You know when you find a stack of different leftovers in the fridge, and just throw them in a bowl together. Doesn’t it often end up better than the original meal? That was definitely the case here. Spicy potato wedges, crispy falafel, oven baked Greek salad, hummus, tzatziki and baby spinach. Dreamy!
I’m so happy that it’s time to eat asparagus again! Not only is it one of my favourite vegetables, it also means winter is finally over. And that’s all I’ve been dreaming of since October. Here’s a super simple asparagus pastry that works perfectly as a light lunch or part of a buffet.
I used store bought puff pastry (which is usually vegan despite the Swedish name being “butter dough”). I simply rolled the dough out, broke the hard end bits off the asparagus stalks and spread them out on the dough. Then I folded in the edges, sprinkled a little vegan cheese on top (I like @valiosverige Oddlygood Veggie grated) and baked it in the oven at 200 C for just under 20 minutes. The last few minutes I added some sunflower seeds on top. Pine nuts or other seeds would work as well.
I love snack platters, but I don’t make them often enough. Luckily, I saw a beautiful meze platter from @elleshungry that inspired me to make this one. (You need to check Elle out! Amazing photos of the most stunning cafĂ© foods in Sydney, and delicious homemade meals and sweets. I’ll share her post in my Stories!)
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Platter details:
* Oven roasted sweet potatoes rubbed with cumin, turmeric, thyme, salt & pepper and some olive oil.
* Sliced tomato and cucumber.
* Avocado with black sesame seeds.
* Liba bread cut in triangles.
* Hummus (you can find the recipe for the best and smoothest hummus in my highlights).
* Vegan greek yoghurt and feta dip with lemon, salt and fresh mint.
* Flat leaf parsley and fresh mint.
I’m in a baking craze at the moment. Both bread and sweets, and especially sweet yeast breads. I’ve always found it a bit tedious before, it’s taken too long from start to finish. But now I feel exactly the opposite – I love that it takes time! I usually make the dough the night before, and then bake it off the next morning. This time I filled half of the rolls with blueberries and the other half with a maple syrup cream. Both absolutely delicious!
I use a standard recipe from a Swedish cookbook classic “VĂĄr kokbok”, where I simply swap butter and milk for vegan options. This is half a batch, enough for the rolls you see in the photo.
75 g vegan butter
2,5 dl plantbased milk
15 g fresh yeast
0,5 dl caster sugar or syrup
0,5 tsp salt
7-8 dl plain flour (~430 g)
Let the vegan butter soften in room temperature or a few seconds in the microwave. Dissolve the yeast in cold milk. Add the soft butter, sugar and salt. Next, add flour and work until the dough is shiny and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. Leave to rise in the fridge overnight or a couple of hours in room temperature.
Take the dough out and let it rest in room temperature at least an hour before baking. Divide it in two. Roll it out to two rectangles, and spread with whatever filling you prefer. I used 50 g soft vegan butter for each, and mixed one with 2 dl thawed blueberries (remove as much liquid as possible), 1 tbsp corn starch and 1 dl caster sugar. The other was butter, 0,5 dl maple syrup and 0,5 dl vegan cream cheese.
Make a long roll of each rectangle and cut in 12 pieces each. Distribute evenly in a tray, 30×40 cm. Leave to rise another 1,5-2 hours. Bake at 225 C for 15-20 minutes.
Carrot cake is one of my all time favourites. Here’s the healthier raw alternative, with the same delicious flavours but no refined sugar or flour. The original recipe comes from @maggiesskafferi and you should definitely take a look at her gorgeous stylish feed! As usual, I made a few adjustments based on what I had in my kitchen.
10 dates, pitted
2 tbsp vegan cream cheese
0,5 almonds
0,5 tsp lemon juice
a pinch of salt
0,75 tsp cinnamon
0,5 tsp cardamom
0,5 tsp ginger
2 medium sized carrots, finely grated
shredded coconut
Combine all the ingredients except for carrots and coconuts in a food processor or with a hand mixer. The dough should still be a bit crunchy from the nuts. Add the grated carrots and mix for a few seconds just to combine the dough. Shape 15-20 balls and roll them in coconut. Enjoy!
I’ve baked my own bagels! I’m so excited I have to use an exclamation mark again! It was so much fun! And they turned out great! All the kids loved them!
Okay, I’ll spare you the shouting. But these were really good. I used a recipe from @zeinaskitchen and we ate them for lunch, filled with vegan cheese and cucumber, and avocado, tomato and basil. And look at the cute little teak sandwich boards and cutlery I found in the second hand shop yesterday. Perfect match with our house built in the sixties.
It’s been so much fun making my fruit platters on Saturdays. And then we were having nachos and I realised I could do something similar. So here’s my first attempt at a nacho platter with taco flavoured soy mince, avocado, lime, tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet corn, plus vegan cheese and a tomato salsa. A fun way to eat vegan nachos on #tacotuesday
Thank you, each and everyone, for following my account! 1000 followers is certainly a milestone for me. Let’s celebrate with a smashing loaf!
Lemon Pineapple Loaf
4 dl plant milk
0,5 dl coconut oil
1,5 dl canola oil
0,5 tsp vanilla powder
4 tbsp lemon juice
zest from 2 lemons
1 dl brown sugar
1 dl caster sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
7 dl plain flour
1 dl pineapple, finely chopped
Glaze
1 dl powdered sugar
0,5 dl vegan cream cheese
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
2. Warm the plant milk with canola oil and let the coconut oil melt in the milk. Pour into a bowl and whisk together with vanilla powder, lemon juice and lemon zest.
3. Add the sugar and whisk until diluted. Then and salt and baking powder. Now add flour, a deciliter or two at a time. Whisk until the batter is smooth before adding the pineapple. Mix well.
4. Line a loaf pan with baking tray paper. (Wet the paper and squeeze it, then you can easily shape it to fit the pan.) Pour the batter into the pan and bake it in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Test it with a toothpick, when it comes out dry the loaf is ready.
5. Carefully remove the loaf from the pan and peel the baking tray paper off. Set to cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before glazing.
6. Mix powdered sugar, cream cheese and lemon juice for the glaze. Spread evenly over the loaf and leave it to harden for another 20 minutes before serving. Decorate with pomegranate seeds.
It’s all good that there are meat-free burgers, sausages and chick’n for those summer barbecues, so that more people skip the meat. But sometimes the veggies themselves are good enough.
We used slices of eggplant and zucchini, mushrooms, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and new potatoes and carrots (boiled beforehand until almost soft). Toss the veggies onto the grill, serve it with some hummus and sage, and at last sprinkle it with cashew parmesan.
Oh summer, please come back! I comfort myself with this salad while waiting for the rain to pass. Beetroot and goat’s cheese is a classic combination, but instead I use my favourite – the almond feta. You can find a step by step instruction in my Stories highlights on Instagram! @neverenoughgreens
Cook whole bulghur (or other grain) in vegetable stock and tumeric.
Chop 2 cloves of garlic. Sauté in a pan in olive oil on medium heat together with 1 can of large white beans, rinsed and drained, and a sprig of fresh rosemary. Take aside. Next, heat pre-cooked and quartered beetroots in the same pan.
Serve bulghur, beets and beans together with crumbled almond feta cheese, coarsely chopped almonds and fresh rosemary. Season with olive oil, white vinegar, salt and black pepper.
