Scottish Vegan Nut Roast Recipe

Now when you say that your Vegan a lot of people think that all you eat is Soya, Linda McCartney Sausages and Nut Roasts. Well it’s true we do eat a lot of these as well as other amazing products that are now available in our supermarkets. Tesco’s has just started a new Freefrom range that is amazing, be it a little hard to find.

But one thing I always seem to fall back on is making my own homemade nut roast, and why? Because at the end of the day its quick and easy to make and if I have a little left over it can go into my lunch box or spread onto bread to make a healthy alternative.

Now I’ve used Oats in this recipe as it seems that every artisan shop carries a local brand and it’s all about supporting local suppliers. You could take the scottish theme to the next level and add a little whisky to the recipe or even make a whisky gravy if you have a family recipe.

Ingredients:

50g pumpkin or sunflower seeds
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 large carrot
150g cooked lentils
90g dry whole wheat bread crumbs
110 ml vegetable stock, as needed
50g of uncooked oatmeal
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350º/180c/4GM. Spray a loaf pan or 8x8 square baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside, an 8x8 pan makes a crisper firmer loaf. I tend to put some grease proof paper in the bottom of the pan to help when removing, but this is up to you.

Grind the pumpkin seeds into a coarse meal using a food processor or chop finely. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Cook the oatmeal with water as directed and add to the ground pumpkin seeds.

Chop the vegetables into a small dice making sure that they are all about the same size. Then cook them in a pan with the vegetable oil until soft. 

Add the cooked vegetables to the large mixing bowl along with all the remaining ingredients. Mix and mash together well, adding only as much stock as needed to create a soft, moist loaf that holds together and is not runny. 

Press mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cooked through. If you are using a shallow pan the cooking time may be quicker so keep an eye on it.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a plate or cooling rack if you are not eating straight away.

 Best served with potatoes, vegetables, and a vegetable gravy, or with some nice chunky chips and peas.

Cold leftover leftovers can be sliced and make a great sandwich filling.

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. 

Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts

This week is National Doughnut Week, I’m not one to jump on these sort of marketing ploys, but I though I would post my recipe for easy baked cinnamon doughnuts. 

Dry Ingredients:

100g plain flour
110g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry nutmeg
1/2 tsp dry cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:

60ml soy milk
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Egg replacer for 1 egg (or 2 Tbsp. apple sauce)
55g pure soya margarine 

Coating Ingredients: 

40g caster sugar
1/2 tsp dry cinnamon

You will also need a doughnut pan or mini bunt tin, you can find these on line online. 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c/350ºf/4 GM

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a whisk to mix thoroughly. 

Combine the wet ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat and mix until the margarine is just melted. (This mixture should be just slightly warm to the touch, but not hot).

Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until just combined. It should form a very soft dough.

Using a tablespoon, scoop dough into an un-greased nonstick doughnut pan. Then smooth out the top of each doughnut with your fingers, this will make for more even doughnut when baked.

Bake the doughnuts in the oven for 12 minutes. While the doughnuts are still in the oven combine the coating ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. 

You will know when the doughnuts are cooked as they will be browned on top, and a toothpick or cake tester will come out clean. Invert the hot pan over a cooling rack to remove them from the pan. When the doughnuts come out of the pan and are still hot, toss them in the cinnamon sugar coating.

This recipe will make 20 mini-doughnuts or 10 regular-sized doughnuts.

Homemade Pumpkin Seed Snacks

I have a friend who has just been diagnosed with celiacs disease meaning that all of her favourite Saturday night t.v snacks have gone out of the window. Using my experiences of playing with flavours in the kitchen I thought I would come up with a few suggestions of tasty alternatives.

For more information on celiacs disease go to www.coeliac.org.uk

For these recipes you will need:

250g of raw hulled pumpkin seeds, they are sometimes called pepitas

1 tsp vegetable oil

Method:

Heat the oven to 375°F/190c/GM 8 and arrange a rack in the middle. Toss 250g pumpkin seeds with 1 teaspoons vegetable oil. 

Roast on a baking sheet, stirring every 5 minutes, until seeds are aromatic, crisp, and browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Don’t leave them as they can catch really quickly.

Remove from the oven and while the seeds are warm, sprinkle with the following flavourings, and toss to combine.

Once made you can store these snacks for up to four days in an air tight container. 

Flavour combinations:

Simple Salt - Keep it simple and let the taste of the pumpkin seeds come through, toss the pumpkin seeds in 2 teaspoons of freshly ground salt. If you can find it Maldon salts do an amazing smoked salt that really would make this snack.

