Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Every week we have a curry night at home and because chick peas are so cheap and full of protein, they make for great curry ingredients! This is a particularly tasty chick pea curry recipe.

Serves: 4      Prep time: 10 mins    Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

1tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2cm root ginger, chopped
3 tbsp tikka masala paste (you can use any paste you like according to flavours you want!)
400g can chopped tomatoes
100g red split lentils
250g spinach
400g can chick peas
4 tbsp plain soya yogurt (if want it to be slightly milder)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Stir occasionally for 3-5 minutes until soft.
2. Add chosen curry paste to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes (can add splash of water if worried about spices burning!)
3. Add tomatoes, lentils and 300ml water and allow to simmer for 30mins.
4. Stir in handfuls of spinach and allow to wilt.
5. Add chick peas and yogurt if you wish.

Serve with rice/ quinoa/ yogurt and coriander/ poppadoms...

Have a great curry night!

Tasty Treacle Tart

There is something so comforting about pastry-anything when the weather outside is windy and cold! Firstly, my thoughts are with anyone affected by Hurricane 'Sandy'. I have been closely watching the news and have heard NYC might be without power for up to a week. Stay safe everyone-remember day to day jobs can wait, your safety is the most important right now!

We had a pastry party the other day and a messy kitchen and treacle tart were the outcomes! This recipe only requires four ingredients and, whilst it is not the healthiest, it is very tasty and a lovely treat for these coming chilly months!

Serves: 4      Prep time: 10 minutes      Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

100g pastry (you could either make your own or buy some but make sure to read the labels very carefully to check for all-vegan ingredients...in England Be-Ro Short Pastry is vegan)
100g golden syrup
25g Soft white breadcrumbs
1/2 lemon (grated- to create rind-and juiced)

Directions:

1.Warm the syrup
2. Mix the syrup with the breadcrumbs, lemon juice and rind.
3. Line mini flan/quiche cases with your pastry.
4. Pour the mixture into the pastry lined flan case & decorate top with spare pastry trimmings if you have leftovers!

Bake for 20 mins at 200C, gas mark 6

Then enjoy! Best served warm with a scoop of vegan ice cream.

A taste of autumn...

Vegan pumpkin scones, glazed & decorated. A little bit of my English routes mixed with my love for the oh-so-American halloween festivities.

Relatively quick, pretty simple, very tasty.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole grain spelt flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 8 tbsp. dairy-free butter
• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (tastiest fresh but can be canned)
• 3 tbsp. almond milk (other dairy-free milks will work if there is a nut allergy)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp. ground flax + 4 tbsp water)
• 
  
• Glaze (flavour as desired, a simple melted chocolate glaze would be lovely but I used a variation of spices):
• 125g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp. almond milk
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 tsp. cinnamon/ginger/nutmeg- I used this version and it was fab!)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with non-stick parchment.
2. In a small bowl mix the flax egg and set aside.
3. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients (flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger).
4. Mix the cold dairy-free butter butter into dry ingredients until crumbly.
5. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin, flax egg, and almond milk.
6. Add wet to dry ingredients and mix until a ball forms (easiest done with your hands!)
7. On a flour surface place the ball of dough and kneed a few times with your hands.
8. Use a rolling pin to roll out dough and then cut into 8 triangles (like pizza!).
9. Bake for approx 15 minutes (will differ from oven to oven).
10. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
11. While cooling, make your glaze by mixing 1 cup icing sugar with milk and choice spices/flavouring until smooth.
12. When scones are cool, decorate with glaze and any other toppings (I used roasted pumpkin seeds & chocolate chips as final touches!)

These were really delicious and my harshest critic (fussy little brother) even enjoyed them. They are easily adapted to taste and can be made sweeter/ spicier/ more savoury or chocolatey with little trouble.

The leaves are floating off the trees, the hedgehogs snuggling up. Hot chocolates are brewing and warm fires are smoking. The children are getting ready to brave the spooks of October 31st. Autumn is upon us, my favourite season. So grab a blanket, a piping hot drink & a tasty pumpkin scone; enjoy the season, it's a good one :)

Happy Halloween!

L xo

{Recipe adapted from the wonderful 'Oh She Glows' blog, do please go and check out her fab recipes.}

Last flavours of summer...

Summer is ending, school is beginning and this salad is begging to be placed on the table. Perfect for a end-of-summer-BBQ or just a casual meal with friends. Healthy, tasty and vegan.

Sweetcorn & squash salad:

Serves: 4    Prep: 10 mins     Cook: 30 mins

Ingredients: 

1kg Butternut squash, peeled and deseeded, cut into 2cm pieces

50g pumpkin seeds

4tbsp olive oil

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

Zest and juice of a lemon

2 corn on the cobs (or the equivalent in tinned sweetcorn) 

1 tbsp Agave

140g of rocket and spinach 

Instructions:

 1) Preheat oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Place squash and pumpkin seeds on a baking tray, season and toss with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Roast for 30 mins.

