Sometime in what we laughingly call the past (okay… the last week) I used a (slight) modification to this Basic white bread recipe and baked bread. Today, I’m doing it again. Why on earth I’m baking in hot weather is another question…. but anyway. The only real change to the recipe was using vegetable oil (just normal cheap cooking oil) instead of butter (i.e. to make it Vegan).

Last time I made the bread it was quite good – the crust was totally awesome. Hopefully will be this time too. Maybe I’ll even take pictures :)

I was inspired by this recipe: Best Vegan Choc Chip Cookies! and slightly modified it. Namely, I didn’t seem to have any maple syrup, so I used Golden syrup and i wasn’t sure it was chocolately enough, so added 1/3rd cup cocoa powder.

I quite like the outcome, and so at least does Michael – so it so far gets one friend approval.

The complete recipe (what I did, not exactly what’s at the link):

• 1 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1 1/4 cup oat flour (to make, grind approximately 2 cups rolled oats in food processor until a fine, flour consistency)
• 1 1/8 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used some I found that were about 63% cocoa and supplemented with some crush soy chocolate – if making this vegan, check the choc chips – even dark chocolate chips may contain milk)
• 1 cup golden syrup
• 1 cup canola oil (i just used normal vegetable cooking oil… likely canola..)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

and then:

1. Mix everything together in a bowl. It will be a moist dough, and yummy
2. Put it on biscuit trays
3. 180 degrees C for 18-20 minutes (or a bit longer if your oven is crap like mine)

So I’ve slightly adapted this recipie (Vegan / Vegetarian Recipes – Biscuits – Oat – Oatmeal Raisin Cookies). Using soy milk instead of orange juice (couldn’t be bothered going to shops as I drank all the stuff I bought last weekend) and just olive oil instead of corn oil.

Currently in the oven. The dough tasted good though.

Update: the do taste rather good!

Okay, I cheated – I used one of the bottled curry pastes. I really shouldn’t have – it’s not that hard to do it yourself. But, I was feeling *really* lazy.

So, ingredients were:

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 block of firm tofu, cut into small (1cm) cubes
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can 140g coconut cream (this has nothing to do with dairy cream, it’s just squeezed coconut concentrate)
• a bit of chilli powder
• a few cloves chopped garlic
• green peas (i love peas in a curry)
• a red curry paste (i used one that said “butter chicken” on the front) but you could just whack in some spices, herbs and tamarind.

saute the onions, throw in the tofu and cook . add the can of tomatoes and curry paste – in fact, add everything else.

Cook until good and warm all the way through. The tofu I used has a habit of crumbling – didn’t harm the taste though!

This was really yummy. Ate it last night as leftovers and made it the night before. Wish I had more for tonight. Delicious!

dry some tofu (tea towl, paper towl, intense concentration).

marinade of:

• soy sauce
• red wine
• finely chopped garlic
• pinch of salt
• ground pepper

came up yummy – at least with tomato sauce. And really, it’s the only sauce that counts.

Adapted from: http://www.silcom.com/~noster/martofu.html