Baked Tomatoes

I know this recipe is pretty basic, but basic it's also good right? And sometimes you have the ingredients the only thing missing is the idea of what to do with it. Well I love tomatoes, in any way and baked is delicious as it becomes a bit sweet. I hope you try this one. :)

Ingredients:
35 cherry tomatoes
2 sticks spring onions chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
Smoked sea salt

Method:
1 - Combine all the ingredients on a baking tray and bake it for 30 minutes

 

 

Enjoy!!

Homemade Mint Chocolate

How can I describe this recipe - rich, smooth, chocolaty, exquisite, yummy, absolutely delicious and even so none of those get even close to how good this chocolate is.
It's one those things that unfortunately we can't make very often as it's very fattening but believe me it worth every mouthful. The good thing is that you know exactly what you are eating.
It melts in our mouth and leaves a sweet bitter taste that is sheer heaven! Come on, indulge yourself!!

Ingredients:
8 tbsp virgin coconut oil
10 tbsp light brown sugar
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp peppermint extract

Method:
1 - Melt the coconut oil on the microwave, it will probably take 1 minutes but instead of 1 minutes put two times 30 seconds
2 - Stir in the sugar and cocoa until it's smooth
3 - Add the peppermint extract and stir a bit more
4 - Grease a muffin tin, those with 12 holes and pour in the liquid chocolate
5 - Put the pan in the fridge to set, which takes 20-30 minute
6 - Keep in room temperature in a container with greased paper so prevent it from melting.

Enjoy!

Stroganoff Revisited

This is a remake of an old stroganoff recipe which are already good but I thought that needed a little quick. So I added balsamic vinegar and lime juice to the crunchy tofu and that combined with the sweetness of the ketchup and the single cream makes a perfect combination.

As you might already know, tofu is perfect for absorbing the taste of any kind of seasoning, that's what makes it so versatile and a powerful ally in the kitchen for vegans and non vegans.



 

 

Ingredients:
200g tofu cut in small cubes
250g closed chestnut mushroom sliced
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic smashed
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 lime juice
250ml single cream
Vegetable cube
3 sticks spring onions chopped
Sea salt
1/2 cup ketchup
Black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil

Method:
1 - Fry the garlic and half the onions with two spoons of the olive oil until tender
2 - Add the tofu and fry it for around 5 minutes or until it gets light brown
3 - Pour it on a bowl and add the balsamic vinegar and the lime juice and set aside
4 - Fry the rest of the onions with the remaining olive oil until tender
5 - Add the mushrooms, vegetable cube, spring onions and black pepper and cook for 7 minutes stirring from time to time
6 - When ready add the tofu, single cream and the ketchup and mix it all together

It's delicious with white rice and homemade French fries, check the recipe on a previous post. Enjoy!!

Nutty Ice Cream

This is rich and yet light, really yummy. A perfect desert. If you like ice cream, you have to try it!!! I can guarantee you'll love it! :)

Ingredients:
1 cup almonds flakes
1 cup cashew
1 cup pistachios
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
120ml golden syrup
2 tbsp light brown sugar
3 1/2 cups water
20g cornstarch

Method:
1 - Soak the nuts in water overnight
2 - Drain the water and beat them on a food processor or blender with 1 cup of water and the cinnamon
3 - Add the remaining water, a cup at a time, and beat until you can break most of the nuts. The amount of time you are going to beat will depend on how powerful your blinder or food processor is and also if you want to leave a few bits of nuts on the ice cream or not
4 - Mix 1/2 cup of the mixture with the cornstarch and set aside
5 - Pour the rest into a sauce pan and add the rest of the ingredients.
6 - Heat almost to boiling point on a low fire stirring from time to time
7 - Add the cornstarch mixture to it and stir for 2 minutes to avoid sticking
8 - Turn off the fire and stir for another 2 minutes
9 - Let it cool completely before taking it to the freezer for at least 6 hours.

Enjoy!!!

