Vegetable and Chickpea Tagine

This recipe is adapted from one a friend passed on to me from Delicious Magazine. The original recipe included lamb and honey, which I have substituted for extra vegetables and a little sugar. I also reduced the fat content considerably by cutting down on the suggested amounts of olive oil. 

Serves 4-6

Main ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into chunks
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• ½ butternut squash, peeled and de-seeded, and cut into chunks
• 100g/4oz mushrooms, whole or cut into quarters, depending on size.
• 100g/4oz green beans, cut into 2" pieces
• 1 or 2 large white potatoes or small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 400g/16oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 or 3 strips of lemon zest
• 500ml/1 pt hot vegetable stock

For the chermoula:

• 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp harissa paste
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Couscous:

• 2 cups couscous
• 2 cups vegetable stock (made with a stock cube and boiling water)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp chermoula

First, make the chermoula by putting all the ingredients into a mini food processor. Blend to a smooth paste, then set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large pan. Add the onion, squash and potatoes and fry over a medium heat until just starting to brown. Add the cinnamon, ginger and 2 tablespoons of the chermoula, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Throw in the green beans, mushrooms and chickpeas.
Add the tomatoes, stock and sugar and stir.
Cover the pan and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile put the couscous and 2 tsp of the remaining chermoula into heatproof bowl and stir in the boiling water, lemon juice and oil. Cover with cling film and leave for 5 minutes.
Uncover the bowl and fluff up with a fork.

Finally mix the remaining chermoula into the tagine and stir well. Simmer for just a couple more minutes before serving.

Serve with couscous and/or flatbread.

Alternatives: Swap the sugar in the tagine for a handful of chopped, dried apricots. 
Use any combinations of firm vegetables....this would be great way to use up gluts of home-grown vegetables such as courgettes and runner beans.
This recipe also works well with meat substitutes such as Quorn....use your preferred meat-sub instead of the extra vegetables.
You could make this a lower-fat dish by reducing the amount of oil still further, but I feel that as it's a vegan family meal, a glug of good quality olive oil is a good thing!

I'm linking this recipe to The Spice Trail challenge over at Bangers and Mash. This month's theme is cumin.

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The cheapest cabin-sized baggage?

Do excuse this slightly random and not-at-all food-related post, but I've recommended this case on several different forums and thought it would be easier to post here to save repeating myself!

If, like me, you favour budget airlines and independently-booked accommodation over package holidays, you might be interested to know that IKEA currently have a cabin-sized foldable case for just £12 (with a free, Ikea Family Card). Ikea's Upptacka case measures 48cm x 34cm x 20cm, so is well within the hand luggage constraints of all major budget airlines... as far as I know.

Slightly frustratingly (as we tried so hard to find a budget-priced case to fit in with Ryanair's required baggage dimensions), we've used ours twice already and it has ended up in the hold, but has survived to tell the tale! Do label your case though, as if it ends up in the hold it may well be one of several identical cases on the carousel!

Integrity Statement

I purchased this case myself and have not been offered any incentive for a review.

Image courtesy of Ikea.

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Cinnamon Sugar Mini Muffin Doughnuts

When I saw Michelle from Utterly Scrummy's recipe for these delicious-looking, mini muffin-doughnuts (which are obviously not Duffins!), I just had to make them. They're really simple to make, and taste even better then they look! They have the taste and texture of those mini supermarket doughnuts.

I made a few minor changes to the recipe as follows...

• I halved the recipe (to make 24) and replaced the cinnamon in the cake mixture with vanilla extract. 
• To coat the muffins, I mixed 2 tsp of cinnamon with 6 tbsp sugar. 
• I melted around 4 tbsp butter and after dipping a couple and seeing how much butter each muffin absorbed, I decided to just dip the 'muffin tops' into the butter, but still roll the whole cakes in the cinnamon sugar.

I froze half of the batch and took a few out to defrost as and when anyone fancied one. They are best served warm and I found that a 10-15 second blast in the microwave did the job, without affecting the taste or texture.

My next challenge is to make a vegan version, so watch this space!

I'm adding this post to this month's Bookmarked Recipes over on Tinned Tomatoes.

