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Crispy Cabbage Steaks

Posted on April 9, 2024

Let’s make Crispy Cabbage Steaks

If you’ve been wondering how to make this cheap and overlooked ingredient into a delicious steak, look no further. This plant based recipe is perfect as a side or as a sharing plate. The cabbage is sliced into ‘steaks’ then covered in a delicious olive oil and herb dressing, giving it loads of flavour.

What ingredients will I need?

Cabbage– for this recipe, a simple white cabbage has been used. You can absolutely use something like Chinese Cabbage or even Savoy cabbage.

Olive oil- Extra virgin olive oil is best for this, so you can actually taste the dressing. The better the olive oil, the more delicious the recipe. Cheap olive oil is usually tasteless, or not a very good quality. But high quality extra virgin olive oil is fantastic in recipes like this.

Herbs- Using fresh herbs such as chives will give this recipe so much flavour. You want to think of the cabbages as a blank canvas, with loads of flavour needing to be added.

Salt- Great recipes need lots of seasoning, don’t be scared to add in loads of that delicious salt.

Cooking Tips:

Fry on both sides- This might sound simple, but making sure each side has been sizzled in a high heat will help the crispy texture.

Can I oven bake this? Yes, absolutely, you can pop the coated cabbage steaks in a pan in the oven to crisp up nicely, I’d recommend 180ºC fan for around 20 minutes, turning at the last 5.

Brush the dressing evenly- Make sure each side of the cabbage is coated in the dressing so the flavour seeps through into all the layers.

What can I serve this with? It’s amazing as a side dish but also works brilliantly with a whipped feta style base. Find a similar recipe here.

Crispy Cabbage Steaks

Wondering how to make the viral cabbage steaks? This recipe is plant based, cheap and easy to make.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 13

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

1 white cabbage sliced into ‘steaks’
2 tbsp Olive oil

For the olive oil dressing

3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp chopped chives
1/2 lemon squeezed

For the 'parmesan'

2 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp sunflower seeds

Instructions

Start by slicing the cabbage into steaks then fry in olive oil and salt on one side until golden
Blitz the nutritional yeast and seeds in a food processor to create the 'parmesan'
Meanwhile make the dressing by mixing all of the ingredients together
Using a pastry brush, coat the cabbage steaks then sprinkle with the vegan Parmesan and flip in the pan, continue to fry until golden and delicious

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Christmas Vegan Pinwheels – 4 Ingredients

Posted on November 24, 2022

Christmas Vegan Pinwheels – 4 Ingredients

Christmas Vegan Pinwheels with a savoury filling of sausages and chutney. It’s such an easy 4 ingredient recipe which means it’s cheap and really simple.

How do you make these Christmas Vegan Pinwheels?

Puff Pastry- It’s easy to find plant based puff pastry these days as most of them are made with vegetable oil. Remember to take it out of the fridge around 20 minutes before to prevent it cracking when you unroll it.

Christmas Chutney- This makes a fantastic festive flavour, so whether its caramelised onion and fig, or a spiced chutney, it works perfectly.

Vegan Sausages- If you’re using frozen veggie sausages, make sure they are at room temperature before adding to the pinwheels. You can microwave them or oven roast for around 8 minutes to thaw out.

Tamari- I say this in every puff pastry recipe, but it really is the best ingredient to coat the pastry in. If you don’t have tamari melt down vegan butter with a pinch of smoked paprika.

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Christmas Vegan Pinwheels 4 Ingredients

Christmas Vegan Pinwheels with a savoury filling of sausages and chutney. It's such an easy 4 ingredient recipe which means it's cheap and really simple.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 22

Servings 8 pinwheels

Ingredients

1 sheet of puff pastry around 375g
180 g vegan sausages
5 tbsp festive chutney
1 tbsp Tamari substitute for melted vegan butter and smoked paprika

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°c fan
Roll out the puff pastry sheet then spoon on the chutney until lightly covered
Mash up the veggie sausages and add to the sheet of pastry (you want to think of it as three layers, the pastry, the chutney and the sausages)
Roll up the pastry so you have one huge long sausage shape then with a sharp knife divide into two, then repeat until you have around 8-12 pinwheels
Brush each pinwheel in either tamari OR melt down a few tbsp vegan butter and add 1 tsp smoked paprika and coat generously
Pop in the oven for around 23-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden

If you like this recipe why not try my 4 ingredient Sausage Rolls

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Christmas Vegan Mince Wellington

Posted on November 24, 2022

Christmas Vegan Mince Wellington

Easy Vegan friendly mince wellington. Easy to make, colourful and cheap. This can be made in advance, wrapped in uncooked pastry then frozen ahead of time.

