I never realised how useful it would be to have a jar of stock in my fridge, that is until I made it. I was always an instant gravy kind of gal, but when I ran out of my trusty quick fix a few weeks ago, I had no option but to make it from scratch. Thankfully, it was around the same time I was making a batch of curried butternut and lentil soup too (similar recipe here) so I had a whole bunch of flavours that I could add to the stock. Continue reading “Everyday Vegetable Stock”
Quick & Easy Caramel Sauce
As a vegetarian, I had tried many times to make my own caramel sauce and failed each time – you would think heating sugar and fat into a beautiful golden sauce would be easy. However, I would always be left with bitter disappointment and a pot of inedible, sweet, curdled milk. Continue reading “Quick & Easy Caramel Sauce”
Basic Vegan Custard
I don’t know if this is only a British thing, but as a Brit I can say that we do love our custard here. It was a main condiment, for me, as a child and I would slather it over all of my Nannas’, homemade pies and tarts.
After I went vegan, I started to crave apple crumble and custard all the time and I quickly started to feel jealously towards my younger-self, who would hungrily pour it over everything. Continue reading “Basic Vegan Custard”
Pasta in a Basil Cream Sauce
Just like the majority of the world, I adore pasta and it has taken me a long time to fully feel comfortable eating this carby meal once again. But, I think we can all agree that there is nothing better than to cwtch up after a long day and indulge in a big bowl of pasta; especially as Autumn is just around the corner and those dreary evenings are fast approaching
My favourite pasta dish has always been cream-based with lots of garlic and basil: it’s rich, indulgent and satisfying and makes me one very happy welsh girl. Thankfully, going vegan didn’t mean that I had to sacrifice on any of my favourite foods which is why I can still enjoy this creamy pasta as a vegan. Top it off with some vegan cheese and a side of homemade garlic bread and you have yourself a delicious vegan meal that would satisfy any carb craving
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 2 Cups Fusilli Pasta (or any other pasta with texture)
- 1/2 Carton Soy Cream
- 250ml Dairy Free Milk (I used Cashew)
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Dry Basil
- 4 Sundried Tomatoes
- 250g Cooked Broccoli
- 2 Cups Fresh Spinach
- 1/2 Large White Onion
- 2 Tsp Cornflour
- 4 Tbsp Cold Water
- 1/2 Vegetable Stock Cube
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- Salt to Taste
- Fresh Basil For Garnish (optional)
Directions
Start by boiling the pasta and broccoli per instructions on the packet and cook until its to your satisfaction.
While you’re waiting for the pasta to boil, heat a sautee, or frying pan on a medium heat.
Peel and finely chop both the white onion and garlic; spray the pan with a little low-fat cooking spray and toss the chopped ingredients into the hot pan — proceed to cook both the onion and garlic until they start to soften.
Now you can add the soy cream, milk, stock cube, basil and two cups of pasta water to the pan and cook for 5 minutes – make sure you stir occasionally.
Place the two teaspoons of cornflour into a cup and combine it with the cold water; before stirring it through the cream sauce to thicken. Leave the sauce to simmer for 5 minutes on a medium heat – stir occasionally
Lastly, cut up the sundried tomatoes and combine the remaining ingredients and pasta with the cream sauce.
For more vegan ideas follow me on Instagram
For a full day of eating as a vegan – check out my short video on Youtube 🙂
Mixed Nut & Maple Granola
I never actually buy, or eat granola. It wasn’t something that we ever had in the house growing up, so I never became accustomed to the sugary cereal. However, I have made homemade granola twice over the last year and I always wonder why I never make it more often – It’s quick, easy, and it’s great as a crunchy topper for fruit bowls, or vegan ice cream – which is exactly what I needed today for my melon bowl. It was delicious – full of flavour, healthy fats and it added that extra pizzazz to an otherwise boring melon.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
- 1/4 Cup Pecans
- 1/4 Cup Almonds & Brazil Nuts
- 2 Tbsp Pumpkin Seeds
- 2 Tbsp Goji Berries
- 65g Apple Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 4 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 Tsp Cinnamon
Directions
Pre-Heat oven to 185c (Fan Assisted)
Crush the nuts into smaller pieces using a pestle and mortar, or roughly chop them with a knife.
Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan or microwave and stir all of the ingredients through the oil, making sure to coat everything evenly.
Spray a baking sheet or tray with low fat spray and spread the granola mixture onto the tray.
Pop the granola into the oven and bake for 20 mins. You will need to turn the granola with a spoon, every so often, so that the nuts and berries don’t burn.
Remove the granola from the oven and leave to cool completely, before storing in an airtight container. The granola will get crunchy when cool.
Tip: For an extra indulgent snack, stir melted dark chocolate through the granola and store in the fridge.
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Mexican-Style Nacho Burgers
Do you often find yourself debating whether or not to pick up those frozen veggie burgers, whenever you come to the frozen aisle in a supermarket? I’m a sucker for it. I love veggie burgers and after 10 years of eating only veggie burgers (no meat), you’d think I’d be sick of them by now, but I’m not. They hold a special place in my ice cold heart and they probably always will.
Garlic n Herb ‘Cream’ Cheez
Around 15 years ago, when I was the tender age of twelve, my family and I travelled to Spain by car: to Dover, over to Calais, through France and eventually we got to Spain three days after leaving Wales. My sister and I loved it. It was an experience we would never forget. Continue reading “Garlic n Herb ‘Cream’ Cheez”
Blueberry Choc Chip & Lemon Banana Pancakes
I rarely ever had luck with normal pancakes, let alone vegan pancakes: too thin, too flimsy, too fragile; the list of faults I’ve had with pancakes over the years is endless. Not to mention that they are also too time consuming.
Today however, all that changed. Today I made pancakes and they were none of the above.They were a success.Yes. You heard right – successful pancakes made by yours truly – the pancake assassinator.
I was shocked. I was so shocked that I may have squealed with delight and gave my back a cheerful pat, when I saw my pancake success rate keep going up – 6 whole pancakes and not a broken one in sight.
So obviously I had to share the recipe.
It all started when I watched Sophia Devita’s recent vlog on YouTube – she was making Oreo choc chip pancakes and while those pancakes looked delicious, I was focusing more on her pancake making technique and how she managed to successfully make these delicious looking pancakes with banana – she mashed it. That was it. That’s exactly where I was going wrong all these years. I wasn’t mashing the banana, I was pureeing the s*it out of it, in a food processor. Now, it all made sense.
And that my friends, is how these successful pancakes were born – thank you Sophia Devita 🙏🏻
Makes 5-6 Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup (50g) – Self Rising or Oat Flour ( I used SR)
- 1 Banana
- 1/2 Cup Blueberries
- 1 Lemon
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) Dairy Free Milk
- 1/3 Cup (45g) Alpro Vanilla Soy Yoghurt
- 1 Tbsp Tapicoa Starch or Cornflour ( Tapioca = Arrowroot)
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tbsp Sweetener of Choice ( I used raw cane sugar)
- Low Fat Cooking Spray
Directions
If you are using oat flour, blitz the rolled oats in a food processor until you have a powder/flour.
Add all of the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk with a fork or ballon whisk to remove any lumps.
Next, mash the banana with the back of a fork and combine it, with the dry ingredients. Add the remaining wet ingredients to the batter and combine until you have a smooth batter.
NB: If the batter is too thick, add a little more water – too thin add more starch or flour.
Lastly, fold the chocolate and blueberries gently through the pancake batter, until evenly distributed.
Now heat a frying pan, or skillet on a medium heat and when hot enough, spray with cooking spray, add three tbsps of pancake batter to the centre of the frying pan, cover with a lid or plate and leave to cook for two- three minutes. Remove lid, flip the pancake and cook for another three minutes.
Continue this method until all pancakes have been cooked.
You can serve plain with vegan butter and syrup, or add some stewed berries too.
Follow me on Instagram for more vegan ideas.
Apple, Raisin & Blueberry Pots
I think the majority of my recipes are healthier vegan, or vegetarian versions of my childhood and this recipe is no different: apple, raisin and blueberry crumble.If you are a Brit and had school dinners at primary school, then I’m sure you’d have had some sort of crumble along with custard, as your ‘afters’ too. I loved it. Which is why I decided to make some myself.
