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Nutella made the vegan way

nutella

My home made dairy free, gluten free, vegan friendly version of Nutella couldn’t be easier! You will be shocked how much sugar is contained in the store bought original Nutella and similar products. I will show you how much sugar the store bought contains, versus my simple home made version using a high grade dark chocolate.

Join me in my tiny kitchen, in a little rented cottage in the middle of an orange grove, close to Tavira, Algarve, Portugal. I really enjoy making all my food from scratch, based on what I find at the market each day. Sometimes I fancy something sweet, rich and chocolatey. This spread is great to use in baking to make vegan delicious French Pain au chocolate. Or straight out of the jar, by the spoonful!

Here’s my simple vegan nutella recipe:

  • 410g hazelnuts (3 cups)
  • 100g dark chocolate (half to 3 quarters of a cup)
  • 1 pinch of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Bake the hazelnuts in the air fryer (highest setting) for 3-4 minutes. They burn very quickly so be careful. You could toast them in a fry frying pan instead. Melt the chocolate and add the salt and vanilla extract. Add all the ingredients to the blender and run at full power until smooth. Pour into a container and allow to set.

Enjoy! Let me know if you like this vegan Nutella recipe, I’m happy to answer any questions.

Thanks for stopping by, have a beautiful day. #veganeats #vegannutella #dairyfree #wholefood #plantbased

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Vegan fruity curry

fruity curry
Intermittent fasting and Keto with vegan diet

My own recipe vegan fruity curry

This vegan fruity curry is one of my favourites! I know this list of ingredients looks never ending, but I keep all of these things in my store cupboard. I use them often so its worth keeping all these treasures in your pantry. You can substitute the mangoes for peaches and the almonds for cashews etc. This is the way I like my fruity curry but customise it as you wish.

fruity curry

Fruity chickpea curry

Delicious indian inspired chick pea curry with tropical fruit, fresh herbs and toasted nuts.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian

Equipment

  • Pan

Ingredients
  

Fruity curry

  • 2 tbsp mustard oil
  • 1 sliced red onion
  • 2 whole dried or fresh chillies
  • 1-2 cups water
  • 3 whole crushed cardamom pods
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 4 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1 thumb grated ginger (or one tablespoon)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
  • 1 veggie stock cube
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • half cup chunky peanut butter

to decorate and present

  • 1 cup fresh sliced mango
  • half cup toasted flaked almonds
  • half cup coriander (cilantro) leaves
  • 1 tbsp fried onions
  • 1 whole sliced banana
  • 1 pinch salt - optional (taste and adjust before decorating)
  • 1 lime

Instructions
 

  • Heat pan and add mustard oil to fry onions and brown dried chillies
  • remove chillies from pan and keep one tablespoon of fried onions back to decorate at the end
  • When onions are browed, add 1 cup of water to soften, stir and simmer for a couple of minutes
  • Add crushed cardamom pods, cumin/nigella/black mustard seeds
  • Add ginger, garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, garam masala, curry powder, chickpeas, mix and simmer for 5 minutes (may need some water, add a little).
  • Add coconut milk, smoked paprika, peanut butter, mix and simmer for 20 minutes
  • Time to dress it up with; mango, corainder, toasted flaked almonds, the cooked chillies, fried onions, sliced banana and anything else you fancy!
  • Enjoy with basmati rice!
Keyword chickpea, curry, spicy, vegan
I buy fresh chillies from Olhão market and dry them to make my own chilli & curry powder.

Make this fruit curry as hot as you like. I buy fresh chillies and dry them in a dehydrator. In this recipe, I’ve used two dried chillies which I fried with the onions and then removed, until you see them again the end when I use them to decorate the dish. The reason for doing this is that my husband doesn’t like hot curry, but I do. So I chop the chillies up and sprinkle on top of the curry on my plate only. It means everyone can enjoy the same dish, which is tasty and fragrant without being spicy, until you add the chopped chillies.

It’s worth the effort and will impress everyone when they see it and taste it. Check back often for more recipes!

Now…cook off!

Gail x

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Vegan Frittata

Vegan frittata - a great substitute for omelette.

I make this vegan fritatta for breakfast, or cut into slices when cold, to take on picnics and hiking adventures. It’s very simple and high in protein from the chick pea flour. I use Kala namak (you will see me grind it in the pestle and mortar in the video) which is a kiln-fired rock salt used in South Asia with a sulphurous, pungent smell. It is also known as “Himalayan black salt“. It gives the fritatta an eggy taste, but use sparingly as its very eggy indeed!

