chickpeas Archives - Feast of Plants

Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Poke Bowls (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 15:00:13 +0000

Look through pinterest sometime and you might see hundreds of Poke bowl recipes. They’re bright, fresh and multicoloured so perfect for pictures but what they also tend to be is non-vegan. Poke actually refers to the fish component, diced raw tuna. Originating in Hawaii, the bowl is built around the best fresh fish and surrounded by sushi components like rice, seaweed, edamame and others. I’ve seen some vegan recipes for this where the fish is replaced with tofu or tempeh but none of them come close to the freshness of the original recipe. Instead I’ve taken inspiration from the budget version of poke bowls that use tinned tuna. You might have seen my Chickpea Tuna Salad but this is so much better. An evolution on the original recipe, you won’t miss tuna. Faintly fishy from the addition of seaweed but still fresh, light, and filling. I like to be generous on the bowl fillings so I accompany mine with seaweed salad, rice, cucumber, shredded carrot, avocado, edamame beans, and mango for that extra burst of sweetness. Drizzle with a generous dollop of sriracha mayo and you’ll have a quick and easy dinner so tasty that I ate it twice in one day! Makes: Serves 3-4 Ingredients For the Chickpea Tuna: 250g Cooked Chickpeas* 1 Nori Sheet 1/4 Red Onion, finely diced 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice 1/2 Tbsp Capers, finely diced 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds 3 Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute (See allergy note) 2 Tbsp Beetroot Pickle Juice** 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil 1 tsp Sriracha 1 tsp Grated Ginger 1/2 tsp Chia Seeds Salt & Pepper, to taste For the Seaweed Salad: 3 Tbsp Dried Wakame 3 Tbsp Dried Hijiki 1 Tbsp Miso 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute (see allergy note) 1 Tbsp Mirin 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil 1 tsp Rice Vinegar 2 tsp Grapefruit Juice 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes For the Sriracha Mayo: 1/2 Cup Vegan Mayo 1 Tbsp Sriracha 2 tsp Lemon Juice 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder Salt & Pepper, to taste Poke Bowl Components: Rice – I like seasoned sushi rice or a wild rice mix Shredded Carrots Sliced Cucumber Avocado Diced Mango Edamame Directions Start with the seaweed for the salad. It needs to be rehydrated so place into a medium bowl with plenty of water for 20 minutes, or until the seaweed has swelled and soft. Whisk together the rest of the salad ingredients to make a tasty dressing. Drain the seaweed well and toss in the dressing. Place to one side. Mash the chickpeas until they’re flaky but not too mushy. Crumble the nori sheet into the chickpeas and stir through the rest of the ingredients. Taste and season as needed. Whisk together the sriracha mayo ingredients. Build your bowl with the rice on the bottom and a spoon of each element around the edges. Drizzle with your preferred amount of sriracha mayo and enjoy. An incredibly easy and tasty dinner with no need to turn on the stove. Notes * The chickpeas should be soft enough to easily crush with your fingertips. If yours are too hard then cover with water and simmer for 10 minutes to get them to a better texture. ** The beetroot pickle juice plays two roles here, it colours the chickpeas to make them more reminiscent of tuna and also adds flavour. At this time of year I tend to have some homemade pickles beetroot in the fridge but if you don’t have any substitute with 1 tbsp of white vinegar. Allergy Notes; I’m going to keep saying this – Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally contains little to no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. As always, check your brand to make sure you’ve not accidentally picked up one of the few brands which uses gluten. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you This is vegan, gluten free, and nut free. If sesame seeds are an allergen for you then skip the seeds and oil but do at least replace the oil with a neutral tasting oil like rapeseed.

