Vegan carrot and corn salad.

I was left with a huge amount of carrot the other day. I managed to use the green tops in a smoothie, but needed a way to use up the rest, so I decided this fresh, tasty salad would be ideal. The perfect accompaniment to the start of the sunny weather!

Prep time 10-15 minutes

You will need:
500-600g carrots
100g raisins
2 corn on the cob, cooked
Crushed coriander seeds
Fresh coriander, chopped

For the dressing –
25g sugar
Juice of 2 lemons, plus zest of 1
15mls Greek Olive oil
Salt / pepper
½ dried rosemary stalk

Method:
Using a food processor or a hand grater, grate all the carrots and put them in a large bowl with the raisins.

Remove the corn from the cob using a knife and place in the bowl.

Mix the oil with the lemon juice and zest in a bowl and add the sugar. Keep mixing until it dissolves, then add the Rosemary.

Mix the dressing with carrots, then and add the coriander seeds and fresh coriander and season with some salt and pepper.

Mix well and let it sit for 20-25 minutes to allow the flavours to fully mingle.

Top Tip:
It is delicious with salad leaves, in a wrap with hummus or on top of a stir fry!

Enjoy, Eoin

  

Dee’s Vegan Thai Quinoa Pot Filo Bake with an Asian Side Salad.

This recipe is inspired by my love of filo pastry. It’s so versatile, you can use it in savoury or sweet recipes and the crispy crunch is delicious. After a wander through the readymade pastry section in the supermarket, I decided to make a savoury baklava style dish. Enjoy, Eoin.

6 portions / 15 prep time / 20-25 cooking time

You will need:
1 Dee’s Thai Veg Pot
50-75mls melted vegan butter
1 packet of filo pastry

For the salad:
4 baby Pak Choi, chopped
1 carrot (spiralized)
2-3 radishes, sliced
15g fresh coriander

For the dressing:
15g miso paste
1 tbsp rice ginger
10mls sweet chilli sauce
½ clove garlic, chopped
½ inch ginger, chopped
1-2 tsp sesame seeds
15mls toasted sesame oil

Method:
Preheat oven 180c.

Brush an ovenproof dish with butter and place a layer of the filo pastry to cover the bottom. You might need more than one sheet to do this, but just brush it with the butter again.

Place a thin layer of the Dee’s Veg Pot into the dish, followed by a sheet of the filo, brush with the butter and repeat until the entire veg pot has been used. You should have 3-4 layers.

Brush the top layer with butter and place in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, but give it a check half way just in case.

Meanwhile, start on the salad. Spriralize the carrot and place in a bowl with the radishes, coriander and the chopped baby pak choi and mix well.

In a small bowl, whisk the miso and sweet chilli sauce together. Add the rice vinegar, ginger and garlic. Slowly add the oil while whisking. Add the sesame seeds and mix well. Keep aside until needed.

When filo is ready take out of oven allow and to cool. Cut into portions and enjoy with of the some salad and some extra dressing on the side.

          

Vegan Irish Soda Bread

Soda bread is one of those wonderful childhood memories most of us have. My two grannies would always have freshly baked soda bread with lashings of butter and jam. This vegan soda bread recipe is in honour of them.  It’s also perfect to make for St. Patrick’s Day! – Enjoy, Eoin!

You will need:

450g white flour

400ml soya milk

75g dried fruit, raisins or cranberries

1 tbsp vinegar

1 ½  tsp bread soda

1 ½  tsp salt

Method:

In a jug, add your soy milk and vinegar. This will make “buttermilk”. Let it sit for a least 20 minutes, or if you can leave it overnight.

Preheat over to 200c.

In a large bowl, add the flour, salt and bread soda and mix thoroughly. Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk and to form a moist dough, then add the dried fruit.

On a floured surface, lightly knead the dough to form a flat ball

Dust on top with a little flour and make the traditional X shape with a knife.

Place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Then turn down the temperature to 180c for a further 25 minutes until the bread has a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.

Cool and slice.

Best served warm with vegan butter and jam!

Vegan Croissant Style Bread Rolls! Yum!

This is a bit of a work in progress, but I’ve been really craving croissants recently. It has to be that wonderful smell of them baking in the oven that got me! So here is my vegan version of freshly baked croissants.

You will need:

300g strong flour

170g cold vegan butter

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

7g of dry yeast

120mls milk

60mls water

Method:

Stage one –

Mix the yeast, milk, water, sugar and salt in a bowl and let sit for a few min to activate the yeast.

In a bowl, add the flour and cold butter.  Mix with a fork so you are left with some small lumps of butter.

Add the wet ingredients and mix to form a sticky dough. Leave it overnight in the fridge.

