Kama Couscous with Raisins

Let me start by apologising about how long it has been since I have posted anything, but unfortunately I have been ploughing my way through mock exams and obviously that came with endless torrents of revision....

At least they are over and I can focus of FOOOD!!! :) This recipe has been inspired by both my recent new favourite ingredient - cous cous, and my recent new favourite chef - Yotam Ottolenghi! Couscous is a grain that I have never really explored before, but always am pleasantly delighted when I try it. However reading through Plenty and watching Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Feast (on Channel 4) has really excited my investigative food nature into creating my own Moroccan style dishes.  The Moroccan spice in this recipe - La Kama - can be either made as a blend at home or bought from a spice shop (I obtained mine from the Whole Foods spice section in Kensington), and gives the recipe a wonderfully warm and sweet flavour. 

Ingredients 

• 200g of wholemeal couscous 
• 1 tsp of olive oil 
• 1/2 veg stock cube + around 400-500ml of boiling water 
• 3tbs of nutritional yeast 
• 1/2 tsp of mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp of cumin 
• 3/4tsp of La Kama
• pinch turmeric 
• 3/4 tsp of garlic granules 
• 150g of peas 
• 100g of raisins 
• 1/2 tsp of xylitol/ sugar 
• 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes 
• Black pepper to taste 

Method 

1. In a heatproof bowl mix together the couscous, olive oil, boiling water and stock cube. Cover and let sit for around 2 mins (partially cooked)
2. Meanwhile put peas into slightly salted water until heated through and no longer frozen (if using frozen) - I would say this takes less than 2 mins - don't leave until completely cooked 
3. Drain water from the peas and add to the saucepan the couscous (there should still be veg stock that the couscous hasn't absorbed yet - but if there isn't add a bit more to stop it sticking to the saucepan). Add all other ingredients and stir until completely heated through and mixed. 
4. Season with black pepper and enjoy your taste of Morocco! 

Mango and Coconut Rice Salad

First of all, let me just say....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I hope that you all have a great new year filled with happiness and joy (and lots of cooking!). I have made a huge resolution list, as I do every year, even though they never really get fulfilled! BUT I hope you all reach your goals this year (just as I will try - although I know it most of them will last maybe half of January!)

Now on to the serious stuff... THE FOOD! :) 

I made this delicious rice salad for my family gathering on my sister's birthday, and I have decided that it went down so well (and also on special request from my Aunt) I am going to include it in my blog although it is not really my own recipe. The recipe came from the cookbook Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, although I did make a few very small tweaks.

Although it is now winter, I do think that this dish would make a perfect summer meal as it is both light and refreshing with a slight tropical twist! 

Serves around 8 - 10 (when doing a buffet lunch) or Serves 6 (as a normal lunch proportion) 

Ingredients 

• 170g of a long grain and wild rice blend (e.g. Tesco's easy cook long grain and wild rice)
• 1 tsp of olive oil 
• 1/2 vegetable stock cube 
• enough water to cook the rice 
• 30g of Thai basil 
• 200g of black rice 
• 1 1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 15g of mint leaves, roughly chopped 
• 15g of coriander leaves 
• 1/2 - 1 red chili pepper, very finely chopped (adjust according to taste) 
• grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 
• 2 medium mangoes, diced 
• 100g of salted peanuts roughly smashed up 
• 75g of toasted coconut chips 
• 4 shallots 
• 2 tsp of olive oil/ coconut oil  
• 1 tbsp of coconut butter
• Salt and pepper

Method 

1. Cook the rice: For the wild rice put in a saucepan with a pinch of salt, stock cube, olive oil, water and 15g of the basil. Bring to boil and then let simmer with a lid on for around 15- 20 mins (or until rice is cooked). For the black rice cook for at least 30- 40mins (until soft and cooked through) in just water (no salt). When both are cooked, drain and wash with cold water (to cool it down). Mix them into a large serving bowl, cover with cling- film and place in the fridge. 
2. Thinly slice the shallots and fry in the coconut butter and olive oil. Put them in a mixing bowl 
3. Pick of the leaves of the remaining basil, coriander and mint and chop roughly. Throw in the mixing bowl. Add to the mixing bowl all the other ingredients (except rice) and stir until just mixed (so as not to break up the mango). 
4. Add to the rice in the serving bowl and mix through - be careful not to let the mango disintegrate!   Season with the salt and pepper and serve. 
5. Enjoy! 

Creamy Breakfast Scramble

Waking up late this morning (11:00am!!) I really craved a creamy, rich, meaty scramble (vegan style, of course) for my mid morning brunch. I had a quick look through my various new cookbooks and came up with an adaptation of a recipe from The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions. It is called the Spinach and Mushroom Tofu scramble - however I quickly realised I didn't have any spinach, mushrooms or tofu - so I quickly made up my own recipe inspired by theirs, with the ingredients I had in my kitchen (which was not many as spending Christmas away meant that we haven't got barely any food!)

