Potty About Herbed Pate - Recipe. Gluten Free, Soy Free

A quick and simple recipe for you.  I a currently enjoying a pate renaissance.  The third time around. The first time I was in my late teens.  Shop bought sausage shaped tubes of it were deposited into the fridge door by my mother.  Once she got wind I liked it for months there was an endless supply.  Eventually I tired of it.  Moved onto something else to slather on slices of warm white toast.  Probably peanut butter and jam, I remember thinking this was such an outlandish combination from a country that was pushing more and more into our lives through the tv screen.  Once tasted I was hooked and became quite evangelistic about this strange edible combination.  The second time pate re-entered my world was when I thought it was ever so posh and classy to serve homemade mackerel and horseradish pate at dinner parties.  And now, it has made a welcome return to my eating sphere.  I came across a recipe by a blogger I hold in reverance Lunch Box Bunch.  The ingredients where close to had so I whipped up a batch. Whoosh, I was transported back to my teens and once again stood in the kitchen moaning with pleasure as I ate hot buttered toast with pate.  Only this time the bread was gluten free, the butter was made from soya and the pate was 100% plant based.  But somehow, the cooking process transformed the ingredients into a smooth pate that had depth of flavour, the peppery 'meatiness' that I remembered and the warm toast, the cool, melting butter and chilled pate were winning combination of textures and flavours on my tongue.

I made it again and again.  Tweaking the original recipe.  I ended up with a pate that packs flavour but is very low in fat and I was slathering with glee.  Rolling it inside nori sheets. Spooning on crudités.  I wanted to share the recipe with you.

I used some heirloom Great British peas with the wonderful name of Black Badgers.  One of our old English beans that the good folk at Hodmedod's have recently revived.  They smell like broad beans whilst cooking. Cooked they taste like a cross between gardens peas, kidney and broads beans. A very hearty, robust flavour.  They'd hold up well in a stew and make a great alternative to chickpeas in hummus.

Aubergine, and thyme herbed pate

gluten free, vegan, soy free, yeast free, low fat

Ingredients

1 cup of dried black badger peas, soaked and cooked (alternatively you can use half can of cooked borlotti beans or green lentils.  I like the peas and borlotti beans best).

1 cup mixed nuts (or 50/50 cashew and walnut). Soaked in hot water for 30mins and rinsed.

1 cup chopped, roasted aubergine.  Just wrap the whole aubergine (eggplant) in foil and pop in the oven on medium heat until soft - about 30-40 mins.

4 tbs nutritional yeast (if you haven't got this then use 1/2 tsp yeast extract)

1 tsp dried thyme and more to sprinkle on the bottom of the baking pan.

6 whole black peppercorns

juice of half a large lemon

1 tsp Himalayan or sea salt

1 pinch of chill flakes

*the original recipe called for EVOO but I forgot to use it and it did nothing detrimental the outcome so..I leave it out now.

Method

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Put all the ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until silky smooth.  It will take about 2 mins.

Dust the bottom of an loaf tin with dried thyme and freshly cracked dried pepper.  Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and pop into your hot oven.  Bake that this temperature for 10 mins and then turn down to 125 degrees for a further 1 1/2 hours.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool before decanting it into a suitable serving dish and chill before serving.

Will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.

New Healthy Plant-Based Vegan Mobile Cook App Available - V is For Vegetable

Today we enter the world of the mobile cooking apps!  I am proud to say my baby, V is For Vegetable was born!



It is a plant based cook app with easy to follow recipes, with step-by-step instructions, wonderful photography and delicious recipes.  It takes the flavour of global popular food culture and makes it healthy.  ALL recipes are vegan, dairy free, processed sugar free AND gluten free!  I really enjoyed putting the recipes together. The first in the series focuses on Berlin. I spent a month in this fascinating city to discover the foods the Berliners enjoy.  Series 2 will showcase the foods of Paris. Series 3, British food.  We then travel around with the foods of Buenos Aires, Mexico, Sweden, the US and more where I have travelled slowly to savour the flavour of these destinations.

