Ginger and Passionfruit Crunch (DF, EG, V)

Base Ingredients:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 250gm Olivete or similar dairy-free spread
• 3 cups plain flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tsp ground ginger

Method:

1. Cream dairy-free spread and sugar in a mixer.  
2. Add sifted flour, baking powder and ginger.
3. Combine until mixture resembles crumbs.
4. If shortcake appears too crumbly, add a tablespoon of cold water.
5. Turn out and press into lined and greased sponge roll tin.
6. Bake at 180 degrees for approximately 20 mins until just starting to go a golden colour.
7. Ice while hot.

Topping Ingredients:

• 300gm dairy-free spread, melted
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• 6 tsp ground ginger
• large dollop of passionfruit pulp
• 4 cups icing sugar

Method:

1. stir all ingredients into melted butter and mix till smooth.
2. Pour on top of shortcake mixture.
3. Refrigerate until set.
4. Cut into squares and serve. 

Hot Cross Buns (V, DF, EG)

Easter just wouldn't be Easter without hot cross buns, so a mandatory 'lockdown' in the midst of a global pandemic, wasn't going to stop me!

Ingredients:

• 2 tspn of Surebake yeast (Active Yeast)
• 1 tspn sugar
• 1 1/4 c of warm almond milk (or other milk)
• 1 tbsp white flour

• 1 tspn of No-Egg (egg replacer) mixed with 1 tbsp of water (equivalent to one egg)

• 3 cups white flour
• 1 tbsp mixed spice
• 1 tbsp cinammon
• 1/4 c caster sugar
• Rind of a lemon and mandarin (in lieu of dried/mixed peel if you don't have it)
• 1 c of sultanas or raisins
• 60gm of Olivete or similar dairy-free butter alternative

• Flour and water mixed to a paste (that you can 'ice' with)
• Sugar and water heated and mixed to a syrup/glaze

Method

1. Mix first four ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk.  Cover and leave in a warm place (in the sunshine is ideal) for about 10-15 mins.  The mixture should go fluffy and gloopy.
2. While the yeast mixture is doing it's thing, add dry ingredients (flour, spice, cinnamon, sugar) and Olivete together and mix until it resembles crumbs.  Add sultanas/raisins and rind and mix to combine.  
3. Add No-Egg to yeast mixture and add to flour mix. 
4. If you have a bread hook, change attachment on mixer, and combine until dough is stretchy and not sticky.
5. Remove and put on floured surface and knead a little more if needed (need to knead).
   
   
   
   
   
6. Spray a little non-stick cooking oil to inside of large glass bowl and turn dough into the bowl.  Cover and leave somewhere warm for approx 45 minutes to rise.
7. After 45 minutes, cut or pull mixture into balls/bun shape and roll with wet hands to smooth out.  Space evenly on a baking tray, and cover and leave in a warm place for another 10 minutes to finish rising.
8. Use the smooth edge of a knife and indent crosses in the top of each bun.  
9. Mix flour/water to a paste and gloop into a snaplock bag, cutting the corner off and 'piping' or drizzling a cross into the indentations you have made.
10. Bake at 220 degrees for 10 minutes.
11. While buns are in the oven, mix sugar and a little water and heat in microwave.  Brush this syrup over the top of each bun to glaze, and return to oven for another 10 minutes, turning the heat down to 180 degrees.
12. Serve hot!

These have a similar texture to a scone.  Makes approx 12.

Sushi (V, GF, DF, EF)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked short grain rice (or Sushi rice)
• 2 tbsp sushi/rice vinegar
• Cucumber, capsicum, carrot, spring onion, avocado
• Thinly sliced tofu strips (1/2 packet)
• Vegan aioli
• 5 sheets of nori

Method

1. Spread rice evenly over the base of a tray or container and cool in refrigerator.
2. While rice is cooling down, cut vegetables into thin julienne strips.
3. Sprinkle rice vinegar over the rice and fork through, fluffing up the rice.
4. Get your sushi 'bazooka' (such a cool invention) and rinse thoroughly under cold water (this seems to prevent the rice from sticking internally to the device and makes it easier to extrude.
5. Line each side of the sushi maker with rice, spread a thin line of mayo/aioli along one side.  Line up capsicum, cucumber, capsicum, spring onion, avocado and tofu.  Push down firmly and close latches on the sushi maker.
6. Screw the end of the maker, and then push evenly to extrude sushi onto nori sheets.  Using wet fingers, seal along edges.
7. Lay log of sushi onto a plate and let it sit while you make remainder of sushi.
8. When ready to serve, use a wet and sharp knife.  
9. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger (if you have it).

Lemon and Passionfruit No-Bake Cheesecake (V, DF, EF)

So here we are in the middle of 'lockdown', and looking at ingredients we have in the cupboard and having the opportunity of a little more try to give things a go.  I had a 3/4 tub of Angel Food Cream Cheese and a stack of fresh lemons from a friend's abundant tree, and my daughter loves cheesecake, so I thought - why not!?

Base Ingredients:

• 3/4 packet of RSA Anzac cookies (tehy're vegan friendly!)
• 1/2 cup of cereal
• 2 tablespoons melted Olivete

Method

1. Put all base ingredients into a mixer and combine until mixture resembles course breadcrumbs
2. Lightly spray a springform baking tin with cooking oil (for ease of removal later).
3. Press mixture into container, and use the back of a wet spoon to compress firmly.  
4. Put base into freezer while you make cheesecake topping.

