Kale and Walnut Pesto or Dip

Kale is such an amazing food. I’ve recently been eating lots more of it, after my friend Ruth told me about ‘massaging’ it with olive oil. If you haven’t tried this, do give it a go! Here is a link to an article about it from the Huffington Post. Kale is so fabulous – containing vitamins A, C and K as well as minerals like copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. A cup of fresh kale has only about 40 calories but packs almost three grams of protein.
So I thought I’d try making a pesto or dip with raw kale, as another way to enjoy this super-green. Enjoy stirred through warm pasta, or spread onto some lovely wholemeal bread.

Kale and Walnut Pesto or Dip
Makes one medium pot

2 handfuls of chopped kale
4 tbsp walnut pieces
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt
Pinch black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
12 cherry tomatoes or 6 medium tomatoes, chopped

Place all ingredients together in a high-speed blender, like a Nutribullet and blend until smooth or a consistency you like is reached. Taste and add more seasoning if you need. If the pesto/dip is too thick, add more oil, or a splash of plant milk if you prefer. Enjoy!

The best ever Vegan Chocolate Cake

Introducing what I believe is the very finest vegan chocolate cake. It will turn heads, make people close their eyes and smile as they eat it..

It’s called the Affinities Cake. It’s not my recipe, I wish it was! No, it is taken from a feature in The Telegraph and was given to my mother-in-law when she was hunting for the perfect recipe to use for our wedding cake. The original recipe is by Chantal Coady, the only difference here is that I make a vegan ganache by melting chocolate into hot almond milk. I decorate mine with raspberries, rose petals, marigold flowers and cocoa nibs.

The Affinities Cake
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 mins

200g (7oz) plain flour
75g (2¾oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g (7oz) golden caster sugar
100g (3½oz) ground almonds
A small pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp good-quality balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
400ml (14fl oz) prune juice
Fresh pink rose petals, to decorate
For the ganache
170g (6oz) good-quality dark chocolate
150ml (5fl oz) almond milk

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Grease the insides of a deep 20cm (8in) round cake tin, or loose-bottomed 20cm (8in) cake tin, with olive oil and line the bottom of the tin with greaseproof paper. If you are using a loose-bottomed tin, double-line it with greaseproof paper (line the base, the sides, then line the base again to seal the lining), to prevent the mixture leaking out.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl, then add the sugar, ground almonds and salt. Make three holes in the dry mixture with a spoon. Put the vanilla in one hole, the vinegar in the second, and the oil into the third. Pour in the prune juice and mix well. Bubbles will start to rise to the surface. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45 minutes to one hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the cake from the tin and leave it to cool on a wire rack.

To make the ganache icing, blitz the chocolate into crumbs in a food processor. Place the crumbs in a heat-proof glass bowl. Heat the milk to boiling point in a heavy-based saucepan, then pour the milk over the chocolate. Gently mix the chocolate with the milk, working from the centre of the bowl outwards with a rubber spatula, until you have a smooth and glossy emulsion. Let it cool to room temperature, then spread it on top of the cooled cake.

NB this cake usually takes about 1 hour 15 mins to cook! Keep testing it, but don’t take it out of the oven to do so, otherwise it may sink.

Yoga and Vegan Cookery Retreat, West Wales

Last week, I was delighted to host a wonderful Yoga and Vegan Cookery Retreat at my Yoga Ashram in West Wales.

Between Friday and Sunday, I was joined by 10+ hungry and enthusiastic students at Yoga Satsanga Ashram, near Whitland, for a full programme of hatha yoga, pranayama, meditation, bhajan singing and lots and lots of vegan cookery!

Our menu showcased some of my favourite dishes from the recently published Viva! Cookbook, including the Artichoke, Butterbean and Filo Pie, Mediterranean Roast Potatoes, Cheeze and Cranberry Parcels, Chestnut Pate en Croute, Porcini Mushroom Gravy, Savoury Scones, Chocolate Chip Muffins and our Big Vanilla Sponge! Many of these recipes can also be found at the accompanying website www.veganrecipeclub.org.uk

Many thanks to budding vegan cook Kass, Sarah and Debi for all their help and support too.

I am hoping to run more such retreats next year, and can also be found leading guided lunch cooking sessions during general Yoga Retreats at the Ashram. Visit their website for more details and dates.

Cookery lesson

Savoury Scones

Spirulina & Berry Smoothie made using the Nutribullet

After realising a while a ago that starting the day with bread wasn’t making me feel as good and energised as I needed in the morning… I was lucky enough to be given a Nutribullet – an extractor which unlike everyday juicers and blenders completely breaks down ingredients in to their most nutritious, most absorptive state!

