Pinto Bean & Chickpea Falafels - Suma Blogger's Network

After recently making refried beans, I wanted to create another recipe which used dried pinto beans, for my latest Suma Bloggers post; pinto beans are great as a cheap, vegetarian source of protein because they don't require pre-soaking.

Although I've always used canned, cooked chick peas for falafels, it turns out that traditional recipes use soaked, raw chickpeas. I didn't have the time or inclination to soak my pulses for 12 hours, so I decided to boil them along with the pinto beans, without pre-soaking. This actually worked really well and I was pleased with the end result, which not only tasted good freshly cooked, but also worked well cold in wraps for my packed lunches.

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 1 cup dried pinto beans (from Suma)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for frying
• 1 onion, very finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. chickpea/gram flour (from Suma)
• 1 chilli, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Rapidly boil the pulses for 10 minutes. Then cover and simmer for a further hour.

When cooked, drain.

Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes, until softened.

Add the spices and cook for a further minute.

Blend the chickpeas with the cooked onion and spices, plus the gram flour, until you have a fairly firm, dough-like mixture.

Roll into 20-24 small balls, using your hands.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.

Heat a few more tbsp. oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. Cook the falafels for around 5-8 minutes until golden brown (you can deep fry if you prefer).

Serve in wraps, with salad and hummus.


Top Tip: A word of warning - these vegan and gluten-free falafels are quite fragile as they don't contain egg or breadcrumbs to bind them, so you need to turn them carefully when cooking!

Integrity Statement
As a member of the Suma Blogger's Network, I will receive a selection of complimentary products from Suma every two months, to use in recipe development, and will blog an original recipe for the Network. 

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Ricotta and Amaretti Cake - Suma Bloggers Network

Christmas is just around the corner, so I wanted to create a new, festive recipe for the Suma Bloggers Network.  I decided on a dessert dish, which had to and taste special enough for the festive celebrations, without being too rich or heavy. As I had some amaretti biscuits from Suma, I wanted to use them in something other than a tiramisu and felt that they would add both texture and flavour to a cake.

My Italian-inspired Ricotta and Amaretti Cake is a cross between a cheese cake and a sponge pudding and has quite a  dense texture. It provides a seasonal alternative to the traditional Christmas pudding, which my daughters are not keen on it.

Serves 10

• 50g/2oz softened butter
• 1x250g/10oz tub ricotta
• 150g/6oz soft brown sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 150g/6oz self-raising flour
• 100g/4oz ground almonds
• 200g/8oz amaretti biscuits, roughly broken (from Suma)
• 100g/4oz good quality chocolate (I used Montezumas Dark Chocolate, Bean Machine, from Suma), chopped into chunks
• 2 tbsp very strong, cold coffee (2 tsp coffee granules to 2 tbsp. boiling water)

Preheat the oven to 150C/140C Fan/Gas 2/300F.
Grease and line a loose-bottomed 20cm round cake tin.

Put the butter, ricotta, sugar and eggs into a large bowl. Whisk for 5 minutes until thick, smooth and creamy. Then gently stir the coffee, flour and ground almonds.

Fold in most of the chocolate and biscuit pieces, but retain and handful of each.
Pour the cake mixture into the lined tin. Scatter with the remaining biscuits and chocolate and press lightly into the cake mixture.

Bake for around 45 minutes or until golden brown, firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before turning out.
Dust with cocoa powder or icing sugar before serving.

Serve warm with cream, ice cream or custard.

Top tips: Swap the coffee for 2 tbsp of  Tia Maria or Amaretto liqueur. For a more traditional Christmas flavour, omit the chocolate and add the equivalent weight of dried fruit, pre-soaked in the liqueur.
Gluten free option: Check that your amaretti biscuits are GF. Swap the flour for GF flour and add some GF baking powder if needed.

Integrity Statement As a member of the Suma Blogger's Network, I will receive a selection of complimentary products from Suma every two months, to use in recipe development, and will blog an original recipe for the Network.   

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Ratatouille with Sautéed New Potatoes

I've only just planted out my courgette plants, but I'm already trying out some new recipes to use up the inevitable glut which will soon be on its way!