Fold #1 –

Place the dough on a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll it into to a rectangle. Fold each end to the middle and each side to the middle. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes (see pic.)

Fold #2 –

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll into a rectangle and fold as above and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Repeat this process twice more.

Finally roll the dough into a rectangle and using a pizza cutter, cut triangle shape out of the dough. Roll the dough wide side to pointed side. Place on a bake baking tray and let it rise for 2-3 hours in a warm place.

Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven (190c-200c) until light and browned.

Enjoy warm with some jam and coffee – Eoin 🙂

 

 

Vegan Sweet Potato Pancakes

When my brother Donal came home from Spain for Christmas, he got me into sweet potatoes and I have been eating them almost every day since! This is a fun and tasty recipe I came up with to use up leftover sweet potatoes! Enjoy- Eoin

You will need:
For the batter –
200g (1cup) cooked and mashed sweet potato
250mls (1 cup) soy milk
250g (1 cup) of flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1-2 tsp coconut oil
Pinch of sea salt
Spices – optional ¼ – ½ tsp each (cinnamon, nutmeg, blend to mix)

For the topping-
Sliced bananas
Fresh berries e.g – blueberries, raspberries
Almond butter
Maple syrup
Jam
Chopped nuts
The list goes on!

Method:
Place the batter ingredients into a blender with the spices of your choice and blend until combined.

You can add a little more soy milk (approx 75-100mls) if the batter is too thick, but bear in mind a thicker batter makes better pancakes!

Next, put a pan on a medium heat with a little coconut oil or oil and add some of the batter.

Aim for 2-3 pancakes in the pan and when you see bubbles on the top of the pancakes (3-4 minutes appx) then it’s time to flip them over. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Generally speaking 3 pancakes is a good portion. You can make them as large or as small as you like. (See pic.)

Then have fun stacking them with your favourite toppings!

The batter will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Top Tips:
When you place the batter in the pan, top with some sliced bananas, fruit or chocolate chips before you flip.

Store the leftover batter in an old squeeze ketchup bottle for easy pouring.

Make mini ones for kids or use the squeeze bottle to make fun shapes.

Vegan Whole-Wheat Pancakes

It’s Pancake Tuesday time and here is my vegan twist on the traditional pancake. Keep it simple with lemon and sugar for that authentic taste. Yummy! Enjoy – Eoin!

You will need:
200g of brown flour
400ml of dairy free milk
1 tsp of salt
½ tsp baking powder
2-3 tsp brown sugar (optional)
50g melted vegan butter
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Oil

For the topping –
Lemon and sugar

Method:
Place all you ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 30-60 seconds.

Heat a pan with some coconut oil or sunflower oil.

Pour some batter into the pan in a thin layer. When bubbles appear flip it over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.

Serve while still hot with lemon and sugar.

Enjoy, Eoin!

Top Tips:
Think about adding fresh fruit, jam, chocolate sauce etc.

To make a savoury pancake, just leave out the sugar and vanilla. Then stuff them with Dee’s Sausages and BBQ or a leek and onion sauce.

Perfect for lunch or even an even as a snack at any time of the year.

Veggie Chilli Stuffed Baked Potatoes with Dee’s Vegan Sausages and Avocado Mash

It was so cold the other night, I had to make something really comforting for dinner. Stuffed baked potatoes are not only filling and delicious, but super simple and cheap to make.

You will need:
1 pack of Dee’s Vegan Sausages (cut into pieces)
1 x 30g pack of chilli or smokey seasoning
1kg of large potatoes

For the veggie chilli –
2 onions, diced
1 pepper, any colour diced
Half a courgette, diced
½ pack mushrooms, diced
4 large tomatoes, diced
200g sieved tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
Salt / pepper
Oil
5mls chipotle hot sauce
50mls BBQ sauce

For the avocado mash –
1-2 avocados
1 lemon, juiced
Salt /pepper

Method:
Heat the oven to 180c and cook the potatoes for 30 minutes until the centre is cooked (you may wrap them in tinfoil if you wish.)

Heat some oil in a large frying pan and cook your veggies on high to brown them.

Next, add the tomatoes and garlic, and two thirds of the chili seasoning and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add in the sieved tomatoes next, followed by the BBQ sauce and hot sauce to taste.

Add salt and pepper if needed and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small frying pan cook the Dee’s Sausages with a little oil for about 4-5 minutes on a low to medium heat. Add the rest of the chilli seasoning and then place in the oven for 5 minutes.

While it’s in the oven, make the avocado mash, by placing the avocado, lemon and some salt in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher until it’s just braking up the flesh, but do leave it a bit lumpy.

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