RECIPE: Protein Packed Raw Chocolate Brownies

I have found a wheat-free, super duper healthy alternative, to my gooey chocolate brownies, thanks to my friend Kitty, sending me the link to the recipe.

Protein-Packed Raw Chocolate Brownies

 

Packed full of nuts & seeds, these moist bars, naturally sweetened with maple syrup & cocoa powder, are high in fat burning protein!  What's that, a delicious chocolate brownie that aids weight loss!  That's officially a guilt-free indulgence!

Head over to MindBodyGreen for the recipe & try them out for yourself!

RECIPE: Mushroom & Quinoa Vegan Meatballs

Let it be said, that one should never underestimate the value of quinoa.  This ancient grain was introduced to me by mère, who essentially fills me in on every unheard of superfood going.  I was about sixteen, had not long been vegan & took to having it instead of rice, which I was never too fond of.

When I gave up being a vegan & returned to eating meat once more, I stopped eating quinoa & instead, started a love affair with couscous.  However, whilst being entirely delicious & quick to cook, couscous, essentially being from the pasta family, makes me bloat & isn't particularly of any nutritional benefit.

Thus, upon returning to my vegan ways, I also returned to quinoa.  It had been so long since I'd had it, I'd forgotten how good it was & how versatile.  Great in salads, cakes & even...

Mushroom & Quinoa Vegan Meatballs

 

This great recipe by 84th&3rd, was really easy to follow & made delicious, flavoursome meatballs.  Kate & I made them together, slightly adjusting the ingredients to what we had to hand, such as using spinach instead of kale & served them with the tomato sauce & a plate full of spaghetti.

Quinoa is a complete protein & like couscous, it soaks up the water you cook it in, which means that you fill up on very little.  So even a couple of these little balls is enough per person.

What do you make with quinoa?

RECIPE: Indulgent Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake

If there's one thing I love, it's chocolate cake & thankfully, I've managed to find the ultimate vegan friendly version!

Indulgent Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake

 

This simple recipe by vegan blogger Pony Chops, is easy to make & results in a delicious, moist sponge, slathered in devilishly chocolatey buttercream icing.  This may not be the healthiest thing in the world, but damn it, it's worth the indulgence!

RECIPE: The Ultimate Vegan Scones

I don't think there's anything more quintessentially British, than the great scone.  For me, they remind me of childhood days out with mère, to the little village of Alfriston, where we would feed the ducks, down by the lake & go for a cream tea afterwards.

Now, ideally, any decent scone should be buttery, a little bit crumbly & adorned with an oversized dollop of clotted cream & strawberry jam.  However, returning to my vegan ways, this setup isn't quite feasible & so, I have had to do some experimenting & have come up with...

The Ultimate Vegan Scones

 

 

Ingredients 

225g self-raising flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

50g vegetable margarine

25g golden caster sugar

125ml soya yoghurt

4 tablespoons of milk (rice, soya, or whatever you prefer)

You can also throw in some currants, for a fruity version.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7/fan 200C.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl & add in the salt.

Pop in the margarine & rub it into the flour, until it becomes a crumb like consistency.

Now add in the sugar.

If you fancy a fruity version, now's the time to throw in any currents.

Make a well in the middle & pour in the yoghurt & the milk.

 Time to get your hands dirty!

Work the mixture, until it starts to form a sticky dough.  Be careful not to overwork!

Knead the dough 3-4 times on a lightly floured surface, working out the cracks.

Roll out the dough, until it's about 2cm thick.

Then, using a 5.5cm round fluted cutter, cut out the scones.

You should get about twelve out of this amount of mixture.

Pop them on a sheet of baking parchment on a baking tray, in the middle of the oven & bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden.

Then devour them with margarine & lashings of jam.

Parfait!

I'd quite like to try making them with coconut butter, instead of margarine, for a healthier, slightly less processed version

How do you like your scones?

RECIPE: Apple Spice Quinoa Cake

I have been nestled in the countryside of Chabanais, in the south west of France, with my dear friend Kate, for the past week & in an attempt to entertain ourselves, we have been baking sweet treats on the daily.  Having been a little zealous with my measuring, whilst making 'meat' balls the other night, we ended up with about half a tonne of cooked quinoa left over.  Rather than let anything go to waste, I scoured the internet for recipe ideas & came across this...

Apple Spice Quinoa Cake

 

This simple recipe from the Little Artisan Kitchen, has nine ingredients, which can be modified for both vegan & gluten free diets.  Taking only three steps to make, it's great for people for whom time, or indeed patience, is short.

I replaced the butter with vegetable margarine, used up a cup of the leftover quinoa & after an hour in the oven, was salivating over the smell emitting from the cake tin.  Between the three of us, Kate, her husband Colin & myself, the entire cake was devoured by the time we all went to bed.  A most successful foray into quinoa related baking, even if I do say so myself.  Now, what to do with the rest of this quinoa...

