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Roasted Beetroot Cream Sauce for Pasta

roasted beetroot cream sauce on spaghetti
With garlic bread and broccoli…

This roasted beetroot cream sauce is earthy and easy, and so delicious and vibrant in colour.

We roasted a bunch of beets the night before when the oven was on for another meal, and then popped them in the fridge until needed. We used beautiful stripey Chioggia beetroot from the garden but any beets will do.

Beetroot Cream Sauce

  • Pour the beets and roasting oil into a saucepan.
  • Add: 1 chopped onion, a few cloves of garlic, a small bunch of parsley and a little chopped celery.
  • Fry up for a few minutes until the veg is softened.
  • Pop into a blender with a small box of vegan cream and a little salt. We used Oatly.
  • Blend!
  • Stir into pasta of your choice. It worked very well with spaghetti, coating a 500g packet perfectly.

If you liked this beetroot cream sauce, check out our other main dishes here.

Book of the Moment

Creating a Forest Garden: Forest gardening is a novel way of growing edible crops – with nature doing most of the work for you. A forest garden is modelled on young natural woodland, with a wide range of crops growing in different vertical layers. Unlike in a conventional garden, there is little need for digging, weeding or pest control. Buy UK

Olio

Active in many countries across the world, Olio is an app that you can download to your phone to share food in your local area. It does have a desktop version too. People share things that they can’t use up in time from their fridge, or cupboard items that they no longer want. Food Waste Heroes (which you can volunteer to be) collect yellow stickered or surplus food from businesses and then share it for free on the app.

sunflower in the garden and a beetroot cream sauce
Sunflower in the garden
GreenBay 100% vegan supermarket
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Roast Butternut Soup with Lemon Thyme

butternut squash soup

This roast butternut soup is perfect for autumn. Season of beautiful leaves, mushrooms in the grass and an abundance of apples. And squashes, let’s not forget them.

Timely then that Oatly sent us some of their products and a recipe for roast butternut squash soup with lemon thyme. The apples really add a seasonal fruitiness to this dish, don’t miss them out!

Roast Butternut Soup Ingredients

mushrooms
  • 250 ml Oatly Organic Creamy Oat
  • 1 butternut squash
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • a couple of onions, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp. minced ginger
  • 1 minced red chilli
  • 2 sprigs of lemon thyme
  • 2 green apples, diced
  • 800 ml vegetable stock
  • 1 lemon
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds to serve

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 240C/475F
  • Halve the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds using a large spoon. Place the halves on a large baking sheet with flech side up. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
  • Heat a large pot over a medium high heat and add the oil. Add the onions, chilli, ginger and apple and cook gently until soft.
  • Using a large spoon, scoop out the flesh from the butternut squash and add it with the thyme to the pot.
  • Pour over the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and blend using a hand-blender to desired consistency.
  • Add the Oatly Organic Creamy Oat and squeeze over lemon. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Serve with toasted pumpkin seeds. We didn’t have those but we did have homemade potato wedges which made up for it.

Recipe credit: this recipe was made with Oatly Creamy Oat – a great dairy free, healthy alternative to single cream. For more delicious recipes and further information about the Oatly way of life, visit facebook.com/oatlyab

Creamy Oat is also great with puddings such as apple pie, it comes out of the fridge with the consistency of double cream. Pie recipe over on frugal.org uk

apple pie
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Vegan Macaroni Cheese Recipe Using Miso

vegan macaroni cheese

This vegan macaroni cheese recipe uses sweet white miso paste for some of its cheesiness! If you want to make it more yellow you can add turmeric to it, but we quite like it in this paler form.

