Home Baking with Cherie Tu || Cheesy Garlic & Herb Pull-Apart Bread + Easy Cinnamon Scrolls
The holiday season may be the most challenging time of the year because you may have to accommodate various diets with your holiday cooking.
If you are on a plant-based diet, then you will want to save this article right away because we have invited Australian plant-based blogger and cookbook author Cherie Tu to share her favourite plant-based recipes from her new book Thriving on Plants Volume 2 - Cheesy Garlic & Herb Pull-Apart Bread and Easy Cinnamon Scrolls. These recipes will cover your cravings for both savoury and sweet eats and are easy to make — so what are you waiting for?
Read on for our conversation with Cherie and for the 2 delicious recipes!
So, whether you’re already vegan and looking for more recipe inspiration, Thriving On Plants Vol 2 shows you how easy it is to enjoy plenty of hearty and delicious dishes without feeling like you’re missing out, especially during the Holiday season.
Building on the success of her first cookbook, Cherie has created more than 75 new recipes covering breakfast, on-the-go lunches, epic salads, comforting soups and pasta dishes. Cherie has also included her favourite Asian recipes throughout the book such as bibimbap, Chinese cucumber salad, tofu "egg" fried rice, stir-fry Hokkien noodles, and veggie dumplings, to name just a few.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’ll love her ‘veganized’ apple pie, baked cheesecake and easy cinnamon scrolls as well as a host of other favourite treats, which is also perfect if you are looking for a plant-based twist to holiday classics.
We had a chance to chat with Cherie about how she started her plant-based journey and where she gets her inspiration to create all the recipes in Thriving on Plants Volume 2.
C: Cherie Tu, the author of Thriving on Plants Volume 2
P: Pendulum Magazine
P: Tell us more about yourself. What initially sparked your interest in developing vegan recipes? When and how did you become a vegan?
C: Initially my interest was sparked through a health appeal after seeing all the vibrant and delicious vegan meals people would post online. I guess I was simply interested in the diet itself since I wasn't too sure what Veganism was about yet. Nevertheless, I wanted to give it a go and get creative in the kitchen since I have always had a passion for cooking from a young age. Besides, I had nothing to lose by trying something new!
Eventually, I discovered the ethical side in terms of the treatment of animals, along with realising the devastating impacts of animal agriculture on our environment. So whilst it was initially brought upon through a diet aspect, today I consider myself an ethical vegan with any health benefits simply being a bonus of this lifestyle. I have now been vegan since January 2014 and haven’t looked back since.
P: How do you come up with all the vegan recipes? Where do you get inspiration from?
C: Growing up in an Asian household I enjoyed a tonne of traditional Chinese and Vietnamese food so I definitely draw inspiration from that to “veganise” my favourite childhood meals. That’s why I tend to try and make vegan versions of foods that people tend to think they can’t enjoy if they jump onto this lifestyle, so I can show them that they in fact can. Aside from my own personal background and taste, I love listening to what my audience wants to see from me so often I’ll create recipes based on requests and suggestions from my followers.
P: As a recipe developer, what is the most challenging part you have come across since you have started this as a career?
C: I would say sometimes it can get a little tricky when trying to cater to everyone’s dietary requirements. Sure, all of my recipes are vegan, but I do get a ton of specific requests such as sugar-free, nut-free, gluten-free and so on. I think this has been particularly challenging when it comes to making desserts, as we’re used to both our raw and baked goods containing all of those mentioned ingredients. Besides, baking was never my strong point so I definitely had a lot of “fails” along the way which of course is all part of the process. Regardless, I’m never one to back down from a challenge and since I’ve been able to successfully develop all sorts of recipes which cater to different needs. So I guess you can say it’s definitely always a great learning experience and blessing in disguise.
P: Congrats on the launch of Thriving on plants volume 2! Can you tell us a bit about your new cookbook? Did you add any new elements into Volume 2 after receiving feedback from the supporters of your first book?
C: Thank you! Of course. We received such great feedback on the first book so we knew a second one had to happen. My initial thought was I didn’t want it to be overly similar to my first cookbook as there had to be some point of difference for Volume 2. I started to realise a common theme of people (including myself) constantly trying to find recipes that are quick, easy and simple to make. It’s no surprise that we all live busy lifestyles in one way or another, so not everyone has the luxury of having hours to spare to prepare meals in the kitchen. With this in mind, I made sure to include a ton of simple recipes that are not only easy to make but are of course delicious as well. I also focused heavily on using common ingredients that are easily accessible to everyone. The last thing I'd want is for people to have to make a trip to health food stores and spend a ton of money on "fancy" ingredients. Along with this, I've decided to go with a different chapter breakdown this time around so people can easily filter through the book depending on what they wanted to make. For instance, the ‘Vegan on the Go” section is perfect for those who are after meals they can make ahead of time (i.e. meal prep friendly) and take with them on the go.
P: Which recipe do you feel is the most creative in the book? What’s your favourite recipe in the book?
