Tray roast salad (GF, V option)

22-11-2017 Local Black Bookgluten-free, potato, recipe, roast, salad, sausage, tray roast, vegetarianLeave a comment

Sunday roasts are the most comforting meal in the world.

And, in this weather, they’re pretty much all I want to eat, all day, every day.

Unfortunately, this plan is not quite compatible with health recommendations, eating your 5-a-day and all that.

Unless of course, you take the best bits of a Sunday roast and mix them into a salad… which is exactly how that tray roast salad was born.

This recipe is a winner for a number of reasons:

1. It’s quick, easy and requires minimal input on your side.

2. You can make it for as many or as few as you like – great for solo dinners and hoard-feeding situations alike!

3. It’s gluten free (as long as your sausages are too!) and can easily be made vegetarian/vegan.

4. It includes all the best bits of a roast dinner (hellooooo there, roasties and sausages!), balanced out by a lot of green leaves, all tied together with the most delicious Dijon & balsamic dressing.

Comfort food made healthy, so you don’t have to choose…

Isn’t that what greedy foodie dreams are made of?

Tray roast salad ● Easy dinner recipe ● Cake + Whisky [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:45]

More easy dinner recipes

Italian-style sausage casserole (GF, V option)

Indian-spiced lentil soup (VE)

Spicy Xi’an style noodles (VE)

Tomato-coconut pasta (VE)

Sticky Date Porridge (VE)

06-11-2017 Local Black Bookbreakfast, dairy-free, date, gluten-free, healthy, porridge, recipe, sticky date pudding, veganLeave a comment

Forget about date night – it’s all about the date morning nowadays. The sticky date porridge mornings, that is!

My love for cake-inspired porridge is really no secret (see here, here and here).

But what can I say… If it tastes like pudding whilst actually having the nutritious values of the breakfast of champions, I just can’t resist it!

The perfect crossing between the traditional British pudding and the most comforting of all breakfasts, this sticky date porridge is the ultimate cold-weather breakfast.

Warm, comforting and utterly satisfying!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:42]

So what do you say? Breakfast date?

More seasonal recipes

The best squash soup (VE)

Apple & black pudding sausage rolls

Spicy pork dumplings

Polenta plum cobbler (V)

Blackcurrant & Apple Bircher Muesli (Vegan)

26-07-2017 Local Black Bookbreakfast, dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy, muesli, oats, recipe, vegan, vegetarian4 Comments

I am not a morning person.

No matter how early I go to bed, or how long I sleep, leaving my bed is always a challenge and I’m the kind to hit the snooze button several times in a row, every single morning.

Needless to say that, the ol’ ‘sleeping a few more minutes vs breakfast’ dilemna isn’t really a thing in my house.

It’s sleeping all the way.

Until the very last minute.

Then running around like a headless chicken trying to get showered/dressed/tooth-brushed.

And -if I’ve been organised enough- grabbing a jar of homemade bircher muesli from the fridge before running out of the door to make it to the office on time.

As far as I’m concerned, bircher muesli is a bit of a life (and growling belly come 10am) saver.

It takes minutes to make (and you can do it while watching TV and then there’s nothing left to do in the morning!).

Plus it’s super healthy (hello, protein, complex carb, good fat and vitamin powerhouse!) and SOOOO satisfying.

Quite honestly the berry best on-the-go breakfast around!

Blackcurrant & Apple Bircher Muesli (Vegan, Dairy Free) • Recipe • Cake + Whisky [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:23]

More make-ahead breakfast recipes

Paleo Granola (V, GF)

Lemon Drizzle Porridge (Vegan, dairy free, GF)

Cranberry Oatmeal Cake (V)

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

20-07-2017 Local Black Bookchocolate, chocolate mousse, dairy-free, gluten-free, recipe, veganLeave a comment

As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one way to make chocolate mousse.

No whipped cream, no butter, no nothing. Very fresh eggs and really good quality chocolate and that’s it.

Unless of course you’re making vegan chocolate mousse.

Which you really should because:

It’s a fantastic way to use aquafaba (aka. the thick-ish, yellow-ish liquid your pour down the drain whenever you use canned chickpeas). Take that, food waste!
It’s delicious. And no, it doesn’t taste like hummus.
It’s so simple (only 3 ingredients!) yet as indulgent as the real deal!
You won’t believe it works until you’ve tried it anyway, will you?

But once you’ve seen the magic of turning bean brine into fluffy goodness and turned that into amazing vegan chocolate mousse, I can garantee you’ll wonder where such a genius concept had bean hidding!

