Fraser Fitzgerald | Plant-Based Chef

What am I all about?! 👇🏻 I wanted to reintroduce what this space is all about and mostly a little about me and why I love cooking + the age old question “why plant based”. I went plant based 10 years ago after my whole fam started making the change and then never went back. Cooking with my family is my fave thing to do and I’m so lucky we all love to cook. It helps having other plant based eaters around too. I’m plant based because it made me feel better in many ways but also I had no interest in cooking until I stopped eating meat. I went to culinary school shortly after that and have been cooking as a career ever since. I’m the least judgmental vegan out there. I truly don’t care what you eat day to day. That’s why this space is all about easy, budget friendly and comforting plant based recipes that everyone would want to eat. Whether you do meatless Mondays, are vegetarian, eat meat once a month, or have family that are plant based and you want to cook for them - as long as I’m inspiring you to get a vegebtable dish into your rotation then I’m happy! Small change makes a big impact. Other fun facts: My wife and I live in Hamilton with our dog Joni and I can’t see myself living anywhere else. I’m also a triplet and an identical twin and we used to have a blog @triplebites . I love running, especially trail running and have some fun runs coming up this year. We have a garden and I’m already planning out this season and getting the seeds in order. Dips and condiments in general are essential to my life and I love using at least 3 every meal. Pizza is my fave food and I’ve become a little obsessed with cooking it and testing new dough recipes. So stick around here for more plant based recipe and food content with a sprinkle of running, gardening, #hamont and Joni content. I’d love to know in the comments what your favourite food is and where you are located! Let’s cook some amazing stuff together in 2024 😌

Our lives will never be the same. Feb 2025! I was overwhelmed with messages from my latest newsletter, so couldn’t wait to share the big news here on IG. You guys have been around since the start and this is one big life update! I’M GONNA BE A DAD 🥲🕶️👟 Some fun vids from when we told our families the news! I promise it won’t be all dad life content on here, but it’s def going to be a part of it. Can’t wait for you to be along for the ride 🎢

WORLD’S NICEST CHEF 👇🏻 Let’s ditch boring meals this year and cook up next level vegetables that even your father in law will be raving about. It’s time to unlock your skills in the kitchen so follow me @frasercooks for easy, budget friendly and comforting plant based recipes. 🥬🥒🥕🍄🌽🥝🥦🍅

DAIRY FREE PIZZA NIGHT 👇 Sometimes, you have to eat a whole brick of cheese, especially when my new bestie Margaret comes over for dinner. She is the owner and founder of @nutsforcheese have you not heard of it? Her dairy free domination is surly going to take over the world. We whipped up one of my favourites, a pesto, artichoke and mushroom pizza. These cheeses are a staple in our weekly grocery shop, and along with their line of butters, cream cheeses and dips, they have your dairy free needs covered. Follow @frasercooks @nutsforcheese @margaretecoons for more dairy free deliciousness!! Ingredients: 1 1/3 cup warm water 1 tbsp instant yeast 1 tsp salt 3 1/2 cups flour (spooned and levelled) + more for dusting 1 cup of your favourite pesto 1 cup marinated artichokes 2 cups of assorted mushrooms, sliced or torn and fully cooked in a pan 1 tbsp olive oil 1 brick of Nuts for Cheese Artichoke & Herb 1 large handful of arugula Method: 1. The prep starts the day before, time is pizza doughs best friend. Add the water and yeast to a bowl of a stand mixer. Wait 5 minutes to see bubbles (this ensures the yeast is fresh, if no bubbles buy new yeast). Add the flour and salt and mix with a dough hook attachment until a shaggy dough ball forms. Let rest for 10 minutes, then kneed on low until soft and bounces back slightly. This will take a few minutes. Let rest for 1 hour on the counter. Then separate into 2-3 dough balls, and place in an air tight container in the fridge overnight. 2. The next day, take the dough out of the fridge to get to room temperature. This makes it easier to shape. 3. Preheat your pizza oven of choice. If using a normal oven, heat it as high as it goes. Shape your pizzas, as shown perfectly in the video. 4. Top with the pesto, artichokes and mushrooms. Bake until golden brown. The time depends on the oven, ours took around 5 minutes, constantly rotating. 5. Remove and top with cheese and arugula and dig in!

