30/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 30: Hasta Pronto Amigos y Amigas

Well that's it folks - another MoFo has come to an end and this year was a record year for sure. I've had so much fun discovering new blogs and catching up with old and loved blogs alike. I'll be taking a little break from blogging for a day or two (or 3 ) but be sure to come back and see how the Christmas Cake gets decorated and to see what other Christmas goodies I'll be baking over the next few weeks - there's gonna be LOTS.
So all that's left for me to say is a HUGE thank you to everyone who stopped by and said hello and for all the really lovely comments that were left. MoFo'ers ROCK!
I'm sad there's no recipe for my last MoFo entry but I'll leave you with a photo of exactly what it is I've been up to today instead.


29/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 29: Soy Free Vegan Quiche Recipe!

Been working on this over the weekend and I'm happy to share the recipe with you all now.

Soy Free Vegan Quiche

Wholemeal Pastry
Ingredients
7 ounces  wholemeal flour
3 1/2 ounces vegan margarine
6 Tablespoons water

Method
Place the flour into a bowl and add the margarine. Rub the margarine into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the water and gather together to form a dough. If the dough is too sticky just add some more flour until it all comes together nicely.
Roll out and use to line a 9 inch round pie plate.

Filling
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 leek, trimmed, sliced and washed
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced red pepper
handful spinach
1/2 cup vegetable broth (or water)
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
8 scrapes nutmeg
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups mashed potatoes (made with salt and vegan margarine)
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons black salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Good pinch of saffron threads, steeped in 1 tablespoon warm water

Method
Heat oven to 200º, 400F.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan, add onion, garlic, leeks, peppers and mushrooms and cook on medium for 8-9 minutes stirring regularly. Add the spinach and half cup of vegetable broth (or water).
Stir well then add the thyme, nutmeg and black pepper. Cook through for another 5 minutes then take off the heat. 
In another pan reheat the mashed potato if you need to. Add the nutritional yeast, black salt, turmeric and saffron (water and threads) and give everything a really good stir.
Add the vegetables to the mashed potato and stir really really well.
Place the filling inside the pastry case and smooth the top down with a spautula. If you want to decorate the top go ahead, I use thinly sliced tomato for mine.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Eat hot or cold.



26/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 26: Omelette

A simple vegan omelette made with silken tofu. The recipe was loosely based on Fat Free Vegan's recipe but it's different enough to share. You can use any veggies or whatever as the filling, this one is just mushrooms and the last of Vegan Dad's Sausage (I really must stop calling it that!) fried up in some oil and seasoned with black pepper.

Vegan Omelette
serves 1

Ingredients
250 grams silken tofu (about one and a half cups)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black salt
1 Tablespoon soya milk
Quarter teaspoon turmeric
half a 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
Few twists of black pepper

Method
Place all ingredients in blender and blend for 1 minute. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the tofu mixture before the oil heats up. Spread the mixture out and cook on medium for 3-4 mins. Heat the grill (broiler) and place the frying pan under the grill and cook for 10 mins or so. You want the omelette to be nicely browned all over.
Remove from grill  
CAREFUL - HANDLE WILL BE HOT
Slide omelette onto plate, place filling on top and fold omelette over.
How easy is that!

25/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 25: Vegan Clam Chowder

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American buddies. 
To celebrate I made a very American dish - Clam Chowder! 
I use this recipe from Vegan Guinea Pig because it is perfect and when I find the perfect recipe I stop looking for alternatives, though I did make a couple of changes:
1. I double the recipe 'cos it ain't enough (the given recipe is enough for 3 people I reckon) 
2. I add fresh sweetcorn

Seriously - this is some good shit.
Make it.

