Betty Goes Vegan

I was given Betty Goes Vegan for my birthday and I was sold on the book as soon as I read the introduction. The sentence "Julia Powell lost me when she killed the lobster" says it all (reference to Julie and Julia movie for those who don't know - although I am guessing most bloggers have seen it!). 

I also found it endearing that the first recipe I flicked to (in the dessert chapter of course) was a cookie recipe containing one and a half cups of powdered sugar and a cup of vegan margarine. So unapologetic and indulgent!

I think the premise of this epic cookbook - that you can make anything vegan - is admirable, even if it is a little heavy on the faux meat and cheese. I only wish that more of the cool vegan products like Daiya cheese were available in Australia. 

I love the tone in which the book is written - approachable, cheeky and fun. 

Here are a few things I've made so far:

Chocolate Orange Cashew Cheesecake

Butterscotch Brownies

Curry Spinach and Lentil Pilaf

Vegan Chicken Lettuce Rolls

Zucchini Apple Bread

We enjoyed all of these, but the Zucchini Apple Bread and the Vegan Chicken Lettuce Rolls really stood out - so delicious!

Theresa at the Tropical Vegan has also blogged about this book here and here. 

I'm looking forward to making some of the indulgent dishes from the "Holiday Favourites" section of this book this Christmas!

Red Lentil Kofta

Who knew uncooked red lentils could be used in this way? Total revelation to me - a fantastic and quick appetiser or filling for a wrap.

You just soak the red lentils for a couple of hours, throw them in the food processor with some onion, garlic, tomato paste, salt and herbs, then form the mix into patties and fry them in olive oil!

I needed to pulse the mixture quite a few times in my food processor before it looked like this:

See the recipe here.

The koftas are crisp on the outside and have a kind of meaty taste and texture (in a good way - it's probably the herbs as well as the texture of the lentils). 

They were popular with Lexie (now 10 months). Most of his food ends up crumbled over the floor at the moment, but I try not to take it personally...

Vegan Shortbread Hearts

Sylvia requested heart shaped "fairy" biscuits with pink icing, so we made them for a recent picnic:

Aren't they lovely?

And they tasted just perfect too, much nicer than I expected. 

We did some stars as well - apparently fairies eat them too...

They are so festive!

I used this recipe from Get Sconed! for the vegan shortbread. The dough was so easy to work with. I'll definitely be making them again, maybe at Christmas time.

The icing is the confectioner's icing from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (icing/powdered sugar, with a bit of soy milk and vanilla) with a teensy bit of red colouring added. 

Vegan Chocolate Cornflake Crackles

I had some cornflakes to use up, so this recipe was born!

I kept sneaking back into the kitchen to "test" the results, so I think they turned out pretty well...

These are a great healthier alternative to traditional kid's chocolate crackles, but also a lovely treat for the grown-ups. 

On another note, I have made a list of my links to online recipes if anyone is interested!

Vegan Chocolate Cornflake Crackles (makes about 11 large crackles)

4 cups cornflakes (I used sugar free cornflakes)
1/2 cup dairy free margarine (I used Nuttelex)
100g vegan chocolate, broken into pieces
1/3-1/2 cup rice malt syrup
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tbsp ground cashews
2 tbsp ground pecans

Melt margarine in a small saucepan. Add chocolate and rice malt syrup and stir until smooth.

Put the cornflakes, flaxseed, cashews and pecans in a large bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and stir. 

Place mixture in cases and put in the freezer (fridge will probably work too) for at least 1/2 an hour before eating. 

These are best eaten cold, or they'll fall apart!

Vegan scrambled eggs

... or the next instalment in my love affair with besan (chickpea) flour.

When I saw this post by Mel at Veganise This! on curried "egg" sandwiches made with besan flour, I knew I had to try it immediately. I don't particularly miss eggs, but I do love any excuse to experiment with besan flour. 

I loved the texture of this. I found that as I left the mixture to cool, it became more rubbery (in a good way) like scrambled eggs. 

It went so well on toast for breakfast with a dash of tomato sauce.  

The recipe calls for black salt to give it an "eggy" flavour. I didn't have this, so I just used normal salt. It still had a great flavour and similarity to scrambled eggs. 

My partner liked it but said he prefers this vegan omelette I use with fried rice. My three year old wouldn't try it because it's not chips or a Vegemite sandwich. Sigh. 

But I didn't mind because I could eat it all myself! I loved this and I'll definitely be making it again and again. 

Sweet treats

Making sweet foods makes me feel good. Sharing and eating them is quite nice too!

Here are a few sweet things that have been produced in our kitchen lately.

Fluffy White Cupcakes 

Cupcakes put a smile on everyone's face, don't they? I'm usually a Vegan Cupcake Takes Over the World girl, but I also love these vanilla cupcakes from Vegan Lunch Box. The coconut extract really adds something special to these.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

I had a few lemons to use up so I decided to make this cake from Chef Chloe. I wanted to take a photo of this cake sliced up, perhaps with a bit of icing sugar sprinkled on. But the cake disappeared too fast. That's how good it was. I haven't baked with olive oil much before, but it was just divine in this cake. 

Mexican Wedding Cookies

These are delicate, melt in your mouth cookies from The Joy of Vegan Baking. They make perfect gifts. The recipe is also here online. I used a combination of pecans and walnuts. 

Crepes with lemon and sugar

Growing up, we were not a pancake household. We were a crepe household. We ate them with lemon and sugar or cocoa and sugar. This time I tried the crepe recipe from Veganomicon. They contain that magical chickpea flour. These are definitely the best vegan crepes I've made - thin and delicious!

Strawberry Mousse

This recipe from Vegie Head is simple and very creamy. It is made with fresh strawberries, dates, avocado, chia seeds and coconut cream. Lexie, now 9 months old, enjoyed it too!

Chocolate Date Balls

These chocolate date balls from Veggieful are a yummy and healthy quick treat to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

Lemon Macadamia Bars 

These bars are based on this recipe from Cupcake Kitteh. They are so delicious and easy to make - no need to buy expensive raw bars! 

What are your favourite sweet treats at the moment?

Creamy Lentils

Golden syrup dumplings were the first sweet dish I could cook. These lentils were the first savoury dish I could make. It has saved me on many an occasion!

I remember making this for my friends when I first moved out of home. I felt very domestic, given that the rest our meals were pasta, crackers and takeaway. 

My friends were reluctant to try it because it contained lentils, but everyone loved it in the end. Really, why do lentils have such a bad name with omnivores? No, they are not very attractive [see photo] but they can be so delicious!

My mum used to make these lentils with sour cream and butter, and so did I until I became vegan, but it is pretty easily veganised. You could try using other vegetables or adding some type of vegan sour cream at the end. It can be a stew or soup, depending on how much liquid you use. 

For me, this is the ultimate comfort food.  

Creamy Lentils

1 1/2 - 2 cups dry green or brown lentils, rinsed
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup peas
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegan margarine (I use Nuttelex)
4 tbsp flour
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt or to taste

Put the lentils, carrots, onion and peas into a large saucepan and cover generously with water (or stock). Bring to the boil and simmer until lentils are cooked but there is still a bit of liquid. You may need to add water as necessary. 

Put the oil and margarine in a small saucepan on low/medium heat. When the margarine has melted, add the flour and stir for a few minutes, being careful not to burn it.

Add this mixture to the lentils and stir, adding the lemon juice and salt to taste. 

Serve on its own, with rice or bread!

Enjoy!