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Showing posts with the label Food

Vegan Ginger Bread

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 18th of March 2024 You will never believe just how easy this cake bread is. So tasty, so moist and good! The preparation is mega quick because all you have to do is mix it all together and pour the batter in a loaf tin and it is ready to go in the oven. No yeast, so no proofing it is ready so fast and bakes in 45 minutes. The result is a sweet tasting cake that you can cut into slices and eat like bread. Notes Don't beat the batter or it will turn out tough after baking.   If you use Green Ginger Wine, be sure it is vegan.     Ingredients  Dry  300 g of self-raising flour 120 g of dark brown sugar 2 tsp of ground ginger   5 crystallised ginger cut into pieces 30 g of grated fresh ginger 1 tsp of ground cloves 1 tsp of mixed spice 1/4 tsp of salt 1 tsp of baking powder Wet 40 ml of vegetable oil  240 ml of water  150 g (about 4 tbsp) of plan or vanilla vegan yoghurt 50 ml of ginger wine 2 tbsp of dark syrup   Method Add all the dry ingredients to a

Soda Bread With Sunflower Seeds

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Updated 11th of March 2024. This is very tasty and packed with nutrition and.  The bread has a beautiful crust and a dense crumb and is traditional for st Patrick's Day, which is coming up.  Even if you are just looking for an easy bread, this is quick and simple to make.  It takes less than an hour and is perfect for soups, stews, sandwiches, or toast. You could even just have it with butter and jam.

Special Quinoa

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By McDonald, T.   |  Date 4th of March 2024 This is a very simple, yet very tasty meal!  I discovered this one by accident and it is one of those lets through some stuff together and see what happens type dinners that turned out amazing!

Parsnip And Almond Soup

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 26th of February 2024 Great for a winter's day because of its spicy warmth.  This soup has a sweet taste with the warmth from the cumin coming through with a hint of parsnip at the end.  

Tropical Overnight Oats

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 19th of February 2024 I love overnight oats because they are so easy to make, yet so tasty!  You just put most of it in a jar with vegan milk and leave it overnight.  I guess that is why it's called overnight oats.  There are lots of versions and this is the tropical fruit one. Enjoy! Notes I tried adding the banana chips earlier and leaving it overnight, but they lost a lot of flavour.  It was the same for the papaya and pineapple pieces. You can use any vegan milk, but the coconut milk alternative works best.  This is not the coconut milk you get in a can.  Providing you are not intolerant to wheat or have a wheat allergy, you can add a tbsp of wheat bran. Although oats are gluten free, they can be easily contaminated when packaged on factories. Ingredients Rolled oats x 40 g Coconut milk alternative x 200 ml Chia seeds x 1 tsp Flaxseed x 1 tsp A few banana chips  Sultanas x 1 tbsp Papaya and pineapple pieces x 1 tbsp Desiccated coconut x 1.5 tb

Vegan Tuna Mayo: Jackfruit Version

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By McDonald, T.   |  Date 12th of February 2024 I used to like tuna mayonnaise, so when it came time to try out so vegan alternatives, I was mighty pleased.  I have tried this recipe before with chickpeas ( chickpea tuna mayo ) and it turned out much better than I expected.  This time I plan to use jackfruit and make it a lot more friendly for IBS or anyone trying a FODMAP diet for a sensitive gut.  Although I was a little disappointed with the colour of the dish, the chives made an excellent swap for the onion and it tasted great.  It did look more like crab than tuna though. This could have been down to the brand of jackfruit I was using. Finished product lack colour. Notes The original recipe used spring onions, which are high FODMAP unless I just used the green bits, but that just seemed like a waste.  With this in mind, I searched for an alternative to onion and found chives. White wine vinegar is low FODMAP, but other types like cider vinegar are not. Serves – 4 Time, 10 minutes

Stuffed Peppers

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 5th of February 2024 I found this dish in an old vegetarian cookbook and saw it would be easy to veganise.  I also added the vegan sausage, quinoa, and white pepper to liven it up a bit.  I was keen to try this one out after sprucing it up and discovered that it was much better than I could have ever imagined.

Tofu Parcel

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 22nd of January 2024 This is a very simple and tasty idea.  It has very little preparation if you use premade short crust pastry.  It makes a wonderful treat if you want a change to the usual Sunday dinner or livens up the mid-week dinner.

Skinny Pan Lasagna

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 15th of January 2024  Fancy a lasagna, but think it is too much hassle?  Well, this might just be what you are looking for!  This is so easy and tasty that you will never think lasagna is too much trouble again.  In fact, you will likely be having lasagna a lot more.  All you need is a large frying pan.

Vegan Brownies: Low Calorie

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 8th of January 2024 These little tasty treats are just 43 calories per square.  I have wanted to try these for a long time and I'm glad to say that they were worth the wait.  They have a great texture and a lovely chocolaty flavour.  Ready in 30 minutes.

