Vegan Marzipan

The traditional recipe for marzipan contains egg whites but fear not fellow vegans, we don't have to miss out on this delicious paste of almondyness (made up word).
This marzipan is quick and easy to make and super delicious and only needs a hand full of ingredients. I guarantee it won't last long in your fridge.

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups of almond meal/flour
1 tsp lemon juice
3 Tbs Pure maple syrup
1 tsp Almond extract
1 tsp water

Method :
Add the almond flour to a large bowl

Now add the rest of the ingredients.

Give everything a stir to incorporate all of the ingredients.

Now with clean hands, get in there and squish with your fingers to form a sticky dough.

Now place the marzipan onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a log.

Wrap it tightly and twist it a few times.

Put the wrapped marzipan in a freezer bag and let it set in the fridge for an hour or over night.

Now your marzipan is ready to use however you wish.

The marzipan will last in your fridge for several weeks but I guarantee it won't last longer than a day ;)

Enjoy.

How to blanch Almonds and make Almond flour

Almond flour is used in many gluten free recipes and baking.

If Almond flour/meal is not readily available to you in your area and you have some raw almonds at hand, here is a quick and easy way to make your own.

Ingredients :

2 cups of raw almonds

Boiled water to blanch

How to blanch almonds :

Add 2 cups of almonds to a bowl

Cover the almonds with boiled water and let sit for 1 minute.

Now drain the water.

Tip the almonds into a clean tea towel and gently but quickly fold the towel and rub the almonds together and the skins will slip of easily.

I let my blanched almonds dry in my oven without it being switched on overnight. But you can pre heat your oven to one 180 and then switch it off and put your almonds in a baking tray and then put them in the oven with the door slightly open until they have dried out. Or better still if you own a dehydrator, use that.

Making the Almond flour/meal :

Add your blanched almonds to your food processor.

Now pulse 2 or 3 times until it looks crumbly.

Now blitz away for a minute or two until you get a fine almond flour.

Be careful not to process it too much as you will release the natural oils and it will start to turn into almond butter.

Now your almond flour/meal is ready to use. At this point you may sift it but I just stored it into a zip lock bag straight away.

How to store blanched almonds and almond meal :

Blanched almonds can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 years.

Almond flour can be stored in your pantry for up to 2 months but I would recommend storing it in the coldest part of your fridge for up to 6 months or better still in the freezer for 12 months.

If freezing, let the flour come to room temperature before using in a recipe.

I hope this has been useful to you all :) 

Kidney beans and Mushroom Bakes

I absolutely love variations of salads and as the weather is getting warmer, I've wanted to eat something light but also with a bit of substance so I made these quick and easy Kidney bean and mushroom bakes.
They are crispy on the outside and soft in the center almost like falafels but not quite.
These bakes are delicious in a salad, pitta bread or even wraps. Enjoy however you like.

Ingredients:
2 slices of wholemeal bread
1 can of kidney beans (drained and washed)
5 medium mushrooms sliced/chopped
1 Tbs of Nutritional yeast
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
4-5 splashes of liquid aminos for saltiness
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 a small onion
squirt of sriracha
dash of Italian herbs

Method :

Pre heat your oven to 180/350

Tear the slices of wholemeal bread and add it to a food processor.

Pulse it a few times to make course breadcrumbs .

Now add all of the other ingredients to the food processor.

Pulse it a few times until it all comes together but be careful not to puree it.

Empty the contents out into a bowl.

Now line a oven proof tray with parchment paper and roll the mixture into balls and place them onto the tray.

Now bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then turn them gently and bake for a further 10 minutes. They should look like this.

Now they are ready to eat :) I served mine with a mixed salad and a maple tahini dressing.

Tahini dressing :
2 tsp tahini
juice of half a lemon
1 Tbs pure maple syrup
2 splashes of soya sauce
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
pinch of Himalayan salt
Pinch of pepper.

stir all the ingredients thoroughly and adjust the thickness by adding a tiny bit of water at a time.

Enjoy :)

Cashew Sour Cream

There is very little that vegans will miss out on and sour cream is one of them.

This quick and easy cashew sour cream is absolutely delicious and creamy and goes well with anything that you would use sour cream with. It's great to make your own as you can control the consistency and flavours.

Ingredients :

2 cups of raw cashews

1 Tbs of Nutritional yeast

Juice of one lemon

2 Tbs Apple cider vinegar

1/2 Tsp garlic powder

1/2 Tsp black pepper

1 tsp Himalayan salt

1/2 a cup of filtered water plus 2 Tbs

Method :

Add all of the ingredients into a food processor.

Start with half a cup of water and slowly add extra to reach the consistency that you like. 

Blend it until it's nice and creamy and check for seasonings and add more then blend again .

Pour the cashew sour cream into a clean jar and store it in the fridge. It should last for about a week and can be enjoyed as a dip with veggies or any way you like to eat soured cream .

Enjoy :)

Turmeric, Ginger and Lemon shots

Turmeric, the main spice in curry, is arguably the most powerful herb on the planet at fighting and potentially reversing disease. It has so many healing properties.

This puts turmeric on top of the list as one of the most frequently mentioned medicinal herbs in all of science and the next most popular studied herbs include garlic, cinnamon, ginseng, ginger and Milk Thistle.

Here are some benefits of the ingredients that are used in this recipe:

Benefits of Turmeric:

Aids metabolism and maintains weight management.

Anti-inflammatory.

Antibiotic.

Antiseptic.

Antioxidant

Anti-arthritic

Blood purifier

Cancer prevention

Heals stomach ulcers

Helps cough and asthma

Improved digestion

Improves skin conditions

Lowers cholesterol

Reduces side effects of chemo therapy

speeds wound healing

Strengthens ligaments

Skin tonic

Slows progression of Multiple Sclerosis

Prevents progression of Alzheimer's disease

To increase the bioavailability of Turmeric add a pinch of black pepper to help your liver absorb it. Also eating it with fat helps to increase absorption.

Benefits of Ginger :

Anti Cancer

Motion sickness and nausea remedy

Prevents gas and bloating

Reduces pain and inflammation

Cold and flu prevention and treatment

Migraine relief

Menstrual cramp relief

Prevention of diabetic nephropathy

Anti inflammatory

Boosts immune system

Antibiotic

Aids heart health.

Benefits of lemon :

Boosts immune system

Balances PH

Detoxifies the body

Anti Aging

Excellent for weight loss and digestion

Blood purifier

Fights cold and flu

Stimulates the liver

Eases heartburn and bloating

Vitamin C

Aids antioxidant absorption

Benefits of Cayenne Pepper:

Aids with digestion

Aids with weight loss

Anti-fungal properties

Antiseptic properties

Detoxifies the body

Headache prevention

Heart health

Helps produce saliva

Joint and pain reliever

Migraine relief

Prevents blood clots

Wards off cold and flu

Ingredients :

Filtered water according to the size of the container you are using.

Thumb sized peace of ginger grated.

1 tsp ground Turmeric.

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp Himalayan salt

Agave syrup to sweeten (optional)

Method :

Add water to a large jug with all of the ingredients and then put the grated ginger into a sieve and squeeze out as much of the juice as possible and add it to the jug.

Give everything a good stir and and pour into the container which you will be storing it in.

Store this tonic in the fridge.

You can drink this shot up to 5 times a day whenever you feel a bit run down or just need a boost.