RECIPES

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WILD GARLIC & ASPARAGUS PESTO PASTA

100 gms wild garlic (you can forage for this or get it from a specialist supermarket)
30 gms basil
50 gms cashews
20 gms sunflower seeds
20 gms nutritional yeast (adds the cheesy flavour)
Juice from half a lemon
Salt to taste
Olive oil to preferred consistency
Add all ingredients except olive oil to a food processor and blitz until you have a smooth paste. When well blended, drizzle in olive whilst still whizzing.
Decant into a jar and store for up to 2 weeks ensuring to top off with olive oil if required.
*You can use pinenuts instead of cashews and sunflower or use walnuts, almonds or pumpkin seeds.
You can add this to boiled new potatoes, in pasta dishes, on roast potatoes, mayo or on bruschetta. The options are endless.

Here, I boiled salted water. once boiling, add spaghetti. After 2 minutes, add asparagus. Cook pasta according to instructions but keep it al dente. Drain but keep some of the pasta water. Stir as much pesto as your heart desired then add some of the reserved water to emulsify. Stir well and serve…

RAW RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE TART

Makes 2 small individual tarts

CRUST
1/2 cup of oats
1/4 cup dates
1/4 soaked raw buckwheat groats (optional but I love the crunch)
1/4 cup cashews
Tbsp pumpkin seeds
Pinch of salt
Maple syrup as needed

FILLING
Two tablespoons chia jam, recipe in my highlights
1 cup coconut milk (tinned)
100gms high cocoa content dark chocolate
Vanilla essence

Take two loose bottomed small pie cases. If you dont have loose bottomed ones, I suggest lining small pie cases with cling film so you can easily remove them once they are set.

Start by boiling your kettle and soak dates and buckwheat together for 3 minutes then drain.
Add pumpkin seeds, oats and cashews to a food processor and blitz for a couple of minutes until you have a crumb, make sure it is bot a flour as you want some crunch to the base. Now add the drained dates and buckwheat and blitz until the mix comes together. Scrape down the sides of the processor halfway. At this stage you can add a little hot water or maple to allow the mix to bind together. Do not make the mix too wet.
Remove the mix, split into two portions, press into your pie cases to form crust. Add a tbsp of chia jam to each. Pop in your freezer for an hour. Remove from the freezer, set aside.
Add coconut milk to a pan and gently heat. Remove from heat. Add vanilla essence and chocolate pieces. Mix thoroughly into coconut milk.
Once combined, carefully pour onto the case and chill for 2 hours.
Serve topped with more chia jam.

GLUTEN FREE MAPLE SNAP COOKIES

Ingredients
90gms white rice flour
2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
2 tablespoon cashew butter
Tiny pinch of salt for balance
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 180 degress.
Before you start making this recipe, line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Add all your ingredients to your cookie food processor and mix until all the ingredients come together forming a ball. Scrape the bowl and process again. Then make a ball with the mixture.
Take two large sheets of parchment paper and flatten the ball on a sheet. Place the other sheet on top and roll the mixture out using a rolling pin to a quarter inch thickness.
Using a cookie cutter, cut your cookies. I managed 18 cookies.
The cookies are very delicate so you’ll need to carefully place them onto your cooking tray.
Now bake in for 8 minutes until nicely coloured but no too dark.
Once baked, remove them from the oven to cool. They will crisp up beautifully once completely cooled.
Enjoy with a cuppa ❤

St Patrick’s day SODA BREAD (actually, not just for St. Patrick..)

Ingredients

600gms plain flour
2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
150gms fresh spinach
1 teaspoon of salt
300ml plant milk
250ml soya yogurt

Start by preheating your oven to 200°C
In a large bowl sieve the white flour. Mix in your salt and bicarbonate of soda and combine well. In a blender, blend your spinach, yoghurt and milk. Make a small well in the flour mix and pour in the milk and spinach mix. Now use a fork to bring the flour and liquid together. Once all the mixture is well combined, you need to shape the bread. Lightly flour your hands and shape the mix into one round loaf. Place on a parchment lined baking tray.
Traditionally a soda bread is cut with a cross in the top of the dough. To do this, flour a large knife and cut a cross into the dough two-thirds of the way through. This will make it easy to break once it is cooked.
Bake the bread for 10 minutes at 200 then lower to 180 and bake for a further 30 – 35 minutes. To check that the loaf is cooked, give the bottom of the loaf tap. If it has a hollow sound when tapped, the loaf is ready. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, slice, toast and spread with a generous layer of vegan butter and enjoy.
To store the bread, wrap in a linen tea towel , although pretty sure it won’t last long…

BORLOTTI BEAN AND CAVOLO NERO SOUP

Serves 2

1 tin of borlotti beans drained
1 clove of garlic minced
1 small onion finely chopped
Half a finely diced carrot
I medium celery stalk finely chopped
12 chopped baby plum tomatoes or two medium tomatoes
150 gms chopped new potatoes, skin on
700 ml Vegetable stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
150 gms roughly chopped cavolo nero
Salt and pepper to taste

Gently saute your onions, garlic, celery and carrots in the olive oil. Once softened, add the cubed potatoes and saute for 2 minutes. Add your chopped tomatoes, beans and 700ml vegetable stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. After 15 minutes, add your cavolo nero and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
To serve, add fresh basil or a spoonful of pesto. I use wild garlic pesto, foraged in the summer and frozen in cubes for days like these…

Because who doesn’t love bread? But lets face it, bread baking takes time, energy and practice and sometime you want bread and you want it NEWINGTON! In steps no knead soda bread ready in 30 minutes.
I have a few versions of this bread, both sweet and savoury but this one is a great one to eat with soups, salads or hummus.

