Cheezy Cauliflower Soup

The day started well with the sun shining and once again it is very mild for this time of the year. Marco and I went out for our daily stroll, it was that warm I considered taking my coat off! We passed the allotments but my plot is still very water logged so decided to leave digging up the parsnips and leeks till another day. I hope they'll be OK! By the time we finished our walk about an hour and a half later the skies had gone black and it had started to rain, so much for the sun coming out to say hello!

By the time we'd got dried off the heavens had opened and it was pouring down, yet another dark, dank, miserable afternoon ahead. So, I decided to make some sunshine in the kitchen instead! I haven't been shopping since before Christmas, and the cupboards and fridge are getting rather bare. But nothing goes to waste in this household, so I opened the fridge door to see what treasures I could find or more correctly what needed using up ASAP!

Sitting in pride of place was a dirty, tired looking cauliflower, that had seen better days! It was crying out to be used so I reached in and plucked it from the shelf, turning it round and round wandering what I could turn it into. I glanced outside and immediately thought it's weather for soup!

Ingredients
1 Cauliflower
750ml Vegetable stock
3 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
2 Tsp White miso
1 Tsp American mustard
1 Tsp Garlic powder
1 Tsp Lemon juice
¼ Tsp Turmeric
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method
1) Cut the cauliflower in half and then each half into 3 pieces

2) Pour 300ml of the vegetable stock into a saucepan and add the cauliflower.

3) Simmer the cauliflower for 10 minutes until al dente.

4) Pour the contents of the saucepan into a liquidizer or food processor, I used my trusty Vitamix. 

5) Add the rest of the ingredients to the remaining vegetable stock and pour over the cauliflower. Blend until you have a smooth and glossy soup.

6) Serve in bowls and sprinkle with black pepper and parsley, perfect for dunking crusty bread into.

Perfect lunch for the dark, dank and miserable weather we are getting at the moment. I don't know about you but dunking crusty bread into comforting soup is one of lifes little pleasures!

Jasmine x

Asparagus Soup

It is the season for British grown asparagus - yay! It's taken a while for me to think of asparagus as a yummy food, but I'm there now. Last year, over the short asparagus season, I grew to like these delicious green spears and just over a year ago today, I posted my recipe for asparagus and garden pea risotto. I've never tried to grow asparagus as it's a labour intensive crop and its two years before you can start picking it! I'm way too impatient for that, but maybe one day.......

Asparagus is pretty good for you too, it's brimming with antioxidents, which help prevent cell damage, and those green spears also provide anti-inflammatory nutrients.

I decided to make soup with the bunch of asparagus I had treated myself too at the weekend, this recipe is super quick and super easy, you just have to give it a go. I could eat this for lunch every day throughout its short growing season.

Ingredients

Splash of olive oil   
1 bunch of spring onions
1 bunch asparagus1 Tsp bouillon powder
200ml Hot water
25g Cashews
Salt & Pepper to taste
Sprinkle of hemp seed (optional)

Method

First slice the spring onions and add to a pan with the olive oil and sauté for 1 minute.

Break off the woody ends of the asparagus stems and chop the remainder of the stem into 4-5 pieces. Add to the pan and continue to sauté for another 3 minutes.

Sprinkle the bouillon powder over the vegetables and add a splash of water to stop everything sticking to the bottom of the pan. Sauté for another minute.

You haven't over cooked the vegetables, they will still have a little bite. Put 6 spear tops to one side then add the mixture to a powerful blender (I used my Vitamix) and top with the hot water and the cashews. Please note if you haven't got a powerful blender soak your cashews in water for 1-2 hours so your machine can handle them.

Blend until you have a smooth and creamy liquid. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to your taste preference, it won't need an awful lot as its pretty darn tasty as it is.

Serve straight away, using the saved asparagus tips as a garnish. Try sprinkling on a little hemp seed too.

Jasmine x

Winter Wellness - Part 1

Winter Wellness - What does that mean to you?

How well are you during the winter months? Are you constantly fighting off a cold or some other nasty bug? Or are you prone to cold after cold and fed up of a runny nose or constant sneezing? Have you been faced with taking to your bed with a chest infection or the flu? There are so many colds, bugs and viruses that seem to be flying around at the moment and I seem to be surrounded with people who are fighting off one illness or another. 

