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.

Scary good Pumpkin Cupcakes

Scary good Pumpkin Cupcakes

This recipe is a true classic in our house, every year for Halloween. They are not scary or pretty, but taste great!
The recipe is pimped from on of my favourite cookbooks "Vegan Cupcakes - take over the  world" Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero. This book is truly well used. It got sugar stains and chocolate splatters all over the pages. But as always I have to change the recipes for a less sugar craving European pallet. So if you start now, you should have time to bake them for tonight. Get baking!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Mix all these wet ingredients together by hand :
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup cold pressed rapeseed oil
3/4 cup Xylitol or sugar
1/4 cup Soy milk
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract.

DON'T use electric mixer- it will get rubbery!
.
Now add all the the dry ingredients into the wets:
1 1/4 white flour or light brown self raising
1/2 tsp baking powder +1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda,
1 tsp Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, little nutmeg and a little ground ginger.
Mix it all together with a fork.

Into 12 paper cases in a cupcake tin, 180 degrees in the oven for about 22 min.
Make sure they are cold before you add the frosting.


Cashew Butter frosting

I a food processors add :

1/3 cup cashew nut butter + 3 Tbsp soft non dairy spread. Mix for 1 min
Now add 1tsp vanilla extract, 1/3 Cup Maple syrup, 1/3 cup Soya milk powder and a small dash of cardamon.
Mix until soft and smooth.
Put in the fridge for at least 15 min, before frosting the cupcakes. Frost them with a knife and leave to set.

Hope you will enjoy these and a Happy Halloween to you all.

Greenwich Mess

On my walk with the dog through Greenwich marked this morning, I passed Rhodes Bakery. They had the most impressive and enormous meringues in their window. So trying to give the locale traders in Greenwich marked some business, I bought lots of meringues and lot of other goods. Every little helps!
I got inspired to make an old time English favourite dessert "Eton Mess".
Pimped by me to "Greenwich Mess".

So here is my dairy free, but for sure not sugar-free version.

Greenwich mess

Get out your most beautiful glasses and lets get messy! This is what you need :

• Meringue
• Fresh fruit - mine is strawberries and raspberries
• Soya yoghurt - with blueberries
• Soya cream
• Vanilla extract
• Real vanilla
• Dairy free custard

Mix up the Blueberry yoghurt with 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, some real vanilla and a bit of soya cream

Smash the meringue with a rolling pin or your hands to small bits. This is good stress relief - you can pretend it is somebodies head!! 

Now start to build, in no particular order, in the glass : meringue - fruit - yoghurt - soya custard - repeat until the glass is full. Keep an berry for the top. 

So the weather might not be that brilliant, Greenwich park is closed (if you don't have a ticket), the traffic is up the creek and Greenwich is not quite is usual self. But this dessert will chase away the Olympic blues!

Dig in and enjoy - use your spoon as you eat, to make it even more messed up!

  

Flap Jacks - Pimped!

Coming out of a cookery hibernation - writers creative mind drought, call it what you want.
I want to share with you a totally foolproof Flap Jack recipe, I have pimped from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's cookbook "River Cottage everyday".
I love his way of cooking and his philosophy about food.
When my Mother on law was still alive, we visited his "canteen" in Axmister many times. I can highly recommend it.

He call this recipe a Booster bar, but it is a good old fashion Flap Jack - just healthier.

Set the oven to 160 degrees and let start baking !! 

Ingredients 
125 gr vegetable spread or butter
125 gr brown muscovado sugar
125 gr no-sugar added smooth or crunchy peanut butter
75 gr of honey
grated zest of an organic lemon

Put these in to a pot and cook on low heat until it is all melted together. Keep an eye on this you don't want this to boil!

In another bowl :

200 gr Oat
150 gr dried fruits of your choice - I used dried cranberries and sour cherries in mine
150 gr Mixed seeds - Sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, poppy etc. Holland and |Barret got a premix called Omega sprinkle.
1 tsp w/top cinnamon - for the blood sugar
and some real vanilla powder or from a pod to bring the flavours out.

Mix the dries with the wets, and push it down with a spoon in a lined baking tray.
That is very important to line the tray, or you can't get it out afterwards. Been there - done that!

Into the oven for 30-35 min 160 degrees.
Allow it to cool before you cut it into squares. Please be patient and then enjoy!!

Pimp my Tex-Mex Left-over casserole

When I cook rice, I always cook too much. So when I found this recipe in a cookbook by Jean Carper, I was delighted. I have done it many times since, but it always turn out a bit different every time - depending what is left in the fridge and store cupboards. But here is the basic recipe:

Tex-Mex left-over casserole

• Cooked rice - how much do you have?
• Tomato Salsa from a jar or some small diced up tomato with some added spices
• Chilli powder - how hot can you take it?
• 1/2 can of black beans ( I love black beans xxx), you could also use kidney beans. Make sure to rinse them well before use.
• Tin or frozen sweetcorn a good handful
• If you like olives, add some chopped up olives black or green.

Mix it all together and into a oven-proof dish. If you really like it hot, add some pickled jalapeños.

Top-up with cheese of you choice - mine is dairy free!

Into the oven on 200 degrees for around 20 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Cook this once and I promise you, it will go on your frequent cooking list for the future.