Whole Wheat Mushroom and Kale Tartlets

These are a great little party piece if you happen to be having a buffet. You could even roll them out for that Boxing Day family gathering you’re just beginning to worry about. The recipe is for whole wheat pastry, which you can make from scratch. If you’re short on time, or if you want…

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Chocolate and Peanut Butter Caramel Slices

I made these for a buffet we were having recently. The idea behind them was a soft chocolate filling on pastry with a caramel topping, all cut into small squares for people to pick at as and when they wanted them. This is not a quick dessert to make, but the results are worth the…

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Oven Roasted Figs With ‘Blue Style’ Cheese

Remember the pineapple and cheese cubes on sticks we used to get at parties? Well think of this as the posh version. Your social cred will go up mega points if you serve these at your next bash, plus they take no time at all. Prep time: Maybe 5 minutes if you stop for a…

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Poached Pears with Blueberry Compote

Let me say this right from the start: These babies are better if you eat them the day after you make them. There, now I’ve said it, you can feel free to ignore me. Nobody will judge you here. At the very least you want to let it all go cold, so a couple of…

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Vegan ‘Chicken’ Nuggets

This is a little something for kids and grown-ups alike. Sure, you can buy these already frozen in the supermarket, but nothing beats making them yourself. For one thing, you know exactly what’s going into them. It’s surprisingly easy to make a chicken substitute, but there is one ingredient you’ll need that you won’t find…

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Sundried Tomato and Black Olive Bread

Breadmaking has been a passion of mine for about 30 years. I was a teenager when I first learned to combine flour and water to make a dough, that adding yeast would make it rise and just enough salt would give it the perfect flavour. I learned that bread didn’t happen quickly. It had to…

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Cajun Spiced Broccoli Bites

I’d been mulling this idea over in the back of my mind for some time, while working on a host of other recipes. I’d seen plenty done with cauliflower in terms of seasoning with spices, and I wanted to try something with broccoli. I’ve always had a fondness for Cajun spice. There’s an earthy sweetness…

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Chickpeas with Lemon, Parsley and ‘Feta’

I had some chickpeas left over from using the aquafaba. I tend to keep them in a storage bag in the freezer until I need them, then pick what I want from the bag. This time I was in the mood for something with a real lemon taste that could be served cold. I had…

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Sweet Potato Burger

I don’t eat burgers anywhere near as much as I used to, which I guess makes sense as I used to pop out for meat burgers with far too much frequency. Since turning vegan, popping out for one has become nearly impossible unless I’m prepared to travel, and a vegan burger while eating out is…

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Sticky Chocolate Pudding

This is essentially a gooey, sticky brownie, covered in rich chocolate sauce. Sound good? Read on. I wanted to create something that was similar to a sticky toffee pudding, only with chocolate, and that was also vegan and gluten-free. This dessert was the result. Soft and moist in the centre, extremely chocolatey, with a chocolate…

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