24/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 24: Leek and Not So Chicken Pie

This is a leftover pie but don't confuse that with thinking it got leftover because no-one wanted to eat it. No siree. This pie used all the leftovers in mah fridge.
I sauteed some onions and sliced mushrooms in a little oil then I added a minced clove of garlic, some chopped up Vegan Dad's Sausage and leftover carrots and potatoes which I just chopped up to bite size pieces. Took that off the heat while I made my sauce which is so easy peasy it's insane.
Melt some marg in a pan, about 2 Tablespoons. Add a GOOD 2 Tablespoons of regular flour and whisk like a MoFo'er. Whilst whisking I gradually poured in about half a pint of warm vegetable stock until I got a nice thick consistency. This might take more or less stock depending on how thick you like your sauce to be. Then I added a Not Chick'n stock cube and gave it all a really good stir.
I added this to the pan with the veggies n tings in then added a sliced up leek and some ground black pepper and salt and gave it all another good stir.
I made some wholewheat pastry thusly:

Wholemeal Pastry
Ingredients

12 ounces  wholemeal flour
6 ounces vegan margarine
10 Tablespoons water

Method
Place the flour into a bowl and add the margarine. Rub the margarine into the flour until it resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the water and gather together to form a dough. If the dough is too sticky just add some more flour until it all comes together nicely.
Roll out half the dough and use it to line a pie plate.
Add your scrummy pie filling and top with the remaining rolled out dough.
Bake in the oven at 200º for 30-40 mins.
Easy as Pie!

23/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 23: More Pancakes

Yes more pancakes! I've had my eye on this recipe from the awesome Eat Pure blog ever since Sarah first posted about it. Sarah's mum and dad own Ely's To Go in Youngstown, Ohio. JEALOUS!
So if you're in the vicinity go and say hi and if you're not make these pancakes now. 
They are my favourite.

22/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 22: Tofu pancakes

During MoFo my morning ritual is make a cuppa tea, fire up the computer and catch up on all the MoFo'ing that has gone on overnight which, incidentally, involves most MoFo'ers from The States and Canada seeing as how y'all are 5,6,7,8 ish hours behind me. The problem with this though is that my belly starts grumbling earlier than it would normally and my previously satisfactory bowl of porridge just doesn't seem quite as appealing as it normally would.
I've had my eye on this recipe from the awesome Eat Pure blog but I didn't have any courgettes (I'm getting some later today from the market so I will be making this recipe asap). But then this morning I happened upon this recipe for Savoury Tofu Pancakes from the awesome Alien's Day Out blog and seeing as I had all the ingredients I knew what my breakfast would be today.
I added about a teaspoon of salt and lots of grated black pepper and a teaspoon of Colman's Mustard.
I  also used silken tofu instead of firm and I used half the amount which made 6 very delicious pancakes.

My tummy was happy!

21/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 21: New sink



old sink

New sink 

it's HUGE. 
And lovely. 
And shiny.
And as weird as I know it is to say this out loud but I LOVE MY NEW SINK.
What is happening to me?? I'm turning into my mother!



20/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 20: Everything but the kitchen sink!

It's true - I have everything BUT the kitchen sink 'cos I'm having a nice new one plumbed in. Can't get in the kitchen to do any cooking so I think we'll be having pizza for tea tonight.

19/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 19: Cauliflower Uncheese

Not a very pretty picture I'm afraid but the taste was all there and packing some let me tell you. 
I steamed some cauliflower then I made up this recipe - Averie's "Spicy Doritos" Cheezy Dip which is AWESOME on it's own but I wanted to make it a bit more saucier for my cauliflower. So I made a béchamal sauce by heating a good dollop of marge in a pan, added a heaping Tablespoon of flour then added enough unsweetened soya milk until I got the right consistency that I wanted. All this was done whilst whisking like a loon.
I like a thick béchamal sauce so I probably only added about half a pint of milk.
Then I added 3 good dollops of Averie's Spicy Doritos Cheezy Dip, a teaspoon of Colman's Mustard then a good half cup of nooch.
Poured this over my cauliflower and baked in a medium hot oven for 25 minutes. 
This recipe was FANTASTIC! If you loved a cheesey cauliflower cheese in you BV (Before Vegan) days then you will love this recipe.

18/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 18: Soy Free Vegan Quiche

Necessity is the mother of invention so they say and this was certainly true when I was craving quiche but had no tofu. I just used mashed potato instead and it was delicious!
I will have to make this again and actually write down the exact measurements to share with you all. Ahh the sacrifices I make......