🐣 Joni’s new sibling will be hanging out in the kitchen with us so soon 🫠Thank you @brelikesdogs for the sweetest pics

Pink Cake Recipe 💕👇 Happy Love Day! We all deserve to be loved! This cake will increase your chances! Ingredients 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temp 1 1/2 cup white sugar 1 1/4 cup apple sauce 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Yoggu!) 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1 cup oat milk Pink Frosting 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temp 2 1/2 cups icing sugar 2 tbsp pickled beet brine Method 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two small 6 inch cake pans with parchment paper. 2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or another large bowl, with the whisk attachment, cream the butter until broken up and very smooth. Add the white sugar and cream together on high for 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. 4. Add the apple sauce, yogurt, vanilla extract and mix on medium speed to combine. 5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix until it just comes together. Add in the milk and mix to combine. Don’t over mix. 6. Evenly divide the batter into the two cake pans and bake for 30-45 minutes, until a tooth pick is stuck in the middle and comes out clean. Set aside to cook, then let cool until completely cooled on a wire rack. 7. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add in the icing sugar and mix on medium high until very smooth. Add in the beet brine and mix until bright pink! You might need to add more brine or a splash of water to adjust the consistency. It should be very thick. Ice the cake and decorate it as you please. Slice it up and enjoy the work of art you created!

THE BEST 🐷 BACON RECIPE EVER👇 Lets take a moment to appreciate this bacon recipe. If you’re new here, chances are it’s because of this. This is the first recipe that REALLY popped off, and to this day, I am the most proud of. It literally tastes like bacon, and most importantly brings me back to when I was a kid making sub sandwiches with my bros and dad for our school lunches. Everyone was jealous of our lunches at school! I’m grateful to have not eaten a pig in over 15 years! I just wish I did it sooner! If you’re a skeptic, the best advice I have is to just try it. I think you’ll change your mind! Follow @frasercooks for more delicious and simple plant based recipes 🐷💕 Ingredients 1 package of smoked tofu 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp sriracha 1 tbsp corn starch Method 1. Preheat your oven to 425F. 2. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, maple syrup, soy sauce, sriracha and corn starch. 3. Using a peeler, peel your smoked tofu into the marinade. This is key to get really thin strips! I prefer a Y shaped peeler. Toss the smoked tofu gently to evenly coat in the marinade. 4. Place the smoked tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the tofu around and bake for another 5-10 minutes. It should be crispy at this point, not burnt! Remove and enjoy as is, on a BLT, Caesar salad or wherever you enjoy bacon! For those that are gonna ask, the brand I use is @sunrisesoyafoods you can get it at most grocery stores and Walmart in Canada and the US

STICKY HOISIN BEEF NOODLES 👇 This 20 minute hoisin beef recipe is what’s saving your work lunches this week! It’s packed full of veggies and fibre to keep you feeling full! If you’re not making your own sauces yet, I get it, it takes some time, and can be overwhelming, but I promise you have everything in your kitchen to whip this up. The flavour is unreal! Follow me, @frasercooks for more delicious and simple plant based recipes Ingredients: 2 packs of ramen noodles, cooked 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced 2 cups shredded cabbage, I used purple but use green if you can! 2 carrots, shredded 1 bunch of green onions, sliced 1 pack of vegan steak, sliced thin 2 tbsp corn starch Hoisin Sauce: 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup peanut butter 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp sriracha 1 garlic clove, minced Method: 1. Cook the noodles, according to the package. 2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tbsp of veg oil. In a bowl, toss the sliced steak with corn starch until evenly coated. Add the steak to the hot pan and cook until golden brown and a nice sear. This should take only a few minutes. Tossing occasionally. 3. Once cooked, remove and place in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp of veg oil and add the cabbage and carrots. Cook for 3 minutes. 4. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Add a splash of water if it’s too thick. 5. Add the cooked noodles and beef back into the cabbage mixture, toss to combine. Add the sauce and green onions and keep tossing until combined. Serve up and dig in! The suit is from @redskyshop ♥️

