Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients:

1¼ cups liquid (I use ½ cup water and the rest rice milk)

1 tbsp quick-action dry yeast

2-2½ cups flour

½ cups oats, plus extra for topping

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup honey or sugar

1 tsp salt

milk/water/egg for wash, if desired

 

Instructions:

1. Warm the liquid. Put the yeast in it and leave it to foam for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix the flour, oats, oil, honey, and salt.

3. Add the yeast and liquid and mix well. Leave to rise for an hour.

4. Knead well and shape into a loaf. Place in an oiled loaf tin if desired.

5. Sprinkle with oats and wash, if desired. Leave to rise again.

6. Bake at 190 C for 30-40 minutes, until golden.

Pita Bread

A warm pita filled with hummus or some other dip or salad is a lovely thing.

 

Ingredients:

2 tsp fast-action dried yeast

200 ml warm water

400 g flour (white or brown or a mix; it doesn’t need to be bread flour)

1-2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp honey or sugar

1-2 tbsp olive oil

 

Instructions:

1. Put the yeast in the water and set aside for 10 minutes until foamy.

2. Mix the other ingredients together, then add in the yeast. Knead or blend for 10 minutes.

3. Leave to rise for at least two hours. You can also leave overnight in the fridge.

4. About an hour before baking the bread, put a bread stone or baking tray in the oven to warm up at 220 C.

5. Roll out the dough into 8-12 circles on an oiled surface. Test one by putting it on the baking tray and baking for 3-4 minutes per side. If it doesn’t puff up enough, sprinkle the other circles with water or a touch more olive oil.

6. Bake them all and serve.

Egg Pasta

Who knew making pasta at home was so easy?

 

You can vary this by using truffle oil, adding semolina, or grinding in saffron or herbs.

 

Ingredients:

275 g “00” flour

3 eggs

1 tsp fine sea salt

1-2 tsp olive oil, optional

water to cook in

 

Instructions:

1. Put the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and salt.

2. Beat the eggs lightly, then gradually mix the flour in.

3. Add the oil for increased pliancy, if desired. Knead well.

4. Leave the mixture to rest for 10-30 minutes.

5. Roll out thinly (you can use a pasta machine if you want) and cut into shapes.

6. Cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and serve as desired.

Butternut Squash Soup

M and I were both ill, and we’d had colds for over a week. Soup – and lots of it – was what we needed. So I made butternut squash soup. It’s really soothing and flavourful, especially when served with fresh bread.

 

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash

2 shallots or 1 onion

oil

1 vegetable stock cube

1 tbsp maple syrup, plus extra

2-3 cups water

1-2 cups milk (I used rice milk)

cream (I used Oatly)

 

Instructions:

1. Roast the squash in the oven at 180 C for 40-60 minutes. Halve it halfway through so the inside gets fully cooked.

2. Peel and slice the shallots/onion and fry lightly in oil. Add the stock cube and maple syrup and caramelise slightly.

3. Peel and de-seed the squash. Put in chunks into the pan. Add the water and cook for 10-15 minutes.

4. Add the milk and cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes.

5. Puree and then swirl in a little more maple syrup and some cream.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I saw a similar recipe in the Sainsbury’s magazine, but it had a lot of dairy and various spices we didn’t want, so I adapted it quite a bit. It was nice for a cold day.

 

Ingredients:

oil

1 leek

2 shallots

1 tsp sugar or maple syrup

4 sweet potatoes

75 g margarine (I used Pure spread)

75 g flour

500 ml milk (I used rice milk)

2 eggs

1 tbsp parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp mustard

2-3 tsp other herbs and spices (I used a bit of ginger and a bit of curry powder; I think tikka spice, mint, etc could work too)

1 tbsp lemon juice

 

Instructions:

1. Oil the pan.

2. Wash and dice the leek and shallots and cook over low heat. Add the sugar or maple syrup to get a sweeter flavour.

3. Peel and slice the sweet potatoes.

4. Melt the margarine. Add the flour, whisking.

5. Let cool, then add the milk and eggs, whisking until smooth. Season with the various herbs and spices and lemon juice.