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Spanish Omelette (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 14:00:58 +0000

Surprisingly enough, this is one of those recipes that doesn’t have to change much from the original to make it vegan. Chickpeas are a familiar staple in Spain and a well known traditional substitute for eggs which makes it easy for us. Traditionally filled with potatoes, this makes a filling breakfast for a crowd or a great light lunch with a side salad. I like to mix mine up with more than potatoes, sweet red peppers make a great addition too, along with red onion. It’s an incredibly easy dish to make and doesn’t need to be closely watched. If you’re into batch cooking then the vegetables can be easily cooked ahead of time leaving you only 15 minutes work cooking the omelette on the day. Light, filling and tasty with an eggy texture – without any eggs! Perfect for your next plant based brunch or lunch and totally versatile. Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients 700g Potatoes, sliced 1 Red Onion, halved then sliced 1 Red Pepper, thinly sliced 2 Garlic Cloves. roughly chopped 90g Chickpea Flour (aprox. 1 cup) 250ml Veggie Stock Pinch of Saffron 1/8 tsp Black Salt, optional (for a touch of eggy flavour) 1 tsp Rosemary Salt & Pepper to taste Directions As with most recipes, I like to get the prep out of the way before anything else so make sure all your veg are chopped and ready to go before starting – it’ll make everything easier. Place the potatoes into a pan of salted water and simmer until almost cooked, a fork should . The time will vary depending on your slices but normally this should take about 15 minutes. Drain once cooked, moving the potatoes gently so they don’t break. While the potatoes cook, place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a few tablespoons of oil. When the oil is heated, throw in the onions and peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened before adding in the garlic and sautéing well for a few moments. Add in the almost cooked potato slices and gently stir before turning the heat down to medium- low. Cook, stirring rarely and very gently, until the onions are golden brown and the potatoes are cooked and starting to colour. In a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, stock, saffron, rosemary, and black salt (if using) until smooth and lump free. Pour in the cooked vegetables and gently stir through. In the same pan you cooked the vegetables, add another tablespoon of oil and place back onto a medium heat. Tip your mix into the pan , making sure everything is evenly spread out. Cook until the base is browned and the top is just set. This normally takes about 10 minutes. Here comes the tricky bit. Loosen the omelette around the edges then flip onto a large plate (seriously – I normally place the plate over the top of the pan and flip while holding very tightly). Slide the omelette back into the pan and cook until golden and cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. Turn out onto a large plate or cutting board and slice into wedges. This can be served hot or cold. Leftovers keep well if stored in an airtight box in the fridge for up to a week. Notes You can use almost anything as the omelette filling so feel free to personalise this and make it your own. Feel like mushrooms? Go for it! Want a touch of tomato? Sounds tasty! Have a handful of spinach that needs eating? Throw it in! Allergy Notes; This recipe is naturally vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free! Let me know if you encounter any issues and I can suggest substitutions.

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Sticky Toffee Pudding (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 15:30:39 +0000

