UK Vegan Food Swap October

Yay! My goodies from this month's food swap have finally arrived!

There's lots of healthy treats from this month's partner and I can't wait to try these Sweet Potato and Buckwheat noodles with the Chilli and Garlic Sauce in a stir fry.

The ground Hemp and Flaxseed are perfectly timed as porridge season is officially upon us now that the clocks have gone back. In fact I've been meaning to look out something like these as they are ideal for adding to porridge for an extra omega kick to your breakfast! So this is great!

The chai smells amazing and is currently filling my kitchen with a mouth watering aroma. I'll definitely be taking this with me to work for chilly days. I adore chai and haven't bought any in ages!

For more info on the swap or to join visit 

http://www.tohappyvegans.com/wordpress/uk-vegan-food-swap/

Steampunk Tea Party

So, my lovely friend Jema is the queen of steampunk! As well as making beautiful and whimsical jewellery she is also a mean cook! Her latest book 'Steampunk Tea Party' is a veritible wonder of yummy sweet and savoury treats essential for any elegant affair - or just for munching on when you want a snack! It's beautifully presented and has lots of quirky additions along the steampunk theme.

Lots of the recipes in the book are vegan, like the pear loaf, or easily veganised by replacing butter with dairy free marge, like gingerbread.

I decided to be adventurous and try two recipes in one day! I thought I'd try Gingerbread Woppits and Oriental Fruit Cheese! Oooh!

For the gingerbread I didn't have any bunnies but I thought squirrels were an excellent substitute. I substituted the butter with Stork (the hard block stuff that comes in the foil packet is vegan and great for baking). These turned out perfectly! :) I decide not to ice 'em but I love the colours Jema used for hers!

For my fruit cheese I chose raspberries and cranberries which Jema assured me was a great combo. I'm still waiting for these to set - I'm not 100% sure how successful these were but I put this down to my cooking skills and my rubbish hob, rather than Jema's instructions. If they don't set I'll definitely use them as jam! :)

*Amend - for anything like this a sugar thermometer is recommended to make sure your fruit and sugars get hot enough. If they don't then like mine they won't set.

Chilli-tastic

I love making chilli! It's easy, quick and great comfort food, plus it's fairly healthy too. Not to blow my own trumpet but I make a mean vegan chilli that will satisfy meat eater and veg lover alike!

Here's how I do it...

This will serve 3-4 and takes around 10 minutes cooking time. A perfect Friday night meal!

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tin of kidney beans (I cheat and use the supermarket own-brand ones which come in a chilli sauce, as it gives a really nice flavour and thickness to the sauce.) 
• If you're not into cheating then use chilli powder, paprika and a stock cube
• Large handful of chopped mushrooms 
• 1 courgette 
• Soya mince (I use the dry TVP from Holland and Barratt as it is wheat free and less processed than some of the other brands - plus one bag goes for miles)
• Rice or plain nachos

1. Chop all your veg. Chilli is great for using up veg from the fridge or left-overs, so you could also throw in half an onion, carrot - whatever you like!

2. In a medium to large saucepan lightly fry off your veg in a small amount of oil. If using spices sprinkle some over your veg at this point to allow it to absorb the flavour.

3. Add your kidney beans and stir in. You could really use any type of beans - even baked beans (these also make a tasty sauce!). Add your tinned tomatoes.

4. Give it all a stir. Sprinkle in your mince until you have enough to fill the sauce. Stir again. If it looks very thick add some water as the mince will soak up some of the sauce. I usually fill up about a third of the empty tomato can, and use that, this way you get every scrap of tomatoey goodness!

5. If you're not using the cheatin' beans then add your spices now and your stock. Or add spice if you want it extra hot! Make sure you do a taste test. 

6. Simmer for around 5minutes. Serve over rice or plain nachos. Add some guacamole or salsa to make it extra fancy!

Tips:

• The Sainsbury's Be Good Guacamole is vegan friendly!
• Leave out the kidney beans and spices, add a bit of garlic and serve over pasta for an equally quick spag bol!
• This tastes even better the next day - stick your leftovers in the fridge - then simply re-heat and serve on toast for a cracking brunch

Treats!

Oooh I received a food package from my family in the USA this weekend - it was mainly chocolate themed woohoo!

I haven't tried any of these items before, here's what was inside:

• Bobo's oat bars - cinnamon raisin and banana
• Vegan carob chips - if I'm totally honest I'm always a bit scared of carob but it will be interesting to see how it tastes if I use these chips in cakes
• Golden energy nuggets - from Chatanooga TN (woo woo *train noise*) 
• Salted peanut and chocolate and nutty cinnamon - these are definitely coming to work with me today!
• And finally these super cute mini bars of raw chocolate by Righteously Raw; Divine Mint, Pure Dark and Synergy Spice. Something tells me these are going to be dark - perhaps that's the reason for the teeny packets!

Let the taste testing commence!