6. Put the leek, shallots, and sweet potatoes in the pan, and pour in the sauce.

7. Bake at 180 C for 45-60 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the top is slightly golden.

Dairy-Free Hollandaise Sauce

This is great with poached eggs and spinach or watercress.

 

Ingredients:

100 g Pure spread or other margarine

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp water

1-2 tsp salt

lemon juice, to taste (1-3 tbsp)

black pepper, to taste

Tabasco, to taste

 

Instructions:

1. Melt the spread.

2. Over low heat, warm the egg yolks with the water, salt, and lemon juice, whisking the whole time.

3. Slowly add a little of the spread at a time, always whisking.

4. Season with black pepper and Tabasco and more lemon juice to taste.

Faux Tortillas

I found this in a book called 30-Minute Vegetarian Mexican Cookbook by Sarah Beattie. She serves the “gorditas,” as she calls them, with cheese, chilli, and lettuce. I served them with beetroot soup and they were good for dipping although I think next time I’d add some herbs as they were quite plain.

 

Ingredients:

150 g cornmeal

500 ml water

1-2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp margarine

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a pan and cook over low heat until it thickens.

2. Roll the cornmeal mixture into small balls, then flatten them out as thin as you can.

3. Cook in a dry frying pan over medium to high heat, until both sides are lightly browned.

Chocolate Cinnamon Pudding

I saw a recipe from Nigella Lawson for chilli-cinnamon chocolate pudding with rum and I thought it sounded intriguing, not least because it is what is known as “self-saucing”. I didn’t think M would like the chilli or rum so I left those out, along with the butter for greasing, and I used more white sugar and less brown sugar than Nigella. Still, the result was good, especially served with cream or Oatly.

 

I think this could easily be adapted so that other flavours are used instead of cinnamon (orange, nuts, etc), so that will be what I do next.

 

Ingredients:

150 g flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

200 g caster sugar

50 g cocoa powder

185 ml milk (I used rice milk)

4 tbsp rapeseed or corn oil plus extra to grease the pan

100 g sugar (I used about half dark brown soft sugar and half caster, but any combination would be fine)

175 ml boiling water

 

Instructions:

1. Grease the pan.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, vanilla, caster sugar, and 25 g of cocoa together.

3. Mix the milk and oil together and blend with the dry ingredients.

4. Pour into the pan.

5. Mix the other 25 g of cocoa and the sugar and spoon over the ingredients in the pan.

6. Pour the boiling water on top.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180 C.

Vegan Pot Pie

I’ve posted a pot pie recipe before, but this time I made it completely vegan and in filo dough.

 

I also had leftover chestnuts, so I added them in for extra texture and flavour.

 

Ingredients:

2-3 carrots and/or parsnips, chopped into pieces

water or rice milk

1 celery stalk, chopped

1-2 cups frozen veggies (peas and corn are great)

2-3 garlic cloves, optional (for some extra flavour, I used black garlic)

1-2 stalks spring onion

1/3 cup flour

2/3 cup rice milk

1 vegetable stock cube

salt

black pepper

1 package filo dough (about 270 g)

 

Instructions:

1. Peel and dice the carrots and/or parsnips, then cook the pieces over medium heat until slightly soft in water or milk to cover (about 10 minutes).

2. Wash and chop the celery. Add it and the other veggies. Cook briefly, until defrosted.

3. Chop the garlic and onion and add it to the pan..

4. Add the flour, milk, stock cube, salt, and pepper. Cook a bit more over medium heat, stirring.

5. Put some filo on the bottom of a pan (if you want, you can bake it for 2-3 minutes first). Top it with the filling.

6. Add the rest of the filo on top.

7. Bake for 30 min at 220 C, until golden.

Pumpkin Pancakes

A nearby fancy grocery store started selling American pumpkin puree, so I snatched a couple of tins. With one of them, I made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree

1½ cups milk

1 egg

2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp sugar

2 cups flour

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp allspice

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

agave or maple syrup to serve with it

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together well.

