Tag: vegan

Sweet potato chocolate loaf

Sweet potato chocolate loaf

*** Dairy free, egg free, gluten free and no added sugar ***

Ingredients

150g sweet potato (peeled and chopped)

1 apple (peel and cored)

1 carrot (chopped)

100g nut butter (alternatively vegan butter can be used)

200g plain flour (any flour will work)

30g cocoa powder

Method

  • Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius
  • Boil the sweet potato, apple and carrot until very soft. Drain of most of the water, leaving about a tablespoon of water in the saucepan. Add the nut butter and mash well until smooth (I find it’s easier to use a hand blender to get it smooth).
  • Add the flour and cocoa powder and mix until completely combined. Any additional ingredients will be added at this stage. Add a little water if it’s too dry.
  • Put in a loaf tin
  • Bake in oven for 45/50 minutes.

Alternatives

  • Add 1 tablespoon of golden syrup/maple syrup/honey.
  • Add 50g chopped nuts
  • Add a large tablespoon of chocolate spread
  • Add 50g chocolate chips
  • Add 50g raisins or dried fruit
  • Add one grated apple/carrot
  • Replace the 50g cocoa with an extra 50g flour.

Sweet potato chocolate biscuits

Sweet potato chocolate biscuits

*** Dairy free, egg free, gluten feee and no added sugar ***

Ingredients

150g sweet potato (peeled and chopped)

1 apple (peel and cored)

1 carrot (chopped)

100g nut butter

200g plain flour (any flour will work)

30g cocoa powder

Method

  • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
  • Boil the sweet potato, apple and carrot until very soft. Drain of most of the water, leaving about a tablespoon of water in the saucepan. Add the nut butter and mash well until smooth (I find it’s easier to use a hand blender to get it smooth).
  • Add the flour and cocoa powder and mix until completely combined. Add a little water if it’s too dry and doesn’t come together.
  • Roll out on floured surface and cut into shapes.
  • Bake in oven for 15/18 minutes.

Alternatives

  • Add 50g chopped nuts
  • Add a generous tablespoon of chocolate spread
  • Add 50g chocolate chips
  • Add 50g raisins or dried fruit
  • Replace the 50g cocoa with an extra 50g flour.

Simple Raspberry muffins

*** Simple raspberry muffins ***

Dairy free, egg free and gluten free

Ingredients

250g self raising flour (I use Aldi gluten free self raising flour)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

125g sugar

60ml flavourless oil (sunflower, vegetable, rapeseed oil, corn oil)

200ml milk (any alternative milk)

20ml golden syrup 

40g raspberries

Method
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• Sieve flour and baking soda together. Add the sugar.
• In another bowl whisk the milk, oil, vanilla, syrup and apple cider vinegar together. (this is really important)
• Add the liquid ingredients and the raspberries to the dry ingredients and mix well but don’t over mix. Immediately put in muffin cases and get into the oven ASAP. This important as you want the cider to react with baking soda in the oven so they will rise.
• Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15/18 minutes.

Alternatives to raspberries

  • 50g blueberries
  • 50g dairy free chocolate chips
  • 50g raisins
  • 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • Grated apple

 

Golden syrup

A question regularly asked is what is golden syrup? The following information is taken directly from Wikipedia.

Golden syrup or light treacle is a thick amber-coloured form of inverted sugar syrup made in the process of refining sugar cane or sugar beet juice into sugar, or by treatment of a sugar solution with acid. It is used in a variety of baking recipes and desserts. It has an appearance similar to honey and is often used as a substitute where honey is unavailable or prohibitively expensive.

It is not to be confused with amber corn syrup or amber refined sugar. Regular molasses, or dark treacle, has both a richer colour and a strong, distinctive flavour.

 A common brand used is Lyle Golden Syrup.

Sugar free Spinach muffins

Sugar free Spinach muffins

*** Dairy free, soya free, egg free and gluten free ***

Wet ingredients

1 tbsp milled flaxseed

3 tbsp hot water

1 avocado

1 apple (peeled and core removed)

Cup of Spinach

180ml/three quarters of a cup of milk (any milk will work)

100g dates

125m/half a cup flavourless oil (Sunflower oil, vegetable oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil)

Dry ingredients

225g/2 cups self raising flour (I use gluten free self raising flour)

1 tsp baking powder

Half tsp bicarbonate soda

Pinch of salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Method

  • Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcuis.
  • Add the water to the flaxseed and whisk with fork and set aside for 10 minutes.
  • Put at the wet ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
  • In a bowl, sieve all the dry ingredients together.
  • Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold in until fully mixed in.
  • Spoon into muffin cases.
  • Bake for 25 minutes.

These freeze well.

Great for a snack or putting into a lunchbox.