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World Cup Vegetarian Meal Plan!

OK, this is a bit of a cash in on the World Cup, as I'm really not a football fan, but as Mr O has suggested that I cook different family meals for the different matches this week, I thought I may as well blog my meal plan!

• Monday: Portugal - piri piri mushroom & halloumi burgers with sweet potato wedges
• Tuesday: Mexico - vegetable and bean enchiladas with salad
• Wednesday: Spain pisto manchego with sauteed potatoes
• Thursday: Greece Quorn souvlaki with rice
• Friday: Italy pasta with anti-pasti pesto sauce
• Saturday: Iran kabab koobideh with rice (I'll admit, I cheated on this one and just added an Iranian version to my existing shami kebab recipe!)
• Sunday: USA sloppy Joes

I'm adding this meal plan to Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday linky.

Here are a few of my previous vegetarian/vegan meal plans:

3 week summer meal plan

3 meals a day meal plan

Family budget meal planning tips

Lower fat meal plan

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Triple Chocolate Vegan Cookies - Suma Blogger's Network

This is my first post for the brand new Suma Blogger’s Network, which I'm very proud to be part of.The Network is made up of a collection of vegetarian and vegan bloggers from all over the UK, who will be blogging every couple of months using ingredients from Suma Co-op (wholesale suppliers of a huge range of vegetarian and vegan foods). 

Each recipe will be featured both on the individuals' blogs and on the Suma website.

My first recipe is a slightly indulgent one, but one which will hopefully dispel the myth that vegetarians and vegans live on lentils and spinach! 

Makes 10-12 cookies

• 4oz/1400g plain flour
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sieved 
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
• 3oz/75g dairy-free margarine/spread
• 6oz/150g soft, brown sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp No-Egg (egg replacer) mixed with 1 tbsp water
• 2oz/50g white, dairy-free chocolate/chocolate chips (I used Organica vegan white chocolate from Suma)
• 2oz/50g 'milk', dairy-free chocolate/chocolate chips (I used Moo-Free from Suma)
• 2oz/50g dark, dairy-free chocolate/chocolate chips (I used Plamil chocolate chips from Suma)

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/160C Fan/325 F/Gas 3 and grease two baking sheets.

Melt the spread on a low heat and allow to cool.
Cream the spread with the syrup and sugar.
Add the remaining dry ingredients (except the chocolate), the egg-replacer and the vanilla
Mix until you have a fairly firm, smooth dough; if the dough is too crumbly, add a little water or dairy-free milk.
Add the chocolate pieces and mix again to distribute them evenly through the dough.

Take dessert-spoonfuls of the mixture and place them, spaced well apart on the baking sheets.
Do not flatten.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for around 5 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool.

Will keep for several days in an airtight container. Suitable for freezing. 

Alternatives: Make chocolate-orange or mint-chocolate cookies, by swapping the vanilla extract for orange or mint.

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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Greek-Style Tortilla/Taco Salad with Halloumi

After making my first ever tortilla bowls a couple of weeks ago, I decided to experiment further and tried making microwaved bowls (see tutorial below). The wraps puffed up slightly, so maybe corn tortillas are a better option, but they went nice and crispy and worked very well as an alternative to toasted pittas with this Greek-inspired salad.

You will need:

• 4 tortilla wraps, microwaved as below and allowed to cool
• 1 pack of halloumi, sliced into 8 and grilled or barbecued
• Your choice of fresh salad ingredients (I used lettuce, tomato, onion, bell pepper and cucumber)

Dressing: (mix all ingredients together)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 crushed clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• A little black pepper

To make the tortilla/taco bowls:
Microwave one tortilla wrap at a time for 15-30 seconds on high, to soften.
Brush or wipe one side of each wrap with a little oil.
Place oiled-side-down into a heat-proof dish, pleating the wrap gently so that it fits inside the bowl.
Remove from the bowl and dry out the wrap in a medium oven for around 5 minutes, before cooling on a wire rack. 

Fill each tortilla bowl with salad ingredients. Top with the warm halloumi and drizzle the dressing over.