Vegan Chocolate Mousse (Vegan, GF, dairy free) • Recipe • Cake + Whisky

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:22]

More vegan pudding recipes

Sticky Toffee Porridge (Vegan, GF)

Pink Fruit Salad (Vegan, GF, paleo)

Strawberries & (Coconut) Cream (Vegan, GF, paleo)

Vanilla Lemon Posset (V, GF)

18-07-2017 Local Black BookBritish, classics, cream, dessert, gluten-free, lemon, posset, pudding, recipe, vegetarianLeave a comment

When it comes to dessert, I love a good chocolate cake. I have a thing for anything raspberry. I find it hard to resist a gooey brownie.

But my one true love are lemon puddings.

There’s something about zesty, creamy citrus desserts that simply makes my heart sing.

My absolute fave is a good (aka my dad’s) lemon tart (with no meringue), but I’m also quite partial to a beautiful, just set lemon posset.

The first time I tasted a lemon posset was at my former local The Pig & Butcher.

It was love at first bite.

Silky smooth, super light and tart, with just a hint of vanilla, this recipe is just as good.

The zest.

So, if life gives you lemons… give it a go!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:21]

More easy pudding recipes

Classic Chocolate Mousse (V, GF, dairy free)

Orange Salad with Spiced Cranberry (Vegan, GF, dairy free)

Mojito Lemon Curd (V, GF)

Satay Chicken Salad (GF)

05-07-2017 Local Black BookAsian, chicken, dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy, lunch, peanut, recipe, salad, SatayLeave a comment

My obsession with everything peanut isn’t anything new.

To be honest, it sort of runs in the family. My parents are the kind of people buying roasted peanuts by the kilo and eating handfuls of the stuff as a snack.

Though I’m not that into roasted peanuts, one thing I definitely am VERY into is Satay chicken.

There rarely is a week without some sort of Satay-ish chicken concoction in my house.

In winter, it’s usually some variation on Rosie’s skinny Satay recipe, atop vegetable stir-fry or with some actual noodles added in if I’m especially peckish.

But in summer, I’m all about this Satay chicken salad.

High in protein, big on flavour, super fresh and just SO DAMN SATISFYING, it’s an absolute winner of a chicken dinner!

Or lunch, because once you try it, you won’t be able to satay away!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:18]

More super-satisfying salad recipes

Vegan Buddha bowl with Green Tahini (Vegan, GF)

Spring Potato Salad (Vegan, GF)

Kale & Rice Salad with Avocado & Salmon (GF)

Vegan Buddha Bowl with Green Tahini

13-06-2017 Local Black Bookbuddha bowl, dairy-free, gluten-free, lunch, quinoa, recipe, salad, sweet potato, tahini, vegan2 Comments

Defined as ‘a bowl which is packed so full that it has a rounded “belly” appearance on the top, much like the belly of a buddha’, buddha bowls might sound like just another food fad.

Sweet Potato & Quinoa Vegan Buddha Bowl with Green Tahini • Recipe • Cake + Whisky

But not at all. Because if the term is new, the concept (a random bunch of delicious veggies, thrown together in a bowl and topped with all sorts of creamy n’ crunchy treats) really isn’t.

Packed full of nutrients, buddha bowls make for super satisfying, healthy meals.

They’re super easy to adapt to any diet (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy-free) without feeling like you have to compromise. And they only take a few minutes to put together.

As a result, they’re my packed lunch of choice.

I’ve tried quite a few variations of the ol’ grain + greens + veg + sauce combo, and this quinoa & sweet potato vegan buddha bowl is simply the best (yes, even better than this bad boy!).

As it just so happen, this baby is good for you, nutritious, vegan and gluten-free.

But because it’s packed full of colours, flavours and textures and soooooo satisfying, you won’t even notice it!

Just my kind of superbowl!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:16]

More healthy lunch recipes:

Spring Potato Salad (Vegan, GF)

Best Ever Guacamole (Vegan, GF)

Tomato & Coconut Pasta (Vegan)

Classic chocolate mousse

24-04-2017 Local Black Book2 ingredients, chocolate, dessert, easy, gluten-free, mousse, recipe, sweet, vegetarian2 Comments

When it comes to food, I don’t have many pet peeves.

Want to re-invent a classic by putting a massive twist on it? Go ahead (and let me know how it goes). Craving your favourite summer dish in the middle of winter? By all means, switch up ingredients to create some more seasonally version. Allergic to this or that ingredient? Trying to avoid gluten/dairy/fat? Your call.

