Warm Potato and Kumara Salad (GF, DF, V)

This yummy dish can be served warm or cold.

Ingredients:
1 large kumara (peeled and cubed)
3 medium potatoes (washed and cubed)
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 frozen spinach cubes
1 carrot (peeled and cut into very small cubes)
Handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 red onion finely chopped
1/2 cup of vegan mayonnaise (I use Edmonds Dijon Sandwich Mayo)
1 tbsp of wholegrain mustard

Method:

1. Boil kumara, potato, peas, carrots, mint and spinach until cooked, but still firm.
2. Drain and set aside.
3. Fold through onion, wholegrain mustard and mayo.

Recipe by Alina @ LittleByLittle

Pikelets (or Pancakes) (DF, V)

Pikelets make such an easy morning or afternoon tea, and are great for a lunchbox addition.

Makes approximately 30 pikelets

Ingredients:
100 gms melted dairy-free spread (Olivite or Olivani)
2 cups self-raising flour (or white flour + 2 tspn baking powder)
1/2 cup white sugar
4 tsp (+ 4 tbsp water) of No Egg (egg replacer by Orgran)
1 1/2 cups almond (or other plant-based alternative) milk

Method:

1. Melt dairy free spread in frying pan.
2. In food processor mix dry ingredients.
3. Add melted spread, No Egg and almond milk and mix until smooth.
4. Cook spoonfuls of the batter in a frying pan over medium heat.  When pikelets start to 'bubble', carefully flip over and cook the other side until golden.
5. Place on an airing rack to cool.

Variation..

This recipe can be adapted for pancakes too.  I just add a little bit of cold water in mixing, to make a runnier batter and make fewer (but larger) of them. Yum!  For brekkie, serve with fresh berries, sliced banana and maple syrup.

Recipe by Alina @ LittleByLittle

Lemon Syrup Cake (DF, V)

Ingredients:

125g dairy-free spread (Olivite or Olivani)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp lemon rind (you will need approx 3 lemons in total for this recipe)
4 tsp (+ 4 tbsp water) of No Egg (egg replacer by Orgran)
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup almond milk (or alternative plant-based milk)

Topping:
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup of lemon juice

Method:

1. Cream dairy-free spread, sugar and No-Egg.
2. Combine lemon rind, flour and then milk.
3. Pour cake batter into floured and lined backing tin.
4. Bake at 180 degrees for approximately 40-50 mins (until firm and springy to touch).

Topping:

1. Mix sugar and lemon juice together.
2. Pour over cake when cooked.  

Serve warm or cold.

Breakfast On the Go (GF, DF, V)

For an easy breakfast on the go, you can't go past a good smoothie!

Ingredients:

Handful frozen raspberries
1 ripe banana
2 scoops of NuZest Clean Lean Protein powder (I use chocolate flavour)
1 tbsp Ceres Organics Super Seed Blend
Almond mik or coconut water

Method:

1. In blender, mix berries and banana.
2. Add powder, seed and milk (or water) and blend.
3. When smooth, serve and enjoy.

Creamy Fettuccine (DF, V)

Carb loading on my first day back at work after the summer break! The kids love 'snakes' (fettucine) and this vegan version is always a big hit.  Serve it with some vegan friendly garlic bread and a generous serving of Angel Food Parmesan dairy-free alternative and you're set to go.  Yum!

Ingredients:

1 packet of dried fettuccine (check ingredients list on label)
Olive oil
2 tsps crushed garlic
1 zucchini sliced into very thin julienne strips
2 florets of brocolli finely sliced
2 portobello (breakfast) mushrooms finely sliced
1/2 red onion chopped finely
1/2 red capsicum finely sliced
Cube of frozen spinach
Handful of frozen peas and beans
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp Olivite or Olivani (dairy-free spread)
White wine (my favourite are Yealands wines)
4 sun-dried tomatoes sliced thinly (and some of the oil from them)
1 packet of soy cream (I use Alpro brand)

Method:

1. Boil a large saucepan of water with a dash of oil.  
2. Add fettuccine (broken into 1/2 lengths), turn down.
3. Cook pasta through until al dente. 
4. Put lid on and then stir regularly to avoid clumping while you make the sauce.

