Week 11 Dish 1: Vegan pumpkin pie

My surgery attachment is finally over! Not that I didn't enjoy it, on the contrary I feel like I learned a lot. Though watching surgeries got a bit boring, the medicine was very interesting! I think gastro medicine is definitely something to keep in mind (I was doing lower GI surgery). I've now moved onto my GP attachment which is in Somerset! A bit of an adventure for me since I've never experienced medicine out of London. I'm really enjoying it so far and hopefully will learn a lot too. 

Unfortunately this is making it quite difficult to do my baking but I baked a bit before I left home and I'm going to try and do a few bakes over this coming weekend since I'm back in London...for my final year dinner!!!! So so excited and really can't wait :D

The first bake for this week (which I did on Sunday and just haven't had time to put up) is a delicious spiced pumpkin pie! Really easy (like most of my recipes) and a huge hit with my family! 

Ingredients

For the crust

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 tbsp soya milk

For the filling

3 cups pumpkin puree

1/2 cup maple syrup/ honey

1/2 cup soya milk

4 tsp canola oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp corn flour

1 tsp agar powder (aka faluda powder, which you can buy from VB or other Indian food shop. This really is essential otherwise it won't set)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and grease a 9 inch pie dish with vegan margarine.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients for the crust in a bowl.
3. Add the soya milk and oil, and combine with a fork until dough-like (but quite crumbly).
4. Press into the pie dish until the base and sides are evenly covered (it's too crumbly to roll out).
5. For the filling, use a blender to pulse together all the ingredients.
6. Pour into the pie crust and bake for 60-65 minutes until the centre looks semi-firm not liquidy.
7. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes, then chill for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving - simply divine!! Keep refrigerated until eaten (though I doubt it will last long...)

Original recipe: Voluptuous Pumpkin Pie

Week 10 Dish 2: Vegan baked pumpkin cheesecake

I'm continuing with the pumpkin theme with a baked pumpkin cheesecake (my huge pumpkin yielded 15 or more cups of pumpkin pure)! This is my first baked vegan cheesecake, made with tofu. Sounds a bit weird right, tofu in cheesecake? That can't be nice...can it? Wrong wrong! It's pretty amazing how yummy it is! If you really think about it, tofu hasn't really got much taste, so it's perfect to make the cake nice and firm, and easily flavoured. So don't knock it till you've tried it...I'm taking it to my friend's for dinner so I hope everyone loves it, fingers crossed (I'm not really worried :p).

Ingredients
For the crust
1 1/4 cups finely ground digestive biscuits (I used Asda's own brand, which seem to be vegan from the ingredient list)
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp metled coconut oil
1 tbsp soya milk
For the filling
1/2 cup whole cashews soaked in water for ~4-5 hours (overnight would be good too but if you've forgotten, roughly chop them and then soak for 2-3 hours to make it easier)
1/4 cup mashed banana (about half a banana)
340-400g pack firm silken tofu, drained
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp melted coconut oil
3 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
For the topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp vegan margarine
1 cup pecans. roughly chopped
Method
The crust

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease a 9 inch springform cake tin with vegan margarine.
2. In a bowl mix together the ground biscuits and sugar, then add the coconut oil. Combine with a spoon then add the soya milk and continue to stir until completely mix (should be crumbly but sticky).
3. Pour crumbs into the tin and press firmly into the bottom to form an even base. Bake for 10 minutes until firm and allow to cool. Keep oven at same temperature for the cheesecake.

The Filling

1. Drain the cashews and place in a blender with the banana, tofu, sugar, coconut oil, cornflour, lemon juice, vanilla, orange zest, and salt. Blend until completely smooth.
2. Set aside 1/2 cup of batter. Add pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg to the remaining batter and blend again until smooth. Poor into the cake tin on top of the crust. 
3. Spoon dollops of the reserved batter randomly onto the cheesecake, then poke the end of a chopstick into the dollops and gently swirl to create a marble pattern.
4. Bake the cheesecake for 45-50 minutes. Remove from the oven halfway and sprinkle on the topping (instructions below) before returning to the oven to continue baking. It is done when the top is lightly puffed and the edges of the cake are golden. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, removing the sides of the tin as soon as you can. Transfer to the fridge to complete cooling for at least 3 hours (overnight is better). Slice with a thin sharp knife dipped in cold water to serve! Doesn't it look amazing?? Tastes even better...

The topping

1. In a bowl mix together the margarine and sugar until well combined, then add the chopped nuts and stir to coat with the mixture. This is now ready to use.