I've got to admit that I'm, generally not a big fan of ratatouille. Mainly because the vegetables are often stewed together, so some get over cooked and mushy, whilst others are still al dente. My version, takes longer to cook than most British versions of the recipe, but this more traditional way of cooking the dish gives it a better texture and taste.

Serves 4

• 1 medium/large aubergine, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 2 medium courgettes, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 2 bell peppers, de-seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped or crushed
• ½ tsp dried or 1 tsp fresh, chopped thyme
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped fresh parsley
• black pepper, to taste

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat.
Cook the aubergine for around 10 minutes, turning regularly. When the aubergine is soft, golden brown and releases its juices when pressed, it's done! 
Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen towel.

Add a further 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and repeat the process with the courgettes. They should take around 5 minutes to soften and brown slightly. Remove from the pan, as before.

Heat a further 1 tbsp of oil in the pan and repeat with the peppers. Cook for around 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and garlic along with another 1 tbsp oil. Sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.

Now add all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.
Throw the aubergine and courgettes back in and stir to combine.

*At this point, you can remove from the heat and chill until needed.

Continue to simmer, with the lid on for 15 minutes. 
Remove the lid and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes until most of the tomato juice has evaporated and the vegetables are tender, but not mushy. 

*If reheating from cold, place in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes in a medium oven 160C/150C Fan/Gas 3/320F, until piping hot.

Serve warm or hot with sautéed or boiled new potatoes. 

Top tip:  This makes a great vegetarian lasagne filling too.

I'm linking this post to the Meat Free Mondays round-up over at Tinned Tomatoes.

Take a look at these recipes from some of my fellow food bloggers, for more delicious courgette (zucchini) based dishes:

• Hasselback Courgettes or Zucchini with Basil Oil from Gluten Free SCD and Veggie
• Courgette and Chickpea Pancakes with Mango and Cucumber Chutney from Tin & Thyme
• Tomato and Courgette Bake from Big Cook...Tiny Kitchen

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Panforte di Siena

In case you've never heard of it, panforte is a traditional, festive Italian spiced fruit and nut cake, served with coffee and liqueurs after a meal. After watching Antonio Carluccio make a panforte on TV last Christmas, I knew it was something I'd have to try making myself.

The traditional recipe is easy to veganise as the only animal-derived ingredient is honey. I've also adapted the recipe to make it gluten free, contain less sugar and use easy-to-find UK ingredients. The resulting cake is still deliciously sweet and tastes something like a cross between a fruit and nut energy bar and Christmas cake! Having made it once, I reckon it would actually be pretty easy to make a raw version. 

Serves 16-20

• 200g/8oz (combined weight) dried figs and/or pitted dates, roughly chopped
• 50g/2oz each of raisins, sultanas and currants
• 1 level tsp mixed (pumpkin pie) spice
• juice and zest of 2 large oranges and 1 lemon
• 150g/6oz candied fruit, such as glacé cherries, apple, melon, citrus peel etc.
• 100g/4oz almonds, lightly toasted
• 100g/4oz walnuts, lightly toasted
• 4 tbsp agave, date or golden syrup
• 4 tbsp gluten-free flour
• 5 tbsp Vin Santo, dessert wine, amaretto or sweet sherry (I used amaretto)
• Icing sugar to dust

Heat the oven to 150 C/140 C Fan/Gas 2./300 F; grease and line a loose-bottomed 25cm/10" round cake tin, with grease proof paper.

Toast the nuts, cool and then roughly chop or grind coarsely, depending on the texture you prefer.

Chop the figs or dates roughly and put them in a pan with the other dried and candied fruits.
Add the syrup, wine/liqueur, citrus juice, zest and mixed spice.
Stir together and cook gently for about 10 minutes.
Then add the chopped nuts and flour and mix well.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press down well.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
When cold, sprinkle generously with sifted icing sugar.
Cut into thin slices to serve.

Stores for up to a month in an airtight container.

Find my other vegetarian Christmas recipes here.

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Custard Creams (Gluten-Free & Vegan) - Suma Blogger's Network

My latest recipe for the Suma Blogger's Network is one I have road -tested, by baking the biscuits with 60 five year olds!

