Holistic Vegan

Now you won't often hear me bemoaning my diet, because to be honest I love being vegan and wouldn't change it for the world.  Something I have really missed since going vegan however is decent ice cream.  Even in today's veganuary-gripped world, the vegan options in the freezer cabinets are still woefully limited and horrifyingly expensive. Last summer I promised to buy myself an ice cream maker and have a go myself, but I never managed to muster the cash or the enthusiasm for it.  But now things have changed - I've discovered a way to make a whole array of frozen desserts without an ice cream maker and I'm hooked! Now spoiler alert - you do need some specialist equipment for this, but few vegan households are without one. Yes, you know what I'm about to say - this recipe uses a high powered blender. As a vegan who has always been on a budget, I balked at the prices of some of the branded blenders by Vitamix and others. Much as I'm sure they'

Risotto has to be one of my favourite dinners these days - it's easy to make (especially the slow cooker method!) and can be made with leftovers in the cupboards too! This is a recipe that can be made oil free quite easily, especially if you're using a slow cooker. Serves 2-3   Ingredients: 4 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed 250g Chestnut Mushrooms 100g Asparagus tips 1 ¼ cups/220g Arborio rice 1 cup/250ml vegan white wine (plus more for drinking later) 3 ¼ cups/810ml hot vegetable stock (I use 2 stock cubes and boiling water) Method: Warm the olive oil on a medium heat in a large frying pan or non-stock wok and chop the onion, mushrooms & asparagus. Fry gently until tender and the onions are translucent and slightly yellow in colour, then add the garlic and gently fry for a couple more minutes. Reduce the heat and add the rice to the frying pan and stir until it’s completely covere

Since wheat has been very much off the table for me for a while now, I've been searching high and low for a good flour to use to make flatbreads for wraps and sandwiches. Much as I love gram flour (chickpea) flatbreads , which are delicious with curries, they don't have the right consistency and structural integrity required to make a sandwich wrap.  I wanted to find something that was closer to the wheat texture and taste that I've been missing but without the uncomfortable effect on my tummy. After a lot of searching, I kept coming across a mysterious flour called sorghum, but it always seemed to be mixed with other flours in bread recipes, and often with wheat - ugh! So I decided to go global, and search for traditional recipes from India that would be delicious, tried & tested and more importantly wheat free.  My Google search didn't disappoint! I soon found a whole array of recipes using Jowar Flour which I discovered was the elusive sorghum or wh

Continuing my new obsession with gram flour , it was brought to my attention by a lovely person on Instagram that I haven't shared this recipe yet! I don't even have a photo, because whenever I make these they get eaten far too quickly for Instagramming. These are a satisfying and tasty flatbread that is the perfect accompaniment for curries and spicy foods. They also have a very slightly eggy flavour to them which makes them very good with tomato based curry. These cook very much like a pancake, but are quite firm and cannot be rolled up to use as a wrap. They are better torn or cut into quarters and dipped into delicious sauces or chutneys. This is another recipe that I have to credit to the amazing Ghazalla who was kind enough to teach me some of her traditional Persian and Indian recipes. It's definitely one of my favourites because they are very filling, satisfying and make the perfect contract to a hot and spicy curry. Makes 6 Ingredients 90z/255g Gram

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you! I've spent some time over the past few weeks experimenting with cornbread, learning what it tastes like and trying various sweet and savoury versions. It's certainly an interesting texture but some have more flavour than others. This is my own recipe for the slightly more flavoursome Mexican style cornbread, and it's definitely my favourite savoury version so far, and makes the ideal lunch for work or when you're out and about.  I haven't added any chili to this one because I don't find that improves the flavour, but feel free to chuck some jalapenos in if you're feeling spicy! Check out my vintage Pyrex, bishes! Cornbread has been a godsend for me since I first started baking it. I can't eat wheat anymore, so it's been tricky finding something that is easy to make, has good structural integrity and has the sort of taste and texture combination I want. I love this one so much that it

I really love chocolate peanut butter cups, but I'm trying to be a bit healthier lately so I decided to have a go at making energy balls instead. Also, I had no chocolate in the house, so it was a desperate moment! The premise is pretty simple, you start with dates and add whatever flavours you want.  I fancied chocolate and peanut butter, partly because I knew I had the ingredients to make something flavoured with those things in my kitchen cupboards and partly because it's an epic combo. This is of course gluten free, wheat free, grain free, soy free, refined sugar free, dairy free, egg free and vegan.   The milled linseed (flaxseed) I used is from Lidl and the Coconut Cacao Spread was one I picked up at Holland and Barrett a while back and was wondering what to do with. This seemed the obvious use for it! You can change and mix up the ingredients however you like.  This is a recipe I devised using up leftovers in my cupboard so don't worry if you d