Original recipe: Pumpkin cheesecake with pecan crunch topping

I have to say, all the pumpkin recipes (including the bread) are from Post Punk Kitchen - all their recipes just look so amazing! Definitely check out their site if you get the chance!

Week 10 Dish 1: Vegan pumpkin bread

Oh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! I've made it to week 10, double figures! And guess what is coming up soon? Halloween!!! And so I decided to buy a pumpkin and use it in my bakes. I first made it into pumpkin puree (I will put up instructions soon). It was definitely...educational - but a whole lot of effort. It's worth it if you have the time, but I would definitely buy tinned puree next time. I now have about 10 cups worth of pumpkin puree (it was a MASSIVE pumpkin) in my fridge and freezer ready to be used and I'm really looking to baking a few pumpkin recipes!

For my first recipe I decided to go for pumpkin bread. And oh my god it turned out so well! Moist and delicious, and as long as you've got pumpkin puree on hand it also very very easy. Please do give it a go!

Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 1/2 cups plain flour (can substitute with some/ all whole wheat flour)
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil (can replace with some unsweetened apple sauce)
2/3 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup desiccated coconut
Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line two 8x4 inch loaf tins with grease proof paper.
2. Spread walnuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking tray and toast in the over for 8 to 10 minutes until slightly browned. Leave aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix in the pumpkin puree, oil and coconut milk until combined. Fold in the nuts and desiccated coconut.
4. Divide the batter between the two tins and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes - until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven, cover tightly with foil and allow to steam for 10 minutes. Remove foil and turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Tent loosely with foil and allow to cool completely. (All this foil business keeps the bread so moist, trust me it's worth it!)

Original recipe: Super moist pumpkin bread

Vegan strawberry banana milkshake/ smoothie

As promised, here is the strawberry banana smoothie recipe. I decided not to make it with oats this time because I wanted something that wasn't so filling (but feel free to add them if you would like for a yummy filling breakfast smoothies). It's a very flexible recipe, you can add whatever fruit you want. I would recommend having at least one banana because it gives the smoothie a nice creamy taste. You can also change the amount of milk to make it as thick as you want - enjoy!

Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large ripe banana
3-4 cups strawberries
3 cups soya milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp maple syrup/ agave nectar/ honey
Method

1. I don't think this needs explaining really but here goes...Put everything in the blender and pulse until smooth. Drink!! 

Week 9 Dish 2: Vegan strawberry banana coconut cookies

Seems like it's a cookie week for me! Cookies are just so easy to make and perfect to snack on. I still had 3 more very ripe bananas to use (I don't like wasting good food) and managed to buy some more strawberries, which were also starting to go bad. So I found a recipe which used both. I still had more bananas and strawberries than the recipe needed so I decided to make a strawberry banana milkshake too (recipe coming soon). Safe to say my family loved both the recipes, I mean, you can't go wrong with strawberries can you?!

Makes 18-24 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups oats (make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free oats!)

1/4 cup oat flour (or process some oats into a fine powder)

1 cup desiccated coconute/ coconut flates

2 tbsp ground flaxseeds/ linseeds

1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1/4 tsp salt

2 medium bananas, mashed

2 tbsp maple syrup/ agave nectar/ honey

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup roughly chopped strawberries

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line two baking trays with grease proof paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix the oats, oat flour, desiccated coconut, flaxseeds/linseeds, almonds and salt.
3. Stir in the bananas, maple syrup, coconut oil, strawberries and vanilla until well combined.
4. Form 2 1/2 inch balls with your hands, place onto the trays and flatten gently. You don't need to leave a lot of space between then, they don't spread at all.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Original recipe: Strawberry coconut breakfast cookies

Vegan, gluten free, no-bake pecan pie bars

It's my team's first netball match today, wish us luck! One of my teammates cannot eat gluten so I decided it's time for a gluten free recipe. Like my raw cheesecake, this is another no-bake yummy recipe which has absolutely no gluten! I hope my teammates like it, they are going to try it later today.

Makes 16 squares/ small slices

Ingredients
For the crust
1 cup dates, pitted and soaked in water for 5 minutes if dry
1 cup pecans (I used walnuts)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
For the filling
1 cup dates, pitted and soaked in water for 5 minutes if dry
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup pecans
1/4 cup water, or more as needed for blending
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup additional pecans peices (or whole pecans if you prefer) for topping
Method

1. Line an 8x8 baking dish (I used a pie dish) with grease proof paper for easy removal of the bars.
2. In a food processor combine the crust ingredients and blend until a sticky dough is formed. Press into the lined baking dish until even. Place in the freezer to set.
3. Combine the filling ingredients (except the extra pecans for topping) in a blender until smooth - you will need to keep stopping and scraping down the sides to allow everything to blend smoothly.
4. Remove the crust from the freezer and spoon on the filling using a spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle the extra pecans on top and press into the filling slightly. Return to the freezer and set for at least 6 hours before cutting and serving. Store in the freezer too!