17/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 17: Vegan Pea Fritters

Pea Fritters are a traditional British food served up in Fish and Chip shops. I'm not sure if they are a southern thing but I suspect they are because whenever I have asked for these north of London I have just received strange looks.
In most Fish and Chip shops these aren't even vegetarian because they will be fried in the oil that has also had meat things fried in, but not all, ya just gotta ask the proprietor.
The main ingredient is mushy peas but not the tinned kind oh no siree the good old dried Marrowfat pea kind. They have to cooked and cooled then you just roll them into a ball, dip in batter and then fry 'em. This is the batter recipe I use which is also very good for making onion rings too.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup vegan breadcrumbs
1/3 cup white wine or apple juice
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
Black Pepper
Enough oil to deep fry with.

Heat oil in saucepan. You can also use a deep fryer if you have one.
Mix flour, wine or juice, and vinegar. Add enough water till you get a sticky, gooey batter. Add as much pepper as you desire.


Easy Peasy!

16/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 16: Having your cake and eating it this time

Most readers will think this cake is a little tame for me, and in looks I suppose it is. But this little beauty packs it's punch on taste, so much so that there's no need for fancy decorating at all.
The cake is Isa's Just Chocolate Cake recipe doubled up, with buttercream in the middle and then the topping is Chocolate Orange buttercream ganache.
YUMMMMMMM!
The only decorating required was the obligatory 40 candle seeing as my buddy Wayne turns 40 today!

15/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 15: Vegan Stuffed Marrow

I squee'd out loud when I spotted some marrows at the market yesterday- it has been years since I've had a marrow and whilst I was happy to go home and just steam it with a little salt and pepper and a knob of buttery marg on top; Mr treehugger came up with the idea of stuffed marrow.
Great idea!

Stuffed Marrow

Ingredients
serves 6

1 large marrow
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 leek, washed and sliced
1 teaspoon Herbs Provencaal
pinch of salt
8 twists fresh black pepper
Breadcrumbs from 4 slices wholewheat vegan bread
good knob of vegan marg (2 Tablespoons-ish)
1 Pink Lady apple, diced

Method
Set the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Cut both ends off of the marrow about 1 inch thick - just make sure the slices are big enough to fit a spoon in to remove all the seeds from inside - keep these "lids" 'cos you'll need them later.
Use a spoon (I used a sundae spoon) to scrape out the innards so as the marrow is now hollow all the way through

 
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions and garlic gently for 5 minutes. Add the leek, salt, pepper and herbs and cook for a couple of minutes more.
Add the breadcrumbs and the vegan marg and stir everything up really well. Take off the heat and stir in the chopped apple.

Pack the mixture into the marrow, replace the lids on each end and wrap the whole thing in kitchen foil.
Place on a baking sheet and cook for about 1½ to 2 hours.

Remove the foil from the marrow and cut into slices.


 

13/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 13: Vegan Dad's Sausage

And when you've stopped laughing hysterically I shall let you know that I've had my eye on this recipe for quite a while. Having seen a few sausages floating around the MoFo'osphere (do you like what I did there) sausage was calling me and it was calling me now.
I only realised halfway through making this just how much Vital Wheat Gluten the recipe uses and just how FREAKING BIG this sausage is! It was so big it wouldn't fit in my steamer (fnar fnar) so I chopped it in two and problem solved.
For my steamer I use this nifty contraption. It is especially awesome because it can fit any pan from small to large. Cool huh!
So feast your eyes on Vegan Dad's Hickory Smoked Veggie Turkey Lunchmeat.

See you tomorrow for My round-up over at the MoFo Headquarters.

it's not Vegan Dad's, it's mine!

*edited to add
Personally I would add more seasoning to this - it was a bit too tame for the likes of my fiery taste buds. I would up the liquid smoke, add some fresh garlic and either up the soy sauce or add a touch of salt.

12/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 12: IT'S FRIIIIIIIIIIII-DAY!

Me and the family are having a lazy lazy Friday night 'cos we all deserve it. Here's the all you can eat buffet.

We're gonna slob out and watch The Illusionist and totally recharge our batteries after a pretty intense week. A glass of wine or two may make an appearance as well.
Hope you all have a wonderful Friday - see you tomorrow. Mwah!

11/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 11: Having your cake but not eating it

I've made three different Crimbo cakes since going vegan and this one is the best by far.

