Vegetarian cookery school in Malvern, Worcestershire

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Hello, I’m Lizzy. If you want to eat a healthier diet, are tired of eating the same meals, or just find recipe books too complicated, then Our Lizzy is the cooking school for you!

An opportunity to learn how to cook a variety of recipes in a relaxed friendly setting. Small group, hands on vegetarian cookery courses in a specially designed kitchen in beautiful Malvern.

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Vegan Street Food

Vegan Street Food Our Lizzy style was launched this month! Fast food favourites with a healthy twist.

My cookery course had a lot of influence from South East Asia but with British and American classics mixed in.We used vital wheat gluten flour to make homemade seitan.

Seitan is made from gluten, the main protein found in wheat. It is traditionally made by washing wheat flour until all the starch has been removed, leaving a gluten dough. It was eaten centuries ago by Buddhist monks in China in the from of mock duck.

On the course we make seitan steaks, sizzling strips, and used the ground form to make burgers.

 

Teriyaki seitan steak

Pulled Jackfruit

Tofu with peanut sauce

Sizzling seitan

Mushroom and seitan burger

Crispy tempeh with BBQ sauce

I enjoy using jackfruit and was keen to share ideas for using it. We cooked one batch with local cider, made a lime and chilli version and Sloppy Joes.

We also used tofu and tempeh with a range of homemade sauces and dips.

 

 

 

A Snowy White Christmas!

The Christmas course here on Sunday was rather special as we had snow in Malvern. I was absolutely delighted to meet Faye who made it through the snow to attend. Already a keen cook she has recently won the Rotary Young Chef of the Year Award.

 

After a hot drink, mince pies and shortbread we prepared desserts then set to work on pastry dishes. We made a Roasted Red Pepper and Chestnut Strudel  and a Sweet Potato and Veggie Sausage Pithivier. Lots of careful pastry rolling and filling took place.

 

We used filo pastry to creative some little baskets for starters and money bags filled with Mushrooms and Almonds. With the help of Faye’s parents we prepped and cooked crispy roast potatoes, root veg with cranberries and cider, red wine gravy and a batch of Brussels sprouts cooked with sesame seeds and soy sauce.

 

We then sat down to enjoy our snowy festive feast!

Homemade Gluten free Vegan Pizza!

Here at Our Lizzy it’s a pleasure to help people with food allergies and intolererances.

At a recent gluten free cookery course I was asked to make gluten free pizza bases. I’ve used Hodmedod’s pea flours in baking and pancakes and wondered if they would work for a pizza base. I wasn’t keen to add xanthan gum and other binders. Some supermarkets sell gluten free pizza bases but the list of ingredients and taste can be very off-putting.

I was really pleased to find the fava bean flour worked so well. The dough came together well, it didn’t rise as much as strong wheat flour but was still light and airy. I used a little polenta to roll it out. I topped mine with a little homemade tomato sauce and sliced vegetables. I sometimes make my own vegan mozzarella, but this time I used MozzaRisella which is a popular rice based pizza cheese.

    Our Lizzy pizza made with fava bean flour

Pizza dough

300g fava bean flour

1 ½ tsp fast acting dried yeast

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp salt

170ml water

extra flour or polenta for rolling

 

Place the flour in a large bowl, add the yeast. Add the salt to the other side of the bowl.

Slowly pour in the water and olive oil then mix well.

When the mixture forms a dough, take it out of the bowl. Sprinkle a very small amount of flour on the work surface and gently knead the dough for 3 -5 minutes.

Sprinkle some flour or polenta onto a work surface. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin or with the heel of your hand.

Place on baking sheet cover with a plastic bag or cling film and leave for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark6/200°C

Top the dough with tomato sauce and toppings of your choice.

Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.

 

Hodmedod’s bean flours are milled in Essex from British-grown beans, peas and quinoa.

https://hodmedods.co.uk/collections/flours

Spicy Beans

I love sharing recipes at festivals, this week I was at a local Chilli Festival at Eastnor Castle. Naturally I took some beans and enjoyed cooking them with a chilli or two!

 

I also made a herby Quinoa salad with wild garlic and some smoky sizzling fajitas. These were served in a fava bean flatbread.

To make the flatbread it’s a similar method to making a dosa. Mix 120g fava bean flour with 300ml of water, allow to stand for 30minutes. Heat a flat griddle pan and brush lightly with oil, Pour a ladleful of the mixture onto the hot pan and cook on one side then flip over and cook the other. This mixture makes five flatbreads.

Here is the recipe for the chilli

British Bean Chilli

1 chopped onion

1 clove of garlic crushed

1 fresh chilli chopped

200g cooked beans, whole fava, red haricot, black badgers,

1 tsp chipotle chilli paste

1 tin of chopped tomatoes/4 fresh tomatoes

½ tsp smoked dried chillies, optional

Heat oil in a pan, sauté the onion add the fresh chilli and garlic. Add the chipotle paste.

Add the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil, and stir well.

Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes. Add water as required. If you are brave add a little more dried chilli!

