Closet Vegan

dearcornelia-deactivated2012072 asked: I just made your cake (closetvegan tumblr com/post/11578213744/chocolate-coffee-and-walnut-cake), and it is delicious!! Rich, and a good ratio of chocolate to coffee. I served it to non-vegan friends, and they loved it and never guessed it was animal-product-free. When I told them, they were amazed. :)

Yaaaay :) Glad you enjoyed it!

14th Jan 2012 3 notes

Boozy Spiced Cranberry Sauce

You will need:

200g fresh cranberries
2 clementines
6Ts Port or red wine if you don’t have
100g caster or light muscovado sugar
1/2tsp ground cloves
1/2tsp cinamon
pinch of nutmeg

Add the cranberries, port, sugar and juice of one clementine to a small pan and boil on medium for 10 minutes, stirring often. The cranberries should pop, then the mixture will start to thicken. Add the spices and continue to cook until the desired consistancy - I like mine quite thick. Peel and segment the second clementine, taking off the membrane if you can be bothered, then add to the mixture about 3 minutes before you think it will be done, so there are still chunks of clementine.

Transfer into a jar and serve with your Christmas dinner :)

24th Dec 2011 6 notes

Fruity Frosted Carrot Cake

I could not be bothered to make a proper Christmas cake, who can really be arsed to feed the cake every week for several months? Just make a kick ass carrot cake instead.

Ingredients:

225g Self Raising Flour
150g sugar (I used half and half caster and light brown muscovado)
50g walnuts plus more for topping
50g raisins
100g grated carrot
2 ripe bananas, mashed
200ml Oil
2 1/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp baking soda
50ml soya milk
60g soya yogurt
1Ts cornflour
½ tsp cinnamon and ginger
big pinch of nutmeg

Method:

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4. Next, grease a 12 inch cake tin with oil. If you don’t have one with a pop out bottom, its wise to line with baking paper - if you use a single sheet, you can use the edges to pull it safely out of the tin.
Sift flour and baking powder together, then add all of the ingredients. Beat together until it makes a smooth batter.
Pour into cake tin and Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes on gas mk 4. Push a toothpick to the bottom to check if it is cooked through. Take out of the tin and leave to cool.
Cream the icing sugar and marg together, then add 1tsp of either vanilla or orange essence. If you use orange, you could also stir in some orange zest.
When the cake has cooled, spoon on the icing and sprinkle with chopped walnuts and icing sugar.

Merry Christmas!

24th Dec 2011 8 notes

Chickpea Paté

Ok I know this isn’t really much like actual paté, but come on - thats a good thing! This stuff works great as an alternative when everyone you know has moved on to cheese and crackers on Christmas day, and you’re all out of whatever crappy fake cheese you have convinced yourself you can bear. Also, its super easy to make, cheap and tasty.

Drain and boil one can of chickpeas for 5 minutes on high, until al denté. Chuck in your food processor and pulse a few times to get them chopped up, but still chunky.
Slice half a really small onion or a shallot, and fry in some olive oil with your desired amount of garlic - I used one clove, but that may be too much for some people because you could really taste it. Cook until glassy, then add to the blender.
Add 1Ts tomato paste, and splash of soya sauce and lemon juice, then any herbs and spices you desire. I used a shake of paprika, ground coriander, and italian herbs mix. I also spooned in half a tsp marmite, for some extra flavour.
Pulse until combined, but not completely smooth - you may have to scrape dow the sides a few times, then taste and adjust the flavours, season with salt and pepper and transfer into a container.

Enjoy on crackers, as a sandwich filler, or just chucked on a salad :)

23rd Dec 2011 8 notes

Piss Easy Tofu Noodle Miso Soup
Sometimes, you need to suck it up, and just deep-fry your tofu. Fuck it, its Christmas.

Press tofu for as long as you can have time to - between 20 minutes and an hour. Wrap it in a couple of kitchen towels then a teacloth, then place a chopping board and some tins on top.
Cut into little chunks, then rub with seasoning - a little bouillon powder, salt and pepper, then fry in quite a bit of oil on medium heat for 10 minutes, turning frequently.
Stir fry half a red onion and a handful of mushrooms, with some grated fresh ginger and a crushed clove of garlic (optional), on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Boil a portion of dried noodles as per packet instructions.
Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl with a cup of boiling water, a sachet of miso soup powder, some soy sauce, a splash of lemon juice, salt and pepper.

19th Dec 2011 36 notes

Miso, Pea and Noodle Soup for One
with Ginger Roasted Forest Nuts

For when you have absolutely no fresh food in the house, like me right now! Honestly, all there is in my friedge is two stellas, a block of tofu and tomato paste.

1 sachet instant miso soup disolved in
100g wholewheat dried noodles, boiled for 5-10 minutes
a handful of nuts chucked in a pan on medium for 5 minutes with a splash of soya sauce, lemon juice, a few chilli flakes and 1tsp ginger powder or the sort you get in a jar, preserved in vinegar.
half a cup of frozen peas, boiled for 5 minutes
if I had fresh coriander, i’d chuck that in, but I guess it would defeat the point of the meal, so never mind!

Stick it all in a bowl and slurp with chopsticks!

22nd Nov 2011 69 notes

Vegan Bolognese (serves 3)

Ingredients:
1 pack soya mince (Sainsburies do their own brand)
1 tin passata
½ tin chopped tomatoes
5 fresh tomatoes
half jar sundried tomatoes
handful mushrooms
1 green pepper
1 red onion
half bag spinach
1 clove garlic
2Ts dried mixed herbs
lemon juice
salt and pepper

Method:

Sauté the onion and garlic in a little olive oil for 5 minutes, then add the mince and cook for 5 more. Pour on the passata and chopped tomatoes and mix thoroughly.
Chop up the tomatoes mushrooms and peppers, and add to the mince. Add a splash of lemon juice, salt, pepper and mixed herbs. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the spinach. Serve with pasta, or if you’re lazy - bread.

2nd Nov 2011 29 notes

Battenburg Cake

I’ve been wanting to make this for aaaaaages, and though its fiddly, its worth it! This is my basic vegan sponge recipe, minus the baking powder - you don’t want it to rise too much.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups self raising flour
1 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 cup soya milk
1tsp apple cider vinegar
1tsp vanilla essence

margarine for greasing
red and yellow natural food colouring
seedless raspberry jam
½ block shop bought marzipan

You will also need baking parchment paper and a 20-25cm square baking tin

Method:

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4.
Mix the milk and vinegar in a mug and leave to one side. Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, then add the oil, vanilla and milk, mixing thoroughly.
Split the mixture evenly, then the colour, a few drops at a time to each, until brightly coloured.
Grease the tin with margarine, then cut a rectangle of paper, the width of one of the sides, but a little longer in length. Make 3 folds across it to create a divide in the middle, to keep the two different mixtures separate.
Pour the batter into each side, then bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool thoroughly, and while you are waiting, roll out the marzipan, using icing sugar to stop it sticking to the worksurface. Make sure it is 3 or 4mm thick. if you roll it too thin, it will go soggy with the jam.
Cut the cakes into long square ended cuboids, but don’t worry too much about the ends - you can neaten them up later. Stick together with a little raspberry jam, then the outside, so that the marzipan will stay on. Cut out a rectangle of marzipan that is the length of the sponge, but longer in the other direction. Roll the sponges on it, trying to keep it neat, and cut to make a seam on a bottom corner.
Neaten up the ends with a bread knife and dust with icing sugar.

EAT.

1st Nov 2011 58 notes