2) Meanwhile, mix 1 tbsp live oil with cajun seasoning and half the lemon juice and brush over the sweetcorn. Cook for 15 mins, turning occasionally. Allow to cool slightly before cutting corn of the cob and then stirring into the roasted squash.

3) Mix the remaining oil with lemon zest, remaining juice and agave. Toss into salad leaves. Add butternut squash mixture and serve.

Enjoy the last few glimpses of the sun! 

Laura xoxo

Cookies. Cookies. Cookies.

I cannot get enough of these babies lately. They are so quick, easy and delicious!

Recently one of my best friends went through a break-up and these were our life savers. I would get a call saying 'I need you. Bring tissues. And those cookies, damn bring two lots of the cookies.' They are great.

(Recipe credit to: 'Vegan cookies invade your cookie jar' by Isa Chandra Moskowitz with a few of my own alterations.)

Ingredients:

110g brown sugar
50g white sugar
120ml veg/canola oil
60 ml non-dairy milk
1 tbsp tapioca flour (can sub with two tbsp normal, plain flour)
1/2tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain flour (190g)
As many chocolate chips as desired!

Instructions:

1) Combine sugars, oil, milk, tapioca flour- MIX until consistency of smooth caramel.
2) Add vanilla extract, flou, baking powder & salt- MIX.
3) Add chocolate chips (NB: the dough may be stiff, if it's too runny then add more flour and if it's too hard, add more milk)

Spoon mixture on to baking tray (about 8 per tray) and cook for around 8-9 mins at 350F. Leave to cool for 5 mins before moving.

They will mend a broken heart, they really are THAT good. (For best results: eat in cosy winter pjs in the company of a great friend.) Enjoy!

Laura xoxo

Autumn, baking & banana bread...

Autumn is finally here! It's my absolute favourite season. I love the cosiness, the excitement of the lead up to winter, baked goods, halloween & no exams! 

Banana bread. My go-to autumn, heart warming recipe. Everyone loves it. It's moist & reasonably healthy but also filling, warm & makes you want to snuggle down under a quilt with a hot coco and watch a great movie. 

Want that cosy feeling inside? Bake this. 

Serves: 8-10     Prep Time: 10mins    Cooking time: 1 hour

2 cups plain flour
150g white sugar
110g brown sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
4 very ripe mashed bananas
1/4 canola/ vegetable oil
1 tbsp maple syrup (can use 2 if want it sweeter)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:
1) Whisk milk & vinegar and leave aside for a few mins.
2) Mix dry ingredients together.
3) Mash the banana and add to the milk and vinegar.
4) Add the milk/vinegar/banana mixture to the dry ingredients (do not over mix, just enough for all ingredients to be combined!)

Pour into baking dish and cook for about an hour at 350F. Check regularly and use a skewer through the middle to see if it baked all the way through- when the skewer comes out clean, it is done. 

Variations:

1) For a chocolatey bread, add chocolate chips.
2) My personal fave: a fruity mixture, add dates and raisins. (about 250g chopped dates, soaked in boiling water until soft, then drained) 

As I said, this recipe is perfect for fall, especially after a nice long walk in the fresh autumn air! The whole family will enjoy and it goes perfectly with a nice warm cup of tea....enjoy!

Laura xoxo

No more faux meat burgers!

Today's recipe is a super easy 'burger'. They are called lentil croquettes and can be served with parsley sauce. Having been vegan for a year now, I've found my taste buds have changed a lot and that I actually don't want to eat faux 'burgers' made with ingredients that taste like meat because I actually no longer like the taste of meat (also it freaks me out when they taste too similar!)

Lentil Croquettes with Parsley Sauce

Serves: 4      Prep Time: 1hr     Cooking time: 5-7 mins

Ingredients:

225g red lentils

570ml water

1tsp oil

110g vegan cheese of choice

2 tbsp of peanut butter (optional to leave out for nut allergy sufferers, it will taste just as good!) 

50g fresh parsley

A few drops of lemon juice

1 tsp yeast extract

(For coasting): 75g fresh wholewheat breadcrumbs

(For Sauce): 200ml Rice milk or dairy free milk of your choice

                     1 tsp corn flour

                     1 tbsp fresh parsley

Directions:

1) Wash the lentils, then bring them to boil in water before adding a tsp of oil. (Leave simmering covered for 20 mins)

2) Turn down the heat and beat thoroughly until smooth

3) Mix in all other ingredients.

4) Shape them into burger like formations then coat with breadcrumbs.

5) Cool in the fridge for 30 mins before cooking for 5-7 mins. 

6) In the meantime, make the sauce by heating the rice milk, adding corn flour and fresh parsley until warm, smooth and mixed together. Take off heat and serve!

Can be served with new potatoes, sweet potatoes & lots of veggies for a great wholesome meal. Enjoy!

Laura xo

PS: I kept my promise...'Becoming a teenage vegan' blog coming in the next few days & a jolly good cookie recipe, stay tuned...until then, enjoy the Olympics! Go Team GB!