Monday 4 November 2013

Day 4: More vegan treats

Just a few weeks ago I wrote about how being with a vegan has changed my cooking habits.  One of my favourite things to do has been to find alternative versions of recipes I would make anyway; the vegan lemon cake recipe I posted then is a big hit in this respect.

Once the nights start drawing in and it gets chilly, I like to keep warm in the kitchen baking calorific treats.  One of my favourites has always been rocky road, using this recipe of Nigella's.  But how to veganise something that includes lashings of butter, chocolate and marshmallows?  I experimented this weekend, and I have to say the finished article is - in my brother's words - scrum-diddly-umptious.

Photo via the BBC, because I forgot to take pictures yesterday.  So imagine these without marshmallows (god, I'm a crap blogger sometimes!)

Vegan rocky road squares
 
300g plain chocolate (but make sure it contains no milk powder, which lots of plain chocolate does)
100g soya or vegetable margarine
3 tbsp golden syrup
120g rich tea biscuits (again, ensure they're vegan; they almost always are)
70g raisins
50g glace cherries
50g pistachios
The last four ingredients can be messed around with to your heart's content.  Fancy dried cranberries?  Wack them in.  Want more biscuit and less nut?  Not a problem.  Just aim for about 300g of dry ingredients overall.
  1. Melt the margarine, chocolate and golden syrup in a Pyrex bowl over a pan of simmering water.
  2. Remove from the heat, scoop out about 125ml/4½fl oz of the melted mixture and set aside in a bowl.
  3. Place the biscuits into a plastic freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin until some have turned to crumbs but there are still pieces of biscuit remaining.
  4. Fold the biscuit pieces and crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture in the saucepan, then add the pistachios, raisins and glace cherries.
  5. Tip the mixture into a 24cm/9in square baking tin (lined with greasproof paper) and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
  6. Pour over the reserved 125ml/4½fl oz of the melted chocolate mixture and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
  7. Refrigerate for about two hours or overnight.
  8. To serve, cut into squares. And try not to eat them all at once.

9 comments:

  1. I'm going to have to try this, I'm a Vegetarian but I would love to go Vegan (I find it hard because I love dairy so much)

    Hannah
    x

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    1. Yep, cheese is the big thing I can't give up, otherwise I think I would manage ok going totally vegan.

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  2. Oooh it sounds great (and looks great too!)

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  3. Rocky roads are so awesome! I have several recipes but can't wait to try these :-)

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  4. Nice vegan recipe - and all the better because it is 'scrum-diddly-umptious'. I have vegan workmate who sits next to me and always complains when people bring cakes into work that she can't eat them. I will be showing her this recipe tomorrow - and nudging her to try it out :)
    Claire xx
    http://somewhereyonder.blogspot.co.uk/

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  5. It's not crap blogging - sell it as creative blogging, because you're encouraging us to use our imaginations!

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  6. ooo these look yummy! I am a sucker for rock road hahaa. Loving your BEDN posts so far :)

    xxx

    itsaskinthing.blogspot.co.uk/

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