How it all started…
“I never meant to be a chef, Samia. It just happened.”
“What do you mean, it just happened?”
Seated next to the colorful kitchen curtain at Hektor, with the Lanzarote wind in our hair, Bert and I pondered how we got into (plant-based) cooking...
“Yves read “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer, and we decided to never eat animal products again after that. I initially panicked: it took us almost a decade to find an alternative for practically everything we love to eat.”
“I feel you. Wooing my wife involved a lot of vegetarian and vegan trial and error in the kitchen. I would say you’ve done a pretty amazing job – have you ever considered a cooking book?”
Great things happen when two quirky queers with a heart for food and animals meet. We cut a deal. I would help Bert out, and he would publish those recipes.
Food is my love language. My Spanish nana would stuff me with homemade tortilla de patatas. My auntie Amparo’s paella was the annual centrepiece on New Year’s Day. And growing up, my mom spoiled us with a mouthwatering creation daily.
Cooking food for loved ones is a magical place. There is just something about observing a group of people from the safety of the kitchen as they stuff their faces with the meal you made and chat away.
“Enough with the chitchat, Samia. It’s time to create memories. Let’s meet at the table.”
“All of the happiness. None of the cruelty. Let’s do it.”
This series of classic Hektor plant-based brunch recipes will spark joy, not hurt a living soul, blow your (and everyone else’s) mind, and create memories for life.
Happy cooking. See you at the table.
Zine 1: The ones you all really liked
Admit it, there is melancholy in our eyes. That’s why this first zine is full of Hektor classics. Dishes from the Canaries, from all over the world, full of love for every being. Don’t tell us cooking doesn’t make you a little mellow too.
Original artwork by Heidewinne & designed by Broos Stoffels.
Recipes in this zine
Canarian pumpkin pancakes
Hazelnut spread pizza (you’ll learn how to make our hazelnut choco spread and pizza dough :) )
Egg Benedict (including vegan bacon, English muffins and hollandaise sauce)
Garden pie
Tomato salad
Orange Rice pudding
Zine 2: Tomatoes at the heart of the table
Fiery red and sweet as honeydew. Tomatoes are any queer chef’s favorite ingredient. No wonder the second zine has them at the heart. Of the table, of the talk, of our love for plant-based cooking.
Original artwork & design by Broos Stoffels.
Recipes in this zine
Tomato Tarte Tatin (including a puff pastry recipe)
Surf & turf (with a base of tomato chutney)
Focaccia (oh yeah, another classic)
Lentil balls in tomato sauce
Platano chips with spicy salsa
Sausage rolls with homemade ketchup (make your own seitan)
Against the grain - Gluten-free adaptations
Just when you thought you were doing the animals and the planet a favour, you noticed…That some of these dishes are not doing your celiac gut a favour. Sigh. Can’t anything go right in your life?!
Worry not. We’ve got you. We’ve assembled some tips to turn even the most gluten-dense recipes into alternatives that will spare every living soul, including yourself, the cruelty.
Canarian pumpkin pancakes (Zine 1: The ones you all really liked)
Hazelnut spread pizza (Zine 1: The ones you all really liked)
Egg Benedict (Zine 1: The ones you all really liked)
Replace the English muffins with
Gluten-free pastry (Zine 2 - Tomatoes at the heart)
Both the tomato tarte tatin and the sausage rolls rely heavily on puff pastry. If you, too, want to get crafty, and make your own puff pastry, this is your time to shine!
Just be aware this gluten-free version is like the heart of a sensitive little soul. It breaks a bit easier, so be sure to treat it with love, care, and understanding.
Ingredients
300 grams of gluten-free bread flour – of all the brands Scruffy tried and tested, Schär comes out as the winner
180 grams of vegan butter, softened
A pinch of salt
45 grams of unsweetened plant-based milk
Preparation
Sift the flour and make a little mountain with it on your countertop. Create a well in the center, as if you were trying to recreate Lanzarote’s volcanic landscape with the flour
Give the butter a good stir until it’s soft, and add it into the well
Add a pinch of salt for flavour
Quickly add the cold milk and knead until you have a firmish dough that doesn’t fall apart. Don't overdo it though, we're not kneading or making bread
Next, wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for an hour
Afterwards, roll it out to your desired thickness
That’s it! You can now enjoy a gluten-free vegan tarte tatin or sausage roll. Isn’t that just fabulous?
Some final tips: You can store the dough in the fridge for up to a week, if you wrap it in plastic
Cooking is all about the adventure. Feel try to experiment with different flours and see what happens
Tempeh, the wheatless wonder (Zine 2 - Tomatoes at the heart)
Seitan is, unfortunately, a big no-no. Luckily, tempeh is the perfect alternative for a gluten-free sausage roll. For now, we will refer you to store-bought tempeh, but…
Scruffy is working on a recipe for homemade tempeh. Keep your eyes peeled, as it’s coming to your favourite zine soon!
One more thing about tempeh…It needs a solid marinade. You can find the ingredients for the perfect one below
Tempeh marinade for sausage rolls
2 tbsp of lime juice
1 tsp of chicken seasoning – we checked, double-checked, triple-checked…there’s no chicken in there
3 tbsp of tamarin or gluten-free soy sauce
2 tbsp of olive oil
Stir everything together and let your tempeh have a nice rest in the marinade
Bready or not: gluten-free focaccia (Zine 2 - Tomatoes at the heart)
We couldn’t believe it ourselves either…But pinky swear, cross our hearts, etc.: you can totally, absolutely make a gluten-free focaccia.
All you have to do is replace the flour with a gluten-free alternative (the Schär bread flour works perfectly) and add one or two tablespoons of vegetable oil (like sunflower oil) to the dough mix.
Works like a charm.
Lentil balls (Zine 2 - Tomatoes at the heart)
For the lentil balls, all you have to do is ensure you are using gluten-free oats.
Namas. That was easy, right? Cruelty-free, gluten-free deliciousness.
Disfruta!
The Scruffy Chef …
is written by Bert Pieters & Samia Suys. At the core is their heart for cooking and animals and the opportunity to spread a cruelty free message on your favorite sandwich. That sounds weird, but that’s how we are.
All recipes are part of Hektor’s brunch menu, Lanzarote’s only plant-based guesthouse & artist residence. Oh, and there are a couple of rescues on the farm too.