Original recipe: No-bake pecan pie bars

Week 9 Dish 1: Vegan banana nut cookies

Ahh my days are getting busier and busier. Netball season has started again and with 2 matches and one training session a week, free time is getting harder and harder to come by! But baking is pretty high on my priority list (can't give up all the yummy goodies) so I hope I can keep up with my two recipes per week.... I'm quite excited about some future bakes I have planned for Halloween and Diwali, which are both coming up. I managed to buy some very fun muffin and cake moulds, hope you're all excited too!

This week I once again had overripe bananas that needed to be used. I thought about making the bars from week 7 again because they we so quick and easy and yummy to boot, but then I found this recipe. It's pretty much the same as the bars but since it's cookies I think it's fair to use it as a whole new recipe (bit of a cheat I guess, cheeky me :p). As with the bars, this recipe contains absolutely NO ADDED SUGAR - it is sweetened with mushy bananas, making it as healthy as it is yummy :D.

Makes 24
Ingredients
2 cups oats (make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free oats!)
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large ones)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well.
2. Mix the banana, oil and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and add to the dry mixture. Combine well and let stand for 15 minutes. 
3. While you wait, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line two baking trays with grease proof paper.
4. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough on to the baking trays and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Original recipe: Banana-nut cookies

These are just so yummy, they will be gone before you know it! In my opinion this is definitely a recipe you don't want to miss - let me know if you agree when you've tried them :D

Week 8 Dish 2: Vegan piña colada cupcakes

For my friends birthday, I decided I finally need to take the plunge and do some decorating! As you can see from my previous posts, I'm not really one for icing and frosting etc. I prefer something yummy, healthy and quick. Though decorations are definitely yummy, they are not healthy and definitely not quick to do. But if there's anything that makes it worth the time, it's a close friends birthday! So here is the recipe for my first alcoholic bake, piña colada cupcakes!

Makes 14-16

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

2 cups plain flour, sifted

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup coconut milk

5 tbsp coconut rum

1 tsp coconut extract

For the icing

1 cup vegan margarine

2 cups sifted icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tsp coconut extract

2 tbsp coconut rum

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

Glacé/ maraschino cherries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a muffin tray with cupcake liners. 
2. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients and leave to one side. 
3. In blender, blend together all the pineapple and other wet ingredients until completely smooth. 
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Spoon into the cupcake liners and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
5. For the icing, beat all the ingredients except the desiccated coconut and cherries together until smooth and fluffy and pipe onto the cupcakes when they are completely cool. Sprinkle with the desiccated coconut and top with a cherry to decorate. If you have umbrellas, you can use them, or even a pineapple piece! 

Original recipe: Pina colada cupcakes
They look so pretty, don't you think? I'm not the best at piping, but I guess only practice can help with that. Maybe I'll do a few more decorated bakes in the future....

Week 8 Dish 1: Vegan plum cake

I love fruits - which I'm sure you've all noticed with all my fruity bakes. But I really do love fruits, so I've been working my way through as many as I can. This week I've baked with a new fruit - plums! I bought them from Aldi - it was one of their Super 6 last week. I actually bakes this on Tuesday after Bake Off but I've been so busy that I just haven't had a chance to post it up - sorry for making you all wait. I also managed to find cheap strawberries again from another fruit shop but decided that I want to eat them this time rather than make a baked good. So here is the recipe for the very simple, not too sweet plum cake!

Ingredients
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tbsp warm water
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour
3/4 cup sugar (this amount just gives a slight sweetness, double if you want a sweet cake)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon (this gives a very strong flavour so reduce to 1 tsp if you prefer)
1 1/4 cups soya milk
5 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
8 plums, sliced or quartered
1 tsp grated orange zest
Method

1. Dissolve yeast in the tablespoon of warm water and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease and flour a 9-inch cake dish.
2. In a large bowel, mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. Stir in the milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract, yeast mix and orange zest and fold in until combined. The batter should be fairly stiff.
4. Spoon into the cake dish and arrange plums atop batter, pushing them in slightly.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown on top, or until tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and cooling on a wire rack. Serve while still warm or when cool.

