Strawberry Pancakes

These are tasty with some whipped cream (I used rice whip).

 

Ingredients:

1¼ cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk (I used rice milk)

1 tbsp vegetable oil plus extra for the pan

2½  cups strawberries

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together except the strawberries.

2. Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries. Mix 2 cups into the batter.

3. Warm some oil in the frying pan. Pour in some batter and fry the pancakes on both sides.

4. Serve with more sliced strawberries.

Mandelbrot

A friend who likes Jewish food was coming to visit, so I made mandelbrot for him. These cookies are like Jewish biscotti.

 

This is based on my grandma’s recipe. If you keep them in a Tupperware container, they will last a long time.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

4-6 cups flour (start with 4 and if it isn’t thick enough, slowly add in some more)

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 cup chopped nuts (almond is traditional, hence the “mandel”, but you can also use peanuts, walnuts, etc)

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon, if desired

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

zest and juice from 1 orange (you can use lemon if you prefer)

 

topping, optional

sugar

cinnamon

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together except the topping in a large mixing bowl and blend well. This will be quite stiff to stir, so a wooden spoon is helpful.

2. Shape the dough into two or three logs and place on baking paper on baking trays. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180 C, until golden.

3. Leave to cool for 20-30 minutes, then slice into biscotti-like shapes (on the diagonal is an easy way to do it).

4. Place the cookies on their sides and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

5. Bake at 150 C for 10 minutes, until dry in the middle and golden.

6. Flip over, sprinkle with more topping, and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Nectarine Pancakes

I had some leftover ripe nectarines, so I decided to make pancakes with them.

 

Ingredients:

3 nectarines

water

1½ cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 pinch salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp honey

2 eggs

1¼ cup milk (I used rice milk)

oil

 

Instructions:

1. Score the nectarines. Boil the water and set the nectarines in it for about 3 minutes.

2. Peel and dice the nectarines.

3. Mix all the other ingredients except the oil together. Add the nectarines.

4. Warm the oil in a frying pan and drop tablespoonfuls of batter into the pan.

5. Fry the pancakes until golden on both sides.

Mexican Pie

I get a newsletter from VegNews, which always has an interesting vegan recipe. A recent one included tamale pie and while I couldn’t get all the ingredients here (in a small city in the UK without a Mexican population) and others weren’t to our taste, I adapted the idea and made a Mexican-style pie.

Ingredients:

 

pastry

1 vegetable stock cube

2 cups boiling water

2 cups fine cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tsp mint

1 dash lemon juice

 

filling

2 red onions

3 garlic cloves

oil

1 tsp honey

5 mushrooms

1 pepper

2 cups spinach

1 tin/package black beans

½ cup frozen or tinned corn

1 tin peeled tomatoes

1 tsp salt

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp parsley

1 tsp chilli flakes, if desired

 

Instructions:

1. Put the stock cube in the water.

2. Mix all the other pastry ingredients and then add the vegetable stock. Stir well.

3. Press half of the pastry mixture into the bottom and sides of an oven-safe dish and bake for 10 minutes at 180 C.

4. Peel and dice the onions and garlic. Fry lightly in the oil and honey.

5. Brush and slice the mushrooms. Wash and chop the pepper. Add them and the spinach to the frying pan.

6. Drain the beans and add them, the corn, the tomatoes (not drained, so add the juice too), and the spices.

7. Stir and warm through for a few minutes.

8. Pour the filling over the pastry. Spoon the rest of the pastry over it and smooth out.

9. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 180 C.

Rhubarb and Raspberry Flan Bars

These have a lovely custardy consistency.

 

Ingredients:

 

pastry

¾ cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

60 g icing sugar

250 g flour

 

filling

60 g flour

400 g sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

300 g rhubarb

100 g raspberries (or strawberries)

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the ingredients for the pastry together and press into the bottom and sides of an oven-safe dish. Fill with baking beans or rice and bake for 10-12 minutes at 180 C.

2. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and spices together. Beat the eggs and add, mixing well.

