Category: Vegan

Dandelion Honey

Makes approximately 1L (3 jam jars)

About a year ago I heard about dandelion ‘honey’ being used as an alternative to honey for vegans. I was intrigued. I gave it a go and am really impressed. The flavour and texture are a perfect substitute!

It’s important to pick dandelions that are pesticide free and away from popular dog walking areas (for obvious reasons)! You can scale down the quantities here but this should make three good sized jars.

Ingredients:

Approximately 200 Dandelion heads

1 unwaxed lemon, sliced

1.5L water

1.2kg caster sugar

Step 1: Thoroughly wash the dandelion heads (I do this in a clean sink full of fresh water).

Step 2: Place the clean dandelion heads, the lemon and the water in a heavy bottomed pan. Bring to the boil and simmer, for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to cool and steep over night.

Step 3: Drain the liquid through a muslin or fine sieve. Discard the dandelions and lemon. Place the liquid back into the (clean) pan and add the sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer until the mixture has reduced and thickened (this took me about an hour and a half). Remember it will continue to thicker as it cools. As it cooks it will darken too. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.

The high sugar content should mean that this will keep a long time.

Basic Barbecue Sauce

Makes 270g (about a small jar)

Whether you’re using a barbecue sauce as a marinade or as a condiment, using a homemade one means you can tweak it to your own taste and also have the satisfaction of using something homemade. The quantity here is enough to marinade 500g-1kg meat or to store in the fridge for a week in a sealed jar for use as a condiment.

This is a basic recipe for barbecue sauce, and it’s sweet, so if you’re not a sweet fan, try halving the sugar/syrup and taste, adding a little as you go. Of course you could always add a little something extra. Try some chilli flakes for a kick, or a little liquid smoke to bring that distinctive flavour of a real BBQ.

• Ingredients:
• 150g tomato ketchup (gluten-free if required)
• 35g cider vinegar
• 35g soft light brown sugar
• 35g maple syrup
• 15g Worcestershire sauce (gluten-free/vegan if required; I used Henderson’s Relish which is both gluten free and vegan)

Simply combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. If not using immediately, store in an airtight jar in the fridge, for up to a week.

Korean-Spiced Nuts and Seeds

Makes approximately 1kg

I recently catered a virtual night out for a group of friends, providing nibbles to accompany our delicious wine from Cru Wines in Bradford on Avon. One of the savoury offerings were these Korean-spiced nuts and seeds, an experiment which turned out good!

This uses the Korean red pepper powder Gochugaru for a warming glow. You can of course adjust the quantity to achieve your desired heat (this quantity was by no means hot) or you could use different spices to your taste. The maple, oil and salt quantity will provide the right amount of coating for what ever you choose to coat 1kg of nuts and seeds.

I used 800g of mixed nuts and 200g of the mixed seeds to provide little clusters which partly cling to the nuts.

• Ingredients:

• 1 tsp fine salt
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 tbsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder)
• 1kg mixed unsalted nuts and seeds (I used cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and linseeds)

Step 1: Melt the maple and coconut oil together ( this can be done on a hob or in a microwave).

Step 2: Mix this with the salt and chilli. Add the nuts and seeds and then stir to ensure everything is coated.

Step 3: Spread on a lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven (180c) for 20-25 minutes (checking occasionally to make sure they aren’t burning) until they are toasted.

Step 4: Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Store in an airtight container (this way they should stay fresh for a couple of weeks).