Reece's Cupcakes

Tom and Jess today!

Okay so for various reasons (not least because of our ongoing and undying love affair with peanut butter AND the recent discovery that Sainsbury's basics peanut butter is both amazing and cheap) we decided that a drizzly saturday REQUIRED cupcakes - and what better way to adapt our newly formed muffin recipe than into the greatest sweet on the planet - reece's pieces. The icing alone was good enough, but combined with chocolate cupcakes - unbeatable.

This recipe has quite a few specialist ingredients BUT it is vegan, gluten free, protein-filled and overall not incredibly unhealthy (except for the icing, but trust us, it's worth every calorie).

You're going to need the ingredients for the garbanzo muffins but with a few extra tweaks: makes around 10 (fairly large) cupcakes


1/2 cup Gram Flour (or chickpea or garbanzo beans - these things have too many names)
1/2 cup Gluten Free Self Raising Flour (I use Doves Farm)
1/2 cup Oats
1/2 cup of Soft Brown Sugar
3 tsp Soya Protein Powder (or substitute for 1 tbsp Cornflour)
3 tbsp Carob Powder (or you can use cocoa powder if you prefer)
3 tbsp Soya Butter
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 ripe Bananas
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Distilled Vinegar
1/4 cup Peanuts
1/2 cup Almond Milk (or any other dairy free alternative)
10 1/2 tsp Black Cherry Jam
10 1/2 tsp Peanut butter

Make these in the same way as the garbanzo muffin recipe (http://twocooksoneblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/garbanzo-banana-muffins-with-cherry-jam.html), substituting the spices for the carob powder, the raisins for the peanuts and adding the peanut butter and jam to the centres.

Next you want to make up a batch of Jess' peanut butter frosting (the very definition of icing on the cake!) using:


1/3 cup Peanut Butter (use whatever type you prefer, other nut butters would work too if you wish!)
1/3 cup Dairy-free Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste (this is an absolute necessity. And once again, worth every penny)
A few splashes of non-dairy milk (we used almond)
1 1/2 cups Icing Sugar
Optional - 2 tsp Maple Syrup (we used agave here)


For instructions see the second part of the recipe here (http://twocooksoneblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/vegan-gluten-free-chocolate-peanut.html).

Spread this on top in around a centimetre thick later, eat the rest of the bowl using you spoon/fingers/hands/face/tongue, and then enjoy!

Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Jess again today!

So, it was Tom's birthday earlier in January. Any UoM students will know this makes him incredibly unlucky as his birthday falls approximately a week before the start of the January exam period. Booooo. Therefore, we postponed his birthday celebration to this weekend, and we are going to Dough for pizza (the most amazing place in the world for the gluten free and vegan people of Manchester). And I have made him a birthday cake. A vegan, gluten free, chocolate cake, with peanut butter frosting. Everything Tom loves, in a cake.

I spent a very long time looking for a good recipe for this. So many GFV recipes contain a ridiculous number of ingredients that would cost me a month's wages to buy, I was starting to get disheartened. I came across a really easy recipe but decided it looked too easy. Basically, I was really picky. And then I found this http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2013/01/peanut-butter-chocolate-vegan-cupcakes.html and knew it was the one. I just tweaked it a little to make it gluten free (and I made a big cake, not cupcakes).

Ingredients
1 cup gluten free flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup vegan butter, melted (I used sunflower spread)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used praline rice milk because it sounded nice and I lose all sense of cost in the Eighth Day veggie shop on Oxford Road, but soy milk or almond milk would work just as well)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
1/3 cup hot water with 1 tsp Chia seeds (flaxseed would work the same)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4tsp apple cider vinegar (I don't know how to measure this exactly, I probably used more like 3/4 tsp but whatever, I don't think it made a difference!)
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup blended fruit
Optional - handful dark chocolate chips, cacao nibs

Now where I say blended fruit, I used a whole mashed banana with a handful of mashed blueberries. The original recipe used blackberries, and suggests that any mashable fruit would work - strawberries, other berries, banana, apple...but I decided banana would go best (and I trusted it best) and just threw a few blueberries in for fun. I'd like to try this with blackberries or raspberries, I'll let you know if I do! Also, the original recipe used 1+1/2 cups all purpose white flour, but I substituted 1/2 cup ground almonds in because I think they give a nicer texture in gluten free baking. And the original recipe used just a cup of sugar, but in my experience a bit of golden syrup makes gluten free baking a bit more moist so I tried this.

