The Co-op’s photo of this chick pea crumble (see above) looked so tempting in their January magazine that it just had to be attempted, except that I added my own twist. You see, I dislike a paltry crumble – it has to be a mega crumble not just a light dusting.
If you fancy a thicker savoury crumble atop the Co-op recipe then follow my instructions below:
My crumble topping:
175g Plain Flour
110g Pure Sunflower Spread
3 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
3 tablespoons Toasted Flaked Almonds
100g Almonds, roughly chopped
75g Porridge Oats
Instructions:
Gently rub the plain flour and sunflower spread together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the nutritional yeast, flaked almonds, chopped almonds and porridge oats to this mixture with a metal spoon.
Sprinkle over the prepared vegetables and bake in the oven at 200C / Gas Mark 6 for 20 – 30 minutes till golden.
Serve with some neepy mash.
While this savoury crumble does take a bit longer than the Co-op’s grilled version it’s worth the wait believe me.
This week Rooting Aboot tried making another recipe from the Co-op’s free January magazine. I must say cooking this paella was easy peasy compared with preparing risotto – no stirring required. Leaving the pot sitting for 15 minutes at the end really made the difference to the rice being cooked and making the whole dish taste full of flavour.
My version of the paella recipe. Next time the mushrooms will be strategically placed for any photoshoot, but I still think my peas look tastier than the Co-op’s photo.
My tips for this recipe:
Use a non-stick pan – this is essential for a successful outcome. If you want the rice well seasoned then use two vegetable stock cubes. Only one cube in 900ml of water would make it too weak for my taste. I also included some green beans – parboil them beforehand and add when the rice and stock goes in.
I’m seriously impressed by the person who creates the vegan recipes in the Co-op’s free in store magazine. Time and time again they come up with the goods. There is quite a few in this month’s edition seeing as it’s Veganuary so get your hands on a copy if you can. Being a fan of the old cauli, this was the recipe chosen to try first.
My attempt at roasted cauliflower smothered and baked in a spicy yogurt with crispy cauliflower leaves. Yumster.
One of the best things about this recipe is that it uses cauliflower leaves – never thought to eat them until now. They are tossed in vegetable oil then sprinkled with chilli flakes and baked for twenty minutes.
We could hardly wait to tuck in.
The rice recipe to eat along with the cauliflower is also pretty good. Make sure to really cook the red onions well before adding the sugar and vinegar.
The Co-op’s Spinach and Pistachio pilau rice would also complement the roast cauliflower so we’ll probably have that next time. There definitely will be a next time. Here’s the link to the pilau recipe:
With January’s dreich weather upon us and Burns Night approaching, we all need food that’s hearty and warming and this vegan haggis has it all (except for the tripe, obviously). We couldn’t quite believe how brilliant it was – Robbie Burns certainly wouldn’t complain. There’s proper Scottish ingredients in this recipe such as barley, porridge oats and suet (vegetable of course). Plenty of finely chopped mushrooms, onions and grated carrots give it an all round, authentic haggis texture.
Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o’ the [vegan] pudding-race!
My tips for this recipe:
Put this big puddin’ in a steamer because it’s easier to handle. Instead of using nutmeg, I recommend adding one teaspoon of black onion seeds and half a teaspoon of black mustard seeds – these spices give the haggis a much better flavour.
But pleasures are like poppies spread, You seize the flower, it’s bloom is shed; Or, like the snow-fall in the river, A moment white, then melts forever.
If you’re having a Hogmanay party then follow these links for suggestions to ensure guests are well and truly catered for. While offering crisps and peanuts from the back of the cupboard is probably okay, it just isn’t really going to convince revellers that vegan food can be interesting and tasty.
Get the freezer ready so you can whip them out and into the oven.
You can pretty much offer food inspired from all over the world, but I personally think it’s about time supermarkets started specialising in vegan bannocks. Get your act together.
Gino D’Acampo published a book called ‘Gino’s Veg Italia’ (Hodder & Stoughton, 2015) and this recipe is taken from there and converted to vegan. Green lentils and chestnut mushrooms are the main ingredients in these veggie balls – it’s a great main meal served with pesto spaghetti.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, grated
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 box chestnut mushrooms (250g), finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 can of green lentils, rinsed
50g fresh breadcrumbs
50g grated vegan cheese (like Violife cheddar)
Salt and pepper to season
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the grated carrot and grated onion and fry for 5-10 minutes until soft.
