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Tomato and Smoky Tofu Soup

It is definitely feeling autumnal and that means it’s time for me to get my big pan out for some soups!

This is a tasty soup and a great way for me to celebrate my home grown tomato crop.

Start by adding a little oil, chopped spring onions, chopped garlic and a stock cube to your soup pan. Sauté a little and then add plenty of fresh chopped tomatoes.

The tomatoes I’ve been growing this year are cherry tomatoes so I’ve added about 2 cups full and just chopped them roughly as I will be blending later. Turn the heat down to medium and allow the soup mix to simmer as the tomatoes soften.

Adding tofu to soup is a great way to increase protein (perfect for vegans) and to add flavour and texture. I love the Tofoo brand smoked tofu and think it’s a perfect fit with this dish. As Tofoo does not need pressing you can roughly chop and add to the soup once the tomatoes are starting to break apart.

Once it’s simmered a little more add stock until the vegetables and tofu are well covered and cook on a medium – low heat for about 20 minutes.

The soup will start to smell lovely once the smoky flavour and the tomatoes infuse. Just before serving I use a hand blender to whizz it all up and then serve with gluten free vegan pitta.

This warming and flavourful soup is perfect for Autumn weekends or a midweek pick-me-up.

Redcurrant Flapjack Slice

Redcurrants are an under-rated berry. Often left on the side of a plate at a Christmas party pudding or turned into a jelly that’s only used infrequently. Personally I find the sharp taste of redcurrants is a brilliant contrast to a sweet pudding or bake and this is a perfect flapjack recipe to make use of wild or homegrown redcurrants.

I’ve foraged these redcurrants locally during a nice walk and intend to make good use of them in this flapjack recipe.

Start by preparing a jam from your redcurrants. Place them into a pan and squish with a potato masher before stirring through sugar. Cook on a high heat and bring to the boil before you switch down to a simmer and cook slowly for 30 minutes or so.

Then move onto the flapjack. I love flapjack as it is a simple bake which is easily veganised or made gluten free!

Melt dairy free butter in a pan and add either golden syrup or vegan honey (made from dandelions this is another lovely foraging recipe). Keep stirring until the butter is melting and warm and then add Demerara sugar.

Add gluten free oats and mix through thoroughly to combine into a thick mixture. Layer a baking dish with greaseproof paper and pack in a firm bottom layer of the flapjack mix.

Allow the bottom layer to set a little before topping withe redcurrant jam and adding another thick layer of flapjack mix.

Sprinkle a small amount of Demerara sugar over the top and bake for approximately 20 minutes. When cooked remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing to create individual servings.

The Flying Childers, Stanton-in-Peak, Derbyshire

As UK lockdown measures are reduced it’s been nice to start venturing out. One of the first places I’ve headed to is The Flying Childer’s in Stanton-in-Peak where you can sit safely outside or inside to enjoy a lunch menu with plenty of vegan and gluten-free options.

The Childer’s Vegan Burger – Chickpeas and Sweetcorn with Sweet Chilli Sauce – Served Gluten-free

The Flying Childer’s offers a lunch menu 12pm – 2pm weekdays and 12pm – 3pm on weekends and also runs meal nights and pizza nights.

I love the fact that vegan and gluten free options are always available. When I popped in for lunch this week I was able to choose from 3 vegan burgers (all gluten free and available on gluten free bread), jacket potatoes with vegan and gluten-free fillings and sandwiches including vegan fillings and available on gluten free bread. The Flying Childer’s offer 3 soups on their specials and ensures that one option is both gluten free and vegan. They have a selection of cakes including gluten-free and vegan options to eat in or take away!

If you decide to check out the amazing food options on offer at The Flying Childer’s speak to Ric and Sophie the friendly publicans who can point you to a gluten free beer and chat to you about vegan wines and spirits.

The lovely beer garden and authentic Peak District character makes this one of the most enjoyable places to spend time and the inclusive lunch menus make this the perfect find for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs and those with any allergy concerns.

You can find out more about The Flying Childer’s on their website at https://www.flyingchilders.com/ or ok Facebook https://www.facebook.com/flyingchildersinn/ or Instagram @flyingchildersinn

Vegan Elderflower Turkish Delight

I love this time of year when everything is in bloom. Even better is the fact that I can forage elderflower during a walk and use it in baking and cordials. This year I’ve looked for new ideas online and come across a recipe Elderflower Delight on River Cottage which I’ve altered to make vegan.

Using the recipe I found online o started by adding 700g caster sugar to a very large pan with 300ml of water and plenty of fresh lemon juice. Switch on the heat to a medium point and heat whilst stirring until all the sugar has dissolved.

Mix together 100g corn flour and 100ml of water into a smooth paste and pour into the liquid, stir through then add a tablespoon of pectin. Stir using a whisk and bring the mixture to the boil. When boiling the mixture will start to thicken. Turn the heat down to a simmer.

At this point it’s time to add the elderflower. Remove the flowers from the elderflower sprigs (approx 20 sprigs) and wrap into a tied up muslin bag or cloth. Place it into the mixture so it is underneath and continue to simmer for 20 minutes before removing the elderflower.

Once simmered you should have a very thick and gooey Turkish Y mixture. Whilst you allow it to cool a little bit line a large tray with baking paper and dust with a 50:50 mix of icing sugar and corn flour. Pour the mixture into the dish, cover with paper and leave to set in a cool, dry place. I left mine overnight in the pantry.

