Vegan Lemon and Honey Posset

I accidentally bought a couple of cartons of silken tofu instead of firm and then struggled to think how I could use them. After a bit of research, it seems that people use this all the time as a dairy alternative for desserts, great for the lactose and dairy free friends or vegans in your life.

I played around with the measurements a little to get the right balance of sweet and tart flavours, but overall was pleasantly surprised by this yummy and low fat pudding!

Serves 6-8 (GF, DF, V)

Ingredients
22oz silken tofu, drained
2/3 cup runny honey
1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp lemon zest

Method

1. Place all ingredients in to a blender (I used a Nutribullet).
2. Blend until  all ingredients are combined to a smooth texture.
3. Taste and add more lemon juice or honey to achieve desired flavour. 
4. Spoon into ramekins (size of your choice). I lined mine with a few blueberries before pouring on the mixture. 
5. Refrigerate for 6 hours, or longer if you want a thicker texture. 
6.  Top with berries and lemon zest before serving. 

                             

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, Chilli and Coconut Soup

This soup has a creamy texture and is packed full of Asian flavours. I served it with roasted, cumin cauliflower florets and crispy kale for added texture.

You could use a tin of reduced fat coconut milk to reduce the calories if you want to make it more diet friendly.

Serves 4 (GF, DF, V)

Ingredients 

1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large white onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
400ml coconut milk
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp medium curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ginger puree
1 tsp chilli puree
1 tbsp tomato puree
500ml vegetable stock
seasoning
Frylight

To serve

2 cups of cauliflower florets
2 tsp cumin
3 cups dry kale
seasoning

Method

1. In a roasting tray, put the soup vegetables and dried spices in with a little frylight and mix to cover. 
2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C and put the vegetables in to cook for 30-40 minutes until soft and slightly browned. 
3. Transfer the vegetables to a large pot, add the 3 purees, vegetable stock, coconut milk and season.
4. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes. 
5. Using a hand blender, pulse the mixture until smooth, season to taste before you serve. 

Cumin cauliflower and crispy kale

1. In a roasting tray, place the cauliflower and sprinkle the cumin, season and spray with a little frylight, mix to cover. 
2. Put the kale in a separate dish, spray with a little frylight and season. 
3. Place the vegetables in the preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes. (Ideal to do this whilst the soup mixture is simmering. 

Spanish Chicken

In keeping with the recent sunny weather, this dish has a Mediterranean feel and is ideal for anyone slimming down for the summer too.

It is free from: Gluten, Dairy and Soya.

Spanish Chicken and baby potatoes (Serves 2)

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts, diced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large courgette, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves crushed
400g tomato passata
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp basil
1 tsp chilli puree
Salt and Pepper
Frylight

2 handfuls of baby potatoes

Method

1. Sprinkle half the paprika, oregano and basil over the raw chicken and season, mix to cover.
2. In a large, deep pan, heat a little frylight, add the chicken and brown to cook all sides of the pieces, then set aside. 
3. Add all the chopped vegetables to the pan with the garlic and cook on a high heat, stirring regularly until softened. 
4. Pour in the passata, water, chilli puree, remainder of herbs and season. 
5. Bring to the boil, reduce slightly and cook for 10 minutes for the sauce to reduce and thicken. 
6. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the baby potatoes for 15 minutes. 
7. Put the chicken pieces into the sauce, reduce the heat a little and allow the chicken pieces to cook through and absorb the flavours. Simmer for 5 minutes. 
8. Pierce the potatoes to check they are slightly soft, then drain. 
9. Spoon the chicken and sauce on to plates and serve with the baby potatoes.