Far out! Shut the back door and hold the phone, because this is SUCH A GOOD RECIPE!! Not saying it's the best vegan and gluten dumpling recipe on the internet, but it sure must be close. The wrapper is gluten free yet definitely not to it's detriment. You can't really tell when you're devouring them and plus for the chef - it's far from a traumatic experience handling the dough. Quite the contrary, it's almost therapeutic! Enjoy this one HB's x

Makes 28 dumplings + a chef's snack worth of filling left over
Serves 4

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 garlic clove, peeled & crushed
• 1 small knob of ginger, peeled
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 bunch spring onions, top and tailed
• 8 button mushrooms, halved
• 1 very large handful wombok cabbage (or any cabbage)
• 150g firm tofu, drained & patted dry with paper towel
• glug of grapeseed oil
• small handful coriander/cilantro finely chopped
• 2 tsp tamari (or soy sauce if not GF)
• 1 tsp coconut aminos (also called liquid aminos)
• handful dried mushrooms (any variety is fine)
• 1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
• pepper
  Dough
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 3/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
• 3/4 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1 tsp xanthum gum
• pinch salt
• 1 cup warm water

Method

1. Make your filling, by first blitzing ingredients in stages in the food processor. Do the garlic, ginger, carrot and spring onions together until quite finely chopped but still with a little texture. Then add to a large fry-pan or pot. Blitz the mushrooms and cabbage together. These will cook/shrink down so don't blitz these as finely. Add to the pot and also crumble in the tofu. Add the oil and pop on medium heat. Sauté until everything is relatively soft & reduced in volume.
2. Boil your kettle and pop your dried mushrooms into a small boil. Pour over about 2 tbsp of hot water, then bop the mushrooms below the surface and leave to steep for a few minutes.
3. Once the veg mixture is looking hella tasty, add the coriander, tamari, coconut aminos and a grind of pepper. Fish out the dried mushrooms from their broth, then add the cornflour to the fragrant liquid. Whisk to combine. Pour this mixture into the veggie tofu pot and stir to combine. Let cook for a minute or so more to slightly thicken and come together, then take off the heat and set aside.
4. Make the dough by pouring the flours, xanthum gum and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the center and add about half the warm water. Use a fork to bring the mixture together. Add the remaining hot water and mix again. Switch to using your hands once the fork isn't much help no longer and bring into a smooth dough. Knead for a few minutes, adding a smidge more flour or hot water if required.
5. Grab a damp tea towel (or two), a rolling pin, your filling, a tray to put the finished dumplings on, something round to cut out the dough with and a small bowl with some water in it which you'll use to seal the little buggers. Roll out the dough and mold the dumplings like I did in the video linked below. Or in a similar fashion, you do you. Just remember to cover up any dough or dumplings that you're not working with or that are complete, with a damp tea towel so nothing dries out and cracks. There will be some filling left over which you can use as a chefs-snack after all your hard assembling work.
6. Cook your dumplings either in a steamer for about 8 minutes, or turn them into pot stickers (recommended, but you do you) by grabbing a good nonstick pot or pan and adding a generous glug of grapeseed (or vegetable) oil to it. Once hot, add in some pot stickers (you'll likely have to do a couple of batches) and cook until the under side is nice and golden. With the pot/pan's lid ready (or a tray if the vessel you're using doesn't have one) add 1/4 cup of hot water to the pan and then immediately cover with the lid. It will splatter so be careful and work quickly. Cook for about 8 minutes on medium heat, then remove the lid and let the last bit of water evaporate. Set the dumplings aside on a plate and repeat the cooking process to cook all the dumplings. Serve with tamari or coconut aminos or what ever you like. Deeelish!!!

Finally it's possible to make steamed buns gluten-free, and the best part is it's not really that hard!! This recipe is meant to be gluten-free, so make the dough in my other steamed bun recipe if you're not after a GF result. They're not as light as the traditional gluten containing ones, but my goodness do they hold up. Bloomin' delicious, they are!