3. Wash and dice the rhubarb. Wash the raspberries. Add them to the egg mixture.

4. Pour the fruit mixture over the pastry and bake for 25-30 minutes at 180 C.

Rhubarb Spice Cake

I love rhubarb in the springtime and I try to make lots of different dishes! This was wonderfully moist, and M loved it with a bit of Oatly cream.

 

Ingredients:

130 g vegetable oil, plus extra for the pan

130 g sugar (use dark sugar if you prefer)

200 ml water

4 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp mixed spice

2 tsp ginger

50 g honey

1 tbsp malt extract, if desired (molasses could work too, or you can leave it out)

4 tsp baking powder

300 g flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 eggsba

400 g rhubarb

 

Instructions:

1. Whisk the oil and sugar together.

2. Boil the water.

3. Add the spices, honey, malt extract, baking powder, and flour to the oil and whisk again.

4. Mix the bicarbonate of soda and water together and leave to fizz for a few moments.

5. Add it to the mixture.

6. Beat the eggs and mix them in. Make sure all is blended thoroughly.

7. Wash and chop the rhubarb into small pieces and stir into the mixture.

8. Pour into a lightly greased oven-safe dish.

9. Bake for about 30 minutes at 180 C, checking after 20.

Rhubarb and Ginger Compote

This can be served on its own or mixed with yogurt or even topped with meringue (2 egg whites whisked with 1 tsp vanilla and 70 g sugar) and then baked. I did the latter and I sprinkled some almond flakes on the meringue as well. Delicious.

 

Ingredients:

400 g rhubarb

2 tsp ginger

50 g sugar

1-2 tbsp liquid (I used rice milk, but water or ginger ale would be fine too)

1/3 cup ground almonds (if you like a looser texture, you can leave it out)

 

Instructions:

1. Wash and chop the rhubarb.

2. Mix it in a saucepan with the ginger, sugar, and liquid.

3. Cook over low heat for 6-12 minutes, stirring now and then.

4. Mix in the almonds, if using.

Vegan Soy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

For the carrot cake I posted in the last recipe, I decided to try to make a soy-free cream cheese frosting. It was a bit lumpy, due to the nuts, but that didn’t matter that much on what’s already a lumpy-ish cake. Since M is allergic to some nuts, she didn’t love it (it made her think of the nuts she’s allergic to). But it was pretty good.

 

Depending on the size of your cake, you might need to double this recipe.

 

Ingredients:

½ cup cashews or ground almonds

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 tbsp Pure spread

2 cups icing sugar

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together well in a food processor, trying to get it as smooth as possible.

2. Spread on your cake as desired.

Vegan Carrot Cake

I love carrot cake, so I was eager to make it on a recent spring afternoon. There was a wonderful smell coming from the oven as M made her way home.

 

I have also tried grating in one or two stalks of rhubarb and adding ¼  cup rhubarb curd for some extra flavour.

 

Ingredients:

2½ cups carrot (about 2 big carrots)

2 cups flour

¼ cup ground almonds (you can leave this out if you want)

1 cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 tsp cinnamon

¾ cup sunflower oil, plus extra for the pan

¼ cup rice milk (or other milk)

1 tsp lemon juice

½ cup raisins

½ cup flaked almonds (or, yes, if you prefer another nut, use that, but M is allergic)

 

Instructions:

1. Grate the carrots.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Stir in the oil, milk, and lemon juice and mix well.

3. Stir in the carrots, raisins, and almonds.

4. Lightly oil an oven-safe baking dish and then pour in the batter.

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 180 C.

Vegan Rhubarb Cupcakes

M’s mum gave me a bunch of rhubarb from her garden, so I decided to do something with my rhubarb curd recipe. Sweet rhubarb cupcakes seemed liked a good idea, and they were perfect for a late spring afternoon.

 

For the curd, you can replace 1 tbsp flour with 1 egg, if you eat eggs.

