Guest Blogger: In Vegetables We Trust – Gluten free, soy free, jammy almond swirl cake

I cannot say enough good things about Alex, author of In Vegetables We Trust, so I’ll let his post dazzle you. He has contributed a few times to Vegan Bloggers Unite! Click HERE for his recipe for Slow cooker chili, roasted butternut squash and fennel flatbreads,  Portabello Stew, Panko and coconut fried seitan and mushrooms. Do update your bookmarks as he has recently purchased the domain name for his blog.  Follow In Vegetables We Trust‘s blog and Facebook account. Welcome back Alex!

I know I said I wasn’t gonna do any posts for a while… BUT I was talking to a few peeps online about gluten-free baking,and I thought I just have to try to make a gluten-free cake recipe that I can be proud of, and boy am I proud of this one! At first I tried to make gluten-free muffins with dried fruit, but they turned out a bit gummy, so I upped the flax and added a nice fruity jam to add some moisture, and threw out the idea of muffins completely to make this beautiful coffee cake that I am proud to say I made. Its moist and has a good crumb, I would be happy to take this over a friends and see if they notice it gluten-free. Another bonus if I found all the ingredients I needed for this cake in my local supermarket. okay I will calm down now and see you on Friday (I have an awesome guest post from one of my favourite vegan bloggers).
Ingredients:
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup ground almonds
2/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup apple juice
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp good vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave syrup or a vanilla/maple/carob blended syrup works well
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 cup rice flour (I used dove farms organic)
approx 1/2 cup strawberry jam or seedless raspberry

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200c/400f and grease an 8″ cake tin with vegetable oil and line the bottom with greaseproof paper. Whisk the ground almonds, flax, almond milk and apple juice together. Add the cider vinegar, vanilla, agave, vegetable oil, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, and whisk again. Now sift in the rice flour and gently whisk it in until there are no big lumps and the mixture is combined.Pour the mix into the prepared cake tin and dollop the jam in using a teaspoon, swirl together with a cocktail stick. Top with a handful flaked almonds and bake for 25-35 minutes, until the cake is a deep golden brown on-top and cooked through. Allow to cool a little before gently removing from the tin.

Guest Blogger: Luminous Vegans – Eggless-cellent Salad

As we loom closer to Virtual Vegan Potluck we’re picking up steam here at VBU! and introducing a new blogger to the family. Please meet Ketty! Here she is in her own words, “Hello! I am Ketty from Luminous Vegans. I live in Atlanta with the other luminous vegan, Neal, and our two rescued greyhounds Nikko and Miles. Luminous Vegans was created out of my desire to show non-vegan friends and family that vegan food is delicious! It has since evolved into a vegan mish-mash of DIY projects, adventures, reviews and of course plenty of food! While I work a full time job, I love to blog in my free time because I feel like it’s one small way I can contribute to the movement, by showing people how easy it is to be vegan. We are just two ordinary folks. It doesn’t take a superhuman to show compassion.” Follow her adventures on Facebook. Please welcome Ketty!

I am a diehard fan of all dishes creamy and salady, two things that can be a vegan challenge. Inspired by this recipe from Nava Atlas, I whipped up this tasty eggless “egg” salad and I’ve been nomming on it for the past day. The ingredients are approximations, so adjust the seasonings as your mouth sees fit.

Eggless salad sprinkled with paprika atop a bed of mixed greens and sunflower sprouts.

In a food processor, I blended one 14 oz can of rinsed and drained chickpeas, 1 scant tbs of vegenaise, 1 tbs of nooch (nutritional yeast), 1 1/2 tbs of lemon juice, 2 tbs of sweet relish, 1 tsp of dijon mustard, a dash of turmeric, about 1/2-1 tsp of black salt (Kala Namak) and black pepper to taste.

I transferred the mixture to a mixing bowl and added 1 chopped stalk of green onions and

one package of extra firm silken tofu drained and diced. I slowly folded the onions and tofu into the “eggy” mixture because I didn’t want the tofu to break up too much.

This is what the final product looked like. The chickpeas are the “yolk” and the silken tofu bits are the “boiled egg whites”.

This is an eggless-cellent version of the omni egg salad. The texture and taste is spot on. The “eggy” taste comes from the black salt which is not actually black in color (it is pinkish) and adds a sulfury taste to dishes. I used about 1/2-1 tsp of black salt in this, adding small bits at a time and tasting it as I went b/c this stuff is strong. Thanks to abracapocus, I was able to find black salt for a whopping 99 cents at Taj Mahal Imports.

