Chocolate and Beyond

Recipe: Vegan Cuban Black Bean Soup

 This soup is a serious game changer! I haven't managed a recipe post in a long time, because life has taken me on so many paths this last couple of years. However, can you imagine how good this soup must taste, to be the first thing I blog about in such a long time? Yep. It was soooo good that I'd made enough for three to four hearty portions, with some gluten free soda bread to go with it, and yet we ate the whole lot. Greedy greedy. But it was begging us to eat it. No messing.

I'd been looking for a way to use the black beans that I'd had soaked the night before and then cooked, thinking maybe they'd end up as burgers, or a black bean chilli. Then I discovered a nonvegan recipe for a stew/soup type dish, which had a large amount of dead pig in it. Well, obviously I wasn't going to make that, but I understood that with it being 'ham', there would probably be a smoky, salty flavour.  

Recipe: Smoked Paprika, Sweet Potato & Chickpea Pot Pie

Okay, no word of lie, this is pretty damn good pie. The filling is a delicious mix of smoky, spicy and sweet, topped with just enough pastry to make it seem a little sinful, but not enough to make it that sinful, really. It's a great pie to make for dinner guests, or you might just make for a family dinner. Or do what I did, make for guests that can't make it to dinner, and then plan to eat it all yourself!

Normally I'm not a recipe fascist, by any means. I often say substitute and swap ingredients as much as you need, or within reason. But for this pie, if you really want the experience I just had in eating it - then you have to do as the recipe says - at least for the flavourings/spices. The smoked paprika is very essential to this working. Don't use standard paprika - go buy some smoked. It's available in Asda and Morrisons and wherever, so do make sure to get that in.

Guest recipe from VegFestUK: Chilli Tofu

Okay folks - I know it's been absolutely ages since I posted a recipe (broken camera, still not got another one I can actually use, and have started a PhD!), so I'm thanking VegFestUK Brighton for providing me with this guest recipe for you to get your teeth into :-)

I haven't tried it myself yet but I love chilli tofu so it's going to make it's way to my dinner table soon. And the bonus is, it can be made in advance and warmed up before serving.  It is sugar free, gluten free, and can be oil free too.

And if you don't already know, VegfestUk Brighton 2015 is going to happen on the 28th and 29th March. I was there a couple of years ago and it was fabulous (this year I'm going to manage Bristol, not Brighton). Hope you can manage to get to it, and enjoy the recipe!

Foraging recipe: Goosegrass & Pea Macaroni Salad

Spring is all around and so are the fruits of nature, you only have to know what you're looking for. And after going on a foraging walk a couple of weeks ago with a friend, I discovered a new, foragable food that is in abundance in the UK at this time of year - goosegrass. It's everywhere, including in big crops right on my doorstep where I walk the dogs. It's very distinctive, as it feels sticky, and it tastes great - a bit like spinach when cooked, with a slightly more bitter edge, like rocket (but not as strong).

So free food, grown in nature, that tastes good. How can you grumble? A true gift. Therefore I set about making my first recipe ever with goosegrass, and decided on this very budget-friendly Goosegrass & Pea Macaroni Salad, which is easy, tasty, and full of garlicky flavour. Something that you could quickly try yourself if you go out and harvest some of the goosegrass that you'll no doubt find all around you.

Recipe: Lazy Vegan Stove Top Frying Pan Pizza

The things you manage to discover when your oven explodes and is out of action! There is always a silver lining, because now I've found out how to make this amazing stove top, frying pan vegan pizza, and I doubt there will be any going back. It's soooo easy - and probably far more energy efficient too. And I think if I was to use vegan cheese, I'd be able to give it a minute under the grill to melt it.

Yes, so last week I decided to use the pyrolytic (self-cleaning) function on my fancy pants oven for the first time. It's never been used or cleaned before, because I guess the fact that I only ever cook vegan food in my oven means it doesn't get slathered in grease the way a non-vegan oven might. Anyhow - within 15 minutes of it being switched on, a bomb went off in my kitchen (i.e. the internal glass door shattered), and that was that. My oven is ruined. Luckily, it is still under guarantee, and the engineer has been round and ordered a new glass pane. But it's out of action.

