Sunday 27 September 2015

My Favourite Smoky Baked Beans! (Vegan, Gluten Free)



Hi guys!

I've been meaning to post this recipe for a while. I love making these baked beans in bulk on cold autumnal days, they make a great addition to sweet potato wedges, potato cakes, jacket potatoes or pizza! You could also have them on toast for breakfast with avocado, that would taste amazing! You can buy ready made smoky or BBQ baked beans, but these are often full of sugar and preservatives which aren't good for you at all! (the same goes for any tinned baked beans really). These beans are great for you and make you feel good, as well as being the most perfect comfort food! 


You Will Need:
  • 2x 250g tins of haricot beans
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 2x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp date syrup
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp harissa paste
  • 2 tsp cumin
Heat up 1 tbsp coconut oil in a pan, and add to it your garlic (peeled and crushed) and spices. Cook until browned and aromatic, then add your tins of chopped tomatoes, the date syrup and the molasses. Simmer this on a low heat for around 35 minutes until its thickened. Then drain and rinse your beans (make sure to rinse all the bubbles off - this is what can give you wind!) and add them to the tomato sauce. Heat through for around 10 minutes until piping hot and then season with salt and pepper. Now you're ready to scoff them!

Love Moo x


Saturday 5 September 2015

Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake (Vegan, Sugar-free, Gluten-free)



Hi everyone!

Today's recipe is for a chocolate and vanilla marble cake. I adapted this recipe from Mary Berry's Baking Bible to make it vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free. Its a great cake to eat on a rainy day with a nice cup of tea, but it must be eaten fresh as it doesn't keep very well. I changed the recipe to include bananas instead of eggs, these are a great egg substitute as they bind really well and also give the cake some more nutrients! Bananas are a great source of dietary fibre, vitamin C and potassium.


For the cake, you will need:
  • 225g vegan butter or coconut oil (I used half and half)
  • 100ml date syrup or liquid sweetener of your choice
  • 2 chia eggs (2 tbsp chia seeds mixed with 6 tbsp water and left to form a gel)
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 225g gluten free self raising flour 
  • 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cacao powder
  • 3 tablespoons almond milk
Preheat your oven to 180C or 160C if you have a fan oven. Line a cake tin with coconut oil and baking paper. Measure out all cake ingredients except for the cacao and almond milk, and mix them all together in a bowl until well combined. Then put half of the mixture into a separate bowl, and add the cacao and almond milk and combine. Put both mixtures into your tin, swirling them together as you go with a skewer. 
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until risen and golden on the top. Leave to cool on the tin before icing. 

For the icing, you will need:
  • 50g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids if not more)
  • 20g cacao
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • optional: 1 tbsp date syrup (only add this if you want it really sweet, I find it sweet enough with just the dark chocolate)

Add all ingredients to a pan and melt on a low heat, stirring continuously. Once your cake is cooled, pour the icing over it and smooth with the back of a spoon. I topped mine with almonds, pumpkin seeds and goji berries to make it look pretty and give it a nutrient boost!



I hope you liked this blog post, let me know what you want to see next as I am always looking for ideas for what to post!

Remember to follow me on instagram and tag me if you make any of my recipes @MoosFood

Love Moo x