Nuts about Hot Chocolate…

Tags

Choc-a-Nut, Chocolate, cinnamon, cream, dairy-free, Food photography, hot chocolate, National Vegetarian Week, peanuts, Soyatoo, Sun-pat, Vegan, Vegetarian

Do you love chocolate? And how about peanuts? If you are a big hot chocolate fan, prepare yourself for the ultimate taste experience!

This week I’d originally made plans to share my best Nutloaf recipe with you but instead I’ve been very happily creating the food photography for National Vegetarian Week (19th-25th May). It’s the second year running that I’ve been involved with this hugely popular campaign and I was over the moon to be asked again. In 2013, the Vegetarian Society reached over 66 million people during the run-up and throughout the week! Totally amazing.

Helping to develop a veggie menu for a local school for NVW.

I really love what I do for a living – you probably have guessed that already!
Cooking and photographing delicious vegan and vegetarian recipes is my passion and I truly believe that gorgeous food images actually make a difference to people’s perceptions of veggie and vegan food. When an organisation like the Vegetarian Society reaches all these millions of people it’s awesome. If only one of them finds a photograph which makes them go ‘mmmhhhh, that looks scrummy!’… that’s a wonderful achievement. I assure you there’ll be lots of mmmhhhs and aaaahhhs this year as the recipes are great and the photographs look good enough to eat (if I say so myself 😉 ).

Better get back to my Hot Chocolate though!
I must have been very nice to my boyfriend as he bought me a little present this week. It’s clearly new, otherwise I would have spotted this ages ago! So for anyone who loves peanuts and chocolate…. (yep, that’s me jumping up and down excitedly!) there’s something new for you to try. This chocolatey peanut butter is a little firmer than ordinary peanut butter but it spreads easily on toast and melts beautifully into this hot chocolate. Poppy (Bunny Kitchen) has a lovely post on her blog that inspired me to try this combination.

A couple of weeks ago I bought some vegan spray cream for a chocolate mousse. I just love the way the cream looks and have been planning lots of fun dessert pics already. But for today I’ve gone for the big ‘Hot-chocolate-with-lashings-of-whipped-cream’ look!

‘You Must Be Nuts’ Hot Chocolate
For 2

500ml dairy-free milk
1 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
sugar or agave nectar to taste
1 tbsp of Choc-a-Nut
Whipped soya spray cream
ground cinnamon to sprinkle

Mix the cocoa with some of the milk to a paste. Add to the remaining milk in a saucepan and heat. Add the chocolate peanut spread and stir until it has melted. Sweeten to taste.
Pour into two heat-proof coffee glasses and top generously with cream and some ground cinnamon. Time to unplug the phone, switch off the computer and find someone you really love so you can share this. Sit back and enjoy!

Yes, this really is vegan!

What do you think? Do cookbooks need pictures? And do you find good food photographs really inspire you to try a recipe? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

For more ‘yes, that really is animal-free’ pictures and temptations visit www.flavourphotos.com

Let Curry Be The Spice Of Life

Tags

Curry, recipe kit, The Spicery, Valentines Gifts, Vegan, Vegetarian

Did you know that the average British family eats the same six meals week after week? If you’re a bit bored, stuck in a rut and find yourself reaching for the ‘same old’ reliable recipes again and again I’ve come across a great idea.

I knew that the British have not always been known for their culinary expertise in the past. However I thought with all the cookery shows, gastro pubs, cookbook sales etc. there had been a real shift towards more experimenting, more unusual ingredients and just generally a more ‘foodie attitude’ in the last years. Am I really so misguided?

According to a headline grabbing Daily Mail article, over 30% of people questioned couldn’t be bothered to search through recipe books and couldn’t remember how to cook anything else! You may wish to take these shocking figures with a small pinch of salt (if you pardon the pun), but there is definitely truth in this article. Based on a survey of 1440 families, their research showed that 78% of these British families bought the same ingredients in their weekly shop to cook the following:

1. Roast Chicken
2. Spaghetti Bolognese
3. Stir-fry
4. Sausage and Mash
5. Curry
6. Pork Chops

Chances are (if you’re reading this) you probably do have a keen interest in food and enjoy the variety of fun, inspiring recipe ideas already. But even for creative cooks, there are those days when we all reach for the quick and easy. I’m certainly guilty of my repeated Pasta a la ‘chuck-in-veg-and-beans’ combo when the kids are starving and we’re all tired.
While I was putting together my Top 10 Gifts for Foodie Valentines I came across a Bath-based company called The Spicery which offers the perfect antidote to meal plan boredom.

