*This recipe is sponsored by Ocado in partnership with Ciao Gusto*
I have made so many lasagnes in the last nine years (about the time my boys started eating) and no one lasagne has ever been the same. So I’ve teamed up with Ocado to let you know about the new offers from Ciao Gusto coming soon! Ciao Gusto is host to some amazing brands including Valsoia who stock a vast range of dairy-free milk (almond, oat, coconut/almond, and walnut) and their chocolate spread and/or gelato. As I am a keen lasagne fiend, I found that Valsoia actually sells readymade bechamel sauces. So I present to you my (very first) Vegan Bean Lasagne!
Gluten Free Vegan Strawberry Crumble
I am a big fan of desserts, in all shapes, sizes and flavours. However, since opting for a plant-based diet, I do find it a struggle to enjoy desserts with my family and friends that don’t contain dairy products in them. So I have decided to veganise my own desserts and since the vegan trend is growing there are tons more products out in the market that assist me on my journey.
My kids are huge fans of crumbles. I have made rhubarb, orange and apple crumbles, and lots of desserts with fruit so I thought I’d go for the strawberry version this time and have come up with a recipe that contains no animal products in them.
Of course, each ingredient can be substituted with whatever ingredient you’re comfortable with. A strawberry crumble goes really well with ice cream on top so I found a lovely soya ice cream version from Ciao Gusto called the Valsoia Cream and Sour Cherry Soya Gelato and topped with Fabbri Minitopping Wild Strawberry Syrup, which completed the deliciously sweet strawberry crumble. Ocado is currently promoting a bundle offer at the moment where if you buy 1 Valsoia ice cream and 1 Fabbri syrup you will get 20% off. If you’re a fan of Italian products, which I definitely am, then Ocado has a special tab which brings together over 30 of Italy’s most popular brands, so you can find what you’re looking for in the same place. Many of the brands are still owned and run by the same families who established them, so they’re super authentic.
So without further ado, here is my decadent Gluten-free vegan strawberry crumble!
Gluten Free Vegan Strawberry Crumble
Ingredients
For the base
600g Strawberries / 2 Packets
Just over 2 tbsps of Coconut Palm Sugar
A knob of melted butter
2 tbsps. Fabbri Minitopping Wild Strawberry Syrup
For the crumble
50g Oats
Just over a ½ cup of rice flour
Just over ½ cup fo Coconut Palm Sugar
65 Pecan nuts
8 ½ tbsps. Of dairy free butter
Pinch of salt
Top with 2 scoops of Valsoia Cream and Sour Cherry Soya Gelato
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/356F/GM4
Find an ovenproof dish – I used a lovely oval one which was perfect
Remove the stalks and slice the strawberries uniformly and into a similar thickness. Place at the bottom of the baking tray, next to each other.
Add the 2 tbsps of Coconut Palm Sugar, a knob of melted butter and 2 tbsps of Fabbri Minitopping Wild Strawberry Syrup over the strawberries and mix well. Place the tray to the side.
Find a food processor
Add everything in this order – flour
Sugar
Oats
Nuts
and butter
With the oats, nuts and butter, pulse until you get a crumbly, sandy consistency
Add the crumble mixture to the top of the strawberries and smooth over until the strawberry mixture is covered
Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the liquid from the strawberries is bubbling
Serve straight away with a scoop – or two – of Valsoia Cream and Sour Cherry Soya Gelato!
For extra indulgence add some more of the Fabbri Minitopping Wild Strawberry Syrup on top!
One of my favourite recipes to make for the family is Bruschetta, mainly because it is simple, quick and super delicious. But, also because I can hide lots of veg inside like chopped up broccoli and spinach greens.
Another big bonus of making Bruschetta is that it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare (if you don’t leave the ingredients in the fridge to marinade) and you don’t have to cook anything.
The staple ingredients that I normally use for Bruschetta are olive oil, vinegar, lime, salt and black pepper, along with vine tomatoes, ciabatta bread, spring onions and fresh basil.
This time, I found the most delicious tomato chutney called Chunky Tomato Chutney, which is made by Tracklements, an award-winning supplier of high quality homemade condiments, with over 60 artisan chutney, pickle and jam products to choose from. The Chunky Tomato Chutney contains all the seasoning ingredients I need for this Bruschetta recipe – plus more! So, this means that this Tomato Chutney Bruschetta recipe only requires fresh basil, spring onions and bread!
1 loaf of bread, ciabatta bread or sourdough bread – sliced and then halved
30g of fresh basil, chopped finely
Method
Add the finely chopped spring onions into a medium sized bowl
Chop up 30g of fresh basil finely and add to the bowl with the chopped spring onions
Add half the pot of Tracklements Chunky Tomato Chutney or approximately 145g. If you have the time, place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so the ingredients can marinade together.
