Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Today, I’m finally publishing my recipe for vegan carrot cake. It contains no dairy or eggs, yet tastes just as good (if not better!) than its traditional counterpart. This was the cake that I chose to bake for my mum’s and father-in-law’s birthdays this year and I’m pleased to say, it went down a treat!

Vegan Carrot Cake

I must admit, this recipe has been a long time coming (the culmination of about two years’ worth of experimenting!) Carrot cake is one of my all-time favourites so I was determined to keep experimenting until I’d created a vegan version that replicated the one of my childhood memories. I had set the bar high!

My family were very willing cake testers and gave positive feedback on all the various versions I created but, for me, they were never quite right. The main issue that I needed to nail was the texture. If you’re a carrot cake connoisseur, you’ll know that it has a very specific texture. It isn’t like a traditional ‘light and fluffy’ sponge cake. It’s a lot more dense and moist; almost fudge-like.

It had been at least 20 years since I’d eaten a traditional carrot cake so my reference point was pretty old (and with questionable reliability!) but this Easter I finally got to indulge in carrot cake once more; and at the most unexpected of places… the vegan fast food joint ‘Vurger’ in Valencia, Spain.

Vegan Carrot Cake

After we’d ordered our burgers and were making our way to the seating area, I caught sight of a glass cabinet filled with the most incredible-looking cakes. Each one was at least three layers tall and covered in the most beautiful frosting. There were a selection of flavours on offer, including double chocolate, chocolate cherry, and carrot cake. Much to our delight, we discovered that another vegan fast food joint called ‘Aloha’ also stocked these beautiful cakes. My family ended up going to Vurger and Aloha three times, just so we could try out all the cakes!

Vegan Carrot Cake

Filled with fresh memories of how carrot cake should taste, as soon as I returned home I dusted off my scribbled experiments and enthusiastically set to work on ‘perfecting’ my recipe. I experimented with different ratios of wet/dry ingredients, varying ratios of carrots and nuts, different shape tins and baking times, and finally came up with a recipe that I’m 100% happy with. It might not be to everyone’s taste but, for me, this cake is just spot on flavour and texture-wise. It’s dense and moist, with plenty of carrot and walnuts for added layers of texture. It’s not sugary sweet, but instead flavoured with beautiful, warming spices.

Vegan Carrot Cake

Cream cheese frosting is the perfect topping for this cake. A few years ago, it was difficult to find vegan cream cheese here in the UK (let alone a great-tasting one!); however lately there’s been an explosion of dairy-free ‘cheeses’ entering our shops. When it comes to vegan cheese, everyone’s tastes differ so it’s worth trying a few and seeing which one most appeals to your taste buds. Two of my personal favourites are Violife Creamy Original  and Tofutti Creamy Smooth Original. These have a very subtle cheese flavour, with a lovely creamy texture, making it perfect for cake frosting. I’ve also used Sheese Creamy Original and Tesco Free From Soft Cheese for topping carrot cake. These two have a stronger cheese flavour so need a touch more icing sugar to balance the flavours.

Recipe Card

Vegan Carrot Cake

Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

For me, this recipe epitomises everything that I love about carrot cake. It’s dense and moist, with a generous amount of carrots and walnuts. It's not sugary-sweet, but beautifully flavoured with warming spices. It’s had great feedback from my friends and family. I hope you enjoy it too!
Hands-on time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Afternoon Tea, Elevenses, Treat
Cuisine English
Servings 9

Ingredients
 

  • 240 ml / 1 cup soya milk
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 100 g / ½ cup soft brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 80 ml / ¼ cup syrup of choice (I use maple syrup or coconut blossom syrup)
  • 100 ml / ½ cup neutral-flavoured oil (I use rapeseed (canola) oil, grapeseed oil or sunflower oil
  • 240 g / 2 cups carrot grated
  • 140 g / 1 cup plain (all purpose) flour
  • 140 g / 1 cup fine wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or chapatti flour
  • tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp mixed spice or pumpkin spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 50 g / ½ cup walnuts chopped

