Deliciously Dairy Free

 Almond Tartlets with Lemon Cream & Summer Fruits

Whilst more and more restaurants and cafes are catering for special diets, eating out can still be a "hit and miss" affair when you don't eat meat, eggs or dairy. So it's a real treat when the majority of dishes on the menu are plant based and there's even a choice of dishes to deliberate over!

This year Eric and I came across three such places on our travels and I can recommend them all. 

The Green Rocket Cafe, Bath

Bon Lloc, Palma, Mallorca

Wildebeest, Falmouth, Cornwall

For me, it's a luxury to be served exciting, appetising dishes created by talented chefs and to enjoy them safe in the knowledge that they are totally animal free.  There's no doubt that being vegan and eating a plant based diet is becoming trendier each year.  When you see queues of people waiting for a table, you know the menu and more importantly the food is going to be good. 

These vegan restaurants can be a huge inspiration to us home cooks and offer proof that it's possible to eat well whatever diet you choose to eat. The days of being offered a very basic fruit salad for dessert are hopefully long gone! 

Making your own dairy free dishes at home is hugely satisfying and simple too! We made the Almond Tartlets pictured above on my last cookery course in August.  

Health on a Plate August 2015

DELICIOUSLY DAIRY FREE 

My next course at Bodnant Cookery School is in just a few weeks so I have been preparing some equally fabulous recipes! If you think eating dairy free and egg free means missing out on luscious, creamy desserts and deliciously light cakes and pastries, this course will hopefully convince you otherwise and show that you can have your cake and eat it .... and look after your health too!  

"Deliciously Dairy Free" is on Saturday, 21 November 2015. The day starts at 10.45am with a welcome drink and ends at 4pm when you will pack up and take home all your dishes!  It costs £95 and includes all your ingredients and lunch.

You can find all the details on the Bodnant website here.

More photos from my last course ....

See you at Bodnant on the 21st!

Date and Nut Granola

At a recent Health for Life Club meeting in Llandudno, I asked everyone to eat something they wouldn't normally eat or make something they wouldn’t normally make so we could share our experiences at the next meeting.  The idea was to break out of our normal eating habits and be more creative and adventurous!  

As we were discussing the hidden ingredients in processed foods that day, I decided to make something I'd normally buy as a ready made product. The obvious choice was granola, something I love to eat for breakfast as a cereal or with fruit and natural soya yogurt. I'd made some granola years ago which was okay but I knew I had to come up with something so appetising, I wouldn't be tempted to go back to buying it again!

Granola is traditionally made with oats, nuts and dried fruit and often contains high levels of sugar and honey too.  I found adding extra fruit, such as mashed banana, cooked apple or softened dates, to the oat mixture before baking to a crisp in the oven gave the best results.  Four varieties emerged which I took along to our meeting - Tropical Banana, Apple and Mango, Cranberry and Apricot and Date and Nut. 

Here's the recipe for my Date and Nut Granola which got the vote from our discerning Health for Life Club tasters!   I hope you like it too.   It's great just as it is or with sliced banana, pear or apple, blueberries, raisins or apricots.  Add your favourite soya milk or yogurt or use it as a crunchy topping as I've done below.  The choice is endless so why not be adventurous, create your own variation and make it healthy and delicious!  

Ingredients 

100g dates

100ml cold water

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp date syrup/maple/agave

200g  jumbo whole rolled oats

100g nuts (e.g. cashews, pecans, almonds, brazil nuts)

40g pumpkin or sunflower seeds    

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/Gas Mark 3.

First, chop or cut up the dates with scissors and place in a small saucepan.  Add the water and bring to the boil.  As the mixture bubbles away for a minute or so,  press the dates with the back of a tablespoon until you have a soft puree. (Alternatively, this can be done in the microwave)

Mix together the oil and syrup in a medium sized bowl.

 Stir in the date puree and all the other ingredients. 

Spread out the mixture on a large baking tray.

Bake for 20 minutes, stirring the mixture half way through.      After 20 minutes, stir again and lower the oven temperature to 150C/130C fan/Gas Mark 2.

Bake for another 20 minutes, again stirring halfway. By this time, the mixture should be crisp and golden but, if not, give it another 5 - 10 minutes.   

Leave to cool on the tray, then store in an airtight container.  I like to keep mine in a tall glass jar ready for breakfast and as a crunchy topping with fruit and natural yogurt.

Place any fresh or cooked fruit, such as pears, apples, apricots, plums or blueberries,  in the bottom of a glass dish.  

Spoon over a couple of tablespoons of natural soya yogurt and top with granola.

Making your own granola is easy and tastes so much better than bought.  Why not have a go and let me know how you get on!

 

Raspberry Cheesecake

Here's a fabulous recipe, ideal for spoiling your sweetheart or someone special on Valentine's Day!

This delicious Raspberry Cheesecake looks really impressive and super-indulgent yet it's relatively low in sugar and contains no dairy produce.  The lovely vanilla filling is made using firm silken tofu, readily available in supermarkets and inexpensive too.

Many cheesecake recipes have crushed digestive biscuits as a base which can really add to the sugar content.   It's just as easy to make your own base from scratch and bake it in the oven whilst you make the tofu filling.

I've used raspberries in a vegan raspberry jelly for the topping but you can decorate the top with any fresh fruit such as strawberries or cooked fruit such as blackcurrants.  You can also use arrowroot to thicken the fruit topping instead of jelly - full instructions below!

Ingredients

For the base:

75g dairy free margarine e.g. Pure

50g demerera sugar

75g ground almonds

75g plain flour 
(half white/half wholewheat)

For the filling:

1 x 349g pack firm silken tofu  e.g.Mori-Nu

Juice and zest of a large lemon

1 tbsp vanilla extract

150ml soya milk

2 tbsp arrowroot

75g golden castor sugar

For the topping:

200 - 250g raspberries, fresh or frozen

85g packet of raspberry flavoured vegan jelly crystals 
(available from Holland and Barrett)

Method

Grease a 20cm (8") loose bottomed cake tin.  I use a springform cake tin from Lakeland.

Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/Gas Mark 5.

First make the base by creaming the margarine and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy.  

Then add the flour and ground almonds and beat until the mixture comes together to form a soft dough.

Press the mixture into your prepared tin - best to use your fingers for this!

Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

 

When the almond base is golden brown,  remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 180C.

Meanwhile, make the filling.  Open the pack of tofu and, using a sieve,  drain away any surplus liquid.

Grate the zest of the lemon on a fine grater.

Then place the tofu, lemon zest,  vanilla extract,  soya milk,  arrowroot and sugar into a food processor with the juice of the lemon (approx 3 - 4 tbsp)  Blend well until smooth.  

Pour the cheesecake filling evenly over the base and bake for 45 minutes.   

Allow the cheesecake to cool,  before making the topping.

To make the topping,  empty the packet of vegan jelly into a glass measuring jug and add 250ml of boiling water. 
(NB Don't follow the instructions on the packet as we're adding more fruit) 

Stir well until dissolved.  

Then add the fresh or frozen raspberries and, using a hand blender,  blitz the mixture until smooth.    If you want to remove the seeds,  press the raspberries through a large sieve at this point.    

Carefully pour the raspberry mixture over the top of the cheesecake and leave to set.  Chill until required.

If you can't get hold of vegan jelly,  mix 1 tbsp arrowroot with a little cold water in a cup or small bowl to make a runny paste.
  

Place the raspberries in a pan over a medium heat.  Stir in the arrowroot mixture and cook gently until the raspberry sauce thickens, stirring frequently.   

Allow to cool a little before pouring over the cheesecake.  

TIP:  If your raspberry mixture doesn't thicken as it cools,  repeat the above with a little more arrowroot dissolved in water and reheat until it thickens.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Pear Cake

Here's a lovely dairy-free and egg-free dessert that I've been making regularly for at least fifteen years but it's still a favourite in our house!

Because I'm more conscious of my sugar intake these days, I don't eat a lot of puddings, especially not straight after a main course.  However, I do love a good dessert especially when we have friends round for a meal. Having a whole evening to savour each other's company as well as the food is a real joy so I never rush to clear away the plates and dishes after each course!  Usually everyone's happily chatting away and anyway, it gives us time to let the food digest and make room for what's to come!

This Chocolate Pear Cake takes very little effort to make. In fact the only difficult part is remembering to buy your pears the week before so they're not rock hard!  Any variety of pears will do, such as conference or rocha.  It looks really impressive and tastes delicious too, especially served with a spoonful of Swedish Glace non-dairy vanilla or chocolate icecream.  

It can be made well in advance and kept in the fridge for a few days.   


Ingredients               Serves 6

Topping:

25g dairy free margarine (e.g. Pure)
25g light brown raw cane sugar
3 or 4 pears 
1 heaped tbsp roasted chopped hazelnuts

Cake:
75g dairy free margarine
85g unrefined golden castor sugar
100g self-raising flour
25g cocoa (e.g.Green & Black's)
half tsp instant coffee
2 tbsp soya milk

Method

First grease and line an 8" sandwich tin with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.  

Then make the topping by melting the margarine and sugar together in a bowl in the microwave or alternatively in a small pan. 

Mix with a wooden spoon until blended then spread over the base of your lined tin.

Peel and quarter the pears. Cut each quarter lengthways into three.  Then arrange them neatly in a wheel design around the edge of the tin, overlapping the pieces. 

Spoon most of the chopped nuts into the centre. 

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4

Whisk the margarine and sugar together for about a minute until light and creamy. 

Sieve the flour and cocoa together and gradually add to the mix, blending well until the ingredients are incorporated but don't overmix. Finally add the coffee and enough milk to make a fairly stiff cake mix.

Now transfer the cake mixture to the tin.  To avoid disrupting the pears, spoon the mixture a little at a time until most of the pears are covered.  

Then with a knife or your fingers, gently press the cake mixture down and carefully level the top.

Bake for 30 minutes until the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin.   Leave to cool in the tin on a cooling rack.  

When it's cold, cover and place in the fridge.  

When you're ready to serve,  take a knife and run it around the edge of the tin.  Then place your serving plate on top and carefully tip it over so the cake drops out.  If it doesn't come out straight away, hold the cake tin and the plate firmly together in your hands and give it a gentle shake.

Remove the parchment paper and add a few extra chopped nuts in the centre.

Make your own Dairyfree Yogurts

I've always loved fruit yogurts and grew up eating Ski yogurts which were one of the first to be launched in the UK in the 1960's.  Forty years on, I'm still enjoying yogurts though now I only eat dairyfree ones.

These days, there are plenty to choose from and, whether you are normally dairyfree or not, soya fruit yogurts are a popular healthy snack/dessert. It goes without saying that Alpro is the brand leader in the UK, readily available in all the supermarkets.  Healthfood shops also stock Provamel and Sojasun which are all delicious and there's also a French manufacturer Sojade who make a range of organic yogurts.  Asda have their own brand of soya yogurt, a cheaper alternative, that also tastes quite good.

Most manufacturers make a plain unflavoured yogurt and again, Alpro is the most readily available. It has a really creamy texture that's delicious on it's own or you can add your own fruit. 

Making your own plain yogurt is very easy, works out cheaper and, even better, means you are not adding to landfill with all those endless plastic cartons  (though for years, I've recycled mine as plant pots in the greenhouse, with a hole in the bottom for drainage, or taken them to our local recycling centre.)  You don't need any special equipment or ingredients and the end result is lovely, maybe a little milder than a bought one, but ideal if you want to combine fruit with it, or use it in savoury dishes.  More about that later ....

Making your own fruit yogurts is fun too as you can create so many more flavours and add less sugar too.   One of our favourites is pear with stem ginger and crushed ginger biscuits.
  
We also love banana yogurt - handy when you have lots of ripe fruit to use up! 


BANANA YOGURT
 

For one generous portion, you'll need one ripe banana,  a teaspoon of golden castor sugar and about 3 level tablespoons of plain natural yogurt.

Banana yogurt is made in moments with a hand-blender but you could also mash it by hand for a chunkier version or reserve slices of banana to add in later.  

For the smooth version,  put one peeled banana in a tallish container with the sugar and blitz down.

Add the yogurt and blend thoroughly before pouring into a dish. 

Banana yogurt tastes wonderful but can look boring and will also discolour if you don't eat it fairly soon (which never seems to happen in our house!)  So it's best to jazz it up by serving it in a nice dish or fancy glass and adding a topping like chopped roasted hazelnuts and sliced kiwi fruit.

PEAR AND GINGER YOGURT     Serves 2

1 small ball (or half a large one) stem ginger
2 ripe pears
3 tbsp plain yogurt

Some crushed ginger biscuits (e.g. Fox's Ginger Crinkles) go well with this yogurt and are a lovely surprise when you find them at the bottom of the dish!

Place four biscuits in a bag and crush with a rolling pin.

Melt about 15g dairyfree margarine in a bowl (takes seconds in a microwave) then add your biscuit crumbs. 

Place at the bottom of two glass dishes.



To make the yogurt, peel and chop the pears and place in a bowl.  

Cut a few thin slices of stem ginger to save as a garnish and finely chop the rest.  Add to the pears with the natural yogurt and mix.

Spoon the yogurt mixture on top of the crushed biscuits.  Place your reserved slices of ginger on top.  Eat immediately or chill until required.

MAKE YOUR OWN PLAIN YOGURT

I use a Salton Yogurt Maker (circa 1980!)  but a yogurt maker isn't essential.  A thermos flask or any container that you can keep in a warm place will do just as well. I don't use a thermometer either or do any other technical things many books tell you to do.  Simply use a bought plain soya yogurt as your starter.  After that, keep back some of your own home-made yogurt to start the next batch.


Ingredients

If you want to make a smaller quantity, just halve the ingredients.

1 litre unsweetened soya milk
3 tbsp Alpro plain yogurt at room temperature
(or use some of your previous batch as starter)

First, plug in your yogurt maker to heat up or pour some warm water into your thermos flask/yogurt container.

Pour the milk into a pan and heat gently.  It's best not to do this in a hurry. You don't want the milk to boil or heat too quickly as the bottom of the pan can easily burn and ruin the taste.  When the milk is getting hot and steamy, but not boiling, remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes. 

Then, once you can dip your finger in and it's still hot but not uncomfortable, add your plain yogurt starter and whisk in well to distribute.









Pour into a yogurt maker/thermos flask and leave for about 10 to 12 hours.

If using an ordinary container, leave in a warm place.
Transfer to the fridge and leave for at least 12 hours before using. 

It will keep for well over a week and don't forget to save a few tablespoons to make your next batch!