Fast cooking calls for fresh ingredients that are easy to prepare and cook down quickly. It’s always worth having a selection of fresh ingredients in your refrigerator, so when the need for a fast meal arises, you have the essentials to hand.
Soft fruits, such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, and blackberries, require no preparation and can be used for a quick morning smoothie, simple snack, or baked into a crumble for pudding. Other low-preparation fruits include peaches, nectarines, bananas, and cherries. Choose your fruits seasonally for the best flavour, price, and variety all year round. It’s worth keeping a couple of peeled, ripe bananas in the freezer to throw into smoothies or whip up a Banana split ice cream.
Lemons and limes provide fast bursts of flavour in a dish when the juice is squeezed over at the end of cooking. Always choose unwaxed fruits as they are often waxed for aesthetic purposes with an animal ingredient such as shellac, which is not suitable for vegans. Squeeze lemons and limes when they are at room temperature to get the most juice out of them.
Most vegetables can be quick-cooked, depending on the method you use. Some vegetables, including mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, and long-stem broccoli, cook quickly, while other root vegetables require longer cooking times. Look out for vacuum-packed, pre-cooked root vegetables, like beetroot, which normally require a long roasting time, but whose pre-cooked versions can be simply sliced before eating. Opt for versatile vegetables, such as spinach, which can be served as a salad leaf or added into a curry; kale, which can be stir-fried or crisp-roasted; and celery, which can be used as a base flavour for cooked dishes or to give added crunch to salads. Sweetcorn, peas, edamame beans, and butternut squash all retain their great taste and texture when frozen, making for a convenient and economical way to enjoy these vegetables.
Onions and garlic make for a fast, flavoursome base to many dishes when used either together or individually. Have a selection of brown and red onions to hand for variety, and keep them in a cool, dark place for longevity.
Fresh herbs, such as parsley, coriander (cilantro), and mint can be quickly torn or chopped and added to a dish to take it from simple to superb, adding layers of fresh flavour. If you have the space, grow them in a window box or keep them refrigerated, stem-down in a jar of water. Basil is best stored at room temperature.
If you’re new to dairy-free cooking, try the many ranges of milk available, including soya, almond, cashew, macadamia, oat, and rice. Many are available as sweetened or non-sweetened, so choose which suits you best. I tend to opt for an unsweetened soya milk for use in cooking, alongside a nut milk for drinks and desserts. A pot of non-dairy yoghurt is also a useful ingredient to keep in your refrigerator; for use in a savoury dish, opt for an unsweetened, sugar-free soya yoghurt. Sweetened or flavoured soya yoghurt is best used in sweet dishes.
If you enjoy cheese, do try the ever-growing range of vegan cheeses now available in most supermarkets and health-food shops.