Vegan Macaroni Cheese Ingredients

  • 1 bag (500g) macaroni – we favour the Scottish brand of Marshalls, it has a nice curl to it and good texture for this recipe.
  • a tablespoon vegan margarine
  • 1 onion or leek, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of plain white flour
  • 1 litre of unsweetened soya milk
  • a stock cube (we used Kallo organic)
  • 1 teaspoon of smooth yellow mustard
  • 2 heaped tablespoons of sweet white miso
  • seasalt to taste
  • 2 or 3 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • Grated vegan cheese (in the UK GreenBay have a huge range of cheeses, including many artisan small batch varieties.)

Method

Cook the macaroni as per packet instructions. While the water is coming to the boil/pasta cooking, prepare the sauce. Melt the marg and cook the onion in it for a few minutes. Add the flour and stir thoroughly. Gradually add the milk, stirring all the time to avoid lumps (but don’t worry too much, they seem to be un-noticed in the final mix anyway). Add in the stock, mustard and salt, still stirring away. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and stir in the miso.

Put your grill on to heat on high. Drain your pasta (once cooked) and mix in the sauce. Place in a large oven proof dish and top with the tomatoes and then cheese on top. Place under the grill for a few minutes until it goes a little squidgy (a very specific and precise term)… yum.

Catkins by the loch:

vegan macaroni cheese


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Carrot Turmeric Soup: golden and nutritious

carrot and turmeric soup

This carrot and turmeric soup is rich and nutritious and golden, perfect for the start of Autumn! Turmeric is rich in iron and also anti-inflammatory. The olive oil and black pepper in the recipe are there to make the most of these properties.

Carrot Turmeric Soup Ingredients

  • 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled
  • 4 or 5 small new potatoes, skins on, chopped small
  • 5 large carrots or equivalent, scraped and chopped
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • a handful of cashew nuts
  • 1 to 2 heaped teaspoons of turmeric (we used this one)
  • about 1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly ground if possible
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • water to cover ingredients well
  • seasalt to taste

Method

Place the ginger, potatoes, carrots and onion in a large pan and cover well with boiling water. Bring back to boil and add the cashew nuts and garlic. While the vegetables are cooking mix the turmeric in the olive oil with the black pepper and leave to stand.

Once the vegetables are tender, add salt to taste and place everything – veg, liquid, nuts, turmeric/oil mix – into a blender and blitz until smooth.

Pour into bowls and squeeze some lime juice over the top. Yum!

See all our vegan recipes here

Montbretia by the pond:



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Raw Spaghetti Bolognese with Courgetti #vegan

raw spaghetti bolognese

Delicious and zesty, fresh and full of flavour, this raw Spaghetti Bolognese is bursting with goodness too.

Ingredients – for one person

  • one courgette (zucchini)
  • 2 large ripe tomatoes
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • a handful of walnuts
  • one clove of garlic, peeled
  • a squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
  • fresh herbs of your choice. You don’t need a great quantity when the recipe is raw as the flavour will be strong. A few small sprigs or leaves are enough. Oregano is traditional, but parsley, sage, thyme, lovage and lemon balm all work well, or a mixture thereof.
  • olives to top

Method for Raw Spaghetti Bolognese

Spiralize the courgette into noodles, or courgetti, using a spiralizer or cut into thin strips with a vegetable peeler or knife. Blend up all the other ingredients to make make the sauce. A high powered blender works best to get the nuts really smooth. Dish up your noodles and sauce and top with olives and/or chopped herbs. Enjoy your Raw Spaghetti Bolognese!

Our Vegan Christmas section has been updated and streamlined, hence the glut of festive posts before this one! Check it out for lots more recipes and gift ideas too.

Lucy’s traditionally published books are available on Amazon UK  and Amazon worldwide, also Waterstones or see Author website for more details.

