Just a little raw boost for the New Year

The problem, sometimes, with being someone who just loves cooking, is that you can have too much great food! Being a vegan chef means I certainly never, ever, miss out on anything. You name it, I will cook and eat it (if it comes from plants, obviously!).

So this December I’ve been doing just that, at work and at home. Squash and Spinach Filo pies, soups, salads, sweet potato chips, mayonnaise, vegan cream cheese, roasted veg, stuffing, sourdough spread with avocado and Marmite, dahls, chapatis and rice, raw chocolate, raw cake, crumbles, puddings, mince pies, chocolate, more chocolate, udon noodles, edamame, tempura vegetables, ice cream, deluxe chestnut, shallot and mushroom tart, roast potatoes… the list just goes on.

But somewhere, we have to create a balance. Even when you are eating home cooked, delicious vegan food, sometimes our bodies just need a break. Digesting rich foods takes power, it takes energy. After completing a four day yogic fast in the summer, I saw how you can actually increase your energy by fasting and then temporarily eating less and more importantly, eating a bit differently.

I am a realist however and not a food saint. I’m going to share a nutrient packed, colorful, fresh and mostly raw dish and juice to give your body a little rest and a boost.

I’m not saying I’m going to be jumping on the New Year detox bandwagon tomorrow and I’m not suggesting you do either. I’m hoping to embrace a more rounded and sustainable approach. By incorporating more raw fruit and vegetable based dishes and drinks into your diet in general you can give yourself a gentle daily boost that won’t leave you beaten and reaching for that coffee and cake because you’ve simply gone all-out too intensively after a season of indulgence.

Today I started the day with a cup of hot water and a slice of lemon, to get the digestive system moving. I followed this with a cup of matcha green tea, to give me an easy mood and energy lift. This was followed by two pieces of wholemeal toast with almond butter and banana.

Mid morning I had my Supergreens Juice. Nutrient packed, this tangy and wholesome juice will really get you off to a great start!

Supergreens Juice
Serves 1
Pass the following ingredients through your juicer, and enjoy! 

5 romane lettuce leaves or other lettuce leaves
2 handfuls kale
2 handfuls spinach
1 apple
1 stick of celery
6 mint leaves
1/4 pineapple

If you don’t have a juicer, but only a smoothie maker like a Nutribullet, you can make a Supergreens Smoothie instead: 

2 romane lettuce leaves or other lettuce leaves
2 handfuls kale
2 handfuls spinach
6 mint leaves
1/4 pineapple
Dash of lemon juice (optional)
Topped up with 1/4 cup of water or more to reach desired consistency if the smoothie is too thick. You can add the apple and celery, but they give a lumpy consistency when blended.

For lunch I put together a salad bowl of Raw Squash Spaghetti, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Hummus, Edamame, Peppers, Lamb’s Lettuce and Raw Vegetable Cous Cous.

Super Raw Salad Bowl
Serves 1

2 handfuls lambs lettuce
1/4 small butternut squash or carrot, spiralized or grated
2 tbsp hummus (homemade or shop-brought)
1 tbsp fresh edamame
3 tbsp mixed diced pepper
3 tbsp raw vegetable cous cous

How to make Raw Vegetable Cous Cous
Serves 2
Raw Vegetable Cous Cous is the latest thing! You can ever buy it in Tesco. It’s great for a raw meal and especially handy for wheat-free diners.

This variety was made by placing the following ingredients into my food processor and blending in turn:

1/4 head broccoli florets
1 raw beetroot, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
4 baby corn

Dressed with 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar mixed with 2 tbsp olive oil, cracked sea salt and black pepper. Add in different veg to see how it turns out! for example cauliflower or peppers.

Here’s another recipe for an amazing looking Raw Veggie Medley Cous Cous to give you some more ideas.

So why not treat yourself and your body to some fresh, raw and lively foods this January, if not everyday, whenever you feel like you need a lift and your body needs some TLC.