It is available for purchase on itunes or android.  Please help to make it successful and show how planted based healthy eating can be delicious and easy.  Buy it and spread the word. 

Leave us a comment and let us know which recipe you will be trying first!

The Whiff Of Spring. A Recipe

A few days of mild weather and I'm grasping onto the promise of spring. 

I've been living the life of a country girl for the past few weeks. Bundled up with a brindle haired lurcher with the sweetest temperament, and a moody cat as my companions.  Frequently the cat is all sweetness and light, brushing up against my leg and purring softly (I admit to taking my time dosing out her breakfast as she does!), or settling on the back on my chair with her left paw gently resting on my head.  Lulled into a false sense of security I never see it coming when she momentarily turns, unprovoked like a feisty Jack Russell and takes to the biting of my ankles.  Sometimes even taking to hissing at me. Charming! Thankfully, the dog is a constant joy.  My walking partner, as we headed out each morning with the mists rising.

The weather turned last week. As the numbers on the conservatory temperature gauge rose I actually got to walk without being bundled in layers, and numerous scarves wrapped around my neck like a supporting brace.  Oh, the freedom.  

The lack of sun and too many weeks of living off stodge, I'm now screaming for crispy salads. Piles of green leaves. Yellow and purple beets shining like jewels. Sweet, juicy tomatoes warm from the sun.  I began to dream of salads.  Picturing the different ways I could prepare them. I do try and eat in season. But I felt a little thrill at the thought of eating fresh, young asparagus and salivated at the idea of roasted beets and blackberries.  I had to give in to some out of season cravings.

I have wanted to make this flavoursome dish since I was visiting San Francisco in January.  As you know, I am constantly on the look out for new products.  Whilst my eyes were scanning the gorgeous floor to roof displays in the uber hip Bi-Rite deli near Dolores Park I noticed a plate of dressed chicory leaves. Fresh boats of gold and green.  Scattered amid sautéed greens and smashed garlic were dehydrated capers.  I furtively glanced around (I'm not used to finding food samples among rows of honeyed olive oils and baskets of broccoli head) before I scooped up a generously stuffed chicory leaf and took a bite.  The nutty oil, the garlicky greens were simply prepared.  Simple and delicious. The cool, crisp chicory, with a hint of bitterness, divine. But what brought it all together was the flavours of the crisp, salty capers.  

It was a few bites of flavours so good. I had to recreate at the earliest opportunity. It is a breeze to make. Just a little pre preparation involved. And only a few simple ingredients.  Lovely as an appetiser or add a green salad and a generous pile of asparagus to make it more substantial as a light dinner.

Recipe for 4 persons.

Ingredients

1/4 cup capers in brine - drained and well rinsed 

2 chicory bulbs

1 bag (200g) Baby spinach leaves

Your favourite extra virgin olive oil - enough for drizzling and a little for sautéing

1/4 cup walnut pieces

2 garlic good sized cloves

sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

A generous bunch of baby asparagus

Method

I used the warming cupboard of the Aga to dehydrate the rinsed capers for a few hours.  You could use your oven on the lowest setting for several hours for the same results.  Remove from the heat when they have transformed into little crispy nuggets of saltiness. Make extra and use them on salads, atop stews and soups or even simply scattered on a halved avocado.

Cut the chicory leaves from the bulb and place on your serving plate.  

Add a little EVOO to a pan and drop in your chopped garlic.  Fry briefly and then add the spinach. As it is mostly water it will cook down quickly. Stir to ensure the spinach and garlic mingle. Be sure not to let the garlic burn. Leave to cool slightly.

Bash your walnuts into tiny chips.

