No Meat, Just Beet (and more) in This Innovative Seasonal Food Collection Anya Kassoff and Masha Davydova, the mother-daughter duo behind Golubka Kitchen bring us the vegetarian instalment of our a la carte rundown of top summer recipes. This creative partnership – Anya on the cookery, Masha on the styling and photography – started as a recipe-sharing exchange, keeping the two in touch whilst spending time 1,000 miles apart. Forget snap chat, it’s snappy snacks and innovative culinary twists that keep the flames of friendship and family contact alight. Read on for delicious meat-free madness. THE PLUS: Have you always been a foodie? Anya Kassov: Yes, in one way or another. Even as a child in the food deficit of Soviet Union, I was always inventing all kinds of treats for myself in the kitchen. I would do funny things like mix sour cream with black currant preserves and call it ice cream. TP: What tricks do you have up your sleeve to keep a vegetarian meal nutritionally balanced? AK: Eat seasonally, as produce at its peak is incredibly nutritious and probably didn’t have to travel long distances to get to your plate. TP: Have you always been a vegetarian? AK: No, I grew up eating traditional Russian/Soviet fare, which involves lots and lots of meat. To this day, those are the dishes I miss the most for nostalgic reasons. TP: Some people are convinced that vegetarian food is boring or dissatisfying. What dish would persuade them otherwise? AK: Our Spaghetti Squash Mung Bean Lasagna. TP: What are some unusual food/cookery staples you always have in the cupboards? AK: Spices, anything from smoked paprika, to saffron to my homemade curry blend. Other more unusual items I always have on hand in my pantry include a variety of dried flowers like rose, chamomile, and lavender, dried seaweed like kombu, agar agar, and wakame, as well as ingredients for making raw chocolate like cacao butter, cacao nibs and powder. TP: Are there any foods you just can’t stand? AK: Barbecue sauce, at least the sweet, store-bought kind. TP: What do you look forward to most about the Summer food period? AK: Fig season at the end of summer. I’m absolutely crazy about figs. TP: You say you’re a typical Libra – how does this affect your cooking? AK: Being a Libra is more of an inconvenience than an advantage when it comes to cooking. I’m constantly weighing my options, which often results in me overcomplicating recipes. I often have to go back in and simplify them later. 1/7 Honey Miso Latte This dish is a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and umami flavours, finished with a kick of this year’s most super of superfoods, turmeric, and immunity-boosting honey and ginger. Ingredients • 2 cups almond milk • 1-inch piece ginger – sliced (optional) • 2-3 teaspoons sweet miso paste • 2 teaspoons raw honey • ⅛ teaspoon turmeric (optional) • black pepper – if using turmeric, for optimal absorption Method Click here to read. 2/7 Immunity-Boosting Beet and Camu Camu Breakfast Bowl Camu camu is an Amazonian berry with the highest concentration of vitamin C in any of the world’s plants. Add some healthy fats, a finely-tuned balance of natural sweetness, and a tart finish, and you’ve got your new go-to breakfast. Smoothie ingredients • 1 small/medium beet – peeled and roughly chopped • 1 frozen banana • 1/2 avocado • 1 cup frozen cranberries or blueberries • 3-4 Medjool dates • 2 teaspoons camu camu powder • 1-1 1/2 cups of almond milk (other plant milk of choice) Topping options ingredients • Cacao nibs • Dried mulberries • Plain yogurt Method Click here to read. 3/7 Sweet Potato Toast, Two Ways We’ve been having beans on toast all this time, when we could have been indulging in healthier and infinitely more exciting flavour-ways, on a soft, crispy slice of sweet potato. Well, better we found out late than never. Raspberry tahini sweet potato toast ingredients • 1 medium sweet potato • ½ tablespoon coconut oil – soft (if using the oven) • 2-4 tablespoons sesame tahini • ¼ cup raspberries (fresh/frozen+thawed) • honey or maple syrup for drizzling • mixed seeds for garnish (e.g. cacao nibs, hemp, pumpkin seeds) Avocado-Lentil sweet potato toast ingredients • 1 medium sweet potato • ½ tablespoon coconut oil – soft (if using the oven) • ⅓ cup cooked black or French lentils • 1 teaspoon olive oil • ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar, plus more