Garlic and Thyme Cheesy Spread!!!!!

OH MY GOSH - this is amazing!!! I would even go as far as saying that it is BETTER than real cheese spread!!! Made creamy by cashew nuts and cheesy by the nutritional yeast, this will definitely satisfy any gaping hole in your life that needs a creamy filling to close it up.

Ingredients

• 150g of raw, soaked and rinsed cashews 
• Around 100-150ml of water 
• 1/3 vegetable stock cube 
• 1/2 tsp of garlic granules 
• 1 1/2 tsp of dried thyme 
• 4tbs of nutritional yeast
• 1 tbs of olive oil 
• 1/2 tsp of salt 
• 1/2 tsp of black pepper 

Method 

1. In the blender put the soaked cashews and the water. Blend until completely smooth 
2. Then add all other ingredients (EXCEPT THE THYME) to the blender. Blast for 30 secs on high power. 
3. Mix in the thyme by hand and store in a jar in the fridge.  

Unsweetened Apple-sauce Recipe

On visiting my Grandmother's house I didn't expect to come home with bags and bags of apples, but I did and now I am trying to find ways of incorporating them into my cooking! The most important recipe I wanted to try was apple-sauce, because it is so useful to use in making all sorts of delicious bakes as a sweetener and also as a replacement for oil and butter. So first up when I came home I got started on peeling and coring a few of the apples to put in the sauce... 

My sauce is unsweetened, using only apples and some squeezed lemon, however you can add your own sweetener, cinnamon, maple syrup etc. to make your own flavours!

Ingredients 

(Makes around 1 medium sized jar) 

• 4-5 large cooking apples (will be around 1.2 kg) - you can use normal apples too but make sure you use to same amount (1.2kg) 
• 160ml of water 
• Juice of half a lemon 

Method 

1. Peel and core apples and cut into smallish chunks 
2. Heat the 150ml of water until boiling and add the lemon juice and apples to it 
3. Turn the heat to low and place a lid on the saucepan
4. Let apples simmer for around 15mins. By this point, when you take the lid off the pan, the apples should have become a apple-sauce mush and puréed themselves (I didn't even need to put them in the blender) 
5. Add to a jar and let cool before putting on the lid. Store in the fridge and enjoy in your cooking!  

Secretly Vegan Pesto

Having just come back from my holiday to Rome (sorry I had to go on a break from being Vegan!) I decided to recreate some of the extremely delicious Italian dishes I had but vegan style!

On arriving in Rome I was immediately in awe of all the beautiful buildings, no out of place block of flats or grey concrete office buildings like in London. Walking through the streets was like walking in the past, as the roads were made from smooth cobbles and the streets were so small and windy. Some of the churches and cathedrals were over 2000 years old but were still so impressive and fascinating!

BUT don't get me started on Italian food....!!! IT. WAS. DELICIOUS. Homemade fresh pasta, thick tomato sauces and strong herb flavours, I was in food heaven!! So as I have holiday blues and miss the city of food and history, I am going to immerse myself (and this blog) in trying to recreate the Italian dishes I had!

First up: Secretly Vegan Pesto - I say 'secretly' because I think this pesto tastes absolutely authentic! I even had taste testers (mainly my sister) who said that she gave it a 9 / 10 for taste and closeness to the real pesto (which is packed with cheese). The only reason she didn't give it a 10 / 10 is because she didn't think I put enough oil in it (but I like to keep mine low calorie and low oil so I will put two measurements on the recipe - one for those who don't want too much oil in theirs and others who want it more authentic). Another point to make about it is that I made mine in a bullet blender which made it quite smooth and mixed up, so if you want yours to also look even more authentic do it in a food processor.

Ingredients 

(Makes a small jar full)

• 2 large handfuls of fresh basil (I used mine from my garden) 
• 1 tbs of nutritional yeast 
• 50g of pine nuts  
• 1 1/2 tbs - 3tbs of olive oil 
• 1 handful of spinach  
• 1 clove of garlic  
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Method

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor (I did mine in a blender but I think it would work better in a food processor) 
2. Put on your favourite pasta or use this recipe for it! 

Smoothly Seasoned Guacamole

This guacamole is one of my best recipes (according to myself!), I have made it many times, and each time it has gotten better with more refining and adjusting.
I served this guacamole with my fiery chilli crackers which made a perfect snack.
At the moment I think it is at its best flavour (but if I change it then I will let you know). I have added one secret ingredient: coriander seeds (not so secret any more!) which give it a delicious flavour and make it taste more seasoned. (I don't know how many people read this blog - probably not many - but for any Americans out there coriander is cilantro).

Ingredients 

• 1 very ripe avocado 
• 2 & 1/2  tbs of lemon / lime juice (most guacamole recipes call for lime juice but I like lemon juice with it as well)
• 2tsp of coriander seeds 
• 1/2 tsp of ground coriander 
• Handful of fresh coriander (around a tbs of leaves)
• 1/2 tsp of salt 
• 1/2 tsp of pepper 
• 1/2 a chopped onion (red or white - red is sweeter)
• Optional: 1 -2 green chillis (for an extra kick!) 