Veganuary time

It is always a pleasure to help new vegans on the path to vegan living here at Our Lizzy HQ. I meet people who are trying for all sorts of reasons.

Being vegan has never been easier. The choice of plant based milks, cheeses, margarines and ice creams grows by the day. It’s also exciting to see key manufacturers rising to the challenge and creating vegan versions of their products. Vegan cuisine is varied and has something for everyone from convenience foods to cooking from scratch to raw food diets. I’ve been vegan now for 27 years and now is the best time to be vegan!

A record number of people have signed up for Veganuary this year. It’s a great campaign which supports people in going vegan for the month of January. https://veganuary.com/

I’ve got a brand new short course called Vegan Starter Kit. http://www.ourlizzy.com/vegan-starter-kit.htm

In this I give advice on how to veganise everyday favourite meals. Desserts are covered toowe make easy vegan pancakes and chocolate brownies.

Here is my recipe for Dairy free cheesy sauce – perfect for burritos or pasta

40g vegan margarine (approx)

2 tbsp plain white flour

600ml unsweetened soya/oat milk

4 tbsp nutritional yeast.

Salt and pepper to season.

Melt the margarine in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Remove pan from hear and add 1/3 of the soya milk beat well to avoid lumps a hand whisk may be used. Gradually add the rest of the milk. Season to taste.

 

 

Bean Inspired!

As the International Year of Pulses draws to a close I continue to be inspired by beans. I am really enjoying Hodmedod’s bean flours. They are milled in Essex from British-grown beans, peas and quinoa.

https://hodmedods.co.uk/collections/flours

The flours are naturally gluten free and protein packed. As well as pancakes and fritters, I’ve been using them to make flatbreads and crackers. Unlike a lot of gluten free flours, the flour works really well for pastry. Taste tests at my local health food shop, The Bran Tub, show that the bean pastry works in both savoury and sweet dishes.

I recently experimented with the yellow bean flour on my Christmas Cookery course. I made vanilla shortbread and mince pies using a combination of yellow bean and rice flour. Being packed with protein the pastry held together really well and there was no need for Xanthan gum. Both the doughs were easy to manage and gave a really tasty short texture.

Lizzy’s Gluten Free Shortbread

Gluten Free Shortbread

200g margarine

80g caster sugar

200g yellow bean flour

100g rice flour

extra caster sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 150°/Gas 4.

Sift flours and sugar work the flour into the margarine.  Roll out to about 1cm thick and cut into shapes as required. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes until crisp.

Dust with caster sugar and cool on a wire rack.

A customer who is gluten free attended and she was impressed with the flexibility of the pastry, she used it to make a mini chestnut and red pepper strudel and some pastry cases that with then loaded with a mushroom and almond filling and a tofu and caramelised onion filling.

Festive Savouries

Autumn Soup

I have enjoyed visiting my friend’s allotment this autumn. He has a bumper crop of vegetables including a large crop of squash. I’ve been using some to make warming soups.

As well as being tasty, pumpkins contain beta carotene which can help strengthen the immune system. I combine squash with ginger in this soup for an extra burst to the circulation.

 

Pumpkin and Ginger Soup                                                    

Adding fresh ginger to this soup gives a warming feel. Serve up a batch this bonfire night to give family and friends a healthy glow.

 Ready in 45 minutes. Serves 2

1 small pumpkin peeled and chopped

1 onion finely chopped

2 garlic cloves crushed

4cm piece fresh ginger grated

1 tsp bouillon powder

3 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil

½ litre water

 

Sauté the pumpkin pieces until they turn golden.

Add the freshly grated ginger along with the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes more.

Add the water and bouillon powder and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked.

Cool slightly and blend soup using a blender. Reheat to serve.

 

 

Vegan Cheese Making

I was delighted to welcome guest tutor Andrea Wolstenholme of the Vegan Cheese Lovers Club, to teach us all about the art of vegan cheese making. The day was a mixture of step-by-step demonstration and practical hands on cookery.

Andrea demonstrated favourite recipes from The Non Dairy Evolution Cookbook, which is written by Skye Michael Conroy.

We learnt how to make cheese using a cooked method which gives a meltable, gratable, firm cheese. We made a Muenster Cheese and a Mozzarella which we later sampled on pizzas. Some people then made Brie or a Golden Cheddar.

We also explored making cheeses with a food processor using ingredients such as nuts and tofu. We made a nut based parmesan and a tofu based gorgonzola. During experimentation time,  a Garlic Herb Gournay was made along with a Sharp Tofu Cheddar.

Everyone took home a selection of the cheeses we made. It was a really inspirational day!

Another slice of V Pud!