C: While I genuinely think each and every recipe is unique and creative in its own way, I would have to pick the Easy Cinnamon Scrolls. I still remember when I initially tried to develop it, I kept going back to the fact that it just takes too long to make! I wasn’t sure I’d be able to remove the yeast out of the recipe and still yield great results but I thought I’d give it a shot. Countless attempts later I was able to nail a yeast-free cinnamon scroll recipe that is not only easy to prepare but only takes a fraction of the time to make.
In terms of my favourite recipe in the book, I would have to pick the Classic Baked Cheesecake. It’s literally everything I’ve always wanted in a vegan cheesecake and believe me, it tastes like the real deal. I’m super proud of that recipe in particular since it has been a long time in the making and I was finally able to nail it for book 2!
P: If you are preparing a vegan feast for your friends and family this holiday season, which appetizer, entrée and dessert would you serve at your dining table?
C: If you flick through my book you’ll realise that so many of the recipes are perfect for the holiday season, but if you want me to nail it down, here are my top 2 from each chapter that I’d highly recommend you to try out:
Vegan on the Go
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
Creamy Pasta Salad
Vegan at Home
Spiced Pumpkin & Potato Soup
Spicy Red Lentils
Vegan sides
Spiced Corn with Miso Butter
Cheesey Garlic & Herb Pull Apart Bread
Favourites Made Vegan
Classic Baked Cheesecake
Barbecued Pulled Mushroom Burger
Sweet Vegan
Easy Cinnamon Scrolls
Tahini Caramel Chocolate Cups
We want to thank Cherie for sharing her book development process with us, her story of how she came to adopt a vegan diet, and her process of developing recipes (a lot of times by trial and error which is encouraging for elementary bakers like us!) Cherie has picked a sweet and a savory recipe to share with our readers for the holiday season, and we hope you will enjoy the cheesy garlic & herb pull-apart bread and easy cinnamon scrolls.
Cheesy Garlic & Herb Pull-Apart Bread
PREP 10 minutes
COOK 25 minutes
SERVES 8
Salty, cheesy, herby pull apart bread… Count me in! While it’s a very kid-friendly recipe, I’m sure adults will get just as excited over this too. Serve it with your next dinner or as an appetizer whenever you have guests over, I guarantee you that having this on the table will easily impress anyone.
Ingredients
¼ cup melted vegan butter 3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp salt 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to serve
1 whole crusty loaf (eg. sourdough)
1 cup grated vegan mozzarella cheese (see notes)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, salt and parsley.
2. Using a serrated knife, score the bread by cutting on the diagonal across the loaf about 2cm apart, in two directions to create diamond shapes. Open each cut and use a pastry brush to generously coat the inside of the bread with the butter mixture. Add a pinch of cheese into the buttery cuts, making sure you add enough into each opening so each piece will be cheesy when ready to serve. Use any remaining butter to lightly brush the surface of the loaf.
3. Wrap the whole loaf with foil then place it on an oven tray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread becomes golden and crispy. Serve immediately.
Notes: Keep in mind that some vegan cheeses melt better than others, so try and find one that melts really well for this recipe.
Easy Cinnamon Scrolls
PREP 10 minutes
COOK 20 minutes
MAKES 12
I’m sure all of us can agree that cinnamon scrolls are amazing. But, let’s be real, not everyone has hours to spare to make them. Here’s a cheat’s version that requires no yeast and 10 simple ingredients. This fool-proof recipe can easily be made by anyone and let me tell you, the results speak for themselves!
Ingredients
1 cup (220g) firmly packed
brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp vegan butter, melted
Dough
4 cups (600g) plain flour
¹⁄³ cup (75g) caster sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup melted vegan butter
1½ cups (375ml) unsweetened almond milk
Icing
1 cup (160g) icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm x 30cm baking pan and set aside.
For the dough, combine the flour, caster sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the melted butter and almond milk and mix until just combined.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute until smooth. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with a little more flour and continue to knead. Roll the dough out into a 40cm x 60cm rectangular shape.
Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Brush the surface of the dough with the melted vegan butter. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar. With clean hands or a wooden spoon, gently flatten and spread the sugar mixture onto the dough.
Starting from a long side, roll up the dough until you reach the end, with the seam-side facing down. Use a sharp knife to trim off the ends then cut the log into 12 even pieces.
Place scrolls in the baking pan. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. For a crunchier outside, bake for an additional 5 minutes.
In the meantime, whisk the icing ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Adjust the liquid depending on how thin or thick you prefer.
Cool scrolls slightly before drizzling with icing.
Notes: Scrolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Reheat in the microwave for 15-30 seconds until warm and soft.
For more recipes and nutritional tips, visit the links below!
Website: https://www.cherietu.com/blog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivingonplants/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingonplantsbycherietu
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thrivingonplants
For more information on Thriving on Plants Volume 2, visit Cherie Tu’s website or Book Depository!
Photos courtesy of Thriving on Plants Volume 2 by Cherie Tu