Salt and Pepper - Again this is a simple but it goes really well with a nice glass of red wine. Toss the pumpkin seeds in 2 teaspoons of freshly ground Salt and Pepper.

Smokey Mexican - I love the taste of mexican so I make up a large amount of this spice blend and use enough to taste, but for one portion you will need, 1/2 tsp of smoked (sweet) paprika, 1/2 tsp dried oregano (crush it finer using the back of a spoon), 1 tsp freshly ground salt, 1/2 tsp ground cumin and 1/2 tsp of garlic salt.

Spicy Indian - This makes for a nice warm flavour that will last for hours, you can make it spicier by increasing the chili powder. Mix together, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground chili flakes, 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and not forgetting a pinch of freshly ground salt. 

Texas Barbecue - A great flavour and one that makes for a nice summer party mix. Mix together, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp caster sugar, 1/4 tsp chili ground flakes and an 1/8 tsp of mustard powder.

Hot and Spicy - This one is hot and spicy so consider yourself warned. Mix together, 2 tsp of freshly ground salt, 1 tsp of ground coriander and now for the heat 1 tsp of wasabi powder, you can find this in supermarkets and health food stores around the world food sections. A good tip here is start with a little wasabi powder, you can always add more.

Pumpkin Spice - This is a very traditional sweet flavouring you will see often used in pumpkin recipes. Mix together 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground allspice and 2 tsp caster sugar.

Cinnamon Sugar - This one is so moreish, I end up making twice the amount every time. Mix together, 1 tsp ground cinnamon with 2 tsp of caster sugar. You can also use icing sugar, but you will get sticky fingers and spend the night licking them clean. 

I hope these ideas give you some inspiration yourself and you start to experiment with your own favourite flavours.

Homemade Peanut Butter Fudge

Peanut butter does not have to be just for breakfast. This easy to make fudge will make a great treat or homemade gift for anyone. You have the option of adding chocolate chips if you want to crank up the flavor and passion levels even more. 

Ingredients:

500g Whole Earth peanut butter, unsalted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

250g icing sugar

430g maple syrup or agave syrup

2 teaspoons arrowroot or tapioca flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, add the peanut butter and vanilla. 

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, maple/agave syrup, arrowroot or tapioca flour and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer for about 1 minute then remove from heat. This liquid will be hot so if your making this with your children that you look after this part.

Pour the mixture into the bowl containing the peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until well incorporated, and if you wanted to add chocolate chips the mixture should have cooled down enough to not melt the chocolate about now.

Then pour the combined mixture into a wax paper lined 8 x 8 inch baking dish, let the wax paper stand proud of the dish as this will make it easier to remove later. Allow the fudge mixture to cool completely. 

Lift the fudge out of the baking dish by it's wax paper liner and place it on a cutting board. Slice into pieces with a large knife.

Play around with what you decide to add to your fudge as some of the combinations can be quite exciting. 

Rhubarb and Ginger Jam

Rhubarb and Ginger Jam

Preparation time: 15 minuets, plus 12 hours macerating

Cooking time: 20 minutes, plus cooling time

Makes: 1.5 kg or 3.3 lbs

Ingredients:

1 kg or 2.2 lbs of trimmed rhubarb, chopped

1 kg or 2.2 lbs of jam sugar

1 Lemon juiced

30 g root ginger finely grated  

100 g crystallised ginger finely chopped (optional)

Method: 

Layer the rhubarb and jam sugar alternately in a large bowl, adding a sprinkling of lemon juice and grated ginger and give the mix a good stir. Cover the mixture and leave for up to 12 hours (stirring occasionally). You will notice that the rhubarb starts to shrinks as the sugar draw out the juices of the rhubarb and forms a syrup.

Place the rhubarb and sugar mixture in a preserving pan or heavy bottomed pan. Bring the mix to the boil, skim off any scum that forms, then boil rapidly for 15 minutes. If you want to add the crystallised ginger you can do this now then boil for 5 minutes more or until setting point is reached (to test for this, drop a blob of jam on to a cold saucer, push it with your finger and it should wrinkle). 

Pour into sterilised jars and seal with jam pot covers. A quick way to sterilise jars is to half fill them with cold water and place them in the microwave, bring the water to a boil and then remove it from the microwave and place the lid on the jar (this is hot so take appropriate care). Once the lid is on shake the jar and let the water sterilise the whole jar, before emptying the water away and filling with jam.