Inspired by Mouthwatering vegan recipes

"Cheesy" Quiche

That was the conversation at my house the day I came up with this recipe:
Neni (my husband) - surely there is cheese in this
Me - yes, tofu and Vegusto
Neni - It taste as if there was dairy cheese in it
Well, that is exactly how it taste like. I absolutely love a challenge and like to veganise every recipe I used to prepare before I became a vegan. It's not that I miss cheese, because I don't, but it's good to know that if you want to, you have prepare your old recipes and they will taste as good, if not better, as they used to taste.
This quiche is lovely and perfect for an evening meal. Give it a go, you will love it!

Ingredients
200g flour
110g spread (I used Pure Sunflower)
215g tofu
1tsp balsamic vinegar
1 red onion chopped
250ml single cream (I used Provamel)
20g No-Moo Mild-Aromatic (Cheddar Alternative) Vegusto cheese grated
1 tbsp lemon parsley seasoning
1 vegetable cube
1 tbsp olive oil

Method:
1 - Using your fingers bring the flour and spread together to form a dough
2 - Open the dough on a 7 or 8 inches round spring form baking tray, depending on how high you want the sides of the quiche or devide it into four individuals quiche baking tray
3 - Fry the red onion on the olive oil on low fire for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time
4 - Squeeze the tofu block between your hand to get some of the liquid out and than to break it into crumbs
5 - Add the tofu, seasoning, balsamic vinegar and vegetable cube and stir for about 5 minutes
6 - Pour the single cream and the Vegusto cheese and stir for another 2 minutes
7 - Pour the mixture into the baking tray and cook it for 30 minutes at 180c pre-heated oven.

It is perfect with rice and salad. Enjoy!!

Cashew Strawberries Cheesecake

This is the ultimate desert, so perfect you just can't get enough of it!!!!Sheer heaven!!!
I've been meaning to try and create my own cashew cheesecake recipe for a while as I tried a few before and always like it. So last weekend I decided that it was time. Although it might not look like, it is really simple and quick to prepare, you only need to remember to soak the cashew overnight or for about 10-12 hours. In my opinion this cheesecake is so much better than the tofu one, it is rich, creamy and sweet on the exact amount. Give it a go, you'll thank me later!

Ingredients crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds flakes
15 prunes

Ingredients filling:
3 cups of cashew soaked overnight
1/2 cup lime juice
2/3 cup golden syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup coconut oil
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1 cup strawberries

Method:
1 - On food processor mix the crust ingredient and spread it pressing with your fingers on a greased 8 inches round spring form baking tray.
2 - Drain the cashew and beat on the food processor for about 2 minutes
3 - If your coconut oil is not liquid, heat it on the microwave for one minute
4 - Add the rest of the filling ingredients to the food processor, apart from the strawberries and beat for about 10 minutes. Only stop when all the ingredients are well mixed together into a thick cream
5 - Pour 2/3 of the mixture on top of the crust and spread as evenly as you can but don't worry too much it doesn't have to be perfect
6 - Add the strawberries to the remaining mixture, beat for 2 minutes and pour it on top of the first layer
7 - If you are serving it on the same day take to the freezer for 2 hours and take it out 1 before you serve. If you are serving on the other day you can leave it in the fridge over night.

Enjoy!!!

Homemade French Fries

Who doesn't like French fries? They are a perfect accompaniment for any kind of food and simply delicious. This is not a regular French fries as it's not fried. Anyone who lives in London knows that is impossible to fry any food, unless you don't mind that your whole house is going to smells like fried food for hours or if you live in a very big house. Apart from that I always try to avoid fried food whenever I can. This one doesn't miss a bit in flavour or crunchiness. It is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Is so delicious that you will never think on frying them again.

 



 

Ingredients:
5 Vivaldi Potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt

 

Method:



1 - Cut the potatoes in thin slices
2 - On a small pan cook it for 5 minutes in salted boiling water
3 - Drain the potatoes on a colander and pour the olive oil
4 - Spread the potatoes on a baking tray coved with greased paper and bake them on a pre-heated oven at 180c for 30-40 minutes

Enjoy!!!