I love using V Pud which is made by the Real Lancashire Black Pudding Company. I was pleased to be asked to work on some more recipes for their vegetarian and vegan black pudding – the V Pud. http://www.reallancashireblackpuddings.co.uk/vpud/

V Pud has an interesting taste and a lovely crumbly texture with a delicate blend of herbs and spices. I already use V Pud for my favourite Cannelini Bean dish and it goes really well with my spelt risotto. For recipes see http://www.reallancashireblackpuddings.co.uk/recipes/vegetarian-black-pudding-with-cannelini-beans/#.VznXvmB0xAg

I took my inspiration for this dish from ingredients eaten whilst growing up. I grew up in a part of Wolverhampton called Wednesfield which is part of the industrial Black Country. My family had a lock making business, my Dad and Uncle made specialist keys by hand. These traditional methods can be learnt about now through visiting the Lock museum which is part of the Black Country Museum. The museum is a great place to visit and on a recent trip I was reminded of the old Black Country dish, Groaty Pudding.

It’s lovely to share this recipe as part of National Vegetarian Week 2016 which is an opportunity to share food, stories and traditions. http://www.nationalvegetarianweek.org/

V Pud Groaty Pudding

Groaty Pudding is a traditional Black Country dish. It’s similar to a risotto. The flavour of V Pud works well with this. If you can’t get oat groats, try making it with pearl barley. I got my oat groats from our local health food shop, The Bran Tub in Malvern.

Serves 2

Ready in 30 minutes

100g V Pud, sliced
1 leek, sliced
150g oat groats
1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder
1 litre of water
salt and black pepper to taste
extra virgin rapeseed oil
chopped chives to garnish

Place the oats groats in a saucepan with the stock, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes until the groats are cooked.

Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a pan, then add the leeks and cook in their washing water for a couple of minutes. Add some extra virgin rapeseed oil to finish cooking. Add to the groats mixture.

Heat some extra virgin rapeseed oil in a clean pan. Test to see if the oil is hot, and add the slices of V Pud. Fry until crispy on both sides.

Place on top of the cooked leeks and groats. Garnish with chopped chives.

V Pud also goes really well with tomatoes; the following two recipes are great for warm summer days.

Bulgur Wheat and Sun Dried Tomato Salad with V Pud

A quick tasty dish – perfect for packed lunch.

 

Serves one

Ready in 15 minutes

2 spring onions finely chopped
1 clove crushed garlic (optional)
25g sun dried tomatoes, sliced
small handful of olives
50g chopped fresh herbs
75g bulgur wheat
130ml boiling water (approx)
black pepper and salt to taste
extra virgin olive oil
75g V Pud, chopped
olive oil for frying

Rehydrate the bulgur wheat by placing in a bowl and covering with boiling water. Cover with a plate and leave to stand for about ten minutes.  Fluff up with a fork.

Add the spring onions, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and olives to the bulgur wheat. Mix in some chopped fresh herbs. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and season well.

Heat some olive oil in a small frying pan. When the oil is hot, add some chopped V Pud and cook on both sides.

V Pud Summer Vegetables with Pancakes

A speedy summer supper. The pancakes can be made in advance.

Serves 2

Ready in 30 minutes

 For the pancakes

100g buckwheat flour
300ml soya milk (unsweetened)
pinch salt
sunflower oil for frying

Place ingredients in a blender jug and blend. Place in fridge. Leave to stand for at least 20 minutes.

Heat oil in crepe/frying pan, add a ladleful of pancake mixture, and cook on both sides. Keep warm.  Add more oil as needed, to cook remainder of pancakes. This amount of batter should make 6 small pancakes.

 For the filling

3 ripe tomatoes
1 courgette
2 cloves garlic, sliced
100g V Pud, sliced
olive oil
handful fresh rocket
handful fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Fry or grill some sliced tomatoes, courgettes and garlic. Place in oven to keep warm. Add a little more oil to the pan. When hot add the slices and V Pud and fry on both sides.

Fill the pancakes with the V Pud and vegetable mixture. Season to taste. Serve garnished with rocket and basil.

A Taste of Spring

I’m loving the longer days, it gives a chance to get out in the hills more. The wild garlic is back and ready for picking. If picking in the wild it’s best to take just a couple of leaves from each plant. Although the flower heads are edible I like to leave these on the plant. I’ve been making my favourite pesto again.

Wild Garlic and Walnut Pesto

• 100g wild garlic chopped
• 75g walnuts
• 150 – 200ml extra virgin rapessed oil
• salt and pepper

Place in processor with the nuts and blend together. Add the oil and blend again.

Season with salt and pepper.

Wild garlic also makes a lovely addition to a salad and I add leaves to my tofu flan. I plan to use some in my soda bread  see last blog post for the recipe. This will naturally be served with wild garlic soup.

Wild Garlic and Potato Soup                                                    

• 1 onion chopped
• garlic clove crushed
• handful of wild garlic, chopped (approx 25g)
• 100g potatoes peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp bouillon powder
• ¼ tsp nutmeg freshly ground
• ½ litre water (approx)

Sauté the onion and garlic in a saucepan until soft.  Add the potatoes and bouillon powder, cover with water and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked. Add more liquid if needed. Add the chopped wild garlic and ground nutmeg and cook for two minutes.

Cool slightly, and blend soup using a blender. Reheat to serve. Add a swirl of soya cream to each dish.