It’s a polenta cake, omg…

 So I’ve had this packet of polenta in my cupboard for a while now and finally made something with it. I present to you my vegan and gluten free orange upside down polenta cake with pistachio, rose and cardamom. I know that title is a bit of a mouthful, but hopefully it makes you want a mouthful… 

I’m forever buying different types of flour to bake cakes and breads with (in search of the best gluten free replacements for the coeliacs in my family). There is a lack of progress pictures in this recipe because I wasn’t quite sure how it would turn out. But it was beautiful and I had to tell you about it. The polenta held together very well with flaxseed as an egg substitute; great result as sometimes gluten free cakes can crumble into dust. I put orange juice in the mixture too so it wasn’t dry. It is very delicately spiced with cardamom and the rose water is only in the icing on top, so don’t be put off thinking it might be overpowering. You could choose to leave them out, but trust me, they add a gentle, warming flavour and aren’t too “perfumy”. There’s not much more to say really, other than look at my gooey, fruity, nutty, cake! Bit of alright, isn’t it? If you like the look of that, then find the recipe below, bake it and tell me about it 🙂 

  You will need:

• one 20cm cake tin
• baking parchment
• a few bowls
• and obviously an oven

(In the pictures mine is double layered with icing in between as well as on top, because I thought I had too much cake mixture so separated into two tins. But in fact it would have worked best as one, so I’ll write this recipe as one. I make mistakes too, on occasion.)

INGREDIENTS

• 100g polenta (cornmeal)
• 50g ground almonds
• 50g plain white flour (Doves, Glutafin, or regular if not making gluten free)
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 3 flax eggs (3 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 9 tbsp water)
• 3 oranges (the juice of 2 and slice the other thinly, carefully remove seeds and peel around the outside once sliced)
• 200ml non-dairy milk, I used almond

To decorate:

• 1 tbsp chopped pistachios (quick blitz in food processor)
• 1 tsp rosewater
• Icing – make a small amount of the runny, glace icing according to packet instructions. I coloured mine pink with a splash of cranberry juice – be careful buying food colourings as many are not vegan!

METHOD

• Preheat your oven to 190C. All cake recipes start like this don’t they? These are the cake rules. Oven on now, please and thanks.
• In a small bowl, mix the flax and water well and leave to one side for 10mins or so until it reaches a gooey consistency, much like an actual egg.
• In a large bowl, combine the polenta, flour, sugar, baking powder and cardamom.
• Add the milk, orange juice, flax eggs to the dry ingredients and stir together until everything is combined well.
• Prepare the cake tin by lining the bottom with a cut-to-size circle of baking parchment. Grease the sides with a small amount of vegan margarine or oil. Arrange the slices of de-seeded and peeled oranges on the parchment, cover as much of the base as you can (cos it will look really nice on the top once baked!)
• Pour the cake mixture evenly into the tin and bake in the oven for 30-35 mins until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow to cool for a few mins before flipping out of the tin. Peel back the parchment to reveal your oranges and let it cool completely before decorating.
• Prepare the glace icing (mix in the rosewater and cranberry juice for colour if you want to include this). Drizzle over the top of the cake and scatter over the chopped pistachios. Now you can slice and eat it.

 The texture of polenta is coarser than wheat flour, so you will get a firmer cake, not a light and fluffy sponge. Which is really pleasant in this recipe as it’s sweet, well flavoured with almonds and cardamom and moist from the orange juice. Not exactly a healthy recipe, but remember there’s no dairy in this and it contains nuts and fruit which count for something, right? Hope you like it!

S.x

It’s a vegetable spiral tart, omg…

 OMG. I haven’t written anything for ages. But I’m getting back on it now during the run up to Christmas and will be sharing some fancy and nice looking recipes, which I hope you can use and impress with. I’m pretty pleased that I’ve managed to talk my family into letting me do a fully vegan Christmas meal for five! So I need to come up with a few tricks. I had a go at this gluten free vegetable tart, which I think will look even better the more times I make it.

For this you will need:

• A mandolin slicer (or a wide vegetable peeler, or excellent knife skills to slice thinly and neatly)
• A loose bottomed baking tin
• A food processor

You can use any vegetables you like, really. I had a butternut squash which needed using, but I will definitely be making it again with aubergines, courgettes, carrots. The more variety, the better it will taste and more colourful it will look.

