Anthea Cheng | Contributors - Nourish plant-based living

Anthea Cheng

Anthea is the food blogger, photographer, and chef behind Rainbow Nourishments, where she shares wholesome vegan recipes with a twist. She believes food can encourage connection, positive memories, and kindness for all. Anthea is the author of the cookbook Incredible Plant-Based Desserts.


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Moroccan-inspired cauliflower salad

Anthea Cheng

Colourful and nutritious, this hearty Moroccan-style salad combines spiced roast veggies, chickpeas, massaged kale and plump sultanas with an aromatic dressing. A crowd pleaser for all occasions!

Ingredients

Serves: 2–4

Spice mix

Dressing

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  2. Arrange the cauliflower, pumpkin, and carrots on 2 large baking trays.
  3. To make the spice mix, combine the cumin, coriander, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle a few pinches of the spice mix over the vegetables (reserve the remaining spices for later). Drizzle over olive oil and sprinkle over salt, to taste. Use your fingers to rub the spices and oil over the vegetables, making sure everything is evenly dispersed.
  4. Bake the vegetables in the oven for 40 minutes, or until tender.
  5. Cook the brown rice as per the packet instructions.
  6. Add the kale to a large salad bowl. Drizzle with some olive oil and salt. Use your fingers to massage the oil and salt into the kale to soften the leaves.
  7. Place the roasted cauliflower, pumpkin, carrots, and cooked rice into a large salad bowl along with the chickpeas and sultanas. Toss until combined.
  8. To make the dressing, add the orange juice and tahini to the remaining spice mix and whisk until combined. Just before serving, drizzle the salad dressing over the salad. Yum!

 


Anthea Cheng
Anthea Cheng

Anthea is the food blogger, photographer, and chef behind Rainbow Nourishments, where she shares wholesome vegan recipes with a twist.

This recipe was originally published in Nourish plant-based living, Issue 66 • View magazine

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Layered pasta salad with pesto

Anthea Cheng

Salad is one of our favourite meals when they’re made the way vegans make them – big and bountiful!

Ingredients

SERVES 8

BASIL PESTO

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  2. Cook the pasta as per packet instructions then set aside to cool.
  3. Toss the beetroot with some olive oil, salt, and pepper then place on a tray lined with baking paper. Place in the oven. Place the corn cobs directly onto another oven shelf. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the beetroot is tender and the corn husk is slightly charred.
  4. Meanwhile, make the pesto. Blitz all pesto ingredients in a food processor or blender until a smooth paste forms.
  5. When the corn has cooled, remove the husk and use a serrated knife to cut off the kernels.
  6. In a large bowl, toss together the salad leaves, cucumber, corn kernels, and zucchini.
  7. In a trifle bowl (or large glass bowl), arrange the salad in layers in the following order: roasted beetroot, chopped tomatoes, cooked pasta, butter beans, pesto, then the green salad mix.
  8. Serve immediately. Alternatively, keep all the salad components in separate containers in the fridge until needed. Assemble 1 hour before serving.

Anthea Cheng
Anthea Cheng

Anthea is the food blogger, photographer, and chef behind Rainbow Nourishments, where she shares wholesome vegan recipes with a twist.

This recipe was originally published in Nourish Issue 66, Spring Clean • View magazine

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Chocolate chip hot cross buns

Anthea Cheng

Indulge yourself and your loved ones with these easy-to-make, seasonal sweet treats.

Ingredients

BUN DOUGH

CROSSES

GLAZE

Method

  1. Combine all of the dough ingredients except the chocolate chips in a large bowl and mix until it comes together. Then, knead until it forms a smooth dough. If you have a stand mixer, you can do this using the dough hook.
  2. Add the chocolate chips and knead them in. It may look like a lot of chocolate chips at this point, but the dough will expand and you might want even more chocolate! Cover the dough with a tea towel (either in the bowl or stand mixer) and leave in a warm place to rise for at least 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
  3. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll each into a ball making sure the top is smooth. Place the buns into a rectangular or circular greased and lined baking tray, leaving about 3cm between each bun. Place a damp tea towel over the buns and set them aside to rise for at least 1 hour.
  4. When you are ready to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 180°C.
  5. To make the crosses, add all the cross ingredients to a small bowl and mix to form a paste. Spoon the paste into a piping bag with a small round nozzle. Pipe crosses onto the buns and then bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until they are slightly golden-brown.
  6. To make the glaze, add the syrup (or sugar) and water to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. When the buns come out of the oven, brush them with the glaze. These are best eaten the day they are baked, otherwise, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days.

