These are SO great! They are the perfect answer to the perhaps familiar scenario of having a vegan dinner party (or 3 course vegan meal of some kind) and wondering what the heck you are going to make as the main component. You've got all ya' salads and side dishes worked out, but you were kind of hoping to have something on everyone's plate that screamed MAIN, so that no one was feeling like they were eating a 'something's missing' kind of lunch/dinner etc. The nut cheese which lays on top of the flaky pastry is heaven in itself and topped with the onions & mushrooms - I think you'll find this quite a wonderfully filling little recipe to have up your sleave. Enjoy honeybunches!

Makes 3-4 tartlets

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 large onions (red or white), thinly sliced
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used button, but you choose)
• 1 heaped tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup nut cheese of some kind, that's spreadable (cashew/almond based ones work wonders)
• 3-4 sheets of puff pastry (a GF & VEGAN one, if need be), thawed

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C fan forced.
2. Take a large frying pan and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic and sauté without touching them too much for 10 or so minutes. Or until everything is reduced & softened, the onions are starting to caramelise and golden.
3. Add the vinegar and maple syrup, stirring to lift off the flavour from the bottom of the pan and help the onions to caramelise. Add the knob of butter and let bubble and melt, stirring once again to help the onions caramelise and the flavour to lift off from the bottom of the pan.
4. Once at a stage that you would happily eat (or a bit before as it's going into the oven), turn off the heat, add the thyme, salt & pepper and stir once more.
5. Line a baking tray with baking paper and decide on your desired shape of your tartlets. A bowl can help get an appropriate size for a circle, but whatever shape it is - just be sure to cut out two the same and stack one on top of one another for optimum thickness and structural support.
6. Cover the base of your tartlets with the nut cheese, using your fingers if necessary, to smoosh out a moderate layer. Leave a 1-2cm rim around all edges of your tart. Divide the onion & mushroom mixture amongst the tarts, then use a fork to press down around the rim of your tart.
7. Brush the rim with some olive oil and then bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!

A classic. Not much to say or explain here, other than emphasise that these are just as fabulous as the original, which is pretty mind-bogglingly wonderful considering they're vegan AND gluten-free. This pastry is pretty wonderful too, achieved through gluten flour and almond meal, as well as some lemon zest which gives it a welcome subtle 'pop'! Overall the result should have everyone fooled if need be hehe, and be easy enough to make an appearance at every Christmas.

Makes 18-24 (depending on size & thickness of pastry)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups plain GF flour (or regular plain flour)
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 1/2 tsp xanthum gum
• zest of 1 lemon, finely chopped
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup cold vegan butter
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (not melted, chill if need be)
• splash of cold water
• 410g jar fruit mince

Method

1. In a food processor (or large bowl), add the first six ingredients (down to and including the salt) and pulse to combine. Alternatively mix in the bowl until combined using a spoon.
2. Add the vegan butter & coconut oil and pulse again until the mixture is combined/resembles sand. Alternately use a fork (if doing this in a bowl) and mash/break up the butter & oil until it is thoroughly combined and evenly distributed).
3. Add a splash of cold water to the food processor/bowl and pulse/mix again until it comes together. Add more water if needed.
4. Fashion the pastry into a smooth ball with your hands and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes minimum.
5. When you are ready to make your mince pies, take your pastry out of the fridge & pre-heat your oven to 180C. Ensure it's on the slow setting as opposed to fan-forced if possible.
6. Flour a surface and roll out your pastry so it is about a 1/4 inch thick (approx. 3/4 centimetre). Cut out disks using a glass/cookie or scone cutter and place in greased (with vegan butter or some type of oil) minced pie trays (or you could use muffin tins). Place a heaped tsp of the fruit mince in each and then top with a pasty lid or cut out star. You do you honeybunches!
7. Once you've built all your mince pies, bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Store in an air-tight container once room temperature. So good :)

Having cauliflower cheese growing up was looked forward to with much anticipation & the odd bit of drool. The dish follows the fabulous logic, being that if you take a vegetable, drown it in cheesiness - then BOOM, it's going to be bloomin' brilliant! I had my doubt as to whether this would be flavourful enough, but it most certainly is, plus it tastes like the real deal. I even fed it to my grandparents, to whom lentils are quite out there - and they didn't bat an eye lid despite it missing the dairy & the regular flour. Hoorah!

Serves 4-6 as a side

Ingredients

• 1 large head of broccoli, chopped into large florets
• 1/2 a large cauliflower, chopped into large florets
• olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 heaped tsp minced garlic
• 1 heaped tbsp vegan butter
• 2 tbsp GF plain flour (or regular plain flour)
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk (or oat milk if not GF)
• 1 cup loosely packed vegan cheese shreds
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• pinch nutmeg
• salt & pepper
• large handful vegan cheese shreds to top

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C.
2. Place your broccoli & cauliflower florets into a large pot and add a sufficient amount of boiling water, then boil them for 2-4 minutes or until only PAR-boiled. They will finish cooking in the oven. Drain & place your florets into an oven safe dish.
3. In a medium non-stick pot, add a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add in the flour and stir for a minute or two, so the flour cooks slightly.
4. Add the milk in small increments at first, and then in large increments until all the milk is added. A whisk works best for this process. You want to stir really well so there are minimal lumps. The GF flour will leave your white sauce a little courser then you would otherwise expect, but I promise once you put it all in the oven, everything will marry together and taste like the original. Once all the milk has been added, take off the heat and add your cheese shreds. Mix together for a minute or two (the cheese shreds will melt only slightly, don't worry they'll continue melting in the oven), then add your coconut milk, nutmeg, salt & pepper.
5. Pour (or rather plop - don't worry if it's a little thick, it thins out in the oven, due to all the moisture in the veg) the sauce over the veg, poking it down the odd nook & cranny. Drizzle over a little olive oil and top with the handful of vegan cheese.
6. Bake in the pre-heated oven (no need to cover it) for 20 minutes, then switch to the grill setting for 5 more minutes. Serve up my friend, so insanely good!