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 tub vegan cream cheese (around 200g / 7 oz)
  • 2½ – 5 TBSP icing (confectioners) sugar

Maple-Glazed Walnuts

  • 9 walnut halves
  • 1 TBSP maple syrup

Instructions
 

  • Grease a 21 cm x 21 cm / 8” x 8” square baking pan and line with non-stick baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) / 350F.
  • Grate the carrots either using a box grater or mini chopper. Roughly chop the walnuts.
  • Whisk together the soya milk and vinegar in a large mixing bowl using a hand whisk or fork. Add the sugar, syrup and oil. Continue whisking until fully combined.
  • In a separate bowl, add the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon. Stir through to combine.
  • Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the grated carrot and chopped walnuts and stir through until evenly distributed.
  • Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin. Using a spatula, distribute the mixture evenly in the tin and smooth the top. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted through the middle comes out clean and the top of the cake is springy to the touch.
  • Leave the cake in the tin for at least an hour, or until completely cool (it will continue to firm up as it cools), then peel off the baking paper and transfer to a chopping board. Using a bread knife, trim the four edges of the cake to neaten them up.
  • Meanwhile, place the cream cheese in a bowl. Sieve in the icing sugar, then beat using electric beaters until just combined (do not over-beat, otherwise the cheese may become runny). Taste test and add more sieved sugar, if desired. Beat once more to combine. Store the cream cheese in the fridge until needed.
  • Preheat a frying pan (skillet) on a medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and dry fry for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the maple syrup and continue stirring for about 3 minutes, until the nuts are fully coated and the syrup has caramelised and become very sticky. Space out the nuts on a piece of non-stick baking paper. As they cool, the nuts will firm up and become shiny. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
  • Once the cake is completely cooled, distribute the cream cheese over the top of the cake using a knife. Slice the cake into squares, add the maple-glazed walnuts, then chill the cake in the fridge until ready to serve.
  • This cake will keep for up to five days in the fridge. It is also freezable (without the frosting). The cream cheese frosting is best added on the day that it is to be served as the lighter coloured cheeses (like Violife, Tofutti) can discolour over time.
Keyword Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Plant-Based, Vegan Cake, Vegan Treats
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Vegan Carrot Cake

This recipe is being submitted to the Suma Blogger’s Network. Big shout out to the lovely people at Suma who supplied the ingredients I used to create this recipe.

Ingredients from Suma (available from independent health food shops in the UK):

Aspall Organic Cyder Vinegar
Suma Organic Coconut Palm Sugar
Suma Organic Coconut Blossom Syrup
Suma Grapeseed Oil
Suma Mixed Spice
Suma Ground Cinnamon
Doves Farm Organic Fine Plain English Wholemeal Flour
Doves Farm Organic Plain White Flour
Doves Farm Baking Powder
Doves Farm Bicarbonate of Soda
Violife Creamy Original
Tofutti Creamy Smooth Original

If you make this Carrot Cake, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: InstagramFacebookPinterest.   

Happy baking!

Vegan Doner Kebabs

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Today I’m sharing my veganized version of the Turkish doner kebab. This kebab is one of my family’s favourite ‘easy weekend’ meals and we love tucking into them while we’re watching a movie, or sitting in the garden on a warm summer’s evening. The kebabs are highly versatile, so feel free to switch the filling components to suit your own personal tastes.

Vegan Doner Kebab

Doner kebabs are a popular fast food here in the UK. Traditionally, they are made with processed lamb meat, heavily seasoned with spices. Apparently it’s hard to tell what kind of meat is actually in the doner kebab, and tests by UK Trading Standards have revealed that doner meats sometimes contain a mix of animals, such as chicken, beef and pork.

Home-Made Seitan

Pan Fried Seitan

Since the key thing with the doner meats is the seasoning and texture, they’re easy to replicate using plant-based meat alternatives. I like to use home-made seitan (my current favourite recipes are this Easy Seitan ‘Chicken’ and Basic Home-Made Seitan) as it tends to work out a lot cheaper, plus it gives me the flexibility to flavour it exactly how I wish. However there are also a range of store-bought alternatives now available, including these…

Vivera Shawarma Kebab pack

The Dutch company Vivera‘s Veggie Shawarma Kebab is now widely available in the major UK supermarkets – Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. You’ll find it on the veggie/vegan chiller aisle.

