Vegan Recipes: Basil

Showing posts with label Basil. Show all posts

Monday, June 23, 2025

Edamame Basil dip

This is so easy: I used frozen edamame beans, blanched them in boiling water and then blended them with garlic, fresh basil, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Keep a few whole edamame for decoration. Tip: the more oil the better (for me, I love olive oil!)

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Friday, November 1, 2019

Stufato di verdura - vegetable stew

I love chopping colourful veggies, what a treat!

For this stufato (like a casserole) I used red onions, celery, red, green and yellow capsicums and carrots. Gently sauté the vegetables with olive oil, then add plenty of tomato passata and salt to taste (or an organic vegetable stock cube). Cover and simmer on low for a long time (the longer the better), adding a little water if needed.

A couple of minutes before turning off the heat add some fresh basil leaves and a little more olive oil, plus salt to taste. Enjoy hot or cold.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Friday, September 20, 2019

Fresh As freeze dried herbs and spices for some Thai inspired Vegan curries

These were soooooo delicious!!! I made the side dish just with onion, tomato, green beans, Fresh As Chili Powder (plus a little oil for frying the onion and salt to taste. The 'main' green curry had all the others Fresh As powders (plus some chili): lemon grass, coriander, ginger, sweet basil and kaffir lime. The kaffir lime was my favourite! I also added some Vietnamese mint from the garden. It had tofu, potatoes, carrots, beans, onions and coconut milk, plus organic vegetable stock for seasoning. Served with rice. Amazing!

Thank you Fresh As!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Coconut tofu and vegetables strips with Eastern herbs - plant based paradise

I planted some ginger roots in my garden from a bought root that started sprouting and got a beautiful plant... but the flower looked like that of the wild ginger (a weed in New Zealand) and I was a bit worried... my neighbour told me that it is a good ginger, the flower is similar but it doesn't make the seeds that birds spread around the forest. Well, since I was worried I remove the plant (the flowers looked good in a vase anyway) and used the root to make gari (delicious, recipe here) and this tofu dish.

Very easy: just simmer some sliced tofu in a pot with coconut milk, vegetable stock, ginger, chili, lemon grass and a shallot. Add some celery, carrots and capsicum strips and simmer for a few more minutes, then turn the heat off and add some cucumber strips, fresh coriander, basil and Vietnamese mint and serve with Thai rice.

And now a few more subtropical delights from my garden: cherimoya (not ready yet) and bananas (the best bunch so far, shared with many friends!)

Had some flowers too, outdoors...

And indoors.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Monday, March 11, 2019

Baby zucchini, zucchini flower and basil leaf beer tempura

This was so yum!!!! My zucchini plants now make only little zucchini, they must be tired. But baby zucchini are so delicious and special, and the flowers too, that I decided to make something scrumptious, like tempura. And also to add some big basil leaves: I love leaves in tempura, but I never tried Italian basil, it was amazing!!

For the batter I used a tempura flour mix and, instead of water, a chilled Peroni Leggera beer. Using cold beer produce a crispy tempura, plus you can drink beer while you are cooking :-).

Don't overtax the batter, make sure the oil is really hot, and cook the baby zucchini first, then the flowers and the basil leaves. sprinkle with salt and serve, with more beer!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Vermicelli in coconut and veggie broth with tofu and Asian fragrances

This is an aromatic vegan and gluten free soup, light and delicious.

500 ml vegetable stock
1 can coconut cream or milk + one can of water (rinsing the coconut cream)
1 large yellow courgette (zucchini)
2 fresh red chilies
1 block of tofu
a pinch of freshly grated ginger
1 stalk lemon grass
Vermicelli
a few coriander leaves
a few cherry tomatoes

Simmer all together for a few minutes until the zucchini are soft but not mushy.

In the meantime soak the vermicelli in hot water until soft then divide between 6 bowls.
chop a few cherry tomatoes, and wash some fresh basil and some thai mint

Pour the hot soup over the vermicelli, making sure that each dish has equal parts of tofu and veggies.
Decorate with the tomatoes, basil and Thai mint and serve immediately.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Friday, November 28, 2014

Thai vegan green curry

First I started with a simple paste made with a small piece of ginger (peeled), one shallot (also peeled), fresh coriander (with stalks), green chili (not too much for me, maybe one or two), and fresh lemon grass (one stick). If you have kaffir lime leaves or rind, the are good too, apparently, but I didn't have any so I added a little lemon juice. Mush with a mortar and pestle or with a blender (I used the blender, too hot for the mortar and pestle!) adding salt towards the end.

Now, the only thing in the paste that came from the garden was coriander, and frozen (from last year) as this year my plant died! I also have lots of frozen chills to use, and a little plant that don't even have flowers yet!

The veggies: 1 carrot, 2 yellow zucchini, a few tomatoes, a few broccolini, borage tips, green capsicum, Thai mint, basil, onion weed flowers and borage flowers to decorate.

then: organic tofu and coconut cream.

