Vegan Effect

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 16 of December 2024     Christmas desserts need a thick brandy cream and this is the one for vegans.   Ingredients 1 tin of coconut milk (Check it is suitable for vegans because some are not) 2 tbsp of coconut cream 3 tablespoons of brandy (Most brandy is suitable for vegans but not all, so check out my vegan alcohol guide) 2 tbsp icing sugar   Method Pour the tin of coconut milk into a bowl.  Melt the coconut cream in a bowl. Take off the heat and add to coconut milk. Stir in the brandy. Place in a fridge to thicken Whip if you so desire. Results I very nice brandy cream that is sweet and flavourful.    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.  

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 25th of November 2024 Christmas is the time for baking!  If you would like to have a little treat that is like a Christmas cake, but much quicker and easier, this cake is for you.  It is full of flavour and different texture to delight the senses with every bit. It is full of fruit such as figs and cherries has nut too and looks great dusted with a little icing sugar.

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. ...

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.

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 co...

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.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 16th of March 2023 Tomorrow is St Patrick's Day! Yay!  With this in mind, why not have an Irish stew?  You can make a big pot of it and treat your party guests to a hearty meal.  After all that celebrating, your guests are bound to be hungry, right? This is such an easy and delightful meal that is a huge winner for everyone.  In addition, you can make some soda bread to go with it.  Moreover, this is a very easy meal to veganise.  You either just leave out the meat or use tofu or a meat substitute.  

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 30th of December 2022 I grew up on this.  It is easy to make, makes the kitchen smell amazing and there is no better comfort than this Victorian pudding!  However, this old fashioned pudding can harbour a huge amount of calories.  With this in mind, I decided to reduce the calories and make it a less frightening bit of fun.   So, since it is the new year and you have been dieting in the lead up to Christmas, why not indulge one last time before you get back on that diet? 

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 23rd of December 2022   Getting frustrated with the lack of vegan options lately?  Well, this one is so easy to solve.  It has just four ingredients and is ready in minutes, and you can make it as strong as you like.  In addition, it goes great with Christmas pudding or Christmas cake and is fine hot or cold. Notes I used almond milk because almond and brandy flavours go nicely together. Keeps for about a week in an airtight container in the fridge. Check the brandy is vegan. Makes 5 – 6 servings. Time, 10 minutes.   Ingredients 400 ml of vegan milk 60 g of sugar 25 g of cornflour 6 tbsp of brandy Method Except for 2 tablespoons of the vegan milk, boil the milk with the sugar while stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Take off the heat. Mix the cornflour with the remaining milk and whisk it into the hot milk and sugar and put back on the heat. Keep whisking. Bring back to the boil and remove.  Stir in th...

  Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 16th of December 2022 Jingle bells, jingle bells… Yes, I am in the mood for Christmas and if you are too, this might be just the thing you were looking for!  It is sweet and fun, which is what people want at Christmas.  These little treats are the precursor to the mince pie.  You can serve them to your friends at your Christmas party and impress them with the history of the English Cuskynoles.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 19th of September 2022      Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish festival for new year starting on the 25th this year, which is this Sunday.  However, whatever year it is or even if you are just looking for something different, let me introduce you to this traditional Jewish dish .  This dish can be thin or deep pan, but is always crispy around the edges.  Although the original recipe uses egg, we can make it vegan by using flaxseed as the egg replacement.  You, can, of course, use something like cracked or just egg, but the flaxseed is fine to use if that is all you have.

  Written by McDonald, T.   |  Update 10 of March 2023     This modern English bread is like a combination of Hot cross buns and Italian Raisin Bread.  It has big fat juicy sultanas with a subtle mixed spice flavour of Hot cross Buns and, let's not forget, a wonderful crust.  The bread is light and fluffy.  As it bakes in the oven, it releases a fantastic aroma into the kitchen and beyond.  Once you have made this bread, you can just cut a piece off and have it as a snack with some butter and jam.  Enjoy!

Written by  McDonald, T.    |  Date 11th of April 2022 This is a simple, but tasty recipe that really surprised me at how good it is.  It has all the good bits that a hot cross bun would offer in that it has mixed peel, sultans and even mixed spices.  

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 4th of April 2022  This is a cake of compassion.  Compassion for the animals, compassion for the lonely, compassion for those who are pining for someone they love.  As a vegan, I miss out on nothing!  This is a great cake that is 100% vegan!  In fact, it celebrates being vegan.  It is not just perfect for the month of sorrows when comfort is needed. It is also the perfect recipe for Jewish new year, so bookmark this recipe for the New Year!  Whatever your reason, this cake is a delight. 

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 13th of December 2021    Boxing day is a much loved dinner in the UK.   When going vegan for the first time, festivals can be a difficult one to negotiate.  Looking on the bright side, the modern vegan alternative industry has provided us with many options.  vBites Gammon Style Roast is one of those great options.  Although it is better hot than cold in my opinion, you could have it cold with double mash.   I had mine hot with mash and pickles and it was truly magnificent!  Double mash sweet potato and white potato mashed together.  For that extra nutrition, add some nutritional yeast with B12 to the mash.  Server with whatever veg and pickles you have left over and this is an English traditional Boxing Day dinner you will love.  It is worth noting that vBites do a Turkey Style Roast too, so you can have one or the other or even a bit of both.  Since cold meats are the usual for Engl...

By McDonald, T.   |  Date 2nd of December 2021 It has long since been a tradition in England to have cold meat, mash and pickles for Boxing Day dinner.  With the advent of vegan cold meats on the deli counter this must have dinner for the Christmas period is no longer something a vegan has to miss out on.  Severs 1.  (Multiply by number of diners) Ingredients  280g of White Potato. Vegan cold meats of your choice x as many slices as you like! Pickles of your choice x a few tbsp. Tomato x 1. 1/4 of Bell pepper Since we are vegan, I suggest adding a heaped teaspoon of nutritional yeast with B12 to the mash and leaving the skins on to give it that extra flavour and nutrition.  I use olive oil instead of vegan butter for the mash. All you have to think about is what mock meat and what pickles you want.  For the mock meat, I chose Squeaky Bean Pastrami and their Deli Style Ham for last year's Boxing Day, which was a great idea since their mock deli me...