Anthea Cheng
Anthea Cheng

Anthea is the food blogger, photographer, and chef behind Rainbow Nourishments, where she shares wholesome vegan recipes with a twist.

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Easter bundt cake

Anthea Cheng

Sweeten up the Easter break with this scrumptious cake.

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

TO DECORATE

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Brush a bundt tin with melted butter or oil then lightly dust with cocoa powder.
  2. To make the cake, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Mix until combined. Then add the milk, oil, and apple cider vinegar, and mix again until combined.
  3. Pour half of the mixture into a separate bowl. Add the cocoa powder and milk to one bowl and the vanilla extract to the other bowl. Mix each bowl until combined. Make sure both cake batters are the same consistency (we will aim to make a zebra pattern, but this will not work if the two batters aren’t the same thickness). Add more flour or milk to ensure this.
  4. Use 2 separate ½ cup measures for this step or 2 ladles of the same size. Pour ½ cup of the chocolate batter in one spot in the bundt tin. Pour ½ cup of the vanilla batter directly on top. Both cake batters will naturally spread. Keep alternating until there is no more cake batter.
  5. Bake the cake in the oven for 50–60 minutes, or until a skewer can be inserted into the cake and come out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn it upside down onto a wire rack and leave it for another 10 minutes. Gently tap on the tin to encourage the cake to come out.
  6. To make the ganache, add both ingredients to a small saucepan over low heat. Mix to help the chocolate melt, then turn off the heat. Mix until smooth and fully emulsified. Set aside to slightly cool.
  7. Drizzle the chocolate ganache over the bundt cake and decorate with Easter eggs, rose petals, and puffed millet, if using. Serve immediately. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

TIP: We used Loving Earth Boobook Eggs, but any vegan-friendly variety will be fine. Specialty stores like the Vegan Grocery Store will be your best bet.


Anthea Cheng
Anthea Cheng

Anthea is the food blogger, photographer, and chef behind Rainbow Nourishments, where she shares wholesome vegan recipes with a twist.

Enjoying our inspiring stories? Sign up to our newsletter and receive our latest editorial and offers directly in your inbox.

Gingerbread cookies

Anthea Cheng

What’s better than a homemade treat? One that someone else has made especially for you! Delight your loved ones with these festive beauties this year.

Ingredients

Makes 20–30

COOKIES

FROSTING

Method

  1. Add all the cookie ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients with a spoon and then your hands until it comes together. Initially, the dough may look dry, but it will eventually come together.
  2. Set aside the dough in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 hour or the freezer for 30 minutes, until it’s firmed up.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a tray with baking paper.
  4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 8mm thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes out of the dough. Carefully place each cookie on the tray, leaving a little space in between them. You may need to use a flat spatula to transfer them from the bench to the tray.
  5. Collect the excess dough, roll it out, and cut out more shapes from the dough. Repeat until you have no dough left.
  6. Bake the cookies in the oven for 10 minutes (this may depend on the size of your cookies). The edges of the cookies should be slightly golden-brown. Allow the cookies to completely cool on the baking tray.
  7. To make the frosting, combine the icing sugar and milk in a bowl. It should be thick enough so if you pipe a small dot, it doesn’t spread. If the frosting is too thin, gradually add icing sugar to thicken. If it’s too thick, gradually add milk to thin.
  8. Scoop the frosting into a reusable piping bag with a 2mm fine tip. Pipe patterns onto your gingerbread as desired. This takes some time, so sit down and do it with your loved ones! Allow the frosted gingerbread to dry at room temperature for 4 hours or until the frosting is firm. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Anthea Cheng
Anthea Cheng

Anthea is the food blogger, photographer, and chef behind Rainbow Nourishments, where she shares wholesome vegan recipes with a twist.

This recipe was first published in Nourish plant-based living, V8 N7 • View magazine

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