I must admit I don’t bake as much as I used to. Kenny doesn’t quite share my weakness for desserts and a lot of vegan desserts tend to centre around chocolate which I don’t eat. I never was much of a traditional cake person, to the point where we didn’t even have a standard wedding cake and most of my baking used to be done for other people, but I miss proper puddings. For those of you that aren’t British, by pudding I mean a hot, cooked dessert, something that should be smothered in custard and is both entirely comforting and indulgent. The calorie count on these things is off the charts so you feel slightly naughty eating them but they’re so tasty and reassuring, who cares about calories? Honestly, ice cream has nothing on these things when you’re having a bad day. So, in response I made my vegan, gluten free, sticky toffee pudding – without dates because my dad hates them and its hard enough to get him to eat plant based food as it it is. The basic sponge was amazingly tasty, fluffy and probably the easiest recipe I’ve done in some time with friends and family coming back for more but the toffee sauce has taken me much longer. Creating a sauce that tastes the same as a non-vegan version, is just as thick and satisfying, and can still be reheated in case of left overs took a little bit of work but the answer came in the form of a now pantry staple – cashews! (I’m so sorry to anyone with a nut allergy!). This gave the same texture as using double cream but I’ve found it’s much more stable and less vulnerable than dairy to burning. Give it a try and let me know what you think! Serves: 4 hungry people (or 6 with a little restraint) Ingredients For the Pudding: 100g Vegan Butter 175g Brown Sugar 200g Gluten Free Flour* 25g Chickpea Flour 1 Chia Egg** 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 3 tbsp Black Treacle 340ml Oat Milk For the Toffee Sauce: 160g Cashews 275ml Water 100g Butter 125g Light Brown Sugar 1 Tbsp Black Treacle 1 tsp Vanilla Essence Directions Soak the cashews overnight in the water. When soft, blend to smooth cream. Put to one side till you start to pull together the sauce. Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C Fan/350 F) and grease your baking dish, I prefer to use a nice square casserole dish that has a good 1.5 litre capacity. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the sugar, butter, treacle and chia egg until well combined, scraping the bowl to ensure no butter is left behind. Whisk together your dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Beating continually, add the milk and dry ingredients to the batter a little at a time, alternating wet for dry, only adding the next spoon full when the last is mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix until well combined. Pour into the prepared dish and bake for about an hour, it should be well risen, springy but still ever so slightly sticky in the middle. While the pudding is baking you can take the time to whip up your sauce. Pour all the sauce ingredients, including the cashew cream, in to a small pan. Place on a low to medium heat and stir continually until the sugar has completely dissolved and the butter has melted. Bring to a boil, stir for a moment or two, allowing the sauce to heat through and the sugar to caramelise slightly before turning off the heat. Take a chopstick and poke a few holes in the freshly baked pudding. Pour over halve the sauce and allow to soak in for 5-10 minutes before serving with extra sauce on the side. This works well served with some vanilla ice cream or just with the toffee sauce, either way its the perfect way to end a meal. Notes * Check your gluten free flour blend – if it doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum then I recommend you add some for this recipe but be careful, you should only need 1/4 tsp here ** Chia Eggs are an egg substitute – 1 chia egg can be made by mixing 1 tbsp of ground chia seeds (measure after grinding) in 3 tbsp of water and leaving to stand for at least 10-15 mins to allow the moisture to be absorbed. You’ll be left with a grey, jelly like substance which works very well in baking Allergy Notes; This is gluten free and vegan – if nuts are an allergen for you then try substituting a soy based cream for the cashew cream.

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Savory Chickpea Waffles (Vegan, GF, NF)

Feast of Plants — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 14:05:52 +0000

I’ve been looking for a new, interesting base for brunch. My first choice is to start my day with something savoury, not sweet. So while pancakes, waffles with syrup, and muffins are all good, they’re not my first choice. Instead, I’ve taken the idea of waffles and come up with a great savoury version. These savoury waffles are crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside and full of flavour. Using chickpea flour as a base means these are packed full of protein but still vegan and gluten free. The additional flavours make a tasty savoury waffle and a great base for your next meal. Pile on top some coleslaw and cauliflower winge, drizzled with sauce. Pair with your next tasty curry – or even use for a sandwich. Enjoy! Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients 200g Chickpea Flour 80g Gluten Free Flour* 1/2 tsp Salt 350 – 500ml Water 2 Tbsp Oil 1/4 cup Fresh Coriander, finely diced 1 Small Red Chilli, diced 1 tsp Grated Ginger 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder Directions In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients apart from the baking powder. Gradually mix in the water, a quarter cup at a time, until it forms a thin batter. I find it easier to use an immersion blender as the coriander leaves tend to get stuck in a whisk. Allow the batter to rest for at least 15 minutes (or up to overnight) so the chickpea flour can absorb the water. The batter will thicken while resting. When ready to use, whisk in the baking powder and more water if the batter is too thick, aiming for a consistency of double cream. Preheat your waffle maker to medium high heat. Once heated, spray with cooking oil and ladle in about half a cup of batter. Cook according to your maker’s instructions, or until the waffles are a golden brown and crisp on the outside. Remove and repeat with the rest of the batter. The waffles can be made ahead of time and reheated in the toaster or served immediately with your favourite toppings. Notes * If your flour blend doesn’t include xantham gum then a dash may help here. Allergy Notes; These waffles are vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free. If you have any issues with this recipe, let me know and I can suggest substitutions.

