Meera Sodha's vegan recipe for Assam tea malt loaf

From theguardian.com

A cheap, rich and sticky treat to eat with your favourite cuppa

Usually in a recipe, I like to contrast ingredients and watch them battle it out. But sometimes, when you want to go large on one flavour, it’s worth adding a few ingredients with similar profiles to cover all bases. Today’s loaf is a case in point: I wanted layers of malt on malt on malt – flavours of toast, coffee, toffee and rye bread – which comes from using malt extract and muscovado sugar together with my favourite tea, the robust, full-bodied Assam tea, AKA the thinking woman’s English breakfast.

Prep 10 minCook 50-60 minServes 8-10

Meera Sodha’s sticky Assam tea malt loaf. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay

Sticky Assam malt loaf

You’ll need to find malt extract for this recipe. You might be able to buy this from larger supermarkets, healthfood shops such as Holland & Barrett, or online.

Rapeseed oil, for greasing
2 tbsp milled chia seeds
150ml strong brewed Assam tea, hot
1 tbsp lemon juice
200ml malt extract, plus extra for brushing
100g light brown muscovado
250g dried fruit (a mix of cherries, prunes and raisins), chopped into raisin-sized pieces
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp sea salt
Heat the oven to 180C (160c fan)/350F/gas 4, and grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper.

Put the milled chia seeds in a small bowl with five tablespoons of water and leave to one side to bloom. Meanwhile, put the hot tea, lemon juice, malt extract, sugar and fruit in a heatproof bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the bloomed seeds, flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Mix well, then spoon into the prepared tin.

Bake for 50-60 minutes (the timing will depend on the shape of your loaf tin), or until a skewer comes out clean. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, brush the top with more malt extract and leave to cool. Eat warm with your favourite spread or wrap in baking paper and keep in an airtight tin, where it will get stickier and keep for up to a week.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/may/09/meera-sodha-vegan-recipe-for-assam-tea-malt-loaf

Plant-based diet? Here's how to make your own vegan meatballs at home in lockdown

From hellomagazine.com
By Sophie Hamilton

 Meatballs… but without the meat

Missing your weekly lunch trip to Itsu and their delicious Asian-inspired meals? Then hurrah for this recipe, as the British food chain has shared its recipe for tasty vegan meatballs which we can now make at home on lockdown (cue mini celebration dance). Meatless Farm’s Asian Meatballs are normally exclusive to Itsu but the plant-based company has shared how to make them with its fresh mince, now available from Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Ocado and Whole Foods. Get cooking!

Itsu Asian Meatless Meatballs

Serves 4 bowls, cooking time 35 minutes

Ingredients for vegan meatballs

• 400g Meatless Farm Mince
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh lemongrass (or dried)
• ½ deseeded red chilli
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp minced ginger
• ½ tsp minced garlic

Ingredients for Miso and extras (per 1 bowl):

• 1 sachet Itsu ‘miso easy’ traditional flavour in 200 ml boiling water
• 50g Shimeji mushrooms (any mushrooms will do, chanterelle, oyster mushrooms also great)
• ½ tsp truffle oil (use olive oil if not available)
• 4 basil leaves Edamame
• 1 egg (optional)
• 3 baby sweetcorn
• 75g ready cooked rice
• Chopped red chilli (to garnish)
• 1 sliced spring onion
• Sesame seeds sprinkle (to garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

How to make vegan meatballs

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Step 2

Mix the mince with other ingredients in a large bowl and then shape into balls about the size of a golf ball. A 400g pack of mince should make between 10 and 12 meatballs.

Step 3

Place the meatballs evenly spaced into an ovenproof tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Step 4

Bake for 15-18 minutes at 180 degrees.

Whilst you are waiting:

Step 5

Boil your baby sweetcorn in water over a medium heat, until cooked through. Once ready, put to one side.

Step 6

If you have chosen to include an egg, poach the egg in salted water (you can use the same water as the baby sweetcorn, to save time, cleaning up and to add a little extra flavour).

Step 7

Add your truffle or olive oil to a frying pan over a medium to high heat, once heated add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Put to one side so they are ready to add to the finished bowl.

Once your meatballs are ready:

Step 8
Add one sachet of the Itsu ‘miso easy’ to 200ml of boiling water and mix well.

Step 9

Heat up your ready cooked rice pack in the microwave, as per pack instructions.

Step 10

You are ready to build your bowl! Turn your rice into your bowl in a pile, add the miso soup, Asian Meatballs, mushrooms, baby corn, egg and top with all other prepared ingredients. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top to garnish.

