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.

Specials Board: Mushroom Ragu

The other week I hosted #VeganRecipeHour and it was so much fun. The theme was #veganfoodisawesome and people tweeted in their meals and photographs. 

If you fancy taking part @VeganRecipeHour hosts every Thursday between 8pm & 9pm, and if ever you want to see what you missed VeganRecipeHour's Blog has a summary of the hour.

I needed something quick as I was late home from work and I needed to photograph my meal so I could tweet the picture. As normal practice in my house, the fridge door was opened and I searched through what needed using up first! I had a BIG pack of mushrooms which had been started and the last few needed using up. Not a problem I thought I love mushrooms!

This dish was ready and on my plate in 20 minutes, how's that for speed? 

Ingredients
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion
1 Garlic clove, minced
250g Mushrooms
2 Tbsp Soy sauce
2 Tbsp Water, more if needed
1 Tsp Porcini powder
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Smoked paprika
1 Tsp Thyme
1Tsp Onion granules
1 Tsp Lemon juice
¼ Tsp Mustard powder
2 Heaped Tbsp Vegan cream cheese, I used Tofutti Creamy Smooth - Garlic and Herbs
Black pepper

Method
Saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent, add the garlic and saute for another minute.

Add the mushrooms and soy sauce and cook for another 5 minutes, adding a little water at a time if needed.

Add the remainder of the ingredients bar the vegan cream cheese and black pepper and stir to combine with the mushrooms. You may need to add a little more water, it won't alter the flavour.

Add the vegan cream cheese and stir until it has melted and is incorporated into the sauce. Grind in some black pepper and serve with plain couscous.

Mothering Sunday Lunch

Long time no see! I've been very busy over the last week and a half and I haven't been able to post any recipes, that's not to say I haven't been cooking though, a girl has to eat!

So, without further ado here is what I cooked up for our Mothering Sunday Lunch

Starter: Celeriac Bisque
Main: Mushroom Roast
Side: Cauliflower & Broccoli Mornay

Celeriac Bisque
The soup was as creamy as creamy can be, and was the most easiest soup to make. I followed my theory of the "one" soup recipe, which uses one of each ingredient. You can never go wrong as everything you add is one of something.

 Ingredients: Serves 8-10 as a starter

1 Glug of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Vitalite
1 Potato, cubed
1 Onion, chopped
1 Garlic clove, chopped
1 Celery stick, chopped
1 Celeriac, cubed
1 Litre Vegetable stock
Salt & Pepper






Method
Add the oil and vitalite to a large saucepan and melt the vitalite over a low heat.

Add all the vegetables and fry over a low heat for about 10 minutes until they start to soften.

Add the vegetable stock and bring everything to a boil, add salt & pepper to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree until silky smooth. Serve with a sprig of flat leaf parsley.

My Dad even remarked that this 'soup' was the best tasting vegetable soup he had ever tried! Now that is high praise indeed.

Mushroom Roast
For the main course and wanted to make a roast (it was Sunday after all) but I wanted to create something a little different than I had previously. I've always found that lentils work well in a roast and they seem to hold the mixture together. I paired green lentils with mushrooms for this particular roast and the flavour was fabulous, rich and earthy. I must admit though, when I make this again I will try using two flax eggs, to see if the mixture is firmer. Not that anything was wrong with the roast but it wasn't the easiest to slice. 

 Ingredients: Serves 6-8
1 Aubergine (about 150g)
1 Tbsp Flax Seeds, ground
3 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely diced
2 Garlic cloves, minced2 Sprigs rosemary, stalks discarded
10 Sage leaves, shredded
350g Chesnut mushrooms*

2 Tsp Porcini powder

5g Fresh parsley, chopped

½ Tsp Herbamare

1 Tin Green Lentils, rinsed & drained

55g Breadcrumbs

2 Mushrooms, sliced

* I used my food processor to dice the mushrooms

Method
Wrap the aubergine in silver foil and bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside until it is cool enough to handle. Remove the skin and put the flesh into a bowl and mash.