Maybe you're keeping the winter bugs at bay but you're feeling quite down in the dumps. Does the cold and lack of sunshine impact on your mood. Do you dread the dark mornings and dark nights and feel deprived of sunshine? Do you dream about far away shores, where you can almost feel the warmth of the sun on your back whilst you walk along the beach smelling the fresh sea air. 

Maybe like me you seem to have a handle on the attack of the bugs and viruses that are out there and can just about handle the short winter days knowing that spring is only round the corner but you are suffering too. I seem to be having various 'flare ups' of inflammation, bursitis, tennis elbow, sciatica, now that doesn't sound too healthy either does it? I'm not alone either I know of others that are suffering with some pain due to inflammation.

With all that in mind I decided to investigate further and see if your diet can help you fend off the bugs, make you feel brighter and put a stop to musculoskeletal pain. I was actually amazed at what my little amount of research found and I for one will be making some changes to my diet, staying vegan of course.

Today I'll be sharing with you two recipes; a smoothie for breakfast and a quick and easy soup to give your immune system a boost and fight off those nasty bugs and colds.

Over the coming weeks I'll be sharing other recipes with you, which are packed with ingredients and fantastic foods to help with your winter wellness, whether its aches and pains, your well-being or to boost your immune system and ward off those nasty bugs. 

But for part one of this Winter Wellness Series lets look into what foods can help with strengthening your immune system and fighting off the sniffles. 

Foods to help fight off colds include:
Foods rich in vitamins A and C and vitamins B6 and B12 paired up with zinc and iron are the foods that you need to boost your immune system along with less commonly known nutrients.

Garlic - Thanks to its antibacterial and antiviral properties (to name a few) garlic will help boost your immune function. In fact garlic should be a regular ingredient in your cooking.

Onions & Leeks - These vegetables belong to the allium family along with garlic and chives. They are rich in vitamin C and B6 as well as iron, making them a good choice to fight off a cold.

Ginger - We all know the warming feeling that ginger provides you especially on a cold day so it's bound to be good for you right? Its a good source of vitamin C and it has many other healing properties such as settling an upset stomach or helping with nausea. It will help soothe a sore throat and reduce your fever. Ginger tea anyone?

Spices - Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Horseradish, Wasabi, Turmeric, Cloves, Anise Seed and Cinnamon are all ideal spices to help fight of colds.

Fennel - The bulb of fennel is an excellent source of vitamin C, while the fronds are a good source of vitamin B6, so be sure to use both parts.

Red Peppers - High in vitamin C and E, in fact it contains more vitamin C than an orange! Eating foods high in vitamin C regularly will boost your immune system.

Sweet Potato and Carrots - Exceptionally high in vitamin A and a good source of vitamins C and B6. Vitamin A is important in maintaining a healthy immune system and if we do catch a cold vitamin A will keep our first line of defence functioning well.

Mushrooms - Crimini and Shiitake are reported to be most beneficial to your health, but all mushrooms thankfully contain antioxidants which boost your immune system, they are also a good source of B vitamins and potassium.

Leafy Greens - The darker the better, so opt for Kale, which is high in vitamin A, C, K, iron and calcium. It is the powerhouse vegetable and I cook with it a lot. This vegetable also contains all 9 essential amino acids which are required to form the proteins within your body. Get some in your diet now!

Blueberries - Their colour alone should give you a tip to how good they must be for you, in fact come to think of it are they the only true blue food? The nutrients that give the blueberry its vivid colour are known for the natural ability to neutralise free radicals.

Goji Berries - If you're looking for protein in a fruit then the Goji Berry is the one as it has the highest concentration of protein in any fruit. They also contain 18 kinds of amino acids, of which 8 are considered as essential amino acids. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and have 15 times more iron than spinach.

Raspberries - They are rich in B vitamins and are another excellent source of vitamin C, along with vitamin E and iron.

Oats - You probably already know that starting your day with oats will boost your morning energy levels but it will also boost your immune levels too. 

Citrus Fruits - Everyone knows that citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits contain vitamin C and whilst it might not be the food with the highest amount of vitamin C its still a good food to incorporate in your diet. Citrus fruit also has other health properties such as helping to heal cuts and repair body tissue.