Christmas Cake

Ingredients
350 gr wholegrain spelt flour
1 tsp mixed spice
175 gr vegan marg
50 gr flaked almonds
1 Tblsp treacle
175 gr light muscovado sugar
150 gr sultanas
100 gr dried cranberries
100 grs dried prunes
150 gr dried dates
100 gr glacé cherries, halved
grated zest of an orange
2 Tblsps ground almonds
120 ml soya milk
2 Tblsps red wine vinegar
¾ tsp of bicarbonate of soda
6 Tblsps (90ml) brandy plus more for later

Method
Preheat oven to 150˚C
Grease an 8 inch cake tin and line with a double layer of greased greaseproof
Sieve the flour and spice together and rub in the marg until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
Stir in the flaked almonds and treacle then add the sugar, dried fruit, cherries, orange zest and ground almonds and mix well.
Warm half the soya milk in a small saucepan and add the vinegar.
Dissolve the bicarb in the rest of the soya milk, then add this to the milk and vinegar mix. It will all froth up and be very very exciting but instead of oohing and ahhing you want to stir it into the flour and fruit mix until well combined.
Get the family (or whoever is around) to stir the mix and make a wish. This is a very very important step and should not be missed.You can make wishes for absent friends and family too, that is not a problem.
Spoon the mix into the greased tin, smooth the top down and bake for 2 1/2 hours, until a skewer/knife comes out clean
Leave the cake in tin to cool then turn out and peel off greaseproof paper.
Prick the bottom of the cake with a cocktail stick and feed with the brandy.
Wrap cake in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight container.
Feed with more brandy 2 or 3 times a week.

I will be decorating this on the 23rd of December so be sure to check back to see it in all it's finished Christmassy glory.

10/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 10: Moussaka ka ka ka


Moussaka is quite a time consuming dish and is probably why we don't have it that often round these parts but we are all truly grateful when it does make an appearance. Drizzling the courgette and aubergine slices in oil and then baking in the oven is the easiest way to do it though I used to fry them all up and that did take an even looooonger time.

Vegan Mousakka
Serves 6

Ingredients
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Aubergine (Eggplant)
3 Courgettes (Zucchini
)

For Tomato Sauce:
This makes enough for two dishes, I usually freeze the other half.
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, diced
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Large Carrot, scraped and diced
1 Celery stick, diced
2 x 400g Canned Tomatoes
5 fl oz Red Wine or Vegetable Stock
1 bay Leaf
Tbsp Fresh Basil, diced
1 tsp Dried Oregano
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the Bechemal Sauce:
1 Tbsp Corn Flour
25g Vegan Margarine (or olive oil)
1 Litre unsweetened Soya Milk
Quarter of an onion
Quarter of a carrot
Bunch Fresh Thyme
4 Black Peppercorns
Fresh Grated Nutmeg


2 Slices Nutty Wholemeal Bread
1 tomato sliced

Method
Wash and thinly slice the aubergine and courgette. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp olive oil over 2 baking sheets. Place eggplant and zuchini on baking sheets, turning them over so as they are covered in the oil on each side. Bake in a hot oven for 30 mins turning once. Set aside to cool.
In a pan add 1 Tbsp olive oil and fry the carrot, celery and onion for 10 mins stirring regularly.
Add the garlic, tomatoes, red wine (or stock), Basil, Oregano and Bay Leaf and cook on a gentle heat for 20 mins. Take out the Bay Leaf and whizz with a hand mixer. Set aside half of the amount for another time, you only need half for this recipe.
In an oblong baking dish place a layer of aubergine, then a layer of sauce, then a layer of courgette then another layer of sauce then a layer of aubergine. Cover this in another layer of sauce then finish off with
whatever you have left which is usually half aubergine and half courgette.
Now to make the bechamel sauce.
Place the corn flour in a bowl and with a little milk taken from the litre mix into a paste. Heat the remaining milk in a pan stirring regularly so as it doesn't burn. Just before boiling point pour into the bowl with the corn flour mixture in and KEEP STIRRING.
Place all of that back into the milk pan and stir constantly for 2 mins. Lower the heat. Add the onion quarter, carrot quarter, bay leaf, peppercrons, cloves, thyme.
Keep sirring on a low heat for 5 mins. Strain through a sieve, grate in some nutmeg and pour over the moussaka.
Whiz up the bread to make breadcrumbs and sprinkle on the top of everything. You might like to dot the breadcrumbs with some vegan margarine then layer the sliced tomato on top.
Cook in an oven set to 200 degrees for 10 mins then cover the top with some aluminium foil.
Cook for another 25 mins.
Serve with a crisp green salad.
Enjoy!!