Divide the spinach among the leaves of chicory. It is a bit of a balancing act! Drop over the walnut pieces. Drizzle with your best oil. Sow the dried capers like seeds, and with a final flourish, season to taste.  Serve with a light squeeze of lemon and accompany with baby asparagus. Cooked briefly in olive or walnut oil with as much fresh black pepper as you can stand.

Have you found any interesting and unusual ingredients lately?

Salted Caramel - Creme Caramel Recipe

Because everyone needs a good creme caramel recipe. It is allergy friendly, too!

Do we ever stop getting a thrill from the mocha coloured caramel, shining atop the perfect surface of an orbicular creme caramel? Gently picking up the plate to rock it to a pleasing wibble.  Before, slowly cutting through the dark, glossy top with a fine, antique spoon. Audibly sucking up a cool, flaxen coloured helping of intense, toffee sweet topping that sensually spills over the milky creme like rich satin. Then letting it disperse, seductively, on our tongue, making our heart race a little causing our blossoms to heave like a heroin in a Mills & Boon novel.  Or is that just me?? (Ahem).

Now that I have discovered the delights of agar agar powder (a healthy, plant-based substitute for gelatin)  after dozens of failed recipes using second-rate agar shards, or trying to reduce it to a powder (oft sited in mouthwatering recipes), in a coffee grinder, I am going back over past disasters to recreate desserts that transport me back to childhood, and cheeses that make me wonder why anyone would be anything but vegan.

Creme Caramel (sometimes known by the little less poetic pseudonym of flan, or custard pudding) is but one of these triumphs.  
I buzzed around on the internet and gathered inspiration from a blogger whom I adore, Vegan Richa, and Mihaela, the Bulgarian writer of the blog Good Natured Food.  Hers did not turn out so perfectly as she'd hoped, so I played and adapted her recipe until it was just like the non-vegan version I remembered.  I brought it up to date with that sweet and salty thing we all seem to love at the moment, and delicately crumbled sea salt into the caramel sauce. Lovely!

Ok, without further a do, here is the recipe.  It yields four servings. 

Dairy, egg, white processed sugar, soy and gluten free.

Ingredients

For the CREME

1 3/4 cup Unsweetened almond milk + a dash (for mixing)
1 tbs Coconut palm sugar

1 tbs Xylitol powder (grind granules in a coffee grinder)

3/4 tsp Agar Agar powder

1 tbs arrowroot powder

1 tsp Vanilla extract

For the CARAMEL

5 tbs Coconut palm sugar

2 1/2 tbs warm water

Pinch of sea salt for each ramekin

Caramel
Place your coconut sugar and xylitol into a small saucepan with the water and slowly bring to a rolling boil.  Once the bubbles meet in the middle and it is beginning to smell of rich, sweet caramel, remove from the heat so as not to burn.  Carefully (it is very hot and would give a nasty burn) divide caramel into your four ramequins.  Allow to cool.  Crush a scattering of sea salt into each ramekin (I've even added chilli flakes at this point, I love that surprising kick..but for this recipe let's keep it elegant)

Creme
Meanwhile, it is time to make your 'creme' part of the recipe.  Pour your vegan milk into a medium saucepan.  For this we use half and half of the xylitol and coconut sugar.  The coconut sugar adds a richness but we want the creme to be lighter and not so toothsomely sweet as the sauce.

Mix the arrow root and agar agar powder with a dash of milk, I use a little cup to do this.  Mixing rather than adding straight to your warming milk ensures your creme is smooth and silky and sans lumps!  Add the sugar and gently whisk.  When granules are not longer visible, slowly drizzle the agar/arrowroot mix into the milk.

When the creme sauce begins to thicken it is then ready to slowly pour into the ramekins on top of the caramel  sauce.   Allow to cool slightly and then very gently place the ramekins into the fridge to set and chill.  

