The allplants blog. Find great recipes, lifestyle advice and the latest news.

Fresh Gnocchi 
You only need 3 ingredients - flour, potatoes and salt - to make soft, light, pillowy gnocchi. They’re extremely simple (and if you ask us, kind of therapeutic) to make. We like to make a big batch and freeze half - so we have gnocchi at hand whenever we need a hug in food form. 

Focaccia 
Great bread can make a meal go from 6 to 10 in seconds. Our focaccia is the ideal co-pilot or starter for pretty much whatever you’re serving. All you need is flour, yeast, olive oil and salt and you’re good to go. 

Cheesy Pasta Sauce 
Dreams are made of this 4-ingredient cheesy sauce. Well, ours are at least. No vegan cheeses here, just miso, pepper and vegan butter which come together to make a ‘cacio e pepe’- like sauce. It tastes especially delicious with our vegan gnocchi, but pairs well with any and every pasta shape.

Fresh Pasta
Flour, water and salt - it doesn’t get much simpler than that. Fresh pasta sounds tedious, but we’re here to let you know that it’s fool-proof, so satisfying to make, comes together in 30 minutes and makes every pasta sauce taste ten times better (scientifically proven by us). Head here to learn how to make some tonight.  

Cheesy Popcorn
Our lives got a lot better the moment we started making popcorn from scratch and since then we’ve never looked back. Homemade popcorn is delicious, cheap, only calls for 3 ingredients and is extremely easy. Head here to grab our recipe for cheesy popcorn.

Chocolate Mousse 
What’s better than a chocolate dessert? A chocolate dessert that calls for 3 ingredients. What’s even better than that? A chocolate dessert that calls for 3 ingredients and only takes 10 minutes to make. Let’s go!

Small ingredients list, big flavour. This is our round-up of our very best and most delicious 4-ingredient recipes - all made with pantry-friendly ingredients and easily adaptable to any topping, condiment and sauce you have on hand. 

Blog Post: 6 Delicious Recipes with 4 Ingredients (or Fewer)

6 Delicious Recipes with 4 Ingredients (or Fewer) 

Potato + pizza = the most comforting duo we know. Make a big batch for movie night, with plenty of leftovers for breakfast (zero judgement here).

Our founder JP chatted to The Independent about how we’re working to fight the coronavirus the best way we know how – with delicious, nutritious food. Here’s a snippet:

‘Petrides says the 60-strong allplants team are all working from home and communicating via Google Hangouts apart from chefs, who are regularly monitoring their temperatures and doing extra hand sanitising in the kitchen. The rest of the team is working on new ideas to adapt to the situation for customers, including a discount for companies who want to order frozen meals to be delivered to their staff, so that teams working online can have lunch together over video messaging services.

Petrides agrees that it’s impossible to know what’s going to happen next. “Not a single expert can predict that,” he says.

Our founder JP chatted to The Independent about how we’re working to fight the coronavirus the best way we know how – with delicious, nutritious food.

Blog Post: Fighting Back Against Coronavirus 

The Independent Feature: Foodies Fighting the Coronavirus 

During these unprecedented times, we’re working around the clock to keep cooking, and help those who need food, love and support. That has always been part of our mission, and it’s never been more important than it is now. 

Pumpkin Ravioli w/ Chilli Oil
Extra points for you if you make the ravioli from scratch, but this easy 4 ingredient sauce also tastes delicious on store-bought ravioli. Head here for the easy recipe. 

Winter Pesto Pasta w/ Cheesy Sunflower Crumb

Introducing our take on seasonal pesto. It gets it creaminess from broccoli and peas, and its depth of flavour from cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon and olive oil. We went the full mile and added a delicious sunflower seed topping, which gives the dish a real cheesy oomph and a satisfyingly crunchy bite. Here's the recipe. 

Homemade Pasta w/ Wild Mushrooms  
Is there a problem pasta can’t solve? We don’t think so. We made this one fresh, added wild mushrooms and a bunch of fresh thyme for this winter blue antidote. Grab the recipe here.


Creamy Lemon Orecchiette
This creamy and delicious lemon sauce comes together in as long as it takes to cook the pasta and tastes like the sun (scientifically proven). Go and get it!

Cheesy Gnocchi
What are dreams made of? These gnocchi. White miso and pepper come together to make a 'cacio e pepe'-like sauce, and toasted breadcrumbs give every cheesy bite crunch and texture. Head here to grab the recipe. 

Pumpkin Pasta Bake
Creamy and saucy middle, crispy top. Everything you want a pasta bake to be. It's also packed with flavour and some hidden protein. Need we say more? Grab it here. 