I haven’t looked back! Here is my favourite Green Smoothie recipe, which uses Spirulina – a fabulous source of plant-based protein, amino acids and many other nutrients.  Frozen spinach and berries blended together with banana give this chilled drink a smooth and thick texture. You can feel how much your body will benefit from it as soon as you take a sip. Toddlers even like it too!

Spirulina & Berry Smoothie made using the Nutribullet
Serves 1
Preparation time 5 mins

1 banana, broken into pieces
Handful of frozen spinach
2 handfuls frozen mixed berries
1 tsp spirulina powder
1/2 pint almond milk or other plant milk

1. Place all the ingredients together into your Nurtibullet or other strong blender and liquidise. Remove the lid and add more milk into the smoothie if it is too thick. Enjoy and feel rejuvenated!

Quinoa Salad with Cannellini Beans and Toasted Mixed Seeds

The sun is shining and my heart is calling for all things salad. I’ve even been successful in cultivating my own baby basil, rocket and coriander plants this year, so my balcony is looking plentiful.

Some homegrown herbs helped make this salad as glorious as it looks. Simple quinoa is combined with cannellini  beans, spring onions, vine tomatoes, broccoli and basil, dressed with a mustard vinaigrette and toasted mixed seeds. Pack a punch of protein, vitamin c and omegas with this wholesome party of ingredients.

Quinoa Salad with Cannellini Beans and Toasted Mixed Seeds
Serves 2
Preparation/cooking time 15 mins

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to packet instructions (usually around 10 mins)
1 cup cooked cannellini beans, drained
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 medium vine tomato, roughly chopped
Handful of broccoli florets (raw) broken into small pieces
2 tbsp chopped basil
3 tbsp mixed seeds

Dressing
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions. The grains should be open and the little water they are cooked in should have been soaked up.
2. Dry toast the seeds in a saucepan for a couple of minutes until they begin popping. Watch they don’t burn! Turn with wooden spoon.
3. Place the quinoa in a bowl, then mix in the remaining salad ingredients, apart from the seeds.
4. Make the dressing by mixing together its ingredients in a small cup, then pouring over the salad. Combine well using a spoon.
5. Serve into 2 bowls, then sprinkle the seeds over the top.

Spinach and Mushroom Calzone

Spinach and Mushroom Calzone

Spinach and Mushroom Calzone
Vegan
Preparation/cooking time over 1 hour
Serves 4

Dough for Calzone

• 1kg ’00’ grade pasta flour
• 1tsp salt
• 2 x 7g quick yeast sachets
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 650ml luke warm water

Filling

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large bag fresh spinach
• 100g Vegusto No Moo Melty, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• Optional – Italian herb seasoning

Sauce

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• Sprig fresh basil
• Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to its top temperature
1. Start by making the dough for the calzone, by sieving the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Combine the liquid in a mixing jug.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Gradually start adding the liquid, bringing down the flour around it using a fork, to combine it into a dough.
3. Knead on a floured surface until it is smooth and springy, then place in a bowl and cover to rise until doubled in size.
4. Next, make the sauce by tipping the tinned tomatoes into a small saucepan. Rip the basil leaves in and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer on a low heat while you make the calzone filling. The tomatoes will reduce and thicken.
6. For the filling, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, then fry the mushrooms until they are soft and shiny. Gradually add in the spinach, wilting down a handful at a time. Season with salt and pepper.
7. The filling is cooked when all the spinach is soft and combined with the cooked mushrooms. Add in a pinch of Italian herb seasoning.
4. After the dough has risen, knock it back to remove all the air and divide into four balls. Flour them, then roll out into 30cm rounds, around 3mm thick. You may have some spare dough to make pizza out of later!
8. Spoon quarter of the filling onto half of one of the circles of dough with a little tomato sauce. Now cut thin slices of No Moo Melty and arrange them over the top of the filling.
9. Fold the dough over and pinch around the edges to form a stuffed ‘pasty’ shape. The calzones are large, so you may want to make and cook just one or two at a time (and cut them in half to serve)!
10. Transfer the calzones onto a floured baking tray and bake for 10 minutes until they are firm and lightly golden. They cook quickly in a hot oven, so keep an eye on them.
11. To serve, drizzle with the remaining tomato sauce, sea salt, some basil and a little olive oil.

 

Happy Easter from Lots of Nice Things

Hello again Lots of Nice Things. I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet lately! I have started working for two very lovely companies, writing recipes, taking photographs and helping to promote their wonderful veggie food – hence my free time for blog writing has taken a hit.

