Yup. The best.

Perfect.
Chewy.
Crispy.
Chocolatey.
Gooey.

If you bake anything in your life, bake these. These are absolutely hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made.

A great chocolate chip cookie recipe is really really important.

Don't worry. I got you covered.

Recipea:
    10 Tablespoons unsalted vegan butter substitute
    1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
    1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon white sugar
    1 flax egg (3 tablespoons of water + 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed)
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch of baking soda
    3/4 teaspoon baking powder
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    1 cup chocolate chips (I like cutting up big hunks of dark chocolate bars)

Cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Prepare egg replacer in a very small bowl or mug by combining flaxseed and water together and letting it sit for 5 minutes or until absorbed and gloopy (you'll see...).

Add egg replacer and vanilla to creamed butter mixture and stir to combine.

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to butter mixture and stir to combine.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Form dough into a log, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours*.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line baking pan with parchment paper.

Roll dough into smooth, round, tablespoon-sized balls.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies just begin to brown. They will still be very soft.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely... pff! Like that's gonna happen!

** Shoutout to The Dinner Mom for the recipe!

It's officially autumn. And all I want is blankets and baths and books and pumpkin bread.  I have two secret weapons. One is my Banana Bread. The other is this Pumpkin Walnut Bread.

That's right, I said it. These are perfection.

I've been trying for a WHILE to master the perfect pancake, and by golly I think I've done it.

The fluff factor of these bad boys are on point and the lemon and blueberry give them just the right amount of freshness.

Ohmygoodness. They are everything that is right and good in this world.

Whoever said vegan food is lame? These taste EXACTLY like the buttermilk pancakes I remember as a kid.

Make them. Do it. You can thank me later.

Recipea:
Makes 3 large pancakes. 
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins

3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
Big ol' handful of blueberries
3 teaspoons vegan butter

In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
Add lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. There'll be a fizzy reaction with the baking soda (ooh, science!).
Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and almond milk and stir until just combined.
Fold in the blueberries (however many you like).

In a preheated medium pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 teaspoon of the butter and pour 1/3 of the batter onto the pan, forming a large pancake. Let cook for 3-4 minutes, or until bubbles begin rising to the surface and popping in the center of the pancake. Flip and let cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side. Remove and set aside. Repeat this until you're done with the batter (there should be enough batter for about 3 large pancakes). Top with some more fresh zest and blueberries, maple syrup, and/or maybe even a little powdered sugar. Eat your heart out :]

 

HOLY YUM.

So I've been going through a serious soba noodle phase lately. I've been eating them in soups, stir frys, green curries... just about anything. But I think this sweet and spicy peanut hoisin sauce might take the cake for my best soba noodle creation of them all.

This sauce is creamy, has the perfect little kick, and works wonders as the star of an already glowing soba noodle bowl. :]

I paired mine with some stir fried veggies and crispy kale to give the final dish some dimension and crunch.

This works as much as a showstopper main for dinner with friends as it does a great quick mid-week meal.

Give it a whirl and see what you think!

Recipea:
Serves 2-3
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes

Sauce:
3 tablespoons smooth, natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoon fresh finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon fresh finely grated garlic
4-5 tablespoons warm water

Stir fried veggies:
Choose 3-4 cups of whatever fresh veggies you'd like. I used a prepack mix of mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts.

5 oz soba noodles

4 cups chopped kale
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
Ground salt and pepper
Chopped green onion


Massage the kale with olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Lay it onto a baking sheet and cook in a 180 degree celsius oven for 10 minutes or until dark green and crispy.

While that's in the oven, place all the sauce ingredients into a jar and shake to combine.

Place veggies into a medium pan over medium high heat with a few tablespoons of water until tender.

While those are cooking, submerge soba noodles into boiling water for 5-7 minutes or until soft.

Drain noodles and toss in sweet and spicy sauce.

Serve with stir fried veggies and top with crispy kale and chopped green onion. You can either serve separately, or combine them all into a bowl... Handily, I've shown you both options below... Ok fine, it was my way of rationalising eating two servings. Don't judge me. When you make this, you'll understand.

Enjoy!

Banana bread. The ultimate in classic cozy baked goods.

Warm, cozy, and perfect with a cup of tea.

I made this for my flatmates my first year in London, and I think I may have won their love through it. We would often demolish an entire loaf in an afternoon. That's how good it is.

It's fluffy, moist, and not too sweet. Plus it's made with oats and there's big pieces of banana in there so it's healthy, right?