While the aubergine is baking, prepare your flax egg, by mixing the ground flax seeds with the water and set aside to 'gel'. If you want a firmer roast I would use two flax eggs, so you will need to double these two ingredients.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the onions for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes.

Add the rosemary and sage and give the mixture a good stir before adding the mushrooms. Saute for another 5 minutes, then add the porcini powder, herbamare and parsley.

Add the lentils to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, stiring regularly. Add the aubergine and stir to combine and break up any large chunks of aubergine. Add the breadcrumbs and stir through. Finally add the flax egg(s) and give everything one last stir to ensure the mixture is thoroughly combined. 

I find that using a 'loaf tin liner' is the best method for transferring a loaf from the tin to plate, but if you haven't got any then spritz the inside of your tin with a little amount of olive oil.

Line the bottom of the loaf tin with the sliced mushrooms and top with the mushroom & lentil mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before transferring the loaf to a serving plate. The easiest way to do this is by using a loaf tin liner, which easily peals away from the sides of the loaf and then using a spatula transfer the loaf from the lining paper to a plate .

Cauliflower & Broccoli Mornay
I decided to keep the lunch as two courses and rather than make a special pudding I made a side to eat with the roast. I'd made some cashew nut cheese earlier in the week to use in this recipe but you could use any non dairy cheese.

 Ingredients: Serves 8 as a side

1 Cauliflower
1 Head of broccoli
2 Cartons Soy cream (500ml)
1 Onion
3 Heaped Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tsp Garlic granules
1 Tsp Porcini powder
½ Tsp Vegetable bouillon powder
½ Tsp Mustard Powder
85g Homemade cashew cheese





Method

Grease an oven proof dish with a little vitalite.

Thickly slice the cauliflower and broccoli and layer in the oven proof dish. I started with a layer of cauliflower and managed to get three layers of cauliflower and 2 layers of broccoli, but it depends on the size of your vegetables.

Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the rest of the ingredients bar the cashew cheese (or other cheese alternative). Stirring constantly bring the pan to a simmer and then pour over the vegetable layers.

Grate the cashew nut cheese and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 40 minutes, you may need to put silver foil over the top for the last 10 minutes to stop it from burning.

Serve the loaf and mornay with roast potatoes, carrots & parsnips and a scattering of garden peas for colour.

Specials Board: Spinach & Mushroom Pie

Are you new to Nutritional yeast? Before transferring to a vegan lifestyle I had never heard of it, but now, I can't be without it, which reminds me I must add it to my shopping list as I'm running low.

If you've never tried Nutritional Yeast before, you must give it a go. It's lovingly known as "Nooch" and it adds a savoury almost 'cheesey' taste to dishes. I use it in soups, pasta sauces, houmous and pies, it's extremely versatile and can be added to anything.

The brand I use is Engevita Marigold Yeast Flakes with Vitamin B12 and most health shops will sell it or order it in for you. Of course there are plenty of online stores too.

Today's special is Spinach and Mushroom Pie which has a creamy filling topped with mashed potatoes, perfect for Sunday lunch.

Ingredients - Serves 2

1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely diced
1 Clove of garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
260g Mixed mushrooms, diced
150g Spinach, roughly shredded
1 Tbsp Flour
200ml Almond milk, unsweetened
3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast (Nooch)
300g Mashed potatoes*
1 Tsp Wholegrain mustard

* I already had some left over mash which I used for this recipe, which weighed 300g. You could top your pies with more mash if you prefer. I always make mine with a little Vitalite, salt and pepper and a splash of unsweetened almond milk.

Method

Fry the onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes or until translucent, add the garlic and fry for another minute, be careful not to burn it.

Add the diced mushrooms to the pan along with the soy sauce and for another 5 minutes, adding a little water if things start to stick.

Add the spinach and cook until it has wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the spinach and mushroom mixture and stir to combine.

Gradually add the almond milk stirring continuously and cook over a low heat until the mixture thickens. Add the nutritional yeast and stir until it has dissolved into the mixture. Transfer to a baking dish or two individual portion dishes.

