Cut and Come Again Cake

Ingredients:

Serves: 12

150g Sultanas

75g dried currants

175g brown sugar

115g soya margarine

250ml strong tea

250g plain flour

1 1/2tsp baking powder

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/8tsp salt

Method:

Prep: 30 mins |Cook: 45 mins

In a medium saucepan, combine the sultanas, currants, brown sugar, butter and tea. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until boiling. Boil for 20 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside to cool. 

Preheat oven to 350°f/180°c/Gas 4. Grease a loaf tin or 20cm round cake tin. 

In a medium bowl, stir together the plain flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the boiled ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. 

Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the oven temperature to 320°f/160°c/Gas 3 and bake 15 more minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. 

Cool, store in an air tight container to retain freshness.

Vegan Baked Savoury Cheesecake - Tomato and Basil

Ingredients:

For the base
150g oatcakes, crushed
125g soya margarine, melted

For the topping
(3) 255g vegan cream cheese
125ml soya cream
5 ‘eggs’ replacer, follow packet instructions
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
10 large sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
15-20 basil leaves, torn

Method:

Preheat the oven to 300°f/150°c/Gas 2.

For the base, combine the crushed oatcakes and melted soya margarine together in a bowl. Press the mixture into the base of a 9inch springform round baking tin, and chill for 20 minutes.

Beat the cream cheese and soya cream together in a large bowl, then add the egg replacer until well combined. Fold in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, torn basil leaves and seasoning.

Spoon the mixture on top of the chilled oatcake base and smooth out the top of the mixture with a spatular.

Bake in the middle of the oven for one hour, turning half way through the baking time to get an even bake.

Unlike dairy cheesecakes this bake will be quite solid and may crack slightly during the baking process, but unlike dairy cheesecakes it will not fissure.

Once bakes allow to cool completely in the tin before covering and placing in the fridge still in the tin to set over night. To serve run a sharp knife around the outside of the cheesecake before releasing the springform tin sides then cut into portions. 

Best served at room temperature with a side salad or your favorite chutney. This recipe will easily server 12 portions and if stored in a air tight container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days.

Vegan White Chocolate, Coffee and Macadamia Nut Blondies

Ingredients:

(2) 225g cans of cannellini beans - drain and rinse
100ml rapeseed oil
225g caster sugar
50ml agave syrup
100ml soya milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp golden flax seeds, milled
1 tbsp instant expresso coffee
125g plain flour
200g vegan white chocolate, broken into chunks
100g macadamia nuts

Method:

Preheat oven to 325°f/170°c/gas mark 3, and line a 9" square brownie pan with grease proof paper.

In a food processor blend the cannellini beans, rapeseed oil, caster sugar and agave syrup until its a smooth mixture. 

Now to the bean mixture add the soya milk, vanilla extract, salt, milled flax seeds and the instant expresso powder and blend till all the ingredients are combined.

Transfer the wet bean mixture into a large mixing bowl, now using a spatula add the flour to the wet mixture and combine until you can no longer see any trace of it. 

To this mixture fold in the white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Pour the blondie mixture into the lined baking pan and smooth out with a spatula.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven at 325°f/170°c/gas mark 3, for about 30/35 mins. Once removed from the oven allow the blondie to cool completely before cutting into portions.

Blondies can be store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to one week. You warm them microwave or oven before serving.

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

Ingredients:

(2) 225g cans of black eyed beans - drain and rinse
200g dark chocolate, vegan
1/2 cup rapeseed oil
1/2 cup soya milk
1/2 cup golden syrup or fine brown sugar
1/3 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup plain flour
1 tbsp flax seeds, milled
2 tsp instant coffee

Topping:
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 tsp rapeseed oil
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup chocolate chips, vegan 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375f/190c, and line a 9" square brownie pan with grease proof paper.

2. Over a double boiler melt your chocolate, make sure that the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl.

3. In large mixing bowl add the black eyed beans, golden syrup, salt, vanilla extract, oil, soya milk and flax seeds to a food processor or use a hand blender. Start on low and blend until very smooth. Then add your melted chocolate and mix with a spatula.