Vegan frittata

A quick and easy breakfast omlette alternative. Great for picnics too!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Breakfast
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Frying pan
  • whisk

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup chick pea flour (gram flour)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil (or peanut oil)
  • 1 whole small red pepper - chopped
  • 1 whole leek - finely sliced
  • 1 tsp dried or fresh herbs
  • 1 pinch (small ground nugget of) Kala Namak - black salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • water

Instructions
 

  • Whisk chick pea flour with Kala Namak, pepper & water until batter consistency
  • add oil to pan and fry veggies until soft
  • sprinkle herbs over cooked veggies
  • pour batter mix over veggies and cook until mix is firm and set
  • flip over to cook other side (smaller ones are easier to flip)
  • Ready to serve! -

Notes

Make smaller fritattas to flip easier.
Use ordinary salt if you don't want or need an eggy flavour.
Keyword frittata, vegan

I’m asked daily how to go vegan overnight, it takes time and some planning. You will need a good supply of herbs and spices to jazz up your veggies. More recipes coming soon. This one is simple and one of my faves for breakfast, instead of an omlette.

Now….cook off!

Gail x

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Crispy tofu with shiitake mushroom side

Very addictive crispy tofu

Don’t be afraid of tofu! My husband thought he would hate it, but he loves it. It doesn’t really have much of a taste of it’s own, it takes on the flavour of everything on it.

Crispy tofu with shiitake mushrooms

A simple way to enjoy crispy coated tofu, with a veggie sidedish of shiitake mushrooms
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course, Snack
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4

Equipment

  • frying pan, saucepan

Ingredients
  

Crispy Tofu

  • 2 cups Extra firm tofu (organic is best!)
  • 4 tbsp cornflour
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • Oil for frying

Shiitake mushroom side

  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 cloves garlic - grated or crushed
  • 1 thumb ginger - grated or minced
  • 0.5 cup green onions
  • 1 veggie stock cube
  • 1 tsp garlic puree
  • 2 tsp red pepper puree - sweet OR hot
  • 2 tsp hoisin sauce
  • 2 cups shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 carrot - peeled and sliced
  • 1 tsp cornflour, mixed in 1 cup of water
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp soy sauce

Instructions
 

Shiitake mushroom side

  • Fry garlic and ginger until soft then add green onions to soften
  • add 1 cup water and heat.
  • add hoisin, garlic, pepper puree and stock cube, mushroom and carrots
  • add cornflour mixed with water and stir until thickened.
  • add sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir and it's ready!

Crispy Tofu

  • Mix cornflour, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl
  • break up Tofu into bite sized pieces and cover in the cornflour mix
  • Heat cooking oil in a frying pan until hot but not smoking.
  • fry until golden brown and crunchy. It's ready!

Notes

Serve with green onions, sliced fresh chillies and steamed rice.
Keyword mushroom, shitake, tofu

I’m a huge fan of crispy tofu! Prepped this way with shiitake mushrooms is one of my husband’s favourite meals. It seems like a lot of ingredients, but keep these items in the cupboard as I will use them often.

I’m not going to bore you with lots of writing, but this does make an excellent lunch!

It easy and delicious but just one word of warning, my husband eats too much of this when I make it, ……it’s a bit ‘windy’ though!

Now… cook off!

Gail x

 

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Chilled summer soup

An easy and delicious summer raw chilled soup, based on Spanish gazpacho. Use whatever fresh veggies you have available, such as cucumber, celery etc.

I like to serve this soup, fresh at room temperature. Avoid putting it in the fridge as lower temperatures switch off and decrease the flavor of tomatoes. I love using rosa tomatoes as they are abundantly available in Portugal, but use whatever you have available, fresh and in season. Always use good quality olive oil.

Serve with fresh bread, croutons or toasted pine nuts.

Chilled summer soup

Based on Spanish Gazpacho, this is a fresh, vibrant, chilled summer soup.
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Course Appetizer

Servings 4 People

Equipment

  • Blender, lemon zester.

Ingredients

  

  • 1 Wax free lemon. Zest half of it.
  • 1 large red pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 tbsp Good quality olive oil
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate vinegar (or sherry/white wine vinegar)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp chopped scallions
  • 2 large Rosa tomatoes or 8 plum tomatoes

Instructions

 

  • Blend all ingredients.
  • Add a little water if desired.
  • Serve with an ice cube and more fresh herbs