Category: Vegan

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don’t do breakfast but if I do its dark chocolate (preferably neat) or black pudding. Nothing odd about that, nope nothing at all. So these little nuggets  cut it being very very chocolatey, not very sweet and with enough iron to boost the hemoglobin of a horse.

The method is “one bowl” and if you are not fussed with the vegan thing, add an egg as this just helps glue them together and reduce crumbles.

Ingredients  (12-15 cookies)

  • 120g coconut oil
  • 200g pureed dates (no stones) after they have soaked in water with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda overnight
  • 150g wholemeal flour (for gluten free use your GF flour combo)
  • 60g organic cocoa powder
  • 1 heaped tablespoon of peanut butter
  • 80g dark chocolate (70%) chopped into chunks
  • 50g crystallised ginger chunks
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • optional 1 x egg if not vegan

How To

Set the oven to 180C  Prepare baking sheets with baking paper or silicon sheets

Blend the dates into a smooth puree.  Add the coconut oil if it is solid and create a paste.

Measure all dry ingredients into a bowl.

Add the paste (and egg if you are using), and the chocolate and ginger pieces.

Gently mix until the dough comes together and has the consistency of plasticine (play doh) and comes away from the sides of the bowl.  The consistency is important – a knife stuck in the middle should stay there. You may need to add a little flour or water to adjust it.

Make balls of dough in your hands. Press down gently on the sheet to create a cookie.

Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on how fierce/ fan assisted your oven is.

Transfer to a cooling tray where they will firm up.  They keep for up to 1 week and freeze perfectly too.

Lazy leftovers fruit cake…a cake for all times

A gloriously laissez faire affaire full of bonhomie and warmth. It has its roots in the frugality of Nana’s war time fruit cake when eggs, butter and sugar were scarce. This was simply what you did for the generation that believed throwing away food was “the work of the devil”. Fast forward to these food sensitive times and we have a right on “recycled vegan low GI GF  gateau” oh trendy dears. Whatever its name..it is a cake for all times in every sense – judging by the number of second helpings this Easter and enthusiasm from the marauding feline contingent too.

 

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Speedy Sun Dried Tomato & Walnut Pesto

Speedy and super versatile.  Always have some in your fridge.

My original version uses preserved lemons but I realise not everybody has those to hand.  In this speedier version the zest of a lemon is used.  I use this  to spread on bruschetta, make instant galettes, coat pasta, make crusts on meat, as a dip, on crostini as canapes, in chunky sandwiches with goats cheese and more.

In summer it is incredible made with home made slow roasted tomatoes  and a great thing to do with a tomato glut.  In winter or when time is short, a jar of good sun dried tomatoes in oil can be put to no better use I think.

Gadgets & Gizmos

A blender.  For this recipe actually a small hand blender is better than your big one that you might use for smoothies and soups as the quantity is smaller.

Ingredients

Here is my basic recipe and the quantities are for guidance only, the key thing here is to make it how you like it:

A jar of sun dried tomatoes oil and all or a jar of home bottled roast tomatoes  in which case no need to add any extra tomato puree or water which you may need to add if you are using jarred sun dried tomatoes. The jar I use is approximately 300ml.

200-250g of walnuts.  The ones from the market I always prefer but they do contain teeth shattering shards of shell often!

The zest of one lemon. take care to scrub the lemon first unless it is organic and free of nasty waxy stuff.

chilli (I am sensitive so I dont add a huge amount…if you prefer a dip more on the muhamara side of things…spice it up)

If you are using home bottle tomatoes you might want to add a glug more of olive oil

2 to three and possibly four cloves of garlic. I like quite a lot

salt pepper and absolutely do not omit the cinnamon. half to one teaspoon.

As long as there is a little layer of oil over the pesto it will keep very happily in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

You Are What You Eat

Tomatoes are a treasure of riches when it comes to their antioxidant benefits. In terms of conventional antioxidants, tomatoes provide an excellent amount of vitamin C and beta-carotene; a very good amount of the mineral manganese; and a good amount of vitamin E.  But it is their “lycopene” (a carotenoid that is a powerful anti oxidant)  that makes them a real superstar. Interestingly to absorb this lycopene you need to eat them with some oil – so the pesto is the perfect way!   Read this HMS study about their benefits.

How To

Blitz it up in a food blender. I like to keep mine with a bit of texture – think of the difference between crunchy and smooth peanut butter.

Thats it.