I cut the tofu and placed it in a pot with the coconut cream plus one can of water (to rinse the coconut cream can). Added the green curry paste and simmered the lot for 10 minutes and then I added the rest of the vegetables in this order: carrots, borage tips, capsicum, zucchini, broccolini, tomatoes (leave a couple of minutes between each vegetable). To stir I used a lemongrass stalk. Then I tasted for salt then I added the herbs and onion weed flowers (because they were frozen), turned the heat off and cover the pot with a lid for 5 minutes. Then I added the borage flowers.

Actually, the curry paste took longer than the curry to make! Serve hot with rice.

Photos and recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Monday, October 27, 2014

A basket of veggies from the garden to make salad

Freshly picked: tomatoes, basil, cucumber, radish, lettuce and mizuna.

Make a salad. I just add olive oil, salt and lemon juice so the dressing is not that expensive.

Photos and recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Coconut and ginger tofu

Ingredients:

Two blocks of soft tofu

1 shallot

2 fresh red chillies

1 can coconut cream

500 ml vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

fresh coriander

fresh Vietnamese mint (or basil)

Drain the tofu and cut into slices. Finely chop the shallot, and roughly break up the chili, discarding the seeds unless you like your food very spicy. Place everything in a pot with the coconut cream and vegetables sock and simmer for 20 minutes. Grate the ginger and add to the tofu, finish off with some fresh coriander and Vietnamese mint leaves. If you don't have Vietnamese mint use fresh basil.

Serve with Thai rice or noodles.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Friday, October 4, 2013

Pumpkin with coconut cream and basil (and add tofu to make it into a main!)

I had half a pumpkin to use, but just a little bit of Thai herbs mix (ginger, lemon grass, chili, garlic and coriander), certainly not enough to give my pumpkin a spicy flavor! Still, I felt like coconut, so I cut the pumpkin and two celery stalks with leaves and put them in my pot, then I added one can of coconut cream plus one can of water (to rinse the cream out), the remaining Thai herbs mix (about half tsp) and one organic veggie stock cube. I cook the lot until the pumpkin was soft, then I adjusted it for salt and added plenty of fresh basil leaves. I wanted to add some of my Vietnamese mint but it has all dried up (no rain in Auckland either) but the basil was strong flavored and I was surprised how nice this tasted in the end! I though of using this as a side dish (like in the photo) but I run out of time to make the main and since this dish had so much sauce I just added some cubed firm tofu to it when I warmed it up for dinner. I served with Thai rice. Very nice way of eating pumpkin in summer!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Pasta with Vegan Pesto, Potatoes and Cannellini Beans

Vegan MoFo Day 8

I peeled two medium floury potatoes (like agria) and sauteed them in a pan with a little olive oil, then I added a pinch of salt, a little water, and a lid! Simmer until the potatoes are soft, then add the content of a can of cannellini beans. Simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed and keep warm.

I made the pesto with a mortar and pestle: basil, garlic, salt and olive oil (no cheese, this is a vegan pesto). I cooked the spaghetti (would have been nice to have trofie pasta, but never mind...) and then drained them al dente and straight into the pan with the potatoes and beans.

Finally I added the pesto and tossed everything together. To some it may be strange to see pasta and potatoes in the same dish, but this dish is not uncommon in Italy, and for me it is a great way to make a one pot dish when I have little time. Incredibly filling!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Tofu and Brassica Green Curry

Day 6 of Vegan MoFo

Ingredients:

1 tbs green curry paste (see recipe here)

1 can coconut milk

1 couliflower, cut into florettes

half carrot, sliced (I sliced it in the shape of flowers)

1 block tofu, cut into pieces

1 large broccoli, cut into florettes

1-2 chili peppers

Thai or regular fresh basil leaves

Thai or Vietnamese fresh mint leaves

Place the paste in a pot with the coconut milk, the cauliflower, carrot, and the tofu. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli, cover and simmer for 5 minutes (I like my broccoli to be still green and a little crunchy). Add the chili peppers and the fresh herbs, cover and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add salt to taste and serve with Thai rice.

Serves 4

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Tomato, Basil and Borage Flower Salad

This is a photo from a few months ago, when it was Summer in New Zealand, but I though that those readers who are in the Northern Hemisphere may like the idea. I made a simple salad with the produce from my garden: tomatoes, basil leaves, olive oil and salt (ok, olive oil and salt are not from my garden...), and some borage flowers for colour. It looked and tasted like a very happy salad :-).

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Friday, July 8, 2011

Easy Italian Tomato and Olive Sauce for Pasta, and 100 posts

This is post n.100, so now there are 108 recipes here.

Easy Italian Tomato and Olive Sauce for Pasta

Ingredients

2 x 400 g / 14 oz cans Italian peeled tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

salt to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

a few fresh basil leaves

Deli olives, mixed.

Place the content of the two Italian peeled tomato cans into a blender. Add two cloves of garlic, peeled, and blend until smooth. Put the “juice” into a large frying pan, and some water from rinsing the cans (optional). Bring to boil and then simmer, stirring from time to time, for at least 30 minutes, or until the sauce is so thick that when you stir it with a wooden spoon you can see the bottom of the pan (this is very important! most people undercook their tomato sauce and so it remains acidic!).