Oumph Kebab Spiced

The Swedish brand Oumph has recently made its way into UK health food shops and Tesco. As its name suggests, the Oumph ‘Kebab Spiced’ is just perfect for kebabs. You’ll find it in the veggie/vegan freezer cabinet.

Fry's Thick Cut Chunky Strips

The South African family business Fry’s also sells Thick Cut Chunky Strips that work well in kebabs. (In the UK, these are available in health food shops, Morrison’s and Ocado in the freezer section).

Doner kebabs can be served in large flatbreads (such as flour tortillas) or pittas. Lately, my family has been making home-made flour tortillas as they taste so much nicer than the shop-bought ones (plus they literally cost a few pence to make).

Alongside the doner meat, the kebab contains a variety of salad vegetables. We tend to use romaine lettuce, red cabbage, carrot and sometimes red pepper and pickles, all of which adds beautiful colours and textures to the kebab.

Easy Vegan Home-Made Chilli Mayonnaise

The final, important step is to add some kind of dressing or sauce. Our current favourite condiment for these kebabs is the home-made sweet chilli mayonnaise, which I posted earlier this week. It takes less than five minutes to make, is super cheap and tastes delicious (just as good, if not better than store-bought mayonnaise).

Vegan Kebab

Vegan Doner Kebab

Recipe Card

Vegan Doner Kebab

Vegan Doner Kebabs

These kebabs are quick and easy to prepare, making them perfect for busy weeknights and lazy weekends. They also make a great take-away lunch option, wrapped in foil or parchment paper to keep the filling neatly packed inside. They are highly versatile, so feel free to switch up the filling depending on what you desire or what needs using up in your fridge.
Hands-on time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Turkey
Servings 6 kebabs

Ingredients
 

  • 6 large flour tortillas, home-made* or shop-bought
  • 350 g / 12 oz home-made basic seitan** or shop-bought kebab meat alternative e.g. Oumph! Kebab Spiced or Fry’s Thick Cut Chunky Strips
  • 1 romaine lettuce head thinly sliced into ribbons
  • 1 packed cup red cabbage finely sliced
  • 1 large carrot peeled and grated
  • home-made chilli mayonnaise*** or shop-bought e.g. Vegenaise

Instructions
 

  • Pan fry the strips of seitan (or other meat-free alternative) in a little olive oil. Add seasonings, to taste. For kebabs, I like to flavour the home-made seitan with smoked paprika and ground cumin. I sprinkle 1 tsp of each spice over the seitan, a little at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until evenly coated. If using shop-bought meat-free strips, cook according to the instructions on the packet.
  • Pre-heat a hot frying pan (skillet) and add one tortilla at a time, flipping onto both sides until warmed through and pliable.
  • Coat the tortilla in a thin layer of mayonnaise.
  • Arrange the lettuce, red cabbage, carrot and vegan kebab 'meat' along the centre of the tortilla. Leave a border on one side (about 2 inches) which you can tuck in to form the bottom of the kebab (to prevent the filling falling out). Add a touch more mayonnaise on top of the filling.
  • Fold in the tortilla along the border, then roll the tortilla as tightly as possible, holding in the filling with your fingers as you do so. Press down the edge seam of the tortilla to seal it. If you wish, you can wrap the end of the kebab in foil to keep it securely wrapped.
Keyword Plant-Based, Vegan Kebab
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Vegan Doner Kebab

Big thank you to Suma for supplying me with their vital wheat gluten, spices and oils which I used to create my vegan doner ‘meat’!

If you make these Vegan Kebabs, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations. Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, FacebookPinterest.   