CARAMELISED RED ONION AND ROSEMARY SODA BREAD

Ingredients

600gms plain flour
2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons fresh finely chopped rosemary
150gms caramelised red onions (see my previous recipes)
1 teaspoon of salt
300ml plant milk
250ml soya yogurt

Start by preheating your oven to 180°C
In a large bowl sieve the white flour. Mix your salt, rosemary and bicarbonate of soda and combine well. Make a small well in the flour mix and pour in the milk and yoghurt. Now use a fork to bring the flour and liquid together. Once all the mixture is well combined, add in your onions ensuring they are evenly distributed.
Now you need to shape the bread. Lightly flour your hands and shape the mix into one round loaf. Place on a parchment lined baking tray.
Traditionally a soda bread is cut with a cross in the top of the dough. To do this, flour a large knife and cut a cross into the dough two-thirds of the way through. This will make it easy to break once cooked.
Bake the bread for 35 minutes. To check that the loaf is cooked, give the bottom of the loaf tap. If it has a hollow sound, it’s done. Leave the bread to cool on a rack. Slice, toast and slather with butter. The onions in this bread lend themselves really well with cheese.
Enjoy..

Did someone say crumble for breakfast? No? Who cares, I’m having it anyway…
Dairy and refined sugar free pot of yumminess. Side note, you can enjoy this at anytime of the day.

APPLE AND WINTER BERRY CRUMBLE

RECIPE

Makes 6 ramekins or 1 large crumble

3 peeled, chopped cooking apples
200 gms frozen mixed berries
Half teaspoon cinnamon
1 ripe banana mashed well
150 gms oat flakes
40 gms shredded coconut
2 tbsp of maple syrup

Heat your oven at 180.

Start by cooking your apples in a pan with a little water and cinnamon. Keep an eye on them you don’t want them too soft. After 7 to 10 minutes, add your berries. Cook for another 3 minutes. Set aside whilst you make your crumb top.
In a bowl mash a large ripe banana. Add the maple syrup. Now add the oats and coconut and combine well.
Place the fruit in your dish or dishes then crumble the topping over the fruit. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top is nicely browned.
Serve with lashings of cream, ice cream (or both) or yoghurt or even naked (the crumble not you, but hey, your home, your rules right?)

The perfect start, middle or end to your day.
And yes, you sure as hell can have chocolate for breakfast!
Baked oats are one of my simple go to dishes, one that I like to have on repeat in various forms.
To make my delicious cakey, cherry, chocolatey, yumminess follow the recipe below..🍒
BLACK FORREST BAKED OATS
(Single serve)

40gms oat flour
10 gms cocoa powder
10 gms maple syrup
30 gms dark choc chips
1 tablespoon milled flaxseed
1 tablespoon coconut flour
30 gms frozen cherries
175ml plant milk
Half teaspoon baking soda
Teaspoon vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 180.

In a bowl, mix cacao, oat flour, baking soda, coconut flour and flax seed until well combined.
Next, pour the milk and maple syrup in and stir well. Combine the cherries and choc chips.
Pour into a baking dish and cook for 25 minutes. The centre will be gooey and perfect.
Serve with some coconut or soya yoghurt.
Enjoy, thank me later…

This simple hassleback roasted butternut squash is super tasty and one that should feature heavily on your autumn/winter menu.

HASSLEBACK FENNEL AND ROSEMARY ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

1 medium butternut squash
Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Fennel seeds
Large sprig of rosemary
Salt to taste

Preheat oven at 180

Start by cutting the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds.
Take the peeled garlic, chopped rosemary, salt, fennel seeds and add to a pestle and mortar add the olive oil and mash to a smooth paste and set aside.
Now place the squash skin side up and make cuts across the squash halves ensuring you don’t cut all the way through.
Next, you need to lighly salt the ubdersude of the squash and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Now, massge the herb mix into the slots of the squash skin and rub the mix over the squash.
Place in a roasting tray and cook for 45 or until the skin is soft and caramelised.
Serve as an accompaniment to your favourite protein or salad.

RAW CHOCOLATE SUPERFOOD BROWNIES

Makes 10

Ingredients

Brownies

225g pitted dates soaked in boiling water for a couple of hours then drained
100g raw cashews
50g hemp seeds
50g sunflower seeds
25 gms raw cacao powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Chocolate topping

40 gms raw cacao powder
35mls raw coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

Put your cashews, hemp seeds and sunflower seeds in your food processor and blitz down to a rough chopped. You want rice size pieces for texture and bite.
Now add the dates, cacao, salt, vanilla and mix until all well combined.
The mixture should stick together. If its doesn’t, you can add a very little water or maple syrup. DO NOT add too much.
Prepare a loaf tin with parchment paper then prees the brownie mix firmly into the tin and pop it the freezer for an hour.

Chocolate topping

Put your coconut oil in a bowl and melt over hot water or in the microwave. Once melted, add the cacao powder, maple and vanilla and mix until all combined (resist the urge to eat this now!)
Remove the loaf tin from the freezer, pour the chocolate on top and leave it to set. This won’t take long. Once set, cut the brownies into 10 squares, bigger if you’re greedy 😉
Pretty sure these won’t last long but if they do, you can freeze them.

Sometimes, only pizza will do.
Traditional pizza takes some time to make from scratch, something that I was lacking yesterday so I chose to be creative with a little help from my store cupboard and fridge.
This pizza uses a basic flatbread recipe as the base and was topped off with a quick tomato sauce and my fav toppings. All ready in less than 20 minutes, quicker than you can dial Domino’s…

FLATBREAD PIZZA

For the flatbread (MAKES 2)

250 gms plain flour
1 teaspoon sugar
Half teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 tablespoons of plant yoghurt
A little milk if required

For the tomato topping

Tin of chopped tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil
Italian mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Start by making a quick tomato sauce.
Heat a little olive oil in a pan,add the garlic. Cook for a minute. Now add the chopped tomatoes, salt and herbs. Cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
In a large bowl add flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and combine.
Make a well in the centre of the bowl. Now add your oil and yoghurt and mix well. The dough should come together very quickly. If its too dry, add a tablespoon of milk at a time. You’ll know the dough is ready when it cleans the bowl as you mix.
Now flour your work surface, place the dough on top and need for a couple of minutes.
Heat a pan ready for the magic and get your grill fired up.
Cut the dough in two and roll to the size of the pan.
Place the dough in the pan and cook for around 2 to 3 minutes until bubbling slightly. Flip and cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining dough and tada you have two flatbreads. You can eat these as they are, brush them with olive oil and garlic or make pizzzzzaaaa!
Your sauce should ready now. So let’s build our pizza.
Spread some sauce on one side, add all your fav toppings, I used vegan chorizo, vegan mozzarella and topped with fresh basil. Pop under the grill until bubbling et voila, you have quick and easy pizza. Enjoy!

