife to cut a shallow slit down the length of the plantain and remove the skin. Slice each plantain into thick pieces on the diagonal.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium–high heat. Add the plantain pieces and fry on each side for about 5 minutes until they are soft and golden brown all over. Sprinkle with salt before serving

To serve:

Toast the sourdough bread and spread each slice with butter. To each plate add two slices of buttered toast and a portion of baked beans, smoky aubergine, fried mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach, fried plantains and avocado, then sprinkle with chilli flakes and chives and finish with a grind of pepper.

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From the book: Rachel Ama’s Vegan Eats: Tasty plant-based recipes for every day

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