Heat oven to 190C. First, blend the fruit and add the milk. You could use a food processor but I just did it in a cup by hand. Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl, sifted. Add the blended fruit, melted butter, seed slurry and other ingredients and mix together. Again, I just folded it all in together. At this point I added a handful of dark chocolate chips and a sprinkling of cacao nibs. This isn't needed but I wanted to make it a bit more decadent since it's Tom's birthday. Fold together, pour in your chosen baking tin and bake. Mine took about 30 minutes, but keep checking and go by your oven (if a fork comes out clean, it's done...). Cake done.

Cake mix is luckily not that great licked from the bowl...

 Yes, all my chocolate cakes do look the same...

Peanut Butter Frosting
1/3 cup peanut butter (use whatever type you prefer, other nut butters would work too if you wish!)
1/3 cup vegan butter
2 tsp vanilla
A few splashes of non-dairy milk
1 cup icing sugar
Optional - 2 tsp maple syrup

Basically, blend it all together. Use a whisk or a fork or a spoon or a food processor, whatever you like. Add more milk if its too thick, more sugar if its too runny. Just go with whatever looks best.

What dreams are made of

To decorate the cake, i literally slathered this beautiful frosting all over it, and then added some flaked almonds around the side. Then I spelled H.B. TOM on it with these cute little vegan chocolate chips 

So, this was the final product....

And in all honesty, it was wonderful. Perfect. Glorious. Incredible. I cannot stress how important it is that you make this. Make it into cupcakes, make it into a victoria sandwich with more frosting and some jam in the middle (had i had sandwich tins, this is what I would have done), just make sure you make this. It is vegan, gluten free baking at it's finest, if I do say so myself.


Then, to celebrate Tom's birthday, we ate cake (after our Dough pizzas), dipped fruit and dark chocolate in frosting, drank prosecco and watched Coyote Ugly. He is a man, I do know this, but he embraced his inner woman this day. And I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it.

 You must do this, it is amazing.

 Please make this and please tell me how amazing it goes :)

Pad Thai

Hey guys, both me and Jess here today,

This is a dish I've made a few times, it's one that I've adapted slightly to suit my tastes but is based on a recipe you can find all over the internet and in all thai restaurants. However, when I've looked on the internet, almost every recipe seems to differ and there is little in common. This is a recipe that can be easily adapted to have meat, or to be vegan, and to be gluten free or gluten...full (?) noodles. This time I'm making it vegan, gluten free and without tofu as Jess isn't too keen on tofu yet, and I've only just got her into thai food so yeah, baby steps. Anyway, I'll mention times where you can include different things if you want too. I'm using spring onions here instead of regular white onions so I add them later, but if you're using a white onion then add it earlier on. Also all of the vegetables are changeable, these are the ones we wanted/what asda had to offer, you can pick your own! Traditionally (as far as I can gather) Pad Thai uses both chicken and tofu, and coats the noodles in egg to give a thicker consistency, feel free to add an egg if you prefer, you can substitute this for 1/4 cup of silken tofu, but I don't think this gives quite the same effect so I prefer just to leave it out.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Pad Thai Sauce:

1 tbsp Tamarind Paste (this sounds like something no one has ever heard of but the Sainsbury's in fallowfield sells it so I'd imagine most do)
1 tbsp Peanut butter (if it's not crunchy, it's not worth it.)
3 tbsp gluten free Soy Sauce (or normal, I use dark because I prefer the colour and flavour it gives but as ever, you're the boss!)
3 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Crushed Chilis
1 tsp Ground Pepper (ish)
1/3 a cup of Stock (I used boiling water with 1/4 of a Kallo cube in it)

For the veg:

1/2 Courgette (sliced)
1 Pepper (chopped into sticks)
1/2 cup Mushrooms (sliced)
1 Carrot (thinly sliced)
3 Spring Onions (sliced into rings)
Handful of Mangetout
Handful of Sugarsnaps
1 hot Chili
1 large handful of crushed Peanuts
1/2 a pack/1 1/2 cup Beansprouts
Large Handful of Spinach

For the noodles:

4 cakes/a 4 person portion of whatever noodles you want (we're using a pack of tesco's fresh rice noodles as they are both nice and vegan/gluten free but anything will work, I would usually flat wheat noodles as I like the texture)
1 pan of Boiling water

Salt and Pepper to season
1 Lime
A dash of oil to fry in

Optional: 1/2 a chicken breast per person, marinated in soy sauce, stock and garlic beforehand, or 1/2 a block of diced firm tofu (don't use silken here) marinated in the same way. You can use other meats if you'd like but you'll probably have to adjust the cooking time for this, try to shred whatever you're using so it cooks quickly. Pork and beef would both work well I imagine.