Cookery in primary schools is back on the curriculum with the aim of 'instilling a love of cooking'. As I work in a school, I often get asked to come up with recipes or ideas for our food-related activities. We have to be careful with allergens and various other dietary needs, so I came up with this recipe for Custard Creams. I had to make sure the recipe was easy to make, but it also had to be nut and egg-free, so I thought might as well go the whole hog and make it gluten and dairy-free too!

Having not used gluten-free flour before, I found it was made a slightly less-pliable dough, than wheat flour would; therefore you have to handle it more gently. Once cooked, it produced robust, crispy biscuits, which were easy to handle, so were great for the kids to decorate. Taste-wise, the gluten-free flour gave a courser texture to the biscuits, which was slightly gritty.

Makes 8-10 sandwich biscuits

Biscuit dough

• 100g/4oz margarine/dairy-free spread
• 150g/6oz gluten-free flour
• 100g/4oz caster sugar
• 50g/2 oz gluten-free custard powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling

• 150g/6oz icing sugar
• 50g/2oz margarine/butter
• 13g/½oz gluten-free custard powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 190C/180C Fan/375F/Gas 5
Cream the spread and sugar together, then beat in the custard powder and vanilla.
Mix in the flour to form a firm dough.
Refrigerate for 15 mins.

Carefully roll the dough out on a lightly floured board, until it is about ½cm thick - if it cracks in places, simply smooth over the dough with your fingers.
Cut out around 16-20 biscuits  with a rectangular cookie cutter (or whatever shape you prefer) and place on a greased baking tray.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Cool on the tray for a few minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack to cool.

When cold, sandwich together with the butter cream...

For the filling
Cream the spread, custard powder and vanilla together.
Slowly beat in the icing sugar, adding 1-2 tsp of boiling water, if needed, to make a thick, spreadable icing .
Spread or pipe the icing onto half of the biscuits.
Sandwich together with the remaining biscuits.

Keep in an airtight box for 2-3 days.
Suitable for freezing. 

Alternatives: 

• You can make these biscuits with plain wheat flour if preferred; you may need to add a little extra to make a firm cookie dough.
• If you don't want to sandwich the biscuits together with butter-icing, they can be decorated with glacé icing instead.
• Make larger biscuits and cook for a few minutes longer, to make gluten-free ice-cream sandwich cookies.
• Swap the custard powder (in both the cookie dough and icing) for unsweetened cocoa powder to make bourbon biscuits.

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Mildreds: The Vegetarian Cookbook - A review & give-away

A few years ago, I had a wonderful meal at Mildreds vegetarian restaurant in London's West End. There are no exclusively vegetarian restaurants where I live, so it's always a real treat to be able to choose anything from a menu, without scrutinising it for traces of chorizo or anchovy!

I recently found out that there's now a Mildreds cookbook, packed full of recipes for the sort of homely dishes served in the restaurant, including some of their classic starters, mains, mezze dishes and desserts. These are mainly a mix of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Asian-inspired recipes...just the sort of meals I love to both cook and eat.

"An exciting new cookery book from the popular vegetarian restaurant, Mildreds: The Vegetarian Cookbook has something for everyone. Whether you are a vegetarian, or are trying to cut down on your meat intake, the international influences in these recipes promise variety and flavour."

Once I'd had a quick browse, I was really excited to get cooking. First on the list was the vegan chocolate and peanut butter brownies, which tasted as good as they sounded. I then made the halloumi, courgette and mint fritters and the roast pepper and black olive lahmacuns (Turkish pizzas) which turned out really well, as you can see below.

I loved the book and it's one I'll definitely be returning to time and time again. The recipes are clearly laid out, easy to follow and use fresh and seasonal, mainstream ingredients, available from most supermarkets. They're marked with a V for vegan recipes and GF for gluten-free, but most recipes also include a vegan option if they contain eggs or dairy. Due to the unpretentious and fuss-free nature of the recipes, I would particularly recommend this book to new or young vegetarians, meat reducers and vegetarian families, who want to cook simple, quick and tasty, vegetarian food. 

For recipes and news from Mildreds, do pop over and take a look at their blog. 