09/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 9: Indian Nosh

So many awesome MoFo recipes have caught my eye and been bookmarked for future reference but when I saw this Aubergine Tikka recipe from The Stripey Cat I knew what the fate of the Aubergines awaiting me in my fridge was. 
Believe the stripey one when she says "it's delicious, do plenty!" because IT IS!
The Korma Sauce was actually a Balti sauce out of a jar with some coconut milk added and the onion bhajis are from Iceland because they are vegan and they are AMAZING!
Onion rice is peasy poo to make and so is sag aloo.

Onion Rice
serves 3

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion sliced thinly
3 cardamom
1 star anise
1 bay leaf
half a cup frozen peas
3 cups of cooked rice
salt

Method
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add the sliced onion, cardamom, star anise and bay leaf. Cook on med high for 10 mins stirring quite regularly. You want the onion to have quite a few caramelly crispy bits. Add the frozen peas and then the rice and heat through for 5 mins or so. Add salt to taste.

Sag Aloo
serves 6 as an accompaniment

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black onion seeds
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon ish fresh ginger, diced
1 medium onion sliced thinly
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon Chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon of asafoetida
300 grams fresh spinach 
10 boiled new potatoes cut to bite size pieces

Heat the oil in a big pan, add the mustard seeds and onion seeds and cook for 1 minute (pop the lid on here 'cos they'll be popping away like troopers and a hot seed in the eye is never a good look). Add the garlic and ginger and cook through for a few mins then add the onion and cook on medium for 5 mins or so. add the turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, salt and asafoetida and mix up really well. Add the potatoes and coat them all in the spicey mixture then add the spinach a handful at a time stirring well after each addition. Turn the heat down low, place the lid on and cook for 10 mins stirring every now and then.

SCOFF!

08/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 8: Noodles

I've seen oodles of noodles this past week of MoFo and noodles are one of my super quick go to meals when I don't have much time. A nice quick and tasty and nutritious noodle dish gets the thumbs up from me and my family every time.
I re-hydrated shitake mushrooms and added the water from this to make the broth. Along with some vegetable stock, soy sauce and some vegan hoi sin this makes a wonderful tasty meal. Vegetables were: oyster mushrooms, button mushrooms, carrot, scallions, leftover cabbage, garlic, ginger and leeks and of course NOODLES!

06/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 6: MeMe time

These MeMe's are great if you're having a bit of writers blox OR if you're swanning around Alicante with your two bezzies on a glorious shopping trip that involves stalking Johnny Depp's yacht and drinking cocktails. Whichever.

What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegan, but don’t?
Cheese (everyone's answer right??)

What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?
I've always been a great eater and funnily enough the only food I wouldn't eat as a child was of the meat persuasion.

What vegan dish or food you feel like you “should” like, but don’t?
Pumpkin. Don't hate me please. I do like pumpkin I'm just not overly fussed about it. I like it in baked goodies and puddings but it's just tooooooo sweet for me in a savoury dish so I always shy away from using it. If anyone can suggest an awesome dish involving pumpkin with a combo of spices and seasonings that makes it less sweet please let me know. I know there's ooodles of pumpkin recipes whizzing around the blogosphere at the moment.

What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?
Water

What dish are you “famous” for making or bringing to gatherings?
Cakes

Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?
Ummmm no. Not a one.

What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?
Chickpeas. I eat them everyday in one form or another.

What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available prepackaged?
Seitan. Not that it's that widely available here but when I do buy the pre packaged stuff I always ask myself "Why?".

What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get “the good stuff”?
Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter.

Are you much of a snacker?  What are your favorite snacks?
Not a big big snacker but when I do it's either Hummous or Marmite on crackers. Or sometimes both. Try it!

What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?
Tomatoes, Onion, Mushrooms, Spinach, Olives, Basil, Olive Oil.

What is your favorite vegetable?  Fruit?
Spinach, peas, asparagus, mango

What is the best salad dressing?