Eggless salad sandwich mixed with sunflower sprouts with a side of chips and homemade peach pico de gallo.

I loved egg salad pregan and this definitely satisfies that taste for me. I’ve had it atop greens and in a sammich and I still have some left over for another sandwich or salad. N hates creamy-salady stuff, so this one’s all for me!

Are there any dishes/foods that you love that your partner (friend, roommate, sister, brother, etc..) hates (and hence you get to hoard it all to yourself)?

Know of any other ingredients, like black salt, that magically transform a dish?

Guest Blogger: Glue and Glitter – Mexican Hot Chocolate Milkshake for Cinco de Mayo!

Why not celebrate Cinco de Mayo in a totally delicious way? Becky from Glue and Glitter has the recipe for you! Oh my, that didn’t mean to come out so cheesy. Ah well. Should I say so Daiya-ey? Ha! Becky has contributed before with her Almost Raw Vegan Truffles and Orange Ginger Dream Green Smoothie.

You can check out her crafts and vegan recipes on her website, Facebook, Twitterand Pinterest or learn more about her brand new book: 40 Days of Green Smoothies! Welcome back Becky!

Happy (almost) Cinco de Mayo!

I made these Mexican hot chocolate milkshakes for my friend Jeanee‘s birthday, and they’d be perfect for celebrating the fifth of May this weekend! Check out how happy this shake made her on her special day:

Mexican chocolate is more than just spicy. It’s got a lovely blend of nuttiness, vanilla, and cocoa that makes it really special. It’s also kind of hard to find, though, and I’ve never seen vegan Mexican chocolate. Luckily, with something like a milkshake you can create your own blend of these flavors to get the depth of Mexican chocolate without having to actually track down the real deal.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Milkshake

Yield: 1 shake

Ingredients

• 1 cup vanilla ice cream (I used the vanilla soy ice cream from Trader Joe’s)
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions

• Blend it! Drink it! You’re welcome!

Guest Blogger: Rubber Cowgirl (Saving the World One Bite at a Time) – Bon Bon Brownies

Welcome back Rachael – the Rubber Cowgirl! In her previous posts for VBU! she shared a recipe for Enchillasagna with Cauliricotta and trip to Traverse City, Michigan. Please get your tastebuds ready for this delicious recipe for Bon Bon Brownies! Please join Rachel on Twitter, and of course her blog. Please, welcome back Rachel!

Sometimes I dream of warm chocolate brownies with coconut ice cream dripping down the sides and a cherry on top…a decadent, delectable dessert that just happens to be vegan and gluten-free…and so I invented the Bon Bon Brownie. Rejoice!

Looking for the perfect vegan brownie recipe? Look no farther.

INGREDIENTS

2 T ground flaxseed
3 T water

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup strong coffee

1 1/2 cups gluten-free, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup dried cherries

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Whisk flaxmeal and water together in a measuring cup and set aside.
3. Cream the sugar and the coconut oil together in a small bowl. Add the vanilla, coffee, and flaxmeal mixture, then whisk well.
4. Sift the flour, cacao powder, salt and baking soda into a big bowl and stir together. Add the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Add the cherries and stir again.
5. Spoon or pour batter into silicone doughnut molds. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. Let cool then remove from doughnut mold. Flip upside down and fill the center with a scoop of Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss and top with a cherry to serve.

Makes 12 brownies.

NOTES

• If you don’t have doughnut molds, that’s okay. You can use a lightly oiled 8×8 inch baking dish or a pie plate or a springform pan or custard cups…whatever you have. Baking time might be different for different dishes, so keep an eye on them. If you were distracted and forgot to set a timer, when your whole house suddenly begins to smell like brownies, run to the oven!
• Coconut oil is awesome. It’s a liquid when warm and a solid when chilled. It’s sweeter and buttery-er than butter, and it’s not all hydrogenated like margarine. Coconut oil is also an excellent moisturizer for skin and hair. If you hear a crazy meowing sound when you open a jar of coconut oil, let kitty have a little. Coconut oil is good for feline coats, too!
• Go ahead and sub dried coconut or chopped nuts or chocolate chips in for the cherries. These brownies are just a little on the fudgy side of cakey; if you like super-dense brownies, use less coffee.