Stir in the tomato puree and cook for one minute.
Add the finely chopped mushrooms and fresh thyme. Fry for 15 minutes until all the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
Then add the green lentils, breadcrumbs and grated vegan cheese and stir well to combine. Allow to cool a little.
Heat the oven to 180 C / Gas Mark 4.
Lightly oil a baking tray.
With dampened hands, shape the lentil/mushroom mixture into twelve even-sized balls.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
You gotta roll with it.
Boil your spaghetti and coat in Sacla’s vegan basil pesto. Hey presto!
Ready for the next round of Christmas food? Then let us begin…
We’ve already covered the Christmas Day centrepiece and dessert in Round 1 so let’s move on to the sweet little somethings that can accompany a glass of wine or cup of tea when friends and relatives pop by. I like a bit of panettone (us being Europeans and all that).
If you’re ordering online then Mindful Bites offer chocolate, mixed berries or classic versions. They would also make lovely Christmas gifts (hint, hint).
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a few pieces of chocolate…or even a hamper. Just remember to share with other people or you’ll be the size of a hoose by New Year.
I tried this sambar recipe for the first time this week and would happily have paid money for it in a restaurant. The green beans and cauliflower are roasted in vegetable oil, black onion seeds and turmeric and only added to the sambar at the end. We ate it with basmati rice and chapatis with every last bit scraped off the plate.
My tips for this recipe:
The green beans and cauliflower needed a bit longer than ten minutes to roast (about twenty-five minutes). Check the cauliflower by jabbing with a knife to test if it’s soft.
This cooks really easily.
I personally recommend using 200g of Yellow Mung Dal (Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s sell it) because it breaks up pretty easily to give a smooth sambar without needing to use a blender. To prepare, first rinse it in a sieve under the cold tap until the water runs clean and then cook in 1.5 Litres of boiling water (with half the turmeric) for 30-35 minutes. Keep topping up with boiling water to ensure it doesn’t stick or get too thick.
When you get to Instruction 5. Don’t drain this mixture – use it all as the base. Add the spicy fried onion mixture, tomato puree, creamed coconut and tamarind paste to the dal pan. There’s no need to add any additional water. Cook for a few minutes then add the roasted green beans and cauliflower.
Most supermarkets sell creamed coconut in the Indian or Chinese food sections.
Rooting Aboot has been doing a bit of snooping to see what’s on offer food wise this Christmas season and it’s good news on the vegan front. If you’re not into slaving over a hot cooker this year and would rather be slurping on some mulled wine and the like, have a gander at the links below for ideas.
Please direct any relatives to this blog before you plan to visit them so you don’t end up gnawing only on carrot sticks and hummus during the festive period…just saying.
I had seen numerous images of spidery cupcakes kicking around on the Internet in the run up to this Halloween, so it was time for Rooting Aboot to accept the arachnid challenge.
I used Morrison’s muffin paper cases because they were the only dark brown ones I could find. If you opt for the muffin size, double the ingredients in this recipe to make twelve and bake them for twenty minutes in the middle of the oven to ensure they’re cooked. I’ve added links about where to source vegan ingredients at the bottom of this page. Pure Sunflower Spread was used in both the muffins and buttercream cos it really works when baking.
Make the chocolate muffins / or cupcakes (if you prefer the smaller size) using Kate Hackworthy’s recipe at Veggie Desserts. There’s a printable version that can be saved. Use the link below then follow my tips to turn them into spiders.
Follow the ‘icing’ instructions in the above recipe, but ignore the vanilla extract bit. In a cup, dissolve two tablespoons of vegan cocoa powder into one tablespoon of hot water and mix this gloop into your buttercream. Adjust as appropriate e.g. if it’s too runny, keep adding more icing sugar until you get a thicker consistency. Spread the buttercream onto each muffin gently with the back of a spoon.
Covered in chocolate buttercream.
Spider’s legs:
Morrison’s supermarket now stocks a great selection of own brand vegan ready-to-roll icing in all different colours. I chose black icing for the spider’s legs. Cut off long strips and place four ‘legs’ at each side.
Spider’s eyes:
We all know spiders have eight eyes (to match their legs), but being anatomically correct would be too time consuming. Just roll some of the black icing into tiny balls and stick on. Sue me David Attenborough.
To finish off this creation, grate some vegan chocolate onto the spider’s buttercream body. Done.
ROOTING ABOOT: Voyage to Veganism 