With love,

Sharon xx

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Quick and Easy Vegan Mayonnaise (with Sweet Chilli option)

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In today’s post, I’m sharing a recipe for a delicious, quick & easy vegan mayonnaise that uses basic pantry ingredients, is ready in five minutes and costs as little as 34p! I never thought I’d find another mayo as tasty as Vegenaise, but this home-made version is just that. So if you’re on a budget or have difficulty finding great-tasting vegan mayos in your shops, then I definitely recommend giving this one a try.

While I’m a little late to the party (as per usual), the home-made vegan mayo craze kicked off in 2015, following a discovery by French musician Joel Roessel that the water from a can of beans (or left over from cooking beans) could be used as a plant-based alternative to egg whites. Ingenious! This discovery was then further developed by American software engineer Goose Wohlt (who named it ‘aquafaba’) and the Facebook community Aquafaba (Vegan Meringue – Hits and Misses!)

For those unfamiliar with the term ‘aquafaba’, it’s basically the Latin for ‘bean water’ (Aqua = water Faba = bean). The Latin name sure does sound more appealing, doesn’t it?

Literally within weeks of the aquafaba discovery, my Facebook newsfeed started filling up with images of meringues, pavlovas, marshmallows, mousses, macarons and mayonnaise that were being made with this liquid that we usually throw down the sink. Basically, all the foods that I loved in my pre-vegan days and never dreamed I would ever get to eat again.

Easy Vegan Home-Made Mayonnaise

The reason I was slow to join the home-made mayo craze is because the American Follow Your Heart Vegenaise had made its way into my local health food shop. I can honestly say that Vegenaise was the best mayo I’d ever tasted (even better than the traditional egg-based mayo) so I was in no rush to find a replacement.

However, after repeatedly seeing aquafaba mayo videos popping up on social media, the intrigue got the better of me and I decided to give it a try.

And the verdict?

I LOVE IT! Not only does it taste gorgeous, but it’s really fun to make too! Literally within seconds of whizzing the runny ingredients together, they turn into this mass of thick, white, creamy deliciousness.

Quick and Easy Vegan Home-Made Mayonnaise

The great thing about making your own mayonnaise is that you can adjust the flavour to suit your personal preferences. A lot of mayo recipes that I’ve tried are too acidic for my taste buds, so I cut right back on the vinegar in my version.

You can also switch up the flavour of the mayonnaise depending on what you’re planning to serve it with. For my vegan doner kebabs and smashed chickpea sandwich fillings, I love to add a couple of teaspoons of sweet chilli sauce to the mayonnaise for a touch of spiciness.

Easy Home-Made Vegan Chilli Mayonnaise

Easy Vegan Home-Made Chilli Mayonnaise

Another big advantage to making your own mayo is that it is super cheap! Using sunflower oil, it cost just 34p to make 240ml / 1 cup’s worth of mayo. (The equivalent amount of Vegenaise costs £1.77).

Using organic oil, it still only cost 70p (compared to £2.25 for the equivalent amount of organic Vegenaise).

If you’re on a budget or can’t get access to a decent vegan mayo, then home-made is definitely the way to go.

Recipe Card

Easy Vegan Home-Made Mayonnaise (Dairy-Free | Egg-Free)

Quick & Easy Vegan Mayonnaise

This delicious, quick & easy vegan mayonnaise uses basic pantry ingredients, is ready in five minutes and costs as little as 34p! In the Notes section below, you'll also find a Sweet Chilli Mayo option.
5 from 7 votes
Hands-on Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Salad
Servings 16

Ingredients
 

  • 3 TBSP aquafaba I use the water from a can of unsalted chickpeas
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 200 g / 1 cup neutral-tasting oil e.g. organic rapeseed (canola) oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil
  • Sweet chilli option [See Note below]

Instructions
 

  • Place the aquafaba, vinegar, syrup, mustard and salt in a jug. Using a stick (immersion) blender, whizz the ingredients until fully combined.
  • Add 2 TBSP oil and pulse the blender until the oil is just combined (this only takes a few seconds). Add another 2 TBSP oil and pulse for a few seconds again until combined. Repeat this process, adding just 2 TBSP oil at a time, until all the oil is incorporated and the mayonnaise has become thick and creamy. (It is important to add the oil slowly so it has a chance to emulsify).
  • Taste test and add a touch more vinegar, mustard, sweetener or salt, if desired.
  • Transfer the mayonnaise to a clean glass jar and refrigerate. The mayonnaise should keep for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