NUTRITION FACTS

277 calories each (without ice cream)
7.7g fat
6g saturated fat
52g carbohydrates
2.4g fiber
27g sugar
2.7g protein

Guest Blogger: Vegan Silhouette – Coconut-Curry Vegetable Stew

And we’re back after 11 days with no internet service. Sigh. So glad to be able to present a new vegan blogger, Natalie Fitzpatrick, author of Vegan Silhouette. Here is her brief bio: Growing up on mostly vegetarian dishes, Natalie has been embracing a completely vegan lifestyle for over 5 years. Vegetables are what inspire her the most, along with soups, noodles, and any type of rice and bean combo. All the cakes on her blog were created to keep her fiancé happy. She makes a living teaching private Pilates classes and YBR workshops, which she absolutely loves to do, and spends her free time in the kitchen playing up new flavours and veggie combos. Her blog talks about fashion, food, fitness, and fun. Follow the adventures of Vegan Silhouette on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Welcome Natalie!

1/2 onion / 1/2 oignon
1 red pepper / 1 poivron rouge
4 cups Savoy cabbage (1 small) / 1 litre de chou de savoie (1 petit)
4 cups bok choy / 1 litre de bok choy
3 zucchinis / 3 courgettes
1 cup shiitake / 250 ml de shitake
1 cup white mushrooms / 250 ml de champignons blancs
2 cups of spinach / 500 ml d’épinards
4 cups of bean sprouts / 1 litre de fèves germées
4 tbsp of curry powder or more, to taste / 60 ml de poudre de cari ou plus au goût
1 cup coconut milk / 250 ml de lait de noix de coco
Salt to taste / Sel au goût

EN: Cut all the vegetables into small pieces and pile into a large covered pot. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the vegetables have melted down to about half the size, about 30-40 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and coconut nut milk, then add salt to taste. Serve with rice noodles and protein of your choice.

FR : Coupez tous les légumes en petits morceaux et mettez dans une grande casserole. Faites cuire couvert au feu moyen 30 à 40 minutes en remuant occasionnellement jusqu’à ce que les légumes soient réduits d’environ la moitié. Incorporez le cari et la noix de coco, et ajoutez du sel au goût. Servez avec des nouilles de riz et la protéine de votre choix.

Guest Blogger: Being Vegan – Pineapple Pound Cake With Piña Colada Glaze

Who doesn’t like a good pound cake? Especially a pound cake with Piña Colada Glaze! Joshua of Being Vegan has been kind enough to share with us his delicious recipe. Here he is in his own words, “Some of my friends would call me a chef, but I describe myself as an old fashion cook who loves talking about, eating, and make deliciously vegan dishes.” Follow Being Vegan on: Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Welcome Joshua!

I came up with the Pineapple Pound Cake With Piña Colada Glaze recipe out of the blue because I wanted some type of pineapple dessert, but I did not want to do the traditional pineapple upside down cake. This recipe turned out better than I hoped and the cake is so moist. Once you try this recipe, you will be making this cake all the time for your friends and family. Speaking of moist cake, I thought it best to also show a picture of the cake after it was cut so that you can see how moist it really is.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 1

Serving Size: 6

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 faux egg (1 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp white distilled vinegar)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (full fat or lite)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• pineapple puree (1/2 cup pineapple chunks + 1 tbsp pineapple juice)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup raw sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Piña Colada Glaze

• 1/2 cup vegan powdered sugar
• 1 tsp coconut milk (full fat or lite)
• 1 tsp pineapple juice

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven at 350F. In a bowl, whisk together your faux egg, coconut milk, lemon juice, pineapple puree, vanilla extract, canola oil, and raw sugar.
2. In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together until the flour is fully incorporated but do not over mix.
3. Grease an 9×5 inch loaf pan and pour in your batter. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and let it finish cooling on a cooling rack.
4. While the cake is cooling, whisk together your ingredients for the piña colada glaze. If the glaze looks translucent (yellowish color), add in a tablespoon more of powdered sugar at a time until it becomes white.
5. Once the cake has finished cooling, pour the glaze on top and use a spatula to spread it out evenly. Let the cake site for another hour for the glaze to come together. Then slice, serve, and enjoy

Guest Blogger: Heavenly Vegan Baking – Easy to make vegan pizza recipe

Another new VBU! blogger to join the ranks – Laura, author of Heavenly Vegan Baking with her post on vegan pizza! Here she is in her own words, “Hi I’m Laura and I have been a vegan for a few months now and I am just beginning to get used to adapting recipes that are vegetarian/creating new recipes to fit in with my new vegan diet. At first it was a challenge, but I’m getting the hang of it and have made some really great recipes and you get them too by visiting my blog. ” Join Laura on her baking adventures through: Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest. Welcome Laura!

Yesterday I made some vegan pizzas which were surprisingly good, I use the word surprising because I expected to be fairly upset about the lack of cheese on my pizza. Needless to say, I wasn’t, not all at, this pizza recipe produces some glorious results. I made my own tomato sauce (recipe below) and added lots of fresh vegetables. Sam (my handy side kick) added some pesto and hummus (which I’ve been informed is brilliant when baked) too, which also works really well in combination with the tomato sauce. Make sure you have olive oil in the house before you attempt this though, because I just don’t think you can substitute this with any other oil. This recipe is enough for 2 large pizzas or 4 small ones (the ones in the picture are the small-sized ones). So hungry writing about this, wish I had some pizza left..

Ingredients:

For the base

300g plain flour (can be replaced with strong bread flour/wholemeal flour)
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

For the tomato sauce

150 ml passata (you can use chopped tomatoes but I find the sauce is a little too sweet then, so I prefer passata, and if I want more tomatoes I will add slices of fresh tomato on top of the sauce)
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves (I like it quite garlicky so change it to suit)

For the topping

1 – 2 tsp dried oregano (make sure you sprinkle this on straight after you put on the tomato sauce, I prefer oregano because my Italian friend suggested using it rather than basil, but you can use basil too if you want to)
1 – 3 tsp pesto (if you use this, do not use it in combination with the oregano, it’s not good. Just spread it on after you put on the tomato sauce)
Hummus, lots of hummus (put it on in big dollops, as you can see in the picture, it bakes nicely like this)
Assorted vegetable (I used spinach, pepper, broccoli, mushrooms and sweetcorn because that’s what I happened to have in the house, but you can use anything, the more toppings the better in my opinion)

Method:

1. Put the flour into a large bowl and stir in the yeast and salt
2. Pour in 200ml warm water and the olive oil and bring together until you have a soft, fairly wet dough.
3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth.
4. Cover with a tea towel and set aside. If you want the dough to rise set it aside (for 2 hours at the most probably), I didn’t do this as I like thin crust.
5. Then make the sauce by mixing together the passata and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly and when it starts to bubble a little, take it off the heat, season to taste and leave it to stand at room temperature whilst you shape the base.
6. (If you have let the dough rise, give it a quick knead, and then) split the dough into 2 – 4 balls depending on whether you want two big pizzas or four small ones.
7. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into rounds using a rolling pin. The dough should be very thin as it will rise in the oven.
8. Lift the rounds onto two floured baking sheets.
9. Heat the oven to 240c/gas mark 8
10. Once the oven in on, put a baking tray or another baking sheet in the oven on the top shelf.
11. Smooth tomato sauce (and pesto if using) over bases with the back of a spoon.
12. Add your toppings, drizzle with a little olive oil and season
13. Put one pizza (that is still on its baking sheet) on top of the preheated tray/sheet which is already in the oven.
14. Bake for 8-12 minutes until crisp.
15. Eat and enjoy!

Guest Blogger: The Little Foxes – Summoning Spring: Creamy Chilled Farro with Asparagus

Another brand new blogger to the Vegan Bloggers Unite! fold, please welcome the author of The Little Foxes Ashlee. Here she is in her own words, “I’m Ashlee. I’m a 30-something plant-based lifestyle coach and reformed corporate and government advisor who aims to show that the ethical vegan lifestyle is fantastically stylish, beautiful, tasty, carefree, sassy, and fun without compromising on principle. Along with my foxy-lookin’ rescue dog, we’re trying to inspiring stylish vegan living, eating, and dressing via The Little Foxes. I also manage the Vegucated Schoolhouse Community, write guides on going vegan for Vegucated, and write for Ecorazzi.” Please join Ashlee on Twitter and Facebook. Welcome Ashlee!

Some days are just magic. And after many days (weeks, months…) where life in transition from traditional expectations to the struggle of new and exciting horizons can seem grueling, heartbreaking, and downright difficult, a day where life effortlessly seems to flow is so welcomed and inspiring. Yesterday was one of those days.

It started out like any normal day. Rise and shine, tidy up the apartment, bang out some work. And then, when taking the dogs for a walk, a one minute elevator conversation with a very glamorous woman led to the prospect of some freelance work. Then I met the loveliest gal (sporting the cutest assemblage of french braids I’ve ever seen) at my nail place and we bonded over our mutual distaste for J-Lo and the homogenous style of Chicago’s Gold Coast (a sea of Uggs, scowls, and sunglasses even when it’s not sunny) and our shared love for full-bodied Brooke Shields-esque brows and recycled budget fashion.

The day was positively splattered with sparkles of hope. Everyone seemed joyful, kind, open – Even Phil, the homeless guy I chat with who hangs out in the local park, was even more chipper than usual. How do I know? We high-fived. He never does that.

And a glimpse of a rare, irresistibly crepey peach English Garden variety rose at the end of a stroll on a misty day just made everything seem relaxed and right.

the petals remind me of layers of buttercream frosting. agh, so pretty.

Nothing tangibly extraordinary, but rather a feeling of peace – like things are organizing themselves after months of hard work, and I can kick back a bit and watch it all unfold. Do you ever have those days? Aren’t they just marvelous?

letting my cheery toes (and the yellow flowers) feel the drizzle

I love dreary, enter-spring kind of days. While some people loathe drizzly, grey weather, I find it cozy and renewing. I welcome these days with open windows and a brightly-flavored, but filling meal that summons spring, while also respecting the delicate dance that is the unfoldment to it.

Creamy Chilled Farro with Asparagus

• Yields: 4 servings
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 – 45 minutes (depending upon whether or not your farro is quick-cook)

Ingredients:

• 8.8 oz (~ 1 1/2 cups) farro, cooked according to package instructions
• juice of 1/2 small lemon
• 1 avocado, ripe
• 2 tbsp hummus (I like tahini-free or lemon hummus to complement the sauce)
• 1/2 cup walnuts, raw or roasted (I like roasted for this recipe. It adds depth)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 bunch of asparagus, rinsed and diced in to 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 tsp soy sauce or Bragg’s Aminos
• 1 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
• 6 grinds of Trader Joe’s South African Smoke Seasoning (because I’m an addict, people)
• 1 tsp olive oil, for sautéing
• Optional: 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or more, if you like a kick)
• dash smoked paprika, to taste
• salt + pepper, to taste
• basil, chiffonade, for garnish

Assembly:

1. Bring water or vegetable broth to boil in large stock pot and cook farro according to instructions. Once cooked, drain in colander and rinse with cold water. Drain again to ensure farro is dry.
2. In a blender, combine peeled avocado, walnuts, hummus, water, soy sauce, chili pepper, smoked paprika, and smoke seasoning. Blend until smooth. Gently add lemon juice until desired tartness is achieved. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a shallow pan, sauté garlic and olive oil, gently folding in the diced asparagus. Sauté until bright green and still firm.
4. In a large bowl, combine the farro with the blended sauce mixture and half of the garlic asparagus. Add more red pepper flakes if you like your food with a kick. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to chill.

Once cooled, serve in individual ramekins and top with remaining sautéed asparagus and finely chopped basil, chili pepper, and walnuts. Serve with flatbread and olive oil for dipping. Think spring-like thoughts.

Guest blogger: Deerly Beloved – Hazelnut Crumb Cupcakes with Homemade Dulce De Leche and Vanilla Icing

The very talented Kayleigh, baker from Deerly Beloved Bakery has done it again. Deerly Beloved Bakery is a vegan bakery based in the UK in a small city called Norwich. It is run by a girl named Kayleigh who spends most of her days making wedding and celebration cakes, handmade chocolates and orders for local cafes. In her spare time she runs a vegan meet up group once a month and a vegan recipe and lifestyle blog. Kayleigh’s recipes have been featured in the Fall Issue of Chickpea Magazine and The Vegan Woman. You can find out more about Kayleigh and Deerly Beloved Bakery atwww.deerlybelovedbakery.blogspot.com, www.twitter.com/deerlybelovedv and www.facebook.com/deerlybelovedbakery

These cupcakes are awesome and hide a surprise of yummy caramel in the center! Full of Dulce De Leche caramel and hazelnuts these are just the thing for a spring party! The vanilla yoghurt in these give a lovely acidity that cuts through the caramel and the buttery flavour of hazelnuts perfectly, and make for a indulgent treat!

Ingredients:

Cup Cake Batter:

2 Cups of White Plain Flour

1 Cup of Organic unrefined Sugar

1/2 Cup of Chopped Hazelnuts

2/3 Cup of Canola Oil or Sunflower Oil

2/3 Cup of  Soya Milk or Hazelnut Milk

2/3 Cup of Vanilla Yoghurt (Alpro or Provamel)

1 tsp of Baking Powder

Dulce De Leche:

1 Carton of Coconut Cream (Blue Dragon)

1/4 Cup of Organic Unrefined Sugar

Pinch of Salt

Vanilla Icing:

4 Cups Of Icing Sugar

1 Tbsp of Margarine

1/4 Cup of Vanilla Yoghurt

Heat your oven to 200c and line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases. In a sauce pan bring to the boil the carton of coconut cream, sugar and salt. Once at the boil reduce to a medium heat and stir. Meanwhile add to a bowl your flour, sugar, hazelnuts, oil, milk, yoghurt and baking powder and mix with a hand held mixer until smooth and glossy. Spoon the mixture evenly into the 12 cup cake cases and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top and a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Meanwhile stir your dulce de leche mixture, it should now becoming more opaque and thick and will not easily run off your spoon, it takes a good 10-15 minutes to reach this point. Once it is thick and has a light golden colour, place to one side and make your vanilla icing.

In a bowl add the icing sugar, margarine and yoghurt. Mix with a hand held mixer until thick and stiff and will hold peaks. If it doesn’t, add a little more icing sugar to thicken.

Now time to assemble! Take each cupcake and with a knife cut a small hole in the center of the cup cake. Then gently pull out the small piece of cake you have just cut, out of the hole. Fill the hole with a teaspoon of the dulce de leche caramel and then press the piece of cake back in to cover the hole.This will make for a lovely surprise when you eat the cake and find caramel inside! Then fill a piping bag (with a large smooth nozzle) with the icing and pipe a swirling pattern on top. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts. You can also wet a spoon and make a mini scoop of dulce de leche on top to finish! Enjoy! X

Guest Blogger: Poppy’s Patisserie – Smoked Tofu Carbonara Pasta

So many new vegan bloggers to welcome into the fold! One such blogger is Poppy. Here she is in her own words,”I’m Poppy and I write Poppy’s Patisserie which is now fully vegan. I was a vegetarian since the age of six and have now been a vegan for almost two years. I am a University student studying Animal Management based in Kent, UK. I love food and especially love experimenting with new ways to eat plant based foods, full of goodness and flavour. I also love animals. I have two lovely sibling cats, ten bunnies, three chickens and five degu’s. They are great fun. Below is a post I’d love to share for a vegan carbonara style spaghetti using smoked tofu. It’s a real favourite of mine, comfort food full of goodness.” Follow Poppy on Twitter – welcome Poppy!

SMOKED TOFU CARBONARA PASTA

I’ve never eaten a real carbonara with bacon but have always been a sucker for creamy pastas. I remember once making a veggie version with veggie bacon and cream; it tasted delicious but I felt sick from the heaviness of the cream. I tried again with a traditional egg sauce but was so frightened of eating raw egg that I ended up cooking it to almost scrambled egg coated pasta. Yummy. Not.

So when it came to having a go, now vegan, I had no idea how it would turn out. Of course, any Italian pasta purist would shoot me for even describing this as a carbonara, but then again, so would they of my cream abundant version or even my version using the traditional ingredients which led to a spaghetti omelette. Hey ho.

It’s rich yet not too heavy, tastes smoky and creamy and is low in calories. What could be wrong with that?

For one serving: 652 calories

• 100g dried spaghetti or pasta of choice
• 10g soya or sunflower spread
• 10g plain flour
• 200ml unsweetened almond milk (or any other milk you prefer)
• 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
• 1tsp porcini mushroom powder (or add in a handful of sliced mushrooms instead)
• 100g smoked tofu (I use Taifun’s sesame and almond smoked tofu), sliced into lardons or cubed
• fresh chives to serve

1. Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Once boiling, add the pasta.
2. Spray or add a drop of oil to a pan and add the shallot over a low heat to soften. If using mushrooms, add now also. Once softened, remove and set aside. Set the heat to high and add the tofu. Fry until fragrant and starting to crisp and go golden. This should only take a minute or so.
3. Meanwhile, melt the spread in a small pan over a medium heat then stir in the flour. Cook the roux, stirring, for about a minute.
4. Gradually whisk in the milk until all is incorporated and smooth. Add in the mushroom powder (if using) and allow the sauce to thicken, stirring often. Season to taste. Stir in the shallot (and mushrooms, if using) and tofu.
5. Toss the sauce with the drained pasta and serve sprinkled with finely chopped chives.