While you are waiting, lightly toast the bread (I used Sourdough bread)
Finally, add the marinade on top.
You should be able to make around 12 pieces. You can essentially make 24 Bruschetta slices using all the Tracklements Chunky Tomato Chutney
I am not a huge fan of mulled wine, mince pies and Christmas cake, but what I am partial to is creating a Christmassy version of my favourite dishes, like my Christmas Tree pastries, Christmas pancakes and delicious chutney sauces.
This particular chutney recipe has been taken from The Ideas Kitchen and slightly adapted to serve four people. And, because we do not have a bread maker, my version uses a slow cooker instead. This particular recipe takes a long time to make in a slow cooker, so please allow at least 6 hours for this recipe.
The Ideas Kitchen has some great Christmas chutney recipes on their website, but this one particularly caught my eye because I am a huge apple chutney fan and I would love to taste a Christmas spiced version of this recipe.
A few points to note before you start. I have included the cup measurements to each ingredient because my weighing scales’ batteries died on me. So, if you do not have any weighing scales to hand, then you can still make this recipe. Also, each Bramley apple weighs approximately 80g, which means that you will need around six Bramley apples for this recipe. I only used four because 1) I would be the only person eating the chutney, 2) the final recipe will have a more subtle apple spice to it and 3) the boys ate the other two apples…
Moving on.
So, without further ado, here is the recipe for the Christmas Spiced Apple and Walnut Chutney. Spoiler alert – it is delicious!
[yumprint-recipe id=’6′]
(I am using Lakeland’s Crockpot Slow Cooker in this recipe – more details on this slow cooker here – http://bit.ly/2BrNoKh)
(I’m using the Babymoov Nutribaby+ food processor component for this recipe – more details on this processor can be found here – http://bit.ly/2jbr1kg)
You will be left with one tasty chutney that looks like this:
I enjoyed my new deliciously zingy apple chutney with some Ryvita, feta cheese and tomato. I’m trying to enjoy a new veganish lifestyle, so I would replace the feta with some Violife – still tastes pretty darn good, though!
Some tips on what you should pair this Spiced Apple and Walnut Chutney with over Christmas:
Inside the best sandwich of the year – the leftover Christmas dinner sandwich!
My special Christmas dinner sandwich – Yorkshire pudding, chutney, meat, chutney, potato, more chutney
With pate
Mix with Greek yoghurt and have as a dip
Grilled cheese sandwich
Do you have any other tips on how to use chutney over the Christmas period? Share in the comments below!
Blackberry Jam Recipe
You can’t have an abundance of blackberries from your successful blackberry picking trip without making some blackberry jam! Naively, having always enjoyed shop bought blackberry jam, I had no idea that (1) it was so easy to make jam and (2) how much sugar actually goes into one single jam jar! So, I set out to make a ‘healthier’ version of jam, by adding lemon, honey and brown sugar instead of processed white sugar.
Adding lemon juice isn’t just for flavour, there is a real science to making jam. You can find a great explanation over at thekitchn.com as to why lemon juice should be added when making jam, but essentially it’s all about the pH levels of the jam itself. When you cut the fruit and heat it with some sugar you the fruit releases pectin, which can’t form together to set the texture of actual jam (so it will end up being runny). Lemon juice lowers the pH levels and neutralises the pectin, in turn, setting the jam to the desired consistency. Lemon also prevents the growth of bacteria, which allows the jam to be sealed in regular boiled water in as little as ten minutes.
Turn the whole jam making process into a fun activity for the kids and after sterilising the jars, invite them to decorate their own jam jars as well.
[yumprint-recipe id=’5′]So what are your favourite healthy jam recipes? Please share in the comments below.
I’m super happy that blackberry season is here because it means that we get to enjoy blackberries in abundance again! Blackberry season in the UK generally runs between June and November, but you can find blackberries at their peak in August/September. I’ve been blackberry picking with the boys for three years now and the boys now look out for blackberries in our back garden, on the way to the park and even in side roads where the bramble hedgerows have been allowed to spread literally like wildfire.
This year we managed to find so many blackberries, so we decided to make a hearty Blackberry Pie to enjoy them in style!
I decided to make the pie from scratch because it really is so super easy to make. I try to go vegan as much as possible, but my three boys are very much into dairy and meat, so I try to accommodate for both. In this recipe, I use dairy free margarine (my favourite is Vitalite which tastes just like normal margarine) and almond milk if I need to use milk. The only thing I haven’t found a substitute for is egg yet. Any ideas for how I can make a pie without egg??
Once the dough was made, I placed it in the fridge for 30 minutes and started working on my filling. I have made various different batches of blackberry pie, one with blackberry and apple (delicious!) and one with blackberry and banana (wasn’t my favourite as the banana was a little too overpowering), but regular ol’ blackberries are just as great. To sweeten the taste you can add honey or brown sugar – or both – and then once the dough is rolled and placed onto the pie dish, you just fill up the dish with your filling, cover with the rolled out dough and then you’re ready to place in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes.