Serve immediately with your favourite dips.

Vegan option: swap the halloumi for vegan falafels.

Alternatives: Vary the salad ingredients and toppings, to make Mexican or Indian-inspired salads.

I'm entering this recipe to this month's No Croutons Required Challenge, co-hosted by Jacqui at Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa at Lisa's Kitchen. 

I'm also adding it to June's Family Foodies co-hosted by Eat Your Veg and Bangers & Mash

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Cheat's Patatas Bravas

This is another one of my non-recipes, which seams almost too simple to be worth blogging, however it makes a cheap, quick and super-easy vegan meal which can be cooked in about 20 minutes.

Patatas Bravas should really served as a tapas dish, however, it makes a great camping/festival meal and is also good for an end of the week/month dinner, when the cupboards (and purse) are bare!

Serves 4

• 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil 
• 1 kg/2lb bag of frozen potato cubes, almost defrosted 
• 1 large jar of tomato and chilli pasta sauce 

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan/baking dish. Shallow fry or roast the potato chunks until cooked, crisp and golden brown (about 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally).
Throw in the jar of tomato and chilli sauce and any extras (see below) and heat through for a further few minutes until piping hot.

Serve with bread, olives and salad.

Alternatives: To bulk this out, add some extra veg/protein along with the tomato sauce (eg: a tin of drained beans/chickpeas/sweetcorn/sliced mushrooms/veggie salami/chorizo etc...anything ready cooked.). You could also swap the potato cubes for frozen chips, wedges or even hash browns.
For a cheaper version, use 'real' potatoes and a home made tomato sauce. 
Make individual portions and serve as a tapas dish whilst watching Spain play in the World Cup!

I'm entering this recipe to this month's Credit Crunch Munch , hosted at Gingey Bites and founded by Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free Flavours.



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Chana Korma - Mild Chickpea Curry (Vegan)

It's a little late, but here's my post for National Vegetarian Week:

I often add chickpeas (chana) to my veggie curries or make a chana masala side dish, but I don't generally use them in a main dish curry. This korma recipe is tasty and filling enough to eat as a main dish, but can also be served as a side dish along with a paneer or vegetable curry. 

Don't be put off by the long list of spices...you can always use a ready-made curry paste to save time.

Serves 4 as a main course; 6-8 as a side dish

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cinnamon stick, broken.
• ½ tsp fennel seeds, ground
• 1 large onion, grated or finely chopped
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
• 2-3 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp chopped chilli (optional - leave out for a very mild, child-friendly curry)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 or 3 curry leaves (optional)
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 2 tins chana/chickpeas (I use the East End or KTC brands)
• 1 cup/250ml of coconut cream or 2oz/50g creamed coconut (block) mixed with 1 cup/250ml boiling water
• ½-1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp garam or korma masala
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Heat  the oil in a large pan; and add the cinnamon and ground fennel seeds. Cook for a minute or so before adding the onion. Cook the onion on a medium heat until just starting to brown.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
Mix in the remaining spices (except the garam/korma masala) and tomato puree and cook for 2-3 mins.
Add the chickpeas, coconut cream and sugar, simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on, adding a drop more water if needed.
Stir in the garam or korma masala and simmer for a further 2 minutes.
To serve, garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with rice/naan/chapatti for a cheap and filling meal.

Alternatives: If you don't have a good range of dried spices, simply omit the tomato puree and dried spices and replace them with korma curry paste. 
Add some fresh or frozen spinach, or sliced mushrooms along with the chickpeas.

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Vegetarian Chilli in Tortilla Bowls

Vegetarian chilli is a popular meal in my household, but it gets a bit boring after a while. After spotting various meat-based taco salad and Tex-Mex tortilla bowl recipes on Pinterest, I thought I've have a go at making a veggie version...

