Vegan Effect

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 9th of December 2024 If you are looking for a true piece of decadence, this is it. Plenty of flavour from the rum and raisins and plenty of sweetness from the chocolate and coconut cream.  This dessert takes longer to chill than it does to make, so if you are sort of time, this could be for you.  All you have to do is soak the raisins overnight and make the dessert in the morning and put it in the fridge.  When you get home, the dessert will be more than ready. 

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 2nd of December 2024 If you want to make your pecan pie a little more fancy for this Christmas holiday, why not add some bourbon?  Yes, adding alcohol to desserts will always make them a little more Christmasy!  This vegan pecan pie is great and I think it is perfectly ok to cheat a little and use pre-rolled pastry, just be sure it is vegan. 

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 11th of November 2024 This is a relatively easy pizza.  I say relatively because it can be a little tricky, but not impossible.  The key is to stay calm and not try to rush it. With this in mind, if this is your first time at making a pizza dough with a high hydration, do it on a day that you have time to think and follow the instructions at a pace that suits you. The results are well worth the perseverance and the more you make this recipe the better and easier it gets. I have used vegan pepperoni, but you can use any toppings that you like.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 4th of November 2024 Focaccia is great Italian bread that is easy to make and will impress any dinner guests.  It is light and soft with amazing bubbles, texture, and taste.  I have made a wholemeal version before using strong bread flour.  This time, I thought I would try the more common type using plain flour.  I was pleasantly suppressed on how it turned out. Hydration is at 84% Baker's notes Flour 100% (500 g) Water 80% (400 g) Yeast 1.4% (7 g) dry  [Fresh is 4% (20) g]  Salt 1.8% (9 g) Makes one 800 g focaccia Ingredients Plain flour 500 g Instant dry yeast x 7 g Salt x 9 g Water x 420 g Olive oil x 2 tbsp (you will need another 3 tbsp to grease the pan and more for on top) Apparatus Dough scraper Danish dough whisk Spatula Large mixing bowl Large baking dish  Method  Mix all the dry ingredients together and add the lukewarm water.  Use the Danish dough whisk to thoroughly combine the ingredie...

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 28th of October 2024 This is very much like a vegan cheesecake or key lime pie, so if you like those, you really need to try this recipe! Yes, it does include pumpkin spice and has all the flavour of autumn. Although it is called a cheesecake, it doesn't even use vegan cream cheese. Instead, I have just used pumpkin purée and coconut oil to hold it together. With this in mind, you might think, will it stay firm?  The answer to that is yes! The base uses dates and almonds, which is brilliant in taste and texture, but if you can't have nuts, you can use digestive biscuits. Just check they are vegan.

By McDonald, T.   |  Date 21st of October 2024 This beautiful breakfast has a lot of warmth to it both in colour and taste.  The pumpkin spice brings out the natural flavours of the already terrific dish.  The pumpkin spice is made up from cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.  Perfect for this time of year. Serves 1 Ingredients 1/2 a cup (40 g) of rolled oats  1 cup (250 ml) of coconut alternative to milk  1 tsp of chia seeds   1 tsp of flax seeds  1 tsp of ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp of ground ginger 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg  1/8 tsp of ground cloves 1/8 tsp of salt 15 g of sultanas  Apparatus A jar Method Put the 1/2 a cup of oats into the jar with the sultanas, flax seeds, chi seeds, spices, salt, and sugar, into the jar.    Poor the coconut milk in and give it a good stir.   Place in a fridge overnight. Serve on its own or with fruit of your choice.  I hope that you liked this blog and if ...

Written by   McDonald, T.    |  Date 8th of July 2024 This one of my favourite fruit breads because it's so easy and quick to make. There are many ways to make this bread, but this is a more common recipe that will make a mini loaf with about 14 serving. 

By McDonald, T.   |  Date 1st of July 2024 Do you like carrot cake?  Yes, great! So, why not try out carrot cake flavoured overnight oats?  I know, you think that i'm having you on, but I'm not and it is such a great treat in the morning or anytime.  It still has that creamy taste and texture, but with a distinct carrot cake flavour and with the added bonus of vitamin A.

  Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 24th of June 2024 No need for kneading makes it so easy! All you have to do is mix all the ingredients together and leave it overnight before baking it the next day. Adding in some folding will improve your bread no end while the salt and sugar help to preserve it for longer although it's not likely to be around long if you know what I mean. Waste Short term waste: Zero  Long term waste: Flour packaging Yeast packaging Sugar packaging  Salt container  Mix the dry ingredients together. Sticky dough. After 12 hours, put into a big pot. Notes Hydration is at 80%, but you can go higher. Baker's notes Flour 100% (500 g) Water 86% (430 g) Yeast 1.4% (7 g) dry  [Fresh is 4% (20) g]  Salt 1.8% (9 g) Makes one 800 g loaf Ingredients 250 g white strong bread flour 2 50 g wholemeal strong bread flour 1 tsp of sugar (optional, but advisable) 9 g Salt   ...

    By McDonald, T.   |  Date 20th of May 2024 I have tried making these before, but something was not quite right.  Last time I used flax egg, which may have added too much moisture.  I concluded that next time I would use an egg replacement such as Orgran and leave it in the oven for just a bit longer.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 13th of May 2024 This is a bit of a combination between a fruit loaf and banana bread.  I love this bread so much and make it all the time.  It is great at any time of day as a snack or even as a dessert. It is easy to make and keeps for a week or more in the fridge.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 6th of May 2024 This is a simple little cake made without oil for Pentecost. However, it is fine to have any time of the year.  It has a great texture and wonderful strawberry flavour.  Perfect for a little treat.

By McDonald, T.   |  Date 29th of April 2024 Although I'm not a great chocolate fan, occasionally, I do like some brownies.  I also like apples, so when I found this recipe, I just had to give it a go.  The original used 2 eggs, which I have to change; thus, I went for flax egg.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 15th of April 2024  I used to love a good egg mayonnaise sandwich at the weekend, but since being a vegan I have not had one.  Until now that is.  After looking around the internet for a bit, I found some recipes and altered them a little to suit my needs. This is the result and I'm well pleased!  The breakthrough was learning to use two types of tofu in order to mimic the yoke and egg white and that Indian black salt adds an eggy flavour! Notes Yes, you must use Indian black salt because that is what gives it the eggy flavour.  This salt has a pinkish grey colour when it is ground down.  Don't over do the salt.  Test it as you go. The silken tofu adds a different texture, mimicking the egg yolk.    Serves 5 – 6 people Time, 5 – 8 minutes. Ingredients  Silken tofu x 200 g Extra firm tofu x 200 g Indian black salt x 3/4 tsp turmeric x 1/2 tsp White pepper x 1/8 tsp Vegan Mayonnaise x 4 tbsp Spr...

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 8th of April 2024 Very simple pizza for a quick midweek bit of fun. What I like about this pizza is the way it is light on the calories at less than 500 for the entire pizza. 

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 ...

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.

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!

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 ar...

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 24th of January 2024 I love this loaf because it needs no proofing since it contains no yeast.  Once you have mixed all the ingredients together, you can put it straight in the oven.  This banana bread has a warm spiced flavour due to the mixed spice and rum soaked raisins.  Notes I used stevia to reduce the calories. Make sure you use really rib bananas.  Most recipes will tell you to mash with a folk; however, I use a masher, it's much quicker. I used dark rum to soak the raisins.  Check the rum is vegan.    Ingredients 3–4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 400 g – 500 g peeled) 1 tbsp of caster sugar or stevia 200g of self-raising flour 100g of strong wholemeal flour 100g raisins soaked in rum or other flavouring 2 tsp ground mixed spice 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp of vegetable oil  120 ml of water Apparatus H 6 cm x W 11 cm x D 21 cm loaf tin Large mixing bowl Wooden spoon Ba...