If websites did smell-a-vision, these caramelised onions would have you dribbling and drooling.
They are subtly sweet and make the perfect addition to your cheese toasty, burger, quiches, tarts or soups and are guaranteed to take them to the next level.
So easy to make and they can be stored in a jar in the fridge for a 10 days, although, I doubt they will last that long.

RECIPE

3 medium white onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of coconut sugar
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Teaspoon salt

Start by peeling your onions. Cut them in half then slice them into half moons.
Heat your olive oil in a frying pan then add the sliced onions and salt.
Fry them on a low heat, cooking them low and slow for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them and stir them to prevent burning. You MUST be patient and keep the heat low. They will turn a light brown colour and at this point, add the vinegar and sugar to start off the caramelisation. Stir well and leave to cook for another 10 minutes. They will be sticky at this stage and ready to store.
Enjoy…

BANANA COCONUT CAKE
250g spelt or plain flour
75 gms caster sugar or natvia
1 tablespoon of sticky golden syrup
4 extra ripe bananas
175 ml plant milk
2 teaspoons of baking powder
80g unsweetened shredded coconut
50ml sunflower oil or sub with 100 gms applesauce for oil free
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

METHOD
Preheat your oven to 180
Prepare an 8” round cake tin with parchment, I use these tin liners.
In a bowl add flour, sugar, coconut and baking powder. Stir to combine.
In a blender, add the milk, sunflower oil, syrup, bananas and vanilla and blend until smooth.
Now pour the liquid onto the dry ingredients. Mix well ensuring all the flour has combined well.
Now pour the mix into the cake tin. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes. At 40 minutes, insert a skewer to the centre of the cake. Of the skewer comes out clean or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean the cake is ready. Place on a wire rack to cool.

You can take the girl out of Italy but you can’t take the Italy out of the girl…
Throwing it back to my Italian roots today and bringing you my version of this popular Italian dish with a vegan twist.
Its really important that you choose flavourful mushrooms when making this dish. If you can find porcini, even better. The king oyster mushrooms add a bit more of a bite to the dish thanks to their meaty texture and the drizzle of truffle oil at the end, enhances the whole mushroom flavour.
Although miso wouldn’t be used in the Italian version, I find it gives this dish an extra depth of flavour and really packs an umami punch.

TAGLIATELLE AI FUNGHI

Serves 2

200 gms chestnut mushrooms
2 King oyster mushrooms
180 gms dry tagliatelle
Fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic
75 gms fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon of white miso
1 cup oat milk (can sub for soya milk)
1 tablespoon cornlfour
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Truffle oil to dress
Vegan parmesan to top

Chop your oyster mushrooms into 1 inch cubes. Slice your oyster mushrooms. Set aside.
Get a pan of salted water on the boil for your pasta.
Add a tablespoon of olive to a frying pan and add your garlic. Cook gently for two minutes then add all your mushrooms and 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, salt and black pepper to taste.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes then stir in your miso paste. Now pour in the milk. Cook for a further two minutes then add your spinach. Cook for one minute then mix your cornflour with a little cold water and stir into the sauce to thicken.
Cook your tagliatelle al dente. Drain the pasta then mix into the mushroom sauce. Combine well and place in your dishes ready to serve. Finish off with a drizzle of truffle oil and vegan parmesan.
*if you wanted to make the dish richer, you could swap the milk for a plant based cream and omit the cornflour
Enjoy…

Stop your drooling!
These provide a sticky sweet bite sized chuck of yum with enough crunch and salt to take your taste buds to heaven and back for more. Trust me, Lina knows best, but don’t just take my word for it, get in the kitchen and work your magic, you will thank me…

RAW GOJI AND SEA SALT TOPPED BROWNIES

Makes 10

Ingredients

Brownies

225g pitted dates preferably soaked in boiling water for a couple of hours then drianed
100g raw cashews
50g hemp seeds
50g sunflower seeds
30gms raw buckwheat groats
25 gms raw cacao powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Chocolate topping

40 gms raw cacao powder
35mls raw coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

Put your cashew nuts, hemp seeds, buckwheat and sunflower seeds in your food processor and blitz down to a rough chopped consistency. You want rice size pieces for texture and bite.
Now add the dates, cacao, salt, vanilla and mix until all well combined.
The mixture should stick together. If its doesn’t, you can add a very little water or maple syrup. DO NOT add too much.
Prepare a loaf tin with parchment paper then press the brownie mix firmly into the tin and pop it the freezer for an hour.

Chocolate topping

Put your coconut oil in a bowl and melt over hot water or in the microwave. Once melted, add the cacao powder, maple and vanilla and mix until all combined (resist the urge to eat this now!)
Remove the brownie tin from the freezer, pour the chocolate on top, it will start to set rather quickly as it is frozen. Sprinkle with goji berries and sea salt flakes to set. Once set, to cut, use a heated knife to avoid cracking the chocolate. Cut the brownies into 10 squares.
Pretty sure these won’t last long but you can freeze them and eat straight from the freezer.
Thank me later…

MAGICAL VEGAN ICE CREAM

270ml Elmlea double plant cream 150ml aquafaba (this is the liquid drained a tin of chickpeas) 100 gms caster sugar, I use half sugar and half erythritol/stevia 1 tsp cream of tartar or 1 teaspoon of lemon juice/vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla paste/extract

*PLEASE make sure your food processor/mixer or bowl for the aquafaba is squeaky clean. Any trace of oil will prevent the aquafaba from stiffening up.

