Dark Chocolate Sorbet – Vegan

I think it’s pretty safe to say that almost everyone loves ice cream. The only problem is that over the years, a lot of people have developed intolerances/allergies towards dairy, or simply choose to be dairy-free. Whichever of these categories you fit into, I’m sure you miss ice cream!

I love ice cream, but as you know, I have developed allergies towards American dairy. Imported European dairy is fine… I can easily eat 100 g (about ¼ lb) cheese in one sitting with no side effects.

Perfect Holey Crumpets

Ahhh… crumpets, a traditional British treat. If you’ve tried store-bought crumpets in the UK, and eaten them cold, you would have experienced an unusual taste/texture sensation. They are rubbery and yeasty, and in essence pretty vile. If this is the only way you’ve tried crumpets, you would wonder why the factories make them, and why people eat them. However, something magical happens to the rubbery disc once it is toasted and slathered with butter and/or jam (jelly). The rubbery inedible disc is transformed into a piece of heaven.

I felt a little nostalgic this week, and really felt like some hot buttered crumpets, so I scoured the internet for some recipes. The recipes were more or less the same, however, the end results were not always correct. Crumpets are supposed to have HOLES,

Oaty Banana and Walnut Waffles

This waffle is just begging to be drenched in syrup… can you hear it?

I created these waffles to use up the ripe bananas that were stashed away in my freezer. It was also an excuse to come up with a new waffle/pancake recipe. I have included vegan options below.

It amazes me how many different types of pre-made packet mixes are available these days. They are essentially a mix of flours, where you still need to beat in the wet ingredients. I guess many people think the packet mixes save time, but I really don’t see that.  The good thing when you make your own batter is that you can control what you put into it, and adjust everything to taste.

Chicken, Broccolini and Pesto Pasta Salad

As you may have noticed, I’ve been working like a looney to try and catch up with this blog. This recipe marks the last one on the to-do list, and it’s a corker!

I was daydreaming one day, when I thought up this incredibly delicious creation.

Many of you will know that I like to make dishes that most people would find challenging, such

Greek Salad – My Way

One of J’s favorite dishes (believe it or not) is Greek salad… the real authentic version, with chunky vegetables, and no lettuce in it. However, I always find this is a little sparse, so I add a few mixed lettuce leaves . To call this a Greek salad maybe an abomination, but I’ll live with it for now. The addition of lettuce leaves is completely optional.

Mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion,

Fresh Mussels with White Wine, Butter, Garlic and Parsley

I’m a sucker for most things shellfish… bar oysters; I’ve got to draw a line somewhere!

The reason why I don’t eat shellfish often is that J doesn’t like it; and I usually get belly ache after eating them (most likely due to the restaurant’s bad handling of the shellfish).

I rarely cook shellfish at home, but when I heard the local supermarket (grocery store) was having a sale on seafood, I had to have

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies – Gluten Free & Vegan

To call these cookies is a little weird, but that’s what the Flying Apron baking book calls them. I would more call them sponge drops or sponge cakes. They are soft, cake-like and incredibly moreish. You would never believe that they are vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and soy-free! I bet you can’t just eat one!

You may notice my “cookies” have orange tinges in them. This was because I used pumpkin

Chinese Grass Jelly Pudding

You have to believe me when I tell you that this is not a bowl of thickened squid ink.

It’s a dessert/snack, which tastes like a grass jelly flavored Angel Delight (pudding). The creation was made purely accidentally. I had half a can of grass jelly left, and I wanted to make it into a drink with rock sugar syrup… only the amount of syrup I used was not substantial enough to make a drink, but a silky dessert/snack.

I thought it was pretty pleasant. However, if the black gelatinous mass doesn’t put you off,

Chinese Grass Jelly with Rock Sugar Syrup

I’ve been going through a weird phase recently. I’ve been craving foods from my childhood… often the ones that I hated then. The most recent craving was Chinese grass jelly.

It was warm in Seattle for about a week, and all I could think about was a bowl of nicely chilled Chinese grass jelly with rock sugar syrup. Only I didn’t have any at home. The idea of this jelly normally disgusts me,

Strawberry Ice Cream – Vegan

We love strawberries. In summer, I buy two 1 kg (4.4 lb) containers every week. Some of the strawberries are a little over-ripe, so I hull them and freeze them. I had a hoard of these wonderfully over-ripe strawberries sitting in the freezer just begging to be used; and so this creation was born.

There are so many good things about this dessert:

Potato and Onion Frittata

For many years, I really wanted a cast-iron frying pan (skillet). I wanted to start something off on the hob (stove) and then pop the pan into the oven, or under the grill (broiler) to finish off. I finally purchased one a few months ago!

Tarte tatin was one of those dishes I really wanted to make using this pan, but I still have yet to do it. This egg dish however, was the perfect opportunity to try out the pan.

Cajun-Spiced Seafood Stew

This is a great dish for those who love seafood. It’s simple, quick and easy to make, delicious and incredibly satisfying.

Calamari, scallops, prawns (shrimp), mussels and courgettes (zucchini) are cooked in a Cajun-spiced tomato sauce. Since J doesn’t like calamari or mussels, I made him a different dish, but based on the same sauce. The stew goes perfectly with white rice, or crusty bread.