Peanut Butter and Almond Cookies

Mmm...
I basically used this recipe, but veganised it by changing the milk for unsweetened soya and the egg for one teaspoon of egg-replacer.
Then, for the shortening, I used both vegetable shortening and dairy-free sunflower spread. And I added flaked almonds.
They're soft and chewy, but the almonds give a nice crunch.

Turkish Sütlaç with Cinnamon baked Apples

Sütlaç is basically a Turkish version of Rice pudding. It's essentially made with milk and coarsely-ground rice, with sugar, vanilla and a little cinnamon and nutmeg. I made mine with soya milk, but made a little twist on the original by adding a sugar brûlée topping, and serving with Bramley apple slices, baked in golden syrup with plenty of cinnamon.

Jen x

Curry & Poppy seed Burgers.

I tried making homemade burgers again, this time using a little wheat gluten and egg-replacer to bind and the burgers and improve the texture. I also tried a different variety, these are curry and poppy seed soya burgers, and they are delicious!
I served them with a sprinkle of home-grown chopped coriander and basil, on a nest of quick-fried grated carrot and courgette and a mixture of lightly spiced brown rice and pearled spelt.

Jen x

Chocolate & Coconut Desert

This rich and dense chocolate desert contains everything chocolatey that you could imagine: melted chocolate, melted cocoa butter, liquid chocolate extract and raw cocoa powder. All of these were blended with silken tofu, with some agave nectar, golden syrup, a little egg replacer and some nice vanilla extract.

I spooned this mix into ramekins and topped it with a homemade coconut and vanilla cream made in a similar manner, by mixing melted coconut oil, cocoa butter, vanilla extract, a little soya milk, agave nectar and dessicated coconut into silken tofu and blending.

I toasted some coconut and crumbled some chocolate shapes for the topping.

Jen x

Spiced Apple Jelly

Today, I made a chilled spiced apple jelly, topped with warm steamed red fruits. And oh my...

The jelly contains chunks of cooked apples, fresh from our neighbours' garden! I used a mixture of Vege-gel and powdered pectin as gelling agents, and added Turkish apple tea to strengthen the flavour. The pre-set jelly was boiled with a large stick of cinnamon, some fresh ginger and a sprinkling of cloves, which were all removed before serving.

Jen x

Homemade Burgers & Sweet Potato wedges

Today, I made homemade sage & marjoram veggie burgers using a mix of gluten flour and soya mince.
I served them on Cavolo Nero, which is a delicious dark cabbage that tastes something like a cross between curly kale and savoy cabbage.
I also served them with lightly-spiced sweet potato wedges, and a gravy boat.

Jen x

Parsnip puree et al...

Slices of fried tofu sausage and half a roast green pepper on a bed of caramelised parsnip puree, with veg gravy.

The parsnip was brilliant, if I so say so myself. And rather simple (albeit time-consuming :P). You simply peel and chop a few parsnips, then lightly boil them in vegetable stock so that they're warm through, but not fully cooked. Drain them and transfer them to a frying pan of melted vegetable margarine and add a little nutmeg. Fry them, stirring continually, until very soft. Then add a splash of soya cream and a little extra vegetable stock and puree, ideally with a hand blender. Mmmm...

Jen x