Recipe: Oat Cookies within 40 minutes

I don't have a good photo of these cookies, which is a shame because they were delicious and they looked so good for you! Suraj and I tried to make them last as long as possible because we both enjoyed them so much.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

This recipe makes about 20 cookies

Ingredients for vegan oat cookies

• 1 + 3/4 cups of pecan halves
• 2 cups of oats
• 3/4 of a cup of plain flour
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of fine grain sea salt
• 1/2 a cup of maple syrup
• 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil that's melted or at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons of almond milk
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1/3 of a cup of diced pitted dates - heaped
• 1/4 of a cup of mini dark chocolate chips

How to make vegan oat cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 160C
2. Put a sheet of greaseproof paper on a large baking tray
3. Toast some pecans nuts for 9-11 minutes until they are golden and fragrant
4. Remove the pecan nuts from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes
5. Raise the temperature of the oven temp to 175C
6. Put the pecans nuts and ONE cup of oats in a food processor and mix them until they are chopped roughly - if you over process it, the oils in the nuts will be releases and we don't want that
7. In a large bowl, mix the chopped pecan nuts and oats with the remaining cup of oats, flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, and salt
8. In another bowl, mix the maple syrup, coconut oil, milk and vanilla
9. Then pour the wet mixture onto the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly until it has combined
10. The dough should be sticky
11. In a small bowl, put the chopped dates and then add 1/2 a teaspoon of flour and toss them until the dates are coated - this is to stop the dates from sticking together
12. Fold the dates and chocolate chips into the dough
13. Take some of the dough and roll it into a ball
14. Put it on the greaseproof paper and then press down on it to flatten it - adjust how much dough you take per cookie if you think it's too big/small - if it sticks to you, wet your hands a little bit and then continue
15. Leave about 5 cm between each cookie
16. Bake them for 12-13 minutes - the cookies should be golden brown underneath
17. Take them out of the over and leave them on the greaseproof paper for about 3 minutes
18. Then put the cookies onto a cooling rack for 15 minutes
19. Enjoy! :)

Please note that the original recipe is American. Thus the names of various ingredients are slightly different. I've amended these, where necessary, and listed them by the name that they are known by in England. 

Adapted from keep it kind 

Recipe: Thumbprint Cookies within 40 minutes

Of the four items I baked, these cookies were the quickest and easiest to make. I didn't get bored of eating them either! They were crunchy, savoury yet sweet and simply morish!

This recipe makes about 24 cookies.

Ingredients for vegan thumbprint cookies

• 1 cup of ground almonds
• 1 cup of brown rice flour
• 1 ½ cups of raw whole almonds - crushed in a food processor
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ½ cup of coconut oil
• ½ cup of maple syrup
• Jam

How to make vegan thumbprint cookies 

1. Preheat the oven to 176 degrees
2. Combine all the ingredients (except the jam) in a large bowl
3. Create tablespoon-sized balls with the mix
4. Space them evenly on a baking tray, which has been lined with greaseproof paper
5. They don't expand much so you don't need to leave lots of space around them - about 2 centimetres is fine
6. Use your thumb to make an indentation into each cookie
7. Bake until the cookies are evenly browned - this will take about 20 minutes
8. Let the cookies cool
9. Add some jam and enjoy immediately

If you have added the jam and want to eat them later, put them in a container in the fridge. If you are going to add the jam just before eating, keeping them out (room temperature) is fine.

Please note that the original recipe is American. Thus the names of various ingredients are slightly different. I've amended these, where necessary, and listed them by the name that they are known by in England. 

