Richard Makin: 'My first cookbook was a hit with vegans - but my latest book is for everyone'

Spicy tahini lime noodles

“It’s been one of those days where you blinked somewhere around 9.45am and somehow it’s now 8.30pm,” says plant-based food writer Richard Makin.

“It’s an orange alert for hanger outbursts and that out-of-date granola bar in your handbag barely touched the sides. Luckily this nutritious dinner requires zero cooking and can be on the table in 10 minutes. Crisis averted!”

Serves 2. Ingredients: 190g thin rice noodles; 40g kale, destemmed and roughly chopped; 1tsp toasted sesame oil; 2tbsp tahini paste; 2tsp gochujang (or substitute with harissa paste); 2tbsp soy sauce (or substitute with tamari sauce); 2tbsp lime juice; 1 small garlic clove, finely minced; ½tbsp minced fresh ginger; 160g cooked edamame beans; ½ cucumber, sliced; 2 spring onions, sliced; 2tsp crispy chilli oil; 1tsp sesame seeds

Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for five to seven minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

While the noodles are soaking, put the kale in a separate bowl, drizzle with toasted sesame oil and massage until it softens slightly.

In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, gochujang, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic and ginger to create a creamy dressing.

Add the drained noodles to the bowl with the kale. Pour the dressing over the noodles and toss everything together until well coated.

Divide the dressed noodles between two bowls. Top each bowl with half of the edamame, cucumber slices, spring onion, crispy chilli oil, if using, and sesame seeds.

Serve warm or cold.

Roasted carrot pasta

“Carrots and pasta don’t hang out together enough, considering how well they get along,” says plant-based food writer Richard Makin.

“In this recipe, we roast up a bunch of carrots that have been massaged with miso paste, then blend to make a sauce that hugs the rigatoni like a long-lost friend. It’s sweet and smoky, like an elevated mac and cheese, but without the mac or the cheese.”

Serves 2. Ingredients: 450g carrots (around 4 carrots), peeled and sliced into coins; 1 medium onion, roughly chopped; 2tbsp olive oil; 1tbsp miso paste (white or red); ½tsp fine sea salt; ¼tsp ground black pepper; 1 bulb garlic; 160ml vegetable stock; 150g silken tofu; 1tbsp tomato puree; 6 sun-dried tomatoes from a jar; 1tsp paprika; 340g dried vegan pasta; Fresh parsley, finely chopped, to serve; Chilli flakes, to serve

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/Fan 200°C/Gas Mark 7.

Place the sliced carrots and onion in a large baking tray and drizzle with half of the olive oil. Add the miso paste and massage into the carrots with your hands. Sprinkle with the salt and black pepper.

Slice the bulb of garlic in half horizontally and place it in the centre of the carrots, cut-sides up. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

Place the tray in the oven to roast for 30 minutes, tossing the carrots and onion half-way through cooking, or until the carrots are tender and slightly browned.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into the tray with the carrots.

In a blender, combine the roasted carrots, onions and garlic with the vegetable stock, silken tofu, tomato puree, sun-dried tomatoes and paprika, and season with salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted water until it’s al dente. Reserving around a cup of the pasta water, drain and return the pasta to the pan.

Pour the creamy sauce over the pasta and place the saucepan back over medium heat. If necessary, use the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Stir until just piping hot, then divide the pasta amongst four bowls. Serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh parsley and chilli flakes.

Tiramisu ice cream sundae

“I’m a massive believer that if you have access to good coffee and a scoop of ice cream, you’ve got dessert sorted,” says plant-based food writer Richard Makin.

“This recipe takes that idea and runs with it. You’ll need to use an electric whisk or a stand mixer to get the creamy dalgona-style coffee whip going, but trust me, it’s worth it!”

Serves 2. Ingredients: 2tbsp instant coffee granules; 1tbsp cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting; 3tbsp caster sugar; 2tbsp boiling water; 1tbsp coffee liqueur; 50ml espresso (or very strong coffee); 8 Lotus Biscoff cookies; 4 large scoops vegan vanilla ice cream

In a medium bowl, whip the instant coffee, cocoa powder, caster sugar and boiling water using an electric whisk or stand mixer until creamy, glossy and holding stiff peaks. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the coffee liqueur and espresso.

To assemble, dunk four of the Biscoff cookies into the espresso mixture and place two in the bottom of each of two small bowls or sundae glasses.

Top with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream and a spoonful of the whipped coffee mixture. Repeat the layers, finishing with a final spoonful of whipped coffee on top.

Serve immediately or freeze for up to 30 minutes. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.