Cheesecake Ingredients:

• 3/4 tub of Angel Food Cream Cheese
• The thick part of a tin of Coconut Cream
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• The rind of 2 lemons
• The juice of 2 lemons (about 5 teaspoons in total)
• Passionfruit pulp

Method

1. In mixer, use whipping blade and whip coconut cream until peaks form.
2. Add caster sugar, cream cheese (spoonfuls rather than a big lump), lemon juice and rind.
3. Mix until smooth (but take care not to over mix as it'll get very runny)
4. Pour over the top of the base and smooth surface.  
5. Put into refrigerator to set.
6. You can freeze, but take care not to leave too long in the freezer as the coconut milk will freeze into shards and change the texture.
7. Service with a dollop of passionfruit pulp drizzled on top.

Big Breakfast (V, DF, EF)

So this deliciousness has become my go-to brunch, particularly on study days! 

Scrambled Tofu

Ingredients:

• 1/2 packet of firm tofu
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed garlic
• 1 tablespoon of coconut cream
• Generous sprinkle of turmeric and paprika
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl - use your fingers to break up tofu or a potato masher.
2. Heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan and cook tofu until golden.  Colour will intensify as it cooks from the turmeric - looks a nice yellowy egg colour.

Creamy Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• Mushrooms cut in 1/2
• Tablespoon of coconut cream
• Squirt of soy sauce
• Sprinkle of curry powder

Method

1. Cook mushrooms in a pan with a little bit of Olivete or dairy-free spread.
2. When cooked, add coconut cream, soy sauce and curry.  Mixture will become a creamy, mushroomy sauce.

I serve mine on ciabatta, with wilted spinach, grilled tomato, avocado, relish, hummus and pesto.  Sometimes add fake bacon, tofu, beans, zucchini, asparagus, hashbrowns.  Mix it up - whatever is in the cupboard/fridge!
Really nice garnished with some hulled hemp husks, chia seeds and a sprinkle of shredded coconut.

Quiche (V, DF, EF)

Ingredients:

• 1 tub of dairy alternative sour cream (I use the Zenzo one, it's affordable and available at Pak'n'Save)
• 3/4 block of dairy alternative cheddar cheese (I use AngelFood usually, but this recipe works with whatever you have on hand!)
• Generous sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes (brings out the cheesy flavour)
• A blob of chilli
• Extras: cherry tomatoes, chopped up onion, chopped up mushroom, pesto, mock meat
• Vegan pastry (New Way)

Method

1. Preheat oven to bake at 180 degrees. 
2. Mix all ingredients in mixer and spoon into pastry cases (in muffin tins)
3. Cook for approx 10 minutes, until golden.  Note - this mixture rises quite a lot while it's cooking, so you might want to put a baking tray underneath to stop you having to clean the oven afterwards!

Delicious!

Simple & Scrummy ...

A couple of weeks ago I flew to Auckland.  Looking around the airport food court, there were very few vegan options.  I ended up trying Ugly Bagels for the first time.  It inspired me to try something similar at home - so simple, so scrummy.

Simple toast a sesame seed bagel.  Smear with vegan pesto, and smoosh avocado (be generous) on top.  Slice tomato thinly and then season generously with Himalayan Salt and ground pepper.  Drizzle with the teeniest bit of olive oil.  Serve while warm,

Yum!

Meringues/Pavlova (V, EF, DF, GF)

These miraculous creations fool most pavlova conoissours, surprising them that there is absolutely no eggs in them!  But how?  Amazing aquafaba ...

This cool substance is the liquid from a can of chickpeas or from cooking legumes at home.  If you're using the liquid from canned beans, choose an unsalted variety.  The liquid is very similar to the consistency of raw egg whites and can be used in recipes as a substitute.

I usually opt for chickpeas, and then use the peas for hummus,and retain the liquid for meringues or pav.

Ingredients:

• 400gm tin of Chickpeas in springwater (drain and save the liquid (aquafaba) to make meringues and put the chickpeas aside to make hummus) ideally refrigerate the aquafaba for a couple of hours. 
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornflour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat oven to bake at 150 degrees. 
2. Put chilled aquafaba into mixer and mix until stiff peaks form. 
3. Add the vanilla essence and  caster sugar a little at a time until all mixed. 
4. Fold through cornflour a spoon at a time.
5. Line a great with baking paper and sprinkle lightly with corn flour to prevent sticking. 
6. Use a wet piping bag to make meringues onto baking tray. 
7. Place in centre of oven and bake for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 120. Continue to cook for approximately 1 hour.  Check through glass door (don't open door as like any pav or meringue, they might flop) and when they are looking a bit crispy and ever so slightly golden, turn the oven off and leave until child to touch. 
8. Carefully remove meringues from paper.  If they're too spread out, next time try small but heaped high. 
9. Whip coconut cream and serve along with fresh berries and a dusting of icing sugar, cacao powder or a drizzle of dark chocolate sauce. 

Recipe by Alina @ LittleByLittle

"Bring a Plate" (DF, GF, V, EF)

So feasting platters have become my new go-to for Summer dinner parties and barbeques.  What to take?  A feasting platter!  They're so easy, look fabulous and can be easily 'themed' for a sweet, savoury or special occasion.  They are so quick to prepare (dare I say, almost thrown together)!

Here's a couple of examples of recent platters I have made ...

This platter features my Sausage Scrolls, toasted pita pockets, olives, peach chutney, hummus and dukkah, tomato relish, Fry's 'chicken' nuggets & strips cooked in the airfryer, capsicum, cucumber, avocado, cut fresh strawberries & blueberries, dark chocolate sauce and Pam's Coconut & Vanilla Custard (so good and yes, it's vegan!)

This feast has fresh nuts, grapes, strawberries, roast kumara salad, fresh salad toppings, lemon, hummus, falafel, tofu strips, Angel Food cream cheese topped with chilli sauce, vegan sundried tomato pesto, chutney, toasted pita, cherry tomatoes, crackers, Angel Food cheddar, Zenzo sour cream, carrot sticks, cucumber, and some sweet treat lollipops.