2. Fry by spoonfuls on a frying pan.

3. Serve with agave or maple syrup.

Naan

The traditional Indian flatbread isn’t that hard to make at home. We put garlic, chives, and rosemary in the middle but you could really go wild with flavour combinations (almond and coconut, like a Peshwari naan, or potatoes, or cheese and herbs, or cheese and jam, etc).

 

Ingredients:

6 g fast-action dry yeast

225 g warm water (or about 1 cup)

1 tsp sugar

4½ cups strong white bread flour

3 tsp salt

4 tbsp milk (I used rice milk)

1 egg

2 tbsp oil (toasted sesame oil adds a nice flavour)

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the yeast with the water and sugar and leave to get frothy for about 10 minutes.

2. Mix all the other ingredients together, then add the yeast.

3. Knead or mix well (about 5-10 minutes). Leave to rise for an hour or so in an oiled bowl in a warm place.

4. Roll out the dough. Divide into 10-12 pieces.

5. If using filling, put it in the middle of each piece and then fold the pieces together and roll out again.

6. Heat a frying pan over high heat. Dry-fry one or two pieces at a time, about 3-4 minutes per side, until golden.

Pan Haggerty

I read a recipe for something called pan haggerty, which I’d never heard of before. Basically it is a potato and kale dish that’s baked in the oven after the veg is first boiled.

 

It sounded rather plain, so I added fennel, garlic, onion, and watercress, to mix it up a bit. Then I made an egg and cream (Oatly) topping for it. You could easily add herbs (I added mint) or cheese.

 

Boil the potato and kale, dice all the other veg, and mix it together. Pour two eggs on top (mixed with cream and/or cheese, if desired) and bake for 20-30 minutes at 180 C.

Borscht

I remember my grandfather eating this when I was little. I didn’t like it then, but somehow my taste has developed and now I do like beetroot.

 

You can also add 1 tbsp of maple syrup for extra sweetness.

 

Ingredients:

4-5 beets

1 baking potato

1 onion

oil

1 vegetable stock cube

4-5 cups water

25 g watercress, optional, for a peppery bite

1-2 tsp herbs (mint, parsley, etc)

cream (I use Oatly)

 

Instructions:

1. Peel and dice the beets, potato, and onion.

2. Cook lightly in a big saucepan in a little oil. Add the stock cube and water and boil for 15-20 minutes.

3. Add the watercress and herbs and cook for a couple more minutes.

4. Blend with a hand mixer until smooth, then add the cream.

Kladdkaka (Gooey Chocolate Cake)

This was my favourite chocolate cake when I lived in Sweden. It should be gooey, so don’t cook it too long, and ideally it ought to be served with cream and perhaps some strawberries or raspberries. You can also top it with frosting, as desired.

 

Ingredients:

1 vanilla pod (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

½ cup flour

4 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

½ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)

 

Instructions:

1. Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Whip the eggs, vanilla seeds (or extract), and sugar together until light and fluffy.

2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and mix with the salt and oil.

3. Blend everything together and pour into a lined cake tin.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 165 C.

Watercress and Leek Soup

I was inspired by a recipe in the October 2012 volume of Vegetarian Living, but as usual, I adapted it for our tastes. It’s really sweet and tasty, perfect for a cold night, and great with some homemade bread. This recipe makes enough for two, but it’s easily multiplied.

 

Ingredients:

oil

1 red onion

1 leek

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 vegetable stock cube

5-6 cups water

75 g pea shoots

75 g watercress

1/8 – ¼ cup cream (I use Oatly oat cream)

 

Instructions:

1. Warm the oil in a saucepan. Peel and dice the onion and leek and lightly cook them in the oil. Add the maple syrup and caramelise.

2. Add the stock cube and break it up, cook for a couple of minutes, then add the water and cook for 5-8 minutes.

3. Add the shoots and watercress and cook for another 5 or so minutes.

4. Blend with a hand blender until smooth, then stir in the cream.