Vegan & Gluten-free Pumpkin Scones 🎃

One of my proudest achievements this year has been growing my own vegetables especially this pumpkin so I wanted to put it to good use and make something special so decided to try baking some pumpkin scones as pumpkin scones are one of my favourite seasonal snacks from Starbucks.

It has been a while since I made scones and because I wanted to make it suitable for all diets to enjoy it took me a few attempts to get this recipe right but the end result is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and in my opinion even better and more delicious and healthy than the ones I used to get at Starbucks.

For this recipe I steamed and mashed the pumpkin to make my own pumpkin puree but you can use pumpkin puree from a can to save time, also be sure to put your can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight as it will make the dough easier to work with and create a better crumb.

Ingredients

Dry

• 1 cup gluten-free flour mix
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 tsp baking powder

Wet

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup chilled coconut milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Step 1 - Mix the dry ingredients

In a large bowl measure out and mix all the dry ingredients together until combined.

Step 2 - Mix the wet ingredients

In a separate bowl measure out and mix all the wet ingredients together until well combined.

Step 3 - Mix all together

Gradually add in the wet ingredients into the dry until a soft sticky dough has formed.

Step 4 - Chill

Put the dough in the fridge to rest for an hour.

Step 5 - Heat the oven

While the dough is resting preheat an oven to 200°C and line and grease a baking tray with parchment paper.

Step 6 - Shape the dough

On a clean flat surface sprinkle some flour and then press the dough out in a circle until it's an even 2 - 3cm thick, cut the dough into half, quarters and then eight pieces then place each piece on the lined baking tray.

Step 7 - Bake

Place the scones in the oven to bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown and the tips begin to crisp.

Step 8 - Cool

Once cooked remove the scones from the oven and allow to cool before eating

Step 9 - Eat & Enjoy!

You can eat these scones alone or served with a delicious hot cup of coffee or tea.

Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it

Love & Hugs

Cate

xoxo

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Vegan Eggless Egg Sandwich 🥪

The colder mornings here in the mountains of Northern Thailand have got me craving some hearty warm breakfasts. Lately I've been seeing a lot of delicious looking egg sandwiches on my Instagram feed so I decided to try and create my own breakfast eggless egg sandwich using some homemade tofu from my local market.

The main ingredient of this sandwich is the tofu scramble which is really easy and simple to make and fully customisable to you tastes so feel free to add in your own herbs and spices and extra veggies. I added some vegan mayonnaise and avocado to my sandwich which gave the scramble an extra creaminess but feel free to use your own sauces like ketchup, BBQ or Sriracha sauce for an extra kick.

 

You can use whatever bread you want for this recipe, I just toasted some regular sandwich bread I had left but this works great with sourdough, in a baguette, bagel or even a croissant, it makes a really great breakfast, hearty but not heavy, perfect to give you an energy and a mood boost on cold day.

Ingredients

• 100g firm tofu
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp soy milk
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt & pepper to taste

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 small cloves of garlic
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• A handful of button mushrooms
• Cilantro to garnish

Step 1 - Prepare the tofu

Crumble the tofu into a bowl and mix in the nutritional yeast, soy milk, smoked paprika and salt and pepper.

Step 2  - Prepare the vegetables

Dice the garlic and tomatoes and slice the mushrooms into small pieces, chop the cilantro and leave to one side for garnish

Step 3 - Cook

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on a medium high heat and add the garlic, once that garlic is slightly crispy add in the tomatoes, mushroom and tofu crumble mix, you don't need to cook it for too long, just until the vegetables are softened and the tofu is warmed through. Once cooked sprinkle on the cilantro and it's ready to go.

Step 4 - Sandwich time!!

There should be enough of the tofu scramble for 2 - 3 sandwiches depending on how big you want to make them OR you can just serve the tofu scramble on its own as is.

Happy New Year

Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it

Love & Hugs

Cate

xoxo

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Vegan & Gluten-free Soda Bread 🍞

The perfect compliment to my vegan cream cheese recipe is this vegan and gluten-free soda bread. During lockdown when I was unable to go to a bakery I used to make soda bread all the time as the ingredients are so simple, easily available and it's really quick to make unlike regular bread which requires yeast and a lot of kneading and time proving, this bread however can be done in less than 30 minutes!

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Soda bread has a much denser texture compared to regular bread and making a gluten-free version I expected to be challenging but whilst still being being dense compared to regular yeasted bread I found this version to be softer and lighter than my regular soda bread and I actually prefer it much more so this is the recipe I decided to share.

