Chocolate and Beyond

Recipes: Cherry Apple Teatime Cake

Tasty, moist, fruity and traditional, with a touch a warmth from the cinnamon, is the way I'd like to describe this delicious vegan cherry apple cake, which doesn't have to be eaten at teatime, of course (have it for breakfast if you like!), but is certainly perfect to accompany a cup of tea.

It's really simple to make - no frostings, fillings or sandwiching - and really, as long as you've got your oven at the right temperature, and don't peek for the first half hour or so of baking, then you can't go wrong.I think you'll find you'll really fall in love with it (I have). Biting into the juicy glacé cherries are a particular joy for me.

Recipes: Baked Aduki Beanballs with Spaghetti & Sauce

O comfort food, comfort food, where art thou, comfort food? HERE you are! Mmmm. A big stodgy pile of spaghetti with 'meaty' vegan beanballs is just what the carb doctor ordered for these still-chilly nights. And a glass of cheap plonk will wash it down perfectly, too.

I find aduki beans are one of the best types to create vegan versions of traditional 'meaty' type dishes which used to involve ground up animal flesh - meatballs, meatloaf, cottage pie and so on. These beans have a great, chewy texture and deep flavour, and hold well in recipes where they are minced and then reformed. They are also highly nutritious and protein-dense, too! In this recipe, the wheat gluten flour helps give an additional 'meaty' texture.

Recipes: Half-Hearted Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day today or not, these choc cherry vegan shortbread cookies are for everyone. They are soft and sweet with just a touch of bitterness from the dark chocolate, which pretty much somes up many people's relationships, and if you're not in a relationship, let the bitter edge be a warning! Haha.

Oh I do sound like a cynic, don't I? I think the name of my shortbread recipes - 'half-hearted' - sums up how I feel abut Valentine's Day. I feel it's rather clichéd to hate it, and have certainly enjoyed my fair share of being wined and dined at no expense to myself on the 14th February, but I also do feel like rolling my eyes when I see the shops full of red-hearts and plastic tat, and awful "I wuv you" teddy bears. I mean, who buys that crap?

Recipes: No-Cook Creamy Pimento Olive Dip (or Sauce!)

Want a ridculously easy-to-make and delicious dip, fast? Then here's a gift for you, in the form of this incredibly tasty recipe using Aldi's finest pimento-stuffed olives.

I came up with this stupidly simple dip last night, after my dinner date got cancelled due to my friend being sadly ill. I was hunting through the cupboards and fridge looking for something to assemble, and spotted the olives and a pack of silken tofu. And so my recipe was born (although last night I had the dip instead as a sauce, heated up over pasta with steamed kale, mushrooms and some sprouts!).

Recipes: Sweet Potato & Parsnip Dumplings in Home-Made Broth

Great for lazy Sundays or a simple supper with crusty bread, this recipe is inspired by one in Yottam Ottolenghi's 'Plenty' book - and is a recipe which I have, of course, veganised (the book is mostly vegetarian, with some vegan recipes). It's easy to make although the cooking time is quite a while to allow the flavours of the vegetables to meld into the broth.

The original recipe uses floury potatoes and parsnips to make the dumplings,  as well as butter and egg, but my version uses sweet potatoes which I like the flavour of more, and either vegan margarine or coconut oil rather than butter.

Recipes: The Ubiquitous Budget Veggie Chilli (A Meal for 60p Per Person!)

Okay. I know that everyone knows how to make a veggie chilli (although I have to say, mine is an especially tasty one!), but in purse-tightening January, I thought it would be good to show just how budget-friendly vegan cooking can be.

This hearty, healthy and satisfying family meal can be had for approximately 60p per per serving - and that's if you assume this recipe serves four people, though I think with some rice, crusty bread and a green salad, it can easily stretch to six.

Recipes: Spinach & Tofu Fritters

Christmas breakfast is always given as much thought as Christmas dinner round our house, and in my first Christmas as a 'declared' vegan (last year I was just playing at it!), I have decided that these utterly delectable Spinach & Tofu Fritters will be on our breakfast table this year.

I made these a few weeks ago and was astounded with how well they turned out, and how totally scrumptious they were, from such few ingredients and with little preparation or cooking time involved. They really are so quick to make as well as tasty and satisfying, but light enough to eat in the knowledge that you will be indulging somewhat later on!

Recipes: Christmas Spiced Cranberry Sauce

I whipped up a batch of the most delicious cranberry sauce yesterday morning and had to exclaim to myself "For crying out loud, is cranberry sauce really this easy to make? So why haven't I done it before?" Yes, it is the easiest thing ever, like warming up a tin of soup. And the festive spices and orange juice and zest in this particular recipe of mine add a very delicious and warming touch to the sauce.

Never again will I buy inferior ready-made versions from the shop when mine tastes so spoon-licking good, and is so simple to produce. As well, if I make it myself I have the knowledge that the ingredients are fresh, and the sauce contains only what I want to be in there.

Recipes: Spicy & Sweet Sesame-Fried Tofu & Baby Spinach Salad

Do not be fooled by the fact that this recipe is a 'salad' - it is utterly delicious! The combination of sweet grapes with spicy chilli and the sesame-fried tofu is a delight to the taste buds, and the dish is surprisingly satisfying, as well as a great light option in the lead up to Christmas.

This salad takes less than 10 minutes to knock up, and the dressing delivers a fabulous chilli kick with the tang of lime and the sweetness of maple syrup. Of course, it's up to you if you change ingredients but I would say ensure to include the grapes, or another fruit, as the fruity flavour with the fiery is part of what makes it wonderful to eat.

Recipes: Creamy Garlic Tofu Cheese with a Herby-Hazelnut Crust

This is the first time I have ever used tofu to make a vegan cheese, and, oh my goodness, it is soooo good and soooo easy! You would absolutely never know this was made from tofu, at all. To me, it is very like what I remember dairy soft herb cheeses being like, although it's around a year since I ate any, so my taste bud memory has probably faded. Regardless, it is very delicious.

I adpated a recipe I found in Ann Gentry's Vegan Family Meals for this. She has a 'tofu chèvre' recipe in the book, and I have made that with some little changes, and my own crust. I didn't want to call my version a chèvre (goat's cheese) though, because, well, it isn't. And it doesn't really taste like that either, from what I remember, it's just more like a herby garlicky soft cheese (but barely any fat, and zero cruelty!).