Adapted from passports & pancakes

Recipe: Mango Passionfruit Pie

Tools needed

- Blender
- Food Processor
- Dehydrator (Optional)
- 7.5” Pie Tin

Ingredients for the vegan mango and passion fruit pie crust

• 1 ¼ cup Macadamia Nuts (soaked and dehydrated)
• 3 tablespoon of Desiccated Coconut
• 1 tablespoon of  Coconut Oil
• 1 tablespoon of Coconut Palm Nectar*
• ¼ tablespoon of Salt
• ¼ tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

*This is not raw – for a fully Raw recipe replace this with Date Paste

Ingredients for the vegan mango and passionfruit pie filling:-

• 1 cup Chopped Sweet Mango
• ¾ of a cup of Sour Passionfruit Goo
• ¼ of a cup of Coconut Palm Nectar*
• ¼ of a cup of Irish Moss Paste
• 3 tablespoon of  Coconut Oil
• 2 Vanilla Beans
• 1 pinch of Salt

How to make vegan mango and passionfruit pie

1. Blitz Macadmia Nuts and Desiccated Coconut in food processor until it's almost powder
2. Add the remainder of the ingredients for the crust and blitz until well incorporated and it compresses easily between your fingers
3. Gently wipe down the pie tin with coconut oil and press crust into it
4. Blend all of the filling ingredients until it's smooth and creamy
5. Pour the filling into the crust and let it set in the fridge for 4 - 6 hours or in the freezer for 2 - 3 hours
6. Garnish with Desiccated Coconut or Mango Chunks and Serve!

Mango and Passionfruit pie (whole)

Photos and recipe courtesy of Jonny Freesh

Recipe: Sugar-Free Hazelnut Spread

This recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients for hazelnut spread

• 1 cup organic hazelnuts - roasted
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons of organic cacao powder
• 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup of almond milk
• 1 tablespoon of organic coconut oil
• 1 pinch of sea salt

How to make vegan hazelnut spread

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. Lay out the hazelnuts onto a baking sheet and pop in the oven for ten minutes
3. Watch them carefully as oven temperatures vary and these can go from perfectly fine to burnt quickly
4. Remove hazelnuts from oven
5. Using your fingers or a paper towel, remove skins from hazelnuts - they will come off easily but it doesn't need to be perfect
6. Place the hazelnuts in a food processor
7. Process at high speed for 2-3 minutes until you have a paste
8. Add coconut oil and process for another minute, until it looks smooth
9. Add all remaining ingredients, process for another 2-3 minutes until you have a creamy texture
10. At this point it will be quite thin and liquidy
11. Place it into a jar (I use mason jars) and refrigerate for one hour
12. Remove from fridge and it will be a spreadable texture

If you store this in the pantry, it will remain fresh for about 2 weeks. I like to make it in small batches so we never get to the point that it’s gone bad because we didn't use it quickly enough.

Use the spread on your favourite baked goods, fresh fruit (like apple slices) or on sprouted grain bread.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Sophia.

Recipe: Pasta with homemade sauce and soft cheese within 30 minutes

This dish was an on the spot creation and it turned out really well! :)

Ingredients for pasta sauce

•    3/4 of a teaspoon of coconut oil
•    1 (400g) can of chopped tomatoes
•    1 fresh chilli – cut into 3 pieces
•    1 handful of roughly chopped coriander
•    salt to taste
•    pepper to taste
•    ground cinnamon to taste
•    ground nutmeg to taste

How to make vegan pasta sauce

1.    Add the coconut oil to a pan and heat it
2.    Meanwhile blend the tomatoes, chilli and coriander
3.    Add this to the pan when the oil has warmed up
4.    Let it cook for 5 minutes
5.    Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg
6.    Let it reduce until it's the way you like your pasta sauce (ragu) to be - I like mine to be quite thick so I cook it on a medium high heat for about 20 minutes

Ingredients for the pasta

•    pasta of your choice - I  use rigatoni
•    1 tablespoon of vegan spread - I  use Pure Sunflower Margarine
•    1 tablespoon of salt

How to make the pasta

1.    While the ragu is reducing, put the kettle on and put the boiled water, pasta and salt in a large pan and stir
2.    Check the pasta after 7 minutes and if it’s cooked the way you like it, drain the water, add the margarine and stir
3.    Put the pasta on the plate, add the sauce on top, and garnish with some soft vegan cheese

Other ingredients

•  freshly ground pepper
• soft vegan cheese - I used Tesco Free From Cheddar Style Spread

Serving the pasta with vegan soft cheese

1. Serve the pasta creating a wide strip of it along the plate
2. Add freshly ground pepper
3. Add the sauce to the middle of the strip of pasta so that all of the pasta isn't covered in the sauce
4. Spoon some soft vegan cheese on to the sauce and enjoy!