To add your own touch, try adding….

Bok choy, seaweed, crispy chilli flakes, asparagus, noodles (instead of rice), bean sprouts, julienne carrots

https://www.hellomagazine.com/cuisine/2020050689363/vegan-meatball-recipe-itsu/

Acclaimed Vegan Chef Launches Free Plant-Based Cooking Series for Kids

From vegnews.com

Chad Sarno’s Wicked Healthy Kids video series helps families make quick and easy vegan breakfasts, grab-and-go snacks, and packed lunches.

Vegan chef Chad Sarno—co-founder of the Wicked Healthy brand of vegan cookbooks, food products, and online community—recently launched a free online cooking series for kids. The Wicked Healthy Kids video series features instructional cooking videos for plant-based meals that are quick and easy for families, including grilled cheese sandwiches, mini pizzas, Shepherd’s pie, and ideas for packed lunches and snacks on the go. While Sarno intended to sell the series as an online course, he decided to make it available for free on YouTube given the challenging times we are in with home schooling and caring for children as the focus for many families.

“We developed this online cooking series for families and kids because I have seen first-hand how connecting kids to their food when they are young helps create healthy food habits for life,” Sarno told VegNews. “At home, getting my kids involved in everything, from the garden to daily meal prep, has just become the norm. Starting them young and making the connection of planting seeds and cooking a variety of foods keeps them curious and excited about our meals together. It takes a bit of patience and tends to be a bit of mess, but I can’t imagine my kitchen now without my kids right there beside me.”

The Wicked Healthy YouTube channel also offers a variety of other free video cooking series, such as one focused on mushrooms and another on cooking with vegan Chao cheese.

https://vegnews.com/2020/5/acclaimed-vegan-chef-launches-free-plant-based-cooking-series-for-kids

BOSH! launch new vegan cake range in UK supermarkets

From veganfoodandliving.com

BOSH! are back with another exciting bit of news for the vegan community as they launch their first range of vegan cakes at Tesco and Asda

The UK’s bestselling vegan authors Henry Firth and Ian Theasby from BOSH! recently starred in their new 10-part vegan cookery series, Living On The Veg, on ITV, and now they’re launching their first food product into UK supermarkets with a new range of vegan cakes.

Available to purchase in Tesco supermarkets now, the first flavours in the range include a rich Ultimate Chocolate Cake and a Luscious Lemon Cake, both of which are priced at £3.50. The cakes will also be available to purchase at Asda stores from 13th July.

The new vegan range is certified by The Vegan Society, who announced the launch on social media saying: “WARNING: DELICIOUS VEGAN CAKE INCOMING. We’re super excited to announce that @bosh.tv are launching their first vegan cakes which will be available in supermarkets – just in time to kick off our 30th anniversary celebrations! BOSH!’s Ultimate Chocolate Cake and Luscious Lemon Cake are registered with the #VeganTrademark and AVAILABLE NOW in @tescofood, and in @asda from 13th July. Which one are you drooling over??”

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/bosh-launch-new-vegan-cakes-range-in-uk-supermarkets/

Supermarket Giant Aldi Launches Own-Brand Vegan Biscuit Spread

From plantbasednews.org

'First reviews back of this are that you couldn't tell the difference between this and Lotus Biscoff spread'

Affordable supermarket chain Aldi has launched its own-brand vegan biscuit spread, according to Vegan Food UK.

Vegan Food UK is an online organization sharing vegan food news, reviews, vlogs, and more. It operates across multiple social media platforms, with a Facebook group, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Instagram account.

'Couldn't tell the difference'

Speaking about the product on Instagram, the organization said: "First reviews back of this are that you couldn't tell the difference between this and Biscoff spread.
"We hear it's £1.79 but just looking for confirmation. The ingredients on the back [read] 'soya free' but the allergen warning states 'may contain egg and soya'."

  The product is said to taste just like Biscoff spread (Photo: Twitter. Edited by Plant Based News)

Biscoff Biscuits

Last month, Lotus Biscoff added cream sandwich biscuits to its range of accidentally vegan treats.
The biscuits are currently available in Tesco stores across the UK, retailing at £1.39 for a pack of 15. They are also available online.

Just like Aldi's biscuit spread, the product carries an allergen warning due to the manufacturing method, which means there is a risk of cross-contamination, and they may contain eggs or milk.
According to The Sun, Lotus Bakeries, the manufacturer of the biscuits, said they will launch in other supermarkets, but no dates are known yet.

https://www.plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/aldi-launches-own-brand-vegan-biscuit-spread

Vegans rejoice! Ben & Jerry’s have two new flavours we can dive into

From thebrag.com
By Brittany Jenke

Don’t worry about only having to stick to plain ol’ vanilla or chocolate, because Ben & Jerry’s have released two new vegan flavours – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Chocolate Caramel Cluster.