I also am VERY EXITED because in this recipe I came up with my own creamy sauce which worked REALLY well with the scramble and gave it a thick and delicious taste! The recipe called for tofu and nutritional yeast which would give it the creamy, cheesy texture so I was forced to think up a new way to create the same effect... and this is the masterpiece that was created (if i may say so myself) ;)

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 6 (vegan) meat deli slices (like vegi - deli sage and onion slices) / 10 oz of tofu / vegan meat strips (e.g. vegi - deli chicken style pieces) / seitan strips etc. (some kind of vegan meat!) - In the picture I use turkey style sage and onion deli slices 
• 1 large tomato
• 2 medium carrots 
• 1 red onion 
• 1/2 a red pepper 
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard powder 
• 1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast 
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric 
• 1/2 tsp of olive oil 
• 5 tbs of water + 1/4 veg stock cube 
• 60 ml of oat milk / other non-dairy milk 
• 1/2 tbs of cider vinegar 
• 1 clove of garlic / 3/4tsp of garlic granules
• 1 tbsp peanut butter / other nut butter  
• 1/2 tbsp of corn flour / tapioca flour
• 1/2 a mixed lettuce/ salad bag (baby spinach would also be a good substitute) 
• Salt + pepper  

Method 

1. Dice the tomato, onion and red pepper. Peel the carrots and then use the peeler to make very thin slices of carrots - then chop the wafer thin slices of carrot up into small strips. 
2. Heat the oil and water + veg stock in a pan over a medium - high heat. 
3. Once very hot add in the onion, clove of garlic and carrots and steam fry for around 4-5mins (or until the onion looks softer). 
4. Meanwhile mix up the milk, vinegar, pinch of salt and mustard powder and set aside. 
5. Add the pepper and tomato with the vegan meat of your choice + more water if it is getting dry. After around a minute add in the turmeric, salt and pepper, nutritional yeast and salad.
6. Add in the milk mixture + the peanut butter, garlic granules (if you are not using clove of garlic) and cornflour.
7. Stir for around 3 mins, until all thoroughly combined and the sauce is thick. 
8. Enjoy! 

Moroccan Winter Stew

This Christmas I have not been entirely vegan... I know... that's bad! All the chocolate, mince pies, ice cream and delicious christmas desserts is what really threw me off the vegan wagon. BUT from today onwards I will get back on track - and actually have been looking forward to it!
As a gift from my mother I now have an amazing vegetarian cookbook called Plenty (by Yotam Ottolenghi) which is one of the highest rated cookbooks - and to accompany that I also got a brilliant book called the Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions (so that all Yotam's recipes that contain non-vegan ingredients I can easily know what to sub in for them!)

So here is a recipe that I adapted from Plenty (it has been seriously adapted as I didn't have half the ingredients - but don't worry it is still seriously delicious!) I like it served with wild rice and homemade toasted rye bread.

Ingredients 

• 2 medium carrots
• 3 medium parsnips  
• 1 onion 
• 1 large pickled onion (not the small white ones, but the larger kind) 
• 1 cinnamon stick 
• 2 star anise 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 tsp olive oil 
• 1/2tsp ground ginger 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric 
• 1/4 tsp of paprika 
• 1/8 tsp chili powder
• 40g of pitted dried plums OR pitted dried apricots 
• 20g of raisins 
• 1/2 can chickpeas (+ THE WATER FROM THEM) (around 120g of drained cooked chickpeas) 
• 300ml + one veg stock cube 
• 500ml of water
• Salt + Pepper
• 2 garlic clove 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius. Peel and cut the carrots and parsnips into small chunks. Also peel and cut the onion into strips.
2. Place the carrots, parsnips and onions into an oven proof dish. Stir in the water, spices and oil. Place in the oven for 35 mins. 
3. Take out of the oven and add in the chickpeas + their water, pitted dried plums/apricots, raisins and salt and pepper. Put back in the oven for another 10 mins. 
4. Keep back 100ml of the spiced water and pour everything else into the saucepan with the 300ml of vegetable stock. Also add 2 minced cloves of garlic. 
5. Boil until the vegetables are all quite soft but still have a slight bite (I don't like mushy vegetables!) - so around 15 mins. 
6. Serve with homemade toasted rye bread and/ or wild rice (I like it cooked in vegetable stock - I think it makes the rice creamier!) 

Portabello Mushroom Burgers and Delicious Apricot MisoSlaw

While walking around Waitrose I came across a packet of portabello mushrooms that were on reduced price. I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to try my first portabello mushroom burger! I had read many vegan and vegetarian recipes that had used these mushroom caps in a replace for a burger, and I must admit, even with all there enthusiasm and insistence it really made a great burger, I had some serious doubts. I just couldn't get my head around how springy, spongy mushrooms were supposed to mimic the tender, succulent and hearty taste of a beef burger!