Serves 4

For the chilli, rice and bowls

• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 cup vegetarian/vegan mince
• 2 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp finely chopped red chilli
• A good pinch of cinnamon
• ½ can red kidney beans or other beans, drained
• 1 small can sweetcorn, drained
• 250ml passata

• 1 packet of microwave Mexican rice or ½ portion Mexican rice
• 4 large tortillas

Salad

• ½ lettuce, finely shredded
• 1 green bell pepper, halved and finely sliced
• 1 chunk of cucumber, halved, de-seeded and sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated

Salad dressing

• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chopped coriander
• 2 tbsp, chopped pickled jalapenos

Toppings

• ½ cup salsa
• ½ cup guacamole
• ½ cup mature cheddar cheese, grated (or vegan alternative), and/or soured cream
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

First make your tortilla bowls. I used this tutorial from The Yummy Life, but found they needed a little practice to get the timings right and that I needed to microwave them first for around 15 seconds, to soften them, before baking. If I was going to make these regularly, I'd invest in a set of Tortilla/Taco Salad Pans.

Fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further minutes or two.
Stir in all  the spices and the oregano, then add the veggie mince.
Pour in the passata, beans and sweetcorn, and simmer for around 15 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the salad ingredients, mix the dressing together and set to one side.

To serve, heat the rice and divide between the tortilla bowls.
Spoon the veggie chilli over the rice.
Top with your choice of salsa, guacamole, grated cheese/vegan cheese and soured cream.
Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and serve with a side salad. 

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Fragrant Heart: A Tale of Love, Life and Food in South-East Asia - A review

Food and travel are two of my favourite things, so when Miranda Emmerson, author of Fragrant Heart, asked me to take a look at her latest book (a memoir about...you guessed it...food and travel!), I was very happy to do so. I received my copy just a few days before going on holiday to Portugal, so I read the book lying under the Portuguese sun. A perfect combination!

Fragrant Heart tells of Miranda and partner Chris's travels through China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia during a 'gap year' which they decide to take before settling down to start a family (they've since had two children). Miranda, a  regular contributor to BBC Radio 4, interweaves her exotic travelogue with tales of her family background, her relationship with Chris and her worries of renting her house out, back home in Wales. 

The book takes the reader on an adventurous journey through S.E Asia, painting a picture not only of the sights of interest, but also of the culture, history, art, politics and cuisine of each region. Some parts of the book are touching, some fascinating and some are laugh-out-loud funny. 

Miranda, a long time vegetarian, struggles to find 'safe' food in countries which regard meat and fish an essential part of any meal...

"Are you a vegetarian? Want some advice? Don't go to China. No. Wait. Scrub that. Do go to China. Just don't try to be a vegetarian once you're there."

Detailed descriptions of the foods they discover on their travels are so vivid that you can almost smell the food cooking and taste the flavours as you read...

"Bolou fan is a sweet and sticky and imparts a feeling of childish decadence to any meal. A whole pineapple is served to the table stuffed with berry-black, steamed short rice. Lifting the spiky lid you uncover a pirate's chest of delight. Candied peel curls in little crystalline caterpillars on top of glistening, sugary delight."

Although not a cookbook, each chapter ends with one or two recipes from the region with both a meat-based and a vegetarian version of each recipe. I tried out the rather confusingly named fish-fragrant aubergine, which contains no fish at all! Fish-fragrant apparently describes the combination of seasonings which would traditionally be served with fish, but work equally well with vegetarian and vegan dishes:

Yuxiang Qiezi or Fish-Fragrant Aubergine (Vegan)

Sichuan cuisine is full of different preparations, ways of cooking things and sauces to cook them in. Fish-fragrant is a description given to this particular sharp and sour sauce classically served over aubergine. There are no fish products used in it. It is very spicy, so cautious first-time cooks might want to halve or even quarter the amount of chilli bean sauce they put in. Served over boiled rice with a handful of chopped spring onions and maybe some nuts on top, I think it makes the perfect winter lunch.