At this point as the salt to taste, the olive oil, the fresh leaves of basil and a few olives (choose good deli olives in olive oil, not olives in vinegar. Good quality olives in brine are suitable, but rinse them well first). Cover and keep aside, warm, until needed.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Bright and Vitamin Rich Salad

This very colourful combination of red/orange/pink makes a wonderful salad. I used veggies from my garden, Summer is coming to an end now, so I have to make the most of it, and stock up with vitamins!

I cooked the red beets in their skins, and the carrots too. I peeled them, sliced them, and added tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, salt, Ligurian basil and (yes again!) borage flowers.

Very yummy!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Pistachio pesto

I decided to try to make pesto with pistachio nuts (usually it is made with pine nuts): in a mortar I put a little garlic (peeled), some pistachio nuts (also peeled), and some leaves of Genovese basil (Genovese basil is the one with very small leaves). I worked the pesto with a pestle and added more leaves little by little, and at the end a little salt and olive oil. You need patience with a mortar and pestle, but the results are great. Also, basil should never be cut with a metal blade (knife or blender), don't ask me why, but the flavour changes!!!

Use to dress pasta or potatoes, to top pizza, and on your favourite grilled vegetables.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Torta di Verdure in Scapece: my Favourite Summer recipe!!!

Yes, this is my favourite creation, it takes time to make but it can last a week, and the flavour gets better and better. For the ingredients...no measures really, just be aware that you will need a lot of olive oil and lots of eggplants (I use both Italian eggplants and the long Asian eggplants), plenty of zucchini, and red, green and yellow capsicums. Cut all the vegetables in long and large strips, sweat the eggplants with salt for 30 minutes, then rinse and pat dry. Then, using plenty of olive oil, start frying. This is going to take a looooong time. First fry the zucchini, then set aside. Fry the eggplants, set aside; finally fry the capsicums (which have the strongest flavour, so they would alter the flavour of the oil). You will need to add oil from time to time, and be very careful to cook well the vegetables without burning them. When the capsicum are cold remove and discard the skins.

Finely chop plenty of garlic with tons of parsley. Add few more herbs if you wish, either a little mint of a little basil are good. Add salt to taste. You should make about a cup of this. Line a container with grease-proof paper and make a layer of vegetables (this will be the top, so make it pretty!), add some chopped herbs, then a few drops of white wine vinegar and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Repeat, making as many layers as you can. Top with some more grease-proof paper and press down gently. Refrigerate for one day. Before serving you can tip the 'torta' on a platter, and then cut into small slices. You will get many portions out of it, as it is so compact and full of flavour!

For a Gluten free version omit the breadcrumbs.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Yellow and Green Zucchini Antipasto

I have two zucchini plants, one yellow and one green. It is incredible how many flowers and zucchini two plants can provide, certainly more than enough for a family of 4! The green zucchini plant is huge and very prolific, the yellow one less so (don't know why...), but still, I get enough. In the garden I also have herbs and lemons, and a friends who grows garlic gave me some; for this dish I only had to buy salt and olive oil!

Zucchini Antipasto

Cut the zucchini in long strips and fry on both sides with extra virgin olive oil. Finely chop some Italian parsley, mint, and Genovese basil with two cloves of garlic and a generous pinch of salt.

Place this 'pesto' on the zucchini (keep a little aside for decoration) and add the juice from half a lemon. Stir and let the zucchini marinate for two hours. Arrange on a platter and add the remaining 'pesto'. Serve.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Italian Tomato Sauce for Pizza and Pasta

Here is how to make the easiest tomato sauce ever. This recipe, like the pizza dough recipe, comes form my book Savour (New Holland Publishers). As a bonus this sauce can be used for pasta and a variety or other dishes, its doses can be easily halved or doubled and, if you try it once, you will be hooked!

Ingredients

2 x 400 g / 14 oz cans Italian peeled tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp olive oil

a few fresh basil leaves

salt to taste.

Dose for 6 flat pizze or one very large deep base pizza slab.

Place the content of the two Italian peeled tomato cans into a blender. Add two cloves of garlic, peeled, and blend until smooth. Put the “juice” into a large frying pan, and some water from rinsing the cans (optional). Bring to boil and then simmer, stirring from time to time, for at least 30 minutes, or until the sauce is so thick that when you stir it with a wooden spoon you can see the bottom of the pan. At this point as the salt to taste, the olive oil and the fresh leaves of basil. Cover and keep aside until needed.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Green Dip (watercress, rocket and basil)

I went foraging in the neighbor's property (he is cool about it) to pick some watercress. It is a bit late for watercress, the flowers are already out, but I could still pick some to mix to other greens to make a tasty dip.

Green Dip

Ingredients:

A mixture of watercress, rocket (rucola), and Genovese basil, (or any greens and herbs you like)

3 handfuls of cashew nuts

2 garlic cloves, peeled

a little water to blend

Salt to taste

Extra virgin olive oil to finish

Blend the first 4 ingredients, then add salt and olive oil to taste. Serve with homemade bread, as a dip or as a spread.

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