Cookies

You won’t believe how easy and good these cookies are. I’ve done it a few times and since I’ve done it for the first time I haven’t done any other cookie as this is soooooooooooo good!!! Try it I can guarantee you’ll love it.

Ingredients:

150g vegetable spread (I use Pure sunflower)

100g soft light brown sugar

40g mashed banana

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp golden syrup

300g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1 – Beat together the sugar and the spread until pale and creamy.

2 – Add the banana, vanilla extract and the golden syrup.

3 – Mix well then sift in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

4 – Use your hands to bring together into a dough and chill it for at least 30 minutes

5 – Roll out on to a lightly floured surface to 3-4 mm thick.

6 – Cut out festive shapes and transfer carefully to a lined baking sheet and bake for about 12-18 minutes at 160c.

Cooking time might vary according to the size of your cooking shapes so check it halfway through.

It goes really well with tea or coffee or by itself whenever you feel like snacking. Enjoy!!


Source: Vegetarian Living Magazine

Vegetable Tart

This recipe is elegant and it goes really good with rice, salad or whatever you want. I always do it when I want to impress…hehehehe

Ingredients:

200g plain flour

130g vegetable spread (I use Pure sunflower)

150g butternut squash diced

150g sweet potato diced

1 red onion chopped

1 carrot diced

15 mini new potato cut in half

1 vegetable cube (I use Kallo)

Two sticks of spring onions chopped

Salt

Black Pepper

Method:

1 – In a bowl mix the spread and the flour. Use your hands to bring together into dough.  Add a little flour if the dough seams sticky but be careful not to make the mixture too dry.

2 – Open the dough in a 24cm round spring form baking pan with a 1cm height on the sides

3 – In a frying pan (those with a higher side) fry the onion until tender

4 – Add the rest of the ingredients and stir for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

5 – Pour the vegetables into the baking pan and bake it for 25 minutes on a pre-heated oven at 180c.

It might look a bit difficult but believe me it is not. I hope you enjoy!!

Baked Cauliflower

Cauliflower is delicious, you can cook it in so many different ways and the result is always good. This is an old recipe that we always do at home.

Ingredients:

One whole cauliflower

A handful of chives chopped

Olive oil

Salt

Parmesan like cheese

Method:

1 - Separate the cauliflower florets and boil it in salted water for 10 minutes

2 - Run the water and place the florets in a baking tray

3 - Spread the chives and the olive oil

4 - Sprinkle the parmesan and bake it for 20 minutes at 180c.

Suggestion - serve it with rice, black beans and salad. Enjoy!!

Tofu and Mushroom Stroganoff

I have always liked stroganoff and this vegan version won’t let you down. This is always a hit at home, I can guarantee you'll love it.

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic smashed

½ onions chopped

250g tofu cut in small cubes

250g chestnut mushroom sliced

500ml single cream (I use Alpro)

7 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lemon and parsley seasoning

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Method:

1- Fry the garlic and the onions until tender
2 - Add the tofu and fry stirring for 7 minutes
3 - Add the mushroom, lemon seasoning, balsamic vinegar, salt and black pepper and stir for 9 minutes
4 - Pour the cream and cook for another few minutes
5 - Add the ketchup and mix it all together

Try it with rice, crisps and spinach leafs. Enjoy!!!

Banana Cake

In my opinion banana is one of those fruits that is delicious basically in any way you try it, smashed or baked with cinnamon, with ice-cream, and this recipe is no exception. It doesn’t take that long to prepare this cake and it goes really good with tea or coffee.

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain flour

1 ½ cups of light brown sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

½ cup of vegetable oil

1 tbsp vegan single cream

¾ cup of almond milk

4 bananas thinly sliced

1 tbsp cinnamon

Method:

1 - In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and baking powder.
2 - Add the oil, vegan single cream, almond milk, cinnamon and mix thoroughly.
3 - Add the bananas and mix well.
4 - Bake it on a greased and floured tube pan for 45 minutes on a pre-heated oven at 180c.

 

Enjoy!!!

Broccoli and Tomato Lumaconi Pasta

In my opinion pasta is the ultimate comfort food. There is nothing better when it is raining and cold and you want something easy to prepare. I made this recipe for the first time basically to use a few things I had in the fridge that needed to be cooked and we loved it.

Ingredients:

250g of lumaconi pasta (most dry pasta are vegan)

170g tofu cut in cubes

1 medium onion chopped

12 cherry tomatoes cut in half

250ml of vegan single cream (I use Alpro)

1 vegetable stock cube

Black pepper to taste

Spinach leafs

Cook the pasta as per the package instructions until al dente. I normally put salt on the water so the pasta gets salty without having to put more salt later on.

Fry the onions until tender and add the tofu. Fry them for 5 minutes in medium fire stirring from time to time. Add the broccoli, the back pepper and the vegetable cube and stir for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir constantly for 4 more minutes, turn the fire off and add the single cream.

Add the sauce to the pasta and serve with fresh spinach leafs. Enjoy!!

Glamorous Baked Portobello Mushroom

Known as the meat of the vegetable world, mushrooms are low in calorie and a good source of protein, B vitamins, calcium, potassium, zinc and the list goes on.

In the case of the one we are going to use today, the name "portobello" began to be used in the 1980s as a brilliant marketing ploy to popularize an unglamorous mushroom that, more often than not, had to be disposed of because growers couldn't sell them.

I on the contrary find them glamorous, hence the name of the recipe, and will show you today how to prepare a baked recipe that will shine on your plate and certainly impress your friends.

Ingredients:

4 portobello mushrooms without the stems.

