Oven Baked Falafel

The months of summer are what we've all been waiting for after a dark and bitterly cold winter, spring has given us hope of warmer weather and finally the sun has come out! We need to celebrate, after all, the sun may not stay out for too long, it seems rather shy at the moment.

To me summer means salads, picnics, long walks over the fields and through the woods, strawberries and other fresh fruits and the lighter nights allow us to go wild and enjoy the fresh air for just that little longer. I mean who likes going to bed when its still light outside - not me! Summer is inviting family and friends around and enjoying each others company, eating great food and drinking sparkling drinks. Get out the bunting and start enjoying those summer garden parties.

I don't know about you but a picnic or garden party is just not the same without falafels. I know shop bought falafels are easy to purchase and some of them are pretty darn tasty but you really cant beat making your own can you? If you've got a food processor then you have no excuse, these can be made in a matter of minutes. The recipe is super easy, just throw your ingredients into a food processor, roll the mixture into balls and pop in the oven.

Ingredients - makes 10 falafels

1 Tin of chickpeas, drained, washed
and picked over and patted dry 
½ Onion, chopped
3 Cloves of garlic
2 Tsp Ground cumin
1 Tsp Ground corriander
¼ Tsp Chilli powder
Salt & Pepper
1 Tbsp Parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp Olive oil

Method

Place the first seven ingredients into a food processor and process until the mixture is coarse and it starts to stick together.

Turn the mixture into a bowl and add the chopped parsley. Stir to combine fully.

Add the tablespoon of olive oil and mix again.

Take a small amount of the mixture about a tablespoon and roll into balls in your hands. The mixture should easily come together.

Place each ball onto an oven proof tray and cook in a moderate oven for ten minutes. Turn each ball over and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy on their own, with a salad or pop into a pitta.

Vegan BBQ Menu

A while ago Lenny & Stacy from My Vegan Mind asked me if I would do a guest post for their website. I was delighted to and because of the summery weather we've been having I decided that it could only be a BBQ meal plan.

My exclusive menu has been published over on My Vegan Mind but you can also find it here. This menu is a bit of a cheats menu as you don’t need a BBQ to make it or you can prepare some of the food and then just heat through on the BBQ!

Each recipe will serve 4 people plus if you serve along side the salads.

Cauliflower & Mushroom Pops

Ingredients 

1 Cauliflower

16 Button mushrooms

250ml Unsweetened Almond Milk

125g Plain flour

1 Tsp Cumin

1 Tsp Smoked paprika

2 Tsp Garlic powder

125ml Piri Piri sauce

Olive Oil Spray

Method
The cauliflower & mushroom pops are hot but you could tame the heat by using a different sauce why not try sweet chilli sauce if you’re not a heat freak!

First break up the cauliflower into florets and peel and de-stalk the mushrooms (you don’t need to de-stalk the mushrooms its just what I did). 

Mix the next 5 ingredients into a bowl making sure all the flour has been incorporated into a batter. Lightly oil a large baking tray with the olive oil spray.

Drop the cauliflower florets into the batter and mix to coat and transfer to the baking tray. Drop the mushrooms into the batter and mix to coat and transfer to the tray. If you have any batter left over you could always try pieces of red pepper or broccoli.

Bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes until the batter has hardened a little, then add the chilli sauce and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve straight away or when cold wrap in a silver foil parcel and place on the BBQ for 5-10 minutes to heat through.

BBQ Strips

Ingredients 

1 Tbsp Olive oil
½ Onion, finely diced
2 Cloves of garlic, crushed
¼ Chilli, finely diced
25ml Bourbon (I used Jim Beam, its listed as vegan)
25ml Water
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
3 Tbsp Tomato ketchup
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tsp Mustard powder
1 Tsp Smoked paprika
1 Block of tofu, frozen then defrosted, pressed and cut into strips (I use Cauldron – 396g Net weight)*

Method
Saute the onion, garlic and chili in the olive oil until the onions are translucent, turn the heat down you don’t want to burn the garlic.

Add the bourbon, it will sizzle like mad! Stir, then add the water and stir again.

Add the soy sauce, tomato ketchup, maple syrup and cider vinegar and bring to the boil, stirring all the time.

Reduce the heat so the mixture is simmering and add the mustard powder and smoked paprika. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes until the mixture thickens.

Pour half the sauce into a bowl and add the tofu strips. Add the remaining sauce and gently turn the tofu so that it is covered in the sauce.

Let sit for at least 2 hours or longer if you have the time.

Turn the tofu strips onto a greased baking tray and bake in a medium oven for 40-45 minutes or cook on a BBQ turning every 2 minutes until all sides are ‘seared’.

* You don’t need to use frozen tofu but it does give a chewier texture

Aubergine & Courgette Strips with Herb Dip

Ingredients 

1 Courgette
1 Aubergine 
Olive oil
Dressing
2 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Tbsp Chilli oil
2 Tsp Balsamic vinegar
Dip
200ml Soy yoghurt
1 Tsp Cumin
¼ Tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Chopped fresh chives
2 Tbsp Chopped fresh parsley

Method
Slice the aubergine and courgette lengthways. Salt the aubergines and set aside to release the bitterness.

Mix the olive oil, chilli oil and balsamic vinegar thoroughly to make the dressing.