Curiosity took me over and I had to see what they were like, I looked around for how people marinated them and came up with my own recipe (which I adapted mainly from this one: http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/home/2013/9/9/mushroom-burgers-with-asian-slaw.html). And guess what! They tasted soooooo good!!!! I am not going to lie and say that they tasted and had the texture of real burgers, but nonetheless they were just as good in a different way - I wouldn't say that they are a beef substitute in the way that they taste like beef, but these mushroom burgers aren't trying to pretend to be anything! They just taste really good in their own right. 

To go with the burger, I steam - fried some white onion, grilled some cherry tomatoes and served with a MisoSlaw (like coleslaw but vegan/ Asian style!), all on top of a corn tortilla.

Ingredients 

For the Burger (serves 2) 

• 2 Portabello Mushroom caps 
• Drizzle of each: olive oil and sesame oil 
• 1 1/2 tbs of tamari 
• 1 1/2 tbs of balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tsp of red wine vinegar 
• sprinkling of dried oregano 
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp of xylitol/ sugar/ honey (any sweetener of your choice) 

For the Apricot MisoSlaw 

• 2 carrots 
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/4 white cabbage 
• 1 sweet pepper 
• 1 tbs of tamari
• 1/2 tsp of brown rice vinegar 
• 1/2 tsp of rice mirin 
• 1 1/2 tbs of sweet white miso paste 
• 1 1/2 tbs of apricot jam (I use sugar free St Dalfour) 
• 1 tbs of boiling hot water 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Optional Condiments 

• 1/2 a thinly sliced white onion 
• 5 cherry tomatoes (halved) 
• Vegan cheese
• 2 burger buns/ corn tortillas etc. 

Method 

1. Wash and de-stem the portabello mushrooms. With a fork, prick holes in the top of the mushroom cap (the smooth side). 
2. Mix all other burger ingredients together in a shallow bowl big enough to fit both mushroom caps into. Brush or smear the marinade all over the mushroom cap and then allow to sit in the marinade, stem side up, for around 20 -30 mins. 
3. Meanwhile, julienne all the vegetables in the MisoSlaw recipe. In a cup mix together all the sauces and pour over the vegetables. Mix thoroughly together in a big salad bowl and set aside. Preheat the grill to 180 degrees C. 
4.  Steam fry the white onions (meaning put a splash of water in the bottom of the pan and allow the onions to fry in it for around 4 mins on each side). You can use oil and fry them if you want too. 
5. Seal the mushroom caps on each side in a very hot frying pan over a medium heat. I don't use any oil in this process because there is oil in the marinade. You should fry them for around 30 seconds on each side. 
6. Place under the grill, with the cherry tomatoes, for 5 mins on each side. Take out the cherry tomatoes after around 2-3 mins. 
7. Stack the burger high with the condiments and serve on warmed burger buns or corn tortillas! 

Autumn Mood Lentil Stew (Mmmmm....)

I LOVE AUTUMN VEGETABLES!! There is something about sitting down on a cold night with a steaming pot of stew and some roasted squash, in front of a roaring fire and watching some rom -com!  Ahhh that is just the best!!! This stew will warm your insides and is perfect for one of THOSE nights (mentioned above!). (Do you know what nights I mean?) Haha :)

Ingredients 

• 750ml of vegetable broth (I use a 1 kallo veg stock cube) 
• 200g of red lentils 
• 3 tbs of chopped tomatoes (I used from a tin but you can 
• Two handfuls of spinach 
• 1 large sweet potato or 1/2 a squash cut up into small chunks 
• 1 tsp of medium curry powder (I used one that I got in whole foods and it is the BEST) 
• 1/4 tsp of garlic granules 
• 1/2 tsp of cumin powder 
• 1/4 tsp of garam masala 
• dash of of each: turmeric, ground cardamom, ginger, amchoor powder (optional) 

Method 

1. Chop the sweet potato/ squash into small chunks and chop up the spinach into strips 
2. Put the water and lentils into the saucepan and cook on a high heat until boiling. Turn onto a low heat and simmer. 
3. Add the spices and the chopped vegetables to the lentils 
4. Stir and then put a lid on the stew and simmer for 20 - 30 mins or until the lentils are mushy and the sweet potato/ squash is very soft. 
5. Enjoy on a bitterly cold Autumn/ winter evening! :) 

Apricot Teriyaki Vegetable Noodle Soup

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I found in a book, which was an Apricot Teriyaki stir fry, and I though it was absolutely delicious. However I recently found these yam noodles which claim to have 0 calories in them, so I wanted to give them a try. They have the same kind of texture as slightly thicker rice noodles, and take the flavour of whatever they are put with - so I highly recommend them, as you wouldn't really be able to tell the difference between them and real rice noodles!
This is a delicious hot soup that is both filling, but great for those who are trying to keep it low on calories!