Add the wholegrain mustard to the mashed potatoes and stir through so that the mustard is evenly distributed. Spoon the mash on top of the spinach and mushroom filling and bake in a moderate oven for 20-30 minutes.

Chinese New Year Celebrations

OK, so I'm officially 1 day too late, as Chinese New Year was 31st January but as today is Saturday it gave me more time to create a recipe and try it out before posting. Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

I was planning on making a banquet, but time got the better of me and I only made 2 dishes; Schezwan noodles with vegetables and a spicy kale and mushroom stirfry. I was really happy with the kale and mushroom dish, try it and see what you think.

Ingredients - serves 2 as a side dish

1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 Garlic clove, finely grated
1 thumb size piece of ginger, finely grated
½ Chilli, sliced
3 handfuls of kale, chopped
1 Tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
4-5 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
2 Large mushrooms, diced
Salt & Pepper


Method
Gently fry the onion in the sesame oil until translucent.

Next add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for another minute.

Add the kale and continue to move around the wok until it starts to wilt. Add the Chinese 5 spice powder and a little water if it starts to stick, adding more water as necessary.

Add the soy sauce and mushrooms and stir fry for another 4-5 minutes, adding further water if necessary.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve at once.

Mushroom & Chestnut Soup

Yesterday I posted a recipe, using chestnut cream, which I made from chestnut puree, soy cream, rosemary, salt and pepper. The Brussels Sprout & Chestnut Bake recipe didn't use all the chestnut cream and so I made a gorgeous and rich mushroom soup with the remainder. Now, this soup is very rich and you won't need a lot, just the ticket for a sample Christmas day starter.

Ingredients

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Clove of garlic, finely chopped

150g Chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped

1 Tbsp mushroom ketchup

2 Tsp Porcini powder

Chestnut cream

200ml water

1 Tsp Vegetable bouillon powder

Method

Fry the onion and garlic in a little rapeseed oil until the onion is translucent. Add the mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes. 

Add the mushroom ketchup and porcini powder and give the mixture another stir.

Add the chestnut cream and stir again.

Dissolve the bouillon powder into the water and stir to combine. Add to the mushroom mixture slowly until the mixture resembles thick cream.

Transfer to a liquidiser and blend until smooth. Return to a pan and heat through.

Mushroom Pasta & Stone Farmers Market

I was absolutely gutted that I missed out on the London Veg Fest, I won a ticket too but unfortunately I couldn't make it due to other commitments :( I did however manage a trip to Stone Farmers market which was held over the Stone Food Festival last weekend (Friday to Sunday). The Stone farmers market is the best in the area and every time I go I'm sure it grows by a couple of stalls.

The farmers market is normally held on the first Saturday of every month so the next one is Saturday 2nd November. However during the Stone Food Festival the market is on both Saturday and Sunday. If you live nearby you really must take a trip and see what's going on. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find some vegan food for sale too so I couldn't resist buying it, in fact I spent a fortune! There were your usual vegetable stalls selling lots of organic lovely produce and my favourite stall is the Derbyshire mushroom stall which sells a variety of mushrooms from Crimini, Shiitake, Oyster, Enoki and Porcini. I always buy a large mixed punnet as I love my mushrooms! I also bought a jar of porcini powder, which you can use to enhance the flavour of casseroles, stews, soups or any dish really. It adds depth of flavour to a dish and is a fantastic ingredient to have in your store cupboard to perk up a dish that needs that something extra.

As well as the usual stalls that sell a variety of olives, sundried tomatoes, garlic, dolmades and artichoke selections, there were bakery and cake stalls, Indian food, the usual non vegan stalls and a couple of stalls selling their wares from local breweries and vinyards. A great selection for the vegan and non vegan alike.

My regular readers will know that I'm not a fan of mock meats at all, but I couldn't resist buying a vegan black pudding. I'm not sure that I will try it but I can't wait to serve it up to hubby to see if he notices the difference!