Mildreds: The Vegetarian Cookbook by Mildreds, Photography by Jonathan Gregson, Published by Mitchell Beazley, £25, http://www.octopusbooks.co.uk/

I have a copy of this fabulous book to give away (UK ONLY). Just tell me your favourite vegetarian meal in a comment below and add your details to the Rafflecopter widget. Competition closes 12:00 am 16th June 2015.

Integrity Statement
I received a complimentary copy of the book to review and one to give-away. All views expressed are my own.

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Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles (Vegan) - Suma Blogger's Network

I know it's a bit early, and you probably don't want reminding that Christmas is only 53 days away, but as it's the 1st of November, I thought I would start blogging some festive recipes! These vegan chocolate truffles are really easy to make, will keep in the fridge for a week or so, and make great home-made Christmas presents. 

This recipe makes Nutella or Ferrero Rocher flavoured truffles, which are totally dairy-free!

Makes around 10-12 truffles.

• 200g/8oz dairy-free dark chocolate (I used Plamil chocolate drops)
• 90ml/6 tbsp Ecomil almond cream (use 75ml/5 tbsp of cream if using liqueur as the flavouring)
• 90ml/6tbsp Meridan crunchy hazelnut butter 
• 1 tsp vanilla or other flavouring extract
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, desiccated coconut, coconut sugar, roasted chopped hazel nuts, grated chocolate etc. to coat.
• 2-4 tsp date/agave syrup to sweeten (optional)*

Heat the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, in the microwave, until melted - Stir every 10-15 seconds, to make sure it doesn't burn.
Add the almond cream, vanilla and nut butter and mix well - Taste and sweeten* at this point if you prefer a sweeter truffle.

Chill the mixture for an hour or two, until firm.

Remove from the fridge and working quickly, shape heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls, using your hands.
Roll the truffles in your preferred coatings and pop into sweet cases. Refrigerate until needed.
Wrap in cellophane bags to give as presents.

*These truffles have quite an adult dark-chocolate taste, so may not appeal to younger children. For a more child-friendly option, use a dairy-free 'milk chocolate' and sweeten the mixture with 2-4 tsp date/agave syrup.

Flavour options: Vary the recipe by using different nut butters and flavourings; use 1 tbsp liqueur, 1 tsp flavouring extract or a little grated lemon/orange zest instead of vanilla extract. Try using almond or cashew nut butter instead of hazelnut.

Integrity Statement

As a member of the Suma Blogger's Network, I will receive a selection of complimentary products from Suma every two months, to use in recipe development, and will blog an original recipe for the Network. 

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Spicy Spinach and Chickpea Burgers (Vegan)

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This recipe was inspired by one for Broad Bean Burgers from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty. I didn't have all the ingredients needed, so it morphed into these vegan veggie burgers, which taste something like a cross between a spicy bean burger and a falafel!
The use of leftover risotto instead of potato, worked well as a binder and negated the need for egg.

• 200g/8oz spinach, washed
• 1 tin of chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 cup of cooked risotto rice (about 50g/2oz uncooked weight)
• 1½ cups of fresh bread crumbs
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp chopped chilli (add more or less to taste)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp each of ground fennel seeds, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander or parsley leaves

Cook and drain the spinach (I microwave it, with no added water for 3-4 minutes on high) and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible, using your hands. Blot dry on kitchen roll.

Put all of the ingredients, except the rice and breadcrumbs, into a food processor and blend briefly, leaving some chunks of chickpea for texture. 
Stir in the rice and add just enough breadcrumbs to form a dough-like consistency.
Chill for 30 minutes or so.

Divide into 8 and shape into burgers, squeezing the mixture together in your hands (or use a burger press like I did!) 

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan and cook 4 burgers at a time for 4-5 minutes each side - on a medium heat. Repeat with the other 4 burgers.

Serve in pittas or bread rolls with salad and a dollop of your favourite burger sauce!

Not suitable for freezing. 

Alternatives - Divide mixture into 16 and roll into balls, to make into falafels or polpettes.
Vary the herbs and spices for different flavoured burgers eg: Italian: fresh basil, chilli and garlic, Greek: fresh mint or dill and parsley, chilli and garlic, Indian: garam masala, ginger, chilli, garlic etc.

