Hot apple turnover March 26, 2008

I almost never make desserts. I don’t have a sweet tooth at all and I’m generally too full on savoury things to even consider a dessert. But just occasionally I get the urge and Monday was one of those days. We had a bottle of calvados just sitting there waiting for an apple dessert to have with it, so I found these turnovers in Joni’s first book – Cozy Inside. (I’m testing the burgers for her second one, Just the Burgers).

I was never much into making pastry before going vegan but this didn’t seem to intimidating. They were actually very easy to make and had a lovely taste of cinnamon and other spices alongside the apple. I served them with Toffuti ice cream which I really do like. I’m certainly not a big ice cream fan and it had been in the freezer so long I had to put it in the oven for a few minutes before I could crack it! But it was a very satisfactory dessert – and the apple counts as a portion of fruit – right?

Sunderland (H) plus Mac Daddy November 25, 2007

I’d frozen some of Joni’s Shit on a Shingle last time I made it for breakfast. I pulled it out today and served it with some toast and marmite and hash browns before the match. I think it improved and was well worth making extra and freezing it.

Result – Everton 7 (seven!) – Sunderland 1 Man of the Match – All of them but Osman and Carsley were magnificent
Verdict – Extremely lucky shit on a shingle!

In the evening I was a bit unsure about what to make. I hadn’t been shopping and didn’t have much fresh food in. I’m so fixated with Veganomicon at the moment that it’s hardly surprising I turned straight to it. The Mac Daddy looked stodgy and unhealthy – the perfect choice after a cold wet day watching my team score 7 goals! I was very suspicious about crumbing the tofu into the pasta. I’ve made several versions of vegan macaroni cheese before and they’ve never included tofu. I even toyed with leaving it out but I trust Isa and Terry implicitly so I followed their instructions. I also used their idea of adding some chilli flakes into it too.

So how was it? Well, it certainly lived up to its stodgy and unhealthy billing. The tofu definitely made a big difference and even as I was eating through it I changed my mind about 4 times about whether it worked or not. On balance I think it did. My dairy eating husband enjoyed it. It would certainly be better with either spinach or peas though. I have leftovers which I’m going to stir some peas into it and see how it works.

Home v. Birmingham and burgers November 4, 2007

I wasn’t leaving for this game until quite late so I had time for a decent brunch. I hadn’t been shopping so it had to be something from the storecupboard. I knew there were some nice looking things to try in Joni’s book “Cozy inside”. She has some intriguing titles for her dishes and this one was probably the least descriptive title – “Shit on a Shingle”!!!! She explains why it’s called that in the book, but it’s basically beans and TVP mixed with some spices. It was incredibly easy to put together so it’s perfect for producing something home cooked at breakfast time. I served it with marmite on toast, and, (don’t tell anyone), ketchup. Next time I’d add a little more cumin and black pepper. It’s not the most picturesque of dishes but an excellent warming pre-match breakfast.

Result – Everton 3 – Birmingham City 1 Man of the Match – Steven Pienaar
Verdict – lucky shit on a shingle!!!

When I got back from the football I tried another burger from the test book. My husband was away so I could have the sweet potato and chipotle burger. (He won’t touch sweet potatoes with a bargepole!). I’d cooked the sweet potatoes and pressed the tofu in the morning so it was very quick and easy when I got in. I used some Toffuti sour cream for the dip. I have to order it specially from the health shop but I love it and think it’s probably my favourite non dairy imitation product.

The burgers were a complete success. They held together perfectly and even baked they stayed lovely and moist.