It's not all salads and it can be easy: Rita Serano has a few bones to pick with people who dismiss veganism.

A veteran of vegan cooking who has never had a taste for meat, Rita Serano can rattle off a long list of misconceptions she's heard about vegan food: "That it's boring, that it doesn't taste good, that I only eat salads and that it's hard to do" - to name just a few.

It's exactly these ideas that Rita is on a mission to change. Her new book, Vegan In 7, features recipes that require seven ingredients or fewer, and the pages are far less green than you might image; multi-coloured stir-fries, stews and cakes show there's a lot more to her diet than pure salad.

Veganism is a way of life

The Dutch food blogger and recipe developer splits her time between Amsterdam and the French countryside, where she's cultivated her vegan pedigree for decades. "I know vegan food is fashionable at the moment, but for me, it's really a lifestyle," she explains. "Eating this way, for me, is the only way to feel alive and healthy."

Born into a vegetarian family, Serano insists there was never a single trigger moment that turned her vegan. "It's something that naturally progressed in my life, and not a decision I made one day to the next," she remembers. Today, though, she is buzzing with passion about the impact veganism has had on her. "I'm nearly 44 and I have so much energy - I'm not sick and I don't use medicine at all."

Her enthusiasm for the diet - which contains no animal products of any kind - knows no bounds; she excitedly describes her recipe for salmon lax, with a twist: "It's not salmon, it's carrot."

"If you close your eyes and if it's cut the right way, really thinly on a little cracker with fresh dill - it's really has the same mouth feel, and the same taste," she explains. People are always looking to substitute vegan options into dishes they know, and Rita has plenty ideas - from chai jam to smoky unami burgers, to an almond feta which, she explains proudly, has "completely the same structure as normal feta".

The trend for vegan eating has exploded quickly

Prior to vegan cooking was Rita's professional focus, it was her passion; she worked as a make-up artist in the Netherlands before swapping foundation for food by setting up her blog. She's always loved cooking: "There isn't a holiday picture of me where I'm not in the kitchen."

Now, she has more then 40k Instagram followers relying on her vegan tips, and she's enjoying being part of a trend that's become soemthing of a juggernaut. "It's just everywhere - on every street corner you can buy a juice or a good salad, it's gotten so much easier to go outside and eat something vegan."

It wasn't always that way. "15 years ago in Amsterdam, there were like two restaurants where you had a vegan choice," she remembers.

So what's behind its current popularity? "People have become more and more aware that we need a healthy diet, and we have to take care of the planet," says Rita.

It can be cheap and easy to stick to a vegan diet

Rita also wants to show people that vegan cooking can be really simple. "A lot of time I hear, 'Yeah, but it's so complicated to do vegetables or grains, and I don't know what to do'. I just wanted to show that it's pretty easy to do, and you can make it exciting."

It doesn't have to break the bank either: "It's the cheapest diet around, if you do it seasonal!"

She hopes keeping her recipes to seven ingredients make them as accessible as possible. "If you go out to a store to buy a book or look at a recipe, sometimes it can be really intimidating," she admits. "You think, 'Oh wow, I need this and I need that'." But "there's so much variety, not only with seasons but from food all around the world."

Cooking is all about love

Rita has come a long way, given that even calling herself a vegan was once something she didn't anticipate. "I never expected to say I was a vegan, because I had an uncle and when I grew up he was the original vegan," she recalls. "He was so fanatic about things, he made an impression, but not exactly in a good way."

But that didn't stop her experimenting with food, and she even went so far as to adopt a raw food-only diet for seven years - a commitment she believes improved her skin and "cleansed" her body.

Rita looks forward to returning to her second home in France next year, but she'll never need a break from cooking. "In summer you can pass by, and if people want, I cook them food - it gives me so much joy to have people eat good food and smile".

Whether it's red cabbage 'steaks' or nut-filled breakfast tacos, coming up with surprising vegan mixes is something she will never tire of. "I'm at my best when I'm cooking," she says with a smile. "Food is like a little bit of edible love."

