Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup with Beet Puree

Serves: 4

Ready in: 1 hour

 

Serious question 'Why can't I just put all of the ingredients in a pan and cook it that way?'

Serious Answer 'Because it doesn't look as pretty and also stop asking stupid questions.'

I realise that this is the second butternut squash and beetroot based recipe I've put up in a short space of time, but I love them and I need them and it's pretty.

Ingredients

Base

• 2 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 white onion
• 5 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp chilli flakes

Puree

• 2 large beetroot
• 1 small red onion
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 cup of walnuts

Method

1. Fry the white onion and garlic for about 7 minutes. 
2. Add onions and garlic to a large pan with the broth, sweet potato, butternut squash and chilli flakes and cook for about 15 minutes or until the squash and potato have softened.
3. Wait until cool and blend.
4. Caramelise the red onion for about 5 minutes and then add the beetroot and balsamic vinegar. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Wait until cool and blend. this should be thicker than the soup
6. Warm back up and put the sweet potato and squash soup in to the bowls first. Next add the puree into the middle of the bowls and lightly mix. 
7. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top.

Mango and Lime Cream Cakes

Serves: 6

Ready in: 30 minutes

This happened because I haven't had a cream cake since becoming vegan and I was starting to get a little bit desperate. Like worryingly desperate. Like staring longingly into the mouths of people eating them kind of desperate. I said at the top that this recipe serves 6, but you could easily eat them alone, all in one go as soon as you've spooned on the topping, chewing so fast that you forget to breathe. You know, if you wanted to...

I was going to make three cakes that had tops and bottoms but I made way more topping than I needed so I used them all as bottoms. I'm glad I did now because I think more pastry would have been overpowering. 

Ingredients

• 175mm x 115mm sheet of puff pastry
• 1 small mango
• 1 lime
• 1 can full fat coconut cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste

Method

1. Cut the puff pastry into 6 rectangles and cook in the oven for 15 minutes at the temperature stated on the box.
2. Spoon the thick creamy part of the coconut milk into a bowl with the vanilla and whisk until creamy. If it's too stiff, just add teaspoons of the milk left in the can until it becomes easier to work with. Be careful not to whisk in too much milk though as it still needs to be able to hold its shape. Make sure you leave the can in the fridge overnight prior to making the cream.
3. Add the mango and lime juice (and 1 tbsp water if the mango isn't juicy enough) to a blender and mix. 
4. Remove the puff pastry from the oven and leave to cool for about 15 minutes.
5. Only add the toppings to the pastry once you're ready to serve. The juice from the fruit can leave the pastry a little soggy if you leave it for too long.

Substitutions

• Puff pastry- I used pre-made because baking isn't my bag but if you make your own then that'll work fine. It does need to be puff pastry though or it'll be more of a pie.
• Coconut cream - I've had trouble finding any substitutes in England but I'm pretty sure I've seen people in America and Canada using vegan whipped cream in a can which would probably work just as well.
• Mango - Use whatever you're into. Just make sure it's not too juicy a fruit, you need to be able to puree it and end up with a fairly thick consistency. Strawberries or apples might be nice.

Apple Pie Style Pancakes

Serves: 2

Ready in: 20 minutes (the oats can be done overnight)

I'm not sure that adding cooked apple is enough for me to be able to label this 'apple pie style' but porridge pancakes and apples didn't sound jazzy enough so this is what we're going with. 

Ingredients
Pancakes

• 1 cup porridge oats
• 1.5 cups almond milk
• 1 tbsp apple sauce
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Topping

• 2 medium sized apples 
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp oats
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Method

1. Soak the oats, milk, vanilla paste and cinnamon overnight.
2. Add the apple sauce to the porridge and mix thoroughly. 
3. Spoon the porridge mixture into a large frying pan with 1 tbsp coconut oil and fry until golden brown on both sides (about 15 minutes with a flip half way through).
4. In another pan add chopped apples and oats to the coconut oil and fry until everything is golden brown (another 15 minutes).
5. Plate up and drizzle the maple syrup over the top

Substitutions

• Almond milk- you can use water. I've not had milk before and water worked just as well. Any other dairy free substitute is fine too (except maybe coconut milk, just because it changes the flavour).
• Apple sauce - this acts as a binder so if you don't have apple sauce you can use any other egg substitute e.g. mashed banana or a flax egg.
• Cinnamon- If you don't like cinnamon just use whatever other flavourings you usually use in your apple pies. My nan uses nutmeg. Cool story, bro.

Mushroom and Cashew Stir-Fry

Serves: 1
Ready in: 15 minutes

This is a one-person recipe for when you just need some solo eating time. Or when no one else is vegan. Or when everyone went out and left you in alone because you're sick or whatever. It's fine. I don't even care OK ...

It's not the sauciest of stir-fry's, the dressing in the bowl is just enough to coat everything with flavor and the half cup of water will be gone by the time you finish cooking. It's also quick enough to make that you can handle that shit even if your cold is bad enough for you to be convinced that death is upon you.

Ingredients

Dressing

• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 tsp chilli puree
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• 1/4 tsp tamari
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 squeeze lemon juice
• 1 big pinch of pepper

Stir-Fry

• 1 packet of udon noodles
• 1 handful of mushrooms (I used 5)
• 1 handful of cashew nuts
• 1 small white onion
• 1 half cup of water

Garnish

• Kimchi
• 1 spring onion
• 1 handful of rocket
• 1 pinch of sesame seeds

Method

1. Put all dressing ingredients in bowl and stir.
2. Saute the mushrooms and onions in a wok for about 5 minutes.
3. Then add the cashew nuts, noodles, water and dressing and stir for another 5 minutes
4. Plate up!

Substitutions

Mirin - any other rice vinegar

Pomegranate molasses - maple syrup
Chili puree- tomato puree and chili powder

Udon noodles- any other noodles are fine, just adjust for cooking times.
Rocket - any lettuce or cabbage is fine but the peppery taste of rocket goes really well with the mushrooms

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad and Beetroot Dressing

Serves:2

Ready in: 50 minutes

I don't do New Years resolutions. January is the month I consistently have scheduled in for slowly becoming a human bin. People around me are all dieting and exercising as I sit defiantly in my panda onesie, sprouting life-affirming shit like 'I ate four bags of crisps today. TOMORROW I SHALL HAVE FIVE.' I still eat  healthily. I just eat everything else as well. I'm not proud, but also I am. Like, just a little bit...

I'll be honest though, I was starting to look a bit gray so I decided to tone it down a notch and eat a damn salad. A warm one though because it's freezing right now. Yes I did go outside to photograph it. I don't know why. Then I spent 20 minutes trying to decide what size the picture should be. Okay, I have no idea what I'm doing.

Anyway, onto the ingredients..

Ingredients

Beetroot dressing

• 2 medium sized beetroots
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salad

• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup spinach
• 2 spring onions
• 1 half cucumber
• 1 handful pine nuts

Method

1. Peel, chop and boil the squash for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a roasting dish and coat with the coconut oil. I like the taste of the coconut in this dish but if you're not a fan, it can be substituted with whatever you usually use. Roast for 30 minutes.
2. Boil the quinoa for 15 minutes.
3. Put all dressing ingredients in a food processor (or a blender if you want a smoother consistency). 
4. Plate up!