 

INGREDIENTS

For the crust: 

 

• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water – mix and leave to one side for a few mins)
• 225g rolled oats (you can use gluten free if ya wanna)
• 25g pine OR walnuts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt

For the filling:

• 1 small red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 handfuls of fresh, baby spinach
• 2 finely sliced mushrooms
• ½ finely sliced bell pepper
• ½ butternut squash (sliced very thinly, lengthways with mandolin)
• A pinch of smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Ground black pepper

 

METHOD

• Put the nuts and oats in the food processor and pulse until it forms a coarse flour type of texture. Add the flax egg, salt and olive oil, process again for about 30 secs. The mixture should stick together when you pinch it between your fingers.  
• Spread this out into your tin, pressing down with your hands to compact the crust mixture against the bottom and along the sides. Thoroughly washed and clean hands, yeah? Don’t be gross…
• Pop this in your oven at 200C for ten minutes whilst you prepare the filling. Take it out and reduce oven temperature to 180C.
• So for the filling. Food process the onion, garlic, spinach and 1 tbsp of oil then spread it along the base of the crust with the back of a spoon.
• Now you can start assembling your thinly sliced veg. I started in the middle with the smallest pieces of butternut squash. Roll tightly and place in the middle. Then start working your way around it with bigger strips, overlapping in a spiral pattern.
• Layer the larger slices along the outer edge and continue to overlap until all the strips meet in the middle.  
• Place the pepper and mushroom between the squash, distribute evenly and again, use the smaller strips towards the middle and the bigger ones along the outside.
• Sprinkle over with paprika and freshly ground black pepper. Lightly drizzle with a bit more olive oil.
• Stick it in your 180C oven for 40 mins and it should come out looking beautiful. Let it cool for a few minutes before you pop it out of your tin.

  

Enjoy 🙂 You could experiment with different ingredients to spread on the base. A tablespoon of pesto or any savoury preserves or chutneys you might have will add to the flavour.

S.x

It’s baklava, omg…

 (makes approx 24 bite sized pieces)After fracturing my arm in July and being unable to cook anything exciting for many weeks, *SoniaSadFace*, I am now fully recovered and back with a vengeance! And very inspired after my short trip to Athens at the start of August where I tracked down a few vegan places, so I’m gonna tell you a bit about those before I get into my recipe. Which is a mash up of Indian gajar halva and Mediterranean baklava. I just dug up these really sweet homegrown baby carrots, you see, so thought I’d get creative… 
  

Avocado: Food For Life

Oh my gosh, THIS PLACE.  

I nearly lost my mind and when I saw the sheer variety of food. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free heaven. After a long time of staring at the menu and realising I couldn’t order everything, I picked a starter and main:

• Mother Earth – Spinach tart with leeks, sun-dried tomatoes, dill and garlic topped with walnuts and almond shavings on an organic oat, amaranth and flaxseed crust. (6 Euros)  
• Swaha – organic red and white quinoa served with a mushroom ragout and housemade organic soy/mushroom sausage. (11.50 Euros)  

Everything looked so beautiful when it was placed in front of me I nearly wept into both plates. Local vegan beer too, happy days! I even went back before my flight so I could pick up a packed lunch for the plane home. Super delicious and healthy, it’s definitely the best vegan food I’ve ever had. The staff was really friendly and the décor was beaut. I would go to Athens again just to go back here.

Bamboo Vegan

This super cute little shop was a bit of a trek from where I was staying, but it was definitely worth the up hill walk in the sweltering heat, where it appeared like some mirage…

I was greeted by the lovely owner, Fotis, who was very knowledgeable about local places for great food, live music and of course the huge range of products in his shop. He was so nice and appreciated my time taken to find the store so much that he gave me some free, traditional Greek pastries. Vegan spanakopita (spinach pie) and galaktoboureko (custard pie – he’d used semolina flour in his vegan version). An absolute treat. 

 I brought back a few foodie items and will certainly have a go at making my own Greek vegan feast at some point 🙂
So now onto my recipe! I saw amazingly good looking baklava in Athens and couldn’t have any, so this had to happen:

INGREDIENTS

• 300g grated carrots
• 200g mixed nuts (I used walnuts and pistachios)
• 300g caster sugar
• 200ml water
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tbsp melted vegan margarine
• 6 sheets filo pastry (Jus Rol is vegan, yay)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