I’m delighted to have teamed up with producers of the finest vegan cheese, Vegusto, and am producing a recipes for their e-newsletter. As well as making the best vegan cheeses I have ever tasted, they also do a wide range of meat alternatives including sausages, roasts, sandwich slices, sauces and mayonnaise. Sign up to their newsletter to receive my recipes twice a month and they also do regular giveaways so you can sample some of the products for free.

I’m also working with The Parsnipship – who produce gourmet vegetarian and vegan cuisine, sold at farmers markets and food fairs across South Wales. As well as shooting pictures for their new website, I am organising a number of cookery classes at their Cookery School.  So if you fancy learning more about how to cook your own vegan food, using seasonal produce, come along! The Parsnipship is based at Ogmore Vale, near Bridgend, off the M4 in Wales.

Saturday, April 20: The Big Fat Vegan Cookery Course, 10-4pm (£125)
Thursday, May 16: The Healthy Seasonal Family Cookery Course, 6-9pm, (£50), part of National Vegetarian Week

Email me to book a place.

Recipe using Vegusto’s Deli-style Sandwich Slices

 

Wholemeal Rolls with Deli-Style Sandwich Slices and Avocado Hummus
Serves 2
Preparation/cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 avocado
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
200g/ 7oz chickpeas
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp dairy free milk, such as soya or coconut
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
4 wholemeal seeded rolls
1 packet Vegusto Deli-style Sandwich Slices
½ roasted red pepper, sliced (from a jar) or use raw red pepper
Mixed salad leaves, such as spinach, rocket and watercress

Method
1. Scoop the avocado into a mixing bowl, with the garlic, chickpeas, olive oil and lemon juice.
2. Blend the ingredients with a hand blender, or in a food processor, until they are smooth. Add in the dairy free milk to help the hummus become smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cut open the rolls and spread all sides generously with the hummus.
4. Place two Vegusto Sandwich Deli Slices on top of the bottom halves of each roll, followed by pieces of sliced red pepper and a handful of mixed leaves.
5. Bring the four rolls together and serve on a plate with a salad garnish.

Celeriac Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Pear

Oh Lots of Nice Things I have missed you. It’s been well over a week since my last post! I am sorry. Lots of things have been happening instead of my personal blog, which have left me little spare time. Firstly, I’ve started working part-time for gourmet vegetarian & vegan food producers The Parsnipship. They run market stalls across South Wales selling the most incredible pies, crumbles, burgers and bakes, which will soon be available on-line.

I’ve also began developing recipes for Vegusto – producers of the finest vegan cheeses, sausages, roasts and other tasty things. If you visit their website, you can sign up to receive two recipes a month via an e-Newsletter. Their products are healthy and sustainable, using no palm oil, animal products, GM or trans fats. Many are soya free too.

Luckily this lunchtime, I had some food time to myself, so decided to create a salad recipe using the strange vegetable that is celeriac. Grated in a food processor, this dish takes literally minutes to prepare and is a really fresh alternative to a plain green salad.

Celeriac Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Pear
Serves 2-4
Preparation time 10 mins

1 small celeriac, peeled then grated
2 roasted red peppers from a jar, sliced
1/2 pear, sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of chilli flakes
Sprinkle of parsley and mint
Salt & pepper

1. Grate the celeriac using a food processor if you have one, or by hand.
2. Place all the ingredients together in a salad bowl and mix in well with your hands.
3. Season to taste and add more olive oil if you like.
4. Serve with warm bread and homemade hummus.

Wild garlic pesto

Wild garlic will soon be in season. You might be lucky enough to stumble across a bed of its pungent leaves hidden in woodland. It’s lovely in salads, but can also be used to make a tasty pesto. The rest of the year, just substitute the wild garlic leaves with fresh basil, or a mixture of basil, rocket and watercress.

Wild Garlic Pesto

1 large handful of wild garlic, washed (out of season, use fresh basil, mixing in some rocket and watercress for a sharper taste
6 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp mixed seeds or pine nuts
Cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste
Optional: 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast flakes for an extra ‘cheesy’ taste
Also, add 1 clove crushed garlic if you aren’t using wild garlic

1. Lightly toast the seeds or pine nuts.
2. Roughly chop the wild garlic and put it in a blender with the rest of the ingredients, plus the toasted seeds/pine nuts.
3. Blend until smooth, adding more oil and seasoning to taste.
4. Serve on fresh pasta, with a few sun-dried tomatoes mixed through.