After an hour, the creme will have set.  Now it is time to plate up.  I approach this part of the making with part excitement and part trepidation. Get the saucer/serving plate, you will serve the creme on and pop it on top of the ramekin. Gently flip the plate (hold onto that ramekin!) so the ramekin is on top of the saucer. Now put the saucer down onto a countertop and hold the ramekin.  Gently wobble the ramekin a little, whilst keeping it close to the saucer.  You should be rewarded with pleasing sucking sound as it succumbs to gravity and drops to the plate.  If it doesn't, then gently turn the ramekin back over and use a small sharp knife to loosen the edges, taking care not to cut into the edges.  Do the steps again, the coaxing stops any stubbornness. 

Besides it being a kinder, non-animal derived gelling substance, 80% of agar is fibre. It is lower in calories than gelatine, and the fibre from the algae (yes it is a flavourless seaweed), swells up and makes you feel fuller and sated for longer.  
Note* Agar will require a much higher content in liquids containing vinegar or foods that contain high levels of oxalic acid, such as chocolate, rhubarb and spinach (the acid makes it more difficult to gel).

I hope you enjoy!

What is your favourite veganized dessert?

Breakfast Tacos To Be Enjoyed Anytime - Recipe. Gluten Free. Vegan. Delicious.

The rain has fallen today in San Francisco after a long hiatus.  As a British woman far too used to rain, it is not pleasing me as much as it is my American friends.  However, the great thing is, when you are in California the sun is never too far away.  So, today I will enjoy the novelty value.

I thought I'd share this easy breakfast, brunch or 'whenever' recipe.  It was actually inspired by my recent trip to Austin, Texas, where breakfast tacos are 'the thing'.  

It is very simple to create but bursting with flavour.  

Ingredients

1 package firm Tofu
1 medium red onion - sliced
1 or 2 cloves of garlic - minced
2 large carrots - julienned
1 cup sliced portabelo or crimini mushrooms
1 bell pepper - sliced and deseeded
1 mild-medium heat chilli - chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cumin powder
2 pinches of black salt (kala namak..gives a sulphurous 'eggy' flavour) or use Himalayan pink salt. 
Freshly cracked black pepper - to taste
1 vegetable stock cube mixed in 2 tbsp water (use a good stock..some use unnecessary ingredients like sugar, maltodextrin..you can purchase low sodium, yeast free).
Fresh chopped cilantro to garnish.
Limes to enliven - squeeze as you please.

Spicy tempeh or Soyrizo to make spicy crumbles.

Method

This recipes does not use any oil. I grated the onions first and cooked them in vegetable stock so it was oil free.  You'd never guess.
Add the garlic, spices and seasonings along with the drained tofu and mash into crumbles with a wooden spoon or fork. Cook until most of the water from the tofu has evaporated. 

Add the mushrooms and carrots. Stir and cook for 5-7 minutes.

In another pan, cook the spicy tempeh. If you are making from scratch then crumble the tempeh into a skillet sprayed with oil, season and add 1/2 paprika powder, 1 tbsp agave or maple syrup, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp gluten free mustard.  Quick fry until crispy.  Alternatively if you are using soy chorizo just fry without oil in a pan until crispy.

Warm your corn or gluten free tortillas for a minute or two.  Then fill up with the tofu scramble and a generous topping of your spicy crumbles.  

Top with vegan queso, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.  An avocado side would be good as would my/your favourite vegan cheese.  It's your brunch day…get creative.

What is your favourite vegan breakfast/brunch/lazy raining day, recipe?

Haggis Neeps And Tatties Recipe

Christmas is over, my thoughts now turn to the New Year.  My thoughts, of course, involve food.  I've been thinking about putting together this recipe for a while.  I finally got around to it. You can make this recipe ahead of time.