Most of the bread widely available in Thailand contains milk and has a sweet taste which I'm not a fan of so this is a nice easy, quick alternative for me to make at home and to level it up you can also add in some herbs and spices, I often chop up some rosemary from my garden and throw it into the mix which gives it a great fragrance and taste.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Rice flour
• 1/4 cup Coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1 cup Oat milk
• 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Ground flax seed
• 3 tbsp Water

Step 1 - Preheat an oven to 220°C

Prepare a small baking tin by greasing it with a little oil and line the bottom with some baking paper.

Step 2 - Make the buttermilk

Mix together the oat milk and apple cider vinegar in measuring jug and leave to curdle for 5 - 10 minutes.

Step 3 - Make a flax egg

To make a flax egg mix together the ground flax seeds and water in a small dish or glass and leave to stand for a few minutes so the mixture gets thicker and more gel like in consistency.

Step 4 - Mix together the dry ingredients 

In a mixing bowl mix together the rice flour, coconut flour, baking soda and baking powder.

Step 5 - Add in the wet ingredients

To the flour add in the flax egg and buttermilk mixtures and mix until well combined, the mixture should come together and look like a wet dough.

Step 6 - Shape the Loaf

Shape the dough into a round ball which is about 1" - 1.5" thick and place into a baking tin and score the top with a cross about half and inch deep.

Step 7 - Bake in a oven

Place the bread into the center of a pre-heated oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the top has a golden brown crust.

Step 8 - Let it cool

Once cooked take the soda bread out of the oven and let it cool for 10 - 20 minutes then remove it from the tin and let it cool for a little while longer before slicing and serving. Leaving it to cool will help the structure so when you cut into it it won't be too crumbly.

Step 9 - Serve and store

You can serve the soda bread sliced or toasted in the oven for a few minutes with some cream cheese, it also goes great with soups and stews. The bread will last around 3 - 5 days in an airtight box which you can leave on the counter or if you live in a warmer climate like me then you can keep it the fridge.

Happy Holidays and be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it

Love & Hugs

Cate

xoxo

If you like what you see and want to see more can support me by clicking the button below

Super Easy Vegan Cream Cheese 🧀

 

Christmas is coming and there's nothing like a cheese board to get you in the mood for the season however if like me your stomach suffers when overloaded with dairy and you don't want to spend all day running to the toilet this dairy-free vegan cream cheese alternative is quick and easy to make and tastes just as good, if not better than the real thing.

Consider this recipe is a base with which you can add all sorts of flavours to. I love adding some smoked paprika into the mix and have also tried it with roasted garlic and rosemary. So feel free to add in some of your own herbs and spices and even some dried cranberries, a dash of brandy and some orange zest for a more festive flavour. 

The best thing about this is that it's super simple and really quick to make you just need a blender and that's it! I always thought vegan cheeses were difficult to make but this is a really easy substitute for when you have those cheese cravings and the ingredients are really simple and easily available. I honestly prefer this over a lot of the cream cheeses I used to eat and as a bonus it's much healthier for your than the regular dairy cream cheese.

Ingredients

• 170g Firm tofu
• 4 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tsp Miso paste
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened soy milk (if you want a thicker cheese you can omit this)
• Salt & Pepper to your taste

Step 1 - Blend

In a blender add all of the ingredients and blend until smooth. I recommend that you also give it a taste at this point and if you need to you can adjust the taste to your liking.

Step 2 - Chill

Scrape the mixture out of the blender and put it in a airtight box to chill for a couple hours in the fridge. You can serve straight from the blender but I think the texture and taste is much better after it's chilled for a little while.

Step 3 - Serve

Once the cream cheese has chilled it's ready to eat so just spread it on some toast and enjoy and it should last 3 - 5 days in an airtight box in the fridge depending on how fresh your tofu is.

Happy Holidays and be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it

Love & Hugs

Cate

xoxo

If you like what you see and want to see more can support me by clicking the button below

Vegan & Gluten-free Welsh Bara Brith 🎄

Bara Brith always reminds me of Christmas. It was one of the first things I learned how to bake and every Christmas my auntie would gift us a loaf along with her homegrown, homemade apple chutney. This year I wanted to bring a little bit of that Welsh Christmas spirit into my new house in Chiang Mai and create a version that was both vegan and gluten-free so everyone could enjoy it.

If you've never had Bara Brith before it's similar to a fruit loaf but what makes it special is that the fruit is soaked in tea giving the loaf a nice tea flavour. It's the perfect Christmas cake alternative if you don't like a heavy dense fruit cake or strong spices and it goes nicely with a warm cider or hot eggnog.

As the main ingredients of Bara Brith are eggs and flour it was a bit of a challenge to make this both vegan and gluten-free and get the texture right but after a few failed attempts I'm finally happy enough with the results to share my recipe in time for Christmas.