Ingredients 

Serves 2 

• 1 leek 
• 1/2 red onion 
• 3 slices of white cabbage 
• 75g of baby mushrooms sliced up 
• 1/8 of a large daikon radish 
• Optional: 1 carrot (only not added because I didn't have any) 
• 1 packet of yam noodles (Shirataki Noodles) / 1 packet of miracle noodles / 2 portions of noodles of your choice
• 1-2 cloves garlic 
• 3 tbs of vegetable broth + enough to cover the vegetables and noodles 

For the Sauce 

• 5 tbs of apricot jam (I use St Dalfour) 
• 1 tbs of tamari 
• 1 tsp of teriyaki sauce 
• 1 tsp of brown rice vinegar 
• 100ml of veg broth 
• 1 tsp of cornflour 

Method 

1. Chop up all vegetables and mince garlic 
2. Heat up the 3 tbs of veg broth in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat and steam fry all vegetables (including garlic) in the broth for around 8mins 
3. While the veg are steam frying, mix all ingredients for the sauce together 
4. Add to the vegetables and mix in thoroughly. Add yam noodles (or precooked noodles of choice) and remaining veg broth - enough to cover the vegetables and noodles. 
5. Put a lid on the saucepan and let simmer for around 8 mins 
6. Serve and enjoy! Mmmm...

Raw Noodle Salad with a creamy Miso Dressing

Last night I threw this together for a quick dinner and I thought it was definitely worthy to put on my blog! This is perfect for a quick and easy raw vegan dinner that gives you an immediate health boost.

Feel free to add other salad ingredients to it - it could only get better! For example spiralize some cucumber and carrots into it as well and add some fresh chopped tomatoes (the only reason I didn't is lack of ingredients!).

Ingredients 

(serves one) 

• 1/2 a large courgette
• 1/2 a large beetroot 
• 1/2 a red cabbage (you won't use the whole half!) 
• Other veg that could be added: 1 carrot, 1/2 a cucumber etc. 
• 1/2 tsp of salt 
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper
• Optional: handful of bean sprouts 

For the miso dressing 

• 1 1/2 tbs of tamari 
• 1 tbs of warm water 
• 1 tbs of sweet miso paste
• 1 tsp of tahini 
• 1 tsp of almond butter 
• 1 tsp of rice mirin 
• 1/2 tsp of chopped ginger 
• 1 tbs of apple cider vinegar 

OR for a different dressing and more sweetness: 

• 1 1/2 tbs of sweet white miso paste 
• 1 tbs of tamari 
• 1 1/2 tsp of (preferably unsalted) almond butter 
• 1 1/2 tsp of nutritional yeast + 1 tsp of sprinkling over the top 
• 1/2 tbs of rice mirin 
• 1 tsp of chopped ginger 
• 1/2 clove of garlic (or a very small clove found in the centre of the bulb) 
• Dash of chili powder 
• 2 tbs of water 
• Coriander to garnish 
• Optional: Sprinkle of sesame seeds 
• Optional: handful of raisins 

Method 

1. Spiralize the vegetables. With the red cabbage you might have to turn it yourself (as opposed to turning the handle, which turns the cabbage) - use about 1 slice worth of red cabbage from the half. Mix in salt and pepper and leave to one side 
2. Put all the dressing ingredients into a mini bullet blender, blend until smooth. 
3. Pour the dressing over the 'noodles' and enjoy. I ate mine with some bean sprouts sprinkled in - this gives it extra crunch which is really tasty. 

Meaty (Juice Pulp) Vegan Burgers!

Ok so here is another way that you can use that juice pulp without wasting it! I hate throwing it away so I have come up with ways I can incorporate it into my meals!

Save your pulp from the rainbow juice - make sure you take the pulp out before adding the lime (I don't know about you but I wouldn't want lime in my burger!) 

The pulp 'meat' 

Serve with tomato puree/ tomato ketchup, mustard and a side salad

Ingredients 

(Makes 4 burgers) 

• All the juice pulp (EXCEPT FOR THE LIME PULP) from the rainbow juice recipe 
• 1 onion 
• 2 garlic cloves 
• 4 tbs of water + small pinch of a veg stock cube
• 3 tbsp of gram flour/ any flour of your choice 
• 1 1/2 tbs of nutritional yeast 
• 1 tsp of cumin 
• 1/2 tsp of ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp of turmeric 
• 1/4 tsp of chilli powder (more or less to fit your taste) 
• 1/2 tsp of onion powder 
• 2 tsp of egg replacer + 1 1/2 tbs of water 
• 1 tsp of baking powder 
• 1tbs of tamari 
• 2 tsp of tahini 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease a baking tray with coconut oil 
2. Chop the onions and mince the garlic. Sauté them with the water and stock cube until the onion is translucent. 
3. Beat the egg replacer with the 1 1/2 tbs of water. Set aside
4. In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients including the onion and garlic and egg replacer. Combine thoroughly. 
5. Make thick burger patties with your hands and lay onto the baking tray. 
6. Bake for 15 mins on one side and then flip them over and bake for another 15 mins on the other side. 
7. Serve with tomato puree/ tomato ketchup, mustard and a side salad. You can sprinkle some nutritional yeast on the top of the burger for an extra 'cheesy' flavour! 

