Bestselling cookery writer Sophie Macfie offers tips on how to whip up tasty, nutritious meals in no time at all. By Kate Leahy.
While some may label plant-based proteins like tofu ultra-processed and bland, chef and personal trainer Sophie Macfie – aka @sophsplantkitchen – says it’s all in the cooking.
"Flavour it like you would any piece of meat," advises the 32-year-old.
And with more than 1.6 million followers on Instagram and 3.3 million likes on Tik Tok, and the launch of her second cookbook, Soph’s Plant Kitchen 30 in 30 – a Sunday Times bestseller – (all recipes with at least 30 grams of protein, on the table in 30 minutes or less), she’s on a clear mission to prove just how tasty and nutrient rich plant-based can be. And how simple it can be to incorporate into your diet.
"Protein is one of the essential macronutrients we need from our diet. We need a balanced diet of protein, carbs, and fat, and we also need a lot of micronutrients that come from the majority of plants. It’s one of the most satiating macronutrients."
Here’s how to add more to your meals…
Flavour your tofu
"I would say a tofu block looks quite intimidating, but be reassured, it’s definitely not." says Macfie. "A lot of people think tofu is ultra-processed and that equals bad but it’s just soybeans, water, sometimes it’s set with calcium which is great, and a little bit of salt. "
And while the popular myth suggests the ingredient is tasteless, Macfie argues that you just need to cook it right.
"It can take on flavour as it’s quite spongy. Fry it, and it gets crispy. Fry it with spices, with garlic, and onion and ginger, and it takes on this lovely taste. You can make delicious marinade sauces from the store cupboard ingredients that you’ve probably already got on hand. Scrambled tofu can definitely be more nutritious than eggs, and also there’s no saturated fat, there’s no cholesterol. And it is really easy to use. It’s typically not that different to how you would cook a chicken breast.
"Make sure you buy the extra-firm tofu because that means you don’t have to press any water out of it or prepare it. You can just get it out of the packet, chop it up, and chuck it in the pan," she adds.
Combine protein sources
Combining plant-based protein sources is good for your gut health, helping your gut flora to thrive, as well as your fibre intake, Macfie says, noting that nearly all plants contain fibre.
"I always combine sources of plant protein in my recipes. I’ll have a protein anchor which is a plant protein source that’s a bit denser, like your tempeh [fermented soybeans], your tofu [bean curd], your seitan [a wheat gluten], and then you build the rest of the plate around that," she says.
"I might have beans and a salad that might have a whole grain, like quinoa, as a base. I might have a sprinkle of nuts on top of that. All together, you’ve got this delicious dish, layering it in different sources of plant protein. It’s not only delicious, but so good for you as well. And you get all that fibre, which is really important because meat, fish and dairy don’t contain any fibre. It’s something that we should all be eating."
Hail the humble bean
A good starting point, Macfie says, is a humble can of beans.
"Even better if you can get the five-bean mix. They are just so brilliant. You’re getting five different plants, five different varieties of beans in there. You’ve got tons of fibre in there and they’re also high in protein and high in resistant starch, which is great for your gut microbes as well," she adds.
Then there’s the convenience, she says. "You can toss them into salads, which is really good. If you’re making a salad and maybe you’ve got a chicken salad or you’ve got a salad with tofu halloumi, you can drain the beans and just pop them in the salad. They don’t need cooking, they don’t need preparation. The dressing kind of carries the flavour. You can whizz them into creamy sauces for a pasta too," she adds.
Start simple
It can feel unrealistic to make drastic overnight overhauls, so Macfie has some suggestions for slowly integrating manageable changes into your diet.
"The first thing I ever learned to cook was a chickpea and spinach curry. My grandma taught me to make it. It’s just onion and garlic in a pan, curry paste or curry blend of spices you can buy from pretty much any supermarket. And then you just go in with a tin of chickpeas drained, a tin of tomatoes, a handful of spinach, cook that all down and there you go. You can always fry some extra firm tofu with a little bit of salt and pepper in a separate pan and then serve that on top."
She adds, "You don’t have to go fully vegan. You can just put a couple of meat-free meals in a week. See how you get on. It’s a lot tastier and easier than you think."
Another tip Macfie suggests is to part-add plant-based ingredients to a meal. "You can do a really, really good trick with a tin of lentils if you’re having bolognese or you’re using mince in anything – just go half and half or three-quarters mince and one-quarter lentils. Just see how you get on."
Give it time
Studies have shown that it takes our taste buds time to adapt to new foods and flavours and that they are constantly regenerating.
"When you start eating in a different way – if you start eating more whole foods or less processed foods or if you’re used to eating lots of sugary food – eating something that’s stereotypically healthy can taste horrible for a while. But you have to kind of persevere with it," Macfie says.
"I would say give it at least a couple of weeks. Don’t try something and say I hate that. Have it a couple of times a week and then see how you feel. Our bodies were not designed to eat lots of processed food and lots and lots of meat. We should be eating colourful foods, colourful plant foods, where possible," she adds.
Reap the benefits
Macfie says eating plant-based meals has made her feel infinitely better, both physically and mentally.
"Eating pasta sauces or packaged food at university or whatever, I was feeling sluggish and unhappy, and I wanted more from my life. Life is this beautiful gift we’ve been given and we want to feel better, we want to perform better, we want to show up for others and ourselves," she says.
"With the recipes that I create, it’s all about giving us enough energy to make movement feel possible. So, making enough protein and eating enough carbs, and you know, getting a healthy, balanced, plant-based meal into your weekly rotation is only going to help you to be able to get up or go and lift some weights. It doesn’t necessarily cause initial muscle gain, but it gives you the energy and the vitality to achieve it."
Soph’s Plant Kitchen 30 in 30: 30g of protein, 30 minutes or less by Sophie Macfie is published in hardback by Yellow Kite. Photography by Haarala Hamilton. Available now