The apples I used are just standard apples from the store. Although, I can’t wait until the autumn when I can get some fresh cooking apples from my aunties next-door neighbour, to bake with. The crumble topping was taken from my vegetarian protein peach crumble squares here and modified to make it vegan.
Ingredients
- 4 Medium Apples
- 1/4 Cup Raisins
- 1 Cup Blueberries
- 1 Cup Rolled Oats
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
- 30g Vegan Butter (koko dairy free spread)
- 1/2 Cup Sweetener
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 170c (fan assisted)
Blend half of the rolled oats in a food processor, to form a flour/powder, then add the oat flour, coconut flour, cinnamon and sweetener into a bowl and whisk together to remove any lumps.
Next, peel, core and finally chop the apples into small chunks, before placing them into ramekins or an oven dish; along with the raisins and blueberries.
Add 1/4 cup of water to the fruit, cover the dish with foil and place into the oven for 40 minutes.
When the fruit has cooked, drizzle with the maple syrup and add the crumble topping, be sure to push the crumble on to the fruit with a spoon or your hands and then pop back into the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until the crumble has browned.
Now all that’s left is to serve with some vegan custard or coconut cream. You can even switch out the apples, blueberries and raisins for some summer berries or whatever your little heart desires.
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‘Cheezy’ Rissoles
I pretty much grew up eating Franco’s fish ‘n’ chips down on Aberavon seafront and I know anyone who reads this, who has also experienced the creamy, deep fried chip that Franco’s offer will agree they are the best chips ever. I’ve often found myself eating chips in other places, both in the U.K and abroad and comparing them to the humble chip at Franco’s and none of them are as good. Even now while I write this I can taste the distinctive flavour of their fatty product and all I want to do is rush out and get me some.
However, this post isn’t about Franco’s chips, this post isn’t even about Aberavon, it is about rissoles and one which was inspired by the cheesy rissole that Franco’s offer.
As the cheesy rissole is the only vegetarian option Franco’s make, I’ve found myself enjoying one many a time with a side of chips; staring aimlessly out over the oil slicked waves to Swansea, savouring every mouthful of that deliciousness.
Now that dairy no longer agrees with my me and I’m vegan, I decided to try and make my own vegan Cheezy rissoles in the hope I could recreate that delightful treat I’ve enjoyed many times over the years as a vegetarian.Obviously my vegan rissoles aren’t as good as Franco’s rissoles and rightly so: creamy, cheesy and deep fried, I was never going to achieve that. However, they still didn’t disappoint my hungry tastebuds.
Ingredients
- 1000g White Potato
- 200g White Onion or Leek (finely chopped)
- 1/3 Cup Nutritional Yeast
- 125ml Non- GMO Soy Milk
- 30g Margarine
- 100g Vegan Cheese (optional)
- 1-2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1.5 Tsp Onion Powder
- 2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 Handuls Fresh Parsley
- 1 Tsp Thyme
- 1 Tsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
Breadcrumbs
- 2 Slices of Wholemeal Bread
Directions
Pre heat an oven to 175c (fan assisted)
Peel and chop the potatoes and place them in a saucepan to boil. Remove when they are soft enough to mash.
Heat a frying pan with the vegan butter and when hot enough, sautée the finely sliced leek or onion until it starts to soften.
Mash the potatoes and stir in the ingredients, including the leek.
Now leave the rissole mixture to cool, before forming it into large balls and coating it in the breadcrumbs. When the rissole mixture cools, it will be easier to form into balls.
Place the rissoles on a lined baking tray – I also sprayed them with low fat spray – before popping them into the oven for 15 minutes or until they are golden all over.
NB: You can also deep fry these babies for a truly authentic british rissole.
Now serve with some chips and peas, sit back and imagine you’re at the beach.
For more vegan recipes follow me on Instagram and please tag me in any of the recipes you try here, as I would love to hear your feedback, whether it’s good or bad.
© The Hungry Welsh Girl 2016
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