Oat biscuits (Vegan)

Makes 16 biscuits

Oat biscuits (Vegan)

Simplicity is perfection. Delicate oat biscuits with only the best peanut butter and raspberry jam.
So simple, yet so satisfying. These crunchy biscuits are great with a cup of tea and can be enjoyed plain or with your favourite toppings. Peanut butter and jelly is a classic combo and I simply can’t get enough of the Whole Earth peanut butter. What is your favourite peanut butter?
Made with only a few basic ingredients, these biscuits are far from basic. They remind me of the Nature Valley nut butter biscuits. Who doesn’t like a home made copycat biscuit? 🙂
Give them a go and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

• 75g wholemeal flour
• 75g oats
• 50g sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 75g Flora buttery
• 1 tablespoon Golden Syrup
• 2 tablespoons soy milk

Method 
1. Line two baking trays with baking parchment and pre-heat the oven to 160C.
2. In a medium size bowl, mix the dry ingredients (wholemeal flour, oats, sugar and baking powder).
3. In a small microwave safe bowl, add the Flora buttery, Golden Syrup and soy milk. Microwave for 30 seconds intervals and mix after each 30 seconds, until Flora buttery is melted and turns into liquid. It took me two 30 seconds intervals.
4. Add the melted ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until combined. I used a spoon to mix the ingredients.
5. Use a teaspoon of batter for each biscuit. Place on the baking tray and flatten (the biscuits will puff a bit during baking). Leave space between the biscuits as they will also spread during baking.
6. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool down before trying to remove them from the tray. The biscuits will become solid as they cool down.
Enjoy with a lovely cup of tea!  

Thanks for the inspiration go to BBC Good Food.

American style cookies (Vegan)

Makes 12 cookies

American style cookies (Vegan)

The perfect chocolate chip American style cookies!

The recipe is easy, quick and delicious. Perfect for situations when I am pressed for time, but I really need a treat to pick me up.
What’s even better, you can have a fresh batch of cookies in just 20 minutes!
Although incredibly delicious, I have amended the original recipe by reducing the amount of sugar and chocolate in these cookies. I also replaced some of the plain flour with wholegrain and added some mixed seeds. They are cookies, can’t call them healthy, but they are as delicious and as good for you, as cookies will ever be.

No one will ever guess they are vegan! Give them a go and let me know what you think.
If you are looking for a healthier version, check out my Banana and chocolate cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon milled Chia seeds
• ½ cup Flora buttery
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup plain flour
• ½ cup wholegrain flour
• 2 teaspoons cornflour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tablespoons mixed seeds
• 100g vegan chocolate (chopped)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. To make the Chia egg, mix the milled Chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and leave to set.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and Flora buttery using a stand or hand mixer. Mix until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add in the Chia seed egg and vanilla extract. Mix until incorporated.
5. Mix in the flours and bicarbonate of soda until combined.
6. Mix in the mixed seeds and chocolate chunks.
7. Use a tablespoon full of batter and shape each cookie into a round ball. Place on the baking tray, leaving plenty of space between the dough balls, as the dough will spread during baking.
8. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool down. The cookies will look under baked to start with, but trust me, they will be perfect once they cool down. Don’t be tempted to over bake them. Enjoy warm or cold.

Thanks for the recipe inspiration go to Nora cooks vegan and Sally’s baking addiction.

Tricolore pasta bake (Vegan)

Makes 8 servings

Tomato and spinach pasta bake

Rich tomato and spinach pasta bake.
I’ve been making this dish since I was a student because it is easy to make with only a few ingredients; and it’s incredibly delicious.

My husband also loves this pasta bake and requests it regularly.
Good thing making this 5 layer pasta bake is no where near as time consuming as a 5 layer lasagne. When I am short for time and have dinner guests, I put all the layers together the day before, store it in the fridge and bake it on the day.

I love this dish because it’s so delicious without using overly processed ingredients and it doesn’t involve making time consuming pasta sauces.

I usually use tagliatelle pasta, but you can use any shape you like. Remember to season every layer with salt to bring out the flavours.
Simple, clean ingredients that come together beautifully! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 500g pasta
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 250g baby spinach
• 100 curly kale
• 3 x tins chopped tomatoes
• 200g Jalapeno vegan cheese (grated)
• Salt to taste

Method 
1. Cook the pasta al dente and drain the water.
2. To make the spinach and kale puree, wilt the spinach and kale in a large pan with 100ml water and half of the chopped onion. Cover with a lid until the spinach and kale wilt. Season with salt and whizz in a food processor until smooth.
3. Preheat the oven to 180c. Use a large oven proof dish to layer the ingredients as it follows:
Layer 1: a tin and a half of chopped tomatoes, a quarter of the chopped onion, salt and a handful of cheese.
Layer 2: half of the cooked pasta.
Layer 3: the spinach and kale puree and a handful of cheese.
Layer 4: the rest of the cooked pasta.
Layer 5: a tin and a half of chopped tomatoes, a quarter of the chopped onion, salt and a handful of cheese.
4. Bake for one hour. Remove from the over and leave to sit for 30-60 minutes before serving. This will allow the ingredients to set and will cut better.

Tomato and spinach pasta bake

Peanut butter stir fry noodles (Vegan)

Makes 4-6 servings

Not just a stir fry, but the best stir fry!
Stir fry noodles with spicy peanut butter sauce, toasted sesame seeds and fresh coriander.

A symphony of big bold flavours that work together in perfect harmony.
This is one of my go to recipes because it’s so tasty and quick to put together. Not to mention, a great way to eat my veggies. 
I have been making this dish for many years, so I thought it’s about time I share it on my blog. The sauce is a little bit spicy, so feel free to use less Sriracha if you are not keen on spice. You can use any stir fry veggies you like. I usually get a shop bought bag of stir fry veggies and add whatever veggies I have around to it. I had a can of bamboo shoots and water chestnuts laying around in my cupboard, so I add them this time; they brought a lovely crunch to the dish.
When it comes to noodles I usually use rice noodles, but I also try other varieties as long as they are vegan. I was using udon noodles when I photographed the dish and they were great.
Give it a go and let me know what you think 🙂 

Peanut butter sauce ingredients
¼ cup light soy sauce
¼ cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
Juice of 1 lime

Other ingredients
1-2 tablespoons sesame oil for frying
400g stir fry veggies
1 bunch fresh coriander
300g noodles
toasted sesame seeds for serving

Method 
1. In a bowl mix all the ingredients for the peanut butter sauce and set aside.
2. Cook the noodles to the instructions on the pack and drain.
3. In a large pan, heat up a little bit of oil and add at the stir fry veggies. Cook on medium-high heat until cooked to your liking (5-10 minutes). Stir in the peanut butter sauce and cook for another minute until the peanut butter melts. Remove from heat. 
4. Add the noodles to the pan and mix until the noodles are coated in the sauce.
5. Chop the coriander and add it to the pan. Serve with toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Peanut butter stir fry noodles