2.5 million Aussies now deem themselves herbivores (or almost herbivores) and we’re expecting to see more.

With consumer demands for meat-free and dairy-free foods on the rise, we’ve seen delicious new vegetarian and vegan dishes exploding onto the cafe, takeaway, restaurant and even pub menus around the country. No longer are our plant-eating friends forced to order three serves of the side-salad, or settle for a wedge of pumpkin.

Helping to lead the plant-based food movement are Fry Family Food Co. who are partnering with SumoSalad to offer Aussies a healthy and tasty lunch alternative, which of course, comes in the trendy Buddha Bowl format. But, what makes this bowl worthy of your buck is Fry’s plant-based schnitzel, a generous serving of avocado and the crunch of cucumber, shredded beetroot, red cabbage, tahini sweet potato, freekeh, baby spinach, pepitas and cashews. A guilt-free schnitzel is what we all can get on board with!

And if you prefer to whip up your own delicious plant-based meals, you can, as Fry’s provide a range of delicious meals and snacks, from plant-based burgers and sausages to nuggets, mince, seafood, pastries, pizza and even roast. Yes, a plant-based roast. Sundays are sorted.

Fry’s also has an impressive range of recipes to help kickstart or further along your ‘clean eating’ journey. We’ve even picked our favourite schnitty recipe to fill your golden crumb craving.

VEGAN SCHNITZELS WITH CREAMY DILL SAUCE AND DAIRY-FREE POTATO SALAD

Crispy Fry’s Golden Crumbed Schnitzels drenched in a creamy dill sauce, served with a tangy German-inspired potato salad made with stock and vinegar

Fry Family Food. Vegan Schnitzels with creamy dill sauce and dairy-free potato salad. Image via Fr's Family Food Co.

Fry Family Food. Vegan Schnitzels with creamy dill sauce and dairy-free potato salad. Image via Fr’s Family Food Co.

INGREDIENTS

For the Potato Salad
 4 large potatoes
 ¾ cup vegetable stock
 ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
 2 tbsp olive oil
 1 tsp Dijon mustard
 1 tsp mustard seeds
 1 clove garlic, crushed
 ½ cup gherkins, finely chopped
 ½ red onion, finely chopped
 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
 Salt and pepper
.
For the Schnitzel and Sauce
 2x 320g box Fry’s Golden Crumbed Schnitzels
 2 tbsp coconut oil
 4 tsp cake flour
 2 cups almond milk
 1 clove garlic, crushed
 ¼ cup nutritional yeast
 1 tbsp dill, finely chopped
 1 tsp Dijon mustard
 salt and pepper
To Serve:
8 lime wedges
.
METHOD

For the Potato Salad

1. Place the potatoes in a pot of cold salted water. Bring it up to a boil over medium heat. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes until fork tender. Refresh the potatoes under cold water. While still hot, carefully peel and then slice the potatoes into 0.5 cm rounds.

2. Combine the stock, vinegar, oil, mustard, mustard seeds and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer, 1 minute. Pour the warm mixture over the warm sliced potatoes, top with the gherkins, stir and cover. Cool and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before serving, stir in the red onions and chives and season it to taste.

For the Schnitzel and Sauce:

3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

4. Arrange the 8 Fry’s Golden Crumbed Schnitzels on a lined baking tray and bake until golden and crisp, about 10-12 minutes.

5. For the sauce, heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in the almond milk and garlic and simmer 3-5 minutes until thick and pourable. Whisk in the nutritional yeast, dill and mustard. Season to taste and keep warm.

6. To serve, pour some of the dill sauce over each portion of Schnitzels and serve with the potato salad. Add the lime wedges on the side.

7. TIP: The almond milk in the sauce can easily be replaced with plant-based milk of your choice, such as rice milk, soy milk or coconut milk.

8. TIP: Leftover Schnitzels can be used as a sandwich filling with vegan cheese and lettuce or it can be sliced up and served on top of a warm winter salad.

9. TIP: The fresh dill can easily be replaced with half of the amount of dried dill.
Feature image: Fry’s Family Food Co. Buddha Bowl partnership with SumoSalad. Image Supplied.