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