You know, being a vegan back in the day sucked. There were hardly any meat alternatives that didn’t taste like they just tried to smoosh together veggies until they held a semi-meat-like shape, and you could forget about vegan ice cream being tasty.

Luckily, now that so many people are on-trend with being vegan (yay for animals!), many companies are taking the time to make sure that us vegans get our fair share of goodies.

We’ve seen Milo release their coveted malted powder in vegan form, and Cadbury has jumped on the veggie train with plans for a vegan Dairy Milk bar. Now, Ben & Jerry’s has even more vegan goods to offer with two new non-dairy flavours.

While their Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Peanut Butter And Cookies flavours have been there to comfort us when we take the junk food deep-dive, we now have two new pints to dip into, as they’ve got an indulgent Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavour on offer, as well as a decadent Chocolate Caramel Cluster ice cream.

                                                     Image: Instagram/Ben & Jerry's

You know, my healthy diet while in iso has been completely tossed out the window because who has the mental capacity for counting calories during a global pandemic? At least Ben & Jerry’s gets me by gifting us with these creamy tubs.

So, which one are you most keen to try? Do you fancy yourself a bit of vanilla ice cream with chunks of cookie dough intertwined with chocolate chips? Or are you more down for chocolate ice cream filled with clusters of oozing caramel?

Whichever you fancy, at least we know that they’re vegan, most likely delicious, and that I’ll be marching my butt down to Woolies to pick up a pint after work.

https://thebrag.com/ben-and-jerrys-two-new-vegan-flavours/

Meera Sodha's vegan recipe for pizzette with romesco and leeks

From theguardian.com

A no-fuss, quick pizza with a store-cupboard sauce

In the past, I would organise my diary around making pizza dough. Its list of needs: special ‘00’ flour, damp cloths, a certain temperature to prove and a double knead seemed greater to me than those of a newborn baby.

But then, one day, I threw off my pizza-schedule shackles, used plain flour instead, didn’t prove or knock back the dough and instead whacked it straight in the oven, and a joyous, thin, crisp and chewy pizza emerged 20 minutes later. A coup for hungry mouths and impatient cooks alike.

In this recipe, I’ve covered the base with a store-cupboard romesco sauce and some leeks, but really it’s just a starting point for any topping adventure.

Meera Sodha’s pizzette with romesco and leeks. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Louie Waller. Food assistant: Katy Gilhooly. Photo assistant: Sam Reeves.

Pizzette with romesco sauce and leeks

Prep 25 min
Cook 30 minServes 2-4

For the dough
400g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2½ tbsp olive oil
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
7g dried active yeast

For the romesco
75ml light olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
25g dried breadcrumbs
½ tsp salt
2 tsp sweet paprika
50g sundried tomatoes (ie, about 6), drained and roughly chopped
100g toasted flaked almonds
375g jarred roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped

For the topping
2 small leeks (200g), cut on an angle into ½cm slices
2 tbsp olive oil

Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Combine the flour, oil, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl, add 200ml warm water, then mix with your hands and knead in the bowl until you have a smooth dough. Cover with a tea towel and put to one side for a moment.

Next, make the romesco sauce. Warm the oil and half the crushed garlic in a frying pan over a medium heat and after a minute or two, as soon as the garlic begins to turn golden, add the breadcrumbs, half a teaspoon of salt and the paprika. Fry, stirring, for a minute or so, until the breadcrumbs turn a rich, golden colour, then add the sundried tomato pieces, almonds, peppers and the remaining garlic, and stir until everything is just warmed through.

Leave to cool, then scrape into a food processor, blitz smooth (if need be, add a couple of tablespoons of water to get to a good saucy consistency) and transfer to a bowl.

Lightly dust two large baking trays with flour. Divide the dough into four even pieces (about 160g each), roll or press each one into 20cm rounds, then put two on each tray and spread two or three tablespoons of romesco over each pizzette, leaving a small rim at the edge. Put the leeks in a bowl, toss with the olive oil, then pile over the top of the pizzette (it will look like a lot, but it’ll reduce when cooked). Bake in the hot oven for 15-20 minutes, until the dough is puffed up and golden and the leeks are crisp, and serve with a cold glass of white wine, preferably Spanish.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/may/02/meera-sodha-vegan-recipe-for-pizzette-with-romesco-and-leeks