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Beet Burgers (Vegan, GF)

Feast of Plants — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 14:00:42 +0000

If you’ve taken a look at my recipe for Beetroot Wellington then you’ll know that recipe started as a burger. This is that burger. It works beautifully as a cheeseburger, the earthiness of the beetroot pairing perfectly with the smoothness of a great vegan cheese. But to make the best burger, a messy burger that you’ll need napkins to eat but will never regret – use my peppercorn sauce. Believe me, it’s a revelation. What’s more, it’s easy to make a batch for a crowd as they cook in the oven. Want to prep a batch in advance? They freeze or can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. I normally make more than we need for one meal and freeze the rest to make for a no stress dinner another day. You’ll find the recipe is very similar to my vegan wellington up to a point. It should be, they started out as the same recipe! If you haven’t already taken a look at that recipe then go ahead, it’ll make your Christmas dinner. Makes: 8-10 Burgers Ingredients For the Burger: 1 Small Onion, chopped 1 Carrot, chopped 1/2 Celery Rib, chopped 2 Garlic cloves, minced 1/2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 30ml Vegetable Stock 30g Walnuts 15g Ground Almonds 250g Roasted Beetroot 45g Chickpea Flour 175g Cooked Kidney Beans 200g Cooked Chickpeas 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice 1 Tbsp Dried Cranberries 1/2 Tbsp Tahini 1/2 Tbsp Worcester Sauce 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika 1 tsp White pepper 1 tsp Miso (optional) 1 tsp Rosemary 1 tsp Thyme 35g Gluten Free Breadcrumbs 1 1/2 Tbsp Tapioca Starch 1 tsp Salt Suggested Toppings: Peppercorn Sauce Gluten Free Burger Buns Vegen Cheese Tomatoe Slices Fresh Spinach leaves Directions Start off by sauteing the carrot, onion and celery on a medium heat until softened and just starting to brown. Add the minced garlic, rosemary, and thyme and continue to cook until fragrant and lightly browned throughout. Deglaze the pan with a touch of stock before adding the rest of the stock and balsamic vinegar. Simmer until reduced by half and put to one side. Place the beetroot and nuts into a food processor and blend until chunky. Put the flours and breadcrumbs to one side before adding the rest of the ingredients to the food processor. Blend until mostly smooth, some small chunks are fine and add interest to the texture. Season to taste before stirring in the flours and breadcrumbs. Place in the fridge to chill. Preheat the oven to 200° C (190 Fan/ 355° F) and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper. Shape your mix, I find about 1/2 a cup of mixture makes the perfect burger. Place onto the prepared tray and spritz lightly with oil before baking for 30 – 45 minutes, or your burgers are fully cooked. If making cheeseburgers then place onto the burgers in the last 5 minutes of cooking to allow the cheese to melt. Serve on a gluten free bun with a generous smear of peppercorn sauce and your favourite fixings. Notes Allergy Notes; This recipe is vegan, gluten free and soy free. If nuts are an issue for you then I’d suggest replacing both the walnuts and ground almonds with a similar weight of sunflower seeds.

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My Mother’s Hummus – Kitchen Basics

Feast of Plants — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 12:00:33 +0000

I’m well aware that probably every food blog has a recipe for hummus so yet another one might be slightly redundant. BUT I have to say that I’ve yet to find one that’s as good as this. Another one of my mother’s recipes that I grew up making, it’s incredibly easy and so simple. Ahead of her time in her love of hummus, this was a common snack for us in an era that predated the world’s current hummus obsession. I’ve put this into the Kitchen Basics, a series that I’ll keep occasionally adding to as we go. Focusing on easy recipes that anyone should be able to handle, these easy recipes are heavily influenced by what I grew up making and eating as a child. My mother always believed that cooking is a life skill that everyone should learn, but more than that, it’s something she loved and she wanted to share that joy with us. Many of the kitchen basics are some of the first things mum would trust us to make either by ourselves or with minimal supervision. As such, all of them are items that should be approachable for anyone, no matter your skill or experience in the kitchen. I’m aware that if you’re just transitioning to a vegan diet, gluten free diet, or especially both at the same time like us, your choices in supermarkets and restaurants are going to be more limited than you may be used to. So I’d like to encourage you to get comfortable in the kitchen and learn to cook from scratch. You’ll have greater variety in what you eat but more than that, it can be both healthier than pre-made foods and so much cheaper. As you get more comfortable in the kitchen you can adapt food to your taste meaning you’ll also enjoy it more. This hummus is no different. My mother’s general guidance was along the lines of ‘taste it and see how much of this to add’ or ‘until it looks right’. I’m giving you what I do to make it look right to me and to me, it tastes even better than shop bought (at a fraction of the price!). However, once you get comfortable with this, I’d encourage you to follow her guidance, taste it and see. Add more or less of some items until you’ve found your perfect hummus. Makes: Serves 4 as a snack Ingredients For the Hummus: 310g Cooked Chickpeas, drained and rinsed 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice 1/2 tsp Salt 2 Tbsp Tahini* 1 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 Tbsp Aquafaba** 1 tsp Sumac 1 tsp Ground Cumin 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper Optional Toppings: Olive Oil Fresh Parsley, chopped Pomegranate Seeds Paprika Freshly Ground Black Pepper Directions Optional Step: If you want a really, really smooth hummus then skin the chickpeas first. It’s not hard and actually quite soothing. I like my hummus with some texture so this is a step I rarely bother with. Seriously, this is so simple. Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until you’re happy with the texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. If the hummus is too thick then add more aquafaba, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the right texture. Taste and balance as needed, seasoning with more salt if bland, more lemon juice for more freshness, more cayenne if you like your hummus to have a bit of a kick. Place into a bowl and finish with your choice of toppings. I almost always swirl the hummus in it’s bowl and top with a touch of olive oil before anything else. Placed into an airtight container, this should keep in the fridge for up to a week. But really, mine never lasts that long – it always disappears! Notes *Tahini has a tendency to separate in the jar. Mix it well before measuring out or you’ll end up with greasy hummus one day and dry hummus the next! ** I normally whip up a batch of hummus on days when I batch cook a load of chickpeas so aquafaba is always to hand. You can always use the aquafaba found in your tin of chickpeas or substitute with water if you can’t find any – it won’t have quite the same mouth feel but it’ll still work. Allergy Notes; Hummus should be vegan, gluten free, soy free and nut free. However, if sesame seeds are an allergen for you then you can substitute peanut butter or sunbutter. I’m told you can even skip the nut butters entirely though you may need to play around to get the right texture without.

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Chickpea Scramble – Perfect for your next Breakfast! (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 13:23:53 +0000