• Melt a small amount of margarine in a pan, add the grated carrots, 100g of the sugar, the cinnamon, vanilla and cloves. Mix well and heat for about 5 mins on a medium heat until the sugar melts and the mix is nice and gooey. Leave to one side to cool to room temperature.
• The nuts need to be chopped finely – be lazy and put them in a food processor. Mix these in a big bowl with the cooled carrot mixture.
• Heat oven to 180C.
• In a pan, heat the 200ml water and the remaining 200g sugar for 10 mins on medium to make a syrup. Leave to one side as you assemble your baklava.
• Place one sheet of pastry in a large baking tin. Brush with some of the melted margarine, place another pastry sheet on top and brush again. Then spoon on half of the carrot/nut mixture. Repeat again –  pastry, margarine, pastry, margarine, carrot/nut mix, pastry, margarine, pastry.
• Top the final sheet of pastry with the syrup. Just pour it all over evenly – do not worry if it looks too watery as it will reduce as it cooks in the oven.
• Cut across and to the bottom of the baklava in diagonals to form diamond shaped pieces. Place in the preheated oven for around 40 mins until it is golden brown and crispy.

 Then take it out and eat it! Gajar halva is made with spices and nuts, bakalava is made with spices and nuts, so I reckon the addition of carrots to this works well. It looks like a lot of effort but it’s not at all.

Hope you like it 🙂

S.x

It’s tofu, omg…

 (Serves 2) Tofu is a staple in vegan diets, I haven’t posted a recipe including it yet so I’m now rectifying this shameful travesty. It might look like a tasteless, weird, wobbly block of nothingness but once you get the hang of cooking with it you can make it crunchy and crispy in savoury dishes and even use silken tofu to make creamy puddings. Protein rich and also a good source of calcium, it is made from curdling soya milk to form curds which are pressed together. A very similar process to how cheese is made. And because I said I wanted to tell you more about Punjabi recipes, I had a go at making a paneer style karahi dish. Traditionally cooked in an iron, flat bottomed wok (a karahi), quite a dry curry made with ground chilli powder and fresh peppers.

Tofu takes on the flavours of your marinade – without any seasoning it really does taste like wobbly nothingness. I used nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt, let it sit in that for a couple of days in the fridge to create a paneery flavour. The salt helped to draw out extra liquid to give it a firmer, more paneer-like texture and the lemon gave it a slight tang. 

Now if you haven’t come across nutritional yeast before, I know those words together hardly conjure up mouth watering images of decadent food… but it’s seriously good! It is a deactivated yeast (so it doesn’t have leavening abilities – it won’t make your food expand during cooking!). It has this cheesy, nutty flavour which hits that umami spot. You can find it in good health food shops for a couple of quid or online for a bit more. Basically, go buy some now so you can have cheesy flavours back in your vegan life. Put it in your pasta dishes, spoon it directly from the tub into your mouth… OR make my lovely Indian curry dish below…

INGREDIENTS

• 250g firm tofu
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp salt   

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 fresh chilli, finely chopped
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground red chilli powder
• 2 tsp dried fenugreek/methi
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp oil (I use raw virgin coconut, olive oil is fine)
• 400g chopped tomatoes   

METHOD

• Do your magic tofu into paneer prep two days before! Mix the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt and put into a small clear bag/sandwich bag/zip lock bag. Drain your tofu, pat dry with paper towels and dice into bite sized pieces. Put them in the bag and mix well but gently to ensure even coverage. Try to press out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Leave it in the fridge for up to three days.
• So a couple of days later… make your curry base. Heat your oil in the wok. Cook the onion and garlic for 5 mins until browned, on a medium heat.
• Add the ginger and spices, continue to cook and stir for 2 more mins until fragrant.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and fresh chilli, stir well. Add the sliced pepper, stir to coat and cook for a further 2 mins.
• Remove your pieces of tofu from the bag and transfer into the pan. Stir gently, again to coat everything. Allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the curry sauce is quite dry and thick and the peppers are tender. The tofu will hold its shape and cook in the sauce.  
• EAT IT! I ate mine with some brown rice. Lovely stuff.

This tasted great. The initial tofu marinade did give it the mild cheesy taste and texture I was hoping for, and then it was cooked again in the curry spices which added even more flavour. Tofu is a flavour sponge and making fake paneer is my new favourite thing to do with it. Might become yours too?

S.x

It’s beetroot, omg…

(serves 2) 

 

I wish more food was pink and purple! Unusual food colours are exciting. I love how beetroot stains your plate after you’ve finished, visually proclaiming “I am beetroot, I was here”. How the juice stains your fingers and clings to your knife when you cut into one. How enticing it looks when you place your peeler on a fresh one, remove the first of the dull outer layer and expose that first burst of rich vibrancy on the inside… YES BEETROOT.  