Don’t forget to glaze the top of the sides with egg or almond milk so that the top dough circle glues itself onto the sides and you score the top so heat is allowed to escape. I glazed the top of my pie with egg, but really I want to go for almond milk next time. Baby steps 🙂
[yumprint-recipe id=’3′]So what are your favourite blackberry recipes? Please share in the comments below! I’d love to give them a try.
Blackberry, Strawberry and Dark Chocolate Chip Food Processor Ice Cream Recipe – No Ice Cream Maker Needed!
I love blackberry season, partly because blackberries are my favourite of all berries and also because it’s a great way to spend time with the kids and teach them all about the beauty of nature and free fruit picking! I have been blackberry picking with the boys for three years now and every year we’ve tried to up the stakes in our blackberry recipe creations.
Back in 2014 – Aron, 3 years old
Blackberries grow in abundance and can be typically found in the UK between June and November, however, they are at their peak in August/September. You can either try to grow your own blackberries in your back garden (we are very lucky as we have blackberries growing in our back garden already) or you can just step outside and find a road which has ample hedgerows along your path. Blackberries grow on brambles, which are found nearby woodland, hedges, waste grounds and pretty much anywhere where weed has been allowed to grow, seeing as these blackberry brambles are typically seen as weeds.
2017 – Aron (6) and Aidan (5)
It’s best to pick the blackberries which have been growing in direct sunlight as these offer the most flavour. Also, pick blackberries above knee height, as the lower blackberries will have been tarnished by pee from animals and could post dangerous risks when ingested. Here is a great link on how to pick wild blackberries.
This year, we’ve really surpassed ourselves, creating one heck of a tasty ice cream made fresh out of homemade blackberries from a beautiful back garden. We added vanilla, strawberries and dark chocolate to the mix and, boy, was this the best ice cream we have ever tasted! Plus, we didn’t need a fancy ice cream maker to create this soft scoop ice cream – we used a food processor!
It’s very simple to make food processor ice cream – you gently heat up the double cream with the sugar and honey so both are dissolved well. Granulated sugar is better as it helps to achieve a better ‘soft scoop’ texture. However, I didn’t want to overdo it too much on sugar and opted for a mix of honey/brown sugar in this instance. Then just take the mix off the heat and add your vanilla extract which will essentially turn the cream into non frosted vanilla ice cream. Place the mix in the bowl and freeze overnight. You can leave the mix as it is and enjoy homemade vanilla ice cream, but I decided to incorporate the blackberries we had freshly picked and what was left of the strawberries in our fridge and dark chocolate in our cupboard. All the ingredients complemented each other and the result is a gentle strawberry/blackberry flavoured ice cream with a hint of dark chocolate to spruce up the palate. Think mint choc chip ice cream, but, obviously without the mint and with the strawberries and blackberries!
Enjoy 🙂
So what are your top tips for picking wild blackberries? Please share your tasty blackberry recipes in the comments below! I’d love to give them a try.
As you know, in the UK, we are currently enjoying the peak of blackberry season right now, so I am going on a rampage, creating all sorts of blackberry recipes for the family to enjoy. So far, I have four delicious dessert recipes that you can try at home, one of which are these awesome nutty Almond and Blackberry Biscuit Squares.
This time, I’ve decided to create a biscuit recipe, as we found a ‘secret passageway’ (as the boys call it) on the way to the park that housed enough blackberries to feed a family of six! We had some ground almonds in the cupboard and so I just made a simple biscuit dough with flour, dairy free margarine, egg and brown sugar. I added the ground almonds and gently mixed in two-thirds of the blackberries. I then laid the mix down on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and decorated the top with the rest of the blackberries. Cooking time takes about an 1 hour, so leave plenty of time to make these, possibly start preparing this biscuit squares while you’re making dinner.
These are perfect to have with a hot beverage or if you fancy something lighter, juice or lemonade works just as well. You’ll find these biscuit squares so almondy and light that the blackberries add that perfect zing of flavour which enriches the overall palate. Be careful not to overwork the dough or overcook the mix as both lead to biscuits a touch on the dry side.
[yumprint-recipe id=’4′]So what are your best blackberry biscuit recipes? Please share in the comments below because I’m on the look out for more!
How to make the most of the blackberry season – plus 4 recipes!
This summer has been somewhat turbulent for us Brits, but the one thing that has remained constant, especially during August, is blackberry season – a season I look forward to every single year. Blackberry picking is a family activity, which I’ve massively involved the boys in since they were old enough to walk.
Blackberry Picking in 2014
(Aron, 3, picking blackberries for the first time)
Blackberry Picking in 2017
(Aron and his brother Aidan (6 and 5 years old) are now pros at blackberry picking!)
