Going vegan......old style?!

dizzy_lizzie

Justamum wrote: »

I got a copy of Vegan With a Vengeance from my library the other day, and tried making the veggie burgers. Has anybody tried making these successfully? I ended up using the mixture as a base for shepherds pie as it was too sloppy to hold together. I did use frozen soya mince though so that might have been a factor. I would be interested to know if anyone else has tried it.

Snap...I've got the same book out I haven't tried any of the recipes yet I just keep reading them, some really great ones too. If I'm making any burger, usually bean burgers, I always add a slice or two of bread into the food processor with the ingredients as I find this gives the burgers a bit of body and helps to hold it together. Also before I very shallow fry I add flour to my hands and then shape them, that definately helps to stop them falling apart and browns them nicely.
Hope that helps...I'll have a go at something from the book myself before it's due back!
Luvz Dizzy x

Justamum

dizzy_lizzie wrote: »

Snap...I've got the same book out I haven't tried any of the recipes yet I just keep reading them, some really great ones too. If I'm making any burger, usually bean burgers, I always add a slice or two of bread into the food processor with the ingredients as I find this gives the burgers a bit of body and helps to hold it together. Also before I very shallow fry I add flour to my hands and then shape them, that definately helps to stop them falling apart and browns them nicely.
Hope that helps...I'll have a go at something from the book myself before it's due back!
Luvz Dizzy x

This mixture uses oat flour (so I whizzed up oats) and added a bit more than the recipe said. It's still extremely wet. I wonder if dry tvp would have worked better? I suppose I could buy some and try it. I'm not overly keen on the texture of bean burgers which is why I wanted to try this tvp burger.

Have you ever seen seitan on sale? American veggie recipes seem to use it a lot, and I have never seen it on sale here.

dizzy_lizzie

Justamum wrote: »

Have you ever seen seitan on sale? American veggie recipes seem to use it a lot, and I have never seen it on sale here.

NO I haven't come to think of it. To be honest I don't eat tofu, it's the texture and I think seitan is similar, I may be wrong. You can make your own and found this on the vegan society website
http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/food/recipes/soya-free/seitan.aspx

Luvz Dizzy x

dizzy_lizzie

Justamum wrote: »

Sponge Cake

2 cups SR flour
1 cup caster sugar
(1/4 to 1/3 cup cocoa powder if you want a chocolate cake)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup soya (or any other non-dairy milk)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup orange juice (or replace this with milk or water and use a couple of tbs of vinegar or lemon juice)
2 tsp vanilla essence (or orange or lemon if you want those flavours)

Sieve the dry ingredients together, mix the liquids together then mix well into the dry ingredients. Pour into a greased and line 10" x 8" cake tin or 24 cake cases and bake @ 180c for about 30 minutes (can never remember exactly - you'll have to keep checking) for the large cake, and about 12-15 minutes for the small cakes. If you want to make a round cake then reduce the temp to 160c and cook for about 1 hour.

Have just made this, the chocolate sponge one, and waiting for it to cool. It smells absolutely gorgeous, has risen really nicely and will go down a treat with alpro soya custard. Will post a piccie at some stage.
Thanks Justamum for posting the recipe
Luvz Dizzy x

hannah:-)_2

ThriftyFelicity wrote: »

You can buy them in most independent health food shops, tub looks like this:

Many thanks ThriftyFelicity and NualaBuala - I still haven't been able to track this down, but at least I know what I'm looking for now

Justamum

hannah:-) wrote: »

Many thanks ThriftyFelicity and NualaBuala - I still haven't been able to track this down, but at least I know what I'm looking for now

I'm sure I've seen it in H&B too. Apparently there's one in a blue tub which has B12 in it, but I haven't seen that one yet.

lightisfading

Justamum wrote: »

Have you ever seen seitan on sale? American veggie recipes seem to use it a lot, and I have never seen it on sale here.

Only in specialist / very well stocked shops like the amazing Infinity Foods in Brighton. Generally every time I visit a big city I research online beforehand to see if there are any good organic/veggie/vegan type stockists, to get those bits and bobs you couldn't get anywhere else - and usually when i visit family in Brighton I come back with a bagful of shopping!

Vaila

hannah:-) wrote: »

Many thanks ThriftyFelicity and NualaBuala - I still haven't been able to track this down, but at least I know what I'm looking for now

i bought this in holland & barrett but ive seen it in a few of the larger supermarkets

dizzy_lizzie

As promised here is a pic of the choc cake from the recipe posted by Justamum. Did a chocolate buttercream filling and spread over and around it too. Was sooooooo delicious and really moist


Luvz Dizzy x

NualaBuala

Dizzy, that looks amazing ... I'm drooling slightly! I have fallen off the vegan wagon but that would make me want to climb back on!