Ingredients

• 100g Dried mixed fruit
• 70g Brown sugar
• 100ml Hot water
• 1 Tea bag (Yorkshire Tea is my favourite but any breakfast or black tea will work)
• 100g Gluten-free flour mix
• 30g Riceberry flour 
• 70g Unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 tbsp Ground flax seeds
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder

Step 1 - Soak the fruit

The first thing to do is make a very strong tea brew, I usually let the tea bag soak in boiling water for about 5 minutes and then give the tea bag a good squeeze to get all the flavour out. After the tea is brewed add 100ml of the hot tea into the dried mixed fruit and brown sugar, give it a stir to help the sugar dissolve, and leave it to soak overnight. 

Step 2 - Preheat an oven to 180°C

Prepare a 6" loaf tin by greasing it with a little oil and line the bottom with some baking paper.

Step 3 - Mix the dry ingredients

In a mixing bowl mix together the flours, ground flax seed, baking powder and cinnamon

Step 4 - Add the wet ingredients

To the dry ingredients add in the tea soaked fruit and mixed until combined. There's no need to drain the fruit just add in the whole tea, fruit, sugar mix.

Step 5 - Mix in the applesauce

Lastly fold the applesauce into the mixture until well combined.

Step 6 - Pour batter into a loaf tin

Evenly distribute the batter in the tin and then drop the tin on the kitchen counter a couple of times to make any air bubbles rise to the surface and ensure you don't get any holes in your loaf.

Step 7 - Bake in a oven

Place the loaf tin into the center of a pre-heated oven and bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If the top of the loaf is starting to look like it's burning but the loaf isn't completely cooked through yet you can cover it with tin foil on top to prevent the top from burning.

Step 8 - Let it cool

Once cooked take the Bara Brith out of the oven and let it cool for 10 - 20 minutes then remove it from the tin and let it cool for a little while longer before slicing and serving. Leaving it to cool will help the structure so when you cut into it it won't be too crumbly.

Step 9 - Serve and store

You can serve the Bara Brith sliced plain or with a bit of butter or honey and if you need to store it, it will last around 7 days in an airtight box which you can leave on the counter or if you live in a warmer climate like me then it's better to keep it the fridge.

Happy Holidays and be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it

Love & Hugs

Cate

xoxo

If you like what you see and want to see more can support me by clicking the button below

🍫 Chocolate Banana Cupcakes 🍌 (VEGAN) 🌱

My baby cousin LOVES chocolate so I thought I would create a cupcake recipe just for her but try to make it a little bit healthier as it's not good to feed a 4 year old too much chocolate! For this recipe I tried out a couple new vegan products, the Nature's Charm chocolate syrup made by one of my absolute favourite vegan cafes in Bangkok and some new plant-based milks that were on offer at the supermarket, but if you can't find these brands don't worry you can just use any chocolate syrup and milk or instead of the syrup just use cacao powder instead for a less sweet version.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1/3 cup chocolate syrup
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil 
• 1/2 cup chocolate milk 
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 + 1/3 cup of all purpose flour

(Makes 10)

♥ Preheat and oven to 180 & line a cupcake tray with 10 cupcake cases

♥ In large bow mix together the mashed banana, chocolate syrup, chocolate milk, coconut oil and sugar, if you don't want the cupcakes to be too sweet then you can leave out the sugar.

♥ Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix it into a smooth batter.

♥ Divide the batter equally into the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

♥ Once baked removed the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack.

♥ Eat and enjoy!

Let me know if you try these out and what you think.

Good Luck

Cate

xoxo

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🥜 Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes 🍌 (VEGAN) 🌱

Since moving to Thailand 5 years ago I have hardly cooked let alone baked, however we have quite a few banana trees at our home in Bangkok which has blessed us with more bananas than we can comfortably eat so I decided it was finally time to get baking again and join the rest of the world and perfect my banana bread recipe. I've been experimenting with all sorts of different banana themed recipes over the past month and using my family as taste testers so decided to share a few of my most successful recipes for you to try to make yourselves.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1/2 cup peanut butter 
• 1/2 cup almond milk 
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1 cup of all purpose flour

(Makes 10)

♥ Preheat and oven to 180 & line a cupcake tray with 10 cupcake cases

♥ In large bow mix together the banana, peanut butter, almond milk and sugar

♥ Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix it into a smooth batter.

♥ Divide the batter equally into the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

♥ Once baked removed the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack.

♥ Eat and enjoy with your favourite cup of tea 

Let me know if you try these out and what you think.

Good Luck

Cate

xoxo

Psssst if you like what you see and want to see more can support me by clicking the button below

Buy me a coffee and get a shoutout on my SNS