Take your aquafaba and whip it for three to four minutes, I use the paddle attachment on my food processor. Now add your cream of tartar or lemon juice/vinegar and whip for another three minutes. At this point, the mix should be really thick and fluffy. Now add the sugar and continue to mix for another 3 minutes. You should now have a glossy bowl of meringue. Put this in a large bowl. Now pour the cream into the food processor add the vanilla and beat until very thick. Now fold the cream mix into the meringue mix. Combine well. Now for the fun part, picking your mix in. I used chocolate chunks and peanut butter for half the mix then I made a second batch using cookie dough, chopped walnuts, chocolate chunks and chocolate sauce and OMG! Once well combined, pop into a container and freeze. Thanks to the aquafaba, this ice cream is light and fluffy and doesn’t freeze to a rock solid consistency, which is great news of you are too impatient to wait for it to soften.

I’ve found myself experimenting a lot with recipes lately, mainly due to wanting to run my cupboards and jars down. Well didn’t I come up trumps with this creation.
Recipe below and yes, thank me later…

RAW DATE AND ALMOND COOKIES
Makes 8

For the cookies

100gms almonds
50gms raw organic buckwheat
100gms medjool dates
50gms organic unsweetened coconut shreds (I toast these for a deeper flavour)
20gms cacao nibs
30gms tahini
20gms maple syrup
Pinch of salt

For the chocolate

40gms cacao butter drops
2 tbsps maple syrup
25gms pure cacao powder

Place almonds in a food processor bowl and blitz for 30 seconds to break up. Now add all other cookie ingredients. Process until the mix all comes together. If the mix feels dry, this will be dependent on how soft your dates are, add a little more maple/tahini.
Now shape the mix into flat round cookies and place in a container to freeze for four hours, overnight if possible.
Once frozen, it’s time to give the cookies a choccy top. Place the cacao drops and maple syrup in a bowl and put in the microwave for 60 seconds (you can melt the mix in a bowl over boiling water of you prefer). Once melted, mix in the cacao powder and stir well to remove any lumps.
Now remove your cookies from the freezer and dip one side in the chocolate mix. As the cookies are frozen, the chocolate will set almost immediately. Repeat the process then place back into the freezer. You can eat these straight from the freezer.
The cacao nibs and buckwheat add a delightful crunch whilst the dates provide the chewy goodness to these cookies.
Enjoy…

SMOKEY BEET KETCHUP

700 gms raw beetroot (you can use ready cooked but the final colour will not be as vibrant but still delicious)

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 small chilli finely chopped

100ml of balsamic or red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 table spoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

30 gms maple syrup or use brown sugar

Start by peeling your fresh beetroot. Chop into regular pieces and steam until soft.

Add olive oil to a pan and gently fry chilli, garlic and onions until soft.

Now add the beets, vinegar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, salt and maple syrup. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning of required.

Now add to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Return this to the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes or until you reach the desired consistency.

Once cooled, place in a storage jar. This will keep.for 2 weeks in the fridge. You can also store in sterilised jars or bottles and it will keep for 2 to 3 months.

This make a great dipping sauce for chips or as a sandwich spread or salad topper.

Enjoy…

DECADENT BLACK BEAN FUDGY BROWNIES

400 gms tin of unsalted black beans drained (drained weight 235gms)
45 mls of melted coconut or sunflower oil (neutral flavour works best here) or sub for 3 heaped tbsp of cashew/ almond butter
75 gms pure cacao
50 gms natvia or coconut/caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla powder or essence
1 tbsp instant coffee mixed in 4 tbsp boiling water
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
20gms flax plus 6 tbsp water to make flax egg
Topping

70 gms dark vegan chocolate
4 tablespoons coconut cream
Chopped walnuts/pecans/cashews or salted peanuts

Preheat your oven to 180c/350f
Line a loaf tin or a 7×7 brownie tray. I prefer a loaf tin as you get small, tall bites of yumminess.
Mix water and flax and set aside. Once this has formed a gel (your egg) it is ready to use.
Mix coffee with water.
Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until you have a batter consistency. If it’s too thick, slowly add some plant milk. Blitz for 3 to 4 minutes. The end result needs to be a frosting type consistency.
Pour into the tray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
At 20 minutes, use a skewer and check the batter is cooked through but bot completely dry . The outside and top needs to be firm.
Remove from oven and leave it to cool for 30-40 minutes then slice.
Melt chocolate over pan of boiling water and mix coconut cream.
When brownies have cooled, cover with chocolate topping and sprinkle with walnuts.
Once the topping has set, cut into squares and take a moment with a cuppa, no disturbances and enjoy…
*optional
After mixing all ingredients in a food processor you can mix in walnuts or cashews before baking.

Do you remember, as a child, being taught to share? Well you may want to unlearn and re-think that notion, just for the purpose of this.
This delightful, chocolatey gooeyness was whisked up using some leftover ingredients in my cupboard. I’m currently trying to run down my supplies which will result in creating some delicious recipes for you to try and me to scoff (and not share!).
This one turned out kinda like a soft cookie with a hint of brownie oozing with melty chocolate. I’m going to call it my run down brookie!
Give it a go and let me know a) if you like it and b) if you shared it.
Oh and please feel free to enjoy it with cream or ice cream, chocolate sauce, custard or all four of them, all at the same time, obviously…

RECIPE

CHOCOLATE CHIP SKILLET BROOKIE

90 gms oat flour
3 tablespoons of organic smooth peanut butter
Half a ripe mashed banana
3 tablespoons coconut flour
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 tablespoon milled flaxseed
175 ml plant milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of fine sea salt
3 tbps vegan chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 180C.
This needs to be cooked in a 6 inch cast iron skillet. Lightly grease the skillet with coconut oil and set aside.
Add the oat flour into a bowl then add all the other ingredients except the chocolate chips. Mix until well combined. Add half the choc chips and combine well.
Place the mix into the greased skillet and level off. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on the top.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. The centre should be set. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool slightly before serving warm or at room temperature.

AIR FRYER CAULIFLOWER BALLS
400g can chickpeas drained
300g cauliflower florets
20g fresh coriander
35g flat leaf parsley
60g almond flour
80g wholemeal spelt flour
4 garlic cloves
1tsp ground cumin
1 tsp hot paprika
2 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Place cauliflower to a food processor and blitz until like breadcrumbs. Now add the remaining ingredients and blitz until well mixed. The mix will be a smooth paste.
Roll the mix into 12 large sized balls.
Add half the balls to the airfyer at 180 for 12 minutes, turning half way through. The balls will be lighy brown and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
I serve these with a chilli dipping sauce or stuff them in a pitta with salad, roasted peppers and tahini.