Creamy Tomato and Red Pepper Gnocchi 
Melt in your mouth gnocchi with a creamy, rich, slightly sweet tomato-red pepper sauce. If that doesn't tempt you nothing will. Grab the recipe here.

This pasta bake is cheesy, creamy, crunchy and savoury all at the same time. It serves four but several of us have been caught eating a whole tray on our own. Here it is. 

From pasta bakes and fresh pasta, to 5 ingredient sauces - this list has it all. The official compilation of our most delicious and flavour-packed vegan pasta recipes yet. 

Blog Post: 8 Easy, Delicious Vegan Pasta Recipes 

The official compilation of our most delicious and flavour-packed vegan pasta recipes yet. From pasta bakes and fresh pasta, to 5 ingredient sauces - this list has it all. Read more. 

allplants | 8 Easy, Delicious Vegan Pasta Recipes 

1) Eating Plants
Try to keep your immune system healthy by making sure you’re including as many plant-based foods in your diet as possible. They contain minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and are shown to improve gut health and digestion, as well as improving blood sugar and energy levels.

2) Immune-Boosting Foods 
In particular, try to include as much garlic, ginger, beets, turmeric, mushrooms, citrus, carrots, and berries as possible for extra immune system support. Why not make some ginger and turmeric shots, citrus roasted beets  or our favourite mushroom and rice soup. 

3) Love Your Pantry
It's important to keep your diet varied of nutrient rich foods. The good news is that as a large part of plant-based protein comes from beans, pulses and grains, plant-based cooking is naturally largely made of pantry staples and cupboard basics. If you’re unsure about where to start to make the most of your pantry here’s a great list of 20 pantry staples from Rebel Recipes to get you started. 


4) Add Flavour to Cooking 
Keep your cooking delicious and full of complex flavours. Like our Senior Development Chef Joey always says, you should treat plant-based cooking like you would any other - use rubs, marinades and sauces. Make it Soy shared a list of umami boosting ingredients which includes everything you need to make cooking and eating exciting. 

5) Make It Fun  
Make sure you’re trying new things in the kitchen and keeping cooking fun! A few of us have been wanting to try fermenting and pickling for a while but have pushed it aside for years. Why not try giving these kimchi and kombucha recipes a go? 

6) Balance 
A balanced lifestyle is key in being happy and healthy. Make sure you enjoy what you’re eating and eat what you enjoy. For some that’s chocolate or it’s this granola  and for others it’s Anna Jones’ nut butter. You do you. 

7) Give Yourself a Leg Up 
Even while eating nutrient rich foods, try to make sure you’re also taking the supplements recommended for those on a plant-based diet (mainly B12, Vitamin D, Iodine and Zinc) to make sure you’re giving what your body needs. 

8) De-Stress 
Try to reduce stress where possible, which is key to support your immune system. Try prioritising good quality sleep, meditating and including yoga in your day-to-day life. We love Annie Clarke’s online yoga classes and the meditation platform, Headspace. 

9) Put Your Phone Down 
Try to minimise time on social media, which can disrupt sleeping patterns and is shown to increase stress and anxiety (the opposite of what you want!). Try turning your phone off at least an hour before bed - extra points if you turn it off even earlier. 

10) Stay Hydrated
Make sure you’re drinking enough water each day, so you can support your bodies’ functioning - from your body temperature to digestion (and you guessed it,  immune system!). 

Resources:
1. How a Plant-Based Diet Can Boost T-Cells and Your Immune System 
2. https://www.mamasezz.com/blogs/news/plant-based-foods-to-boost-your-immune-system-naturally
3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-supplements-for-vegans#1
4. https://blog.innerdrive.co.uk/6-reasons-to-put-your-phone-away
5. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290814

The team at allplants have put together a list of resources, tips and recipes for staying healthy and happy. 

Blog Post: Top 10 Useful Resources To Stay Healthy (and Happy)

Top 10 Useful Resources To Stay Healthy (and Happy)

Few people understand how freezing protects food and may get anxious about the process, but now is the time to master your freezer at home. After all, it’s nature’s greatest preservative. 


By freezing food, you’re pressing the 'pause' button; it will not lose any nutrients or deteriorate in any way. There is power in frozen food – it's a great way to preserve vegetables and fruit that pack a nutritional punch. 

What can you freeze? (HINT – much more than you think!)

BREAD: Sliced bread, bread crumbs, and any baked goods

FRUIT: Frozen berries, sliced bananas, pineapple, mangoes and peaches which are perfect for making smoothies or topping yogurt and oatmeal.

HERBS: Hard herbs, or ice cubes of soft herbs in oil

MEALS: Left-over curries, stews and dahls 

VEG: Chopped onions and tomatoes; blanched broccoli florets; green beans; spinach; cauliflower; chopped butternut squash can form the foundation of the majority of your meals.