What’s in the vegan mince wellington?

Vegan Mince- For this recipe, Cauldron had a tofu mince, however if it’s not possible to get ahold of vegan mince you can easily swap for vegan sausage crumbled apart.

Puff Pastry- It’s easy to find vegan puff pastry as most of them are made with vegetable oil. To get the most beautiful colour and crust brush with tamari. If you don’t have tamari simply use melted vegan butter with a pinch of smoked paprika.

Mushrooms- These will add a delicious flavour and meaty texture to the mix. It works perfectly with the sweeter flavours from the cranberry sauce and carrots.

Chestnuts- Is there anything more Christmassy than chestnuts? These can be tricky to find during the festive months due to popularity, so if you can’t get ahold of them, or they’re a bit pricey, simply swap for a different nut such as a walnut or even cannellini beans.

Cooking tips for Christmas Vegan Mince Wellington:

Can you freeze? Yes! You can cook the filling ingredients as instructed, fill the puff pastry sheet. Don’t coat the pastry in tamari, simply wrap in cling film or foil and freeze in a container. When you come to cook, take out of the freezer, brush with the tamari then bake for an extra 10-15 minutes – check the middle before serving.

Brush the vegan wellington with tamari- tamari if one of my favourite ingredients as it gives such a rich flavour. If you brush the puff pastry with tamari before baking it gives it a beautiful flavour and colour.

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Christmas Vegan Mince Wellington

Easy Vegan friendly mince wellington. Easy to make, colourful and cheap. This can be made in advance, wrapped in uncooked pastry then frozen ahead of time.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Servings 6 slices

Ingredients

300 g vegan sausage or vegan mince
320 g sheet of puff pastry
1 carrot diced
150 g mushrooms chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 small red cabbage
100 g chestnuts roughly chopped
1 tsp dried thyme and rosemary
1 tbsp tamari
5-5 tbsp cranberry sauce or festive chutney
To coat the pastry:
2 tbsp vegan butter melted
1 tsp tamari 1 tsp smoked paprika
5-6 sage leaves

Instructions

In a large frying pan, add a glug of olive oil and fry off the carrot, mushrooms, vegan mince, tamari and garlic for around 7 minutes then take off the heat and set aside
In a separate pot, steam or gently bring water to boil and cook off the sliced red cabbage for around 4-5 minutes, drain, add to the pan with the other ingredients and set aside to cool
Preheat the oven to 200ºC
Once the ingredients have cooled, roll out the puff pastry sheet, spoon on the cranberry sauce or chutney down the centre then add the filling mixture, pack it down so it will hold its shape
Take the two sides of the puff pastry sheet and pinch them to create the wellington, it doesn’t have to be neat as this is the bottom side, pinch the ends together also to enclose the filling
Gently roll onto a lined baking sheet and score with any pattern (we chose a criss-cross pattern)
Melt the vegan butter and mix with the tamari and smoked paprika and brush over the pastry then place in the oven for around 35 minutes, check on it after 25, and loosely cover with baking paper or foil so the pastry doesn’t burn
Enjoy and serve with your Sunday roast or Christmas dinner with gravy and sides

Video

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXjrtf3jN0-/

If you like this recipe why not try my Christmas Biscuit Box

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Pea Shoot Pesto with Buttery Gnocchi

Posted on July 28, 2021

Homemade Pea Shoot Pesto with Butter Fried Gnocchi

A delicious 15 minute meal using a homemade pea shoot pesto which is naturally vegan, paired with butter fried gnocchi. If you want a really simple meal for after work or a picnic, this pesto recipe is great to have up your sleeve. You can pair it with pasta or gnocchi, depending on what you have in your cupboards.

What’s in the recipe?

Pea Shoots- This is the main ingredient, it’s a delicious sweet and fresh tasting salad leaf. If you don’t have pea shoots you could replace it with watercress, rocket or spinach. All have a delicious peppery and fresh flavour.