For me, the ratio of ingredients in this recipe produces a mayonnaise that is very close in taste to my favourite store-bought mayo (Vegenaise). However, feel free to adapt the quantities of vinegar, sweetener, mustard and salt to suit your own taste buds.
Sweet Chilli Option: Add 2 tsp sweet chilli sauce into the mayonnaise and whizz to combine (I use Lingham’s Chilli Sauce). Taste test and add more sweet chilli, if desired.
Thanks to Hippy Chick for inspiring this recipe!
Keyword Egg-free Mayonnaise, Gluten-Free, Vegan Mayonnaise
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Easy Vegan Home-Made Mayonnaise

If you make this Quick and Easy Vegan Mayonnaise, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: InstagramFacebook, Pinterest.   

With love,

Sharon xx

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Basic Home-Made Seitan

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Seitan is one of my favourite meat-free alternatives. Cooked right, it has the most succulent, chewy texture which makes it perfect for adding to any kind of meal where meat typically takes centre stage, like kebabs and steak. Store-bought seitan can be expensive and not so easy to come by here in the UK, so I choose to make my own. In this post, I’m sharing my favourite basic seitan recipe. It’s really easy to prepare and takes only 15 minutes hands on time.

Home-Made Seitan

Seitan (also known as ‘wheat meat’) is made with vital wheat gluten, which is the protein part of the wheat seed, milled into flour. Per 100g, vital wheat gluten flour contains a whopping 75g protein. It’s also low in fat and contains zero cholesterol, making it a healthier alternative to animal products.

Here in the West, seitan’s had somewhat of a resurgence in the past couple of years (thanks to the explosion of plant-based lifestyles), but it’s been popular for centuries in Asian countries such as China and Vietnam. You may have seen ‘Mock Duck’, ‘Mock Beef’ and similar on the menu in your local Chinese restaurants and take-aways, or the canned varieties in Chinese supermarkets. These products are typically made with wheat gluten.

Seitan in the pan

There are a variety of ways to prepare seitan. You can boil, steam, bake and pan fry it. Each method produces a different texture. How you choose to prepare your seitan comes down to personal preference, so I highly recommend trying a few recipes and seeing what works best for you. A couple of years ago, I first tried my hand at making seitan, but I wasn’t keen on the flavour. The recipe included a fair amount of chickpea (gram) flour and this is what I could detect in the final product. Since then, I’ve chosen to omit the flour and I find the seitan tastes much more palatable.

While steaming is probably the most popular cooking method, I personally prefer to simmer it in a pan of broth. I don’t even wrap it in any foil. Boiling it direct in the broth, I find the seitan takes on a lovely flavour and soaks up the broth, leaving it succulent. When I’ve steamed it or wrapped the seitan before simmering, it does stay a neater shape, but it’s a bit drier and chewier. For me, the taste and texture is the most important features of seitan so I don’t mind it looking a bit ugly and bumpy on the outside. It doesn’t stay whole for long anyhow as I slice it into strips for kebabs or sandwiches

You can flavour seitan in myriad ways using different combinations of herbs and spices. The basic seitan I’m sharing today can be eaten as it is, without any additional flavouring, however pan-frying it in a little olive oil will enhance its flavour.

Pan Fried Seitan

When making my vegan version of doner kebabs, I like to spice up the seitan strips with smoked paprika and ground cumin, which I sprinkle in as I’m pan-frying it. I’ll be sharing my doner kebab recipe very soon, so I’ll link to it here once it’s ready… here it is

Vegan Doner Kebab

If it’s your first time making seitan, I would recommend making a half batch of the recipe below (no need to split the dough into two pieces; keep it as one) and see how you get on. (This is what I did for the first handful of times I made it, then I started to double the quantities). I tend to make one batch of seitan each week, which I store in the fridge in an airtight container. I have heard that seitan is freezable but I’ve yet to try it as ours never hangs around for very long!