Spicy Jackfruit Pizza

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 2nd of January 2024 I like pizza, so I learned how to make a simple base with no oil.  Making the sauce is easy and then all you need to do is add a few toppings and sprinkle with vegan cheddar alternative.

Vegan Brandy Cake

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 18th of December 2023 I discovered this by accident and I am so glad that I did! Although it is not a traditional seasonal cake, it can and does make a great addition to any festive season. For a vegan cake, it is surprisingly firm.  Although firm, this cake has a light texture and is moist with a good flavour that more than hints at the brandy.   Notes I used a kebab skewer or even a metal thermometer as a cake tester.   Works just as well.  I used almond milk because it goes well with the brandy. I'm using metric cups.   The vinegar is to react with the bicarbonate of soda.  It helps the cake to rise as does the baking powder, which also help to keep it soft and light.  Wait t'ill you see how to make the brandy frosting!    Makes a cake with dimensions of 22 cm x 11 Time, about an hour. Ingredients  Some vegan butter to grease the tin Wet ingredients 2/3 cup plain vegan yogurt 1/2 cup of vegan milk 1/3 cup rapeseed oil (any vegetable oil wil

Vegan Stollen

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 11th of December 2023   This is something I have heard of, but never tried before.  Usually, we have traditional Christmas cake in my house, but last year I wanted to try something different and this was it.  Rest assured, I will be having it again this year too! At first, it seems like a lot of effort, but you will soon see that it is straight forward to make and definitely worth it.  However, it will need proofing and the dried fruit will need soaking, which will all take time, so plan ahead.  Notes I used French Brandy Marzipan and so used brandy to flavour the raisins and cranberries. I used almond milk. A good tip is to dust the soaked fruit with a little flour before adding the dough. You have 3 options with the marzipan:  Roll it out  Chop it up Have a thick bar of it running through the centre I soaked the dried fruit in brandy, but you can make it without the alcohol is you wish or use rum instead. I used a silicon baking sheet to save on the

Baked Pears

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 4th of December 2023   I love a nice juicy pear, but today I wanted it to be a bit different, so I decided to bake some with a few spices. The pear came out delightful and soft with plenty of flavours to excite the taste buds.

Christmas Dinner: No-gammon And No-Turkey Crown

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 1st of December 2023 Actually, I had this dinner on New Year's Day at the beginning of the year.  However, it would make an excellent Christmas dinner and the leftovers can be used for Boxing Day dinner!  Providing these products are available, I would highly recommend them, which both came from Sainsbury's.   No-Turkey Crown Roast The No-Turkey Crown Roast in the image above was fantastic!  It cooked beautifully and maintained its moister making it juicy.  In addition, it calved really well and tasted so good.  It was great hot or even cold in sandwiches later. No-Gammon Roast The no gammon roast also cooked wonderfully!  It cut into slices without falling apart and had a great ham taste.  It was fine to have cold the next day too or even in sandwiches. I hope that you liked this blog and if you do try this recipe, please let me know how you got on and what it turned out like. You can leave a comment in the comments below.

Rum And Raisin Loaf

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 27th of November 2023   Whatever the occasions, this is a great treat to be had.  The rum soaks into the raisins and results in a perfect infusion of flavours. The rum adds flavour to the raisins while the raisins add sweetness to the run.  This beautiful bread as a great bready texture, yet is fruity and warming to the soul. Although it doesn't need it, you can choose to dust it with icing sugar.

Spicy Carrot and Parsnip Soup

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 20th of November 2023 This soup is surprisingly sweet.  Both the carrots and the parsnips have a sweet taste; however, the sweet spicy flavour of the Green Ginger Wine just takes it to a new level.  I like this soup because it is so tasty and filling.  Furthermore, it provides a huge amount of vitamin A.

Vegan Christmas Cake

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 13th of November 2023 Christmas is just around the corner and you need to start your Christmas cake now!  Yes, it needs time to soak and feed.  You will have to soak the dried fruit for a week or so and once the cake is baked, you will need to feed the cake with more brandy.  Don't worry, all will be explained in this post.  This cake is completely vegan and has an amazing taste.  Holds together perfectly.  

Strawberry Sauce

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 6th of November 2023      This is a handy little sauce to have in your repertoire because you can use it in so many ways.  It adds something different to the desserts other than just cream or custard.  You can use it in cake fillings too.  Simple to make and great tasting.

Baked Onion

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 11th of October 2023 This dish goes well with anything such as potato, rice, quinoa, buckwheat, or couscous.  The sauce is as easy to make as it is versatile.  The prunes give it a sweetness while the vegan feta and onion blend their flavours together magnificently.