180g tofu cut in small cubes

2 tbsp vegetable oil

½ onions chopped

12 sundried tomatos thinly sliced

Juice of half a lime

A handful of baby leave spinach chopped

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

In a frying pan heat the oil and fry the tofu until brown. Put the cubes in small bowl and add the lime juice and the back pepper. Set aside.

In a bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, add the tofu and add a pinch of salt. Divide the mixture into the 4 portobello mushroom and cook it in a pre-heated oven at 180c for 25 minutes.

It goes really well with a simple crispy leaf salad or with rice and salad. Enjoy!!!

Tomato and Broccoli Quiche

Quiche is something I always cook, it doesn't take long to prepare and is delicious. You can try it with different fillings, in this case, the sky is the limit!!

 

 

Ingredients for the dough:

110g of vegan spread (I use Pure sunflower)

200g flour (all purpose or wholemeal flour)

Ingredients for the filling:

½ onions chopped

4 cloves of garlic smashed

80g broccoli florets

8 cherry tomatoes cut in half

1 handful of pine nuts

250ml of vegan single cream

Two sticks of spring onions chopped

1 vegetable stock cube

Black Pepper to taste

Method:

1 - Using your fingers bring the flour and spread together to form a dough and divide the dough into four individual quiches baking trays or an 7 or 8 inches round spring form baking tray. 

 

2 - Fry the onions and garlic until tender.
3 - Add the spring onion and the broccoli florets and cook in low fire for about 4 minutes.
4 - Add the vegetable cube, pine nuts, tomatoes and black pepper and cook for another 4 minutes.
5 - Pour the single cream and stir for 2 more minutes.

6 - Divide the filling into the 4 individual quiche trays and bake it at 180c for 30 minutes.
 

This quiche goes really well with rice and salad. Enjoy!

Lady Lentil Burger

This burger is extremely easy and yummy and you can do it with basically any kind of pulse, I’ll show you a few later on but today the winner is……….Lentil!!!

We all know that beans are good for us and lentil is one of the best of them.  Lentils have the third-highest level of protein by weight, of any legume or nut, only loosing for soybeans and hemp. So it should be definitely a yes yes in everyone’s diet.

Ingredients:

250g green lentil (if you use a can of on lentil on water, which was my choice, don’t forget to drain the water out)

4 cherry tomatoes

1 medium size onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic smashed

1 medium size potato grated

8 tbsp vegan breadcrumbs

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

Black pepper to taste

Mix the lentil and the tomatoes in a blender and transfer the mixture to a big bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and turn the oven on at 180c. Using your hands make 9 big balls and place them on a greased baking tray. Smash them a litter so they look like burger and bake them for 30 minutes at 180c or until golden.

You can deep fry them if you prefer but I always try to avoid deep fried food. You can eat this with vegan buns or with rice and salad. Either way this is a cheap and easy recipe, for those sunny days when you don’t feel like spending too much of you precious time in the kitchen. Enjoy!    

5 a Day Baked Rice

I call this “5 a Day Baked Rice” because the idea is to put as many vegetables in it as possible so at the end you have a healthy, rich and delicious meal.

 

Ingredients:

650gr cooked basmati rice (I normally cook it the day before to save time)

4 cloves of garlic smashed

½ large onion chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

250g closed cup chestnut mushrooms cut in slices

160g broccoli florets

2 hand full of pitted green olives in brine cut in half

Tin of peas in water

15 cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 sticks of spring onions chopped

1 cube of vegetable stock (I use Kallo)

45g pine nuts

2 hand full of raisins

Black pepper to taste

(I know, it looks like a shop list J)

Method:

1 - Fry the garlic and the onion until tender
2 - Add the mushroom and cook it stirring for 2 minutes, add the broccoli and the vegetable cube and cook for another two minutes.
3 - Add the rest of the ingredients one at a time stirring for a bit before adding the next. Cook it until all the ingredients are tender.

4 - Turn off the fire and add the rice, mixing well.
5 - Bake it at 180c for 30 minutes.

You can never go wrong with this recipe. Since I’ve done it for the first time it is something I have to cook almost every week as per my husband's request. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Chocolate and Banana cream

You will never believe how easy and quick this recipe is. You can do it either as a ice cream if you put it on the freezer or as a cream if you choose the fridge. Either way it is extremely light and mouthwatering good!!!
It is also something delicious to do with those bananas that you bought and never had the time to eat over the week, suffer no more you don't have to waste it!!

Ingredients:
6 bananas
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup soya cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp agave nectar

Method:
1 - Beat all the ingredients on a blender or food processor until smooth
2 - Divide the mixture in small ramequins
3 - Leave it in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours before serve.

Easy right????? Enjoy!


(source site Cantinho do Vegetariano)

Chocolate Cake with Icing

This is a old time favourite of mine. I have been doing this recipe for over 3 years now and every time it finishes on the same day. It doesn't miss absolutely anything from a non vegan chocolate cake. It is easy, quick and delicious.

Ingredients:

115g raw cane sugar

4 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

170g flour (you can use either normal or wholewheat)

3/4 tsp baking soda

90ml vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp cider vinegar

200ml cold water

1) Mix the sugar, cocoa, salt, flour and soda in a mixing bowl.

2) Add the oil, vanilla essence and vinegar and pour cold water over the mixture.

3) Combine well with a fork, but do not beat.

4) Pour into a greased sandwich tin and bake it at 180C for 20-30 minutes.

Icing:

55g vegan margarine

30g cocoa

4 tbs soya milk (you can also almond milk, it is delicious)

140g sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1) Combine the first four ingredients in a saucepan and bring them to the boil slowly, stirring constantly.

2) Boil for one minute.

3) Remove from the heat and beat until cold. Add the vanilla essence and spread the icing on the cake.

I am sure you are going to impress your friends and family. Enjoy!!!

(source Easy Vegan Cooking from Leah Leneman)