Herb and Onion Tear and Share Rolls

Herb and Onion Tear and Share Rolls

Bread, in its many forms is certainly one of the finest foods. At its best, served warm, smothered in something tasty like homemade hummus or dipped in a hot, thick soup.

So I was inspired when I saw an old episode of the BBC’s Hairy Bikers, making sage and onion tear and share bread. It looked and sounded really appetizing, served with a parsnip and apple soup. So I thought I’d have a go at making a vegan version (theirs contained milk). We also had a good crop of parsley which needed cutting into, so I added some of that too.

It took a bit more preparation than some of my other breads like flatbread or focaccia, but was very much worth it. I had some friends over for lunch, so I served it to them with roasted butternut squash soup. Their reaction was, ‘you made that???’, which is what you want.

Herb and Onion Tear and Share Rolls
Serves 8
Preparation/cooking time 2 and a half hours approx.

150ml/5fl oz soya milk, plus extra for glazing
400g/14oz strong white flour, plus extra for kneading
7g/¼oz sachet fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
15g/½oz vegan margarine
1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
15-20 sage leaves, chopped
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat 150ml/5fl oz water and the soya milk in a saucepan over a low heat until lukewarm.
2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir in the yeast, sugar and salt.
3. Make a well in the centre and stir in the water and milk with a large wooden spoon. Gather into a ball then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. I used the dough hook in my food processor (Magimix) and pulsed the dough for a minute instead.
4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover loosely with oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
5. Meanwhile, melt the vegan marg and oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the onion and garlic over a very low heat for 10 minutes, or until softened.
6. Scatter the chopped sage and parsley over the onions and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with lots of freshly ground black pepper and set aside to cool.
7. When the dough has doubled in size, tip it back onto a floured surface and flatten with the palms of your hands. Spoon the onion mixture on top and knead for a couple of minutes until evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with a little extra flour if it becomes sticky.
8. Divide the dough into eight and shape into neat balls by pulling the dough from the outside of the ball and pushing into the centre. Turn over with the ends underneath. Place the rolls in a circle on a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, making sure the dough balls are touching. Cover loosely with oiled cling film and leave to prove in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
9. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 6.
7. Brush the top of each roll lightly with milk. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes, or until risen and golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool a little before serving.

Make it quick tip: I chopped and cooked my herbs and onion the night before and put them in the fridge in a covered bowl, saving time during the next morning. I also did the kneading in a food processor, also reducing the preparation time. If serving soup with the rolls for lunch, why not prepare the veg for it the night before too? I roasted my butternut squash, carrots and onions and left them to stew in stock overnight, ready for blending and warming through the next day.

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.

 

Amazing Vegan Spinach and Two ‘Cheese’ Cannelloni

Spinach and Two Cheese Cannelloni
Serves 4
Preparation/cooking time 1 hour

2 tbsp vegan margarine
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 large bag spinach
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp Italian herb seasoning, or dried oregano
2 tbsp soya or other non-dairy milk
2 tins chopped tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
Sprig of fresh basil, chopped, or 1 tsp dried basil
1 packet Vegusto No-Moo Melty (400g)
12 cannelloni tubes
Salt and cracked black pepper
1 packet Vegusto No-Moo Sauce

You will need: 1 square oven dish (of around 10”x8”) and a piping bag with wide nozzle, (or you can use a plastic sandwich bag with the corner snipped off)

