The Ordinary Vegan - The Food Doctor - Chipotle Chilli Wholeful Grains

I found these snacks at Home Sense but Food Doctor products can be found in many health food shops, supermarkets and online as well. 

These are a great vegan snack to keep in the car for a long journey, to take to the cinema or to keep you going at work. It's full of healthy grains and seeds - including pumpkin seeds, corn, broad beans, soya beans, black beans, brown rice, almonds, peppers, peas, chillies, lime, herbs and spices. It is labelled as suitable for vegans on the packaging and sells for around £2.50 for a 150g bag.

They are spicy and full of flavour and make eating nuts and seeds more fun! They are a good source of protein and high in fibre. Food Doctor do a range of vegan-friendly snacks which are based on whole foods. What is your favourite go to healthy savoury snack to top your energy levels up until your next meal? Share in the comments below.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Recipe of the Week - Sour Cream and Chive Dip

This makes a lovely thick creamy dip, perfect for nachos or potato wedges.

You will need:

70g Cashew Nuts

2 tsp Cyder Vinegar

1 tsp Lemon Juice

1 tbsp chopped fresh or dried chives

pinch of salt

Method:

Boil some water in the kettle and pour over the cashews in a bowl to cover them completely. Leave to soak for 40 minutes. Then drain and rinse.

Place the cashews into a blender with the vinegar, lemon juice, salt and 60ml water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add more water if needed to get the right consistency.

Transfer to a ramekin and add the chives, stir in to combine.

Dollop on top of nachos, salsa, red onions and jalapeños. Eat and Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this recipe, there are plenty more here.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Recipe of the Week - Brussel Sprouts with Chestnuts & "Bacon"

This makes a great snack, side dish or meal. It is fresh and delicious, tastes great and is satisfying for carnivores and herbivores alike!

Serves 4 as a side dish and 2 as a main course.

Ingredients:
12 fresh Brussel sprouts
4 medium mushrooms
200g whole chestnuts - cooked and peeled
3 cloves garlic
3 rashers of vegan bacon
1 tsp crushed red chilli
1 Tbsp soy sauce
olive oil for cooking
Ice cubes for shocking the sprouts
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method:

Fill up a bowl with cold water and ice cubes and leave to one side.

Take the outer leaves off the sprouts along with the end of the stalk, wash and cut in half.

Put the sprouts into a pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 6 minutes, then drain and plunge into the iced water. Drain again and put to one side.

Finely slice the garlic, slice the mushrooms, chestnuts and bacon slices.

Heat a wok or frying pan and drizzle in a little olive oil. Add the vegan bacon strips and fry for a few minutes until crispy. Remove from the wok and place to one side.

Add a little more oil to the pan and then add the chilli and garlic, fry for a couple of minutes.

Then add the chestnuts and mushrooms and stir fry for a couple more minutes.

Add a tablespoon of soy sauce and stir through before adding the sprouts.

Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes and then add the bacon, salt and pepper.

Stir to combine and serve immediately. Add a splash more soy sauce when in the serving dish. Mr Vox likes this served up with some homemade crusty bread rolls! 

Eat and Enjoy!

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Vox Reviews...Meridian Nut Butters

Recently, I was lucky enough to be sent some delicious jars of Meridian nut butters to sample for my blog and I couldn't wait to share them with you. I love the range Meridian have, they do not use any palm oil in their nut and seed butters, they only contain natural ingredients and they have an organic range available as well. I was sent a jar of their Smooth Cashew Butter, Smooth Peanut Butter and Smooth Almond Butter. 

My favourite was the almond butter, it was delicious spread on crackers, bagels and as an ingredient in my homemade almond and oat cookies. It uses roasted almonds and this really brings out the flavour of the nuts.

The peanut butter was salty and smooth, just right for toast and I used some a in stir fry sauce with tahini, soy sauce, chilli and ginger.

And finally the cashew butter, which I used in some flapjacks, on bagels, and in some protein balls. It was lovely. Mild taste and a lovely natural sweetness. Goes really well with coconut flavours in baking.

Meridian's butters only use nuts and seeds and contain no added ingredients, they are high in protein and they never use palm oil. They are suitable for vegans, vegetarians and are gluten-free, soya-free and GMO-free. They come in smooth and crunchy varieties and are perfect on their own or as an ingredient in vegan recipes, savoury and sweet. Meridian nut and seed butters are available at selected Sainsbury's, Ocado, Holland and Barrett, Tesco, Morrisons and independent health food shops and start at around £2.30 a jar. There is a link to stockists on their website.

Have you tried any of the Meridian Foods Nut and Seed Butters? What are your favourites? What recipes do you use them in? 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