Serving suggestion

Create a circular shape with the pasta, leaving a hole in the middle for the sauce, on top of which you could put the soft vegan cheese. 
Serve with the soft vegan cheese on the side.

Recipe: Pancakes within 15 minutes

Here's a way to  make pancakes within 15 minutes!

Ingredients for vegan pancakes

• 1 and 1/2 cups of soy milk
• 1/2 a cup of soft silken tofu
• 1/3 cup of coconut oil in its solid form
• 1 and 1/2 cups of flour - you can use coconut flour, self raising flour or plain flour
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg powder
• 2 chopped apples
• 1/2  a cup of chopped Pecan Nuts

How to make vegan pancakes

1. Blend the soy milk, soft silken tofu, coconut oil, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and the chopped apples
2. When it's all blended, add the chopped Pecan Nuts and fold them into the mix
3. Heat a pan so that it is heated evenly
4. When it's ready, add a little oil
5. Then add large spoons of the mix and cook it for a few minutes
6. When bubbles appear, flip it and cook it until both sides are golden brown
7. Roll and serve with fruit or drizzle with some syrup to make it a tad sweeter

Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup

I made this soup for the first time a couple of days ago.
It didn't take too long to make and was full of flavour, so I will definitely make it again!
I must admit that I cheated by using pre-cut Butternut Squash!

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients for vegan butternut squash soup

•    a (350g) packet of butternut squash – roughly chopped
•    2 tablespoons of olive oil or sunflower oil
•    1/2 a teaspoon of salt
•    1/4 of a teaspoon of pepper
•    a pinch of cinnamon powder
•    a pinch of nutmeg powder
•    1/2 a cup of coconut milk
•    2 mugs of water – 700 ml

How to make vegan butternut squash soup

1.    Put the pieces of butternut squash on an oven tray and drizzle the oil over them
2.    Roast them in the oven for about 20 minutes
3.    Put the water, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg in a pan and boil it
4.    When you are happy that the butternut squash is roasted enough, add it to the pan mentioned in step 3
5.    Boil it until it’s tender and then blend it using a hand blender
6.    Heat it for 3 minutes before adding water if it's too thick or boil further if it's too watery
7.    Taste it and add more salt, pepper, cinnamon or nutmeg if required
8.    Serve in a bowl, drizzle with coconut milk and enjoy

Serving suggestions

Put some in a bowl and drizzle with coconut milk before serving. 
Serve with wholegrain bread.

Recipe: Mixed vegetables in a wrap within 30 minutes

This meal is becoming an all time favourite! It's quick, healthy, versatile, full of different vegetables and most  of all, delicious!

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients for the mixed vegetable filling

•    1/2 a teaspoon of oil – I usually use olive oil
•    1 fresh chilli – finely chopped - decide whether to use all, more or less, of the chilli, based on how spicy it is, also considering how spicy you like your food to be
•    1 small carrot – chopped into small bite-size pieces
•    a handful of olives – I prefer black olives because they’re not sharp
•    1 small (200g) can of sweetcorn
•    1/2 a courgette – chopped into small cubes
•    1/3 of a yellow pepper – chopped into thin 2 cm strips
•    1/3 of an orange pepper – chopped into thin 2 cm strips
•    1/3 of a green/red pepper – chopped into thin 2 cm strips
•    vegan mince – use as much, or as little, as you would like - many supermarket own brands tend to be vegan
•    salt to taste
•    1/4 of a teaspoon of pepper
•    a pinch of cinnamon powder
•    a pinch of nutmeg powder
•    2 large wholemeal wraps