Ingredients: Cooked Pearl Barley, Rusk (Wheat Flour, Salt), Rolled Oats, Protein (Starch, Flour, Protein), Oatmeal, Non-hydrogenated Vegetable Suet, Salt, Barley Flour, Beetroot Powder, Herbs & Spices, Roast Barley Malt Extract, Natural Flavouring. Allergens: Wheat, Gluten, Celery.

Another purchase which I was over the moon with was from the "snoggable garlic" stall, Belinda makes three vegetable/nut roasts, two of which are vegan! Yay! One roast will feed two people although they are sold as single portions. She also sells a variety of olives and dolmades which are stored in olive oil rather than brine so they taste much nicer!

With all this lovely food about we got hungry very quickly and  munching on some garlic stuffed olives wasn't enough to curb the hunger pains. I've not had a great deal of success in Stone with finding vegan food but then again I haven't particularly looked that hard and I'm sure if I were to give any restaurant ample notice something would be prepared for me. But just on the off chance we nipped into Fleur's Tea Rooms and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that their vegetable chilli was in fact vegan!

All in all a pleasant day out! 

So what did I do with all those lovely mushrooms I turned them into a pasta dish.

Ingredients   

Glug of Olive oil

1 Onion, chopped

1 Clove of garlic, crushed

300g Mixed mushrooms, diced

2 Tbsp Mushroom ketchup

2 Tsp Paprika

1 Tsp Garlic granules

2 Tsp Dried lemon thyme

1 Tsp Porcini powder

1 Tbsp Flour

250ml Soy cream

1 Tbsp Vitalite

Salt & Pepper

200g Penne pasta

Method

Add the pasta to boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes or until al dente.

Meanwhile fry the onion in a little olive oil until starting to go brown, add the garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the mixed mushrooms and 1 table spoon of the mushroom ketchup, cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and then add the other tablespoon of mushroom ketchup along with the paprika, garlic granules, lemon thyme, porcini powder and flour. Stir to combine and cook for another minute.

Slowly add the soy cream a little at a time until all the cream has been poured in, cook slowly to heat the cream through and thicken the sauce. Add the vitalite and quickly beat into the sauce with a wooden spoon to give a glossy shine to the dish. 

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the water and add to the sauce. Stir to combine and add a little of the reserved water to thin the sauce down if needed. Serve at once.

Apologies for the bad photo's it was a late night tea and my two bulbs in my kitchen light had blown! 

Thankful Thursday - Vegan Swap Box & Moussaka

It's Thankful Thursday again and the last one of Vegan Mofo, so I thought it was appropriate to do a post on my fantastic Vegan Swap Box I received earlier this month from Heather. 

It was A-M-A-ZING! It was full of vegan goodies which I'm working my way through. If you've not heard about the vegan swap box before take a trip over to To Happy Vegans who organise the whole thing (unfortunately for UK residents only, but I have heard there is other swap boxes organised in other countries). Every month you are assigned a partner to send a parcel of vegan goodies to and in return you receive your own parcel of vegan goodies. It's really good fun and every month you get a parcel to open up and the contents are a complete surprise! Try it and see what you get.

I was lucky enough to get Heather again this month, Heather sent me my last parcel in July (I didn't participate in the August swap box as we were on holiday). Funny enough I got the same person to send to as I did in July, Michaela from Miss Chaela Boo. I'll let you know what I sent to Michaela in tomorrows post.

Don't worry there's a recipe of sorts too! But first here is what Heather sent to me:

• Co-op After Dinner Mint Thins
• Sweet Freedom Choc Shot
• Yu! Jus Fruit Mango
• Hapiness is Homemade Organic Desiccated Coconut
• Naked Noodle - Sweet & Sour Flavour
• Cooks Coatings for Roasties
• Pureety Gourmet Tangy Tomato, Black Pepper & Thyme Marinade
• Itsu Miso Soups x 3
• Jamie Oliver Pink Himalayan Salt
• Greenfields Ras Al Hanout
• Tyrrells Habas Fritas - Fried Broad Beans! YAY more beans!