But there is one thing I simply cannot allow and that is anyone trying to pass off any- and everything, and especially not cream-based recipes, as chocolate mousse.

Of course, there is a time and place for cream and chocolate to come out and play together. And that place would be in a ganache, or a crémeux, or a pot de crème even. Not in a mousse.

Classic Chocolate Mousse recipe ● Cake + Whisky

Because, and trust me I have eaten my way through many a so-called ‘mousse’ before I came to this conclusion, there is one way to make a proper, classic chocolate mousse. And that is with chocolate and eggs.

It’s better for you (less fat, more protein), it’s A LOT less fussy to make and it tastes SO MUCH BETTER.

Point, set, match and end of the debate.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:10]

Spring Buddha Bowl • Vegan, GF

11-04-2017 Local Black Bookbuddha bowl, dairy-free, gluten-free, green beans, lunch, plant based, quinoa, radish, recipe, salad, Spring, vegan, vegetarianLeave a comment

Sooooo… My diet over the last month has been 80% deep-fried takeaway food and 110% carbs. #sohealthy #not

But now that the flat’s finally starting to feel like home, it’s about time for me to go back into the kitchen and onto the (mainly*) healthy eating bandwagon.

*because there really isn’t any point in me pretending I’m going to quit chips and bread, is there?

Buddha bowls – colourful combinations of vegetables, grains and protein, all piled up in a bowl – are one of this year’s top food trends.

And that’s really no wonder seing that a buddha bowl is:

The best when it comes to healthy yet satisfying meals
A genius way to use up leftovers and reduce food waste (any- and everything pretty much goes!)
Packed with fibers, vitamins, high-quality proteins and antioxydants
My new go-to lunch for all the above reasons!

My current favourite is this Spring-inspired little number.

Green beans, quinoa, radishes, pistachios, olives and a zesty, lemony dressing… Spring lunch perfection!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:8]

Looking for more healthy, plant-based lunch-spiration?

Spring cauliflower salad

Best ever guacamole

Vegetarian Caesar salad

Spring Potato Salad (Vegan, GF)

14-03-2017 Local Black BookGF, gluten-free, healthy, peas, potato, potato salad, recipe, salad, side, side dish, Spring, vegan, vegetarian5 Comments

We all have different ways to tell Spring has sprung.

For some, it’s as simple as looking at tha calendar. Past the Spring equinox? Good. Here’s your answer.

For others, it’s the blooms and the cold-but sunny days.

Spring Potato Salad (Vegan, GF) | Cake + Whisky

For me though? There are three signs.

My irrepressible need to clear, clean and tidy everything within an inch of my life. I mean, I’m already borderline ‘less is more’ compulsive the rest of the year, but Spring definitely pushes me over the line.
My constant daydreaming of owning all things pastel. Home trinkets, candy, cushions, -and more than anything else- nailpolish… You name it, I want it.
The urge to cook/eat potato salad every chance I get.

Given that I’ve already spring-cleaned my flat, that my nails have been sporting a dusty baby blue shade for the last two weeks and that this Spring-inspired potato salad was my dinner yesterday, I’m positive that Spring has finally made its way to London!

Much like putting winter coats & boots away and filling the house with flowers, this Spring potato salad is the perfect way to celebrate springtime.

Packed with tender asparagus and baby peas as well as super sweet new potatoes and pea shoots, it’s the perfect dish to spring into the new season!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:5]

More Spring salad inspiration?

Rainbow Salad (this would be ah-mazing for a St Patrick’s Day get together!)

Kale & Rice Salad with Avocado & Salmon

Pink Fruit Salad

Cake and Whisky

Life in London and other almost-grown-up tales

Menu

gluten-free

Tray roast salad (GF, V option)

More easy dinner recipes

Sticky Date Porridge (VE)

More seasonal recipes

Blackcurrant & Apple Bircher Muesli (Vegan)

More make-ahead breakfast recipes

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

More vegan pudding recipes

Vanilla Lemon Posset (V, GF)

More easy pudding recipes

Satay Chicken Salad (GF)

More super-satisfying salad recipes

Vegan Buddha Bowl with Green Tahini

More healthy lunch recipes:

Classic chocolate mousse

Spring Buddha Bowl • Vegan, GF

Looking for more healthy, plant-based lunch-spiration?

Spring Potato Salad (Vegan, GF)

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:5]

More Spring salad inspiration?