Once fully set and fairly rubbery dust with more icing sugar and cornflour mix. Cut into pieces and roll the sides in more sugar (in for a penny in for a pound) and then enjoy as a delicious summer sweet.

This gluten free and vegan sweets are lovely. I hope you enjoy them too.

Edo Sushi Takeaway Sheffield

It was really lovely to find a suitable vegan and coeliac friendly takeaway available during lockdown in Edo Sushi in Sheffield.

I’ve eaten at Edo Sushi at the Cutlery Works and their full store in Sheffield city centre has the same menu. I’ve tucked into vegan sushi with some lovely Roku gin and tonic.

Summer Stirfry Recipes (Gluten-free and Vegan)

An absolute staple of my diet as a vegan, coeliac are tofu and noodles which I add to a number of stir fry dishes.

Tofu Steaks with Chinese style Vegetables

The meal above was a recipe from a friend whose family run Chinese restaurants as he thought I would love it. I do. The tofu steaks are coated in cornflour before frying in sesame oil. The veggies are stir fried in a sauce made from sesame oil, ginger, garlic, tamari, vegan honey (I used carob syrup), cornflour and water. I added toasted sesame seeds to serve.

A simple stir fry with smoked Tofoo tofu, beansprouts and mange tout. Served with smoke humous and tonnes of veggies.

Sweetheart cabbage is fantastic in a stir fry. Served with vermicelli noodles and toasted sesame seeds.

Pad Thai rice noodles served with Cashew nuts, courgette and mange tout.

Lockdown Baking

During an extended period at home I’ve been really getting stuck into baking. I’ve been following other recipes so will just share photos of my lockdown bakes, all gluten free and vegan.

Almond Milk Rice Pudding and Homemade Cherry Jam

An old classic, rice pudding is great for coeliacs as rice is naturally gluten free. I’ve updated this recipe using almond milk and it pairs beautifully with my homemade cherry jam.

Start by adding pudding rice to a large pan and covering with almond milk and an additional 200ml water. I’ve used unsweetened almond milk but added carob syrup for a natural sweetness with a gentler sugarey feel.

Stir through thoroughly and then turn the hob on but keep the heat low. I used setting 3 / 9. The rice pudding takes nearly an hour to cook and will need occasional stirring and monitoring to see if additional liquid is required.

When the rice is fully cooked it will be soft and fluffy without much liquid. Taste to check the rice is fully cooked.

I’ve stirred through a little Alpro single cream and then topped with my homemade cherry jam as I always find almond and cherries a strong mix.

Vegan and Gluten-free Sausage and Mash

I’m not going to suggest that this is true cooking but my put together vegan and gluten-free sausage and mash is a real favourite of mine. I had this meal yesterday afternoon as it makes a perfect Sunday lunch.

This meal uses Linda McCartney sausages, you can use any that suit you but I find the red onion the best as they are also gluten free.

To accompany these sausages I’ve made homemade mash potato with baby potatoes, pure soya butter and fresh rosemary from my garden.

I’ve also steamed some sweetheart cabbage and made some gravy using the Bisto gluten free vegetable gravy powder which is also vegan.

An easy, hearty and tasty sausage and mash made friendly for vegans and coeliacs and very accessible.

Vegan coconut fudge

This is my first attempt at fudge and I’m really pleased with the results (but will be buying a sugar thermometer for next time!)

I’ve used a recipe I found online but adapted to suit my tastes (and the ingredients in my pantry).

Start with a large saucepan with a thick base and add the ingredients. I’ve used 450g Demerara sugar, 250ml Alpro cream, 150g Alpro coconut milk, 50g Pure Olive spread and 1 tbsp of golden syrup. (For the rum and raisin flavour – pictured above – I also added 100ml Bacardi at this point.

Bring to heat on a medium high and stir whilst cooking until the sugar has all dissolved and you have a consistent syrup which will be light brown and will smell amazing! (Reminded me of a very sugarey Bailey’s)

When all the sugar has dissolved and you have a consistent syrup bring the pan to the boil. It needs to reach a really high temperature of 112° – 116° and needs to be stirred regularly to prevent the sugars in syrup from burning to the base of the pan. The syrup will foam but keep boiling and keep stirring until it reaches this temperature.

As I didn’t have a thermometer when I made this fudge I used an alternative to measuring the temperature by “soft ball” ing the fudge. To do this have a pot of cool water close by and as the mixture boils take a small spoonful out of the pan and drop into into the water. If the syrup forms a soft ball you can mould and lift then it has reached the right temperature and is ready to remove from the heat. If it is still a liquid when poured into the cold water then it will need to boil for longer to reach temperature. An important learning curve here is to make sure the syrup has long enough to cool in the water before you try to mould it! Hot fudge syrup burns – safety first!

Once you have ensured the syrup has reached that temperature remove it from the heat entirely. At this point you can add extra flavouring – I’ve used dessicated coconut in the coconut fudge and added raisins for the rum and raisin. Then stir rigourously as the mixture cools down. You will notice the mixture become thicker and less glossy as you stir it. Keep stirring until the mixture of fairly cool and no longer too hot to touch and is pretty thick and creamy then pour into a line baking tray or dish to set.

I’ve learnt from the two batches I made that it is best to leave the fudge to set fully at room temperature. The coconut I made I popped into the fridge to cool and it created a split in the top and bottom with the bottom of the fudge being more like a toffee.

When fully set remove from the dish, peel off the baking paper and chop into bite sized pieces ready for a tasty treat!