Serves 2 
Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes

• 5 Sichuan peppercorns 
• 2 small aubergines 
• 2 tbsp groundnut oil 
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 2-cm piece of ginger, finely chopped

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 
• 2 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar (available from most Asian grocers)
• 2 tsp sugar 
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce 
• 2 tbsp chilli bean paste (this can be found in Asian grocery stores and some supermarkets, under the Lee Kum Kee brand) 
• 3 tbsp vegetable stock 
• 1 tsp cornflour

Garnish:

• 3 spring onions, sliced

Toast Sichuan peppercorns in a dry frying pan for a minute and then crush. Set aside.
Make the sauce by mixing the rice wine, vinegar, sugar, soy sauces, chilli bean paste, stock and cornflour together in a small bowl.
Cut aubergine into bite-sized cubes.
Heat the groundnut oil in a wok over a medium to high heat. Add the aubergine and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the outsides have browned. Add the garlic, ginger and reserved ground peppercorns and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Pour the sauce over the aubergine mixture and cook on a medium heat for 4 minutes, until the sauce has started to thicken.
Remove from heat and serve with spring onions sprinkled over.

I couldn't find rice wine, so left this out. The resulting dish was amazing, if a little on the spicy side, as I used the full 2 tbsp of chilli bean sauce; I made 2 versions: one as above and one with Quorn and mushrooms, which were equally tasty. Miranda recommend using different combinations of vegetables depending on which you prefer.

Fragrant Heart: A Tale of Life, Love and Food in Asia by Miranda Emmerson is published by Summersdale and is available from Amazon  and all major bookstores. 

I have a paperback copy of the book to give away. Just enter the Rafflecopter below by Midnight on 22nd May:

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Money-Saving Meals with Morrisons

Morrisons have always been known for their special offers, but they now have an I'm Cheaper price promise and a brand new online shop. I've sometimes used my local Morrisons as a 'top up shop' as it's local, however I very rarely used it to get my whole week's food shopping; as it's quite a small shop. I have recently tried shopping online with them, which worked out really well, as I found a much wider range of products at great prices.

I was lucky enough to be chosen by Britmums as a #MorrisonsMum to review the Morrison's shopping experience and shop for our Bank Holiday food. This was the first time I'd done a 'proper' shop in my local store and I was impressed at the range of products they now offer in store. I even found they stocked curry leaves, which have been eluding me for some time!

I planned my weekend shopping to include ingredients for:

• Mexican taco/tortilla bowls with vegetarian chilli
• Mushroom biryani, chana korma, paneer tikka kebabs and naans; fresh fruit salad
• Vegetarian barbecue; mini strawberry shortcakes (recipe from Morrison's magazine)

I bought a wide range of foods and drinks including fresh fruit and veg, cheese, frozen foods and packet foods (including a bargain pack of dried spaghetti at only 23p for 500g!). As it was a bank holiday, I also splashed out on some rather nice wines, both on special offer (including a Fairtrade white) and some beer...

I was really pleased with both the quality of the produce and the prices. Quite a few items on my list were either on special offer or on a price promise, which made my shopping comparable, if not cheaper, than what I would have paid at any of the other major supermarkets. All the fruit, vegetables and fresh herbs that I needed were in stock and those which were left over after the weekend, have lasted well.

While I was there, I picked up a copy of the free Morrisons magazine and was pleasantly surprised at the number of tasty veggie recipes in it, alongside a feature on National Vegetarian Week. 

Miss K liked the look of the strawberry dessert page and soon whipped up a batch of mini strawberry shortcakes on her own. The recipe was simple to follow and tasted delicious, filled with Morrisons strawberries and cream. 

My shopping experience at Morrisons has made me more likely to shop there again (especially online) as I now know that it can compete with the other main supermarkets on both quality and price.

Vegetarian Sausage Kebabs (makes 4)

This veggie sausage recipe is super-easy and quick to make (makes a great camping meal too!).

Total cost = £2.67 or 65p per kebab

• Quorn sausages (half price) £1.12
• Bell peppers (half a pack of Morrison's bumper pack) 80p
• 1 onion 10p
• 1 pack button mushrooms 65p

Defrost the sausages slightly and soak the skewers in water.
Cut the sausages into thirds and cut the peppers and onion into chunks. Wipe the mushrooms.
Thread the sausages and vegetables onto skewers alternately and drizzle with a little oil or bbq sauce. Barbecue for around 10 minutes turning once or twice.

Integrity Statement
I received complimentary Morrisons vouchers to pay for the goods for this review. The views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.  Pin It

Could you 'Live Below the Line'?

