Hot chocolate for the soul

There is something about autumn, winter and hot chocolate,
So on this official first cold day in London, after a day with wind so powerful that a few panels of my old garden shed got ripped off, time for Hot chocolate!!!

I always experiment with little improvments to make this drink even better.
So inspiration for this dark cup of pleasure, is from a new cook book from Fran Costigan "Vegan Chocolate - Unapologetically luscious and decadent dairy-free desserts".

So here my pimped version per person :

1 cup almond milk
1 Tbsp Cocoa powder
1 Tbsp grated dark chocolate
1 Tbsp Agave syrup
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Into a pot and on the stow, warm up slowly.
 When heated up add 1 tsp arrowroot powder dissolved in a little almond milk. Stir into the hot chocolate and see it thickening, just ever so slightly. This is to create that perfect chocolate moustache!
Take of the heat. You might want at this state to add a little sugar or stevia, to satisfy the sweet tooth, that is your choice.
But what ever you do, it is love in a cup and great gesture to make for someone you love - I.e. Yourself!!!!

Pimp my Japadogs

Just returned from a fantastic trip to the US and Canada, last stop was Vancouver.
As we were rolling our suitcases up Burrad street Vancouver, something court our eyes "Japadog" -www.japadog.com  street food, hot dogs Japanese style.
The next day I got a message from a "cousin" saying if you are in Vancouver, you must try Japadog.
So that was it, I took it as a sign. And off we went to try it out. Luckily  there were a meaty and veggie version, so everybody was happy and Terimayo Yum yum!

Back again in my London kitchen trying to recreate some jolly holiday memories, what better way that travel with the taste buds.
So here is my version of Japadogs Greenwich style.

To make these you would need:
Hot-dog Sausages
Finger rolls
Onions
Mustard
Avocado
Japense mayo or Egg free mayo
Wasabi
Ume Plum seasoning (optional)
Teriyaki sauce
Lemon
sesame seeds
Nori seaweed

Please choose the Hot-dog sausages of your liking. I got some Tescos Meat-free Hot-dog sausages and for the meat eaters some Halal chicken Hot-dog sausages.
I a small oven prof pan a small amount of water, add the sausages and drizzle the teriyaki sauce over them.
1 Tbsp Teriyaki sauce pr 4 sausages and  into the oven 200 degrees. Remember to flip them around every now and then, so they don't dry out. Stay in the oven for about 20 min.

Now lets make the Wasabi Avocado mayo. Mush up with a fork one whole avocado,3 Tbsp Mayo, add 2 tsp of lemon juice, 2 tsp of wasabi ( more if you like it hot!) salt and a dash or 2 of Ume Plum seasoning. Set aside.

Fried soft caramelised onions, who doesn't like that!?
Slice 2 red onions, fry them in small amount of water or add some oil if you like that. Fry them until they are just the way you like them.

Heat the finger rolls slightly and time to put it all together.
In the warm roll, I start with a thin line of mustard, then the sausage, Wasabi/avocado mayo, soft onions, chopped up Nori and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. And KONNICHI WA!!
Bloody delicious! Pimp my Japadog!

London Blackcurrant Ice cream

The blackcurrant bush in our London garden has not been very productive, well I guess Greenwich is not known for marvellous soil quality.
But 1 cup full of fresh Blackcurrant was all I managed to pick and that was just enough to make this dessert.
We got a new Baumatic ice cream machine, which I can highly recommend. So a perfect opportunity to get the beast into action.
I have had this book "The Vegan Scoop" Wheeler Del Torro on the shelf for ages, ready for experimenting.
So here it is "take one" My pimped ice Blackcurrant cream, adapted from Del Torro's blueberry version..
Pimped Yeah! I hope you don't think I followed the recipe completely!
I cut some of the sugar and substitute an ingredient or two. And the result was clean bowls for every one.
Please enjoy My Blackcurrant ice cream

  1 cup of blackcurrants + 1/4 cup of sugar and stevia mix + a dash of lemon juice, in a pot and boil until all the berries has burst. Then take the pot of.
Whisk in a bowl 1/4 cup soya milk and 2 table spoons of arrowroot powder. Set to a side, you need it soon.
In another pot 1 cup soya yoghurt + 1 carton of Alpro soya cream + 3/4 cup soya milk + 1 cup rapadura whole cane sugar. Warm it up until the boil (be careful gentle please), then add the arrowroot mix while whisking and take the pot of the cooker. Keep whisking and you should see it mixture thickening.
Now add the berry mix and a table spoon of pure vanilla extract.
Set aside to cool, before you add it into your ice cream maker. Please follow your machines instructions
Ours take about 50 minutes and cool tangy delicious ice cream is ready to munch.