I’ve had my eye on Gusto for ages
Jesmond Dene
I often think it’s funny how you can live in a city and go for such a long time without seeing actual greenery and nature
Brunch at Arlo
Round Up | Vegan Week
Fresh Pesto | Vegan Week
It’s a pretty simple recipe for today
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’m too posh for shop bought jarred pesto, but sometimes there’s just nothing better than the real deal.
Either make this in bulk and keep it in the fridge or just whip up a bowl and use it straight away (I haven’t tried storing it so can’t guarantee what’d happen but you’ll never know if you don’t try!)
I always try to have a basil plant in the house as I use it so often cooking, although winter in the North has been bitter and cruel to my poor basil, so I made this pesto using the last leaves before it died.
Most pesto (shop-bought and most pesto recipes) contain parmesan or a similar cheese – which isn’t even vegetarian let alone vegan!
So this recipe packs in all the flavour of your standard pesto but is totally vegan, totally fresh and beautiful.
I find pine nuts extortionately expensive, so you can use them if you want, but I use pistachio nuts which are considerably cheaper and I love the taste!
I mixed this with pasta (but was too hungry and ate it before I could take a photo, bad blogger!), but you could try it in sandwiches, burgers, drizzled over salad, with chicken… the list is endless
Ingredients:
Handful or two basil leaves
Handful spinach/rocket (optional – good if you want to bulk the recipe out!)
Large drizzle extra virgin olive oil
Handful pistachio nuts (de-shelled)
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 clove garlic
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
Method:
- Chop up the pistachio nuts fairly small, and toast in a dry frying pan
- Grab your blender
- Throw in all the ingredients
- Whizz around until pesto-like in consistency (come on, I don’t need to spell it out for you do I?!)
- Tadaaaaa
Let me know if you try this recipe and send me photos! (Tag me on instagram – @catunwin)
Sausage Pasta | Vegan Week
You know those meals you forget you love, but after rummaging through your cupboards trying tirelessly to find something to cobble together a meagre meal, you remember?
Yeah. This is one of those.
Warming and comforting but not that bad for you and pretty easy to throw together.
And throw any seasoning you like at it, chances are you can’t go wrong.
Cajun is the spice for me at the moment, I’m putting it in every recipe I can. I’ll be adding it into my porridge before you know it.
Ingredients (to serve 1):
1 cup pasta
1 red onion
1/2 red pepper
1/2 tomato
1 clove garlic
1/2 tinned tomatoes
Handful black olives
2 sausages (I used vegan Linda McCartney)
Method:
- Cook the sausages according to pack instructions (I cooked them through in the oven then fried them at the end)
- Set the pasta to cook
- When pasta is partially cooked start to fry the onions, pepper, garlic and the sausage. Add the tinned tomatoes and the olives and stir. Season with your flavours of choice, I went for Cajun, cayenne pepper and oregano.
- Stir in the cooked pasta and enjoy!
Everyday Lunch | Soup | Vegan Week
Pepperoni Pizza | Vegan Week
Ok ok… so a food blog perhaps isn’t the most appropriate of homes for a ‘pepperoni pizza’ recipe. But vegans need days off too!
Katy Jane 