Thursday, May 28, 2015

Quick and easy chunky hummous

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How do you like your hummous (or hummus)? I discovered on the weekend that while I like it all ways, I particularly like it thick and chickpea-y. In contrast, Mr Bite likes it smooth and mellow, with the chickpea flavour in greater disguise. This recipe is for the thicker, chunkier type. It makes a meal of crackers and carrot sticks, and I can't say I mind that Mr B is leaving it largely to me...


Hummous is hardly an innovative recipe and I'm not sure we need another contribution to the online collection of hummous ideas. This one is only lightly adapted from a BBC recipe.  However, sometimes this blog is for my own reference too! If you do need an idea for ingredient proportions, this one should suit if you like chickpeas and chunky dips. It makes a great base for falafal wraps too, as pictured below.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Jamie Oliver inspired vegan chickpea and carrot burgers

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Burgers. They are such an easy meal, and have summery connotations even though you can eat them all year round. I have enjoyed some great vegan burger patties in the past, including the paprika-spiced sweet potato, bean and tahini patties I shared in February, and Angela's Thai sweet potato veggie burgers on Oh She Glows. However, I like trying new things too and so this weekend I tried a new vegan recipe from Jamie Oliver.

 

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Chocolate chip caramel muffins {vegan}

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With a bank holiday weekend, it was inevitable that somewhere in the 3 days I'd find time for baking. I was less certain, though, of what I would be baking. In the end, inspiration came where it so often does: on a run. I was taken with the idea of using pureed cashews and dates to provide a caramel base to muffins, whilst also reducing the need for processed fat and sugar. Once that idea was established, it was an easy leap to chocolate chips (admittedly bringing back some processed fat and sugar!) and the foundations for these muffins were laid.

 

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Ireland travels - Killarney National Park

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After our brief stops in Kilkenny and Cork, we continued our Irish driving by heading further south to Killarney. Killarney town is just outside Killarney National Park, and the region is home to stunning scenery and plenty of outdoor activities. It also features the Ring of Kerry drive, a loop around the Iveragh Peninsula and some of County Kerry's most beautiful views.

Killarney national park

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Strawberry and apple cake (with coconut sugar)

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After a few disappointing forays into berries and stone fruit over winter, I am delighted to be enjoying fresh, sweet strawberries and apricots this week. They are both delicious plain but with rather a lot of strawberries at my disposal (I was a little excited at the point of purchase) I decided to turn some into a cake.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Spiced sweet potato and kale stew with cashews

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If you're like me, you are fond of straightforward meals that deliver flavour, comfort and nutrition without taking hours to prepare. It's relatively easy to tick two of those three boxes (flavour / comfort / nutrition) but sometimes getting all three is tricky!


Happily, this dish satisfied all of my meal requirements. With a whole foods and vegetable based ingredient list, it is definitely nutrition-packed. The sweet potato and nutritional yeast give a creaminess to the dish, lending comfort, and spices and cashews round out the flavour profile.

Oh, and you only need one pan and not much time.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Peanut butter oat and raisin cookies (vegan + gluten free)

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When I am in a peanut butter phase (or an almond butter phase, or a tahini phase, or an apple sauce phase, or a sweet chilli sauce phase...) it amazes me that I have patches when I am not obsessed with peanut butter (or almond butter, or tahini, or my food love of the week). After a few months of occasional peanut butter consumption, I am back into enjoying it with a vengeance and these biscuits (cookies) are a direct result.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Middle Eastern spiced bean and date ragout

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There was a reason I featured Moroccan tagine in my Vegan MoFo posts last year: I rarely make middle Eastern food despite being intrigued by it. 

Today's dish borrows from the tagine I made last year, but features a hefty dose of impromptu creativity too. I doubt it's the best ragout ever made and I make no claims to its authenticity (I am using 'middle Eastern' loosely!). However, I enjoyed it and am keen to record it for future reference. I particularly liked the dates and the balance of vegetables relative to beans relative to spices.


Sunday, May 10, 2015

Loving this week

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1. Spring. 


The trees are green again, the sun has been shining, and there are flowers everywhere. 


It's completely delightful.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Vegan strawberry wafer rocky road

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From a whole foods dessert we are veering to a decidedly non-whole foods treat! This rocky road makes use of chocolate, vegan marshmallows, pink wafers, strawberries and apple to give a fruity animal-free (and nut-free) twist on traditional rocky road.


I got the idea for this recipe from the May edition of Vegan Life magazine. The magazine featured a recipe for strawberry rocky road made with strawberries, apple, almonds and dried cherries, as well as chocolate, golden syrup and vegan margarine. I thought it sounded delicious and tucked the idea away to ferment. A few weeks later, this slice is the result.


Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Three ingredient, no crust, chilled vanilla cheesecake {vegan + raw}

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So...that cheesecake mentioned in my last post? It did work out. Rather well, in fact. I still find raw desserts amazing, and this one is a particularly good example because it uses just three simple ingredients.


As per the title of this post, I made the cheesecake without a crust. This contributes to the short ingredient list, but you could easily make a crusted version if you like. If doing so, I recommend the bases I have used with previous raw cheesecakes. With that said, I did like this crust-free version as it allowed the creamy vanilla flavour to shine through without distraction.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

In my kitchen - May 2015

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I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

Happy May all, and happy long weekend to my UK readers! I think the only thing better than a bank holiday tomorrow is knowing we get another one in just 3 weeks. May is certainly a good month for holidays.

In my kitchen this month, there are two exciting new yoghurts. I have previously enjoyed the plain (unsweetened) Provamel soya yoghurt, but these soya-coconut and soya-almond varieties are far more enticing. The coconut variety tastes of normal coconut yoghurt, but is less rich. The almond variety tastes slightly of almond essence, which is delightful. I like them very much.


In my kitchen there is also an experimental raw vanilla cheesecake. I don't yet know if it will work. If you never hear about it again, you can probably conclude it didn't.