Vegan Earl Grey Shortbread

My first foray into vegan baking and the results are pleasantly surprising. I was skeptical because, well, baking is all about butter, right?!

The recipe is from the Cake Liberation Front, a social group in Manchester who aim to push the boundaries of vegan baking and challenge stereotypes about dry flapjack. Check out their slick-looking website complete with awesome slogans like 'Rise Up!' and 'Flour Power!'

I followed this recipe but I translated it from (pesky) cups to grams with the help of the conversions here. So, quantities in metric are: 

112g vegan margarine
75g icing sugar
150g plain flour
1/8 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
contents of 3 earl grey teabags

The method involves mixing, rolling and baking. You know the drill.

They look a bit funny because they are speckled with bits of tea. Freeing the tea from the teabags was superfun!

Guest what? These biscuits are good with tea. Biscuits are good with tea. Full stop.

I think I'll be doing more vegan baking, if only because I have loads of margarine left and I'm curious. Watch this space...

P.S. Let butter know I don't love her any less.

P.P.S. I'm still stacking like a boss *grin*

Malteser Cake... on a boat!

I made Heather a malteser cake for her birthday and we all partied on her boat and it was magical. I followed this recipe from a lovely blog called poires au chocolat which you should check out. I just made one layer of sponge so it was just white inside like a malteser. Cutting maltesers in half may count as a newly acquired skill, but its probably not c.v-worthy. Heather's boat, however, is seaworthy - how cool is that?

Kneeling in front of someone with a cake looks a lot like a proposal. I propose that you continue to be totally awesome, Happy Birthday!

Pistachios and Pearls

My parents celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary on 13th February. Their love is big and real. I can't really get my head around what it must feel like to have been alive that long, let alone love somebody for that duration of time. Crazy stuff.

I mentioned to a friend the other day that I don't want to get married - its patriarchal and oppressive! But, I secretly look forward to my friends getting married. An occasion with family, friends, dresses, dancing, booze, cake and awkward conversation... Weddings are a good excuse for a party and I am all for partying. The question is, do we really need archaic institutions to celebrate our love?

Pearls are the traditional gift for a 30th anniversary. Pistachios are land pearls (metaphor alert!) so I baked a pistachio and orange cake with creme fraiche orange zest icing. 

I found a ludicrously kitsch heart shaped sparkler to decorate it with. Cake + indoor fireworks = wooo we have something to celebrate here!

Sprout Wars!

Me and my little bro having a sprout-war / morris dance on Christmas morning. This was right before we had a sprout-popping race which Bob won. Anyone would think we hailed from Diss, sprout capital of the world!?

Also, I made cranberry sauce for the first time! I didn't take a picture because it just looked like a jar of red jammy stuff but it tasted awesome. I followed this recipe with port and orange because its Christmas and that means everything should be cooked boozily!

Sweet Potato Falafel

It is October and I want to eat orange things. I stumbled across this recipe for sweet potato falafel. They are baked not fried which is good because deep frying things is a hazard!

Making falafel sounds like a faff but actually its not. Roast sweet potatoes, scoop out the flesh, mix with chickpea flour, ground coriander, cumin and garlic. Leave the mix in the fridge for a while then shape them into balls - the mix is satisfyingly sticky, tacky and cool so this bit is fun. Bake. Eat.

I ate them with some tzatziki I put way too much garlic in and some fried mushrooms and tomatoes.

Marvellous Marrows

The greengrocer was telling me how tasty marrows are stuffed with mince but then thought I was probably vegetarian, a fair assumption since this guy knows the full extent of my vegetable habit, I've got curly hair and I wear a lot of green. I'm not keen on mince so I searched for a vegetarian recipe on the bbc website and found Nigel Slater's Marvelous Marrow. Marvellous marrow, you say? A recipe that sounds like a children's story book - count me in! The marrow is roasted in a greaseproof paper parcel with feta, cherry tomatoes and chilli. Tasty stuff.

Student life is... cooking for five and then remembering you only have three pairs of knives and forks. Ooops. 

Constantly risking absurdity and death every time I ride my bicycle

Cycling in Brighton is significantly more frightening than in Norwich. Lewes road is hazard perception world of adventure. Buses stopping or pulling out, cars turning left and coming out at you from side roads, pedestrians everywhere. Luke's top tip is to be paranoid and know what is going on behind you. Great in theory, but when I look behind me the danger of swerving into the line of traffic is a bit real. I've been going round the park looking over my shoulder until I get giddy and/or spook out the dogs and the children.

I've just ordered myself a book called Cyclecraft. It sounds like a wheely form of witchcraft but its actually 'the complete guide to safe and enjoyable cycling for adult and children' I'll have you know. Driving theory but for bicycles, just what I need.

Meet Willow the Wisp and/or Sir Walter Raleigh since I am yet to ascertain the gender of this machine. Regardless, I think I'm in good company in my choice of cycle - take a look at these other cool ladies who ride Raleigh Wisps!

In this picture you can't see the sticker on the bell (that I affixed myself!) that reads 'I heart my bike.' You can, however, see my socks tucked into my trousers ready to ride!

And, for the record Mum, I AM LOOKING OUT FOR BUSES!