NOTES:
*you can sub the chickpeas for borlotti beans
If you dont have an airfryer (why?) You can bake them in the oven for 45 minutes turning through cooking.

CHOCOLATE FREEZER FUDGE

INGREDIENTS

½ cup coconut oil
70g cacao powder
120gms creamy almond butter or any nut butter of your choice
80gms maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt optional
Chopped pistachios or any fruit or nut of choice

Instructions
Line a baking pan parchment paper – I used an 8” square silicon pan
Melt coconut oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute. Whisk in the nut butter, maple syrup, cacao powder and if using, vanilla extract and salt, into the melted coconut oil until completely smooth. Alternatively if you have a food processor, you can add nut butter and coconut oil and blend. Then add all other ingredients except toppings …
Pour mixture into the prepared pan and smooth it out to an even layer. Add your toppings. Freeze until firm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

VEGAN BANANA BREAD (aka LOCKDOWN LOAF)

3 medium extremely ripe bananas
1.5 cups of spelt flour or wholewheat/self raising
1 tsp of baking soda
2 tsp of baking powder
pinch of salt
.5 cup of maple syrup
.5 cup of almond milk
6 tbsp l of peanut butter or sub for nut butter of your choice
1.5 teaspoons of vanilla paste/ extract

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 180c degrees.
You will need to prepare a loaf tin.

Add flour, baking soda and powder and salt to a large bowl.
Mash your bananas well.
Pour in the nut butter, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and mashed banana. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
Pour the mix into the loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the loaf.
*OPTIONAL you can add mixed spices, cinnamon or choc chips to the mix before baking.
Once baked, remove and cool slightly on a wire rack. ENJOY!!!

RAW CHOC FUDGE BITES WITH MINT GANACHE

150gms dates
65 gms ground flax
40 gms ground almonds
Vanilla extract to taste
Pinch of salt
30gms raw cacao powder. Blitz in a food processor until it all comes together. Add maple syrup a little at a time to bind if needed (this depends on how sticky your dates are, medjool are best).
Press mixture into a cling film lined small dish, I used a 6 x 4 lined with cling film to make it easy to remove.
Next add 50gms maple
30gms cacao powder
Mint or orange flavour to taste (both taste AMAZING!) Mix thoroughly then pour on top of mix and freeze or chill.
Remove from dish and cut into 15 small square – make them bigger if you’re greedy 🤣

QUICK PICKLED RED ONIONS

RECIPE

Ingredients
1 medium red onion
1/2 teaspoon sugar or sweetener of choice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup apple cider or white wine vinegar
Small garlic clove cut in half
6 black peppercorns
Small dried chili

METHOD
Start by boiling your kettle.
Now take a jar for container in which you will store your onions. Use glass where possible plastic will absorb odours and metal will spoil the finished product.
Start by thinly slicing the onion in half then into 1/4-inch moons. Peel the garlic and cut in half.
In your jar, add the sugar and salt and dissolve in a cup of water and add the vinegar. Add the peppercorns and chilli and stir well.
Next, you will need put the onions and garlic in a sieve over a saucepan. Now slowly pour approximately 4 cups of boiling water over the onions and leave them to drain. This parboils the onions and takes away the tart raw taste you get from raw onions.
Finally, add the onions to the jar and gently stir to evenly distribute the flavorings.
The onions are ready in about 30 minutes, but even better after a few hours. They can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks, but I find they are best eaten within the first week.
Enjoy, you onion lovers ❤

RASPBERRY CHIA JAM TOPPED BANANA BREAD

3 large very ripe mashed bananas
200 gms oat flour
100gms pitted dates
60gms chopped walnuts
240ml soy milk or plant milk of choice
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt

Raspberry Chia Jam

125gm raspberries, frozen and defrosted
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 Vanilla essence

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F ,180° C
Add the soy milk, dates, bananas and lemon juice to a blender and blend until smooth.
In a seperate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add all the blended wet ingredients and stir well, then add walnuts and mix thoroughly. You’ll need to let the batter sit for 30 mins to give the flour a chance to absorb all the liquid.
Whilst you are waiting, make the chia raspberry jam by adding the defrosted raspberries, vanilla, chia seeds and water together in a bowl and stir. Leave for 15 minutes until it thickens to a jam like consistency.
Now pour the bread mixture into a parchment lined loaf tin or silicon pan (I still line the pan). Once you’ve poured this in, swirl the raspberry jam and into the top batter.
You will need to bake this for 50-60 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and after 10 minutes take the loaf out of the pan and place on a cooling rack to cool down completely before slicing and enjoying.
Slather with peanut or almond butter yum yum!

TAHINI STUFFED BANANAS

You will need 4 semi ripe bananas cut in two then sliced in half so you have 4 pieces per banana. Spread one side with tahini or any nut butter, be as generous as you like, then dip this in granola, chopped nuts or coconut. Place the other half on top, skewer with a tooth pick. Repeat with all 4 bananas then place in a greaseproof paper lined container.
After a couple of hours, you can dip them in chocolate then freeze again.
For the chocolate, I use 80gms cacao butter, melted in a bowl with 35gms pure cacao powder and maple syrup to taste (depending how sweet you like it). Get adventurous and sprinkle sea salt on the outside or dip the end in smashed pretzels or more nuts before they set.
Because the bananas are frozen and the chocolate will be warm, the chocolate hardens very quickly so you have to work fast.
Feel free to double coat with the chocolate, because more chocolate is never a bad idea…

What do you do with a lonely kohlrabi sat at the bottom of the fridge? Or am I the only one that has a lonely kohlrabi? More importantly does anyone else know anything about this often overlooked veg?
Kohlrabi can be eaten cooked or raw in salads. It is part of the same species as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, collard greens and savoy cabbage. It has the taste and texture of broccoli stalks and is delicious.
Sometimes I amaze myself, just saying…
I created this wonderful dish that turned out even better than I expected.
I’m calling this Coco Kohlrabi bake and you really want to give it a go. Its creamy, rich with enough spice to warm you up…

