Veggischmooze Gets Barbecuing

 So it’s really hot at last and maybe your summer food seems a little bland and boring. We have the answer – a fabulous mildly spiced veganburger with a hint of coconut which is high in flavour, high in protein and will cook either in the oven or on the barbecue. It freezes well and can be eaten hot or cold. Make it early in the day when it’s still cool and those spicy flavours will sing. Serve in Yossi’s pitta recipe excuse us for repeating it but it will save you a little time scrolling back and it is the best. Then add the Wicked Chilli Sauce as accompaniment – you’ll be delighted, we promise.    

    

The Ultimate Vegan Burger with Kerala Spices

 Ruth says,’ This may seem like a huge number of ingredients but I’ve reduced the processes and the results are fabulous. I made them once as a tryout for the blog and they were so successful with the whole family that everyone was delighted when I had an excuse to make them again so soon. They are as filling as non-vegan burger and choc-full of magical foods such as sunflower seeds, oats and carrots. What a wonderful way to persuade the family to eat veggies.’

Make 12 generous burgers – probably serves 6 adults        

Grease two baking sheets with a little oil

Set oven on 190 C gas mark 5

150g TVP mince

600ml hot water

4 teaspoons Marigold bouillon soup powder

250g fresh carrots finely grated

150 g chopped onions – frozen are fab

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds

1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon garam masala

¼ teaspoon turmeric

2 heaped teaspoons chopped chillies - approximately 1 medium heat  

1 heaped teaspoon crushed garlic – approximately 2 cloves

1 thumb of fresh ginger finely grated

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon authentic Modena Balsamic Vinegar – check as this is vegan    

1 tablespoon tomato puree

100g sunflower seeds

30g porridge oats

15g pumpkin seeds

200 g cooked rice

2 teaspoons salt

150 desiccated coconut

25 g fresh coriander finely chopped

25g fresh parsley finely chopped

 

Place the TVP in a large jug and top with the water and stock powder. Leave to stand and to swell. Finely grate the carrots and leave in a large bowl. Take the sunflower seeds, oats and pumpkin seeds and place on an oven tray and toast for ten minutes on approximately 150 C, gas mark 2 just to colour a little. Pour the oil into a large saucepan and add the whole spices – the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, yellow mustard seeds, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and cook over a medium heat until they begin to pop. Add the onions, garlic, chopped chilli, and ginger and fry gently until the onions soften slightly and the fragrance is glorious. Add the garam masala, paprika and turmeric. Remove the seed/oat mixture from the oven and process until reasonably smooth with half the rice, the tomato puree, the balsamic vinegar and salt. Add this mixture to the grated carrot with the remaining rice, the coconut, chopped coriander and parsley and combine into a smooth mixture.

Form into large patties approximately 10cm in diameter and place on greased baking sheets. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until tops are firm and brown .Turn with a spatula and bake on the other side for approximately 10 minutes until golden.

 

Enjoy hot or cold – can be frozen and reheated in the oven or the microwave 

 

Seedy Pitta Bread

 This recipe is based on a lovely recipe given to us by Yossi who runs a falafel stall in Netanya, Israel. The locals visit every day and stop to buy his luscious falafel stuffed into his own extra fluffy pitta. We were thrilled when he offered to give us his recipe and chuffed he was being blogged. But we wanted to go even further and make these pitta even more special so we have added sesame and nigella seeds for extra flavour. We are so thrilled with the results and surely a decent flat bread recipe that suits vegans and carnivores alike has to be a bonus? 

Makes 25 – 30 

1 kilo plain flour

2 tablespoons dried yeast

700ml warm water

120ml oil

3 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoons sugar

100g sesame seeds

100g nigella seeds

 

Mix the sugar, 100gms flour, yeast and water in a small bowl and leave to prove in a warm place. When the mixture is frothy and bubbling, whisk in the oil. In a large bowl place the remaining flour, the seeds plus the salt then the yeast/ oil mixture and knead well until a satin-smooth dough is obtained. It is quite wet to begin so don’t panic. Leave to double in bulk in a warm place covered with an oiled piece of plastic wrap. When it has doubled in size remove and form into cricket ball sized dough lumps – or daintier if you prefer. Divide the dough into 25-30 balls. Roll them out to approximately 2 ½ cms thick and place on a floured board.           

 If you have a baking stone in your oven this is ideal as the hotter the oven the better. Heat the oven to maximum and lay 3 on the baking stone, taking great care.

Bake for approximately 5- 7 minutes or until the pitas are puffed and golden. Serve and enjoy.

 

 

                Wicked Homemade Chilli Sauce – You’ll Never Buy It Again!

 

Along with dozens of shop-bought sauces lie the lurid coloured chilli sauces. They can seem pleasant but often there’s a slight after-taste, maybe MSG within the mixtures, and there’s no doubt that many contain e numbers and chemicals. But I have the answer. At last you can make your own chilli sauce in minutes which is probably the best and easiest chilli sauce you have ever tasted and trust us it’s so worth doing. Use frozen ready chopped ginger, garlic, chilli and coriander for speed and ease.  

It’s the perfect accompaniment to a veggie burger or mix with a veggie stir-fry for a delicious tasty supper. Finally combine with a can of low-fat coconut milk for a luscious creamy sauce.

 Because of the vinegar content, this sauce will keep in the fridge for weeks. 

 Makes 400ml

.225ml rice or white wine vinegar

225ml water

170g Fair trade soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons finely chopped frozen ginger

2½ teaspoons finely chopped frozen chilli

1 teaspoon finely chopped frozen garlic

1 tablespoon frozen chopped coriander

2 teaspoon brown sauce

5 teaspoons corn-flour slaked with a little water

 

 Place the ingredients, except the corn flour in a sauce-pan and simmer gently for five minutes. Remove from heat. Then slake the corn flour with a little water and stir so that it is a little like cream. Add to corn-flour mixture to the slightly cooled sauce and stir well. Return to the heat and keep stirring until the mixture becomes thick and syrupy. Taste and be proud!

 soo fab!      

 Enjoy folks, keep cool and enjoy this lovely weather – it won’t last forever.

 And thank you all for your wonderful continuous support. Please let us know when

 you enjoy our blog. We love your feedback.

     Love Ruth and Sarah xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

                                   Guardian Wrapped Challenge

 

Sarah and I were beside ourselves with joy when our luscious Gazelles Horns were published in the Guardian today.

 

They are adapted from a traditional Moroccan recipe and have an intriguing type of pastry which rolls out really thin and this crisp pastry is wrapped around a type of marzipan with a delicate hint of orange flower fragrance. They are exotically unusual and even more delicious served with hot mint tea for good friends who deserve a little more effort.      
Please try them xx
Cheers

Ruth and Sarah

 

                                       Gazelles’ Horns – Moroccan Pastries

These fabulous pastries are offered all over Morocco and after tasting one in a restaurant I had to make them. Malika my lovely Moroccan friend gave me clues but there were many blanks as the recipe was discussed with pursed fingers, tea glasses and pigeon French. Nevertheless it was a huge privilege to talk food and laugh.

 

Please note the one egg should be beaten and a tablespoon goes into the pastry and filling. Although not traditional you could glaze the pastries with the remaining egg.

 

Makes 26 Gazelles horns

Line 2 baking sheets.  Set oven on 180C, gas mark 4  

Pastry

250g flour

1 pinch salt

1 tablespoon icing sugar 

1 tablespoon free-range organic egg

25 ml melted butter or marg

1 tablespoon non flavoured oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grated zest 1 orange

60ml water

 

Filling

250g ground almonds

125g icing sugar

30ml non-flavoured oil

1 tablespoon egg

25 ml melted butter or margarine

1¼ teaspoons orange flower water

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

  Icing sugar to dust when warm

 

Pastry

Beat the one egg in a glass. Sieve the flour, salt and icing sugar in a large bowl, then add the liquid ingredients work together until a soft pastry is obtained. Wrap in cling film and chill it while you make the filling.

 

Filling

Combine all the ingredients and make a soft fragrant dough. Work it for a minute to bring out the flavourings. Form into small sausage shapes approximately 5cms centimetres by 2 cms making a slight curve and tapering the ends as if they are horn-shaped. Take the chilled pasty and form into walnut-sized balls. Roll out each ball quite thinly and wet with a little water.  Lay the sausage shape on the front of the shape and wrap the remaining pastry around the filling curving it to fit the filling in a gazelle’s horn. Cut around with a pastry cutter and place the finished horns on the baking sheets and bake for 25-30 minutes or until deliciously light brown. Serve warm or cold with mint tea or strong coffee.