Recipe Card

Home-Made Seitan

Basic Home-Made Seitan

This recipe produces a seitan that is succulent and versatile. It can be eaten as it is, or pan-fried in a little olive oil to enhance the flavour. For doner kebabs, I like to fry strips of seitan with 1 tsp each of smoked paprika and ground cumin. I sprinkle a little spice at a time – stir frying as I do so – to ensure the strips are evenly coated.
5 from 2 votes
Hands-on Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch
Servings 700 g / 25 oz (approx)

Ingredients
 

Seitan Dough

Dry Ingredients

  • 270 g / 2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
  • 22 g / 6 TBSP nutritional yeast flakes
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder or fine garlic granules
  • 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder

Wet Ingredients

  • 160 ml / ⅔ cup water
  • 4 TBSP soy sauce
  • 4 TBSP fresh lemon juice
  • 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Broth

  • 1.9 litres / 8 cups water
  • 4 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
  • 2 TBSP soy sauce

Instructions
 

  • Fill a large saucepan or stockpot with the broth ingredients, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer.
  • Place the dry seitan ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir through to combine.
  • Add the wet ingredients to a jug and whisk with a fork to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and stir with a spoon until the mixture starts to come together. Use your hands to knead the mixture into a dough ball. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Knead each piece for 3 minutes, then shape into a rectangle. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
  • Carefully lower the seitan into the broth. Partially cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes. Make sure that the water stays at a very gentle simmer. You should only see a bubble surface now and then. (If the water boils, the seitan will become very bubbly and holey on the inside).
  • After 45 minutes, turn the heat off, remove the lid and leave the seitan to rest in the broth for 15 minutes.
  • Place the seitan in a strainer to drain off the excess liquid. Once completely cool, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge, where it will keep for a week.
  • Before serving, pan fry the strips of seitan in a little olive oil. Add seasonings, to taste. For kebabs and curries, I like to flavour the home-made seitan with 1 tsp each of smoked paprika and ground cumin.

Notes

Recipe adapted from ‘Simple Seitan’ by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero in Veganomicon
Keyword Seitan, Vegan Kebabs, Vegan Sandwiches
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Home-Made Seitan

Big thank you to Suma for supplying me with their lovely products which I used to create this recipe!

And if you try this recipe, please do come back and leave a review. It’s so helpful to me (and other readers) to hear your experiences and ideas for variations! Thank you! ❤️

With love,

Sharon xx

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Easy Seitan ‘Chicken’

Seitan 'Chicken'

Chocolate Granola Clusters with Hazelnuts, Pecans and Cranberries

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Today, I’d like to share another of my family’s favourite granola recipes. Filled with hazelnuts, pecans, cranberries and chocolatey goodness, this granola is perfect for this season.

My garden is bordered by cob nut trees, and this year they produced the most amazing crop. I made a deal with the squirrels whereby I would collect nuts from the low hanging branches, and they could have the rest. They then got to work, burying nuts all over my lawn and flower beds, and in my plant pots. Invariably they forget where they’ve buried them and we end up with nut trees growing literally everywhere!

Cob Nuts

Once they’ve matured, cob nuts are very similar in taste and texture to hazelnuts, so I put them to good use in recipes, like this granola!

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Lil’ L loves home-made granola, especially when it’s formed into clusters. It’s so easy to make. You simple press down the mixture as if you’re making a thin granola bar then, once completely cooled, you break it into clusters.

Choclate Granola Clusters on Tray

As well as oats, I Iove to add buckwheat into the granola which adds some lovely crunch as well as more great nutrients. The name ‘buckwheat’ is pretty misleading as it’s actually a fruit seed and doesn’t contain any wheat at all! It is a good source of protein, dietary fibre, antioxidant phytonutrients, B vitamins and minerals. In the UK, buckwheat is currently available in some of the larger supermarkets (Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado), health food stores and online.