4. To your mixture fold in the cocoa powder, flour, cinnamon, and instant coffee.

5. Pour in the brownie mixture into the lined baking pan and smooth out with a spatula.

6. Heat the smooth peanut butter and oil together so that you have a very liquid peanut butter mixture. Drizzle the melted peanut butter over top the brownie batter.

7. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts over the brownie mix.

8. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven at 375f/190c for about 30/35 mins. Once removed from the oven allow the brownie to cool for an hour  before slicing. This recipe will make 12 brownies.

Once completely cooled store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to one week. You can warm the chilled brownies in microwave or oven before serving.

Chocolate Pots

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 Minuets

Chilling time: 1 hour minimum 

Ingredients:

2 large ripe avocados

25g unsweetened cocoa powder

4 tsp maple or agave syrup

1/4 tsp salt

100g of 70% dark chocolate 

Method:

Brake up the chocolate into chunks and put into a pyrex bowl resting on a pan of boiling water. Don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl as this will burn the chocolate. You can also melt the chocolate in a microwave but I find the stove top method more controlled. once melted set aside to cool a little.

If you have a blender place all of the other ingredients into it and blend till there are no chunks of avocado left. If you are using a hand blender this process may take a little longer but the smoother the mix the better the end result will be.

Now add the cooled melted chocolate to the mix and blend again. Now I tend to use teacups to set my chocolate mix in as it looks nice, but feel free to use any small container you have to hand. Ramekins work well and will look good on a serving plate.

Now place the chocolate pots into the fridge to cool down and set up. I recommend an hour but it does depend on how hot your kitchen is and the weather outside. If you can give them longer it will taste so much better. 

As this is using avocados the shelf life on this is quite short and it should be eaten within 12 hours of being made.

If you want to make it look stunning serve with some fresh strawberries and some grated chocolate on top.

I tend not to tell people that the main ingredients is avocados in this dish until after they have asked for more. I do love the shocked look on their faces. 

World Vegan Day 2011

Please Support World Vegan Day 2011

As Above, So Below - featuring Sarah-Jane Honeywell 

As Above, So Below - featuring Sarah-Jane Honeywell 

As Above, So Below - featuring Sarah-Jane Honeywell

Time for soup...

Short of time? Short on money? Feeling the cold? Your body telling you you need to eat better?

Well I have the most simple answer for you and it's not out of a tin!

The answer is a four letter word dear reader and it's SOUP. In summer it's a dish that can be served cold and as the nights draw in its a dish that can be served nice and hot.

Now a seasonal meat free soup can be one of the most cost effective meals anyone can knock up with 30 minuets or under.

All good soups start with a good base, mine always have one or two onions slowly cooked with some good rapeseed oil. Then a big fat clove of garlic crushed and added to the translucent onion.

Now I'd like to say I always make my own stock, but let's be honest I have so little free time every moment I spend in the kitchen I want to be making and baking. So dear reader I've turned to gel stock cubes. They are hands down one of the best things on the market.

And now for the star of the show, be it peas, celeriac, corn or many many more. Pick what's in season and you will find it at its best flavour but at its cheapest.

I tend not to spend more than a pound on any of the ingredients and get at least 2 or 3 servings out of one pot.

A few more secrets to making good soup:

Always season hot or cold soups even if you use stock cubes.

Don't over cook your vegetables, they taste better and sweeter if they are just cooked.

It's good to mix and match, celeriac and Cauliflower make a great soup.

I use a soup as a good way to up my B12 by adding some nutritional yeast to it. This can also add a nice depth to any soup.

I tend not to toast bread to go with the soup but cut it and pop it in the oven at 200 for around 9 minuets.

Soup freezes really well so make some extra and you have a quick meal when your in a rush.

And one of the most important things, buy a good thermos so you can take some to work, to a game or in the summer on a picnic.

Soups are for sharing and you'll get a great feeling from introducing friends to the joys of soup...

So if I haven't got you thinking about soup now I have let you down. If your already planning a big pot feel free to invite me around to try some, I'll bring the bread.

Bear X