Once the aubergines have released some liquid, rinse and pat dry.

Brush a little olive oil onto one side of each strip of vegetable and place on the BBQ (or you can use a griddle pan) while it is cooking brush on the dressing and turn over, brush the other side with the dressing and turn once more until you have griddle marks in the flesh.

Transfer to a plate and cook the remaining slices.

To make the dip mix all the ingredients and serve with the vegetable strips.

Corn on the Cob with herbed ‘butter’

Ingredients 
4 Ears of corn
2 Tbsp Vitalite or other vegan margarine
1 Tbsp Chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp Chopped fresh basil
Salt & Pepper

Method
Cut the 4 ears of corn in half, if you cut through the corn kernels the core will snap in two if you break it with your hands.

Either cook the corn in boiling water for 5-10 minutes or wrap in foil and place on the BBQ, turning often. If you don’t mind some of the kernels burning you don’t need to wrap in foil.

To make the herbed butter mash the herbs and seasoning into the margarine and return to the fridge to harden.

Picnic for Two

Hands up who knew it was International Picnic Day today?

What a gorgeous sunny day it was too! Perfect for a picnic, unless of course you've been stuck in meetings all day like I have! 

Weather reports are forecasting a glorious weekend so why not make my picnic recipes and head out into the great outdoors? The picnic recipes were supposed to be for two, but when I made them I was feeding four people. All you need to do is halve the recipes if you just want a picnic for two and of course double them if you're feeding 8!

My favourite item in the picnic hamper without a doubt was the porcini and sweetcorn tofu quiche which my sister couldn't get enough of. As you can see from below the filling can either be used in a quiche or as a filling for a pasty, both taste so good.

With all that pastry I had to balance it out with some spinach rolls which were equally as delicious and make a great change to sandwiches.

Picnic for Four
Porcini & Sweetcorn Quiche/Pasty

Ingredients 
110g Jus Roll Puff Pastry or make your own
80g drained & pressed tofu
50ml Unsweetened almond milk
100g Sweetcorn
1 Tsp Porcini powder
1 Tsp Garlic granules
Pink Himalayan Salt
Black pepper

Method
Roll out the pastry if you haven't already bought pre-rolled to fit the size of a small pastry dish. Press the pastry into the dish and blind cook for 10 minutes in a moderate oven. The pastry will shrink a little, but don't worry about this.

While the pastry is baking blend the tofu and milk in a food processor until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Add the porcini powder, garlic granules, salt & pepper and mix to combine thoroughly. Add the sweetcorn and give the mixture another stir.

Remove the pastry case from the oven and pour in the tofu mixture, bake in a moderate oven for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is fully cooked and the tofu mixture has 'set'.

Broccoli & Tofu Tart

Ingredients 

210g Jus Roll Puff Pastry or make your own
2 Tsp Vegan Pesto
½ Yellow pepper, diced
100g Basil Tofu, diced
50g Broccoli, cut in to small florets
5g Nutritional yeast
5g Ground almonds

Method
Roll out the pastry if you haven't already bought pre-rolled and score a border about 2cm in from the edge all the way round.

Spread the pesto over the pastry up to the border you have just scored. Top the pesto with the yellow pepper, broccoli and basil tofu.

Put the nutritional yeast into a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder. Add the ground almonds and mix to combine. Sprinkle this over the top of the vegetables as you would Parmesan cheese. Back for 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

Spinach Rolls

Ingredients 

½ Orange pepper, finely diced
1 Celery stick, finely diced
½ Onion, finely diced
100g Basil Tofu, grated
1½ Tbsp Vegan mayonnaise
Salt & Black pepper
8 Large spinach leaves

Method
Transfer all ingredients except the spinach leaves to a large bowl and thoroughly mix, you are looking for the consistency of a 'sandwich type filling'.

Place a spoonful of the mixture onto each spinach leaf, fold in the sides and roll up like a tortilla.

Summer Pasta Salad

Ingredients 

60g Small pasta shapes
½ Yellow pepper
50g Sweetcorn
2 Tsp Vegan pesto
1 Tbsp Vegan mayonnaise

Method
Cook the pasta shapes as per the packet instructions, drain and rinse with cold water to cool and stop the cooking process and drain again.

While the pasta is cooking/draining, finely dice the yellow pepper. 

Add the vegan mayonnaise and pesto to a bowl and mix. Add the yellow pepper and sweetcorn and mix again. Add the drained and cooled pasta shapes and give everything a good mix to combine. If the pasta salad is a too dry for your liking add more mayonnaise and pesto.

Vegetable Crudites & Harrisa Dip

Ingredients 
½ Orange pepper
¼ Cucumber
2 Stick celery
4 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise
2 Tsp harrissa paste

Method
Cut the vegetables into crudites, you can use any vegetables you fancy really, why not try carrot sticks, babycorn or mange tout instead.

Mix the vegan mayonnaise with the Harrisa paste, add more Harrisa if you like a bit of heat and transfer to a dipping tray. Arrange the crudites around the dip and serve.

To finish off my picnic hamper I also made a green salad and sliced up ½ a watermelon for afters. 

Pack up the food and venture outside, find a lovely spot and enjoy! Marco had his eyes firmly on the cucumber sticks AND the watermelon!