Many myths abound around one famed savoury pudding. What savoury pudding??  Haggis. As the legend goes, the recipe was supposed to have originated from Scotland..WRONG.  According to a food writer (Historian Alan Davidson), haggis was being cooked upon the fires of the Ancient Romans.  Another myth is that the Scots consume tons of the sheep offal stuffed stomachs of farm animals, known to us as haggis.  WRONG! apparently, the English actually enjoy tucking into this boiled dish far more than their Highland brothers.  And lastly, the myth that vegans cannot eat it.  WRONG!  If you want to join in an age old tradition of eating haggis to ring in the New Year in the spirit of Hogmanay (what the Scots call New years eve), and/or gather with friends to eat and be merry for the anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet Robbie Burns each January 25th, I've just the recipe for you.  It is gluten free, too.  It is a great recipe that you are going to love!  

My recipe is made with tempeh. For those that don't know, tempeh has it's origins in Indonesia, here it is traditionally made from fermenting soybeans in a compacted or caked form. It is has no cholesterol, it is high in protein and fibre with a nutty flavour and chewy texture. It takes on flavours well and is really versatile. For this recipe I used a delicious garbanzo tempeh, for a soy-free haggis, made by a company in Texas called The Hearty Vegan. If you cannot get hold of this then any tempeh will work.

Haggis

1/3 cup lentils cooked

1 pkt tempeh (I used garbanzo tempeh by 

3/4 pinhead oats

grating nutmeg

5 cremini mushrooms

1 med white onion

1 tbs cilantro dried

1 tbs chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp fresh marjoram

1 tsp fresh rosemary

1 vegtable bouillon in 2 1/2 cups of water

1 bay leaf

1 tsp freshly grated horseradish

1/8 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

2 tbs olive oil for sautéing

parsley rosemary marjoram

finely dice the onion. sauté in the olive oil.  add tempeh and break it down to crumbles with a fork

add the oats to allow them to toast slightly

add the bouillon, water, herbs, nutmeg, lentils, mushrooms, salt & pepper

Gently simmer for twenty mins. Keep a watchful eye on it, if the oatmeal gets too stiff during cooking add a little more water.

Allow to cool so the oats can absorb any remaining liquid and become drier.  You don't want a sloppy mess.

If possible, pop a lid on the pan and leave in the fridge (or a cool place) overnight to allow the flavours to fully develop.

Now you have two choices.  Place the mix onto foil to make a dome.  Cover with foil and seal the edges and roast for 30mins, cut open the foil at the lid and then bake for a further 10 mins uncovered.

or,

Heat oil in a pan and fry. Roasting is of course healthier and easier, no fry pans to scrub!

It is traditional to eat haggis with 'neeps' and 'tatties'.   The 'neeps' are turnips. This is a little confusing as the turnips are actually boiled and mashed swede. Just boil and then mash with a pinch of white pepper. 
The 'tatties' are, of course, mashed potatoes.  I made a creamy mash from cauliflower, parsnip and potato in equal quantities.  When cooked, about 20mins, sprinkle over some salt and then mash with lots of black pepper.  It needs nothing more. Delectable.

The following day (one of my favourite things) leftovers. Fry the haggis in oil.  Grab two slices of bread, spread a thin layer of vegan butter, spoon on some leftover mash and slather to cover to the edges.  Add a generous layer of the crumbly, crusted fried haggis, and then close it up with a slice of bread onto the top.  You can lift the lid and squeeze on a zig zag of mustard if you so desire.  Get ready with a napkin, it is a messy business, and sink your teeth into it.  The layers of flavour, the peppery swede, the fluffy mash and the chewy, savoury 'meaty' haggis, the hot and the cold things going on, are delicious! 

The perfect New Years Eve or New Years day dinner. If you can rustle up a kilted bagpipe player or two, all the better.

Happy New Year!! Of course, Auld Lang Syne was written by Burns himself.  No doubt you'll be singing it at some point.

As for 2014.  My hopes for thee? That you enjoy a great, nay utterly FABULOUS year.  To assist the deliverance of the nub of my wishes...as penned by Master Burns….

“Hope Springs Exulting on Triumphant Wing.”
― Robert Burns

and Lang may yer lum reek!  (Scottish for live long and happy).