RECIPE: Gooey Vegan Brownies

I am currently in Chabanais, in France, staying with one of my favourites, Kate.  The weather outside is grey & damp, but inside we're snuggled up with the fire roaring, the dogs dozing on the rugs & a film or two to entertain us.

Making the most of being in one place for more than a moment & having access to a kitchen, we decided to do a spot of baking.  Looking through numerous recipe ideas, we settled on trying our hand at these...

Gooey Vegan Brownies

 

Simple to make, with not too many ingredients & they came out super delicious!  The chocolate chunks in them were all gooey when they first came out of the oven & then returned to firm chunks once they'd cooled.  We have all of one left...

Ingredients

2 cups of plain flour
1/2 cup sunflower oil

2/3 cup of cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon of baking powder

3/4 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of granulated sugar

2/3 cup of water

3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 cup of chocolate chunks

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180º.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder & salt & mix together until fully combined.

In another bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, water & vanilla extract, until all the ingredients come together & form a gloopy consistency.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet, mix thoroughly, then add in all the yummy chocolate chunks.

Pour into a tin of your choice & bake in the middle of the oven for about thirty five minutes.

Et voila, delicious, gooey, chocolate brownies, which will add warming layers of fat to your thighs & a smile on your face.  Parfait!

RECIPE: Coconut & Pistachio Tart

Anyone that knows me, knows I am a complete chocolate addict & when I say addict, I really mean ADDICT!  In twelve years, I have been a maximum of six days without the good stuff in my system.  So when I came across this recipe, it was like hitting the jackpot!

Coconut & Pistachio Tart

Über delicious, chocolatey, vegan friendly goodness, which comes with the added benefit of being gluten free!  This moreish recipe, which is simple to make & includes only healthy, unprocessed ingredients, all of which I can count on two hands, is from the makers of Apartment 34, a great blog that I really like.

What's your favourite dessert?

RECIPE: Broccoli & Sweet Potato Soup

Oh January, all the dampness of December, without the glitter of Christmas lights, to make it bearable.  Having battled the rain for the millionth time today, I can truly say, hand on heart, I cannot wait for spring!

This blasted weather makes me want to sleep in in the mornings, live in my pyjamas & spend my days wrapped up in blankets, watching classics, like Casablanca, with Mr Pig asleep beside me.  

At times like these, we all need comforting food & what better, than a hearty & simple soup, like this one:

Broccoli & Sweet Potato Soup

This delicious & simple to make soup, from the never homemaker blog, is just perfect for wet windy days.  It requires very little effort, but is tasty, healthy & warming.  The great thing is, it's easily adaptable, if you fancy changing things up & trying out your own combinations of winter vege, like using butternut squash instead of sweet potato, or peas instead of broccoli.  The combinations are endless.

What's your favourite soup?

RECIPE: Cacao Boosted Raw Chili

I have to say, looking back through my photos from my summer abroad, I really am longing for the warmth of the sun beaming down on my bare skin, sand beneath my toes & the sound of waves gently crashing into the shore.

Looking out into the bleary English sky, at it's grey clouds, rain trickling down the window panes, whilst I cling to the radiators, on at full blast, I inwardly weep.  To keep me going through these dreary winter months, I have been taking comfort in food & am thankful that, there are some delicious, healthy options available, such as this:

Cacao Boosted Raw Chili

 

This wonderful recipe is provided by Elenore, over at Earthsprout.  Full of chili peppers to kick start your circulation (helpful in keeping you warm!), aid your digestion & boost your immune system (especially useful during flu season).  Along with a little hint of cacao, just to add an additional health boost, as well as an unusual, but delicious taste combination.  C'est magnifique!

What are your favourite warming recipes for winter?

RECIPE: Raw fig, cherry, lavender & honey cake

Upon my return to England & veganism, I wanted to really start looking after myself & think more consciously about what I was putting into my body.  (Four months of gelato, pasta & vino everyday, certainly takes its toll on the ol' bikini body.)  I chose to cut out all processed food & really cut down on my sugar intake.  You'd be surprised how many things have sugar in them these days.  You think you're being good not eating that bar of chocolate today?  Well, did you see that there was sugar in the bread you made toast with this afternoon?  Or in the baked beans you lavished on top?  See how easy it is to eat unhealthily without even realising it!

Well, cutting out processed foods & eating healthily sounds like hard work & what about if you're like me & your life is somewhat ruled by a sweet tooth?  Well, that's where research comes in & ta-dah!  You find yourself looking at things like this beautiful, all natural, raw cake.

Raw fig, cherry, lavender & honey cake

 

 

Made by the talented guys at Ascension Kitchen, a great spot for yummy but healthy food ideas, you can find the simple recipe for this glorious delight here.

Proof that eating healthily doesn't have to be boring, or hard work.

*Whilst this cake does have honey in it & having been a strict vegan in the past, I know that the majority of vegans choose not to eat it.  However, I personally have come back to veganism on the more relaxed front & I've decided to keep it in my diet.  In case you were wondering.