1. Preheat your oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Melt the margarine in a medium-sized saucepan, then add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Gradually add in the spinach, a handful at a time, stirring, so it begins to wilt down in its own moisture. Continue until the whole bag has been added and stir in the nutmeg, Italian seasoning and then season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and set aside.
4. Add the tomatoes to a small saucepan, with the sugar and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Bring them to the boil, then turn down to simmer for 15 minutes with the lid off, so they reduce and thicken.
6. Turn the cooled spinach onto a board and roughly chop it, before returning to the pan.
7. Crumble the No-Moo Melty into the spinach. Turn onto a medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Mix until the spinach is smooth and creamy, adding the soya milk to thin the mixture slightly. Turn off the heat when all the cheese has melted.
8. Grease the oven dish and then pour in the tomatoes.
9. Spoon the spinach mixture into your piping bag, holding the nozzle flat so mixture doesn’t leak out. Fold the top of the bag down so you can squeeze the mixture down gradually.
10. Pipe spinach mixture into each cannelloni tube, ensuring it fills the entire length of each one.
11. Arrange the tubes in the tomato sauce.
12. When all the tubes are filed and in place, pour the No-Moo Sauce evenly all over the top. You can smooth it off with a pallet knife and top with a few extra herbs and black pepper.
13. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a knife inserted into the pasta goes in easily and the top is nice and golden.
14. Serve with garlic bread or salad.
Extra option: Top with some grated Vegusto Piquant, or Nutritional Yeast Flakes.

 

Three lovely recipes from The Parsnipship

Photography by Helen Rossiter for The Parsnipship

This article and recipes from The Parsnipship appeared the in weekend supplement of The Western Mail on Saturday, April 6.

Spirit in the Pie

Having worked in restaurants all over the world for the last 20 years, Ben Moss has mastered a unique style of cooking which fuses together many ways of creating wonderful things from vegetables.

Ben and his team of chefs at The Parsnipship, spend the week hand-crafting gourmet vegetarian and vegan cuisine to sell at Farmers Markets, from their kitchens in Ogmore Vale. Their fayre includes pies, crumbles, soups, pâtés and hot dishes such as lasagne and gratin dauphinoise.

“I started baking cakes with my gran on the Isle of White, when I was eight years old. I then went on to cook at my parents’ hotel in Chamonix in the French Alps and worked with chefs in France and the UK.

“So I was always inspired by classical French cookery. I also lived in Edinburgh and became very influenced by the blending of Scottish and French Cuisine,” says Ben.

But his travels led him to discover many other ingredients and flavours from countries such as Thailand, India and Italy, which he now works together to create simple, yet pioneering vegetarian cuisine.

Ben began his career cooking and eating meat and fish every day. But when he was 28, life changed forever, after encountering a market in Indonesia, selling dead dog.

“It was one of the worst things I had ever seen,” says Ben. “That was the final straw for me with meat eating.”

“Up until recently, vegetarians and vegans were treated as second class citizens in the restaurant trade. Many chefs were so uninspired when cooking for them, just serving things made from leftovers. I was the same at some points in my career, but after I saw the light the whole thing changed for me. I wanted to make vegetarian and vegan food that tasted fantastic.”

So in 2007, Ben set up his first stall at The Riverside Market in Cardiff, selling five different varieties of vegetarian pies.

Their stalls now run regularly at markets at Riverside, Abergavenny, Cardiff St Mary’s Street, Cowbridge and Mumbles.

Favourite foods include The Glamorgan Crumble, Butternut Squash Lasagne, Shropshire Blue Cheese and Spinach Cakes and the Indian Summer Pie, which will soon be available to buy online.

“We have to make the ingredients sing and food that is inspiring,” adds Ben. “Food should be alive not dead. There is a sense of spirituality about vegetarianism, it’s part of finding yourself and trying to affect some sort of change through the quality of what you do.”

Ben’s favourite foods are homemade Chana Masala and Aubergine Curry with Chapati and their own Welsh Haggis with Leek.

The Parsnipship have a Cookery School hosting monthly courses, teaching people to cook seasonally, with produce they have grown and instinctively without recipes.

Photography by Helen Rossiter for The Parsnipship

Smoky Lentil, Paprika and Tomato Soup
Serves 4

2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tins of tomatoes
250g brown lentils
1 heaped tbsp smoked paprika
1 heaped tbsp tomato purèe
1 level tbsp Marigold Swiss Vegetable Vegan Bouillon
2 pints water
Salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in a heavy bottom saucepan and fry the onion and garlic. Scald the tomato purèe in the oil, to give an intensive flavour.
2. When the onions and garlic are turning brown, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
3. When the lentils are cooked, whizz the soup with a hand blender and season. Serve with warm crusty bread or a dollop of crème fraîche and fresh coriander leaves.