Method

1. Put all ingredients in a blender/ food processor - blend until it is your desired texture (some like it real smooth and others like it chunky) 
2. Dish out and enjoy - this recipe keeps for around 2 days in the fridge 

Scrumptious Strawberry frosting (Raw Vegan)

This is my mother's favourite frosting of mine - she eats its by the spoon! It is both light and thick and creamy, and has a more fresh taste than store brought frosting (let alone a lot healthier and vegan!) It uses full fat coconut milk as the 'cream/ icing sugar' to give it the thickness. I served mine with my oat and coconut macaroon cookies, which makes a delicious desert!

If the coconut milk isn't very thick (make sure not to get light) then put in a bowl and leave in the fridge uncovered - DO NOT SHAKE BEFORE USING otherwise you won't get the thickest part.

Ingredients 

(makes a medium jar full)

• 200ml of full fat coconut milk - make sure it is the thick part that is usually at the top 
• 6 fresh strawberries (do not use more than this otherwise it won't be as thick) 
• 2 tbs of strawberry jam (I use St Dalfour strawberry jam which is both sugar free and absolutely delicious!)
• 2 packet of truvia or stevia / 2 - 3tbs of maple syrup or honey 
• 2 tbs of my fruit syrup 
• Optional: 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (this makes it smoother and thicker and helps to make the coconut milk combine )

Method

1. Put all ingredients into a high power blender like a vitamix or use a bullet blender 
2. Blend until completely smooth - using the xanthan gum will make it easier to combine the coconut milk 
3. Put the frosting in the freezer for around 2 hours and then blend again (this will make it even thicker)
4. Serve with whatever you like (for example my oat and coconut macaroon cookies) or eat by the spoon like my mum does!

Sweet Fruit Syrup

This fruit syrup can be a key sweetener to any dessert dish - and I use it in some of my smoothies and my Cocoshakes. It can be varied in sweetness depending on how much sugar/ xylitol/ stevia you want to put in, and can be varied in thickness with the ration of water to fruit + sweetener. It has a rich dark colour and is absolutely deliciously sweet!

Ingredients 

(Makes a medium jar full)

• 125ml water 
• 400g of frozen or fresh berries (add more or less for thicker or runnier) 
• 150g of xylitol/ sugar / 3 packets of stevia or truvia (if you decide on the stevia or truvia option then you will have to add more fruit to make it thicker) 

Method 

1. Add all ingredients to a pan and cook till boiling 
2. Pass through a sieve into another pot and crush the fruit in the sieve to make it into a mush 
3. Add the crushed fruit to the syrup and boil for around 3mins, stirring all the time 
4. Then pass through the sieve again into a jar - store and cool in the fridge 
5. Enjoy in baking, sauces or drinks!

Hot Chocolate and peanut butter pouring sauce

This delicious pouring sauce can be used over fro-co's, strawberries, puddings, you name it! I love peanut butter and I love chocolate (which you probably realise already from my fun peanut butter balls!) so this is a sauce that you can use on frozen treats or fruit to make anything taste like reeses peanut butter cups!

LOOKS SO GOOD!!!

...and there gone!

Ingredients 

(Makes a small cream jug full)

• 3tbs of peanut butter (I use whole foods freshly ground which has the best taste)
• 3tbs of cocoa powder 
• 1tbs of carob powder 
• 70ml - 100ml (depending how thick you want the sauce) of oat milk 
• 25g of walnuts 
• 25g of cashew nuts 
• 1tbs of coconut butter 

Method

1. Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender (like the vita-mix)
2. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week 
3. Before serving you can heat it up to pour over fro-co's etc. 
4. Enjoy!!
5. If you want (and I think this is the best idea ever and they taste sooooooooo delicious!) freeze the sauce into ice cube trays with lolly sticks stuck in them. Then pop them out after around 6 hours and enjoy a delicious reeses peanut butter cup ice cream lolly! Honestly they are the best tasting lollies EVER! :) I dipped mine in xylitol to give a sugar coated look. 

EAT RIGHT NOW... quick before it melts! 

Mmmmmmmmm.......

Raw Marinara Sauce

This marinara sauce goes really well with my Crazy Curly Courgette noodles. By adding fresh chillies or chilli powder you could also use this as a salsa, which compliments the sweet potato crisps.

Where did it all go?????

Don't worry - I know it looks like in the picture that this recipe doesn't yield very much. But..... I ate over half of it by 'accident' before I took the photo!!

Ingredients:

• 5 cherry tomatoes 
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes 
• 1 large tomato 
• 1 - 1 1/2 tbs of tomato puree
• 1 very small onion (or half a medium/ large one)
• 1 clove garlic 
• 7 sprigs of fresh basil (or 2tbs of ground, dried basil and 1tbs of ground, dried oregano)
• Salt to taste
• Optional: 1/2 tbs of lime juice (I made it with lime juice and it is delicious, but you can omit it if you like and it will still be just as good!)
• Optional: 2tbs of fresh oregano 
• Optional: 2 pitted dates (it makes the sauce slightly sweeter - however I prefer it without!)

Method

1. It isn't very difficult - just bung all ingredients into a food processor until it is the consistency you want (I like mine to be more roughly chopped then smooth - but it is up to you!)