Recipe: Leek & Potato Vegan Frittata

This is vegan comfort food at its best! Hearty, filling, simple to make, and - for those who are interested - entirely gluten free. It was so delicious that once it was cooked, I found I couldn't stop eating it. I managed to get through a full half of the frying pan for my dinner last night! That certainly hadn't been intended, as I was full after a quarter. Then this morning, I ate the rest with baked beans for my breakfast. Yummy. But smothering it in sweet chilli sauce is a must, I find.

I've been on a mission to use my cupboard and freezer stock to reduce food waste, and focusing on buying fresh produce that is on offer since my budget is restricted. This means I have been a little more creative with food over the last few days. I don't often buy leeks, but I got these ones on a special deal in Aldi and came up with this recipe. It's a take on my popular mushroom vegan omelette, using gram flour (chickpea flour) as the base and binder.

Recipe: Sweet Potato & Black Turtle Bean Burgers (gluten free)

At long last, a recipe! Thanks to my Dad, I have a camera, and therefore can start to take pictures and post recipes again. Yay! I still need to get the hang of taking decent photos with it, as the intelligent auto doesn't seem as good as my old Panasonic, so I'm going to have to learn how to use it properly. However, to kick off in the new year (how far have we got into 2014?! Scary!) I have this new recipe of Sweet Potato & Black Turtle Bean Burgers that I created this week.

Because I have been doing the Guardian Live Better challenge, and have been focusing on reducing food waste and using up what I have in, I vowed to concentrate on using up the contents of my fridge, freezer, and cupboards. I have a stack of organic black turtle beans that I decided to do something with, as well as sweet potatoes, various spices and seasonings, etc. In fact, up until today, I had only spent £5 on additional fresh produce shopping this week. But I treated myself to a loaf of lovely white bread today to accompany some houmous I have made ;-)

Recipes: Autumn Beetroot & Fennel Soup (with Vegan Sour Cream)

Finally, a new recipe from me! It's been a long time coming, I know. I was away in Thailand for over a month, and while I was travelling, my camera actually broke. SOB! Now the display has gone really weird so I can't actually frame my shots - it's literally just a case of pointing in the vicinity of the subject, and hoping!  So - I'm finding the taking pictures part of my recipe blogging really difficult at the moment, until I can get a new camera.

However, do not let the dodgy photo disuade you from trying this extremely delicious soup. My son, who was here visiting the other weekend, told me it was the best soup he had ever tasted, and he doesn't run loose with his compliments generally.

Recipe: Chickpea, Mushroom & Tarragon Burgers (Gluten Free)

I wanted to squeeze in one last recipe before I head off to Thailand next week. I shall be there a full month, so you'll see a bit less of me, but hopefully I'll get a chance to blog about my vegan adventures over there! Anyhow, I made these vegan and gluten free Chickpea, Mushroom & Tarragon Burgers the other night to start using up the contents of my fridge, and found them quite yummy.

I absolutely adore the combination of mushrooms and tarragon - I often fry mushrooms in coconut oil with this tasty herb, and then pile them up on toast for a delicious breakfast. So simple and so yum! And I love the flavour of dried tarragon as much as fresh.

Recipes: Walnut Kohl-Slaw with Sweet & Tangy Dressing

Have you been wondering how to use up that kohlrabi that came in your organic veg box this week? If you're anything like me, the weird and wonderful fruits and veggies that come in boxes can be baffling to know what to do with. This vegan coleslaw recipe using kohlrabi instead of white cabbage is hopefully some inspiration for you, and a fresh and interesting take on traditional coleslaw.  It's quick and easy to make, and could even be a reason to go out and buy kohlrabi. You know, on purpose.

I first discovered kohlrabi when I had veg boxes delivered some time ago, and spent a wee while trying to work out what to do with it. I don't get veg boxes now but I have since come to really enjoy this less common vegetable, also known as 'German turnip', which is from the cabbage family. It's more akin to a milder tasting turnip however than cabbage, and it's frequently eaten raw.