Cheesy Crispy Kale Chips

I used to be the most dedicated and addicted CRISP FAN!!! (I think everyone has had that stage) Kale chips are THE PERFECT solution to stop the craving, I promise!!!! I remember going to Whole Foods in America and they had them as samples and they were DELICIOUS. However I came back to England and they were around £8 for a small box of them!! SO I decided to find out how to make my own and it is SOOO easy and cheap to make.  I want to share this with you so that you can have a healthy snack too!

Ingredients 

• 2 tbs of olive oil 
• 1 bunch of mixed kale 
• 2 tbs of nutritional yeast 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp of salt 

Method 

1. Pre heat your oven to 130 degrees celsius OR set your dehydrator to 45 degrees celsius
2. Tear off the leaves of the Kale so that you only have leaves and no stalk/ rib of the kale. The leaves should be torn into a crisp like size.
3. In a mixing bowl thoroughly cover the kale with the other ingredients so that all the leaves are coated in the mixture. 
4. Lay out on greaseproof paper and bake in the oven for 20 - 30mins or until very crispy and dried out. OR lay of dehydrator trays and dehydrate overnight (around 6 - 8 hours). 
5. Enjoy as a lunch box snack! 

Chickpea Falafel

This falafel recipe I found in the Kimberley Snyder cookbook (which is really good!) and is perfect for dinner or to put in sandwiches. I love it so much that I had to share the recipe with you! 

Ingredients

• 1 can cooked chickpeas 
• 1 tbs of vegetable broth 
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves 
• 3 tbs of chopped fresh parsley 
• 1 tsp of lemon juice 
• 1 tsp of olive oil 
• 1 tsp of ground coriander 
• 2 tsp of cumin 
• 2 tsp of garam masala 
• 1/2 tsp of chilli powder 
•  2 tbs of gram flour/ other types of flour
• 1 tsp of baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt 
• black pepper to taste 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Spread a baking sheet with greaseproof paper
2. Put the chickpeas into a food processor to mash them up 
3. Heat the vegetable both in a frying pan and add the chopped onions and minced garlic. Cook until the onion in translucent 
4. In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients, including the garlic, onion and chickpeas. combine the ingredients thoroughly 
5. Form the mixture into small balls and place on the greaseproof paper. Bake in the oven for around 50 mins, flipping them over after around 25mins. 
6. Serve with a salad. Enjoy! 

Fresh Pasta and Pesto

This is a classic Italian dish that is so easy to make! I love pasta and pesto and before I became vegan it used to be the fall back dish that we used to make a big pot of with tuna thrown in. So when I was in Rome I just had to try the authentic Italian pasta and pesto dish (which was very delicious but not very vegan!)

The 'fresh' pasta is fresh courgette made into spaghetti, but believe me when it is smothered in pesto it tastes like fresh egg pasta!

Ingredients 

(Serves 1 - 2) 

• 1 courgette 
• Enough Vegan Pesto to completely coat the courgette pasta (use this pesto recipe) 
• 1 handful spinach 
• 1 tbs of brown rice flour 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Fresh Basil to garnish 
• Optional: 5 cherry tomatoes 
• Optional: Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil 

Method 

1. Spiralize the courgette to make it into spaghetti strands or julianne into thin spaghetti strips 
2. Mix courgette in a bowl with the brown rice flour (I use the flour to bulk it out but also dry the courgette slightly so the strands don't stick together) 
3. Mix in the spinach with the courgette and smother it all in vegan pesto 
4. Top off (if you want) with olive oil and cherry tomatoes and the basil to garnish 
5. Serve! 

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! 

Finger food Spring Rolls

At the moment I am on a program that we have in England called the Challenge. It is a three week program of different challenges for teenagers who have finished their exams and have a long summer holiday ahead of them with not much to do. 

It has been REALLY fun, with the first week starting in the Lake District doing canoeing, rock climbing, gorge walking and hiking and this second week taking place at Greenwich university where we have to live on £10 a day and get a feel of what university life is like. Unfortunately living with 5 other people in the flat means I had to put my vegan diet on hold! However now that I am home I can not wait to start it again (I know I never thought I would be excited about being vegan, but it has become a serious passion!) I have a couple of days home and then start my last week which is supposed to be a bit like the young apprentice where we have to create a product and try and sell it for fundraising. 

