Vegan Vox Reviews...Wheaty Spacebar Chorizo

I first tried one of these Wheaty Spacebar Chorizos when I saw them for sale at Unicorn Grocery in Manchester. I was dubious, mainly because I have never eat chorizo before, not even a meat one, as I became vegetarian at a very young age. So, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, once I opened it and tried it, I loved it! These chorizos are spicy and moist and so full of flavour. They are spiced with paprika and air-cured for an authentic Spanish taste. I'm officially a fan! 

I chopped up this first one and put it onto my Vegan Vox Pizza, it was delicious. I have also used it chopped into my Patatas Bravas recipe and in simple tomato and basil pasta sauce.

As well as being a really versatile ingredient, these Spacebars are great just as they are - straight from the packet, as a tasty snack on the go. They are perfect for lunch boxes, travelling or to keep in the car for long journeys. They retail at around £1.10 each and can be purchased from most online vegan retailers, independent health food stores and vegan grocery stores. I wish they sold them in a shop near me, but each time I'm in Manchester for a visit or an event, I pop in to Unicorn and stockpile them! They have a long shelf life.

So if you have never tried vegan chorizo before, I would grab a couple of Spacebars with your next vegan shopping trip or online order and add some Spanish flavour into your vegan cooking! 5/5

These are the ingredients:

• Ingredients: water, wheat protein* (26%), red bell pepper*, coconut fat*, yeast extract, onion*, spices*, rock salt, thickening agent locust bean gum*, smoke. * = certified organic.

I'll be at London VegFest on Saturday this week - 5th October, 2013 - so I hope to see some of you there! If you are not going, I'll be reviewing my day at the event next week here on Vegan Vox Reviews. If you have missed any of my previous reviews, there is now a handy Reviews tab at the top of the blog so you can easily access them all from one place.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Recipe of the Week - Patatas Bravas y Judias Verdes

Hola! This week's Vegan Recipe of the Week sees Vegan Vox going all Spanish! 

I had a large bag of potatoes and green beans in my Riverford Organic box this week so I decided to make some Spanish tapas and serve them with a delicious corn on the cob fresh from the box too.

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

Ingredients:

500g potatoes

Olive oil

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin plum tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 onion, sliced

6 green beans

2 tsp lazy chilli or 2 chopped red chillis

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp dried parsley or fresh parsley

salt

pepper

Vegan Chorizo (optional)

Method:

Wash the veg and chop into bite size pieces.

Put the potatoes into a pan of salted boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. Then add the beans to the pan and boil for a further 5 minutes. Drain and set aside to dry out a little.

In another pan, fry the garlic, chilli and onions in a little olive oil until soft. If using vegan chorizo you can fry this with the onions.

Pour in the two tins of tomatoes, tomato puree and seasoning and simmer until thick. If using dried parsley add this with the tomatoes, if using fresh add at the end.

Once the sauce is thick, add in the potatoes and green beans and stir until well coated in the sauce. 

Cook for a further 3-4 minutes and add in fresh parley if using. Serve with a fresh corn on the cob dripping with vegan butter or a freshly baked baguette and butter.

Eat and Enjoy!

For dessert, why not make my Banana Nut Muffin Recipe from last week... Click here. Come back next week for another yummy vegan recipe.

Big Vegan Love, Adios!

VVx