Makes 8 large steamed buns
Serves 3-4

This recipe includes 1 hr + 15 minutes resting/rising time

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 3/4 cup GF self-raising flour
• 1 heaped tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp castor sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 1 cup unsweetened plant milk
  Filling
• 1 garlic clove, peeled & crushed
• 1 small knob of ginger, peeled
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 bunch spring onions, top and tailed
• 8 button mushrooms, halved
• 1 very large handful wombok cabbage (or any cabbage)
• 150g firm tofu, drained & patted dry with paper towel
• glug of grapeseed oil
• small handful coriander/cilantro finely chopped
• 2 tsp tamari (or soy sauce if not GF)
• 1 tsp coconut aminos (also called liquid aminos)
• handful dried mushrooms (any variety is fine)
• 1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
• pepper

Method

1. Start by making your dough as it needs time to rise. Place the flour, yeast, castor sugar and salt in the bowl of a mix master with a dough hook attached (alternatively do this by hand) and whisk to combined. Pour the oil into the mixture, then pop the plant milk in a pot on the stove and heat until quite warm, but not boiling. Pour half into the bowl and mix with the dough hook until everything starts coming together. Add the remaining hot milk and let the mixture come together to form a smooth dough. Add a smidge more flour or a splash of water if needed to form a smooth dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed with your hand for a minute or two, then shape into a smooth ball. Oil the bowl the dough was mixed in, pop the dough back in the bowl, oil the top of the dough, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes to rise.
2. Meanwhile make your filling by blitzing ingredients together in the food processor. Do the garlic, ginger, carrot and spring onions together until quite finely chopped by still with a little texture. Then add to a large fry-pan or pot. Then blitz the mushrooms and cabbage together. These will cook/shrink down so don't blitz these as finely. Add to the pot and also crumble in the tofu. Add the oil and pop on medium heat. Sauté until everything is relatively soft & reduced in volume.
3. Boil your kettle and pop your dried mushrooms into a small boil. Pour over about 2 tbsp of hot water, then bop the mushrooms below the surface and leave to steep for a few minutes.
4. Once the veg mixture is looking hella tasty, add the coriander, tamari, coconut aminos and a grind of pepper. Fish out the dried mushrooms from their broth, then add the cornflour to the fragrant liquid. Whisk to combine. Pour this mixture into the veggie tofu pot and stir to combine. Let cook for a minute or so more to slightly thicken and come together, then take off the heat and set aside.
5. Revisit your dough after it's 45 minutes, and pop out onto a flour surface again. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a cm in thickness (it will be slightly tougher than before but still workable), then assemble into buns as I do in the video linked below. Cover all dough and buns with a damp tea-towel so not to dry out. Once all assembled, leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
6. Pop your buns in little patty liners and steam in a bamboo steamer for 8 minutes until risen and fluffy. Best eaten fresh. Eat with more tamari/coconut aminos/sweet chilli sauce. Woo!

I can't believe I haven't posted a nut loaf recipe on this blog until now! I mean, I rarely have them because they feel a bit typical and unimaginative in the 'what's for dinner' department. But when done well and not solely comprised of nuts so that they become ludicrously rich - they can actually be very delicious. I acknowledge that sometimes putting together a menu plan when people coming over that's completely vegan can be very daunting, as you suddenly don't have the 'main' component - which is usually meat. So consider this one very handy recipe, that would make a sublime center piece on a fancier occasion or weeknight.

Makes 1 loaf
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups raw nuts (I used mix of cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds & brazil - but it's a very flexible recipe - so use what you have on hand)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves (or 1 tbsp minced garlic), chopped
• 2 cups mushrooms, chopped small
• 1 cup pumpkin, cubed small (1cm square type size)
• 1/2 vegan stock cube, e.g. 'chicken' or vegetable
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp italian herb mix
• 1 sprig rosemary, leaves only
• 2 tsp ketchup/tomato sauce
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• pepper
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (GF or not)
  To serve: gravy and cranberry sauce go wonderfully with this

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180C.
2. In a large fry-pan, add the nuts and sunflower seeds, toss and toast for a few minutes until lightly golden on a few sides and smelling mighty-fine. Keep an eye on them as they can burn easily.
3. Remove the nuts from the pan and blitz a couple of times in a food processor, or alternatively chop by hand (when they've cooled slightly mind you), or bash with a rolling pin inside a plastic bag. Set aside.
4. In the fry-pan, add a generous glug of olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until starting to soften. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they start to release their juices.
5. Add the pumpkin cubes, the 1/2 a stock cube and cover with water. Bring to the boil, give everything a stir, then cover the pan with a lid (or a tray if you don't have one) and cook until the pumpkin has softened. Add more water if need be. It should take about 5 minutes.
6. Remove the lid/tin and let any extra water bubble away. Add the herbs and the rosemary, stirring for a minute or two. Take off the heat.
7. Using the fry-pan as a mixing bowl now, add the nuts to the pan, along with the ketchup, dijon, ground flax and a generous sprinkling of salt. Mix to combine. Add in the breadcrumbs and mix once more to combine (with your hands if necessary).
8. Spread the mixture into a lined loaf pan (can't really go wrong with the shape/size, it will just affect the height of the finished loaf) and cook in the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Serve with sides you'd generally have with a 'roast', or however you'd like to serve it. Go to town!

