The Ordinary Vegan - Sausages

A lot of people ask me what sausages I use in my cooking and where I get them from. Sometimes, I pick up vegan gourmet sausages from specialist shops and events, but mainly, I stick to two brands which can both be bought on the high street or at the supermarkets.

The first is Linda McCartney Sausages - the original style are vegan-friendly and say so on the front of the box. Be careful as some of the flavoured varieties contain egg. These sausages are perfect for breakfast and for sausage and mash. They can be cooked from frozen in the oven and can be purchased from all of the major supermarkets as well as Holland & Barrett. They retail for around £2 a box of 5.

The second is Vegetarian's Choice, now these sausages are grill or fry only and are available from Holland & Barrett. They are about half the price of the Linda McCartney sausages at around 99p per box of 5. They are thinner and a different texture to the Linda McCartney brand but these are great for sausage casseroles and stews, as they stay firmer when cooking in liquid. The Linda McCartney sausage tend to act like a sponge in a casserole and go a bit bloated and chewy.

Both of these are staples in my freezer for everyday meals. Which sausages do you use? Let me know in the comments below.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Recipe of the Week - Coconut, Maple & Cherry Flapjacks

Flapjacks are a great quick bake when you fancy something sweet, and you usually have all of the ingredients in your store cupboard anyway. If not, the great thing about flapjacks is that you can chop and change the ingredients to taste. If you don't like cherries, swap for another fruit or nuts.

You will need:

115g Vegan Butter

115g Brown Sugar

220g Rolled Oats

3 Tbsp Golden Syrup - Maple Flavour (or use Maple syrup but this is runnier and doesn't hold together as well)

60g Dried Cherries or Glace Cherries (make sure they are vegan-friendly as some contain E120)

35g Desicated Coconut

Frylight

Greaseproof paper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan.

Spray two shallow cake tins or baking tins with Frylight. You can use melted butter instead of Frylight, if you prefer.

Melt the butter, golden syrup and sugar together in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until combined.

In a mixing bowl place the oats, cherries and coconut and stir together. Form a well in the dry ingredients and pour in your melted butter mixture. Stir well until all of the dry ingredients have been coated in the butter mixture.

Spoon the combined mixture into the tins equally and level out with a pallet knife or the back of a spoon.

Bake in the centre of the oven for around 18 minutes until golden brown on top.

Remove from the oven, cut straight away into slices and leave to cool in the tins.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Eat and Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this recipe, click here to see more of my vegan recipes.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Recipe of Week - Puff Pastry Parcels

Yesterday I wrote a review of Jus-Rol pastry, so to tie in with that, this week's recipe is great for using left over pastry after making a pie.

Puff Pastry Parcels

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

Puff pastry offcuts
Marmite (optional)
Tomato Puree
Garlic Salt
Vegan Mozzarella (grated)
Vegan milk for brushing (unsweetened)
Frylight

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Roll the pastry offcuts out to around the thickness of a pound coin.

Cut out a square around the size of a A5 piece of paper and then cut in half diagonally leaving two triangles of pastry. Repeat this process so you have four triangles of pastry.

Spread two of the triangles with tomato puree and sprinkle with garlic salt.

Spread the other two with a thin layer of Marmite. (If you don't like Marmite, make all four using the tomato puree and garlic salt)

Sprinkle grated mozzarella (I used Cheezly) over all four triangles and then gather the three corners up to the middle and pinch together to form a parcel.

Spray a baking sheet with Frylight and place all four parcels on the sheet.

Brush them with any unsweetened vegan milk and chill in the fridge for ten minutes.

Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for around 18-20 minutes until golden.

Serve as a starter.

Eat and Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this recipe, please click here to see all of my other recipes.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Recipe of the Week - Festive Mince Pies

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without mince pies! And being vegan does not mean you have to miss out on the festive fun. Whether you want to opt for the super easy - assemble them yourself option or choose your fruits, soak them and bask in the homemade aromas filling your kitchen, I've got you covered.

This recipe is really easy to make and all of the family can share these festive pies. If you don’t want to make your own mincemeat, Sainsbury’s sell a jar which makes around 24 small pies for around £1, which is vegan! Even easier  VVx

Ingredients:

Jus-Rol ready rolled shortcrust pastry – All Jus-Rol pastry products are vegan and labelled so.

450g Sainsbury's Mincemeat in a jar or:

56g Vegan suet

56g Bramley apples, peeled and chopped

30g Candied peel

56g sultanas

56g Raisins

56g Currants

42g Demerara sugar

20ml Brandy – or Apple Juice for a non-alcoholic version

Frylight 

Soy milk for brushing pastry

Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and put into a sterilised jar overnight. 

The next morning, take the pastry out of the fridge and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Unroll the pastry and use a cutter slightly larger than the circumference of the pastry tart tin holes to cut the bases. 

Spray the pastry tart tin with Frylight and place the bases into the holes pushing into the edges.

Roll out the remaining pastry and cut out a smaller round top for each pie using a cutter.

Spoon a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat into each tart case and cover with a pastry lid. Pinch the lids around the edge to seal the pies and pierce the top with a sharp knife to create an air hole.

Brush the pies with a little soy milk and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.

Take the pies out of the fridge and bake on the middle shelf for 18-20 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Place the pies on a cooling rack for 20 minutes to cool and then dust lightly with icing sugar.

Don't be afraid to be creative, add stars or lattice tops. Serve warm or cold on their own or with dairy-free custard.

Eat and Enjoy!

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

For more delicious easy vegan recipes click here.