I don’t live very far from Keelham Farm Shop and at the weekend I saw they had some great quality ones in with their stems and leaves still attached. Bigger than the ones seen in supermarkets, firm and smooth with really fresh looking leaves. Perfect. Beetroot fact of the day: the leafy bits contain more nutrients than the beetroot itself.

There might be a misconception that the greens are inedible because you don’t see them attached to beetroot available in the bigger shops, but they are a great source of calcium, iron, vitamins A and C. The calcium bit is particularly handy for vegans to know; another leafy green variety to try out. Dairy isn’t the only calcium source.

The root itself provides fibre and potassium. Even more so if consumed raw (put some fresh beetroot in your smoothies or hummus!). The leaves can taste quite bitter uncooked, so masking the flavour, again, in a smoothie is an ideal way to get the full nutritional benefit.

I fancied getting a bit more creative, though, so here’s how I made this spiced, coconutty beetroot with wilted beetroot greens…

INGREDIENTS

• 2 fresh beetroot with leaves/stems attached
• Creamed coconut mixed in 200ml hot water OR 200ml coconut milk
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• Glug of olive oil
• Drizzle of tahini and sriracha (optional)  

METHOD

• Cut off the beetroot greens, wash very thoroughly. Set aside. Peel the beetroot and dice into approx 1cm cubes.
• Heat a small amount of oil in a large non-stick pan, add the onion, garlic and bay leaves. Cook on a medium heat for 10 mins until browned.
• Add the ginger and cook for a further 2 mins, stirring to prevent sticking. Add in all the rest of the spices, fresh chilli and salt, cook for another 2 minutes, stirring to coat all the ingredients.  
• Add the diced beetroot, again stirring very well to coat everything in the spice mix. Cook for 2 mins on the medium heat to soften.
• Add the creamed coconut OR coconut milk. Stir, cover and reduce heat to low. Allow to cook for 10 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the beetroot is tender. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

Beetroot greens…

• Chop the stems and leaves into bite-size pieces. Cook the stems first, in a pan (lid on) with a small amount of olive oil for 3 minutes on a medium heat. Add the leaves which take less time to become tender, and cook for another 3 minutes.  

I served my cooked greens with a light drizzle of tahini paste, topped with the spiced beetroot and some sriracha sauce (I mentioned in another post I’m a bit addicted), but it’s entirely up to you and your spice preference! The cooking of the beetroot brought out the natural earthy sweetness, which balanced really well with the spicy coating. The beetroot greens had a milder earthy flavour, similar to spinach and chard. My non-vegan mum had some of this for lunch and loved it, and she’s usually my toughest critic. So it was well worth it! Full of flavour, textures, nutrients and almost no fat. Get to your local farm shop and buy some lovely beetroot with their tops on!

S.x

Ps – BEETROOT CRISPS! Slice a fresh one very thinly (use a mandolin slicer if possible). Place on a baking tray, making sure the slices don’t overlap. Brush very lightly with oil and bake on 190 degrees C for half an hour. Result = crunchy tasty times.

It’s soya mince, omg…

(serves 2)

 

Low in fat, cholesterol-free and cheap! All good things to hear, and soya mince is all three. Though there is some debate on the negatives of a diet high in soybean products, a small amount a couple of times a week is great way to introduce another protein variation to a plant-based diet. So when I found a 450g bag in Tesco for £1.75 I had to give it a try. I made a chilli with mixed beans and carrots which turned out really well, but there are so many chilli recipes out there. I was feeling creative a couple of days ago and made some spiced soya mince and sweet potato balls which were delicious so I’ll tell you about those instead…

  
INGREDIENTS

• 1 large sweet potato
• 150g soya mince (defrosted to room temperature)
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp flaxseed
• Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

• Peel the sweet potato, chop into medium chunks and boil for ten mins until soft.
• Mix all of the other ingredients in a bowl. Drain and add the sweet potato, mash the mixture together with a fork.
• Get stuck in with yer hands! Form some balls. This amount of ingredients made nine golf ball sized ones. You could make them big or small, depending on how you like your balls.
• Set your oven to 200 degrees C, lightly oil a baking tray to prevent sticking. Pop your balls on and bake for half an hour.

  

Super easy and super tasty. It was my first time trying frozen meat free mince and I was apprehensive at first. But I found that the texture was good and it took on all the flavours of the other ingredients. Really ideal to make in bulk and freeze. I served mine with cauliflower couscous, veggies, salad and sriracha sauce (which I’m currently obsessed with). I snuck in flaxseed for extra goodness and when I make these again I’ll add in some ground up seeds for additional crunchiness. I promised a few of you on the What Fat Vegans Eat group I’d tell you my recipe for these, so there you go. Enjoy my balls.

