Chickpeas & Avocado Caesar Salad and Sprouting Seeds

 

I saw Post Punk Kitchen's recent post on a very vegan Caesar salad, and realised my fridge was loaded with chickpeas and avocado that needed eating, I took this as a perfect opportunity to actually follow a recipe (I like to improvise too much) for once!

                 

 

I’ve never made a dressing with Tahini and was so surprised how it easy it was to thin the tahini with water, I added the mustard and garlic (losing friends because I added too much) the dressing had a very rich nutty taste. Actually the garlic flavour had really mellowed by the following day.

It inspired me to dig out my Appetite for reduction and start making more of my own salad dressings.

The salad came together really easily and the Tahini is really nutty, the chickpeas were out of a jar, yum! It also made a tasty lunch the next day and my work colleagues didn't notice the garlic.

 

 

 

At my local corner shop, they sell a lot of ethnic foods, mostly Indian and Asian, the other day I was picking up Rose water, dried chickpeas and Thai green curry paste (HOT) for my friend when I spotted Chickpeas in a jar!

When I spent a month in Rome I became totally addicted to jarred chickpeas. I could scoop a spoon full out onto my salad and add some raw garlic and Italian extra virgin olive oil and lunch was sorted.

So of course I bought a jar, in fact they were the same price as a can of chickpeas, but they taste so much better! They are really well cooked and soft enough to eat straight up.

Plus you can reuse the glass jar as storage for dried cupboard stables, or even for sprouting seeds.

This leads me nicely onto...sprouting seeds! With said dried chickpeas, I got out my Bio-Snacky Germinator and began socking my chickpeas ready for sprouting.

I’ve read that sprouted seeds and beans are really good for you, because they are easier to digest and have lots of healthy happy stuff in them. I have a lot of seeds and pulses I can sprout at home.

I did read somewhere that you should boil the chickpeas for a few minutes before you consume them.

 

Soaking the Chickpeas before the sprouting starts!

Please comment on this blog post if you love sprouting! 

 

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Christmas 2012

Christmas presents!

 The long awaited book; Vegan Eats World

  It is bigger than it looks on Amazon and I'm in the process of bookmarking what to make first, but the Green Thai soup is looking pretty good!

 

Wearing last years scarf and Santa hat christmas presents from Beijing.

 

 

Also here is my christmas day roast dinner with Cheatin's Celebrations roast, bacon wrapped sausages and turkey, sprouts, parsnips, stuffing and creamy cheesey leeks.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

 

I was really inspired by the PPK Roasted Butternut Alfredo post, also recently made by Vegan in Brighton, I decided it was time to make some pasta! 

So with my new love of Macaroni, I made a delicious creamy pasta.

 

I also added some leek instead of onion and made a lightly cheesy sauce to go with it all.

 

I would love to say this is the end of my Butternut addiction, but I just finishes making soup and still have one whole squash left!

 

 

Vegan Mofo: Carrot Cake Cupcake

This is another 1st for me; Ive never used Carrots or Yoghurt in baking!

I was looking though Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and wondered "Why haven't I made these before!" They seem like a perfectly English recipe, and cake made of vegetable is healthy...right?

I was obligated in my new job to secure my position on the team by hosting the Cakey Friday, I think they made it up to exploit cake from me. These were so lovely, and a really hit with the team too! I kinda wish I had made two batches now!

 

At first I took them out of the oven and thought they looked a bit over cooked, then when I tried one, it seemed under done in the centre. I was almost ready to start over and make a new batch. But I cooled them and topped with a yoghurt frosting (adapted from Vegan Cream Cheese frosting) and sprinkled a thin layer of chopped walnuts!
 

 

Lots of Carrot, and a little Ginger and Cinnamon spice!

 

 

Carrot, Walnut and Raisiny goodness!

 

I put them in the fridge over night and the next day nervously handed them out. Trying one myself I realised they had firmed up nicely. These are very much a make in advance cake, perfect!

 

 

I used a bit pot of Alpro Soya Yoghurt for this recipe. My friend tried one, and she kept asking me, "How to you make the sponge so soft?"

 

These cakes could never be considered dry!!

 

 

 

Tofu...in a Brownie?

When I first read in PPK’s Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar the Recipe for Deluxe Cocoa Brownies I marked this page for things to bake. When collecting the ingredients I was so intrigued to see the ingredient is TOFU! I love waiting till someone has their first bite before I tell them there is Tofu in the Brownies.




This is a brilliant recipe and makes a lovely moist, rich, crumbly brownie.

I usually serve this straight up, without any topping, but occasionally throwing in some chunks of chocolate, I’ve been eyeing up the Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Brownies for next time.