Chocolate Granola Clusters Tray

Our favourite sweetener for granola is maple syrup. This adds a delicious caramel-like sweetness, rather than a ‘sugary’ flavour. I use Clarks Original Maple Syrup, which is a blend of maple and carob syrups. It’s widely available in the UK, and a fair bit cheaper than pure maple syrup. I really like its flavour and consistency, which is slightly thicker than the pure grade syrup.

These granola clusters make wonderful breakfasts, snacks and desserts. For breakfast, we like to serve them with plant milk or non-dairy yogurt. For an omega-3 boost, I often add a light sprinkling of ground linseed and finely chopped walnuts before serving. I also sprinkle in a few extra cranberries to brighten up the bowl.

Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Clusters with Cranberries

Layered with yogurt and fresh or frozen fruits, the clusters also make a delicious dessert or after-school snack. They look really fancy yet take literally seconds to throw together!

Strawberry Chocolate Granola and Yoghurt Parfait

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Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Clusters with Cranberries

Chocolate Granola Clusters with Hazelnuts, Pecans and Dried Cranberries

These granola clusters make a wonderful breakfast, snack or dessert. For a fancy treat, layer up the granola with yogurt and fruits to make a parfait. Despite taking only seconds to prepare, it looks really beautiful and is bound to impress family and friends!
Hands on time: 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Servings 10

Ingredients
 

  • 300 g / 3 cups rolled oats
  • 100 g / ½ cup raw buckwheat (or you can substitute with more oats)
  • 30 g / 4 TBSP cocoa powder
  • 30 g / 3 TBSP coconut sugar or unrefined caster sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 75 g / ½ cup hazelnuts roughly chopped
  • 65 g / ½ cup pecans roughly chopped
  • 70 g / ½ cup dried cranberries (preferably sweetened with fruit juice)
  • 150 ml / ½ cup maple syrup*
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 45 g / 3 TBSP virgin coconut oil melted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 150C (130C fan) / 300F. Line a large baking tray (38 x 26cm / 15 x 10 inches) with non-stick baking paper. If your coconut oil is solid, place in the oven in a heat-proof bowl for a couple of minutes until it has liquefied. Be careful when removing the bowl as it will be very hot!
  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, buckwheat, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Stir in the nuts. You can also stir in the cranberries at this stage or, if you'd like to preserve their vibrant colour, add them to the granola once it's baked.
  • Pour in the maple syrup and vanilla extract, and stir until all the grains become coated and shiny. Add the coconut oil and stir until thoroughly combined. Spread the granola out evenly on the prepared baking tray. Press down firmly with a silicone spatula so that the mixture sticks together as if you were making a thin granola bar.
  • Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. (The granola will firm up as it cools). Once completely cooled, break up the granola. The clusters from the centre of the tray may still feel a little soft when fresh baked but I find they firm up and become crunchy over time. Stored in an airtight container in a cool place, the granola will last for weeks.

Notes

*I use Clark’s Original Maple Syrup which is blended with carob fruit syrup. It’s much cheaper than pure maple syrup and I really like its flavour!
Keyword Easy Vegan Desserts, Home-made Granola, Vegan Breakfast, Vegan Snacks
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

If you make this granola, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: InstagramFacebookPinterest.   

With love

Sharon xx

Valentines Chocolate Cookie Crunch Hearts (Dairy-Free / Vegan)

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Today I’d like to share one of my favourite home-made chocolate treats – Chocolate Cookie Crunch Hearts. They are so delicious, yet simple to make. They contain just THREE ingredients! ✨ They are perfect for sharing with loved ones on Valentine’s Day. Head below to see how I make them.

Vegan Chocolate Cookie Crunch Heart

Mark and I haven’t got a great track record when it comes to Valentine’s Day. Normally our days run pretty smoothly (and I’m very thankful for that!) but we seems to trip and stumble our way through Valentines. It’s very strange indeed!

Vegan Chocolate Cookie Crunch Heart

One year we’d arranged to go out for a special Valentine’s meal, but Mark decided to first unblock the kitchen sink. He put on safety goggles (‘cos that’s the kind of guy he is), poured a heavy duty drain cleaner down the plughole and pushed the plunger. A second later, the drain cleaner shot out the overflow, through a gap in the side of his safety goggles and straight into his eye!!!