James Ransome, a chef by training, founded the company in 2005 and has made it his mission to ‘make cooking with the freshest, highest quality spices easy, fun and accessible to all’. With individual recipe kits as well as monthly subscriptions for unusual meals from around the globe, I could find lots of choices that I found inspiring. Many of the recipes are not vegetarian or vegan but I noticed that they would be very easy to adapt. Butter, yoghurt and milk can simply be replaced by non-dairy alternatives and there are some tasty meat substitutes on the market.

The Spicery kindly sent me a couple of samples to try and the Pav Bhaji recipe was both super-easy to follow and utterly delicious. I spent a couple of months travelling through India and Pav Bhaji is one of those staples foods you’ll always find at food carts and makeshift restaurants along the road. Tasting this meal took me right back to a hazy February morning in Gujarat where my boyfriend and I tucked into a steaming bowl of this aromatic curry for breakfast (yes really!). Even though I’m not the biggest fan of white bread rolls, spread with vegan margarine and then fried, they make a great and authentic way of serving up this curry.

The list of fresh ingredients needed was simple and I found cooking the recipe kit a bit like a game. I called it ‘cooking by numbers’ as it’s so simple and straight-forward to achieve a delicious result – no matter if you are a novice or a pro chef.
If you do try this kit, I should probably warn you that I questioned my measuring at one point. I did weigh the potatoes (as ‘medium sized’ is always relative!) but found that the colour of the dish looked all wrong – a strange pale creamy tomato colour. As soon as I added the last spice sachet (which included a good dose of turmeric) it all came together though! The portion size is on the generous side but that’s okay with me!
Maybe I will let you in on a little secret… don’t leave leftover curry around where I can get to it. Cold curry for breakfast is just THE BEST 😉

I wonder if you ever find yourself stuck in a rut. Do you go searching through blogs, magazines, cookbooks…? What is it that gets you inspired with new ideas?

With thanks to The Spicery for sending the samples – all rambling opinions are most certainly my own.

Love is in the air…

Tags

Chocolate, chocolate mousse, dairy-free, dessert, Food photography, protein, tofu, Valentines Day, Vegan, Vegan Recipe Club, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Recipe Club, Viva!

… and so is the smell of chocolate in my house! With Valentine’s Day just round the corner this rich, indulgent chocolate mousse is the perfect dessert treat for two! But it’s so good that you might not even want to share this with anybody else!

Last week I worked on a fabulous commission for Viva!, the largest vegetarian and vegan organisation in Europe. I have always had a soft spot for this passionate campaign group from Bristol, as they were one of my very first clients. Without their support in the early days and regular commissions, who knows if I would still be photographing food today. Scroll right down on my page of published articles to see these very early beginnings. Haven’t photography styles changed!

Viva! produces a large number of guides on all things animal-free, health, nutrition and diet. My mission was to create an updated image for the cover of their ‘How to be dairy-free’ guide. The chocolate mousse recipe is from their Vegan and Vegetarian Recipe Club and is the quickest, most indulgent way to turn tofu and chocolate into a mouth-watering treat that will make you go weak at the knees with delight. Yes really… tofu!

If anybody ever asks me again where I get my protein from I might just show them this picture!!!

Luxury Chocolate Mousse

1 pack silken tofu (approximately 350g)
150g vegan chocolate
3-4 tbsp maple or agave syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Blend tofu and salt until completely smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is blended properly.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler: Heat a couple of inches of water to boiling point in a saucepan. Turn the heat down and place a heat-proof bowl over the pan of water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the base of the pan. Now break the chocolate into chunks and place it in the bowl with the syrup and vanilla extract. Stir gently with a rubber or plastic spatula until the chocolate has completely melted.

Add the chocolate mixture to the tofu and blend again, using the spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, as before. Taste and add more syrup if necessary and blend again. Refrigerate in individual serving dishes of your choice for an hour or so – nice shot glasses or little expresso cups look lovely.

I’ve used a piping bag for this mousse and added some dairy-free squirting cream.