COCO-KOHLRABI BAKE
Serves 4 as a side dish

2 peeled kohlrabi
1 clove garlic
1 inch ginger
1 medium onion
1 teaspoon of curry powder, I used hot
Olive oil
100 ml coconut milk (creamy part)
200 ml low salt vegetable stock
Fresh chopped coriander to taste
Salt
Pepper

Heat your oven to 180.
Start by slicing your kohlrabi with a mandolin. Make the slices about .5 cm thick. Set aside. Finely chop your garlic and onions. Grate your ginger.
Now heat a pan and gently fry the onion until soft. Now add the garlic and ginger. Cook for two minutes. Add the kohlrabi, salt, pepper and then add the curry powder. Make sure its all coated well.
Add the stock and coconut milk and finally the coriander and combine well.
Transfer to an ovenproof dish. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Enjoy as a side dish or on its own.

FULLY LOADED ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Serves 2

1 medium butternut squash
Fresh rosemary
Fennel powder
Salt
Olive oil
Tin of borlotti beans
2 medium tomatoes
3 spring onions
Fresh mint, coriander and parsley
Tahini

Preheat your oven to 180.
Start by cutting the butternut squash in half and removing the seeds. Place in a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, fennel and chopped rosemary. Cook for 1 hour or until cooked through. You can serve the squash hot or cold.
In a bowl, add drained borlotti beans, chopped onions, tomatoes and herbs. Set aside until ready to serve.
Just before plating up, add olive oil and salt to the bean mixture.
Pour the bean mixture on to the squash. Drizzle the dish with tahini and serve.
The skin of the squash will be caramelised and soft and tastes delicious, no waste with this dish!

SPELT, SUNFLOWER & PUMPKIN SEED SODA BREAD

Ingredients

450g spelt flour
80g pumpkin and sunflower seeds
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp molasses
150ml plant yogurt
300ml cold water

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with parchment /greaseproof paper or a loaf tin.
Place flour, soda, seeds and salt in a large bowl. Mix and combine well.
In a separate bowl mix yoghurt and water to make up to 450ml.
Stir the molasses into the yogurt mixture then add molasses and stir well until dissolved. Now pour onto the dry ingredients.
Stir together until you have a soft, sticky dough. You will need to shape this after resting. If the dough feels too wet, add a little more flour.

Rest the mix for 3 mins.
Tip onto a lightly floured surface and form a round, handling gently. You do not need to knead the dough.
Place onto the baking sheet and mark a cross in the top with a knife.
Sprinkle with a few pumpkin and sunflower seeds then bake for 25-35 mins or when the crust is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath.

Serve with your favourite topping.

OLD FASHIONED BAKED APPLES

INGREDIENTS
Large cooking apple – cored but leave the bottom in tact
Teaspoon of sultanas
Teaspoon of coconut sugar
Teaspoon of shredded coconut
Half teaspoon of coconut oil
A pinch of cinnamon
METHOD
mix all ingredients until well combined then stuff into the apple. Bake at 180 for 25 mins. Serve with yoghurt or ice cream. Thank me later…

VEGAN DOUBLE CHOC MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

Makes 10

30gms cacao powder

80Gms hot water

2 large extra ripe bananas

100gms caster sugar or coconut sugar

75 gms plant milk

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

200 gms plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

125gms chopped dark dairy free chocolate

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 180. Prepare a muffin pan coating with spray oil, or a silicon muffin tray with liners.

Mix the water with cacao powder together to form a smooth paste.

In a mixing bowl, mash the over ripe bananas until they form a smooth paste. If they are not overripe you can use a hand blender to blend the bananas to a smooth texture.

Add sugar, plant milk, oil, and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas and whisk until smooth.

In a second large mixing bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and mix well.

Next, add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork or wooden spoon until the mixture is mixed together. Add the cacao paste and mix until the batter is smooth. Fold in two thirds of the chopped chocolate, keeping some to sprinkle on top of the batter.

Fill the prepared muffin tins 2/3 full, then sprinkle the reserved chopped chocolate. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes. You can test with a toothpick.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

GOJI BERRY BALLS

100gms of raw almonds, soaked overnight then peeled
100 gms dates – pitted
50 grams organic shredded coconut
30gms goji berries
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (easy in this weather!)
Fresh lemon zest or lemon extract
Vanilla powder
Add everything to your food processor and blitz until it all comes together. Roll into balls then refrigerate. Enjoy…
The goji berries add a lovely crunch but you can leave them out if you don’t have them. Let me know if you make them 🙏

Enjoy and let me know if you make them. Ball innuendos over!

VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BREAD

Preheat oven to 185C/365F. Prepare a loaf tin.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
1/3 cup of neutral oil, I used sunflower
3 mashed up overripe bananas
2 tbsp lemon juice
1½ cups spelt or all purpose wheat flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1½ tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup plant milk

To decorate:
1 banana
Chocolate chips

METHOD

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients well. Now add all the remaining wet ingredients, except the milk, to the same bowl and combine well.
The mixture needs to be a smooth cake batter consistency so at this point, add the milk if required.
Pour batter into the loaf tin. Now cut the banana in half and place on the batter and sprinkle with choc chips/chunks (optional)
Baking for 45-50min. The cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake. Bake for longer if required.

MEAL PREP GARLIC SAUCE

30 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons chilli flakes or more if you’re feeling in a super spicy kinda mood
Half teaspoon sea salt
Enough oil to cover
Place oil in a pan, add all other ingredients, simmer gently but DO NOT allow the garlic to overcook, you are just looking to take the raw edge off the garlic.
Transfer to a jar, top up with olive oil. Allow to chill, cover with lid.
I use this as a base for many dishes (pasta sauce, stir fries, soups) and add on to veg, rice, tofu pasta, bread and pizza.
Not ideal before a date or other social engagement but tastes AMAZING!

PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

Makes 6 large cups

70gms cacao butter drops
30 gms cacao powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
Smooth peanut butter

You will need a silicon muffin case.