Recipea:
Prep time: 15 minutes / Bake time: 40 minutes
Makes one 9×5-inch loaf

3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar (can also sub coconut sugar)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup ground oats (grind your own in your blender - or you can just use another cup of flour instead)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 additional banana, sliced into chunks
Granulated sugar and a teaspoon of whole oats for topping

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork.
Then add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
Sift in the flour, ground oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.
Fold in banana chunks.
Pour into to the baking pan and sprinkle with extra sugar and a few oats if you’d like.
Bake for 40 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean.

So I made this beautiful, swirly zucchini tart with homemade vegan ricotta this week.

I didn't have company coming over or anything. I just had a magnificent home grown yellow zucchini and it deserved excellence. It's the little things.

If you can believe it, this tart tastes even better than it looks.

It's light, flavourful, and comforting. All the best things.

Yes, assembly will take a bit longer for this one, but it's so worth it. I mean just look at it! It's food art!

And while you will need to afford some time to slice the zucchini pieces and arrange them, it isn't hard work. So just put on a podcast like I did, and see it as therapy. :]

Plus, you can use some pre-made ingredients - like pre-made pesto and shortcrust - so it really isn't difficult at all.

And seriously, I think this is one of the best recipes I've ever made. Not only does it look impressive, but it tastes heavenly. The ricotta and pesto brings in such an incredible flavour. The flaky crust, delicate squash, and creamy base will have you going back for more.

I know you're going to love this one. Give it a try the next time you have a special brunch, Easter, Mother's Day, or just the next time you find yourself with a beautiful home grown zucchini destined for greatness.

YUM.

Recipea:
Serves 4-6
Prep time: 40 minutes / Cook time: 45 mins

Cashew Ricotta Ingredients
100g raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground pepper
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning (oregano, parsley, basil)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 tablespoons non-dairy basil pesto

2 medium zucchini (yellow and green)

1 premade frozen shortcrust, thawed (you are more than welcome to make it from scratch, but ain't nobody got time for that)

Method:
Soak cashews for at least 2 hours or overnight and then drain.
Add cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, almond milk, and spices into a food processor or blender. Blend until combined. The mixture will be thick and creamy and will have a similar grainy texture as ricotta cheese.
Set aside.

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and then half again lengthwise, so you have four long quarters. Thinly slice with a vegetable peeler or mandolin, trying to make the pieces uniform in thickness.

Lay the pieces out on a towel and sprinkle with a bit of salt to draw out the moisture. Place another towel on top of the pieces and press lightly to absorb the moisture so they don't make the tart soggy.

Roll out the shortcrust into a thin circular shape and place onto a circular greased baking pan or pie sheet.

Spread the pesto on the bottom of the shortcrust, coating the entire base.
Add the cashew ricotta mixture on top of the pesto.

Layer the zucchini standing up on their edges with the coloured peel facing up in a circular pattern, starting from the outside in, layering the zucchini around the edge until you reach the center.

Cut the excess pastry 1/2 inch above the top of the zucchini and fold down over the edges, smooshing (yes, it's a technical term) the pastry over the zucchini on the outer edge so the pastry won't shrink down below, but will instead bake to fuse over the squash (if that's confusing just use the photos below as your guide).

Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and bake for 45 minutes or until the shortcrust is lightly browned and the zucchini is tender.

Let cool and enjoy!

SO. ADDICTIVE.

Try to eat just a few of these, I dare you.

These crispy flavourful little dudes are so delicious and are a perfect on-the-go snack, party appetizer, or salad topper.

No more than 5 mins to prep and you're on your way to crunchytown.

My top tip? Make 2 cans. You'll eat a whole can's worth before they even cool completely. You'll want to have some on hand for later, believe me.

Recipea:
Makes 2 cans of chickpeas
Prep Time: 5 mins / Cooking Time: 40 mins

2 cans of chickpeas
3 tablespoons of BBQ seasoning (you could also use cumin & smoked paprika, taco seasoning, jerk seasoning, curry powder, etc - whatever flavour you like)
2 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Strain chickpeas and run them under water.
Place on towel, cover with another towel, and pat dry to remove moisture.
Place on large baking sheet (make sure to give them lots of room - if you only have medium/small baking sheets, spread out over 2 sheets).
Add olive oil and spices and shake to ensure that all chickpeas are well coated.
Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. The chickpeas should be hard and crunchy and all the moisture should be out. Test taste one or two of the bigger ones. If they are chewy at all, throw them all back in the oven for another 10 mins.
Remove and let cool on the baking sheet.
Store in an air tight container... if there are even any left.