Recipes

Breakfast - Winter Wellness Smoothie

Ingredients 

25g Goji Berries
100ml GreenTea
100g Raspberies, frozen
150ml Hemp milk
1 Satsuma, peeled
30g Oats

Method

Soak the Goji berries in the green tea over night.

Add the Goji berries and green tea to your blender and add the frozen raspberries and hemp milk.

Segment the satsuma removing the pith as you go and add to the blender and top with the oats.

Blend until all parts have been incorporated and you have a smooth bright red smoothie.

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Lunch - Winter Wellness Soup

Ingredients 

1 Red Pepper
3 Carrots
1 Onions
3 Garlic Cloves
100g Chestnut mushrooms
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
1 Leek, sliced
¼ Tsp Cayenne pepper
¼ Tsp Grated Ginger
¼ Tsp Turmeric
750ml Vegetable stock
2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
To serve:
Chives, chopped
Hemp Seeds

Method
Cut the red pepper into chunks and throw onto a baking tray. Peel the carrots and cut into chunks and add to the tray.

Peel and halve the onion and cut into half moon shapes and add to the tray. Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the tray whole. Next add the mushrooms halved.

Give the vegetables a good dusting of black pepper and then drizzle a little olive oil over them. Massage the vegetables with your hands so they are all coated in the oil and black pepper.

Roast in a moderate oven for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

While the vegetables are roasting sauté the sliced leek in a little olive oil for 5 minutes then add the ginger, cayenne pepper and turmeric. Stir through the spices so the leeks are coated and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the nutritional yeast and stir to combine.

Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the leek mixture to your blender and top with the roasted vegetables.

Blend until you have a smooth and silky soup. Pour into bowls and top with a sprinkling of chopped chives and a few hemp seeds. Enjoy!

I'll be sharing more winter wellness recipes with you soon, please feel free to share your tips on how you stay healthy in winter in the comments below. I'd love to hear what you eat and do to keep those bugs at bay.

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Caroline from Tea and Sympatico left me a comment the other day asking about the aromatherapy blends I use to ward of bugs and colds. I'm a great believer in aromatherapy and I have found it has helped me in numerous ways. 

I am not a qualified aromatherapist but I have taken a course on aromatherapy blends and I will share with you the blend I frequently use in my home to help defend the winter colds and coughs. 

Please check that the aromatherapy oils are suitable and safe for you to use personally.


Common Cold Blend (for use in a oil burner)
2 Drops Cederwood or Chamomile
2 Drops Peppermint or Tea Tree
2 Drops Eucalyptus

Drop the oils into the water and as the candle warms the water and oils the fragrance will circulate your room.

If you want to use as a room spray, add water to a small spray bottle and add 3 drops of each. Shake before use.

Common Cold with Cough Blend (for use in a oil burner)
2 Drops Cederwood
2 Drops Marjoram
2 Drops Scots Pine

Drop the oils into the water and as the candle warms the water and oils the fragrance will circulate your room.

If you want to use as a room spray, add water to a small spray bottle and add 3 drops of each. Shake before use.

Jasmine x

Specials Board: Carrot and Ginger Soup

Carrot & Ginger Soup and Vegan Mofo Day 20

I woke up to a dank morning, it was cold, misty and drizzling, and do you know what my first thought was? Perfect day for soup!

Earlier in the week I'd managed to pull up some carrots, there weren't very many and they weren't anything to shout home about, but I had carrots, something I'd not eaten for a few weeks. So whatever I did with them had to be good, I'd missed you humble carrot!

My very first year of growing carrots was a huge success I couldn't believe how easy it had been and the taste was out of this world, even my hubby said they were the best tasting carrots he'd ever had! Since the first year, I've not had a huge success with carrots, I've had some, but never a crop like I did in that first year. Maybe I was just spoilt!

These are what I pulled up the other day.

Nothing out of the ordinary, but they were orange, healthy and smelt good, so I'm calling it a win! I could have cut them up and served as a side vegetable but they wouldn't have gone far. So I decided to make them the star of the show and turn them into soup. Because of the weather I teamed them up with ginger for a little warmth.

Ingredients 

1 Tbsp Olive oil
230g Carrots chopped (peeled weight)
1 onion, diced
Small knob of ginger 
(I weighed mine and it was 5g)
650ml Vegetable stock

Method

Saute the carrot and onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

Add the ginger and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes until the carrot is cooked.