Start by adding cacao drops and maple syrup to a bowl and melt in the microwave for 60 second bursts until melted. Remove from microwave and mix cacao powder until well combined.
Pour half the mixture into the bottom of each case. Place in the freezer or fridge. Once set, place a tablespoon of peanut butter to the hardened cup.
You will now need to liquify the remaining chocolate and top the cups off. I like to sprinkle sea salt flakes on top. Now set again in the fridge or freezer.
Enjoy ❤

*you can sub the cacao drops and cacao powder for regular chocolate bars melting over a bowl of hot water.

GRREN SMOOTHIE BOWL

Recipe

A big handful of spinach
Half an avocado
1/2 teaspoon of spirulina
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Half a frozen banana
1 serving of protein powder (I love SciMx V gain)
1/2 measuring cup water
Toppings of choice

Add all ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until you have a smooth consistency. Depending on the protein brand you use, you may need to add more water.
Pour into a bowl and top with your favourite toppings ( this one has cacao nibs, pumpkin seeds and raspberry chia jam. Enjoy 🥑🥑🥑

ROSEWATER BEET FUDGEY BROWNIES
(Gluten and Vegan, Dairy Free)

INGREDIENTS

200 gr dark chocolate, chopped
300 gr cooked beetroot, drained and chopped
3 flax eggs
60 ml (1/4 cup) sunflower oil
1½- 2 teaspoons rose water (taste as you add and adjust accordingly)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150 gr coconut/ light brown sugar
150 gr ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder

Dried edible rose petals for decoration, if desired

METHOD Preheat the oven to 180 C
Line a loaf baking tin with parchmemt paper and set aside.
Transfer the beetroot into a food processor and process until you obtain a smooth puree consistency.
In a large bowl, place the pureed beetroots, chocolate, flax eggs, olive oil, rose water, vanilla extract and mix all the ingredients together until smooth.
In a medium bowl, mix sugar, ground almonds and baking soda. Transfer this mixture into the wet mixture and combine all the ingredients together until smooth and well combined.
Transfer the brownie mixture into the parchment lined baking tin and place in the warm oven for 30 to 35. If you insert a skewer in the middle of the cake, it should come out a little bit moist. Try not to overcook.
Remove from the oven and leave until the brownies are completely cold before removing them from the tin. Once cooled, remove from the tin and cut into squares. Decorate with dried edible rose petals if you wanna get fancy, I melted some cacao butter, maple and cacao powder and topped these for an extra choccy kick…

TOFU SCRAMBLE

RECIPE

SERVES 2

Block of tofu pressed for an hour (I use @tofuture but you can improvise)
50 gms spinach
Small yellow pepper chopped
Minced garlic and ginger to taste
Black salt
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Teaspoon of curry powder (optional)
Olive oil

Start by gently frying your pepper and ginger. After a couple of minutes, add your garlic. Cook for a minute then add the curry powder if you are using it.
Cook for two minutes then add your spinach. Stir well.
Now crumble your tofu in and add your nutritional yeast.
Cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
Finally add your black salt, this adds an eggy taste due to the sulfur and also adds the umami flavour to the otherwise bland tofu.
I have served it here with a side of garlic mushrooms, sauerkraut and a wholemeal pitta, yum yum! 😋😋😋
Give it a go and let me know what you think ❤

CHIPOLTE & MISO ROASTED AUBERGINE serves 2 as a side dish

1 large aubergine
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 small chilli, minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
150gms cherry tomatoes preferably on the vine (for flavour)
1 tablespoon of white miso
1 heaped teaspoon chipotle paste
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup of maple syrup

Preheat your oven to 180.

Start by halving the aubergine. Score the flesh side in large diamond criss cross pattern. Set aside.
Now mix garlic, ginger, chilli and olive into a paste. Now rub the paste into the scored aubergine ensuring you get the mix right in.
Place the tomatoes in a roasting tray then place aubergine flesh side down on top of them.
Put in the oven and roast for 45 mins.
Whilst roasting mix miso, chipolte paste, maple and lime juice in a bowl.
Remove aubergine from the oven and coat both the top and underside of the aubergine. Place back in the oven for a further 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh chopped coriander. Serve with rice and your choice of protein or serve just with rice.
Enjoy…🍆🍆🍆

Lemon Energy Balls

200gms almonds
200gms dates
100gms shredded organic coconut
2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil (optional but helps keep your balls in tact)
Pinch of salt
Vanilla to taste
2 teaspoons of lemon rind

Add everything to your food processor, pulse then blitz until it comes together. Scrape the bowl midway if required. Roll into balls (makes around 20 bite sized pieces).
Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer and eat from frozen (they won’t completely freeze.)

RAW SNI’KERS BARS
Ingredients

For the caramel layer:
3 tbs peanut butter
175gms pitted Medjool Dates
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp maca powder (optional but adds a great flavour)
1 tsp lucuma powder (optional but adds a

great flavour)
1 tsp Vanilla paste or extract
Base Layer:
75 gms oat flour ( just blitz regular oats in a processor)
45gms date paste from the mix above
60gms salted peanuts
75 gms cacao butter drops
45 gms cacao powder
30 gms maple syrup
*if you don’t have these ingredients for the coating, melt 200gms of chocolate over a bowl of hot water
TO MAKE
Place dates in bowl and pour boiling water over. Leave them them to soak for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, drain the liquid off the dates and place in a food processor with the remaining caramel ingredients. Process until you get a smooth consistency. Make sure your scrape the sides of the processor.
Now remove the date paste from the processor.
Now you can add the oat flour to the processor. You do not need to clean the bowl before hand. Add the date paste and process until well mixed. You will have a sticky dough that holds. This forms the base of your bars.
Now line an 8 inch loaf tin (smaller will do but your bars will be thicker) with cling film
Firmly press the mix evenly into the container.
Now use a spatula to spread the rest of the date paste over the base.
At this point, sprinkle on the salted nuts over the paste pressing them down to ensure they stick.
Now put your tin into the freezer for 2 hours or even overnight.
Once frozen (these bars won’t completely freeze) cut bars to your desired size. You should get 8 large or 16 squares.
To make your chocolate coating, place your maple and cacao butter drops in a bowl and melt at 30 second intervals stirring in between until well combined. Remove from the microwave and stir in the cocoa powder.
Now place 1 bar into the bowl of chocolate. The frozen bars will set almost as soon as you dip them in the hot chocolate. Flip them to ensure they are well covered then transfer them to parchment paper.
Repeat until all bars are coated. Once complete, place back in the freezer. If you have left over chocolate in the bowl, keep this to double coat the bars.