EASY VEGAN CEASAR👇 We’re back with Dawns top pregnancy craving, Caesar salad, and this time it’s the easiest dressing recipe ever. This pairs perfectly with buffalo vegan chicken tenders, or in this case pretenders. Follow @frasercooks for more delicious and simple plant based recipes! Ingredients: 1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and roughly chopped 2 large tortillas 1 bag of vegan chicken tenders 1/2 cup franks Dressing: 1/2 cup mayo 1 tbsp nutritional yeast 2 tsp dijon mustard 2 tbsp capers + 1 tsp brine 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 2 tbsp toum or two garlic cloves, minced 1 lemon, juiced Method: 1. Cook your tenders according to the package directions. Toss in franks and set aside. 2. In a bowl, add all the dressing ingredients and mix to combine. 3. Warm your tortilla in the oven, add the romaine to a bowl and add the dressing. Mix to combine, stuff into the tortilla and top with a bunch of tenders. Wrap tightly and dig in! This makes enough for 3 large wraps! One for me, Dawn and the baby!

VEGAN SCRAMBLE EGGS 👇 To a vegan, a good tofu scramble recipe is like finding gold in the Yukon. There are a lot of recipes that are on the internet, but most of the time, I’m making this one when I want a savoury breakfast. It’s dead simple and uses things I generally always have on hand. Try it out and let me know what you think! Follow @frasercooks for more delicious and simple plant based recipes. Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 brick of extra firm tofu 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp black salt 1/2-1 tsp turmeric 1-2 tbsp water or non dairy milk for deglazing the pan I served mine on sourdough with avocado, vegan feta (from farm boy), cilantro and buffalo hot sauce. Method: 1. In a large pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil and warm for 15-30 seconds. Crumble in the tofu and cook for a few minutes to warm through. Add the spices and mix to combine. 2. If you notice the tofu sticking, add some of the water or non dairy milk, but make sure it’s unsweetened milk. This will deglaze the pan. 3. Continue to heat and warm through. Using a wooden spoon to break up any of the larger chunks of tofu. 4. Toast your bread and top with avocado or whatever else you’d like! I like to do a double batch so it lasts the week for easy breakfasts! Dig in!

SHEET PAN TAQUITOS👇 These are the best thing I’ve made all year so far! The combination of cilantro, avocado and cream cheese just works. I used @nutsforcheese garlic and herb cream cheese here, which added some delicious creaminess! If you want to read the whole recipe, comment TACO NIGHT and I’ll send you the link where you can make these for yourself. This is the third recipe I’m sharing over on my substack. Are you subscribed yet? You probably should be! Follow @frasercooks for more delicious and simple plant based recipes!

BUFFALO MAC N CHEESE 👇 If you’re a long time follower of the channel, then you’ll know this recipe is based off the one I used to sell at No Bones Kitchen, and the recipe is in my cookbook with I did with Eamon and Bec called Everyday Eats. Comforting, simple, and filling. Exactly how I like my Mac n cheese. Follow @frasercooks for more delicious plant based recipes and meal prep ideas! Ingredients: 4 cups of dry macaroni noodles Sauce: 4 cups cashews, soaked overnight if you don’t have a high speed blender 3 cups water 1/4 cup garlic powder 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 1 tbsp salt 2 cups vegan shredded cheese Method: 1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. 2. Drain the cashews if you’re soaking them, place them and all the other sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth. 3. Combine the cooked noodles, the sauce and the vegan cheese. Dig in, or plant ahead and double the batch for meal prep!