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Pisto Manchego

Pisto Manchego is basically a Spanish version of ratatouille, which is generally served topped with an egg. It's one of the few traditionally Spanish vegetarian dishes, although if you eat this in Spain, do check that it doesn't include any ham, before you order!

Serves 4

• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 medium courgette
• 1 Spanish onion
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp paprika
• Black pepper to taste
• A pinch of sugar
• 1 egg per person or fresh mozzarella/Manchego/melting vegan cheese

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan.
Throw in all of the vegetables and garlic, and gently cook for around 5 minutes until softened.
Add the chopped tomatoes and seasonings, plus a pinch of sugar.
Allow to simmer with the lid on, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve con huevos - topped with a fried egg, or with a less traditional slice of mozzarella or vegan cheese and some sauteed new potatoes.

This also makes a good pasta sauce or bruschetta topping.

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Traditional English Christmas Pudding

Shop-bought Christmas puddings are an oddity to me, tasting neither Christmassy or puddingy! Luckily, I only need taste these manufactured monstrosities very occasionally in unsocial situations. This moist and luscious vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free pudding recipe has been handed down to me through three generations...obviously the original recipe contained suet, so I have adapted it slightly!
I can only hope that my children will pass it onto the next generation. 

Make the pudding at least a two or three weeks (preferably longer) before Christmas and store in a cool, dark cupboard until needed. 

Serves 8

• 100g/4oz currants
• 100g/4oz raisins
• 100g/4oz sultanas
• 4 tbsp brandy/rum/sherry
• 50g/2oz plain flour or GF flour
• 50g/2oz fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs or GF breadcrumbs
• 100g/4oz vegetarian suet or softened butter
• 100g/4oz dark soft brown sugar
• 2 medium eggs or equivalent egg replacer
• 2 eating apples, peeled and grated
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 lemon or ½ orange, zest and juice
• 1 tsp mixed spice

Put the dried fruits into a large bowl and soak overnight with the brandy/rum/sherry. 

Add all of the other ingredients and mix together.

Spoon into a greased 1 litre/2 pint Pyrex pudding bowl.
Cover the bowl with a layer of greaseproof paper and a layer of baking foil.
Tie securely with string (around the edge of the bowl).
Steam in a pan half-filled with water (simmer with the lid on) for 3 hours, on a low heat. Top up with water as needed.
Cool and store in a cool dark place.

On Christmas day, reheat the pudding, by steaming for an hour as above, or remove the foil and paper and replace with pierced cling film - microwave on medium-low for around 5-10 minutes, or until piping hot.

Remove foil/paper/film and turn out onto a warm plate.

Make an indent in the top of the pudding, using the back of a spoon. 

Pour some slightly warmed brandy over the top.

Stand well back and light before serving!

Serve with brandy butter, custard, cream or ice cream.

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Cheese Eyeballs and Witches' Fingers for Halloween

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I've just made these cheesy horrors with my kids for our Halloween party. They're very easy to children to help make (think of it as cheesy playdough!) and taste great too. If your kids won't eat anything that's been near an olive, you could always cut out pieces of red or green pepper and use those instead of the olives.

Makes about 20 (double mixture to make a large batch). 

• 2 cups of grated reduced-fat mature cheddar cheese - or any other hard cheese.
• ½ cup sunflower spread/butter
• 1 cup plain flour or gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp paprika or ½ tsp English mustard powder
• 100g/4oz pimento stuffed olives 

Cut 5 olives in half width-ways for the eyes and cut 3 into quarters long-ways for the nails.

Mix the cheese, sunflower spread, flour and paprika/mustard together (in a food processor if have one). Add a tiny drop of milk or cold water if needed, so that you have a firm dough.

Divide the dough into about 20 pieces and roll into balls. Form half of the balls into eye shapes and press a dent into each using your finger. 

Then press half an olive into each dent (so that the olive looks like the iris/pupil).

Roll the other half into finger shapes and press a quarter of an olive onto the end of each finger to form the nail.

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 210C/200C Fan/Gas 7/425F for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

If you have some red food colouring, paint on some veins and allow to dry. Serve warm or cold.

Suitable for freezing.

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