Monthly Archives: October 2018

Fruit Tarts – Plum and Almond – Pear and Quince – Fig and Earl Grey

STOP PRESS!!  You may not realise this but ready rolled puff pastry – with the exception of the all butter variety – is VEGAN, or at least the Just Rol brand is.   It’s one of those mainstream products I like to call “accidentally vegan”.   Like Pringles Texas BBQ crisps or the classic Oreos, these are the products that didn’t set out to be, and that you just don’t expect to be, vegan.  But are.  This doesn’t mean if you aren’t vegan you shouldn’t use the All Butter Puff if you prefer I am just giving options.

This simple and quick pastry tart can therefore be vegan without even trying.  It’s totally delicious. I think it looks pretty wonderful and you can make endless variations.  If you have more patience than I do and want to slice the fruit more finely and arrange more carefully, this can result in a tart (or should I say galette?) that would grace the window of any French Patisserie.

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Chicken, Olive and Tomato Traybake with Herb Dressing

Who doesn’t love a Traybake?  Particularly one which has chunky, crispy garlic croutons, intense and lush tomatoes and pops of salty black olives – and I have even mentioned the juicy but crisp skinned chicken and is dotted with a basil and parsley oil.  All the flavours of the Mediterranean but in a Traybake.  Easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for a kitchen supper with friends

Tomatoes

My tomatoes in the greenhouse are on their last hurrah and so I’ve used some of the last of them in this dish before I turn the remainder into chutney but shop bought will do as well as the roasting intensifies the flavour.

I love how this recipe uses bread – be it the remains of a sourdough loaf or ciabatta as it is a great way of using up bread that’s just past it’s best.  You must used a “textured” loaf for this as sliced supermarket bread hasn’t got the body to stay intact when rolled in the tomato and chicken juices.   The crunchy, toasty-ness that it brings to the dish is the savoury equivalent of dunking a biscuit in a cup of tea.  Quite wonderful and quite addictive. Continue reading →

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I fondly remember making these with my lovely goddaughter Chloe a couple of years ago.   They were delicious.   She had a bit of time that day so made her wonderful peanut sauce to go with them – if you are reading Chloe I am still after that recipe!

Chloe is vegan now and this is her version.  I often make them and add shredded left over roast meat to the roll but, honestly, it doesn’t need it. They provide a wonderful crunchy freshness as a totally vegan dish and  I swear they make you feel good as well as being delicious.

I love  Chloe’s website http://www.vetyogi.com and I really would recommend you have a look   There are wonderful guides to yoga postures and my favourite – 5 minute sequences for everything from neck and shoulders to back to feet and toes   Absolutely wonderful to practice along with at any time

In the mood for something healthy, fresh, crunchy and quick to make? These Vietnamese Rolls are ideal for helping you to get some of your 5 a day, and you can use whatever you fancy (or whatever you happen to have in the fridge). I often take these to work for lunch, and I find myself really looking forward to them. I can’t pretend my way is very traditional, but to be honest as long as they taste good, I just use whatever I have in at that time. Continue reading →

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