Since I’m not very confident at driving, he chose to drive himself to the hospital. In a hurry (and with only one eye vision!) he accidentally cut up a guy at a roundabout. The guy got so mad that he overtook us, slammed on his brakes in front of our car, got out his car and started making his way towards us. We quickly swerved round him and continued on our way. It was scary at the time (and one of the least romantic nights of my life), but seems totally farcical now!

Vegan Chocolate Cookie Crunch Heart

Decades later, things haven’t improved much. Last year, we decided to celebrate Valentines Day with a take-away from our favourite Thai restaurant. We rang through the order using the numbers on the menu (as you do). When the food arrived, we gleefully ripped open the containers…. to discover that the dishes were full of meat 🙁 It turns out that our menu was out of date and the dish numbers had changed!

I dread to think what might happen this year. To be safe, I’m going to lie low!

Whatever happens, the Valentines treats should be okay, as I’m making them in advance. The chocolates were made yesterday, and I made sure I had a few extra so that Lil’ L could test them for me. I’m delighted to say that he gave them a huge thumbs up.

These treats remind me of Tiffin and Rocky Road, yet they are neither as they don’t contain butter, syrup, marshmallow or dried fruits. They are simply a scrumptious mix of dark chocolate and crunchy biscuits (cookies), topped with a sprinkling of colourful berries.

I used freeze-dried strawberries, but raspberries would work well too.  In one batch, I added some strawberries into the centre, but Lil’ L and I agreed that we preferred the batch where the strawberries were sprinkled on top only.

Freeze Dried Strawberries

For the crunchy centre, I used some Doves wholewheat digestive biscuits, which have great flavour and are dairy-free.

Doves Digestive Biscuits

These chocolate treats are super simple to make, yet look really impressive! I set them in cupcake moulds, so they’re pretty substantial and great for sharing.

Vegan Chocolate Cookie Crunch Heart

You could make a single chocolate for your loved one, or a ‘His n Her’ pair. Wrap them in cellophane with a hand-made card, and your loved one is bound to be impressed by the thought and effort you’ve put in.

Recipe Card

Vegan Chocolate Cookie Crunch Heart

Vegan Chocolate Cookie Crunch Hearts

These treats are so delicious, yet simple to make! They are just perfect for sharing with loved ones on Valentines Day. The quantities below make 2 cup-cake size chocolates (my silicone heart moulds are 7cm / 2¾” in diameter)
Hands-on Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Treat
Servings 2

Ingredients
 

  • 85 g / 3 oz 70% dark chocolate broken into chunks
  • 4 TBSP digestive biscuits or shortbread / sugar cookies broken into small pieces*
  • Freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries for sprinkling

Instructions
 

  • Add a small amount of water to a saucepan and place a heat-proof bowl on top. Add the chocolate to the bowl and gently heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate has fully melted.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the biscuit pieces and 2 TBSP melted chocolate, until fully incorporated.
  • Coat the bottom of a silicone mould with 1 tsp melted chocolate (this will give the chocolate a nice, smooth bottom). Add 2 TBSP of the crunchy mixture and press to level as much as possible. Add 1 TBSP melted chocolate and tap the mould on the work surface to remove air bubbles and level the top. Sprinkle with freeze dried berries and place in the fridge until solid (about 2 hours). Repeat the above steps for the second chocolate.
  • When set, the chocolates should easily peel out of their moulds.
  • Store in an airtight container, the chocolates will keep for weeks in the fridge. They are also freezable.

Notes

* For a gluten free option, use gluten-free digestive biscuits/sugar cookies (found in the ‘Free From’ section in UK supermarkets)
Keyword Valentines Chocolate Treat, Vegan Treats, Vegan Valentines
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Vegan Chocolate Cookie Crunch Hearts Collage

What would your ideal Valentines gift be? Do you like grand gestures, roses, romantic meals… or do you prefer the smaller, low key but thoughtful gestures like hand-made cards and treats?

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