Eggs were the last thing I gave up when I went vegan and the hardest thing for me to stop eating. Meat? No problem, there were days when my parents would worry about my protein intake because of the little I ate. Dairy? My only issue was the lack of milk in my tea (still can’t find a plant based milk that works in tea – if you have a favourite let me know!). But eggs played a part in most of my breakfasts, baking is a whole new ball game without them, and they make an easy dinner when you’ve had a long day. Breakfast was the first meal I tackled. I’ve since developed a few easy dishes that are my go to but I hadn’t had much luck with egg substitutes. There are hundreds of recipes out there for egg free scrambles normally based on tofu or chickpeas. Tofu didn’t work for me as I wasn’t eating soy at all when I first when vegan, while the chickpea versions just seemed wrong. I gave up on scrambles 6 months into turning vegan, they weren’t like the eggs I remembered. Since then I’ve come to a realisation that I bet everyone else already knew; vegan recipes that are inspired by animal based products don’t have to replicate them entirely, they can stand on their own and still be good. So I looked again at chickpea scrambles. It’s taken me a while to find a recipe that works for me but it’s perfect for those mornings when you’re not quite awake so can’t be bothered with perfect measurements as a lot of it can be ‘see how you feel’. It’s the perfect addition to a breakfast bowl when you have a busy day or just with some toast to give you a firm start to the day. Play around with it and find your next breakfast favourite! Makes: Serves 2 Ingredients 125g Chickpeas 1/4 cup Chickpea flour 1/4 tsp Turmeric 1/4 tsp Paprika 1/8 – 1/4 tsp Black salt (Kala namak)* 100ml Water 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil 1-2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 2 tsp Ground Black Pepper (or to taste) 2 Tbsp Oil Directions Mix together the flour, spices, black salt, water, soy sauce and sesame oil into a smooth, light batter. Now lightly mash your chickpeas. Place a wide bottomed pan on a medium to high heat with the oil. Throw in the mashed chickpea and saute until they just start to brown. Now add the batter and sprinkle on some of the nutritional yeast and pepper. Cook until it starts to firm up around the edges. Break up the mixture into chunks and toss, coating with another layer of nutritional yeast and pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook until the chunks are your preferred texture and loose the raw chickpea flour taste, adding more nutritional yeast and pepper to suit how you feel that morning. Serve with toast, in your breakfast bowl with plenty of veg, or even in your breakfast burrito for a breakfast on the go. Notes My chickpea scramble is rarely the same twice as my seasonings will change each time. This recipe is more of a guide to help you find a version that works best for you. A wide bottomed pan like a frying pan or even a wok works best for an evenly cooked scramble, use a small pan and you’re more likely to get a big lump than a scramble. *Black Salt is here to add a slight ‘eggy’ flavour but it’s entirely optional. If you don’t want an egg flavour or don’t have any to hand, throw in some salt with your pepper and season to taste. Allergy Notes; Taking into account my note on soy sauce below, this recipe should be vegan, gluten free, soy free and generally an easy, allergy safe start to the day. I’m going to keep saying this – Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally contains little to no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. As always, check your brand to make sure you’ve not accidentally picked up one of the few brands which uses gluten. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you.

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Courgette and Sweetcorn Fritters (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 12:00:42 +0000

Some great dishes have great cultural heritage behind them, while others are created just because something in the fridge needs to be eaten. Today’s fritters are in that last category. We had a lonely courgette in the fridge that had seen better days and really needed to be eaten. In the spirit of anything can be turned into a fritter (much like anything can be turned into a pakora), this dish was born with the minimum of reliance on fresh ingredients. Which make this perfect for emptying the fridge or for those days when you really could do with going to the shops but just don’t have the time. Paired with frozen sweetcorn, some Thai red curry paste that was starting to threaten to grow it’s own eco system, and the last of a tin of coconut milk, these fritters are bursting with asian flavours. The method for this is incredibly easy, along the lines of throw most things at the blender, and works well as a tasty side or snack. Enjoy hot or cold with some sweet chilli dipping sauce. Makes: Serves 4 Ingredients 250g Frozen Sweetcorn, defrosted 1 large Courgette (or zucchini for our american readers), grated 4 Spring Onions, sliced (optional)* 2 Tbsp fresh Coriander, chopped 45g Chickpea Flour 125ml Coconut milk 1 Chia Egg** 1 Red Chilli*** 1 Garlic Clove 4 Lime Leaves, stems removed 1½ Tbsp Thai Red Curry paste 1 tsp Soy Sauce Substitute Directions Take half of your sweetcorn and place in the jug of your blender, the rest should be mixed with the grated courgettes, spring onions, and coriander and set to one side. Place the rest of the ingredients into the blender jug with your sweetcorn. Blend on high until well combined and smooth – if your blender starts to struggle you may need to add a little water or additional coconut milk to thin it out a little. Stir this mix through your vegetables until well combined. If it seems a little then then add more chickpea flour, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a good thick batter. Place a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the pan is heated through, add a quarter cup of batter for each fritter and cook evenly on each side for about 3-5 minutes making sure it’s cooked all the way through. Add more oil to your pan as needed as you continue to cook your fritters. That’s it – didn’t I say it was easy? Serve with some chilli dipping sauce and enjoy! Notes * Spring Onions add a bite of freshness here but if you don’t have any feel free to either skip them or substitute in a small, diced red onion. ** If you’re not familiar with using chia eggs, here’s my quick primer. Soak 1Tbsp of ground chia seeds in 3Tbsp of water for at least 10 minutes – this should become a gel like substance and works as a great binder. *** Getting low on fresh ingredients and don’t have any chillies left? No problem, just use ½ tsp of chilli flakes instead. Allergy Notes; I’m going to keep saying this – Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally contains little to no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. As always, check your brand to make sure you’ve not accidentally picked up one of the few brands which uses gluten. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you. Make sure that your curry paste is vegan when you buy it as some versions contain shrimp. This recipe is vegan, gluten free, nut free, and soy free – enjoy!

