Veganism has gone mainstream. No longer an ‘at-home’ trend with little significance in the restaurant world, it now not only calls for tasty and original menu options but has inspired chefs to create entirely plant-based restaurant concepts and showcase just how much flavour vegan food has to offer.
High-end restaurants such as Gauthier Soho and Farmacy are testament to this. Sites with menus dedicated to the best quality plant-based food have helped steer vegan food’s reputation firmly away from a less than favourable image and demonstrated how it can be an increasingly profitable market for our sector to explore.
TikTok is the latest platform to have embraced veganism, with videos with the hashtag ‘vegan’ garnering over 25 billion views to date.
When @mcflavourhouse launches on TikTok for the first time this October, vegan dishes developed with flavour at heart will be the platform’s first focus.
With cult favourite brands such as French’s Mustard, Frank’s RedHot, Cholula Hot Sauce, Old Bay Seasoning and a suite of Schwartz Seasoning products all vegan, McCormick is determined to show chefs how best they can take advantage of these flavour-packed herbs, spices and condiments and use them to elevate their plant-based fare.
@mcflavourhouse’s first series of videos will demonstrate how Schwartz seasoning can help operators with ideas and inspiration in the run-up to Veganuary, when hundreds of thousands of consumers will pledge to go meat-free for the month of January, doubling the numbers of vegans in the UK* and providing sites with a huge opportunity in the traditionally quieter period after the Christmas festivities.
Find @mcflavourhouse on TikTok this October and get ahead of the rest with this incredible South-East Asian inspired soup, created by DJ BBQ.
BBQ Blackened Squash Ribs
Ingredients:
1 x butternut squash
3 tbsp Schwartz Blackened Cajun Seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
Blackened BBQ sauce
1 x white onion sliced into rings
1 x bulb garlic
2 x tbsp Schwartz Blackened Cajun Seasoning
1 tin chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
Dipping Sauce
100 ml of Coconut yogurt
2 tbsp of sriracha spice mix
½ lemon, juiced
1 x green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Pickled peppers and coriander cress to serve
Method
- Place the garlic on the edge of the direct/indirect heat and roast for 30-45 minutes until soft. Turn occasionally.
- Drizzle olive oil on your onion rings and dust with the Blackened Cajun Seasoning. Grill the onions over a medium direct heat until softened and golden. Carefully flip so they get an even cook.
- Place large pot over medium heat. Drizzle in some light olive oil. Chop up the onions and smoosh out the garlic. Throw it all in the oil and lightly fry off until everything is super soft.
- Add the tomatoes and stir.
- Then add the vinegar, and sugar. Cook for about 20 minutes.
- Chuck a stick blender into the cauldron and blend till smooth. You can always add a little extra vinegar for more tang, salt if you want and even some sugar to bring the sweetness.
- Combine ingredients for the dipping sauce.
- Now time for the ribs, slice up your squash into ribs, keeping the skin on and discarding the seeds.
- Rub the ribs with the olive oil and evenly cover them with the Blackened Cajun seasoning. Place them skin side down on the grill and roast for between 45 minutes and an hour until dark and tender.
- Once the ribs are there, glaze them with the BBQ sauce. Keep it thick and luscious, you will want to glaze a couple more times before you take them off the grill.
- Once the glaze has roasted, remove the squash ribs and serve with pickled chillies and coriander cress.
- Mix up the dipping sauce and serve!