So, back on track with what this post is actually about, these spring rolls are something that I think are really quick, cheap and easy to make for a meal of finger food! 

These spring rolls are amazingly filling - I ate 3 for lunch and it filled me up! They are full of vegetables so are also really good for you so eat up! :)

Ingredients 

(Makes around 15 - 20 spring rolls) 

• 15 - 20 rice spring rolls wrappers (I used the brand blue dragon) 
• 5 small mushrooms 
• 1 onion 
• 1 carrot (peeled)
• 1 leek 
• 1 garlic cloves 
• 1/2 tsp of ginger 
• 1 tsp of sesame oil 
• 1 tsp of tamari / soy sauce 
• 2 tbsp cornflour 
• 1 bowl of hot water + 2tbs of hot water
• Optional: serve with soy/ tamari sauce 

Method 

1. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 5 minutes. While they are soaking chop up the onion into very small chunks, the carrots into very fine sticks and the leeks into fine circles. Mince the garlic and add to the chopped vegetables. 
2. Take the mushrooms out and slice them finely. Mix all of the vegetables, cornflour tamari and sesame oil together in a mixing bowl.
3. Put the vegetables in a frying pan with 2 tbs of water and cook them for around 5 minutes. Take them out and put them back in the mixing bowl. Wait around 10mins while they cool down.
4. Dip the rice wrappers into the hot water for a quick moment until softened and workable. 
5. Add around a tbsp of the vegetable mixture to the centre of the rice wrapper. Now for the more tricky bit: Fold the two opposite sides of the wrapper in to the centre then roll up the spring roll (With this really just do it in a way that looks right!) 
6. Heat up a pan to a high heat with a mix of sesame oil and water (I would use around 1 tsp of sesame oil and 2 tsp of water ratio) - if you are not worried about using oil and your calorie intake you can just go ahead a use straight oil with no water. 
7. Steam fry the spring rolls on both sides for around 3 minutes in the pan (do this in batches as you will have a lot) 
8. Then return all the spring rolls to the pan, cover with around 75ml of water and put a lid on the pan. Steam the spring rolls for around 10 - 15 minutes. 
9. The water should have all boiled off, but if it hasn't then don't worry. Take out the spring rolls and serve with tamari or Spring roll sauce (see below recipe). 

Spring Roll Dipping Sauce 

• 3 tbs of tamari 
• 2tbs of brown rice vinegar 
• 1/4 tsp of sesame oil 

Mix together all these ingredients and serve with spring rolls (like the ones above!) 

Sweet Potato Curry

Recently I have decided to get into gardening as, obviously, I cook a lot (and especially a lot of vegetables!) So on my balcony I have a small herb garden and some vegetables growing, and I have become very obsessive over it! Every time I go out I worry about my plants and how they are faring - mainly because I leave my mum in charge of looking after them and.... lets just say she managed to kill a house cactus plant! So in this recipe i included some of the herbs I am growing in my garden (which was very exciting to do for the first time!)

This curry is meaty and filling and you can make it as hot or mild as you like!

Ingredients 

(serves 3) 

• 3tbs of tomato puree 
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1/2 a sweet long pepper 
• 1 can of kidney beans
• 70g of sweetcorn 
• 1 large sweet potato 
• 200ml of water 
• 1/2 a courgette 
• 1 1/2 tsp of garam masala 
• 1 1/2 tsp of cumin 
• 1/4 tsp of hot chilli powder (or more if you want it spicier) 
• 1 clove of garlic 
• 1/4 tsp of fresh ginger 
• 1 veg stock cube
• Optional: 1 onion 
• Optional: 1 carrot 
• Optioanl: 4 red chillies 
• Garnish: Basil (fresh from the garden!) 

Method 

1. Mix the water, tomato puree, garlic, ginger and stock cube together in a sauce pan on a high heat
2. Chop up all vegetables: sweet potato into cubes, peppers into small slices, tomatoes into small cubes, courgette into cube chunks (and also onion, carrots and chillies if using) 
3. When the water has boiled add all the chopped vegetables 
4. Put the lid onto the pot and let simmer for around 10mins 
5. Add the spices, beans and sweetcorn to the curry 
6. Put lid back on and let cook for around 30mins (or until the potato is soft) 
7. Dish up and serve - garnish with the basil 

Tofu salad with teriyaki and ginger dressing

I made another batch of tofu yesterday night and devised this recipe for it for a light lunch. It is such a healthy dish and will give you all the vitamins that you need while tasting absolutely amazing.

Salad is such a good and healthy dish and a great way to get in all the healthy things you need. BUT it can tend to be a bit boring! (Well for a teenage vegan beginner, like me, anyway!) My mum is always saying we should eat more salad and have it for lunch and dinner, and don't get me wrong I do love it but sometimes get tired of having the same old salad everyday. So I have decided to spice it up a bit and make a bit more of an actual dish and great a delicious spicy sauce to go with it (I don't put spice in but I think the garlic and ginger add that for me!). I think this is the perfect way to make that salad that you love to eat even better and more filling!