As you can see a real good selection of vegan goodies, aren't I the lucky girl! I was chuffed to bits with the parcel including something bean like and I've used some of these on top of my leek and runner bean soup as croutons! Yummy!

I've never tried pink himalayan salt before, I know, I know where have I been! That's what I love about the vegan swap boxes you get to try stuff you've never had before. The Naked Noodles were enjoyed for lunch at work and I was pleasantly surprised with them. I've tried Sainsbury's own brand of something similar and I was bitterly disappointed with their version. I shall look out for the Naked Noodle brand as it's good to have as a standby lunch at work when you've forgotten to bring your own packed lunch!

I've not yet tried the miso soup, again this is a brand I've not seen before, but I love miso soup! I've not yet tried the roasties coatings either and I'm thinking maybe this Sunday, I'll try it out on my family. I think the marinade will be fabulous over tofu and can't wait to try this. I'm also thinking of making a bean tagine to use the ras al hanout, I have so many ideas and not enough time! 

The Co-op Mint Thins were a lovely surprise! It's my sisters birthday on Saturday and we're all going to Mum & Dads on Sunday for lunch so the Mint Thins can be enjoyed by all, I'll make sure I get my fair share though! Heather told me that she's addicted to the Choc shot and every time she goes into the kitchen she eats a teaspoon of it. Well Heather, I'm addicted now too! I've not had chance to use it on anything and I've been doing as you do and sneaking a teaspoon of the gooey chocolate sauce every time I make a cup of tea! I've not seen this before so I'm hunting it down, drop me a line and tell me where you get yours from.

The mango pieces didn't last long either they were gone the day after I received the parcel and enjoyed as a work snack. I'm planning to do some baking once Vegan Mofo is finished and the desiccated coconut will be used then.

All in all I think you'll agree and absolutely fabulous vegan swap box! Thanks Heather I love it!

You'll note that I mentioned that I'll also share a recipe (of sorts) with you today and I'm using some left over from yesterdays meal. As I have no freezer and I'm the only vegan in this household (although Marco is heading that way, he loves his veggies) I only made one portion of the aubergine and bean rolls which meant I had a lot of the aubergine, mushroom and butter bean filling left. I also still had some of the sweet potato "cheese" sauce left over so I put my thinking cap on and decided there was only one thing for it a moussaka.

All I did was slice up another aubergine, yes I bought another one! This is progress! Give an oven proof dish a quick spray of olive oil and add a layer of aubergine slices. Top with some of the aubergine, mushroom and butter bean filling and repeat finishing with a third layer of aubergine slices. Top with a layer of the sweet potato "cheese" sauce and then a layer of thinly sliced potatoes. Finish with another layer of the sauce and bake in a pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

I served mine with chips (naughty I know) and peas, and I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. I even went back for another taste as I couldn't believe how good it tasted. I will make this time and time again, its that good!

Apologies for the photo, it doesn't do the dish justice at all, but I was way too hungry and way too excited to try the moussaka, to faff around with photographing it! 

In other news, my sister won a cake decorating competition today! Yay! Go sis! I shall ask her if I can publish a photo of the cake and share it with you all. It was fantastic and shaped like a watering can, yep 3D and all!

Mushroom Tart

Yesterday I made a summer vegetable pie and I didn't quite use all the puff pastry. I thought I'd used half in the pie but it appears that I'd used most of it as there was only a quarter of the pastry left. I still had some mushrooms and a jar of vegan pesto that needed using up so tonight dinner was an easy decision. Mushroom tart. This is a very simple recipe that relies on a good quality vegan pesto, in this instance I used zest.

Ingredients
80g Puff pastry
2 Tsp Zest pesto
200g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
1 onion, finely sliced
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Method
I rolled the pastry out a little thinner to make the base for the tart and scored about a centimetre in from the edge all around. The inside rectangle I brushed on the vegan pesto and popped it in the oven to start cooking. After about 5 minutes remove from the oven and rest whilst you make the mushroom topping.