Transfer to a blender and blend until you have a silky smooth soup. Perfect for a dank day.

Earlier today I attended a local food festival where the community were celebrating their growing talents by entering into a grow and show competition. As I wasn't part of the local community I didn't enter anything into the competition, but after speaking to the judges I was told that it was open to anyone, darn it I could have entered one of my mammoth pattypan squashes! 

Once the competition has been judged they auction off all the food entered into the competition. I was outbid on numerous occasions but once again my friend came to the rescue, as she did last year! She was the highest bidder for a beetroot and gave it to me as a present! It beats chocolate any day she said as she handed it over. Now this was no ordinary beetroot, just look at the size of it!

The beetroot was the size of my head! This could feed us for a month, easy. As soon as it was in my hands ideas were flooding through my brain with what I could do with it, cake, risotto, pickled, juice, chutney, jelly, ice-cream (?) the list went on. Another friend put in an order for cake, so I can see me being very busy tomorrow with this beast!

My gratitude didn't finish there, after leaving the local food show Marco and I went off exploring into the woods and guess what we found? I couldn't believe my eyes it was a miracle! I just happened to come across a sloe bush and it was full of sloe berries, I couldn't believe my luck! Thank goodness for doggy poop bags, LOL! I picked about a third of a bag, there were lots left on the bush so I could always go back for more if I can remember where it was. When I got home I weighed my bounty and it was just over 400g, sloe gin here I come!

My day of good fortune didn't end there either! On the way back I found a wild damson tree which was laden with fruits, thankfully I always have lots of doggy poop bags in my pocket! I managed to fill half a bag, which weighed just over 550g, so damson jam here I come!

I was chuffed to bits with my little bounty so on the off chance I tried the community orchard which had been raided a few weeks ago. I was rewarded, as I approached a tree which looked like its branch had been broken off and it was just dangling there, my eyes lit up. The branch wasn't damaged it was just heavy with pears! I think someone was looking down on me today! So, not only do I have a HUGE beetroot, I have sloes, damsons and 6 pears! There were lots more pairs on the branch but I took just what I needed and no more. Hopefully someone else will be rewarded too, before the ninjas of the night come and strip it bare.

So all in all a great day, see you all tomorrow!

Specials board: Runner Bean & Rosemary Soup

Runner Bean & Rosemary Soup and Vegan Mofo Day 16

At the start of Vegan Mofo I posted a recipe using my runner beans, but I told you I was a bit disappointed with them as some of them were a little stringy, probably because my seeds are too old. If I'm honest it did put me off them a little although if I keep picking them regularly and when they are young they aren't stringy at all! But on the days where I have forgotten to harvest or have just run out of time I kick myself as one day too many on the plant they seem to become stringy. 

Today I had quite a handful and some weren't young enough for me to eat as they are. As I wondered what I could do with them, I hate to throw out (compost) good food, a light bulb went on above my head. Soup! I bet they would blend down nicely into a silky smooth soup and I wasn't wrong.

I decided to pair the runner beans with a herb and once again I decided this had to be rosemary. The fragrant smell of the leaves is almost like the plant is saying pick me, pick me! So I did!

Ingredients - serves 2 

 
300g Runner beans
(215g prepared weight)
1 Garlic clove
500ml Boiling water
2 Tsp Vegetable bouillon powder
1 Bay leaf
3 Sprigs of rosemary
2 Tsp Fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp Lemon juice

Method

Put the prepared beans and garlic in a saucepan. Mix the vegetable bouillon powder with the boiling water and pour over the beans and garlic. 

Add the bay leaf and prigs of rosemary. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and sprigs of rosemary and transfer to a blender. Add 1-2 Tsp of fresh rosemary and the lemon juice and blend until silky smooth.

As I was blending my soup I also added a couple of teaspoons of the cream 'cheese' with rosemary that I made yesterday just to add a touch of creaminess.

Smokey Pattypan & Tarragon Soup

Smokey Pattypan & Tarragon Soup and Vegan Mofo Day 12

It's just a quick one tonight! I've had one hectic week at work and I didn't finish till late tonight, so after a quick pit stop at Sainsbury's on the way home to pick up some vegan ice-cream I'm finally home. Phew! I couldn't go without ice-cream now I have a freezer could I?