If you don’t have an avocado, you can swap with a banana

You can swap the apple for a carrot

Healthy sweet muffins

Healthy sugar free muffins

***Dairy free, egg free, gluten free, sugar free***

***Ingredients***

Wet ingredients:

  • 1 avocado
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 eating apples
  • 100ml sunflower oil (or any flavourless oil)
  • 100g dates

Dry ingredients

  • 220g self raising flour (I used gluten free flour)
  • 50g fine oats
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

***Method***

  • Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcuis/350 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Put all the wet ingredients into a blender and mix well.
  • In another bowl, put all the other ingredients and mix.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together.
  • Put in muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes.

Alternatives

  • Instead of oats use millet flakes or buckwheat flakes or quinoa flakes.
  • Add 50g raisins
  • If not use gluten free flour then use wholemeal self raising flour
  • Add chopped nuts
  • Add 50g raspberries or strawberries or blueberries
  • Replace the apples with a grated carrot.

Vegetables and avocado muffins

*** Dairy free, soya free, egg free, gluten free, nut free ***

Healthy snack or lunch option

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado

1 carrot – grated

½ courgette – grated

160ml/¾ cup milk (I used rice milk)

80ml/¼ cup flavourless oil (sunflower oil, rapeseed, vegetable oil)

125ml golden syrup (or maple syrup or honey)

225g/1 cup plain gluten free flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp xanthan gum (not required if using wheat flour)

pinch of salt

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
  • Put the avocado, carrot and courgette into a blender and puree.
  • Add the milk, syrup and oil. This is your wet ingredients.
  • In another bowl mix all the other ingredients together. Dry ingredients
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient and fully combine.
  • Put in muffins cases and bake for 20 minutes

These freeze well so handy for snacks and lunchboxes

Alternatives

  • Add 50g raisins
  • Add 50g oat flakes or Buckwheat flakes or quinoa flakes or millet flakes
  • Replace 30g of the flour with cocoa powder.
  • Add a handful of spinach to blender
  • Use a banana instead of the avocado
  • If not gluten free then use wholemeal instead.
  • Add 30g flaxseed

Simple apple cake

Simple apple cake***Dairy free, Soya free, egg free and gluten free ***

Ingredients

200g/2 cups self raising flour (I use gluten free self raising flour)

1 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

1 tsp cinnamon

100g/ half cup caster sugar

120g/half cup&1 tbsp melted butter or oil

125ml/half cup milk (I use rice milk)

1 cooking apple – these are sourer that eating apples

Method

  • Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcuis
  • Mix all the ingredients together except the apple. Make sure they are well combined. Add extra milk if it’s not fully coming together.
  • Peel and slice the apple and fold into the cake mix.
  • Put in lined loaf tin and bake for 40/45 minutes.

Alternatives

  • If using eating apple, use half the amount of sugar.
  • Makes 10 muffins, bake for 20 minutes.
  • Add 50g of raisins or 50g of chocolate chips

Vegan cheesecake

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*** Vegan cheesecake ***

Dairy free, soya free, egg free and easily made gluten free.

One can of coconut milk (400g)
200g dairy free chocolate
2 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)
250g biscuits (any biscuits will work – a mixture of digestives and ginger biscuits is nice)
100g dairy free butter

Method

  • Store can of coconut milk in fridge over night. This will allow the cream to rise to the top.
  • Crush biscuits in blender. Melt the butter and add to the crushed biscuits. Place crush biscuits in bottom of cake dish.
  • Melt the chocolate – set aside to cool.
  • Using only the cream of the coconut milk (not the water), whisk with the sugar.
  • Add melted chocolate to coconut milk (need to have cooled slightly) and mix well.
  • Spread across top of crushed biscuits. Place in fridge for a few hours to set.

Alternatives:
• Use gluten free biscuits in base.
• Use 2 cans of coconut milk (800g) and 400g of chocolate to make top thicker.

Possible to freeze and will keep in freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight before using.

 

 

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Strawberry Cheesecake.

 

Vegan chocolate avocado cake

*** Vegan chocolate cake ***
Dairy free, soya free, egg free and gluten free

Very moist cake

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado
300g brown sugar
300g gluten free flour
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 tsp baking powder
Half tsp of salt
400ml milk (rice milk is best in vegan baking)
170g dairy free butter

Method
• Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius.
• Put avocado and sugar in food processor and blend well.
• Add all other ingredients and blend well.
• Divide between 2 lines cake tins.
• Bake for 30/35 minutes.
• Leave in tins until cool.

Decorate as required. I used vanilla buttercream and chocolate buttercream.

Vegan ganache can also used to decorate.

Milk – Rice milk is best in vegan baking as it holds air better than many alternative milks.