Method for the mixed vegetable filling

1.    Put the oil in a pan and heat it using a medium setting
2.    Once it's become hot, add the chilli
3.    After 20 seconds, add the carrots and cook for 7 minutes, after which they should be semi cooked
4.    Now add the olives, sweetcorn, courgette, peppers, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon
5.    Stir and let it cook with the lid on the pan
6.    After 1 minute, add the vegan mince and mix
7.    Cook until it's as soft as you like it to be – I usually turn the heat off after 5 minutes
8.    Warm the wraps
9.    Place the filling along the middle of the wrap, take the bottom of the wrap and fold it towards the centre, do the same with the sides, leaving the top open
10.    Put this on a plate and enjoy

Serving suggestions

Spread some Guacamole on to the wrap before adding the filling

Recipe: Udon noodles with delicious vegetables within 20 minutes

This dish was delicious!
I usually make this so that there's more veg than noodles.

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients

•    1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
•    2 aniseed stars
•    2 fresh chillies – chopped
•    2 pak choi – separate the leaves
•    150g of mange tout - kept whole
•    175g of baby corn – cut into thirds
•    1 carrot – cut along the carrot making 3 cm strips
•    1/4 of a small bunch of broccoli – chopped into bite-size pieces
•    2 tablespoons of soy sauce
•    1 (150g) packet of straight to wok udon noodles

Method 

1.    Heat the sesame oil in a wok
2.    When it’s hot, add the chillies and aniseed star
3.    After 30 seconds, add the carrot, pak choi, baby corn, mange tout and broccoli
4.    Put the lid on the pan and let it cook on a high heat for a about 3 minutes
5.    Add the soy sauce and mix
6.    Cook for 1 minute and then add the noodles
7.    Mix again, put the lid on the pan and cook on a high heat, for 1 minute
8.    Serve in a bowl if you would like the food to remain hot for longer, otherwise serve it in a plate

Serving suggestions

Toast some sesame seeds and as add a garnish before serving.
Toast some cashew nuts and as add a garnish before serving.

Recipe: Quinoa served with tofu and broccoli cooked in soya sauce

This recipe makes a quick, simple and delicious dish. Whenever I make dishes with for example, quinoa, pasta, cous cous, I load it up with vegetables. I find this lighter on the tummy, healthier and feel more content afterwards.

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of quinoa
• Salt
• About 150g of Tofu
• 1/2 a small broccoli
• Coconut oil
• Soy Sauce

How to make the quinoa

1. Measure the dry quinoa
2. The proportion of dry quinoa to cooked quinoa is about 1:3, so 1 cup of dried quinoa will make about 3 cups of cooked quinoa
3. Rinse the quinoa under cold water and drain - it’s handy to use a fine mesh sieve for rinsing it
4. Put the rinsed quinoa into a saucepan and add cold water - the quinoa to water ratio is 1:2, so use 2 cups of water for every cup of quinoa
5. If you wish to give it a subtle flavour, add some vegetable stock to the water
6. Add a little salt
7. Cover and boil
8. As soon as it starts to boil, turn the heat down and put the lid over the pan so that's it isn't fully covering it - this will stop it boiling over
9. Simmer for 15-20 minutes - the quinoa becomes transparent when it’s cooked, except for a little spiral sprout
10. If the quinoa is tender but there’s excess water in the bottom of the saucepan, leave the lid off completely for a few minutes until the water evaporates
11. When it's done turn off the heat, put the lid on and let sit for about 5 minutes
12. Use a fork to fluff up the quinoa and then serve it up

How to make the vegetable part of this dish

1. Chop some Tofu
2. Chop some broccoli
3. Put a bit of oil in a wok
4. Add the broccoli first
5. Add some soya sauce
6. Let it cook with the lid on using a medium/high heat
7. Add the Tofu when the broccoli  is half done
8. Mix and add to the plate of quinoa