SLOW ROASTED RED PEPPER AND TOMATO SOUP

8 medium tomatoes halved
6 medium red peppers cut into chunks
1 red onion cut into large chunks
6 garlic gloves (give them a bash)
Olive oil
Mixed Italian herbs
Sal & pepper
1 litre veg stock
Add all the ingredients except the stock to a large roasting tray. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes.
When cooked, add to a large pan and add stock.
Cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender ot use a handheld immersion blender and blend until smooth. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed.
*you can also add fresh basil before blending
Serve with some sourdough bread

MUSHROOM PASTRY PUFFS

PREHEAT OVEN TO 180/350

Ingredients:

250g mushrooms
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 medium red onion
1 tbsp miso paste
100g walnuts
70g panko breadcrumbs or normal breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Paxo
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tsp celery salt
1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
Put walnuts in a food processor hand blitz to a coarse flour. Add to a bowl and set aside.
Chop up the red onion and mushrooms in the food processor. Gently fry the onion in a little oil until softened. Now add mushrooms to the onion and cook until the mix no water left. The mix will be a soft sticky paste.
Now add the mix to the food processor
Add Paxo, tomatoes and miso and blend until well combined and smooth. Add mix to the bowl and mix in the breadcrumbs and walnut flour until well combined.
Now take your pastry sheet and place on a board.
Cut in half lengthways.
Split the mushroom mix in two and form a long sausage the length of the pastry with your hands and place on the long edge of each piece pastry.
Roll the pastry over to cover and create a long pastry stuffed roll. Seal the edges of the pastry with a fork.
Chill the pastry rolls in the fridge for an hour.
After chilling, cut each large pastry roll into 6 equal size pieces.
Brush the top with a mix of plant milk a little melted oil and a tiny pinch of turmeric for colour. Make a couple of small slashes in the rolls.
Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to call, if you can wait, and enjoy

LEMON & POPPY SEED POLENTA CAKE

Serves 10
For the lemon cake

75g buckwheat flour
90g polenta
60g ground almonds
4 tbsp of poppy seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 4 lemons
2 tbsp milled flaxseed
6tbsp hot water
120 ml maple syrup
5 tbsp plant milk
2 tbsp melted coconut oil

COCONUT LEMON FROSTING

1 can full fat coconut milk
Juice of 1 small lemon
Zest of the lemon
2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

The day before baking this cake, make sure you put the coconut milk in the refrigerator
Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F
Mix the flax meal with hot water in a small bowl, stir and set aside for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together the polenta, flour, grounds almonds, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Now pour in all the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly to ensure all well combined.
Pour into a parchment lined loaf tin and cover the top with more parchment paper.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the centre is cooked. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
For the lemon coconut frosting, open the can of milk and scoop out 200gms, hard part only, into a large bowl. Save the remaining for another recipe.
With a hand mixer, whip the coconut cream until it’s light and fluffy. This will take a couple of minutes.
Now add the lemon juice and maple syrup and mix until all is well combined.
You will now need to spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Decorate the cake with lemon zest, a thin slice of lemon.
Enjoy…

BANANA CHOC CHIP COOKIES

150 gms of oats
3 overripe bananas – the riper the better
100gm smooth peanut butter
50 gms vegan choc chips
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 180.

Start by mashing your bananas in a bowl. When well mashed, pour in peanut butter and mix well. Add vanilla, salt and mix in oats until well combined. Finally add in the choc chips.
Now place some parchment paper on a baking tray. Spoon 10 scoops of the mix onto the tray. Flatten slightly then bake for 15 mins or until the edges are crispy.
Baking these is easy peasy, stopping yourself from eating them all in one go is the challenge!
Store in the refrigerator ❤🍌🍌
*you can swap out the peanut butter for almond butter or tahini if you have a nut intolerance

RHUBARD & GINGER CRUMB BARS
(VEGAN, REFINED SUGAR FREE, DAIRY FREE, LOW FAT)

Ingredients

Dough:
210gms oats
120 gms of shredded coconut or almond flour
100gms oat flour (ground oats)
1 small mashed banana
80gms maple syrup or agave syrup
60gms plant milk
2 tsp baking powder

Rhubarb Filling:

600 gms chopped rhubarb
1/3 cup maple syrup or agave syrup
2 teaspoons ginger powder
8 tbsp water

Instructions

Put the filling ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, let it simmer for 15-20 minutes and stirring occasionally. Add more water if necessary to prevent sticking to the pan. Once the rhubarb has cooked right down to a pulp, remove it from the heat and allow to cool.
Mash the banana in a bowl. Mix all remaining ingredients for the dough in a bowl by either using your hands or a hand mixer.
Press 2/3 of the dough evenly into a parchment lined baking dish. My pan measures 7 x 11 inches (18 x 28 cm).
Pour the rhubarb filling over the crust.
Crumble the remaining 1/3 crumble dough on top.
Bake in the oven at 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 20-25 minutes.

Allow to cool them cut into squares and enjoy!

RED ONION & ROSEMARY ROASTED NEW POTATOES

Bag of new potatoes washed and dried
2 red onions cut into large chunks
4 cloves of garlic
Fresh rosemary
Sea salt and pepper
Olive oil

Set your oven to 180 and heat for 15 minutes whilst you prep your veg.

Take a roasting tray and add the potatoes, onions and garlic to the tray. If the potatoes are small, there is no need to cut them. You want the potatoes to be even sized to ensure they cooked evenly.
Now drizzle olive over the potatoes and mix well. Add lots of salt, pepper and a few sprigs of rosemary, the more the better in my opinion.
Make sure the potatoes are well coated. Roast in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.
These are best served hot bit also keep well in the fridge for a couple of days although I don’t think they’ll last that long…