Ailish Sinclair's novels
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Traditional Vegan Christmas Pudding

snowy woodland scene: vegan christmas pudding recipe

Vegan Christmas Pudding by Catriona

Ingredients

  • 12oz/350g sultanas
  • 4oz/120g glace cherries, halved
  • 10z/300g ground almonds
  • 4oz/120g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • half a tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
  • 8oz/230g dark brown molasses sugar
  • 4oz/120gsoft, fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
  • 8oz/230g vegetable suet
  • grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp black treacle
  • 4 floz/125ml/half a cup soya milk
  • sherry
  • soak the sultanas in plenty sherry

Method

Grease a 2 pint pudding basin. Put the soaked fruit, cherries and ground almonds into a large bowl. Add the flour, salt, spices, sugar, breadcrumbs, suet, lemon zest and juice, treacle, soya milk and 4 tbsp sherry. Mix well to make a soft mixture. Spoon into the basin, cover with two layers of greased foil and tie down. Steam for 4 hours. Cool. Cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and two layers of tinfoil. To reheat steam for three hours as before. (I have to say that when I make it I prick the pudding and feed some more sherry or brandy into it…) and don’t forget that after it is reheated pour MORE brandy over it and set it on fire.

If you liked this vegan Christmas pudding, check out all our other festive recipes here

vcre

‘Vegetarian Christmas’ by Rose Elliot. Not exclusively vegan but there is a plethora of vegan delights included and most of the lacto-ovo recipes are easily ‘veganisable’. Our favourite Christmas dinner of Chestnut and Red wine pate en croute is one of many included here along with lots of advice on taking the work out of Christmas catering. This book is full of ideas for lots of special touches which can be prepared early and frozen – a firm favourite. Now out of print but the hardcover is available cheaply from both UK and USA Amazons below and has lots of lovely photos throughout 🙂 We love this book so much we even wrote a blog post on it!
Buy Amazon UK 

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Mincemeat for Christmas Mince Pies #vegan

Mincemeat by Catriona

Mincemeat Ingredients

mincemeat pies for Vegan Christmas
  • 1lb/450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
  • 8oz/225g shredded vegetable suet
  • 12 oz/350g sultanas
  • 16 oz/450g dried apricots
  • 12oz/350g soft dark brown sugar
  • grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
  • grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
  • 2oz/60g whole almonds, slivered
  • 4 tsp mixed spice
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • half a nutmeg, grated
  • 6 tbsp vegan brandy

Method

Mix all ingredients ,except the brandy, together in a bowl then cover and leave for 12 hours. To prevent fermentation place the mincemeat in a 120C/ 225F oven for 3 hours. Then allow to cool, stir in brandy and put in clean jars and seal.

See all our festive recipes here

The Mermaid and the Bear, the perfect read for Christmas!

At Amazon UK  and Amazon worldwide, also Waterstones or see Author website for more details.

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Easy Vegan Chocolate Rum Truffles

These chocolate rum truffles are super easy and completely delicious.

Chocolate Rum Truffles Ingredients

chocolate rum truffle
  • Some left over cake, crumbled – about 2 cups
  • 2 tablespoons of Apricot jam
  • 2 tablespoons of rum (or rum flavouring)
  • 1 teaspoon of cocoa
  • 50g./2oz (half a large bar) of vegan chocolate, melted
  • Coating of choice – cocoa, chopped nuts, coconut etc.
  • Optional: you can coat them in more melted chocolate if you like!

Method

Mix everything together and then squeeze into balls (about 5 cm. diameter) and roll in the coating. Place in petit four cases (or on a festive napkin as in slightly bizarre picture).

If you liked these chocolate rum truffles you might like more of our festive recipes here

vcre

‘Vegetarian Christmas’ by Rose Elliot. Not exclusively vegan but there is a plethora of vegan delights included and most of the lacto-ovo recipes are easily ‘veganisable’. Our favourite Christmas dinner of Chestnut and Red wine pate en croute is one of many included here along with lots of advice on taking the work out of Christmas catering. This book is full of ideas for lots of special touches which can be prepared early and frozen – a firm favourite.