Sauce:

1. Cook onion and garlic in a dash of oil until transparent, taking care not to overheat the oil.
2. Add vegetables and water and cook through until water has reduced.
3. Add dairy-free spread and wine, and cook until reduced.
4. Stir through sun-dried tomatoes and pour in cream.
5. Fold through. 
6. (You might like to add cubes of avocado and some chopped olives at this point).
7. Drain pasta, leaving a spoonful of the starchy water (this gives the sauce a nice shiny appearance).  
8. Add to sauce and fold through.
9. Spoon carefully into serving plates and garnish generously with Parmesan dairy alternative.

Recipe by Alina @ LittleByLittle

Tofu Coconut Curry (GF, DF, V)

Ingredients:

1 packet of firm tofu (rinse off and then pat dry with a paper towel before cutting into cubes)
2 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp crushed ginger
2 tsp curry powder
1 finely chopped onion
1 carrot cut into very fine julienne strips
1 handful frozen peas
2 cubes frozen spinach
1 handful frozen beans
1 vegetable stock cube (I use Massell brand)
3/4 cups water
1 tin of coconut cream (shaken) - for a lighter alternative use coconut milk but you may need to thicken
1 tin of diced tomatoes
Rice bran oil

Method:

1. In a frypan, add a dash of oil and heat.  Add tofu cubes and cook until just golden, being careful as you handle not to break them.
2. Remove tofu and set aside.
3. In same pan add onion and cook until transparent.
4. Add curry, garlic and ginger and cook through.
5. Add water, stock and vegetables and cook until thawed.
6. Add coconut cream and tomatoes and continue to cook until thickened and carrots are tender.
7. Carefully fold through tofu.
8. Serve on top of steamed jasmine or basmati rice, garnished with sliced almond and a sprig of fresh coriander.

Recipe by Alina @ LittleByLittle

Best Ever Chocolate Cake (DF, V)

This recipe is really versatile...

You can pour the batter into cupcake wrappers and make single serves, or fill a 20cm round springform pan for a high, rounded cake.  Grossify it for Halloween ... ice with vegan-friendly fondant, rolling into 'worms' and twisting them all over the rounded cake surface  Depress the back edge of a knife down the middle to create the two hempispheres of a brain and glaze with 'melted' raspberry jam!

Sometimes I share the recipe between two sponge tins and sandwich together with chocolate cream icing.

If you're wanting a yummy brownie recipe, use gluten free flour and fold in a handful of dark chocolate buttons.  Dribble raspberry coulis on top and serve warmed as a dessert, with a trickle of soy cream as a garnish.

You might've cottoned on that I pretty much just substitute butter for Olivite/Olivani, dairy milk for almond milk and egg for No Egg and voila!  Being vegan is easy.  Don't be put off from trying to 'convert' a recipe, it is incredibly easy.

Anyway, here is my chocolate cake recipe after a number of experimental efforts!

Ingredients:

100gm Olivite or Olivani (dairy-free spread) melted with small handful of dark 
chocolate (Whittaker's 50% dark cocoa or Pam's dark cooking chocolate buttons)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp (+ 4 tbsp water) of No Egg (egg replacer by Orgran)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 3/4 cups plain white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups almond milk

Icing:

3 tbsp Olivite or Olivani spread
2 tbsp coca powder
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Melt dairy-free spread and chocolate together. 
2. In mixer combine chocolate mixture, No Egg and vanilla essence.
3. Add sifted dry ingredients.
4. Add almond milk and mix until smooth.
5. Mixture is quite runny. Pour into lined baking tin.
6. Bake at 180 degrees until cake is starting to shrink from edges and is firm, but springy to the touch.
7. When cool, ice with chocolate cream icing.

Icing:
Mix spread, cocoa, vanilla essence and icing sugar until creamy.  If need be, add a teaspoon or so of water (or a dash of soy cream) to make a butter cream consistency.

Recipe by Alina @ LittleByLittle