Homemade Brown Bread Recipe

This simple brown bread recipe is great for anyone new to baking. It only needs a few ingredients making a loaf cheap and easy. Fresh, home made bread is delicious, you may not want to go back to shop bought bread after mastering the art of making your own. 

You will need:

• 350g Wholemeal flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1tsp sugar
• 1tsb Yeast
• 200ml warm water 

Instructions: 

•  Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl
• Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm water mixing to form a soft dough, adding a little more water if needed
• Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic
• Shape into an oblong and place in a greased loaf tin
• Cover with oiled cling film and place in a warm place for an hour, or until the dough has risen to the top
• Glaze with a tiny amount of non dairy milk (e.g. Oat milk) 
• 15 minutes before baking pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 6
• Bake for 35 minutes, until the bread is risen and lightly browned, you can take it out of the tin and return to the oven for 5 minutes if you want the sides to be browned 

Leave for 1 hour to rise in a warm place- this can be near a radiator or hot oven, it may take longer to rise depending on how warm it is. Make sure the bread rises before baking

The bread doesn't need a glaze but using a non dairy milk will stop the top from browning too much, you can easily glaze the bread by taking a teaspoon of oat milk and brushing over the top 

Home made bread is delicious, you can eat it hot or save it until the next day

The finished product, Try it with butter and jam for a savoury snack that tastes like a dessert 

Homemade Vegan Cocktails

My favourite drink is Disaronno, which is vegan and a lovely amaretto drink. 

I used to mix it with fizzy drinks but I was looking for something healthier so I bought some Cherry juice to mix it with. This is obviously better than drinking acidic fizzy drinks. 

The cherry juice is from Sainsburys and labelled vegan, again I like the move for more products to be labelled vegan even if they are simple products that you can assume are suitable it makes it easier to shop and find products to buy.

This is a simple drink to make, a small amount of Disaronno with cherry juice is an easy and simple home made cocktail. 

Having juice instead of fizzy drinks is also healthier than having sugary fizzy drinks. Obviously any alcohol should be consumed in small amounts but compared to cocktails mixed with various spirits and mixers in bars, this home made version will be better for you.  

Grab your favourite spirit and try a home made cocktail with your favourite juice there are so many option from blueberry to pomegranate you'll be spoilt for choice.  

Jam Biscuits- Simple Recipe for a delicious treat

If you are a fan of Jammy Dodgers you will love this recipe. It is so quick and simple and uses minimal ingredients but creates a delicious dessert. 

You will need:

• 4oz vegan butter (eg. Pure or Vitalite) 
• 2oz Sugar
• 6oz plain flour 
• Raspberry jam to fill 

Instructions:

• Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until smooth
• Add the flour and mix to make a firm dough 
• Knead the dough briefly until smooth and then shape into a ball
• Chill the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes (Wrap it in cling film or store in an airtight container) 
• Once chilled roll the dough out and cut using a biscuit cutter. You can use any shape you want but they all need to be the same
• Transfer to a baking sheet using either baking paper or a greased tray cook the biscuits in a preheated oven on the middle shelf at gas mark 6
• Cook for 10-15 minutes until the biscuits are turning golden brown- you can turn them over half way through to ensure even cooking
• When cooled add the jam and sandwich together or cut the circles in half and sandwich each half depending on how many you want to make

The biscuits before cutting, you can sandwich them together like this to make larger biscuits or cut in half

Seedless jam is nice to use as it creates a smooth filling for the biscuits 

Only minimal ingredients are used so it is a simple recipe to try 

These biscuits really taste like Jammy dodgers but the home made version has no additives and is all natural ingredients

The biscuits themselves are soft and crumbly and so easy to make! Who needs shop bought snacks! 

This is a great recipe for anyone new to biscuit making, it is a cheap and easy way to practise your baking skills and these make amazing gifts as they look and taste great

Benefits of Kiwi fruit

The benefits of Kiwi Fruit: 

1) Kiwis are a nutrient dense food- they are high in nutrients and low in calories making them a perfect choice for anyone looking to get healthy and lose weight. 

2) The fruit is packed with Vitamin C, this is needed to boost the immune system and reduce stress levels. 

3)  The Kiwi fruit provides a fat free form of Vitamin E. This is needed to boost the immune system and can help lower cholesterol. 

4) Kiwis are also a source of magnesium which can help improve your energy levels and is important for muscle function. 

5) Kiwis can help you sleep, they contain antioxidants and serotonin that are useful to helping you sleep. 

6) The fruit is also a good source of dietary fibre. Increasing your fibre intake is great for improving heart health and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. 

7) Kiwi fruit is great for skin health. They can keep your skin clear and beautiful. 

Clearly this fruit is an amazing addition to your diet. It is great in salads, smoothies and as a decorative addition to desserts and with all it's benefits it is even great just to eat alone to radically improve your health. 

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Pasta

Using the co-operative vegan pasta sauce I made a delicious dinner. It was quick and easy to do and something you can try at home. 

I measure out my pasta now as I was guilty of cooking for a family of six. 100 grams of pasta is the recommended amount for each person. As always I used brown pasta as it is healthier and easier to digest. 

I fried onion, added Sainsburys vegan soya mince which is a handy product to have in and tastes amazing then added the sauce. 

It is that simple. The mince only takes a few minutes to cook so the whole meal can be made in the time it takes to cook the pasta. I added mushrooms as well and mixed the sauce in with the pasta. 

I like to add yeast flakes as they are a source of B12 and give the pasta a nice flavour. Making sure you get all your nutrients is important and it is simple to do with a product like this, you can simply sprinkle the flakes onto pasta, soups or salads. Getting B12 into your diet doesn't have to be difficult. 

This is a simple meal, easy to make and full of flavour and nutrients. Add it to your meal plan for when you need something to eat in a hurry. 

Vegan finds at the Co operative

The co operative Food shops are great places to find vegan products. They have many vegan options and label their own products vegan clearly. This is perfect when you need some quick, convenient vegan food. Co-op stores are local in many areas so hopefully you will have one near you.  

This pasta sauce was a great buy. It is vegan and delicious! I used it to make a quick pasta bolognese. If you don't feel like cooking you could simply heat this sauce and add it to cooked pasta. If you feel like making the meal more interesting you can add soya mince, onion and mushrooms. 

There is also a great selection of vegan alcohol, it is clearly labelled so no need to waste time looking it up. This Cava was delicious and the best part is it's vegan! 

There is a nice selection of vegan products at the co-operative food. The trend of supermarkets labelling more products vegan is continuing which is great to see and makes shopping as a vegan easier all the time.