Photography by Helen Rossiter for The Parsnipship

Spinach and Potato Pakoras
Makes 20

2 mugs of gram flour (chickpea flour)
1 mug water
4 large baking potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
1 mug frozen spinach, defrosted and roughly chopped
1 tbsp nigella seeds
1 tbsp good quality curry powder
½ tsp turmeric
1 litre of sunflower or groundnut oil for deep frying
Salt and pepper

1. Add the mug of gram flour to the water and mix in a large bowl into a fairly thick batter.
2. Add in all the other ingredients apart from the oil and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Get oil to approximately 160 degrees and using two spoons, drop in golf ball size spoons of mixture.
4. When they are floating and golden brown, lift out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper and season. Check the pakoras are cooked in the middle and return to the oil if they need a little more frying.

Photography by Helen Rossiter for The Parsnipship

Harissa Bean Pâté
Makes 1 large tin

1 tin of each of the following: kidney beans, butterbeans, chickpeas, lentils and cannellini beans
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 mugs water
1 tbsp Marigold Swiss Vegetable Vegan Bouillon
1 heaped tbsp Harissa or other spice blend
Juice and peel of 1 lemon (remove white pith)
Salt and pepper

1. Add all the ingredients to a pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Whizz with a hand blender or in a food processor and turn into an oiled loaf tin. If the mixture is too wet, drain some of the liquid off.
3. Refrigerate before serving with warm crusty bread. The pate will keep for a week.

Recipe for Vegan Macaroni Cheese

Vegan Macaroni Cheese

You don’t need dairy cheese to make this lovely Vegan Macaroni Cheese. This recipe uses a creamy sauce made with nutritional yeast flakes, stirred through Penne pasta, which is then baked with crispy breadcrumbs and slices of tomato.

Vegan Macaroni Cheese
Serves 2-4
Preparation/cooking time 40 mins

200g/7 oz Penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
2 cups soya or other non-dairy milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup white breadcrumbs

1. Cook your pasta according to the packet instructions, drain and set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.
3. Meanwhile, make the cheesy sauce. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. When it is hot, cook the onion and garlic until soft, before stirring in the flour, mustard and herbs. Then gradually add the milk, stirring constantly to keep the sauce smooth and encourage the flour to break down and thicken the sauce. Beat with a hand whisk to help remove any lumps, as you add the yeast flakes. Taste and season with salt & pepper.
4. Add some more milk if the sauce is too thick.
5. Tip the cooked pasta into a medium-sized baking dish, then stir through the cheesy sauce. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, then arrange the tomato slices on the top.
6. Bake for 25-30 mins. The top should go golden and crispy.

Tamarind Tempeh and Mushroom with Creamy Polenta

Tamarind and Mushroom Tempeh with Creamy Polenta

Tempeh is a curious ingredient – but when you have the know-how, it is one of the purest ways to enjoy the health benefits of the soya bean. Here is a simple and tasty tempeh recipe, served with creamy polenta.

Impulse Foods make several varieties of organic tempeh, including garlic and herb, which I used for this recipe. One of the tricks with tempeh is to marinade or cook it in other strong flavours, like tamarind, tamari, garlic and ginger, so it soaks up and stores them within it’s hearty texture.

The rich and dense tempeh is served here with a creamy polenta to contrast, which is also incredibly quick to whip up. They compliment each other very well. I’d recommend experimenting with tempeh first, learn how you like to cook it. It’s a complicated taste that not everyone will like, but you may love.

Viva!’s Vegetarian Recipe Club has some other serving suggestions, in addition to this recipe.