I've got a hectic weekend planned too, but I'm hoping to make up for all that lost cooking time last weekend, sometime over the next two days. My garden needs some attention too and from a quick check this morning there is still lots of vegetables to harvest. I need to get my thinking cap on with how I'm going to use it all. My new freezer is already full of my garden produce!

Ingredients

Splash of Olive oil
1 Onion, diced
3 Garlic, crushed
800g Pattypan, cubed (once I'd removed the seeds this weighed 675g)
1 Tsp Mustard powder
1½ Tsp Smoked paprika
500ml Vegetable stock
115g Chick peas, cooked
75g Cashews
1 Sprig fresh tarragon

Method

In a heavy base saucepan saute the onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes or until translucent, add the garlic and saute for another minute.

Add the pattypan and continue to cook for another 3 minutes, stirring all the time to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan. If it does start to stick then add a splash of the vegetable stock.

Sprinkle over the mustard powder and smoked paprika and stir so that it coats the vegetables. Add the vegetable stock and chick peas and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes or until the pattypan pieces are cooked. Don't let them go to a mush, we want a little bite still.

Transfer the mixture to a blender, you may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. Add the cashews and tarragon and blend until silky smooth. 

Garnish with tarragon leaves and a grind of black pepper

Curried Parsnip Soup

I can't believe we're in the third week of February already, time flies! I've shared the recipes for 6 of the 8 dishes form my February menu and here is the 7th, soup of the day; Curried Parsnip. Be warned this soup is fairly spicy but also flavoursome. If you're not too good with heat then either halve the chilli or omit completely.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Small red onions, finely diced
1 Chilli, finely diced
2 Cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Thumb sized piece of ginger, finely diced

1 Tbsp Soy sauce
575g parsnips, diced
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Coriander
1 Litre vegetable stock

Method

Fry the red onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes, then add the chilli, garlic and ginger and fry for another minute.

Add the soy sauce and stir to combine all the ingredients, it will sizzle like mad!

Add the parsnips and give everything another stir so the parsnips are coated with the fresh spices. Add the cumin and coriander and give everything yet one more stir.

Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the parsnips are cooked. I like mine with a bit of bite, not too soft.

Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour back into the cleaned saucepan and re-heat if necessary. Serve with a little fresh coriander on top and enjoy! 

Valentines Dinner

I promised you a menu for Valentines night and here it is, and its a five course meal too! All good healthy food with a little bit of naughtiness for pudding!

Appetiser: Vegetable Stacks - Serves 4

This is just a pure and simple stack of vegetables with a tasty tomato sauce to finish it off. The best of it is after you've sliced up the vegetables you need, the sauce is made from the remainder. It's a no waste recipe. If you have any left over sauce it can be used with pasta, I'll post the recipe soon. 

This recipe males 4 vegetable stacks so you could halve the recipe if you want to only serve two (after all it is Valentines!) or you could serve the 2 remaining vegetable stacks with wedges and salad to make it a main meal the next day.

Ingredients
1 Aubergine 
1 Courgette
1 Red pepper
4 Large mushrooms
1 Onion
160g Cherry tomatoes
2 Tsp Dried parsley
1 Clove of garlic
1 Tsp garlic puree
1 Tsp Tomato puree
Salt & Pepper


Method

First turn on your grill to high, then prepare the vegetables. Thickly cut 4 slices of aubergine and 4 slices of courgette. Quarter the red pepper and de-stalk and peel the mushrooms. Arrange the slices of  aubergine, courgette, red pepper quarters and mushrooms on a grill pan and put under the grill.

After 5 minutes (or more if required) turn the vegetables over. You will probably need to remove the aubergine and courgette slices first while the red pepper skin blackens and the mushrooms cook.

Finely dice the remaining courgette and aubergine along with the onion and add to a pan with a little olive oil. Saute for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add the cherry tomatoes, garlic and parsley and stir to combine.

Add the garlic puree and the tomato puree and stir again. Cook until the tomatoes have reduced and you are left with a thick sauce.

Remove the red peppers from the grill and put in a plastic bag and leave for a couple of minutes. This helps with the removal of the skin.

Turn the mushrooms over again so that they are able to collect their juices in their middles. Once the mushrooms are cooked pour the collected mushroom juice into the tomato mixture.

Pour the tomato mixture into a blender and blend until you have a smooth sauce, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the stack with the tomato sauce and enjoy.