In my search for wheat free bread products a couple of years ago, I stumbled upon Masa Harina.  I was originally hunting for recipes for cornbread, having never tried it and thinking it could be a useful staple to replace the wheat I'm no longer able to eat. Masa Harina is dried corn dough, often called corn flour, but not to be mistaken for the cornflour we use for thickening sauces here in the UK! I've also had a go at making corn tortillas with Masa Harina and they are really stunning.  I'm also working on sweet and savoury cornbread receipes for you all that I'll share soon. All in all, Masa harina is now one of my favourite non-wheat flours to work with. Arepas are small fried corn cakes that are traditionally eaten in South America. They are often sliced in half and filled. I've tried a few different fillings, including tomato & mustard, vegan sausage and vegan cheese and they make a pretty good wheat free replacement for a muffin or savoury bun

Wheat free bread suitable for vegans is horribly expensive, not to mention hard to get hold of. Tesco make a passable loaf but the price is about 5 times what I would have spent on a wheat loaf, and you gate about one third of the quantity. It's far from good value! I decided to have a go at baking my own wheat free bread, so I invested in some Freee gluten free bread flour and started experimenting with my bread maker. Whilst I used to make all my bread by hand, I tend to use my bread maker these days for convenience and speed, so the bread maker method is the one I will be focusing on in this blog. The Freee flour made by Doves Farm, is made from blend of rice, tapioca and potato flour, with added xanthan gum.  If you're not familiar with xanthan gum, it's an additive that adds the elasticity missing from most gluten free flours and stops your baked goods from crumbling to bits when you touch them. Freee have a standard recipe for a white loaf on the packet w

I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to satay sauce! It's long been one of my favourite flavours and I've been searched high and low for the perfect recipe for some time. Jars of satay sauce never seem to have the deliciously thick and creamy taste you want from this special sauce, or the powerful punch of fragrant spices that should accompany it. A big thank you must go to my friend Lindsay who not only helped me to go vegan, but who also introduced me to this mouth watering satay sauce recipe that I've made my own.  This is a dinner that I have occasionally as a bit of a treat. It's very satisfying on every level - filling, creamy, fragrant and delicious! I also like to eat the rice on it's own as a light meal. You can play around with the vegetable mix you put in your rice, but I recommend always using frozen peas. Their sweet taste adds the perfect flavour, and they are sturdy enough not to get squished, unlike tinned peas.  Serves 2 Ingredi

I really love the spicy, warming flavour of this moist cake. It was a childhood favourite, either on it's own or warmed and covered with hot custard for pudding. The good news is there is no need to miss out of the yummy goodness of this cake if you are vegan and wheat or gluten free! I've devised a recipe packed with flavour and so tasty your whole family will want more. Ingredients 115g light soft brown sugar (or alternatively whatever you have in the cupboard) 75g vegan margarine 75g golden syrup 75g treacle 110ml plant milk 1 flax egg  or vegan egg replacer 225g gram flour 4 tsp ginger powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1 large pinch of Himalayan pink salt 1.5 tsp baking powder Method Preheat oven to 160C and line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Put the sugar, margarine, golden syrup and treacle in a saucepan and warm over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is well combined and you have a dark brown mixture. Remove t

When you first go vegan, it can feel like you're missing out on a lot of your favourite treats. Although we've come a long want in the past few years, it can still be difficult and expensive to find delicious chocolate (and wheat free) treats that are affordable and delicious. These can be made on quite a low budget, or as fancy as you want if you choose to splash out on posh ingredients. It doesn't matter, they will be lovely anyway! I made my latest batch with gluten free digestives from Asda. To give you an idea of proportions, I used 10 biscuits because they're rather small. You would need around 6 or 7 normal sized wheat digestives or HobNobs. Digestives and oaty biscuits like HobNobs are *usually* vegan friendly, but be sure to check the label! Ingredients 200g vegan friendly chocolate (dark or milk, I like to use half and half) 70ml plant milk 100g vegan friendly digestive biscuit crumbs (gluten & wheat free if required) 100g plant based m