S.x

It’s massaman curry, omg… (featuring mock duck)

(recipe serves approx 8 – I make big curry batches and freeze!) 

  

 Thai food is my absolute favourite. I have my answer ready for that hypothetical question “what would be your last meal?” Thai massaman curry would easily be my main course. (I haven’t decided on my hypothetical starter and dessert yet, but that’s a whole different hypothetical blog post 😉 I won’t digress…) By the way, this is fabulous to impress your friends and family with. I find it hugely satisfying creating complex flavours from scratch. So if you’re feeling adventurous, do have a go at making this curry paste. Buying ready prepared ones will be a thing of the past! 

 This curry uses an array of exciting spices which are not traditionally used in Thai cuisine, combined with those which are typically Thai. Do not let that put you off, it really is not overly complicated and is definitely worth the end result: a fragrant, rich and nutty curry with a subtle spicy kick. Usually the main ingredients along with the herbs and spices are potatoes and meat. So without further ado, I’ll tell you how I veganised my favourite curry… 

 MOCK DUCK 

Okay so I’ve heard mixed opinions on the use of canned, mock meats. Some think it’s weird – what is it even made of? Is it not just a load of preservatives?

My view is that it is a great source of protein for vegans, and it provides another texture to your dish. It is made of wheat gluten, stewed in soy sauce. Once in a while as a treat, I consider it a delicious convenience – it takes on the flavours of your curry sauce. I have also shredded, marinated in hoisin sauce and grilled to make mock duck crispy pancakes. Delicious! Once again, it is stocked in Oriental supermarkets (gosh I love that place) and is about £1.30 per can. 

Alternatively, you can skip fake meats entirely and adapt my take on this massaman recipe to include different vegetables or tofu. It’s all good. 

  

 HERBS & SPICES 

 As I mentioned before, there are a few different spices going on in this recipe so I’ll talk you through my quantities:

• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 2 tsp coriander leaves (I only had dried, but you can use a fresh bunch)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 stick lemongrass – either lightly crushed and remove before serving the curry OR remove outer leaves and finely chop the inner core (I do the latter)
• Thumb size piece of ginger – finely grated/chopped
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• 3 chillies – finely chopped (this gives it a medium heat – alter to your preference)
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or soft brown)
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 tsp soy sauce (make sure it’s vegan!)

  

Again, I’d like to stress that you should not be put off by this list. Once you have a decent spice rack in your kitchen the possibilities are endless. It is so worth the time sourcing herbs and spices in Asian supermarkets. And you won’t have to worry about checking through the small print on pre-prepared sauce jars to see if they are suitable for vegans. What can I say; herbs and spices really excite me!

 

INGREDIENTS

• Spices as above
• 1 large onion finely diced
• Juice of 1 fresh lime
• 3 fresh tomatoes finely diced
• 2 tins mock duck drained and rinsed
• 2 large potatoes chopped into 2inch pieces
• 75g cashews, crushed
• 1 tin coconut milk (400ml)
• 3 spring/green onions sliced
• Your choice of fresh veg: I had 70g of baby corn and sugarsnap peas. You can also use a couple of carrots
• 2 tablespoons oil (I use raw coconut oil, olive oil is also fine)

  

METHOD

• Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan, add the diced onion and minced garlic. High heat with the lid on for approx. 4 mins until the liquid has evaporated. Reduce to a medium heat with the lid off and continue until browned, add the ginger and lemongrass, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking, cook for a further 3 mins.
• Reduce to a low heat and add all of the remaining herbs and spices (though if you are using fresh coriander leaves, add this right at the end when the dish is complete). Continue stirring, cook for 2 minutes. By now your kitchen should smell amazing and the paste should look like this:

  

• Add the potatoes and cashew, stir to coat with the curry paste, then add the coconut milk, the mock duck and 1 pint of cold water. Turn the heat right up and bring to the boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the rest of your vegetables – fresh tomatoes, carrot, corn, peas (your choice!) and continue to simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked. Add the lime juice.

  

Serve with jasmine rice, cooked according to packet instructions. You could crisp up some lotus root to serve it with (see my previous blog post), and I like to sprinkle on a few sesame seeds and extra fresh tomatoes/chopped cashews for additional colour and crunch. 

 This dish is so adaptable. I have subbed the mock duck with shallow fried tofu before, with potatoes, aubergine and mushroom. You could try serving this to non-vegans; I bet they won’t have much to complain about!

 I do hope you give this a go and enjoy it as much as I do!

 S.x