Vegan – Page 14 – The Food Wife

BBQ Pulled Jackfruit

13th July 202013th July 2020
by thefoodwife

Serves 4-6

Iâ€™ve long been curious to try jackfruit and recently decided to give it a go. I picked up a couple of tins in the supermarket and as I was making a vegetarian meal for friends who had just had a baby I thought this would be a good time to make something with it.

The jackfruit came in chunks, which, when simmered down in the bbq sauce, became soft enough to easily pull apart with fork to create, what looked like, pulled pork.

All the flavour here comes from the tomatoey sauce. The jackfruit adds the bulk and texture.

We had ours loaded into brioche buns, but it would also be good served with rice.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp (smoked) paprika
2 tsp chipotle paste (or use a chilli sauce such as siracha)
1 tbsp cider vinegar
8 tbsp bbq sauce (see below for how to make your own in this quantity)
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tins of young green jackfruit in salted water, drained
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Sweat the onion and oil together in a large frying pan over a medium heat, until soft.

Step 2: Add the spices and chipotle paste and stir for a minute before adding the bbq sauce, vinegar and tomatoes.

Step 3: Add the jackfruit and a splash of water. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the jackfruit is soft enough to shred with a pair of forks. Taste and season as necessary with salt and pepper.

Step 4: Once shredded leave the lid off and cook for another 10 or so minutes until the sauce is thick and slightly sticky.

Serve in buns or with rice. Great with coleslaw on the side.

To make your own bbq sauce mix together 100g tomato ketchup, 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp Hendersonâ€™s relish (or Worcestershire sauce if you donâ€™t need it vegan/gluten-free) and 1 tbsp cider vinegar.

Sourdough Crackers with Smoked Paprika and Nigella Seeds

6th April 20207th April 2020
by thefoodwife

With the current lockdown, more people are making bread at home. Many are trying sourdough for the first time. My sourdough starter, Cuthbert, has been going for well over a year now. Iâ€™ve used him to make traditional sourdough loaves, hybrid yeasted loaves, hot cross buns but most recently Iâ€™ve used the discard to make sourdough crackers.

This is a versatile recipe, Iâ€™ve flavoured these with smoked paprika and nigella seeds, but you could use herbs or other spices as you like.

If keeping these vegan or dairy-free , use a vegetable based baking block rather than butter.

These will store for up to a week in an airtight container.

Ingredients:
100g strong white bread flour
30g strong wholewheat bread flour
4g salt
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp nigella seeds
150g discarded sourdough starter
60g softened butter (or vegetable baking block if vegan/dairy-free)
Olive oil

Step 1: Combine all the ingredients (excluding the olive oil) in a bowl. Use your hands to bring together to make a smooth dough. Divide in two and shape into two equal blocks. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 180c (fan) and line two baking sheets with grease proof paper.

Step 3: Flour a work surface and roll each block of dough into a rectangle, about 1 or 2mm thick. Use a knife or the flat edge of a dough scraper to cut the rolled out dough into long strips about 2 inches wide.

Step 4: Carefully transfer each strip onto the lined baking sheets leaving a small gap between each one. Brush each with olive oil and prick all over with a fork. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove and allow to cool.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Banana Muffins with a Chocolate Hazelnut Filling

27th March 202027th March 2020
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

Here we have a vegan muffin stuffed with a decadent filling of chocolate hazelnut spread. If keeping this totally vegan, use a plant based spread (I noticed one available in M&S). These are really quick to put together and take just 25 minutes to bake.

They are best eaten on the day they are made (not really a hardship!) although could be refreshed in the microwave for a few seconds.

As with all muffin recipes, minimal mixing is required to achieve a light, rather than tough sponge.

Ingredients:
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
60ml vegetable oil
120g light soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
12 tsp chocolate hazelnut spread (plant based if vegan)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 190c (fan) and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Step 2: Lightly combine the banana, oil, sugar, vanilla, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. For a light muffin minimal mixing is required.

Step 3: Half fill each muffin case with the batter. Top each with a teaspoon of chocolate hazelnut spread and then cover with the remaining muffin batter.

Step 4: Bake for 25 minutes and then remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Squash, Potato and Black Bean Coconut Curry

6th March 20206th March 2020
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

Iâ€™m currently a little bit obsessed with black beans as a protein. Iâ€™ve been using them in stews and rice dishes, and this week decided Iâ€™d try them in a curry.

I wanted to pair them with a coconut based sauce. This is fragrant but not hot. Itâ€™s balanced with cubes of potato and sweet butternut squash.

The curry is gluten-free and vegan. Vegetable-based curries like this one go so well with nutty brown basmati rice. We also enjoyed it with an excellent lime and chilli pickle.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 shallots/1 white onion, peeled and cut into thin half moons
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
2 heaped tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
1 tin (400ml) coconut milk
1 tin of black beans, drained
Salt

Step 1: Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the shallots/onion. Move around the pan occasionally until lightly browned and softened.

Step 2: Add the cubed squash and potato, along with the spices, and stir until coated and the spices lightly toasted.

Step 3: Add the coconut milk, along with half a tin of water. Cover, lower the heat and cook for about fifteen minutes.

Step 4: Add the black beans, cover again and cook for a further fifteen minutes.

Step 5: Season with a large pinch of salt, to taste. Check that the squash and potato are tender before serving.

Serve with brown basmati rice and chopped coriander sprinkled over the top.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

27th February 202027th February 2020
by thefoodwife

Serves 6

I found a recipe for a black bean and sweet potato stew online, it sounded good, but Iâ€™ve made some tweaks to make it even more delicious.

The great thing is that this recipe is perfect for batch cooking and freezing for a nutritious meal when you canâ€™t be bothered to cook. Itâ€™s also cheap to make and contains lots of ingredients youâ€™ve probably already got in your store cupboard.

Itâ€™s a gluten-free and vegan recipe, and is perfect served with nutty brown rice and a salad.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (rapeseed or olive) oil
1 red onion, medium dice
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Spice mix containing: 1 heaped tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp ground coriander & 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
3 medium sweet potatoes (approx 600g), peeled and cut into a 1 inch dice
500g passata
400ml vegetable stock (ensure gluten-free and vegan if required)
2 x tins/cartons black beans, drained
Salt and pepper
100g frozen spinach
2 tbsp chopped coriander

Step 1: Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large casserole dish. Add the onion and soften for five minutes.

Step 2: Add the garlic and spice mix and cook out for 30 seconds, then add the cubed sweet potato and tomato purÃ©e and cook for a further thirty seconds, stirring.

Step 3: Add the passata and vegetable
stock, along with the drained black beans. Add a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Place the lid on the casserole, and simmer for an hour to an hour and a half, or until the sweet potato is tender.

Step 4: Check the seasoning and add more as necessary. Stir in the chopped frozen spinach, until dispersed through the sauce. Finish by stirring through the chopped coriander.

Serve with rice and a green salad.