Author: Veronica

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Spiced Plum Muffins

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Well we’re currently basking in the glory of being crowned the winners of Peta’s Great Vegan Bake-Off, which is all very exciting, and slightly overwhelming. Thank you to everyone that voted for us – we’re proper chuffed. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than with another seasonal cakey, tasty treat! Soft fruits can be a bit of a pain, because no sooner have you bought them, they’re going off. So why not put your slightly squishy plums to good use with these spiced plum muffins, which are ideal for an 11 o’clock snack or make a tasty pud (especially while still warm from the oven). They’re also super easy. Spiced Plum Muffins 150g Spelt flour 150g Ground almonds 2 tsps Ground ginger 1 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda 50g Xylitol 50g Agave syrup 115g Vegetable oil 250ml Soya yoghurt (preferably organic) 150g Plums (stoned and chopped into small pieces) A sprinkle of toasted chopped almonds Pre-heat the oven to 180C. In a mixing bowl, add the flour, ground almonds, ginger, baking powder, bicarbonate …

Beetroot salad

Roasted Beetroot & Raw Green Salad

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This week is all about beetroot – you may have seen this tasty looking Chocolate Beetroot Cake Amy made last year… Well the recipe has made it into the final of PETA’s Great Vegan Bake-Off with this delicious cake and we are alongside some tasty looking creations, so we need your vote, because winning would be amazing! Voting is open until the 18th September, so please click through and place your vote (for us incase that wasn’t clear!) Thanks!! :) So back down to business, the thing with beetroot is it’s underrated. I’m ashamed to admit that it wasn’t that long ago until I didn’t realise the only way to eat it wasn’t out of a jar full of vinegar ready sliced or out of those plastic trays. We didn’t buy fresh beetroot, why bother when it’s already been cooked for you?! How wrong I was! I have grown my own and now we get bundles delivered in our veg box. It can be delicious just simply grated in a salad like this, or indeed made into a cake. But, in my humble …

Apple & Blackberry Cobbler

Apple & Blackberry Cobbler

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I was a little eager with my blackberries this year. I spotted a few on the way to the car park at work and declared to my work buddies that we, “MUST go blackberry picking during our lunch break the next day!” (I work in the countryside). We walked to the field where we had picked them last year, and were bitterly disappointed with the lack of blackberries ripe for picking. We managed to gather a few and I declared a cobbler was in order. It is around now that you should start to find plenty to forage and use to make this delicious apple and blackberry cobbler. There is something much more satisfying about eating your pud when you have picked your own berries, got scratched by the brambles, stung by a couple of nettles and have washed any potential creepy crawlies away! I promise I’m not lying! I’ve not made a cobbler before and didn’t really know the difference compared to a crumble. My version probably isn’t a traditional cobbler, from what I gather they usually are a …

Press pause

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Sometimes life is busy, too busy and we just need to press the pause button.Amy is currently away living the dream learning about all things permaculture and camping somewhere in the middle of Dorset. I’m so jealous, especially as the weather this weekend is the perfect for it – which doesn’t happen often in the UK. I have a job that can raise my stress levels to heart palpitatingly high and I look at a screen all day. At lunch and at home, I spend too much time looking at my phone. I watch boxsets and netflix like they’re going to go somewhere and I can always find something to do. I’m tired.So, it’s time to rest. Time to meditate. Time to practice Yoga. Stop staring at screens, stop reading this, stop living online and get outdoors. Sit in the sun, read a book, go for a walk. Have a nap. Relax and recharge. It’s the weekend – enjoy. Veronica x

Stuffed Marrow

Stuffed Marrow

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  Well we’re in the height of summer, although you wouldn’t believe it looking at today’s weather, it’s been freezing! I’m really enjoying the new variety of vegetables that are in season. This weekend we celebrated Amy’s birthday; we ventured to the local pick your own farm before heading home for all things cider and BBQ based. Whilst we were mainly picking the last of the strawberries and finding the best raspberries and redcurrants to bury into the freezer to get us through the winter we also found some marrows.     Marrows are one of those vegetables, which can be a bit boring. I’m a fan of boring and really like marrows but I can understand why some people may not really appreciate them quite so much. So, when life brings you marrow…..stuff them!   Stuffed marrows with puy lentils and tomatoes Serves 6 3 marrows 250g puy lentils 1 cartoon of passata 2 tbsp dried basil 2 cloves of garlic Olive oil 1. In a saucepan cover the lentils with boiling water and simmer …

