Holistic Vegan

There are lots of pasta bake sauces available for sale ready made in a jar, the problem is finding one that's vegan friendly. Add in wheat or gluten intolerance too and you're in for a difficult time! I personally think that it's much nicer to make your own pasta bake sauce, and the good news is that it's easy and cost effective too. Pasta bakes traditionally call for cheese which has been challenging for vegans in the past. Vegan cheese has come a long way in the past few years, but it still has a tendency to dry out and burn if you sprinkle it on top of a dish to go in the oven. You can get away with putting a little bit on top, but I don't recommend covering this one completely like you would do with dairy cheeses. This is a very easy but delicious pasta bake that is also very yummy and popular with kids, so the whole family will love it. For a gluten or wheat free option, just make sure you use a wheat or gluten free pasta, like corn or rice pasta,

Homemade Tapenade with lightly salted Tortilla Chips...heaven! Dips and spreads form an important and delicious part of the vegan foodie arsenal, and this one is easy to make, low cost and impressive if you have visitors coming too. Tapenade is versatile and makes a great dip or a spread, and can be used as an alternative to pesto in pasta dishes too. I actually made this one with ingredients all bought from Lidl here in the UK, so this recipe can be made really low cost if you are on a budget. The sundried tomatoes in oil from Lidl are undeniably the best value around, plus there are a few capers in the jar too so you don't even need to buy those seperately to have everything you need.   You'll note I didn't add any salt to this recipe - I find you don't need it if you are having it with a savory chip or biscuit that is already salty. Add with caution if you choose to put extra salt in.  So here is my veganised version of a traditional mediterranean

This makes a very yummy, moist chocolate cake that gets better with a few days ageing! The moisture from the tinned prunes make this a really special recipe, so don't be put off if you've never eaten prines before - prunes are not just for the elderly or constipated, plus you can't really taste them in this cake anyway. I don't have a photo of this one at the moment because it always disappears too quickly for me to take one...😁 Get yourself ready for real treat! Ingredients 1 x 425g tin of prunes 125g vegetable fat suitable for baking 225g sugar 2 tablespoons milled flaxseed 6 tablespoons water 8 oz self raising flour (for wheat and gluten free, replace with 8oz gram flour + 2 teaspoons of baking powder) 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 oz cocoa powder ½ teaspoon ground clove Method Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350F Grease and line a 20x15cm (8x6”) square tin with greaseproof paper Drain the tinned prunes, saving the liquid

Hot from the oven! Why yes, that is a Laguiole knife... This is another one of my most popular recipes - I call this Helen's super-duper Banana Bread because it never fails! This is a tea bread i.e. a loaf cake that is designed to be eaten with vegan butter or spread, or your favourite jam. It's not bread in the structest sense of the word, but a slightly less sweet version of a cake, that is very nice for high tea. (Oh, la di dah!) This delicious and versatile loaf is great served warm for breakfast, or with your favourite spread at any time of the day. I recently made a very acceptable wheat & gluten free version of this substituting the wheat flour for gram (chickpea) flour. It's slightly less sweet than the original, but very tasty and gives you a nice consistency and good structural integrity, which is often lacking when baking with other gluten-free flours. gram flour can make the mixture a little too stiff, in which case just add 1-2 tablespoo

I have a bit of a thing for vintage china...these were all charity shop acquisitions! This is a bit of a more decadent take on a classic recipe, and it has the bonus of being easy to make and wheat-free too.  To make it gluten free, simply make sure you are using gluten free ingredients - check your sugar and oats in particular. Makes 12 generous bars Ingredients 230g vegan margarine 230g brown sugar 6 tbspn golden syrup 450g rolled oats 60g dessicated coconut 200g glacé cherries (halved) 18x28cm (or similar size) shallow baking tin Method Grease your baking tin & preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Put margarine, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan over a low heat and melt gently, stirring until it becomes liquid. (The fat will probably float to the top but don't worry.) Measure out the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Carefully stir in the hot margarine/sugar liquid and mix thoroughly, making sure all the oats are coa