Original recipe: Vegan plum cake

I'm making my next dish tomorrow morning, and let me tell you it's going to be amazing!! It's a treat for my friends who are doing their joint birthday celebration tomorrow, can't wait to see what they think of it!!! :D

Vegan crispy courgette crostini

I think it's about time for another non-baked, savoury dish to break up all the sugary dishes! This simple dish is perfect for a quick snack, especially if you're entertaining and want to try something new!

Serves 6
Ingredients
1 courgette (~200 g), grated
1 tsp salt
1/2 apple, peeled and grated
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
2 spring onions, finely chopped
6 slices of vegan french bread
1 garlic clove, crushed
pepper
Method

1. Coarsely grate the courgette and spread over a clean, dry tea towel. Sprinkle with the salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Wrap the tea towel around the courgette and squeeze to remove as much juice as possible.
2. Transfer the courgette to a mixing bowl and stir in the apple, mint, spring onions and garlic
3. Toast the bread lightly on both sides and top with the courgette mixture. Grind pepper over them before serving.

I never really would have thought that apple and courgette go well together but it tasted surprisingly good! Definitely one I will try again.

Week 7 Dish 2: Vegan fresh strawberry crumble bars

It's the end of another week and what an eventful week it was! Highlight was definitely Malaysia night 2013 which was yesterday (4th October) in Trafalgar square. Brilliant atmosphere, some good entertainment, and most importantly yummy Malaysian food! I never knew that this was a yearly event, but now I do I will definitely be on the lookout for more events like it!

I've cut it close again this week, just finished my second recipe of the week today. This time it was because I bought a pineapple (yum) and wanted to make something from it but it still hasn't ripened! So I will have to use it next week. Instead, I came across some cheap strawberries (double yum) - 3 punnets for £2, bargain - and of course I made something scrummy from it. It was a big hit with my family, my dad even had 2 helpings! Win! Definitely give it a go....

Makes 10 bars
Ingredients
For the crust
6 tbsp soya margarine, chilled
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
For the filling
3 1/2 cups chopped strawberries (about 500-550 g)
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
For the topping
1/3 cup plain flour
2/3 cup oats
1/4 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup light brown sugar
6 tbsp soya margarine, chilled
Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line an 8x8 baking dish with grease proof paper.
2. Using your fingertips, combine the crust ingredients until like bread crumbs. Press into the baking dish and bake for 15 minutes until slightly browned. Remove and set aside.
3. Combine the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Add the flour and mix until well blended. Set aside.
4. For the topping, once again use your fingertips to combine the ingredients until like oaty bread crumbs.
5. Spoon the stawberry mixture over the crust, top with the crumbly topping and sprinkle with the ground almonds.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. To be completely sure, refregerate for 30 minutes too. Tastes really yummy while still warm but its very gooey :D - so up to you!

Original recipe: Fresh strawberry crumble bars

Week 7 Dish 1: Vegan banana oat bars

Happy world vegetarian day! I didn't actually know that such a day existed until a friend of mine pointed it out to me today. It is on October 1st every year, was established in 1977 by the North American Vegetarian Society and is followed by Vegetarian Awareness Month. This ends on November 1st with World Vegan Day. Yep, you learn something new every day!

This week I started my surgery placement, which as I said before is not something I'm very interested in. But, it hasn't been too bad so far, and the consultant really makes it worthwhile by teaching us a lot. So I'm pretty happy! We also had a charity cake sale in the hospital today, and I thought I need to bake something myself! So, here is my (probably) most healthy baked recipe to date, with absolutely no sugar and only a tiny bit of oil in it - vegan banana bars. Did I mention it's also a ridiculously quick and easy to make?

Makes 12 squares
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas - about 3 large bananas (I only had 1 1/4 cups worth of bananas so I topped it up with unsweetened apple sauce. This makes it a bit less sweet so you can add a bit of honey/ agave nectar/ maple syrup to taste)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed/ linseed
1/4 cup canola oil/ rapeseed oil (you can even substitute this with water like in the original recipe to make it even healthier, just will be a little less moist)
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground mixed spice
3 cups oats (make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free oats!)
1/2 cup walnuts (or any other nuts)
1/2 cup raisins
Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line a 9x9 inch baking dish with grease proof paper.
2. Combine the mashed banana, ground flaxseed/ linseed, water, oil, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice in a big bowl and stir well.
3. Add the oats, walnuts and raisins and combine well. Spoon into the baking dish and press well. 
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into squares, place upside down on another tray (lined with grease proof paper) and bake for a further 15 minutes. Turn over and bake finally for 5 minutes.
5. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Original recipe: Banana walnut oat bars