Very mushy avocado - just the way I like it! 

Just to be clear - around this much cabbage! :)

Ingredients 

(Serves 1 - or if having as a side dish it would serve 2) 

• Two handfuls of Romaine Lettuce
• 2 slices of white cabbage (I don't really know how much this is in grams or anything so it just means slice two thin slices off the cabbage - the way you would cut two slices of bread!) 
• 1 medium carrot 
• 1/2 a very ripe avocado (I like mine when the sides of the avocado are already going mushy - but don't worry you can have yours normally!) 
• 8 bite-size cubes of tofu (you can make your own here) 
• 1/2 tbs of teriyaki sauce 
• 1 tsp of sesame oil 
• 3tbs of water 
• 1 tbs of bread crumbs (or for gluten free people use rice crumbs) 
• 1/2 tbs of buckwheat flour 

For the sauce:

• 2 tsp of tahini (if you really don't like tahini use almond butter - my sister hates it so I have to substitute this in for her - don't worry it will taste just as good!) 
• 2 tbs of miso paste 
• 3 1/2 tbs of teriyaki sauce 
• 1 tbs of tamari 
• 1 tsp of raw ginger (minced) 
• 1 clove of garlic 
• 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar 
• Optional: 1 tbs of water - to make it more runny 

Method 

1. Mix the water, teriyaki and sesame oil (in the first list of ingredients - not sauce ingredients) together in a sauce pan over a medium heat 
2. When hot add the cubes of tofu - keep turning them over for around 5mins 
3. Add to the saucepan the rice crumbs and buckwheat flour and stir in with the tofu - all the water should now be gone from the pan. Stir for 2mins and then take off heat and let cool.
4. While cooling cut up all the salad ingredients and put into the bowl that you are going to eat it out of. Make sure to cut up the carrot stick thin and the avocado, I usually, cut into strips. I start by making a bed first with the lettuce, then add the cabbage, carrot and avocado on top of the lettuce. 
5. Now to make the sauce add all the ingredients to a mini food processor or bullet blender and blend until smooth. 
6. Add the tofu on top of the salad bed and drizzle over the ginger and teriyaki sauce. 
7. Enjoy! You can serve this with or without sprouts (as you can see from the picture I served it with sprouts)

BEST RAW LASAGNE with humous and sprouts

I am not raw vegan but have started to dabble in trying it out - I have been looking at different raw vegan blogs and found that many make raw lasagne with courgette. I devised my own raw lasagne with whatever I could find in my fridge and it was ABSOLUTELY delicious! I couldn't believe how good it was! Before deciding to become vegan I REALLY LOVED lasagne bursting with lamb and cheese (totally anti - vegan!), but I don't know if it is just because my pallete has change or what, but this was just as good and really hit the spot.

I like to make my leftovers into mini sushi wraps - you get two recipes in one!

It even, sort of looks like lasagne while you eat it! 

Even my sister, who has not gone vegan, really really liked it! She didn't like the raw spaghetti and said this was 100 times better, she even gave the meal a 10/10! (Normally she is a lot harsher - she gave the raw spaghetti a 4/10!) So if you didn't like the raw spaghetti (I really liked the raw spaghetti but as my sister didn't I realise it is not to some people's taste) then you might like this as a good replacement! :)

Now if you are a serious raw vegan you can use sprouted chickpeas, but as I am not I used canned. 

Ingredients 

For the Lasagne pasta 

• 1 courgette, cut into very thin slices length ways (use a julienne) - to make this easier I put the courgette into the freezer for 20mins to firm up - but you don't have to do this!

For the tomato humous

• 2 tbs of tomato puree 
• 1 large tomato 
• 2 cherry tomatos
• 1/4 of a can of chickpeas 
• 1/2 tbsp of tahini 
• 1 tsp of lemon juice 
• 1 1/2 tsp of tamari / soy sauce 

For the Sweet ginger miso humous 

• 1/2 tbs of the tomato humous (from the recipe before)
• 1/2 a finely chopped onion 
• 1/4 can of chickpeas 
• 1/2 tbs of tahini 
• 1/2 a lemon squeezed 
• 1 1/2 tbsp of sweet white miso paste 
• 1 tsp of chopped ginger 

Other 

• ESSENTIAL! : Green (stuffed - optional) olives - these really make the lasagne taste extremely good for some reason (and I am not a big fan of olives!) 
• ESSENTIAL: Tomato puree (It acts as a 'glue' and tastes really good!) 
• Carrots 
• Daikon radish 
• Cucumber 
• Sprouts 
• Watercress 
• Optional: Avocado 
• Optional: Mushrooms 
• Optional: Tomatoes 

Really for these 'other' ingredients you can pick whatever you like - the essential are my high recommendations but you still can omit these too. 

