It’s not been a very good week for me so far. A flu has randomly incapacitated me during the very week that I need my full strength to plough through the research stage for two essays, and yesterday I felt so ill that I couldn’t get out of bed for my lectures. At the same time, it’s kind of a great week because I’ve decided to do a seven day trial of veganism- I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 12, but recently I’ve been more and more aware that I still rely on processed foods, mainly meat substitutes such as Quorn. The wonderful documentary “Cowspiracy” has reminded me that these foods still have a negative impact on the environment, and whilst I know that I would struggle with veganism in the long rung due to being the incredibly picky vegetarian that I am (I hate salad, and fruit) I wanted to give it a try to see how difficult it really is.
Initially it’s difficult because you automatically reach for snacks you can’t have, like most biscuits. There’s a jar of chocolate digestives on my desk that become my best friend whilst writing essays, but this week I can’t touch them. I decided to look up some easy recipes for sweet snacks that don’t contain any animal products, and they sounded so delicious that I dragged myself out of my sickbed to make them and hopefully feel better. I managed to change the recipes I found to accomodate the ingredients I had in my cupboard, and rustles up some yummy vegan brownies and pancakes. You’re welcome, people.
Vegan Brownies
Ingredients:
-350g spelt flour (I used Holland and Barrett’s own brand soft spelt flour, because it was also the cheapest)
-200g raw cane sugar (If you’re a vegan who opposes sugar all together, replace this with agave nectar to give the brownies a sweet taste)
-A few handfuls of chopped mixed nuts (e.g. walnuts, almonds, pecans – go crazy!)
-100ml water
-100ml vegetable oil
-1tsp salt
-As much dark, dairy free chocolate as you would like (melt in a bowl in the microwave, or over a pan of boiling water)
Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, pour into a deep rectangular oven tray that has been lined with greaseproof paper, and leave to bake in the oven for around half an hour until cooked. I didn’t put very much chocolate into my mix, hence why the brownies in the picture above are lighter than your standard brownie. My advice would be to play around with the portions of the ingredients to vary the taste depending on what you fancy, some will turn out softer and sweeter depending on the mixture.
Vegan pancakes
Please ignore the fact that I slightly burnt my pancakes in the picture above. I also couldn’t find my scales when making these, so the measurements are very rough and you will require a mug or a cup to weigh the ingredients out (#studentlife).
Ingredients:
– 1 mug of spelt flour (same as used in the brownies)
– 1/3 mug of raw cane sugar (again, replace with agave nectar if you wish)
– 1 mug of plain soy milk (sweetened or unsweetened depending on how much of a sweet tooth you have)
– Some vegetable oil for frying – add a tablespoon or so to the batter if you want to a smoother mixture.
Mix the flour, sugar and soy milk together in a jug or bowl, then fry in a pan until golden (ish) on both sides – flip at your own risk. When I used this recipe it made four medium sized pancakes, and in the absence of golden syrup I also smeared my pancakes in dairy free chocolate spread that I found in Holland and Barretts. Also yes, I do eat pancakes with a spoon.
Happy baking!
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