It's a shocking statistic that one in eight people (that's around 1.2 billion men, women and children) live below the poverty line, going hungry every day and living on less than £1 per day.

Concern Worldwide, a charity that works with the world’s poorest people to transform their lives, is joining the Live Below the Line campaign which starts next week. They hope to see people sign-up to live off £1 a day for up to 5 days & raise funds to tackle extreme poverty. Live Below the Line cannot and does not aim to recreate what it’s like to live in extreme poverty, however participants can gain an understanding of the kinds of tough decisions many people face globally, every day. The campaign presents a chance to bring food poverty and hunger, back onto the news and political agenda. 

Concern Worldwide hope that as many people as possible will challenge themselves to live on a £1 a day and pledge a donation or sponsorship, to help give people more than a lifeline - to give them a future and a means to provide for their families in the long term.

 

To raise awareness of the campaign, I've pledged to feed my family of 4 for £4 for one day...to include breakfast, lunch and dinner (see my meal plan below) and will be tweeting my #fridgie photo with the estimated value of the products in my fridge ( I must say I was shocked at how much my fridge contents were worth). .

From training community health volunteers to spot the first signs of malnutrition to challenging governments on the policies that keep whole communities hungry, we’re tackling hunger on every level. Concern support people to develop their own local and lasting solutions to hunger, through developing their knowledge, skills and incomes. We combine expert specialism with respect for local know-how to ensure that families can feed their children, not just today, but every day. 

You can find out more about this campaign and support Concern's work here. 

Feed a family of 4 for £4 (3 meals a day)

• Breakfast: home made bread 40p for 750g strong bread flour + 11p for a sachet of yeast, 1 litre carton of value orange juice 65p = £1.16
• Lunch: 2 tins of budget baked beans 2 x 24p, served on toast (left over bread from breakfast), 4 apples x 20p = £1.28
• Dinner: channa masala curry and rice - 250g budget long grain rice 10p,  budget tinned tomatoes 31p, 1 onion 8p, 1 clove of garlic 4p, ginger 10p, various spices (already in store cupboard) approx 20p, 1 tin of chickpeas 37p = £1.20
• Total cost: £3.64; the extra 36p went towards spreads for our bread at breakfast and drinks throughout the day.

I must say it was quite a challenge to feed the family a balanced and filling diet for just one day, let alone for ever. I managed to do this sticking to vegan meals with lots of carbs and pulses. This has certainly made me more aware of the worry and stress that many mums must feel in the developing world every day, in the struggle to feed their children.

28 April-2 May 2014 (campaign runs until 30th June). 
Take the challenge: £5 for 5 days for all your food & drink to end extreme poverty. Challenge yourself. Raise money. Join the movement. Sign up today. 

Integrity Statement
I am supporting this campaign and have not receive payment or incentives for this promotion.

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Chocolate Viennese Biscuits (Vegan)

These crisp and crumbly, little chocolate biscuits are super-easy to make, so a great way to get even very young kids involved with baking. The raw cookie dough tastes pretty good too! They disappear pretty quickly in my house, so you might want to double the ingredients to make a larger batch and freeze half.

Makes 16

• 4oz/100g dairy free spread
• 2oz/50g caster sugar
• 4oz/100g plain flour
• 1oz/25g cornflour
• 1oz/25g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4.

Cream the butter and sugar.
Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix together until you have a stiff dough.
Tip the dough onto a piece of cling film and squish into a rough sausage shape (around 16 cm long)...it will not look very appealing at this point!
Roll the cling film around the 'sausage' and pop into the freezer for around 10 minutes, to firm up (you don't want to actually freeze it, so don't leave it for much longer).
Unwrap the 'sausage' and slice into around 16 slices of 1cm thickness.
Place on a greased baking sheet, spaced a few cm apart.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until firm to the touch and slightly darker in colour.
Remove from the tray and cool on a wire rack.

Alternative: Once cool, melt around 50g/2oz of dairy-free chocolate (or left over Easter egg!). Dip each biscuit into the melted chocolate. Place on grease-proof paper to set.

