Vegan in Copenhagen

Copenhagen is a beautiful city, filled with breathtaking sights, incredible sunsets, delicious food and plenty to explore. I visited with a couple of friends and over the 4 days we each walked 42 miles; 99,699 steps. Copenhagen is the perfect city to explore on foot, in its full glory when the sun is shining and the weather is a little warmer too. So have a read and virtually explore where you can eat and what you can do in Copenhagen! Everything's listed in the order we visited, which is all pretty close geographically and shown on a map at the bottom of the page, or here. 

I'd heard great things about the vegan food scene in Copenhagen, with tons of recommendations from friends about where to visit and I certainly wasn't disappointed. We explored fully vegan places as well as those with vegan options; from mixed salads to spaghetti carbonara, pulled mushroom burgers to danish pastries, we had a whole range of delicious food to eat! There's a real emphasis on using local and seasonal produce in many establishments and I really love this focus on sustainability throughout the city, from food to transport, with Tesla taxis and dedicated bike lanes. 

Tex Mex Salad

A bright, delicious salad perfect for lunchtime or a light dinner. This Tex Mex salad is packed with big flavours and textures from smoky adzuki beans to tangy, spicy jalapenos, to crunchy tortilla strips. It's the type of salad you actually want to eat!

This salad is packed full of the good stuff; adzuki beans are not only packed with protein and will help to steady your blood sugar, but they're a great source of fibre, iron and folate too. Kale is packed with vitamin K, A, C and many more - essential for blood clotting, eye health and growth and repair, respectively. The fresh veggies in this contain a whole array of nutrients too, like vitamin C, potassium and magnesium, the latter of which are essential for our muscles and nerves to work correctly.

Cauli Scampi Tacos

Tacos, but not as you might know them; gone are the days of those crunchy shells stuffed with packet-seasoned mince that you grew up on - these are soft tortillas, with cauliflower 'scampi', fresh slaw and a creamy cashew tartar sauce. Tacos are beautifully versatile, suiting a whole range of ingredients and this is my take on a vegan fish taco.

Cauliflower obviously isn't a like-for-like fish replacement in taste or nutrition, but it's a delicious vegetable with a little texture and the ability to take on flavour from marinades pretty readily. I marinated mine in a mix of seaweed, vinegar and lemon juice and soaked for a few hours (leave overnight if you can). The marinated cauliflower is then tossed in panko breadcrumbs and baked until it reaches crispy, golden perfection.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

One of my most fond memories is of eating this meal; I was in Sorrento last summer with my parents and we found the cutest little restaurant, completely authentic in both the food and decor and serving up the best house wine in a little homemade jug. The service was excellent, the food even more so and just the thought of it now fills me with warmth. The restaurant was so good in fact, we broke our holiday rule of trying a new restaurant each night and just had to go back there again, this time sitting outside at dusk, feeling the warm summer breeze of Sorrento and it was just as perfect. 

With such lovely expectations of this dish, it really surprised me when I ordered it at a restaurant in London and it unfortunately just fell really short of the mark, it was then I knew I just had to make my own version, to do it justice! This dish honestly couldn't be simpler, with just a few key ingredients, simple techniques and the whole dish coming together in just 15 minutes. Be sure to follow the recipe and you'll have something just incredible in front of you! 

Tomato Pearl Barley Risotto

Creamy, delicious tomato pearl barley risotto. Serve up with a side of rocket tossed in olive oil and balsamic, or some sauteed greens with a little lemon and chili for a weeknight meal, or go the extra mile with the addition of garlic bread and a glass of red for a weekend treat.

This risotto uses pearl barley in replacement of the usual arborio rice. Pearl barley is a lot chewier and much hardier than rice, so it adds a lovely texture to the dish; its nutty flavour emphasising the sweetness of the rich tomato sauce. The creaminess of this dish, brought partially by the starch from the grains, is heightened with a little vegan cheese melted through, it adds a base seasoning as well as giving the sauce a wonderful gloss and mouthfeel. I also used tinned cherry tomatoes in this recipe; they add a wonderful sweetness and a real pop of flavour.