Have you got a favourite tofu recipe, sweet or savoury? I bet there are some fabulous ideas out there!
Would be lovely to hear your comments. I hope you stick around for a bit and follow me on twitter or Facebook. Lots of love, Chava

Recipe from the Vegan and Vegetarian Recipe Club.
Link to Viva!’s Guides

Top 10 Gifts for Foodie Valentines

Tags

Animal Aid, Booja Booja, Chilli, Coffee stencils, Cook Vegetarian, Cordon Vert Cookery School, Demuths, Le Creuset, Ms Cupcake, Sutra Kitchen, The Spicery, Valentines Day, Valentines Gifts, Vegan, Vegan Society, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Living, Vegetarian Society, Viva!

Are you on the lookout for the perfect present for a (food) Lover? Here are my top ten suggestions that are bound to get you brownie points… Maybe even home-made brownies if you’re lucky!

Valentines and knives? Why on earth would you put these two together?!
Recently, my aunt bought me these two amazing German kitchen knives. I know this makes me sound like a real ‘food nerd’ but I was very, very excited! The large one of the two is probably the best knife I have ever owned – it’s perfectly sharp and feels great to hold. Slicing my way through a huge pile of carrots, leeks and mushrooms for the mini pastries below was a joy. If you haven’t tried it before… cutting leeks with a really good kitchen knife feels almost as smooth as slicing through cookie dough, very satisfying! If I get lots of requests I may just share the recipe next week 😉

Now, my aunt knew exactly what would get my heart beating faster with excitement – a thoughtful and very kind present! It got me thinking about gifts that would be perfect for passionate (food) lovers and with February 14th just around the corner, here’s your handy guide to make your Valentine’s Day!

1. Coffee lover’s morning greetings

These personalised cappuccino stencils are the sweetest way to share your love for coffee…. Be my Valentine or Marry me?, what will you choose?

2. Spice up your love life

Chilli peppers have been hailed for centuries for their aphrodisiac powers.  Turn up the heat and add spice and vibrant colours with a gift that’s perfect for keen gardeners too.

3. Let them eat cake

Utter the words “Ms. Cupcake” and watch your loved one swoon. The famous London bakery have launched an online ordering service for their delectable vegan cakes. Either order online here or let your Valentine choose for themselves (gift vouchers from £10).

4. The way to your heart…

Le Creuset’s heart-shaped casserole dish in a deep passion-red colour looks stunning at any time of year… Why not make romantic meals for two a regular feature in your calendar?

5. The Classic – Chocolate from heaven

Choose award-winning chocolate truffles to set your loved one’s heart aflutter!
Fabulous choices from mouth-watering Banoffee Toffee to classy Champagne truffles.

6. An experience – Cookery courses

©Demuths, Bath

You’ll be the sure to benefit from this gift in the long-term too. It’s a sort of investment 😉 There is a list of dedicated vegetarian cookery schools around the country with courses ranging from basic knife skills to cordon vert cookery skills. Take a look at:
Cordon Vert Vegetarian Cookery School (Altincham nr. Manchester)
Demuths Vegetarian Cookery School (Bath)
Sutra Kitchen, Vegetarian and Vegan Cookery School (London)
Our Lizzi, Vegetarian Cookery School (Malvern)

7. A gift that keeps on giving

   

With a gift subscription for a foodie magazine your Valentine will be reminded of your affection and love each month!
I’m slightly biased about these publications as I work with both of them. They make a fantastic, thoughtful choice for vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians and will bring you the latest meat-free news, food trends and delicious recipes in a very stylish package.

8. Variety is the spice of life

The Bath-based Spicery will shake-up any meal-plan boredom and take you for culinary journeys around the world with their spice kits! You can either put together a selection of their vegetarian meal kits in a giftbox or sign up for a monthly subscription service. I have tried one of their packs already and will soon be posting about the spicy-tangy Pav Bhaji that took us right back to the street food stalls of Gujarat.

9. Show you care

Let your caring side shine and show your support with a gift membership to one of the UK’s leading veggie/vegan organisations, e.g.
The Vegan Society
The Vegetarian Society
Viva!
Animal Aid

10. Beautiful dishes from a tasty dish

These stunning pasta bowls with their striking patterns have certainly captured my heart. Will they add a burst of colour to your Valentine’s kitchen? With sugar-sweet names- Amelie, Lulu and Violette are a feast for the eyes!

I have loved putting this list together and I hope you have found some fun inspiration here. Would be lovely if you stick around for a while and check out some of my recipes including these little fellows…

What would be your foodie gift of choice? I’d love to hear how you are planning to woo your Valentine this February.