To make the mushroom topping saute the onion in a little olive oil over a low heat, you don't want to brown the onion, just soften it. When the onion is translucent add the mushrooms and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add the pesto and stir to combine, add the salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture to the middle rectangle of the pastry and put back in the oven to bake for about 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

As I slid mine of the baking sheet it broke in half! It was still delicious though.

Mushroom Pasta

Today I wanted something simple for lunch and after doing the rounds of some of my favourite vegan bloggers I came across Maple Spice's recipe for Mushroom Pasta. Her photographs wanted me to cook and eat it straight away. I just wish she had been in my kitchen making it for me herself! I still feel pretty lousy and having my own personal chef would have been perfect, but no such luck!

After checking my cupboards for the ingredients, I soon realised that to make her recipe would have been impossible, I had no soy, rice, coconut or almond milk! But what I did find lurking in my cupboards was a packet of vegan cheese sauce powder,which I bought when I first tried veganism 3 years ago! 

My mind was set on mushroom pasta, so I boiled up some wholewheat pasta and made up some cheese sauce according to the instructions on the packet, which just required water. But I also added garlic granules, nutritional yeast and parsley to the sauce, as per Maple Spice recipe. I also added some garlic puree to the sauce too for that extra garlicky loveliness.  Meanwhile I fried 2 field mushrooms in a little vitalite and once cooked added some cooked frozen peas. Once the pasta was cooked I added to the mushrooms and poured over the cheese sauce. The cheese sauce was extremely thick (even though I added the recommended amount of water) so I also added about half of the pasta water to loosen everything up. 

The verdict: it wasn't the greatest cheese sauce in the world but the added parsley and garlic made it edible! As soon as I've been shopping I will try the recipe of Maple Spice, because it does look so tasty.

Spinach, Red Pepper & Mushroom Tofumlette

Carrying on my theme of cooking with the top five nutritional vegetables, I decided a tofumlette was the perfect breakfast this morning. This looks a bit like an omelette but uses tofu instead of eggs, hence the name.  

I needed something substantial as hubby and I had decided, as the weather was nice we would clear out the garage. This has needed doing for some time and I'm happy to report it is done! The car is loaded to the brim with stuff to take to the tip, mainly old boxes and cardboard! Now the garage is clear, we intend to keep it that way! I wonder how long that will last.

This recipe makes three good size tofumlettes, after making one two this morning I stored the remainder of the mixture in a beaker in the fridge, ready to go for another morning.

Ingredients
1 packet tofu
1¼ Cup soy milk (unsweetened)
½ Cup gram flour
3 Tbs nutritional yeast
2 Tsp arrowroot
2 Garlic cloves, minced
½ Tsp tumeric
¼ Tsp salt
¼ Tsp ground black pepper
½ red pepper
Handful of spinach
5-6 Mushrooms
Tomato salsa

Method
First of all blend the ingredients for the tofumlette. Break up the tofu into a food processor I use, Cauldron Original Tofu and add the soy milk, gram flour, nutritional yeast, arrowroot, garlic, tumeric, salt & pepper and blend until smooth, until the mixture is thick like yoghurt. Pour into a jug or spouted bowl.

Finely chop the red pepper and mushrooms and finely shred the spinach and add to the mixture, stir to combine thoroughly. Get your frying pan really hot and add a little olive oil, I used a kitchen towel to wipe the oil over the bottom of the pan. When the pan is smoking hot add 2-3 ladles of the mixture and smooth out, so the mixture is even. Leave to cook, try hard not to prod and poke it, otherwise you will end up with scrambled tofu instead. I'm speaking from experience the first one I did ended up just like that, hence the second photograph is a different shaped tofumlette to the first! After about 3 minutes take a sneaky peak and if the edges are starting to brown and the the top looks almost set, quickly flip, patching up if needed! Squash it down with a spatula and cook for a further 2 minutes. Slide onto a plate and spread tomato salsa over the top if desired.