Vegetarian Lasagne

Comfort food doesn't get much more classic than this Italian favourite, featuring layers of rich soya minced and a creamy sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of meat free minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 200ml vegan beef stock
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 200ml red wine
• 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 9-12 lasagne sheets, depending on the size of your baking tray
• 50g Parmesan, grated
• 150g pack mozzarella, shredded
• 1 bottle shop bought white sauce

Method:

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over a low heat. Fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the minced and soy sauce and fry on a medium heat until golden. Turn up the heat, pour in the wine and bubble until reduced. Stir in the tomato puree and stock. Add in the Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced. Season.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC or 180ºC for fan assist oven. Layer up the lasagne in a baking dish, starting with a third each of the ragu, then the pasta, then the white sauce. Repeat twice. Top with the Parmesan and mozzarella then bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until piping hot and crisp and bubbling on top. Serve immediately.

Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie

This biscuit base lemon meringue pie is an easy take on a classic dessert. It's crunchy cookie crust, perfectly tangy lemon filling and fluffy cloud-like meringue topping, this easy dessert will disappear in no time. There is no need to make a pastry base for this biscuit base lemon pie. In no time, this crust is ready to fill with that luscious lemon filling and light-as-air meringue and it's probably a lot easier than you imagine.

While normally made using a pastry base, I am saving you the hassle and swapping it out for a biscuit base instead. This change makes the base super quick and easy to make but no less crunchy and buttery.

What's great this recipe is gluten free and dairy-free !!! Yes you read it right, gluten free. You can substitute the gluten free biscuits with the non gluten free version. I adapted this recipe from glutenfreecuppatea.co.uk

Ingredients:

For the biscuit  base

• 300g gluten free digestives
• 80g dairy free butter, melted

For the lemon filling:

• 5 lemon zest & juice
• 65g cornflour
• 250g castor sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 440ml water

For the meringue:

• 5 egg whites
• 340g caster sugar
• 3 tsp cornflour

Method:

Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin or with a food processor into fine crumbs.

In a bowl, mix together your crushed biscuits and melted dairy free butter. Press into  loose bottomed tin and chill in the fridge whilst you make your lemon layer (minimum 30 minutes).

Zest and juice all the lemons into a bowl. 

Add cornflour and mix to form a loose paste.

Bring to boil 440ml of water. Once boiling add your lemon/cornflour paste. Stir until thickened and remove from the heat.

In a separate boil, mix together the sugar and egg yolks until smooth. Slowly add the egg/sugar mixture to the saucepan, whisking or stirring continuously. Once all the mixture has been added, reduce to a low heat and continue to stir till a little more thickened.

Allow to cool slightly before pouring it over the biscuit base. Put to one side, ideally in the fridge.

To make the meringue add the egg whites to a freestanding mixer. Whisk until soft peaks are formed.

Continue to whisk and gradually add the sugar until stiff peaks have formed and it's glossy.

Finally add the cornflour and whisk once more. Make sure your meringue is lovely and thick.

Spoon your meringue on top of the lemon layer. Swirl it around making little peaks as you go.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 170ºC.

If you have a cooking blow torch at this point, you could gently torch the top to give it a little more colour (optional).

Allow to cool completely in the tin and then chill in the fridge for a few good hours, preferably overnight, to allow the lemon layer to cool and settle down.

Slice and enjoy! 

Cranberry and Orange Gin

If you are looking for a perfect homemade Christmas gift for your favourite gin pals this year, then i have just one thing: homemade cranberry and orange gin liqueur!

This cranberry and orange gin liqueur recipe is really easy to make at home, has just 4 ingredients and is SO delicious. You may even want to make a batch for yourself-it makes for a fabulous dinner party aperitif that looks as spectacular as it tastes.

Ingredients:

• 200g cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 200g sugar
• thinly sliced peel of 1 orange
• 500-700ml gin

Method:

Take a clean Kilner or Ikea glass jar or bottles and add all the ingredients, pricking the cranberries or gently squeeze the cranberries as you drop them in. 

Add the sugar, orange and gin and shake so all the sugar dissolves. Shake gently everyday for a week. 

You can either decant it then back into a clean bottles or leave it for a little longer if you want more flavour.

Serve: mix with ice, tonic and a twist of lemon for festive G&T or add a dash to prosecco.

Vegan Christmas Pie

Found this recipe while looking for inspiration for a vegan Christmas dinner idea from The Veg Space. This vegan Christmas Pie is packed with vegan sausagemeat, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mushrooms and even roasted sprouts! Just bursting with festive flavours. This pie can be fully prepared a day ahead, so all you have to do on the big day is pop it into the oven.

Like any good vegan option for Christmas, this is a perfect pairing for gravy, crispy roast potatoes, sprouts and all the festive trimmings.

A standard 2lb loaf pan is ideal for this pie. However I like the square corners and I used my pullman loaf pan. You can also make little individual pies in muffin tins if you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 4 large flat mushrooms
• 1 red onion
• 120g brussels sprouts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 110g stuffing mix, any flavour of your choice
• 8 vegan sausages in skin
• 320g ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
• 2 tbsp cranberry sauce
• 2 tbsp dairy-free milk
• 2 drops soy sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 190ºC or 170ºC for fan assist oven.

Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and place on a large baking tray. Peel and finely sliced the red onion and add to the tray, keeping separate from the mushrooms. Trim and slice the sprouts, adding them to the remaining space on the tray.

Drizzle or spray with oil, season well with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make up the stuffing mix according to packet instructions and set aside.

Slit the skins of the vegan sausages and tip the sausage meat into a bowl, discarding the skins. mash together with a fork.

Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper. This makes it easy to get the pie out in tact. Use the tin as template to cut around to fully line the tin with pastry. 

Layer up the pie starting with the vegan sausagemeat. Spoon it in small pieces into the bottom of the tin, then gently level out with a fork.

Lay the roasted onion on top of the sausagemeat, then dollop over the cranberry sauce, spreading it right to the edges with the back of a spoon.

Next, lay out the four roasted mushrooms in a line, overlapping slightly as necessary.

Add the stuffing in small pieces, pressing down with a fork to level out.

Finally, scatter the roasted sprouts over the top of the stuffing.

Brush a little water around the pastry edges of the pie, then lay out the remaining pastry over the top to form the lid. Use a fork to crimp the edges of the pastry together, then use a sharp knife to trim off excess pastry.

Use any festival pastry cutters you have to make decorations for the top of the pie.

Mix the dairy-free milk and soy sauce together to make a glaze, then brush this all over the pie lid. Chill until required.

Bake the pie for 30-45 minutes until deeply golden brown.