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Coffee and Walnut Cake (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 12:00:19 +0000

We’ve all picked up new obsessions during lockdown, mine seems to be the desire to create the ideal, easy, gluten free and vegan cake. I’ve spent a fair amount of time working on these cakes and we’ve had a lot of not-good cake to get through. Both types of cakes have the same issues – structure. Gluten free cakes rely on the protein in the eggs to maintain their structure while vegan cakes typically need the gluten in flour. If you’ve ever tried to make a cake that combines these two aspects and it’s collapsed, this is why. If you don’t want to hear me ramble on about the fundamentals of baking and just want the recipe then scroll down now. In your standard, old fashioned, basic cake there are four main pillars to baking; structure, tenderness, moisture/dryness, and leavening. Remove any one of these pillars and your cake won’t work. Leavening is the process by which a cake lifts, normally by creating air bubbles. This is done with eggs, sugar, and raising agents like baking powder. Structure typically depends on gluten or egg proteins. A cake structure is weakened by sugar and fat. Drying Agents are needed to avoid a soggy cake, this is normally achieved with flour starch, gluten, and egg proteins. This is offset by fat and liquids, in proportion to the amount of sugar used. Tenderness (or softness) is built by fat, liquid, sugar and acid. To make a cake that is both vegan and gluten free, you’ve have to pull out the structure builders, a key leavening ingredient in the eggs, and most of the drying agents. This results in a collapsed, soggy cake. But, I think I’ve finally cracked it for one of my family’s most treasured recipes. Here I’ve replaced the missing structure builders with xantham gum to replace the gluten, and chickpea flour to replace the missing protein. The chickpea flour needs to be countered with extra liquid to avoid a dry cake so I’ve used vegan buttermilk as the liquid here as this isn’t just liquid but adds tenderness, and increases the reaction with the raising agents. Unfortunately, chickpea flour does have a taste to it so I really wouldn’t recommend tasting the raw batter and this amendment will only work with strongly flavoured cakes. The cake I chose to adapt with this recipe is my mother’s coffee and walnut cake. With a light hint of coffee and the crunch of walnuts spread among a gloriously light sponge it’s always insanely popular. Whenever she makes it, it disappears so quickly and everybody loves it. I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do! Makes: Double layer 9 inch cake Ingredients For the Cake: 270ml Plant based milk (almond milk works best here) 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar 90g Chickpea Flour 200g Caster Sugar 200g Gluten free Flour* 3/4 tsp Xantham Gum** 200g Vegan Margarine, room temperature 2 tsp Baking Powder 2 tsp Bicarbonate soda 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 2½ Tbsp Instant Coffee 100g Walnuts, roughly chopped For the Coffee Buttercream Icing: 200g Vegan Butter, room temperature 4 tsp Instant Coffee 2 Tbsp Hot Water 600g Icing Sugar Plant based Milk, as needed (Oat milk works best here) Walnut Halves, for decoration (optional) Directions Mix together your milk and vinegar and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes. Just before you’re ready to start mixing your batter warm your milk mix till steaming and dissolve in the coffee. Preheat your oven to 180C (165C fan) and prepare either two 9 inch cake tins by greasing them and lining the bases with greaseproof paper, or a cupcake tray with liners if you’re doing cupcakes. If you’re using the walnuts, toss them in no more than a few teaspoons of your flour and put to one side Sieve together the rest of your dry ingredients so there are no lumps and they are fully combined. We’re using the all in method here so add your wet ingredients to the dry and beat until smooth and combined. Carefully gently fold in the walnut pieces so as to not loose any of the air you’ve gathered. Your batter should be very thick. Working quite quickly now, spoon your batter evenly into your prepared tin(s) and lightly smooth over. If you’re baking cupcakes then fill to no more than 2 thirds full. Bake for 40-45 minutes (30 minutes for cupcakes). The ‘toothpick test’ generally doesn’t work with gluten free cakes so you need to look for the cake bouncing back when touched, pulling away from the sides and when you listen to it the ‘singing’ should be almost completely subdued. Remove your cakes from the tins and place on a wire rack till completely cool. For the icing, beat the butter until very smooth, then beat in the coffee and icing sugar. Finally, thin out as needed with the plant milk until you reach your desired consistency. Use half of your icing to sandwich the cake halves together, spread the rest on the top and decorate with the walnut halves. Notes * I tend to make my own blend but shop bought blends work well too for this. If you want to sub in normal flour then a 1:1 substitution should work but drop the cooking time down to 25-30 minutes. **Check your gluten free flour – if it automatically contains xantham gum then skip this. Allergy Notes; This cake is vegan, gluten free, and (depending on your choice of diary free butters and milk) should be soy free. If nuts are an allergen for you then just skip them in this recipe – it’ll still be a great coffee cake!