Method

1. Cut or julienne the courgette really thinly length ways (make sure it is length ways as it needs to make the layers of pasta) 
2. For the humous' blend the ingredients for the both in a food processor and put them aside - this will make some of your filling 
3. Cut the other vegetables into small slices (small enough to fit between the lasagne layers) 
4. Arrange the lasagne by put the courgette slices in between each layer of filling - stack in any arrangement you like (see the pictures) 
5. I like to top with tomato puree and sprouts 

Stack it high, baby!

Messy Sprouts :)

'Chicken' (well... seitan!) and Walnut Ravioli

This ravioli is so sweet and delicious that I just had to post it even though it was only an experiment! For this recipe I used the leftover flour from the white water when making seitan, but you can just use extra pasta flour instead.

This is my first recipe of cooking seitan and it turned out really well! My taste testers (mum and sister) said that it was really good so I hope you enjoy it too!

I served mine with a simple avocado side salad

Pasta squares 5cm x 5cm

Stack of pasta squares 

The filling is sandwiched between the two pasta squares 

Ingredients 

(Serves 1 - 2) 

For the Pasta dough 

• All the leftover gluten free flour from the making of seitan + 100ml of water (when pouring the water out of the white water from the seitan keep 100ml in) ALTERNATIVE 100g of pasta flour + 40ml of water 
• 200g of pasta flour
• 3tbs of brown rice flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp of egg replacer + 1tbs of water 
• Optional: 1tsp of olive oil 
• Salt to taste

For the filling 

• 25g of walnuts chopped 
• 30g of seitan 
• 1tbs of SWEET white miso paste
• 1 tbs of tamari
• 1/2 tsp of sesame oil 
• 1 tsp of rice mirin 
• 1/4 tsp of ground ginger 
• 1 tbs of light coconut milk 

For the sauce 

• 1 tbs of tomato puree 
• 3 cherry tomatoes 
• 1/2 tbs of olive oil (alternatively 1 tsp of olive oil + 2tsp of water) 
• 1 1/2 tsp of dried oregano 
• 1 1/2 tsp of dried basil 

Ingredients 

1. If you are using the gluten free flour from making the seitan then you will need to keep 100ml of water in the bowl when pouring out the rest of the water. Then pour the flour water mix into a shallow baking tin and bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20mins. Scrape the dough out of the dish and form into a sticky ball of dough. If not using the gluten free flour then skip this step. 
2. Make up the egg replacer by beating it will the 1tbs of water
3. Mix the dough with the other flours (pasta and brown rice) and egg replacer (+ olive oil if using) OR mix all the flours together that you are using (pasta and brown rice flour) and make a well in the middle. Into the well put the oil, egg replacer and water
4. Knead the dough really well for around 5 - 10mins. The dough should be quite dry. 
5. Spread flour on a surface and on the rolling pin. Break the dough into two balls.  Roll out the dough in two sets, until quite thin - around 3mm (you don't water it really thin otherwise it will break apart in the cooking stage.)
6. Cut the dough into small squares (around 5cm x 5cm) 
7. NOW for the filling: Cut up the walnuts and seitan into very small chunks 
8. Mix all other filling ingredients together with the chopped seitan and walnuts 
9. Ok now at last you get the do the fun part! Take 3/4 tsp of filling and put it in the centre of half of the pasta squares. 
10. Now put the other half of the pasta squares over the top of the filled squares and press each side down with and fork or your fingers. This should weld together the the two pieces of pasta so that the filling is sandwiched between the two squares (see the pictures) 
11. Let rest for about 1 hour on a counter top, meanwhile make the sauce and boil the water (so you don't get bored! I hate waiting for things to rest, but I know that it has to be done :( haha. Maybe do some washing up or make some of my dessert recipes, watch some TV etc. to pass the time! Sometimes I like to do some dancing to my favourite music.)
12. To make the sauce put all ingredients, except the basil and oregano, into a bullet blender or normal blender and blend until smooth 
13. Then add the basil and oregano and mix together. Put in the fridge. 
14. Start boiling water 10mins before you the end of the ravioli resting. Add salt to taste to the water. 
15. Drop in the ravioli in the boiling water. If you are using the gluten free dough from making the seitan they literally have to be in there for around 30seconds. If you are using all pasta flour then they need to be in there for 1 1/2 - 2 mins (I know - not very long, but as they don't have egg in them they don't really need a long time to cook. Also the seitan is already cooked so its all good!) 
16. Take the ravioli out with a slotted spoon and put on a plate. Drizzle the tomato sauce over the ravioli and serve! 
17. I would serve with a side salad if you are using this recipe for two people, however if you are only making it for yourself then you won't really need one. 

Wooh that was marathon cooking! At last you get to eat the dish you worked so long and hard making!