Suitable for freezing.

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Aloo Tikki

Aloo tikki are small, spicy potato and pea croquettes.These traditional Indian snacks are delicious eaten hot or cold with chutneys or mint sauce and also make a great an addition to an Indian buffet. They're really cheap to make and are vegan too. I added sweet potato to mine, to ring the changes.

Makes 12/Serves 4

• 2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 heaped tsp freshly grated ginger
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp garam masala or chaat masala
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh chilli
• ½ tsp turmeric
• a handful of frozen petit pois or peas
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 slice of wholemeal bread, made into breadcrumbs
• a few slices of (ready-made) melba toast crushed into breadcrumbs (or fine/panko breadcrumbs)
• vegetable oil

Boil the potatoes for around 15 minutes, until soft. Drain and mash.

Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for minute. 

Add the onion, ginger, garlic and the rest of the spices and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Mix in the mashed potatoes, petit pois and chopped coriander, plus enough fresh breadcrumbs to bind and make a dough-like consistency.

Shape into slightly flattened balls using your hands and roll in the dried breadcrumbs. 

Leave in the fridge for 10 minutes or so, to firm up.

Heat a further tbsp of oil in a large frying pan. 

Fry the aloo tikki for 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Keep warm in the oven and repeat until all of the croquettes have been cooked.

Serve with salad, chutneys or mint sauce.

Suitable for freezing (before or after frying).

Alternatives: Make large, flat tikkis and serve them in buns like veggie burgers.
Bake on a greased baking tray (in a hot oven) for a low-fat version.

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Meridian Nut Butters - a review plus a recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies

Like most families, we are already big peanut butter fans and it features, as a sandwich filling, at least a couple of times a week in my daughters' packed lunches. We were obviously willing to try out a range of nut butters from Meridian Foods and we particularly liked the sound of the cashew and almond butters, as an alternative to the usual peanut spread.

Unlike the major brands, Meridian nut butters are made from 100% nuts. No palm oil. No salt. No sugar.

As we're used to peanut butter with added salt, we did notice the lack of salt in the peanut butter. A real plus point is that there is no added palm oil,  but that meant that the oil from the nuts tended to separate a little, so the butters needed a good stir before spreading (a small price to pay, to avoid the ubiquitous palm oil!). Neither of these detract from the taste, but I thought they were worth mentioning.

The peanut butter was packed with plenty of crunchy bits, while the milder tasting cashew butter was silky smooth, and spoonful or two would make a great addition to curry sauces (instead of using ground almonds or cashews). The crunchy almond butter - made with roasted almonds - was a revelation to us all; a delicious alternative to peanut butter.

"Nuts have been part of our diet for thousands of years. All nuts and seeds are a good source of vegetable protein and energy. Although they contain oils & fat, a high percentage of these oils/fats are mono and poly unsaturated oils which are better for heart health than the saturated fats found in animal products. 
Virtually all nuts are very good sources of the main B vitamins... which help with energy production and carbohydrate metabolism, balancing blood sugar levels, hormones and cardiovascular health..."

As we all also enjoy peanut butter cookies, I thought I'd make a batch up with the Meridian peanut butter. The crunchy almond butter would also work well and would give a completely different taste.

Peanut Butter Cookies (Vegan)

Makes 12

• 4oz crunchy peanut butter/other crunchy nut butter
• 2 oz dairy-free margarine/spread
• 2 oz soft brown sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup/agave syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 oz SR flour

Cream the peanut butter, spread, sugar and syrup together.

Mix in the flour and vanilla extract to form a dough; add just a splash of dairy-free milk or water if the mixture is too dry to hold together.
Squeeze small handfuls of the dough into balls using your hands.
Put onto a greased baking tray and flatten slightly, then flatten further with the back of a fork.
Bake at 170C/160C Fan/Gas 3/325 F  for 10-12 mins, or until golden brown. 
Cool for 5-10 mins before removing from tray and cooling on a wire rack.

Suitable for freezing.

You can find lots more nut butter recipes from Meridian, on their website.

Integrity Statement
I received complimentary samples of Meridian nut butters to review. I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.

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