 

Ingredients:

 

rhubarb curd

350 g rhubarb

zest and juice from 1 orange

30 g sugar

2 tbsp flour

 

cupcakes

¾ cup rice milk

1½ tsp lemon juice

¼ cup coconut oil

1 cup flour

½ cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

 

Instructions:

1. Wash and chop the rhubarb. Place it in an oven-safe dish.

2. Toss it with the zest and juice from 1 orange and 30 g sugar.

3. Bake it for 25-30 min at 190 C.

4. Blend it well, until smooth, and then mix with the flour and blend again.

5. Mix the rice milk and lemon juice together and set aside for 10 minutes to curdle.

6. Melt the coconut oil (if you have it in solid form).

7. Mix the dry ingredients together. Stir in the vanilla, coconut oil, and milk mixture.

8. Pour about 2-3 tbsp cupcake mixture into muffin cases and then place 1-2 tbsp rhubarb curd on top. Add another 1 tbsp cupcake mixture on top of the curd.

9. Bake for 10-20 minutes at 175 C.

Callalo Pie

Sometimes it’s nice to try new ingredients, so when I saw a tin of callalo at the grocery store, I picked it up. Callalo is a green from the Caribbean area and the particular tin I picked up was from Jamaica. The tin had info saying that callalo is like spinach but with a slightly different flavour, so I decided to use it as I would spinach.

 

I used carrots and beetroot in this pie, but any vegetables would work. I also added some roasted pumpkin oil for extra flavour, but any oil and/or herbs would be fine.

 

To make it vegan, leave out the eggs. It will be slightly looser, but still tasty.

 

Ingredients:

1 tin callalo (or other green)

2 beetroots

2 carrots

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp rosemary (or other herb)

½ carton Oatly (or about ½ cup soya yogurt)

2 eggs

1 tbsp roasted pumpkin oil (or other oil)

salt

pepper

1 package phyllo dough

 

Instructions:

1. Rinse and drain the callalo.

2. Peel and dice the beetroots and carrots. Peel and chop the garlic. Snip or chop the rosemary.

3. Mix the callalo, other vegetables, garlic, and rosemary with the Oatly, eggs, and oil.

4. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Place 3 sheets of phyllo dough overlapping in the bottom of an oven-safe dish.

6. Spread the filling on top of the dough. (Alternatively, spread half the filling, add a piece or two of phyllo, and then the rest of the filling.)

7. Spread the remainder of the dough on top. Lightly brush with oil.

8. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 190 C.

Vegan Tortillas

Ingredients:

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

oil

1 tsp sugar or agave

1 tin butter or other beans

1 ripe avocado

1-2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp mint and/or coriander

1 pinch salt

2 tbsp Oatly or soya cream

6 tortillas

 

 

Instructions:

1. Peel and chop the onion and garlic, then fry lightly in oil. Add sugar or agave to caramelise.

2. Add the beans.

3. Mash the avocado with the lemon juice, mint/coriander, salt, and cream.

4. Pill the beans and guacamole in the tortillas.

Vegan Malted Milk

This is so soothing before bed.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup (or mug) of rice milk

1 tsp malted barley extract

1 tsp sugar, if desired

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the ingredients in a small pan and warm gently.

2. Stir and serve.

Spinach Swirl

This looks pretty for guests, and is so simple.

 

Ingredients:

2 shallots or 1 onion

2 cloves garlic

olive oil

2 cups spinach

1 tin salmon or 1 package tofu

onion seeds

smoked paprika

pepper

salt

1 package phyllo dough

 

Instructions:

1. Peel and chop the shallots and garlic. Fry lightly in oil.

2. Add the spinach and defrost if frozen or wilt if fresh.

3. Mix in the salmon or tofu.

4. Season with the onion seeds, paprika, pepper, and salt.

5. Place half of the phyllos sheets out. Spread the top one with half the spinach mixture.

6. Place the rest of the sheets on top and spread with the remainder of the mixture.

7. Roll from one end to the other and then fold in the ends of the sheets.

8. Brush lightly with oil.

9. Bake at 200 C for 20 minutes, until golden.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1½ cups flour

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil

1/3 cup milk (I used rice milk)

1 egg

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup blueberries

 

Crumble topping:

½ cup sugar

½ cup flour

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the muffins except the blueberries. Once well mixed, add in the berries.

2. Place into muffin cases, filling each one about ½ to ¾ of the way up.

3. Mix the crumble ingredients and place 1-2 tbsp in each muffin cup.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 190 C.