Vegan in 7 by Rita Serano is published in paperback by Kyle Books, priced £16.99. Photography by Laura Edwards. Available now.

How to make Rita’s lentil and porcini ragout

Echo:

Hearty, warming and great on a winter’s evening.
Fancy something a little different with your favourite carb?
“Dried porcini mushrooms give this ragout a deep, satisfying taste and are a perfect match with the earthy cavolo nero,” says food writer and vegan Rita Serano. “It’s best to use black beluga or French Puy lentils, as they will keep their shape when cooked.
“Serve on top of a roasted sweet potato, or with your choice of pasta or cooked grain.”

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
4 medium sweet potatoes
20g dried porcini mushrooms
250g beluga or Puy lentils
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2tbsp herbes de Provence
400g tin chopped tomatoes
500g cavalo nero (or Savoy cabbage) torn or cut into smaller pieces
Salt and pepper

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/gas mark 6. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking tray and cook for 45 minutes until tender.
2. Place the dried mushrooms in a heat-resistant bowl and pour over 250ml boiling water, leaving to rehydrate for 15-20 minutes. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid, then roughly chop the mushrooms.
3. Wash the lentils in a fine mesh sieve then place them in a pan with one litre of water. Bring to the boil with the lid on, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Drain any remaining cooking liquid and set aside.
4. In a pan over a medium heat, cook the mushrooms with their soaking liquid and the garlic. After a minute, add the herbes de Provence and the tomatoes and cook for another two to three minutes. Add the lentils and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. If it looks too dry, add some more water. When the lentils are cooked, add the cavolo nero or Savoy cabbage. Cook for a further eight to 10 minutes, until soft and done.
5. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, make a deep slit in the top of each one and open them up a bit. Fill with the ragout and serve immediately.

Now try Rita's Pilaf-stuffed tomatoes

Echo:

Healthy and colourful - it’s got our vote.
Cooking for company doesn’t have to be tons of hard work.
“These tomatoes are perfect for a shared meal with friends,” says vegan expert Rita Serano. “You can prepare them in advance and cook just before serving, meaning you are free to join your guests and not be stuck in the kitchen.
“Serve with a salad for a tasty but simple meal.”

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
50g pine nuts
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2tsp allspice
35g currants, soaked
25g fresh dill, chopped
300g wholegrain basmati rice
8 medium sized tomatoes
Salt

Method:
1. Soak the basmati rice for at least 30 minutes, then rinse and drain.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 C/gas mark 4.
3. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add the pine nuts and toast until golden brown. Set aside.
4. To make the pilaf, cook the chopped onion with a splash of water in a medium-sized pan over a medium heat until soft, adding a little more water if needed. Add the allspice, currants, toasted pine nuts, half the dill and a pinch of salt and gently mix. Add the basmati rice and stir well, then add 750ml of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook the rice for the time indicated on the packet.
5. Meanwhile, cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and core. Once the pilaf is cooked, fill the tomatoes with this rice mixture. Place the tomatoes on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
6. Scatter the remaining dill over the tomatoes to serve.
 

Treat yourself with Rita’s sunflower butter fudge

Echo:

Totally moreish and a breeze to make.
After something to satisfy that sweet tooth? This recipe couldn’t be easier.
“This fudge is full of flavour and one of the most indulgent and easy to make sweet treats,” says plant-based food writer Rita Serano. “Make it in advance and keep it in the freezer, so you can have this treat on the table within minutes.”

Ingredients:
(Makes 24 squares)
200ml sunflower seed butter
80ml maple syrup
4tbsp cacao or carob powder
1tsp vanilla extract
Salt

Method:
1. If your seed butter is very stiff, remove it from the jar and gently warm it in a pan on a low heat. Transfer to a food-processor, add the remaining ingredients and a pinch of salt and blitz until the mixture forms a ball.
2. Line a square baking dish with cling film. Press the fudge into the dish, distributing it evenly, then chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
3. Sprinkle a thin layer of cacao or carob powder on top using a fine mesh sieve.
4. Carefully remove the fudge from the dish and transfer it to a plate. Remove the cling film before cutting the fudge into 3cm squares.