for drizzling • 1 small, ripe avocado • juice of ½ small lemon • sea salt – to taste • freshly ground black pepper – to taste • nutritional yeast for garnish • mixed seeds for garnish Method Click here to read. 4/7 Cauliflower Rice with Zingy White Beans and Kale Take one stack of vegetables and transform it into a balanced and exciting plate – and use up that cauliflower we know has been hanging around in your vegetable crisper… White bean sauce ingredients • 1 cup cooked white beans • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar • 1½ tablespoons tamari • 2 tablespoons olive oil • sea salt – to taste • freshly ground black pepper – to taste • zest of 1 orange Cauliflower rice with beans and kale ingredients • 1 head cauliflower – roughly chopped into florets • 3 tablespoons coconut oil – divided • 1 shallot – diced • 2 cloves garlic – minced • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes • ½ cup water • juice of ½ lemon • sea salt – to taste • freshly ground black pepper – to taste • 8 oz crimini mushrooms – sliced • 1 medium bunch kale – stemmed and chopped • ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar • ½ tablespoon tamari • 1 cup cooked white beans • white bean sauce (from above) Method Click here to read. 5/7 Vegan Caesar Salad with Tempeh Croutons, Roasted Peaches, and Corn Shake up a summer classic this season with a thickly dressed salad, with succulent grilled peaches and a salty, substantial bite. Who said salads can’t be mains? Caesar dressing ingredients • 1 cup cooked white beans, plus cooking liquid/liquid from can to achieve desired dressing consistency • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice • ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard • ½ tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce • 1 teaspoon capers • ½ teaspoon maple syrup • ¼ teaspoon sriracha • 1 garlic clove • sea salt – to taste • freshly ground black pepper – to taste • 2 tablespoons olive oil Salad ingredients • 4-6 corn ears • 2 tablespoons neutral coconut oil – divided • freshly ground black pepper – to taste • 3-6 ripe, sweet peaches – cut in half • 1 package tempeh – cubed • 1 medium bunch kale – stems removed, leaves cut into bite-sized pieces • ½ tablespoon olive oil • sea salt – to taste • 1 small head Romaine lettuce – torn into bite-size pieces • pine nut Parmesan – optional Method Click here to read. 6/7 Creamy Butternut Squash, Pear and Cranberry Soup with Crispy Kale You thought you’d had butternut squash soup, but you’ve never had it quite like this. Spice things up with a cranberry twist, and dust it off with a sprinkle of kale crisps. Clean living at its best. Soup ingredients • 2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral coconut oil • 2 leeks, white and light green parts only – sliced • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds • 1 medium butternut squash or 2 honey nut squash – cubed • 1 pear – cored and cubed • 1 cup cranberries – thawed if frozen • 1 13.5oz can light Thai coconut milk – optionally reserve some for garnish • ¾ cup water • sea salt • freshly ground black pepper Crispy kale ingredients • 1 small bunch kale – leaves torn into bite-sized pieces • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 teaspoon maple syrup • 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast • sea salt • freshly ground black pepper Method Click here to read. 7/7 Gluten-Free Blueberry and Lemon Scones We all love a good challenge – and there’s nothing more challenging than tracking down the perfect gluten-free bake. Look no further than these, crisp, crumbly, lemon spiced scones with a thick nutty glaze. Scone ingredients • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk • ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten free rolled oats • 1½ cups 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top • 2 teaspoons baking powder • pinch of sea salt • zest of 2 organic lemons, divided • ¼ cup neutral coconut oil – scoopable, at room temperature • ½ cup pistachios – chopped, plus more for garnish • 1½ cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries • ¼ cup aquafaba (water from a can of chickpeas or other beans) • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the glaze • ¼ cup cashew butter • 1½ tablespoons maple syrup or honey • ¼ teaspoon turmeric – for colour • juice of 1 lemon Method Click here to read.