Norwich Veggie Fayre 2013!

Had such a great time at the Norwich Veggie Fayre today! It's the 3rd year we have had a stall at the fayre and it is amazing how it just gets better and better every year! Awesome stalls, food, charities and people! I only managed to get a few photos as our little stall was pretty busy, I am sure there will be more up soon on the Norwich Veggie Fayre fb page soon though! It was so nice to see all our regular customers and friends and it was also so great to finally meet Melissa ( Ms. Cupcake !) and have a good natter!!! Big thanks to Glen, Miranda and Nikki for putting on another great veggie Fayre! Here's to next year!! XXX

Coming up this weekend!

Lots of cakes ready for tomorrows Norwich Veggie Fayre! 11am-4pm at Quaker Meeting House Norwich NR2 1EU! Including, Peanut Butter Bombe Cake, Cookies and Kream Cake, Rosemary and Choc Whoopie Pies, Green Tea and Pistachio Whoopie Pies, Choc and Hibiscus Whoopie Pies, Vanilla and Rosewater Whoopie Pies, Chocolate Caramel and Almond Tarts, Orange and Almond Biscotti and Apple Rose Tarts! Phew it's been a busy day! PLUS if you can't make it to the veggie Fair we will also be delivering a Cookies and Kream cake to Dandy Horse Coffee House and a Rose and Pistachio Cake to Biddy's Tea Room!!!

Millionaires Shortbread

Everyone loves Millionaire's Shortbread right? It was one of my favourites as a child when we used to visit a bakery. Although I was never overly keen on the waxy cheap chocolate on top that bakeries seemed to use! Well here is my decadent version, full of caramel yummyness and light and 'buttery' shortbread. It is heaven! 

Shortbread base:
1 cup of Plain Flour
2/3 cup of Margarine
1/4 cup of Icing Sugar
1 tbsp of Soya Milk (Only if the mix is a little dry, so may not be needed)
1/2 tsp of Bourbon Vanilla Extract

Caramel middle:
1 Carton of Coconut Cream (Blue Dragon)
1/4 Cup of Organic Unrefined Sugar
Pinch of Salt

Chocolate top:
1 and 1/4 cup of Chocolate Chips


In a bowl, cream the margarine and icing sugar together till light and fluffy. Then add the vanilla. Then add the flour. It should all come together easily and be quite a moist but firm dough (if it is crumbly add the tbsp of soya milk). Grease and line with baking paper a 9 X 6 baking tin. Spread the shortbread out with your hands into the bottom of the tin.
Pop into the oven for 15 to 20 mins at 180c until golden and firm. Take out of the oven and allow to cool. 

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. Keep stirring until it turns 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 rich golden colour, pour over the shortbread base. Allow to cool. 

In a bowl place the chocolate chips and place the bowl over a sauce pan containing a couple of inches of water (bain-marie) making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the chocolate bowl as this will burn your choc chips! 

Bring the water to the boil and allow the heat to gently melt the chocolate. Pour the chocolate over the caramel layer and allow to set. Allow to completely cool for at least 2-3 hours. Then release the millionaires shortbread by gently pulling it out of the tin by the baking paper edges. Place on a chopping board and cut into slices!  

My Week According To My Camera

1) Bakewell Tart now available at Biddy's Tea Room
2) Summer is finally here! My garden is full of Butterflies, Strawberries and Poppies!
3) Lots of birthday cakes being made this week!
4) Our new eco push lawn mower is brilliant!
5) Whole by T Colin Campbell is my latest book to review on my blog. Am really enjoying it so far!
6) I got to make my favourite Chocolate, Raspberry and Balsamic Syrup cake this week. Yum!

Cannellini Beans with Smoky Tofu 'Lardons'

This is a delicious, easy and quick meal that is great for hot sunny days and is so versatile as you can use it as a pasta sauce or eat it with warm bread and a green salad. I am going to also include the tofu Lardon recipe, although you can use any smoked tofu to get the same results on those days when we haven't got time to make it from scratch!


Ingredients:

1 Tin of Cannellini beans
2 Cups of Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 Cup of Tofu Lardons or smoked tofu cut into strips
2 tbsp of Olive Oil
1/4 Cup of Nutritional Yeast
1/2 Tsp of Mixed Herbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 Cup of Chopped Parsley

In a frying pan heat the olive oil and add the lardons, fry for a minute or two until browned.
Then add the tomatoes which have been sliced in half. Fry until the tomatoes just start to soften.
Then add the beans, yeast, dried herbs and salt and pepper. Continue to gently cook until the tomatoes are soft and the beans have given up some of their starch to make a thick sauce. When you are ready to serve sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with bread or pasta.

Tofu Lardons (optional recipe)

1 Packet of Firm Tofu
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Tsp of Hickory Liquid Smoke
1 Tsp of Agave
1 Clove Garlic Crushed
1/4 Cup of Vegetable Stock
Good pinch of Salt and Pepper

In a bowl add all the marinade ingredients and stir to combine. Then pour into a large baking tray and lay the tofu slices in the tray coating with the marinade as you go. Place in a hot oven 200c and bake for 1 hour turning every 20 minutes or so until super crispy. The tofu should be golden, crispy and almost kind of dried out. Allow to cool and then place in a tupperware box and keep it in the fridge for 3 days or place in the freezer for up to a month. It can be added to any meal to give a rich bacony flavour.

My Week According To My Camera!

1) Eeyore Birthday Cake.
2) Cinnamon Whirls and Almond and Apricot Whoopie Pies available at St Benedicts Food Store and freshly delivered every monday.
3 & 4) Apple and Ginger Crumble Cake and Lemon and Pine Nut Cake. A selection of our large cakes are available at Waterstones Cafe W every Wednesday and Saturday.
5 & 6) Lots of salads this week because of  the warm weather! Lentil and Parsley Salad and Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Cous Cous and Cucumber Raita.
7) I made Aggi a fresh batch of Vegan and Gluten Free dog biscuits. This time Apple, Peanut Butter, Flax and Nooch flavour!
8 & 9) Lots of walks into town in the sunshine!

Steamed Bao Buns in a Spiced Miso Broth

This dish is just a hug in a bowl and is so delicious! This dish has so many layers of flavour including sesame, ginger, miso, and chilli, plus crisp vegetables and fluffy melt in the mouth bun dough that encases a rich spiced stuffing inside! I am not gonna lie, some bits of this recipe are a little more fiddly than other recipes but it is so well worth it!

Bao bun dough:

2 Cups of flour
Pinch of Salt
2 Tbsp of Dried Yeast
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
2/3 Cup of Water

Bao Bun Stuffing:

1 Tbsp of Canola or Sunflower Oil
2 Spring Onions Chopped
1 Packet of Dried Veggie Mince (Granose)
2/3 Cup of Water
1 Tbsp of Tomato Purée
1/4 Tsp Red Chilli finely chopped
1/4 Teaspoon Ginger Powder
1 Tbsp Tamari
1/2 Tsp of Agave


Miso Broth:

5 Cups of Water
2 Tbsp of Miso Paste
1 Tbsp of Tamari
1/4 Teaspoon of Chilli chopped finely
1 Tbsp of Sesame Oil
1/2 Tsp of Agave
1cm Cube of fresh Ginger grated
1 Clove Garlic grated
2 Spring Onions chopped into chunky pieces
1 Cup of Mange Tout
1 Cup Savoy Cabbage Finely Shredded

You will also need a steamer or a pan with a lid and a colander.

It a bowl add the yeast, oil and water together and allow to stand for 5 mins to activate the yeast. Then add the salt and flour and stir to combine. If the dough is a little dry add a little more water, or if too wet, more flour. The dough should come together and clean the sides of the bowl. Gently knead on a floured surface for a couple of minutes and then allow to rest while you make your filling.
In a bowl add the veggie mince, water, tomato, ginger, tamari and agave. Allow to hydrate. In a frying pan fry the spring onion and chilli together in the oil. Then add the stuffing mixture and gently fry until heated through around 5 mins.
On a floured surface roll out your dough to about half a cm thickness. Using a 6cm cutter or a larger glass cut out rounds and place to one side. Once all the dough is used up it is time to stuff them with the mix. Take one of the dough rounds in your left hand (if right handed) add a tsp or so of mixture to the middle of the round. Then take one edge with your right hand and gently start to pinch and crimp the edge until all the edges are sealed together and have made a little parcel. Then gently twist to give the authentic shape of the bao bun!
Now if using a steamer pop each bun on a piece of baking paper and place in the steamer, if not bring a pan of water to the boil and place a colander on top. The colander must not be touching the water!!!
Pop each bao bun on a piece of baking paper and pop in the colander giving them space inbetween as the bun dough does spread as it cooks. Pop the lid on and steam for 15-20 minutes until firm to the touch and piping hot in the middle.
While you are steaming the buns you can make the broth. In a sauce pan add all of the ingredients except the spring onion, mange tout and cabbage. Gently simmer to release all the wonderful flavours. Check the seasoning and adjust to your taste. 5 mins before serving add the vegetables to allow them to just cook through but still have bite. Then dish up the broth and pop 4 - 5 bao buns on top and serve immediately! Enjoy!