TOFU: Sliced tofu (with parchment paper between!)

And what should you not freeze? (Very little!) 

Veggies with high water content and delicate leaves - cucumber, salads, lettuces etc.

Eggs (unless cracked into small containers)

Artichokes, chicory, aubergine, potatoes (unless they’re mashed), radishes, or sweet potatoes don’t freeze well.  

One key rule of thumb is that there ought to be a culinary process between defrosting and using something from the freezer, and then refreezing. This is key if you eat meat and fish.  

Do some foods do better than others in the freezer, and why?

Foods with higher water content freeze less well. This is due to the fact that water expands as it freezes; the water content of each cell breaks through its cell walls within the food, and thus on defrosting can present a soggy mess! This is often why we see so much fluid present around food that’s been taken out of the freezer to thaw overnight. 

For me, pre-prepared, cooked food is far better. Tupperware for batch cooking is perfect. Curries, dahls, soups, stews, etc. all of these slow-cooked ‘one-pot’ style dishes freeze totally perfectly. 

Our Senior Development Chef Joey shared some of her top tips for falling back in love with your freezer. 

What’s the confusion around freezing food?

Thai Peanut Noodle Soup
This delicious peanut-y, punchy noodle soup is scientifically proven (by us) to brighten up any grey day. Our version is packed with pak choy, udon noodles, bean sprouts, radishes, coriander and spring onions, but you can use any veg you have on hand. Grab the recipe here. 

Mushroom, Rice and Kale Soup
An easy, quick, flavour packed soup. It's made up of a variety of mushrooms, garlic oil and dill, which makes it a boost for your immune system and creates layers upon layers of flavour and richness. Who needs chicken soup? Make this one instead!

Spiced Carrot Soup w/ Garlic Oil
This soup is velvety, sweet, and slightly spiced. It's topped with garlic oil and crunchy garlic chips, for extra flavour and texture. Make a big batch of the oil and drizzle it on ALL of your vegetables, salads, pasta dishes and soups. Grab your apron! 

Tomato and Tamarind Soup
Our preferred soup to crouton ratio is 50/50 and we invite you to do the same. This slightly sweet and perfectly-savoury soup requires minimal prep, comes together in 30 minutes, and freezes well. Grab the recipe here. 

Super simple, super creamy, and super green. This soup is packed with vitamin rich parsnips and kale and is topped with crunchy parsnip chips, which can be doubled to use in your salads and sandwiches all week long. You can find the recipe here.

These 5 soups are as delicious, healthy, easy and warming as they get. They come together in 30 minutes or less, are packed with nutrient rich ingredients, and will sustain you all day.

Blog Post: 5 Vegan Soups To Heal The Soul 

allplants | 5 Vegan Soups To Heal The Soul  

A healthy immune system starts with what you put into your body. Plant foods are mostly anti-inflammatory, so eating lots of fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, is vital. Likewise, there are lots of studies that have found links between an impaired immune system and issues like obesity, so a plant-based diet can also help by ensuring you maintain a healthy weight. 

Here are some of our top tips for adding those all-important foods to your diet to help support your immune system. 

The more (natural) colours in your diet, the wider the range of different vitamins and minerals you will be consuming. 

Foods high in vitamins A, C and E – otherwise known as antioxidant vitamins – should be a big part of your diet. They help protect against harmful and toxic molecules in the body (preventing illness and infection). 

Vitamin A helps your body regulate its immune system and can protect against infection. 

Vitamin C helps protect your body from infection, and can even stimulate the development of antibodies to fight off disease.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant and helps to offset toxins in the body. Vitamin E has even been said to help protect the body against several infectious diseases. 

As well as all the tasty fruit and veg above,  there are a number of herbs that can also help support a healthy immune system. 

Cayenne is a source of the ACE vitamins, and a nice easy one to add into your diet

Oregano contains antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and tastes GREAT on pizza

Mushrooms contain selenium, which is an antioxidant

Elderberry has been shown to help shorten and relieve symptoms of colds and flu

Extra tips for supporting your immune system

Decrease your intake of processed foods, sugar and alcohol

Exercise regularly, getting lots of fresh air

Keep your stress levels as low as possible

Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly 

Stay up to date with recommended vaccinations

Your immune system is incredible. When in contact with something that could cause a problem, it immediately jumps into action, providing a defence against nasty infections and has an amazing way of functioning to keep track of what’s in your body.

Blog Post: Support Your Immune System with Plants

Support Your Immune System With Plant Power

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Potato and Red Onion Pizza

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Support Your Immune System With Plant Power

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