berry muffins

On a mission to make vegan blueberry/ currant muffins using all the berries I picked yesterday... will try this:

http://www.egglesscooking.com/2009/03/02/vegan-blueberry-muffins/

this one also looks quite easy, but not convinced it will rise

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=11738.0

here's the recipe I used:

Plain Flour: 2 cups
Baking Powder: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar: 3/4 to 1 cup
Soya Milk 1 cup
Sunflower Oil: 1/3 cup
White Vinegar (I used malt vinegar): 1 tablespoon
Mixed berries- blueberries, recurrants, blackcurrants, raspberries: 1 1/2 cups

Yield: 16 muffins.

Mix dry ingredients, then add oil, vinegar and soya milk. Don't mix too much-1/2 minute

Gently fold in berries and 3/4 fill lined muffin trays

Bake 25-30 minutes in moderate oven- gas 5

Nut roast

This is quite a simple standard vegetarian dish. It is not an exact science. I don't use a recipe for this- I just make it up as I go along, but here I will attempt to represent what i made for Xmas day dinner as my contribution to a huge feast including many roasted vegetables, sauces and gravy.
This version is Vegan.

I bought whole nuts for this, which I was going to chop/ blend, but I thought they had been eaten by the children and managed with only ground and flaked ones. Chopped mixed nuts are fine, but I prefer hazels or almonds.

Ingredients:
Nuts: 200g ground hazlenuts
100g flaked Almonds
(or ground almonds and chopped hazlenuts or... basically 12oz nuts)
1 cup oats
1 slice bread, crumbed (if not stale, lightly toast, leave to cool, then grate)
I onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery finely chopped
6 mushrooms finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
sunflower oil
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
herbs- mixed, or pref, fresh, eg, thyme, small amounts of sage, rosemary
1/2 pint stock made with:
water
Soy sauce- 2-3 dessert spoons
Boillion/stock cube
yeast extract (Marmite)
Seeds for topping- eg sesame, sunflower, pumpkin
optional- cranberries for decoration

In large pan fry onions, celery and mushrooms in oil for about 5 minutes.
Turn off heat and add all other ingredients, the stock last, making sure the mixture is moist and sticky but not runny.
Press into a baking tin or loaf tin
Top with generous amount of seeds
Bake in moderate oven for about an hour to 1 1/2 hours, till firm and seeds start to brown. If in loaf tin, it may need longer and covering with foil so top doesnt burn.

Urm... that's it, i think... never written it down before...
I like it with roast potatoes and parsnips and gravy and cranberry sauce. You can eat it cold in sandwiches if there is any left over.
Quantities- the feast was for 12 but I need to make this much to fill the heart-shaped tin! And it keeps for days.

Just adapted this for someone who doesn't eat nuts- using red lentils...

mince for pies!

1 lb Cooking apples, grated with peel on
12 oz Raisins
8 oz sultanas
8 oz currants
8 oz mixed peel (or use mixed dried fruit of course!)
12oz soft brown sugar
grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
2 oz chopped almonds (I get flaked and crush them with hands. This is instead of suet)
2 oz ground almonds (I only had hazel)
4 teaspoons mixed spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tspn nutmeg
Brandy- optional

Just mix it all together!

here's the recipie for mince pies!

Dawn's Crazy Cake

This is a vegan chocolate cake. Very simple and very yummy. For a large party cake like this double the quantities, otherwise it will make a 7" round sandwich cake. I use a special cup-measuring cup, which is like an old-fashioned teacup, and a large dessert spoon for the tbsp.

Sieve together:

1 1/2 cups SR flour

3 Tbsp cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

make 3 holes in dry mixture and add:

5 tbsp cooking oil

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup cold water

beat with spoon and bake in moderate oven (180C, 350F, Gas4) for 30 mins in oiled/lined tin(s)