Desserts growing up were often apple crumble this or lemon delicious that, which means that these days I don't find anything with apple or lemon with pastry - or in other words, with the added ingredients of flour & sugar, to be anything to get to excited about. However, since hiatus-ing from them for a bit, I've found myself enjoying the odd A-grade one here and there. So here I bring you an apple pie which surprised me big time by how delicious it tasted. The pastry is POPPIN'! And the apple filling couldn't be easier (I'm talkin' 1-bowl y'all - woohoo!), so all in all it's one mega scrumptious, deceivingly plain-looking party for your tastebuds.

Hope ya' enjoy this one honeybunches!

Makes 1 x 21cm (8 1/2) inch pie

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

• 2 cups GF plain flour (or regular plain flour)
• 3 tbsp almond meal
• 1/2 tsp xanthum gum
• pinch salt
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup cold vegan butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (room temp is good)
• 1/4 cup cold water

Apple & Cinnamon Filling

• 4 cups thinly sliced apple
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 4 tbsp corn flour
• pinch salt
• 2 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla

To Top

• melted coconut oil
• cinnamon
• coconut sugar

Method

1. Make your pastry ahead of time (it needs to chill for a minimum 30 minutes. I chilled mine overnight), by placing the first five pastry ingredients into a food processor (or large bowl), and pulsing (or mixing) until combined.
2. Add the vegan butter and coconut oil and pulse again (or use a fork to press & mix through thoroughly, if making the pastry in a bowl) until looking crumbly & combined. Finally add the water and pulse/mix once more until combined.
3. Use your hands to press the pastry together into a smooth ball. Fashion into a disk (it’ll be easier to defrost that way), wrap up in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 mins minimum.
4. Make your filling by taking a large bowl and combining the first six ingredients with a wooden spoon so that everything is well combined. Add the lemon juice, coconut oil and vanilla and mix once more until everything is combined.
5. When ready to make & cook your pie, pre-heat your oven to 180C. Take out your pastry and let warm up enough so that you can roll it with a rolling pin. Grease your 21cm dish and divide your pastry into 2/3 and the other 1/3 for the top.
6. Roll out the 2/3 of the mixture into a circle a couple of inches bigger than your dish. Use your rolling pin to roll it up and transfer it into your dish. If there are any tears, just patch it up with the overhang. Prick the bottom with a fork a handful of times, then add your apple filling. Roll out the remaining pastry for your pie lid, plonk on top and decorate/seal how you like. You can't go wrong, it's practically playdough, just a little more crumbly.
7. Brush the top with the coconut oil and sprinkle over some cinnamon and more sugar if you desire.
8. Bake your pie on a tray (in case the juices bubble out and over - totally normal if they do) in the pre-heated oven for one hour. Rest for 10 minutes before serving. A vegan vanilla ice cream goes wonderfully with it. YUM!

Would you look at this Honeybunches!! A chocolate log that looks and tastes fab-a-dab-dab, yet somehow gets away with being free-from the conventional ingredients that you would find in the O.G. ("original") version. I tested this recipe a heck-tone of times honeybunches, and that's a lot of chocolate logs (or rather broken up logs) to have on hand. So I am mega confident you'll find this one to roll to your liking and form one hardy, NOT fragile swirly-whirly log of wonderfulness. Woohoo!

Makes 1 x 28cm/11 inch long cake

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp mashed ripe banana
• 1/2 cup apple puree
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup aquafaba (the starchy water from a can of chickpeas)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk
• 2 tsp apple cidar vinegar
• 1 cup GF plain flour (or sub for regular plain flour)
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  Cream Filling
• 1 1/2 cups natural COYO yoghurt
• 2 tbsp vegan cream cheese (I used tofutti)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Put it on the slow setting preferably over fan-forced, but both would work.
2. Take a large bowl and add the banana, apple puree and coconut sugar. Whisk until smooth, then add the maple, oil, aquafaba & vanilla and whisk again until combined.
3. Add the baking powder, bicarb, plant-milk & vinegar, then whisk again until combined. Add the flour, almond meal & cocoa and finally whisk gently from the center outwards until every is combined and smooth.
4. Grease and line a 28 x 35 cm (or 11 x 14 inch) baking tray (or similar) and pour the mixture into it and smooth out to all the edges with a spatula. The height should be about 1cm or a little more.
5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake bounces back at your touch. Let cool for 5 minutes.
6. Starting from the short edge, gently roll up your cake into a big spiral, wrapping all the baking paper up inside the cake. Don't worry if it looks like an interesting triangular architectural design, it will still work come assembling it. Set aside to cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, make your cream filling, by whipping together the COYO and cream cheese with electric beaters until thoroughly combined. Add the maple and vanilla and beat again until thick & smooth. Chill until needed.
8. When ready to assemble your log, gently unravel your cake, spread the cream filling all over the rectangle of cake, leaving a 1 inch gap where your log will finish rolling. Then you guessed it, gently roll the cake back up, so it looks like one lovely snail shell. Peel the baking paper away from the cake as you do this, so that it doesn't roll up inside of it. Take a large piece of plastic wrap and lift your log into the middle of it, wrap it up and chill for about 4 hours minimum until set and easy to cut.
9. When ready to serve, unwrap your log, top and tail it for flush ends (if you care about that), then slice and serve. To make it look nice, you can dust it with cocoa, icing sugar or chopped chocolate like I did. Chill, wrapped in something so to prevent it from drying out when not consuming. Enjoy honeybunches!