Tamarind and Mushroom Tempeh with Creamy Polenta
Serves 2
Preparation/cooking time 30 mins

Tempeh
1 tbsp olive oil
½ red onion, finely chopped
1cm of ginger, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 pack tempeh with herbs and garlic (or plain), cubed
200g/7oz mushrooms, sliced

Sauce
2 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp tamarind paste
½ tsp malt vinegar
1 tsp tamari or soya sauce
2 tsp olive oil
½ tsp brown sugar
Pinch all spice
Pinch medium chilli powder
Pinch ground black pepper
100ml boiling water
Splash red wine (optional)

Polenta
150g/5oz polenta grain
300ml water
300ml soya milk
Pinch of dried mixed herbs
Salt & pepper

1. Fry the onion, ginger and garlic in a large frying pan in the olive oil, for two minutes. Add in the tempeh and continue to cook for a good 5 minutes. Turn the tempeh cubes over so they start turn golden on all sides.
2. Add in the mushrooms and continue to fry everything for a few minutes until they begin to soften too. Add a touch more olive oil if the mix is too dry.
3. Place all the sauce ingredient in a bowl, adding the boiling water on top as the last step. Stir it in gradually to help the tamarind paste melt and everything combine. Now pour this mixture onto the tempeh & mushrooms.
4. Turn down the heat and allow everything to simmer in the sauce, for around 10 mins.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the polenta. Bring the water and soya milk to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the polenta and stir continuously, allowing it to cook for just a minute (be careful, it does have a habit of bubbling at this stage). The longer the polenta is cooked, the quicker it will go firm – so the trick here is to just give it minute. Season to taste and sprinkle in some herbs.
6. Serve the tempeh & mushroom with the polenta, immediately. The polenta will go hard if left to go cold (it still tastes nice, but is better soft in this context). Enjoy with a generous blob of brown sauce!

Big Cheating Vegan Sausage Rolls

Big Cheating Sausage Rolls

Don’t get me wrong, lots of the food I make is mega healthy. But some of it isn’t! Some times I just love tucking into warming comfort food that’s great for munching on under a blanket on the sofa. Even homemade vegan ‘junk’ food has its place, occasionally!

These sausage rolls tick this box. They are quick and easy to make and are far superior to any shop brought vegan or veggie sausage rolls. They use Sainsburys Love Soya Meat Free Sausages, which are vegan and their own brand ready-made puff pastry. I think these sausages are actually the nicest available at the moment and the pastry is also delightfully crumbly.

Big Cheating Vegan Sausage Rolls
Makes 6
Preparation/cooking time 35-40 mins

1 packet Sainsburys Love Soya Meat Free Sausages, or other vegan sausages (Linda McCartney for example)
1 packet puff pastry sheet (Jus Roll is also butter-free)

Preheat oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6.
1. Cook the sausages according to packet instructions. They can be grilled or oven cooked in 15-20 mins.
2. Spread out the pastry sheet onto your work top.
3. When the sausages have cooked, place one on to the pastry and cut a rectangular strip that is as long as the sausage, that can roll around it and join together underneath.
4. Wrap the first sausage in pastry, pressing the edge together where it joins with your fingers.
5. Cut a further 5 rectangles of pastry from the sheet and wrap up all the other sausages.
6. Place them on a greased baking tray, joined edge on the bottom and bake in the oven for around 15-18 mins. They should be puffed and golden.
7. Enjoy with baked beans, potato waffles and brown sauce! Lovely.

Make Your Own Roasted Butternut Squash and Herb Ravioli

Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli

Today I made the nicest thing I’ve eaten in a while. I cannot fully take credit for the idea, but when I saw The Hairy Bikers cooking Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli, I knew I had to veganise the recipe.

I wasn’t disappointed. The filling they used for was nearly vegan, consisting of just of mainly of roasted squash, but the pasta dough required eggs. So my recipe replaces eggs with ground flaxseed mixed with water, to help create a bind. I had also run out of ’00 grade pasta flour, so I just used plain, which makes this recipe super cheap, yet very impressive.