Now out of print but the hardcover is available cheaply from both UK and USA Amazons below and has lots of lovely photos throughout 🙂 We love this book so much we even wrote a blog post on it!
Buy Amazon UK 

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Vegan Christmas Jewel Biscuits or Cookies

snowy scene: recipe is Christmas jewel biscuits

Vegan Christmas Jewel Biscuits are delicious, sparkly and colourful. The ‘jewels’ are optional but very bright and special – makes about 25 medium (3 inch/9cm) biscuits.

Christmas jewel biscuits ingredients

  • 150g/5oz/three quarter cup caster sugar
  • 150g/5 oz/three quarter cup vegan margarine
  • 5 tablespoons of plant based milk
  • 300g/10 oz/1and a half cups of plain flour
  • teaspoon vanilla extract (or according to pack instructions)
  • boiled sweets – different colours are good

Method

Preheat oven to 200C/400F and grease baking sheets. Cream together the sugar and marg. Mix in the soya milk and vanilla and then the flour. The mixing of the flour is best done with your hands. You should have a workable dough (add more flour if it’s too wet or more soya milk if too dry and doesn’t hold together well).

Roll out on a floured board (to just under 1 cm thick) and cut into shapes – cutters in festive shaped such as stars, trees and angels are lovely but plain round ones are effective too – you can use a drinking glass if you don’t have cutters. Lay on baking sheets. Make a hole in the middle of each biscuit – plain round, diamonds, stars – whatever you like, as long as it is big enough for your sweet! Place a sweet in each hole.

Bake for about 10 minutes for soft bake cookies or a little longer for dryer, crunchy ones. The sweets will melt down and fill the hole in the oven and then reset once cool.

f you want these for tree decoration ONLY you can prolong their life by replacing the sugar in the recipe with salt and adding a couple of tablespoons of PVA glue to the mix (do not eat after doing this option!!) Prior to baking make a small hole in the top with a drinking straw – once cooked and cooled you can thread ribbons through for hanging.

playmobil dragon

Playmobil do a lovely range of non-edible Advent Calendars, with great scenes to build from traditional Nativity to dragons, unicorns, pirates and Santa’s workshop.

Amazon.co.uk

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Chocolate Yule Log Cakes: Big and Small

Large Chocolate Yule Log Cake

Chocolate Yule log cakes for people who can’t do swiss roll.

  • 1 chocolate cake baked in a loaf tin – basic chocolate cake recipe here  or gluten free one here. Or 1 chocolate swiss roll if you can do it!!
  • 1 batch of vegan chocolate ‘butter’ icing: Beat together half a cup/130g/4oz vegan margarine with 1 and a third cups/210g/7 oz sifted icing sugar and one tablespoon of cocoa (also sifted to avoid lumps). Beat in a few drops of natural vanilla extract.
  • 1 tablespoon of icing sugar for dusting
  • 1 festive cake board or large plate and decorations of your choice (fake flowers or berries, holly leaves, small baubles etc.)
Image146

Cake Assembly

Cut the corner off one end of the cake and turn it round to look like a branch (excuse rough drawing!) – arrange on the cake board or plate.
Secure the branch with some of the icing.

With a knife smooth off the corners of the log to make it rounded.
Cover the entire cake with the rest of the icing, then use a fork to make lines and knots like a log 🙂
Dust with icing sugar.
Decorate to your hearts content.

Little Chocolate logs

Ingredients

mini Yule logs for Vegan Christmas
  • 1 chocolate cake prepared in a large square tin so it will not be too deep ( visit the chocolate page if you need a recipe for this)
  • vegan marzipan
  • A bar of dark vegan chocolate
  • icing sugar for dusting
  • glace cherries and crystallised angelica for decoration or children might prefer D&D chocolate beans or other sweets – in the picture weve used pecan nuts

Cut the cake into small rectangles ( 10 cm. X 4 cm. and 2 or 3 cm. deep). Cut thin pieces of marzipan and place on top of the cakes. Pour melted chocolate over the top of each log, decorate to your hearts content and then dust with the icing sugar (snow!).

Also see a gluten free and ‘fudgey’ version of this recipe here