What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?
Strawberry Jam or Baked Beans depending what mood I'm in.

What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?
Mediterranean tomato

What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Frosting flavor?
I've not really gotten into the whole cupcake craze so I've not tried that many. Bearing that in mind I still reckon it would be hard to beat a Coconut cuppie with coconut frosting.  Amirite?

What is your favorite kind of cookie?
Lemon Puffs and Fig Rolls

What is your most-loved “weeknight meal”?
Noodles and veggies

What is one dish or food you enjoy, but can’t get anyone else in your household to eat?
Walnuts, pineapple and shitake mushrooms. I KNOW!

How long, in total,  do you spend in the kitchen on an average day?
2 -3 hours

How many fingers am I holding up?
2

What kind of things are you doing for VeganMofo?
Reading lots of awesome blogs.

05/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 5: Dolmades

I had these kicking round the cupboard since last October and even though I knew what I was gonna do with them I still had to spend months hours researching recipes. There's a few recipes kicking round the interwebs and I took bits and pieces from a few of them and then just ended up doing my own thing anyway.
I've never used vine leaves before and they're right fiddly little blighters let me tell you. I would love to try this recipe using fresh vine leaves but the type I used are packed in brine and require soaking in hot water for 20 minutes first.

Dolmades

Ingredients
makes 18
2 oz long grain rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 tomato, skinned, seeded and chopped
Few sprigs of parsley
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 Tablespoon snipped chives
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of cinnamon
1 Tablespoon pine nuts
1 Tablespoon sultanas, chopped
1/4 teaspoon of salt
8 twists of freshly ground black pepper
250 grams vine leaves (if fresh boil for 4 mins then drain, if pickled soak in hot water for 20 mins then pat dry)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
150 ml vegetable stock
Juice from half a lime
2 cloves of garlic, sliced

Method
Boil the rice for 6 mins then drain. Place into a mixing bowl then add the onion, tomato, parsley, mint, chives, cumin, cinnamon, pine nuts, chopped sultans, salt and pepper. Mix all together.
Spread out a vine leaf with the veiny underside facing upwards and place a teaspoon and a half of the mixture in the centre of each leaf. Fold both the sides over into the middle then roll up roll up!
Place each rolled up vine leaf in a heavy bottomed saucepan squishing them in tightly. Tuck the garlic slices in between dolmades.
Mix the olive oil, vegetable stock and lime juice together in a jug and pour over the dolmades. Place the lid on top and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour.
Leave to cool before removing gently from the pan and SCOFF!
You'll be glad you did - these are yummalicious and I can't wait to make them again.






04/11/2010

Vegan MoFo IV Day 4: Eggless Custard Tarts

I used to LOVE Custard Tarts in my B.V (Before Vegan) days and had basically written off ever having them again.
Well! Haha me who thought that; because me who doesn't like to give up without a fight has come up with a smakaroonie of a vegan version. Oh yes I have.

Ingredients
makes 8

For the Pastry
125g/4½oz plain flour
55g/2oz icing sugar
55g/2oz margarine

For the filling
half pint of coconut milk
half pint of sweetened soya milk
5 Tblsp custard powder*
2 Tblsp sugar
Grated nutmeg


Method
Sift the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl and add the margarine.
Use your fingertips to rub the fat into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles breadcrumbs. Add some cold water a tablespoon at a time - this took 2 Tablespoons but don't panic just add extra flour if the mixture is too wet or some more water if it's too dry, a teaspoon at a time.
Roll out on a lightly dusted surface and cut out rounds to fit your muffin pan (I have a trusty mug I use for this which is the perfect size).
Heat oven to 2ooº.
Mix the two milks together in a jug.
In a bowl place the custard powder and sugar and mix into a smooth paste with a little of the milk mixture. Heat the remaining milk to nearly boiling and pour onto the custard mix stirring all the time. Return to the saucepan and bring to a gentle boil stirring continuously. Leave to cool stirring every few minutes to prevent a skin from forming and then pour into each pastry round.
Grate some nutmeg on the top and bake for 20-25 mins.
Leave to cool - this is important as it firms the custard up just nicely.




*Custard powder is basically corn starch and yellow colouring so don't be frightened to give this a go just because you can't buy the lazy persons stuff.