I know you can buy it in a tub, and it's a pretty generic recipe that exists in countless forms all over the internet - but this one genuinely is exactly what you want it to be, as well as being dead easy. Win! The flavour is like the best store-bought variety except far fresher and creamier. Yes please! A great recipe to include in your meal prep every now and then.

Makes approx. 4 cups

Ingredients

• 1 heaped cup (250g) dried chickpeas
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 cup hulled tahini
• 1/4 cup thoroughly chilled water
• Juice of 3 lemons
• 2 tsp minced garlic (or 2 cloves)
• 2 tsp salt
• pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 pack of pre-cooked vac-packed beets (about 5 small peeled & cooked beetroot)
• 1 tbsp cold water

Method

1. Get your chickpeas soaking for at least a day before you intend to start eating this recipe, by placing the chickpeas in a bowl (or jug to save space) and cover with water, leaving enough room for them to double in size. Pop them in the fridge (unless you live in a very chilly climate/time of year) and let them do their thing for 1-3 days.
2. When ready to make your hummus, drain the chickpeas and transfer to a pot, add the bicarb and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer, letting them bubble away for 20-25 minutes. Yes, the chickpeas will become incredibly mushy, but this will also cook out the bitter-ness, so it's important to let them keep bubbling away. Scrape off and discard any foam that forms on the top during the cooking process.
3. Meanwhile pop the tahini into a bowl, along with the 1/4 cup of cold water. Whisk to emulsify the tahini and thicken into a creamy paste.
4. Add the tahini paste into a food processor/blender, along with the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and beets. Once the chickpeas are cooked, drain and leave to dry off for about 5 minutes. Then add the chickpeas to the food processor/blender and blend until incredibly smooth. Add the 1 tbsp of cold water, if not more (as it will thicken up when chilled) and continue blending into a delicious creamy dip. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Transfer to a container and pop in the fridge to chill. Once cold, devour however you please!

This tart might look unassuming, but it's flavours are next level! The shell, although crumbly (however, I argue this works in the tarts favor, as you can mop up the crunchy crumbs with the creamy interior - yum), has a caramely note to it, the interior is sweet, vanillary and with a lemony-twang (YUM!) and the fruit provides a refreshing note that marries everything together. Need a simple dessert at your next dinner party or birthday, look no further!

Makes 1 x 24cm (or 9 1/2 inch) fruit cake
Serves 6-12

Ingredients

• 250g approx. plain sweet vegan biscuits (GF or not), e.g. arrowroot or scotch fingers
• 1/4 cup vegan butter/margarine
• 115g vegan cream cheese (half a tub of Tofutti cream cheese, which is what I recommend)
• 1 1/2 cups natural COYO yogurt
• juice & zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• fresh fruit to top of your choice

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C, popping the vegan butter/margarine in a heat-proof bowl and into the oven to melt.
2. Place the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor (or alternatively bash inside a bag with a rolling pin), and blitz to the texture of fine sand. Add the melted butter and blitz into the texture of wet sand...hmmm.
3. Tip into a 24cm/9 1/2 inch (approx.) pie, tart or cake tin, and press the crumbs up the sides (only halfway if using a cake tin) firmly with the back of a spoon, your hands or the damp outside of a glass. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, or until slightly golden & smelling sensational.
4. Meanwhile make your filling, by beating the COYO in the bowl of a mix master (or with electric beaters) until thickened. Add in the cream cheese and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the lemon juice & zest, vanilla and maple syrup, beat once more to combine. Transfer the mixture to the fridge to chill and thicken slightly before serving.
5. Once the tart shell has cooled, add the creamy filling to it's center and pile on fresh (seasonal even) fruit of your choice. Slice & serve, yes it has a slight crumble to it, but you can mop it up with the creamy filling. Plus, the taste will shut everyone up so don't stress about it's imperfect presentation!