They give the shop-brought fresh stuffed pasta a good run for its money, something I used to love as a vegetarian.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Herb Ravioli
Serves 2
Preparation/cooking time 1 hour

Filling
500g/1lb 2oz butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cubed
3 tsp olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, chopped

Pasta
300g/10½oz ‘00’ grade flour (or plain flour), plus extra for dusting
2 tsp ground flaxseeds, mixed with ½ cup water
½ tsp salt

To serve: vegan margarine and nutritional yeast flakes

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. For the filling, place the butternut squash pieces into a large bowl, drizzle over two teaspoons of olive oil and stir to coat. Season to taste. Place the pieces of butternut squash into a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until tender.
3. Remove from the oven, place in a food processor with the herbs, then blend until smooth. Set aside to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, for the pasta, blend the flour and flaxseed mixture in a food processor until the ingredients come together to form a dough. Add a little more water if needed.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into four portions and wrap each in cling film. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
7. When the pasta dough has chilled, take the first portion and roll it out onto a lightly floured work surface to a 1mm thickness, dusting with flour if it starts to stick. You need to roll it into a rectangle, from which 9-10 shapes can be cut (using a ravioli cutter if you have one). Gently mark shapes in the pasta where each ravioli will be cut.
8. Repeat the rolling-out process with the second portion of pasta dough. Set aside.
9. Divide the cooled filling mixture in half and place one heaped teaspoon into the centre of each marked ravioli.
10. Once all of the discs have been filled, lift the second sheet of pasta dough and drape it over the first, carefully smoothing the pasta around the filling using your fingertips.
11. Cut out your ravioli and place them on a floured surface ready to cook. Now make the second batch. You should end up with around 18 ravioli.
12. To cook the ravioli, half-fill a very large saucepan with cold water. Add one teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. When the water is boiling, carefully lower the ravioli into it. Boil for a few minutes, until the pasta is cooked to your liking.
13. Drain the ravioli, then serve by melting some vegan margarine over the top, sprinkling with nutritional yeast flakes and extra pepper!

 

One of the Best Vegan Recipes: Avocado and Smoked Tofu Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Avocado & Smoked Tofu Salad, from Viva! and the Vegetarian Recipe Club. Picture credit Viva!/Vegetarian Recipe Club

This beautiful vegan recipe for Avocado & Smoked Tofu Salad is what we have just eaten for the first part of our evening meal – and I just have to share it with you.

It is one of my all-time favourite recipes; slices of avocado are combined with smoked sesame tofu, drizzled with a delicious mustard vinaigrette dressing.

It is one of Viva! and The Vegetarian Recipe Club‘s most popular recipes. My friend Jane and I have taught hundreds of people how to make it, during our many cookery demonstrations at Viva!’s Incredible Veggie Roadshows.

You can buy the smoked tofu at health food shops and in some Waitrose stores. The dish takes just minutes to prepare, but makes for a very impressive dish to serve to dinner guests, or just as a special treat.

Avocado & Smoked Tofu Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Preparation/cooking time 5-10 minutes

2 large, ripe avocados
1 packet smoked tofu available from large supermarkets or health food stores. Taifun is the firmest in texture. Cauldron, Taifun and Dragonfly are all good but softer so if you want it crispy, fry for a minute or two first
2 dsp sesame seeds
Salt and black pepper

Mustard vinaigrette
175ml/6fl oz extra virgin olive oil
75ml/3fl oz white wine vinegar
2 dsp (40ml) French or Dijon mustard
A little salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper

1. In a pan, dry roast the sesame seeds over a high heat until starting to pop and brown. Keep stirring with a wooden spatula so they don’t burn.
2. Allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: mix the oil, white wine vinegar, mustard, salt and black pepper in a jar – use a fork to dissolve mustard then put lid on jar and give it a good shake.
4. Divide the avocados into halves, length-ways. Remove the stone and skin.
5. Place each half on an individual serving plate and cut into 6 slices.
6. Cut the smoked tofu into thin slices and insert in between avocado cuts.
7. Season with a little salt.
8. Pour the vinaigrette round then sprinkle seeds artistically over top of everything.
9. Sprinkle black pepper over the salad and serve.
10. The vinaigrette recipe makes quite a lot, but will keep for ages in a screw-top jar in the fridge. Alternatively, half or even quarter the quantities!

Recipe & picture by Viva! & The Vegetarian Recipe Club
www.viva.org.uk