Soup: Creamy Spinach & Sage - Serves 4

I first made this for my sister when she was suffering with tonsillitis, after researching foods to help heal the illness. The soup is very creamy but light, so it's perfect for a 5 course meal and you certainly don't need tonsillitis to enjoy it!

Ingredients
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely diced
24 Sage leaves, shredded
3 Cloves of garlic, crushed
500g Frozen spinach
250ml Hot water
1 Tsp Vegetable bouillon powder
60g Cashews
250ml Almond milk, unsweetened

Method
Saute the onion until translucent, add the garlic and shredded sage leaves and saute for another 2 minutes, turn the heat down a little you don't want to burn the sage or garlic.

Add the frozen spinach and continue to cook until the spinach has started to break down a little. 

Add the vegetable bouillon powder to the hot water and pour over the spinach. Continue to cook until the spinach is completely broken down. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes.

Leave to cool a little before transferring to a blender, add the cashews and almond milk and process until completely smooth.

Pour back in to a clean saucepan and reheat before serving.

Salad: Chicory, Pear and Walnut - Serves 2

Some people don't like chicory because it is quite bitter, but pair it with sweet pear and a sharp tangy red onion and it's a taste sensation. Well, I think so anyway!

Ingredients

1 Head of chicory
1 Pear
1 Red onion
Handful of spinach leaves
Handful of walnut halves

Dressing
5 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 Tsp Dijon mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

Lay the spinach leaves on a plate and top with a few chicory leaves. Slice the red onion thinly and arrange on top of the chicory. Slice the pear length ways and halve and arrange the pear halves on the plate. Next scatter the walnut halves on the top. To make the dressing, put all ingredients in a screw top jar or bottle and shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad and serve at once.

Main Entree: Mushroom Risotto - Serves 4

I don't know about you but I love risotto, especially mushroom risotto. It's the perfect Valentine meal, with all that love, care and attention it is given while you make it. 

Ingredients
100g Wild mushrooms
2 Tbsp Vitalite
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely diced
1 Clove of garlic, crushed
400g Mixed mushrooms, diced
1 Tbsp Mushroom ketchup
50ml Vegan white wine
300g Arborio rice
2 Tsp Porcini powder
1 Litre vegetable stock
1 Tbsp Parsley, finely chopped
3 Tbsp Nutritional yeast

Method

Fry the wild mushrooms in 1 Tbsp of Vitalite and the Olive oil for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. 

Add a splash more of olive oil if needed and saute the onion until translucent, add the crushed garlic and saute for another minute.

Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes before adding the mushroom ketchup. Stir and add the white wine, cook for another minute. 

Add the rice and stir so that it is coated with the liquid in the pan and cook until the rice has soaked up most of the liquid. Add the porcini powder and stir to combine.

Add a little stock and stir, once the rice has soaked up the stock add a bit more at a time until you have used half of the stock. Add the parsley.

Continue adding a little stock at a time until all the stock has been used and your rice is cooked. Add the nutritional yeast and stir through the rice. Add the remaining Vitalite and beat into the rice, this will give the risotto a shine. 

Serve the risotto with the reserved mushrooms as a garnish. Any left overs can be heated up the next day although you will need to add some more stock or water.

Dessert: Chocolate Mousse - Serves 2

Chocolate mousse made out of avocados isn't new, its all over the internet. I have tried a few recipes but they have just not been to my liking. So, I started from scratch and wrote everything down that I added and I kept adding until I was happy. Once I got the consistency and taste to my liking, I made it again making sure that I hadn't missed writing anything down. The secret to a good vegan chocolate avocado mousse in my opinion is..........sweet freedom choc shot! 

Ingredients

1 Avocado

25g Cocoa powder

1 Tbsp Maple syrup

1 Tsp Vanilla paste

70ml Almond milk

2 Tbsp Choc Shot (heaped)

1 Strawberry for decoration

Method

Add all ingredients except from the strawberry to a blender and process until smooth. You will need to stop the machine a couple of times and scrape the mixture down from the sides. Be sure that everything has been pureed you don't want any surprise avocado pieces in the chocolate mousse!

Slice the strawberry and tweak the top of each slice to make it resemble a heart. Spoon the mousse into serving glasses and top with a strawberry heart.

Happy Valentines Day for tomorrow!