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Crunchy Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Feast of Plants — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 12:00:25 +0000

Before I went vegan, tuna sandwiches were a big favourite of mine. Never home made, these shop bought sandwiches were my go to choice whenever I didn’t have to see anyone too soon afterwards – not wanting to subject anyone to my fishy/onion breath! This vegan version of one of my favourite snack, has a surprisingly similar texture from the chickpeas (just go with me on this – you won’t believe me till you try it!), and such a similar taste from the seasonings. It’ll only take 10 minutes to make and, while it works better if made the night before so the flavours can meld, you can eat it straight away. Use this as you did your favourite tuna salad, as a great sandwich filling, to go with a baked potato, or just spoon it directly from the bowl, no judgement. This recipe was inspired by Amrita at the Crazy Vegan Kitchen – check out her version here. Makes: Serves 4 (as a snack) Ingredients 250g Chickpea 1 Tbsp Capers, finely chopped 4 Tbsp Vegan Mayo ½ Tsp Dijon Mustard 1 Tbsp lemon Juice ½ Tsp Maple Syrup (optional) 25g Red onion, finely diced (about quarter of a small red onion) 2 Spring onions, chopped 1 rib of celery, finely diced ½ sheet of Nori (it can work with up to a full sheet but this can affect the look), crumbled up 70g Sweetcorn (tinned works well) Salt & Pepper, to taste Directions For best results, I recommend making this the day before you plan on using it though you can go ahead and chow down straight away if you prefer! Mash your chickpeas and capers together with a potato masher, fork or very loosely with a food processor, until the chickpeas have flaked apart but don’t let them get mushy. Add the rest of your ingredients and stir well until fully combined. Taste and season really well with plenty of black pepper and a touch of salt. That’s it – seriously one of the easiest recipes I’ve jotted down. If you can wait to eat it until the next morning then it’ll taste even better for it and it should keep for about a week in the fridge if there’s any left! Notes Allergy Notes; This one is gluten free, vegan and nut free. Check your nori for soy if you need to make this soy free as this is sometimes seasoned with soy sauce during the preparation.

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