Polenta Canapes

We recently had a double baby shower at the office, so of course I brought some vegan snacks along so I wouldn't go hungry. Besides the standard carrot and cucumber sticks with homemade hummus, I wanted to bring something special because I enjoy impressing non-vegan people with delicious vegan food. And they were impressed - yay!

These are very simple, but their canape miniature-ness makes them look all fancy and gourmet, and they are very tasty. I used my homemade onion and thyme jam, but this could easily be replaced with a store bought version. I also topped them with some homegrown origanum leaves, which gives a fresh herby flavour.

Ingredients:

1 cup polenta
3 cups boiling water
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1/2 cup vegan mayo (I use B-Well)
1 butternut (you will only use half)
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup onion and thyme jam
1 small bunch fresh origanum

Place the boiling water in a large pot on medium to high heat. Add the polenta and salt and stir consistently until the polenta is fully cooked and as much water as possible has evaporated. You want it to be very thick so that it sets nicely. This takes only about 10-15 minutes.  Pour the polenta into a rectangular dish, about 30cm x 20cm in dimension and smooth with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon so that is is fairly flat. Leave to cool completely, then place in the fridge to set. I cooked mine a day ahead so that it could set very well, but it should be ready in about three hours if you want to do it in one day.

Cut the long part of the butternut into 1cm thick medallions, coat with olive oil and roast on high heat for about 10 minutes on each side or until it is tender. Allow to cool.

Use a small cookie cutter (mine is blossom shaped and about 3cm in diameter) to cut the polenta into bites and place on a tray. Do the same with the butternut. You should get about two to three per medallion, depending on the diameter of the butternut.

Top the polenta bites with a teaspoon of vegan mayo, then with a piece of butternut, then onion jam and finish off with fresh oreganum leaves. Serve on a pretty platter and let the compliments roll in!

Tip: Coat the polenta off-cuts in a little olive oil and place under the grill for about 15 minutes for some oddly shaped but delicious polenta chips. Use the roast butternut off-cuts in a brown rice, beetroot and rocket salad. No need for waste :)

Pomegranate and Strawberry Popsicles

There is a gentle haze in the air that is making me feel nostalgic. It's that Summer heat that reminds me of perfect childhood holidays at the lake. I'm craving the smell of sunscreen, the cool freshness of jumping into the water and of course, ice cream!

Last weekend, while the sun was blazing, I made the popsicles I'd been dreaming up all week. Coconut milk, strawberries and pomegranate, dipped in dark chocolate. I made at least four stops on the way home to find a popsicle mold, but worth the effort it was!

Ingredients:

2 pomegranates
250g fresh strawberries, washed
1 can coconut milk
1 cup xylitol or vegan friendly sugar
100g slab vegan dark chocolate

Slice the pomegranates in half. Keep one half aside for decorating. Remove the seeds from the other three halves and place in a blender. Blend to a fine pulp. Strain the juice into a bowl through a sieve or muslin bag.

After rinsing the blender jug, add the pomegranate juice, coconut milk, strawberries and sugar. Blend until very smooth. Pour into the popsicle mold and freeze overnight.

Note: Depending on how many popsicles your mold makes, you will probably have some mixture left over. My mold only made four, so I had enough mixture left to make two big bowls of ice cream in my churner. If you prefer to make it all into lollies, you may need to do it in batches or buy more than one mold.

Once your lollies are completely frozen, melt your chocolate in a bowl over a pot of boiling water (see how I do it here). Allow the chocolate to cool as much as possible, without hardening again.

Unfortunately it's not quite as easy as simply dipping the lollies into the chocolate, as it tends to slide off. I used a teaspoon to pour chocolate over the top of each one and kind of had to smear to get it to stick. I then dipped it into the remaining pomegranate seeds, which also was a little tricky but a fun experiment!

Eat straight away or pop them back in the freezer on a plate for later (as if!). Enjoy! xxx

Tofu Protein Balls

I've started a new little challenge in my life, well a big challenge actually. Besides committing to full veganism, I am also doing a 12 week strict strength training program with the high hopes of being Summer-body-ready(ish). Doing a regular strength routine requires that you get enough protein, along with all the other important nutrients, so I've been doing a lot of research into vegan sources of protein. As it turns out, there are plenty of them, despite the myth that you can't get enough protein from plant only foods. Here is a little recipe I created to help me feed my muscles and keep me full after training.

Ingredients:

250g soft tofu
2 tsp xylitol
1 tsp cinnamon
20g chia seeds
35g Muscle Works Vegan Protein (or any vegan protein supplement)
30g unsweetened shredded coconut
16 raw almonds

In a medium sized bowl, blend the tofu, cinnamon, xylitol and protein powder with a stick blender until smooth. Add the chia seeds and stir them in thoroughly. Leave the mixture to stand for about half an hour so that the chia seeds absorb the excess moisture. Pour the coconut into a shallow bowl for dipping. Use a teaspoon to scoop the mixture and drop it into the coconut. Add an almond and mold the ball around it. Roll it in the coconut to seal it. You should get about 16 x 20g protein balls.

The mixture is quite sticky, so I found it easiest to roll it in the coconut a little before molding the shape. Have fun! x