Pine Nuts- These offer a delicious nutty and rich flavour to work with the greens, but can be swapped out for almonds or walnuts. If you want an even richer flavour, toast the pine nuts until slightly brown.

Gnocchi- I find with gnocchi if you bring it to boil for 2 minutes, drain the water then add to a frying pan with oil or vegan butter it gives the best results.

Butter- I find using vegan flora block is great, be generous with the amount to use with the gnocchi and fry on a medium heat until slightly brown on each side.

Nutritional Yeast- Now if you’re a hardy vegan you’ll have this in your cupboard, but if you’re not, it’s a flake that gives a slightly nutty and cheesy flavour. If you’re not vegan use a hard cheese such as parmesan or a vegan version of the same cheese.

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Pea Shoot Pesto & Buttered Gnocchi

Vegan buttered gnocchi with a homemade pea shoot pesto which is really simple, easy and quick to make. The flavour of fresh garden peas really comes through this dish which works beautifully with the buttery toasted gnocchi.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

Peat Shoot Pesto

70 g pea shoots
1 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oul
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 lemon squeezed

For the Gnocchi

500 g gnocchi
Pine nuts to top
150 g asparagus

Instructions

Pop the gnocchi in a pot of boiling water and simmer for 2 minutes until the gnocchi floats to the top
In the meantime add all of the pesto ingredients to a food processor and blitz
Drain the boiling water then add the gnocchi to a frying pan and fry for a few minutes before adding the pesto along with the asparagus and pine nuts and continue to fry until crispy on the bottom
Serve in a bowl with a few sprigs of fresh pea shoots and enjoy!

Notes

you can swap pea shoots for watercress or rocket or spinach!

Swap pine nuts for walnut or toasted almonds

Don’t have nutritional yeast? Don’t worry, it just adds a nutty cheesy flavour but isn’t essential

Don’t have gnocchi? Just use some cooked pasta instead!

If you like this recipe why not try my simple Roasted Tomato And Garlic Risotto

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The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Vegan Cookie

Posted on April 29, 2020

Ultimate Vegan chocolate chip Cookie recipe

Method:

Add the room temperature butter to a bowl along with the vanilla extract and two types of sugar and mix together using a silicone whisk or spatula until smooth

In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt, baking powder and soda together then slowly add to the bowl of butter, mixing it together as you add

One combined, add the chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) and fold in. Pop the mix in the fridge for at least an hour (even better left overnight)

Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 170°C

Using an ice cream scoop (or just your hands) roll out equal sized balls and place them with lots of room (as these will expand)

Bake for 10 minutes, then take them out of oven and tap them on a surface (this helps give the crackle effect) then pop them back in for a further 2-3 minutes

Leave to set for 10 minutes (trust me they’re worth the wait) and ENJOY!

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Waitrose Chronicle Magazine Feature

Posted on February 9, 2016

It May Not Be Vogue, But It's The Closest I'll Get To Being a Cover Girl...

Whilst studying Interior Architecture at university, I work part time at Waitrose and have been there nearly 5 years! Working in a food supermarket definitely influenced my interest in food, and using ingredients that usually I wouldn't have thought about using.

The story was put forward to the media team about my Instagram account and within 1 week I was being interviewed for the next article, and had a very cringe worthy photo session. I love having photographs taken with friends, however having a big camera in your face whilst you smile at your food was very embarrassing. However the hilarity of the situation made it genuinely fun!

The story covers my transformation from eating extremely badly after leaving school until my second year at university, and how through healthy eating I've learnt how to make nutritious meals. It also explains how I had (and still have) very basic culinary skills showing that anyone can do healthy eating!

When I first started trying to eat healthier foods, I wen't from one extreme to the other. I thought that cutting out all fats and trying to eat less would be better, however it had the opposite affect. I had cravings for anything with sugar around 4pm and felt hungry and unsatisfied with each meal. But after reading about foods and nutritional meals, I now feel I have a balance between healthy AND tasty. After all food is meant to be enjoyed!

The message that I wanted to get across was that healthy doesn't need to be hard, and anyone can give it a go, that's not to say that I don't still indulge in a bit of ice cream, or chocolate however with eating mostly homemade hearty meals, it means that indulgences are perfectly fine!