Peppery Radish Salad

Peppery Radish Salad

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One of the things I love about summer is salads. I know…..salad….boring! Wrong. You’ve just got to make it more interesting. Now we’re well and truly into summer I’m starting to get some more vegetables in my veg box to make my salads that little bit more exciting. One thing I love about getting a veg box is the variety of lettuces we get to eat. I’m not talking about your typical iceberg or your cos lettuce here, oh no sir-ee. I’m talking flavoursome salad leaves, peppery leaves, unidentifiable leaves…..basically you’ve got to get some flavour in the base layer of your salad. This week we also received a bundle of vibrant pink radishes. They look just how radishes should look, all different shapes and sizes, slightly different to the uniform round ones you get in the supermarket. These taste so good.Any good salad isn’t complete until you’ve got the dressing. This is where you make or break it. Often I just drizzle a little olive oil or balsamic vinegar but nothing beats putting a little …

Rhubarb Ginger Cheesecake

Vegan Rhubarb & Ginger Cheesecake

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  Tis the season for rhubarb. Yes, rhubarb is starting to sprout it’s beautiful pink stalks from the ground and we can now enjoy, what I believe, is one of our most underestimated fruits. Let’s celebrate all things rhubarb! It’s only in recent years that I have come to appreciate this delicious fruit, it was one of those things that I turned my nose up at all my childhood and avoided at all costs. That is until I actually tried it. We had to move our rhubarb plant when we got our chickens, it now resides in our front garden and has taken a couple of years to reestablish itself, but this year it looks like we may have a bumper crop. I love the sharpness of rhubarb, and the contrast it brings to a sweet dessert. I don’t know if you’ve seen Amy’s delicious Elderflower cheesecake? I didn’t get a chance to taste her creation, but I have adapted it and it is easily versatile to whatever works seasonally. So here is my rhubarb version and what goes perfectly with rhubarb? Ginger …

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A short guide to rescuing chickens

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We rescued our first lot of chickens back in 2012, little did we know how they would change our lives. They after all the reason we both became vegan. Read more about that here. Fast forward to 2015 and we have rescued another 3 chickens. We are by no means experts but here is a little guide about what we know.         1. Chickens have personalities too – there are bolder chickens and more timid hens, they feel pain and they can make their feelings known when they want to be let outside. You know when people talk about a pecking order, yep that definitely comes from chickens. There is always a pecking order. When we first got chickens it was the saddest thing to watch them establish and then to watch poor little Rosie right at the bottom of that order. God she was bullied. But, I’ve come to accept this is just the way they live together, there is always a top chicken and a bottom one and the order can change. If …

Run like a vegan

Run like a vegan

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The day I found out I had won my place in the ballot for the London Marathon 2015, I actually jumped with joy! I was going to realise my dream. The one I had had for years, the one I didn’t really believe I would ever achieve, I mean 26.2 miles is a long way and I couldn’t even run up the road without having to stop. The only thing that has got me to 5 weeks away from the marathon and believing that I may actually make it the whole way round the course, is sheer hard work and determination. My first steps to London 2015, started about 8 years ago when Amy and I entered our first 10k together. We struggled around the course in Manchester and made it back in 1hr12mins. That was tough. I had put in the training, well what I thought was proper training and was extremely pleased to get round without stopping. Every year, I watched the marathon on telly or I went up to London to watch …

Vegan, Gluten-free Brownies

Vegan, Gluten-free Brownies

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Have you ever made brownies then felt great disappointment when you taste them and they are dry and cakey, not dense and gooey as a good brownie should be? Never fear, I can guarantee chocolatey gooeyness with these guys. Not only are these absolutely delicious, they are really easy to make and a healthier alternative to your regular sugar laden brownie plus they’re gluten free too! Seriously what more do you want from us! I’m not one to celebrate Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend but if you are…..these would be the perfect choice! Go on indulge yourselves! Vegan & gluten-free chocolate brownies Makes 15 brownies 1 cup of dates 1 cup of raw almonds 1/2 cup of cocoa powder 1/2 cup ground almonds 45g chopped dark chocolate (sugar free) 1/2 cup of raw walnuts 2 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp milled chia seeds mixed with 3 tbsp water (or use flax seeds) 1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray (i used an 11″x 7″ one) with greaseproof paper. 2. In a saucepan add the …