Method:

First cook the noodles (if you need too) place in the boiling water and leave for 5 minutes to soak until soft, or if you're using large noodles and you think they need simmering briefly then simmer then, then strain and leave in cold water so that they don't stick together.
Mix the sauce together, the boiling water should help with this.
Heat the oil in a frying pan (you'll need a large one, we ended up splitting into two pans) over a high heat
Now add the onion if you're using one, and chicken and/or tofu, fry until just browning and the onions are sweating.
Add the chili - if you're following this recipe exactly and this is the first thing you're adding just fry the chili on its own for a minute or so before adding the rest of the vegetables.
Add the vegetables - all except the beansprouts and spinach (these will go in right at the end), if you like you can stagger them to get an even cooking, I'd add the courgette, carrot and pepper first and brown and then the rest, but honestly I generally like the crunchy vegetables crunchy and the softer ones softer so I chuck it all in and cook for the same amount of time.
Add in about 1/3 of the sauce mixture and toss through, as the vegetables start to cook you might need to reduce the heat slightly to prevent burning
Toss in the peanuts as well
Fry everything until it's starting to look cooked
Now add your noodles and all but a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce - use a spatula to break the noodles up a bit so the veg and noodles mix well (otherwise you get all noodles on top and all the veg at the bottom) - now is when you would add a whisked egg
when the noodles are heated through and everything is well combined, add the spring onions (if you're using them) beansprouts, spinach and the remainder of the sauce (just to coat the last few things)
Make sure the sauce is properly reduced (i.e. not just a runny mess at the bottom and has given everything a nice coating)
Serve and enjoy!

This recipe can be easily adapted to any different combination of meat, vegetables and noodles. I like to add red cabbage to my stirfrys at the last minute so there's something with a nice crunch as you eat it, but again this is just personal preference. Let us know any changes you make at twocooksoneblog@gmail.com

NB// these go exceptionally well with the Cherry Bakewell Monkey Bars we made for afters! http://twocooksoneblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/update-cherry-bakewell-monkey-bars.html

Christmas themed recipe soon to come!

Butternut Squash Thai Red Curry

Tom tonight,

Jess is off being drunk somewhere (I have the texts to prove it) and my housemate Lucy is leaving tomorrow to get herself her own place so were making a big curry for her last meal. This is the first time I've made a red curry, and because I am cheap I have bought a curry paste rather than making my own. It's probably not too hard to make your own but this is easy and I think it still tastes awesome. I'm making this with Thai sticky rice and pan-fried red cabbage. The vegetables used in this can be changed for others if you like but I like the colour combinations these bring - originally I was going to add the red cabbage but I saw online someone suggested doing this and honestly it turned out incredibly tasty so will definitely make this a regular part of my cooking. I also baked chicken breasts in the curry paste for Lucy as a non-vegan. Also added peanut butter for an extra flavour as I'm liking adding peanut butter to asian dishes and butternut squash and peanut butter are a match made in heaven.

This recipe makes enough for about 5 portions of curry and rice.

Ingredients:

For the Curry:

1 Butternut Squash
1 large Onion
1 tbsp Olive Oil
3 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
4 cloves Garlic
1 small Chili
2 inch of fresh Ginger
6 large closed cup Mushrooms
1/2 a Courgette
1 Red Pepper
1/2 pack of Dwarf Beans
1 dessertspoon Peanut Butter
1/2 can Tomatoes
1 litre Boiling Water
1 1/2 tsp Bouillon
1 inch block of Creamed Coconut
3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Chicken:

1 Chicken Breast
1 tbsp Red Thai Curry Paste

For the Rice:
1/2 a pack of Thai Fragrant Rice
A sprinkle of Seaweed Flakes (my secret ingredient for everything)
Cold Water

Method:

First peel the butternut squash, drizzle with a little bit of oil and pinch of salt flakes and roast in a hot oven until cooked and browned.
Next put the rice on, cover with a centimetre of water and add a sprinkle of nori flakes if you have them, a sprinkle of jasmine leaves  also adds a great flavour if you have them.
Put on a high heat until bubbles form around the edge of the saucepan, then turn down to a low heat and put the lid on.
Leave until all the water has been absorbed, then fluff up and leave with the lid on to steam for a few mintues. While this cooks start the curry
Chop up the onion and fry in oil in a saucepan until soft.
Once soft, add the garlic, chili, ginger and curry paste, fry for a few minutes.
Chop up the mushrooms, courgette, pepper and dwarf beans and add to the saucepan, mix thoroughly and cook until soft.
Add the peanut butter and mix well, it helps to put the peanut butter to the bottom so it heats up and then it's easier to stir in.
Add the tomatoes and mix again.
Add boiling water until the vegetables are covered by about a centimetre of water and just a bit thinner than you want it to be.
Next add the stock and creamed coconut (you can make each of these separately if you want to but i didn't think it was necessary and this seemed easier to get the right consistency.
By this time the butternut squash should be nicely roasted, add this to the curry. At this point I rubbed the chicken with the paste and put in the oven to bake (reuse oven tray, save washing up, done).
Mix all of this together and bring to the boil.
Simmer until the correct consistency (as you like it).
At this point I quickly fried the cabbage (link) if you want to make that as a side.
Serve and enjoy.

Really pleased with how this came out, the curry paste I used wasn't fantastic but I imagine you could get nicer ones without too much effort, and if i find a decent recipe to make one I will definitely post it later. This could be very easily adapted to make it how you like, spinach might make a nice addition to this! As always, let us know your own versions at twocooksoneblog@gmail.com.

Nutritional Info:


                      Calories   Carbs     Fat     Protein     Sodium     Sugar
          Total:     885         113       40         24          3481         42
Per Serving:       177          23        8           5            696          8


And 1 cup of rice adds around 240 calories, and 101 from the cabbage (worth it!) giving 512 for the meal in total! (not including chicken)

Ignore the cabbage, originally this post included that recipe.

I apologise for the steam, it was a very, very, very, very cold day.

The vegan version

And with the baked chicken.

Vegan Banana and Peanut Butter Pancakes

A very tired but glad-to-be-home Tom here,

This is a recipe my mum taught me that I make for a special treat breakfast once in a blue moon when I don't wake up, grab the museli I made the night before and run out of the door at top speed half dressed and definitely not awake. However, this morning being.....well almost 70-80% awake, I had a phenomenal brainwave whilst eating peanut butter from a jar with my fing.....I mean spreading peanut butter on toast like a normal, respectable human being. (I love peanut butter, you get the picture)

So here it is.

Makes three small or one large pancake (a rough single person portion)

Ingredients:

1/2 a cup of Milk (I use almond but as ever, any will work)
1/3 of a Banana
3-4 tbsp Flour (I use self raising, works well with any flour including gf - my mum recommends millet but since I don't know what a millet is or how to get flour from it I stick to what's in my cupboard)
1 very small teaspoon of Peanut Butter
A pinch of Baking Powder (provided you're not using self raising flour, I mean like 1/8 of a tsp, really don't need much)
A sprinkling of Sunflower Seeds

The basic recipe here is the milk, flour and banana to bind it. This is my variation but these pancakes are excellent just with the basic recipe, or with cinnamon (as always), blueberries, maple syrup, date syrup, almond butter, chocolate chips.....you get the picture. Add what you want. Enjoy.

I make the whole lot in one mug and just pour into into a hot, lightly greased non-stick pan and cook on either side until golden (go for medium heat on the hob, I know the high one looks fun and sizzles and sounds good but trust me, they burn quick), minimal effort, minimal washing up.

Method:

Combine all ingredients except the sunflower seeds (you really need the tiniest amount of peanut butter, you'll still taste it, panic not) in a mug and blend until smooth.
I'd add three tbsp of flour, see what it looks like, and if it looks a bit thin add the extra one. If you like crepe-like pancakes keep it thin (3 tbsp) or if you're like me and like thick pancakes keep the mixture thick (4 tbsp).
Stir in the sunflower seeds and then fry in a pan, flip after say 30-40 seconds when they look golden (leave them for at least 30 seconds as if you try and flip them early they just smush)
Serve with chopped up fresh fruit (I go for strawberries, blueberries and grapes) and a sprinkling of cinnamon on top. Sweeten to taste!

Nutritional Info (using self raising flour and including oil for frying):


                          Calories      Carbs       Fat      Protein       Sodium        Sugar
per Serving             333            46         14          19              22              14

NB// Including fruit and cinammon adds about 23 calories more (if you add half a cup of fruit)


As always, try your own variations and let us know what you come up with at twocooksoneblog@gmail.com or leave a comment. We love to get pictures!