Vegan chocolate brownies

I found this recipe on the BBC Food website recently and tried it out at the weekend. They are different to brownies made using eggs, but they are very nice nonetheless.

Vegan Chocolate Torte

This is gorgeous and it is vegan! Recipe is from Rose Elliot's Vegan Feasts.

Serves 8-10
For the base
100 g/31/2 oz/ generous 1/2 cup vegan plain chocolate (bittersweet chocolate)
175 g/6 oz/2 cups vegan digestive biscuits (Graham crackers)
For the top layer
200 g/7 oz generous cup vegan plain chocolate (bitter-sweet chocolate)
2x125-ml/4-fl oz packets soya cream (Elmlea works well too, helps it set better too)
1 tablespoon rum
chocolate curls and/or icing sugar (confectioner's sugar), to decorate, optional

1. First, make the base. Break the chocolate into pieces and put them into a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, the bottom of the bowl above the surface of the water, and leave for a few minutes, until the chocolate has melted.
2. Meanwhile put the digestive biscuits (Graham crackers) into a polythene bag and crush with a rolling pin to make crumbs. Put these into a bowl and add the melted chocolate. Mix well, then press into the base of a 21-cm/81/2 inch loose-bottomed cake tin (cake pan). Chill in the fridge while you make the top layer.
3. Break the remaining chocolate into the bowl in which you melted the chocolate for the, base and melt over simmering water as before.
4. Add the soya cream and rum to the chocolate, then whisk thoroughly until the mixture has cooled and thickened a little. Pour on top of the base and smooth the top.
5. Cover the top of the tin with foil or a plate then chill for at least 3 hours. It must chill thoroughly – 12-24 hours is not too long – and make sure it is well covered so that it doesn't pick up any flavours from the fridge.
6. When you are ready to serve, remove the sides of the tin (pan), leaving the Torte on the base, then slide it – still on its base for safety – onto a serving dish. Decorate with chocolate curls and/or a sifting of icing sugar (confectioner's sugar), if using.

Two Bean Chilli

I've just made a pan of veggie chilli for our dinner tomorrow. I've started using a couple of varieties of beans instead of brown lentils and kidney beans, or VeggieMince and kidney beans.

1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, diced
250g mushrooms, quartered
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Tomato puree
1 tin kidney beans
1 tin pinto beans
200ml vegetable stock, mixed with large tsp of Marmite

1. Fry the onion until soft, add the garlic, spices and herbs and cook for 1 minute
2. Add the diced pepper and stir fry for a couple of minutes before adding the mushrooms and continue to stir fry for a few minutes
3. Add the tomatoes, puree, beans and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Serve with some rice or whatever else takes your fancy…tortillas, jacket potato…

You can use as many varieties of beans as you like, really.

'But what do you eat for Christmas dinner?'

This is a question often asked of vegetarians at Christmas. Of course, you cannot beat a good nut roast, but I always try and find something different to serve for Christmas dinner.

This year, I found a great recipe on the Tesco Magazine website for Moroccan Vegetable Nut Roast. It was pretty easy to make, very tasty and went surprisingly well with my Dad's home grown Brussels sprouts!

Apologies for the quality of the photo, I'd had a bit to drink.