Blackberry season typically runs between June and November in the UK, but you will most likely see the parasitic-style thorny blackberry brambles bloom in August/September, where you will find blackberries in abundance. Paying £2.99 for a punnet in the stores seems ludicrous when you can find double or even triple the amount when you step outside of your house – and for free too! Blackberries are grown on brambles and can be found anywhere they have been allowed to invade and take over other plant’s territories. And, the benefits of consuming blackberries are extensive. They are loaded with vitamin C (a 100g serving has 23mg vitamin C, which is about 35 per cent of your recommended daily allowance) and they are an excellent source of fibre. Blackberries are also even known to prevent and slow the growth of cancer and boost immunity too.
So, when we saw enough blackberries growing in our beautiful back garden to create four delicious dessert recipes, I got right to it! Our littlest one (5) regularly visits the back of our garden with a small empty water bottle to hunt for blackberries and he dutifully brings them back for me to wash and rinse, so he can either eat them there and then or I can trial out a new recipe for the whole family to enjoy. My next objective is to incorporate blackberries into a healthy dinner recipe. But, for now, here are four awesome blackberry recipes that are so super easy to make, they don’t require any fancy kitchenware to create or enjoy them.
Blackberry, Strawberry, and Dark Chocolate Chip food processor ice cream – no ice cream maker needed!
We’ve never owned an ice cream maker and we’ve never needed one because I’ve somehow found a way to use my Kenwood food processor for pretty much most recipes that might require another kitchen contraption. I had some double cream left in the fridge and my littlest one had helped me pick a whole bunch of blackberries earlier that day, so we were halfway there to making an ice cream. We just needed something to sweeten the deal – honey and brown sugar – and perhaps some side ingredients to spruce up our blackberries. We opted for strawberries in our fridge and the remainder of some dark chocolate in the cupboard. I had read a while back that the secret to soft scoop ice cream is to firm up the cream in a freezer and then chop it up afterwards if you don’t have an ice cream maker. This allows the texture and consistency of the cream to soften up slightly.
I heated 2 cups of double cream slightly to ensure the granulated sugar and honey dissolved and mixed well. I then brought the ice cream mix off the heat and added the vanilla extract. At this point, the mix tastes quite sweet and vanilla-flavoured. I chopped up the blackberries and strawberries and placed them in a separate bag, which went into the freezer overnight, along with the ice cream mix in a separate bowl.
The next day, I allowed the mix and the fruit to thaw out slightly before placing in the food processor and blitzing them until mixed well but with a soft scoop texture. I then broke up the dark chocolate pieces and added them to the food processor as well. The result was a lovely soft ice cream with a vibrant pink hue that was literally cleaned out by the three boys (hubby included). Hubby even said it was the best ice cream he had ever tasted! So, I’ll just have to make some more, but my next objective is to make it with coconut milk yogurt or banana and sweetener, so we can enjoy a vegan-style ‘nice’ cream next time.
I love making apple crumble for Aron, as it is his favourite dessert, so I wanted to create something similar, but in more of pie style, as I believed it felt more authentic to have a Blackberry Pie rather than a Blackberry crumble. This recipe is so easy to make! I would strongly advise you make the pie yourself, but if you happen to have some ready-made pie in the fridge, then you’ll have a dessert on your table in no time flat. I’ve made one pie with just blackberries and one with both, and blackberries, which tastes just as great!
Pie with an apple and blackberry filling
Click here for the full fresh and 100% homemade Blackberry Pie Recipe for you to create and enjoy with your family. Hint – I strongly advise you add some Almond Milk on top for extra flavour!
Almond and Blackberry Biscuit Squares
The boys and I headed out to the park today to enjoy a rare beautiful sunny day and we found a ‘secret passage way’ as the boys called it, with so many blackberries that we couldn’t even fit them all into one of the boys’ 500ml water bottles! So, I had to come up with another recipe to house all these blackberries and I figured that the only real option left for a worthy dessert were biscuits! However, as there were so many blackberries, I decided to combine the recipe for biscuits with a flapjack style recipe, so I ended up creating biscuit squares. So easy to make! Here’s the recipe: Almond and Blackberry Biscuit Squares Recipe
Blackberry Jam
You can’t have all these blackberries and not make jam! Browsing through all the jam recipes online, I can’t believe how much sugar goes into one jar of processed jam. So I set about to try and make a marginally healthier version and came up with a honey and lemon style blackberry jam. The kids love it and it has become a real staple in our house. Check out the ‘Blackberry Jam’ recipe here.
So there you have it! Four delicious blackberry recipes to keep you occupied over the summer holidays and they’re all kid-friendly, so get the children involved in picking blackberries and then helping to create something truly magical with them afterwards. Here are the recipes again:
