Recipes

Homemade Hummus

February 3, 2020February 29, 2020 littlepieceofveganLeave a comment

Who doesn’t like hummus? I mean really? There are so many different varieties you can find in the shops these days, but I promise none of those will beat the taste of fresh homemade hummus, especially with a warm toasted pita!

Ingredients

400g tin of chickpeas
3 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp water
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Drain the tin of chickpeas and rinse. Add to food processor or high speed blender with lemon juice and garlic cloves.
Blend for 1 minute before adding the oil, tahini and water, if the hummus is too grainy or thick here then you can add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

Top with a little extra olive oil and some fresh cracked pepper and enjoy! This usually stays fresh in my fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

My Crispy Roasted Chickpeas make a great topping for a little crunch!

How about adding a big dollop of my Easy Vegan Pesto on top to mix it up?

Have you ever tried making your own hummus? I’d love to know if you try this recipe and how you like it. Make sure to tag me on instagram if you do!

Jas

Recipes

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

January 27, 2020February 29, 2020 littlepieceofveganLeave a comment

Roasted chickpeas are hands down one of my favourite snacks. I always have a stockpile of tins of chickpeas in my cupboard, and use a lot of their aquafaba (bean water) in my baking, so find myself making these at least once a week.

They work perfectly on their own as a crunchy snack, a great sandwich filling, in a wrap, stuffed in a sweet potato.. the possibilities are really endless!

Ingredients

1 tin of chickpeas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of salt and pepper

Method

Preheat your oven to 180c (200c fan or gas mark 4) and drain your chickpeas from the tin, rinsing with cold water.
Add chickpeas to a bowl along with the oil and seasonings, and shake up well to get them evenly coated.
Spread the coated chickpeas evenly over a baking tray and place into the oven for 40 minutes, removing half way to shake them up.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes and enjoy however you like! I keep mine in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Crispy chickpea sandwich with vegan mayonnaise, spinach and avocado.

Crispy chickpea wrap with hummus, spinach, avocado and basil.

Crispy chickpea burrito with brown rice, red cabbage, avocado and mixed leaves.

Crispy chickpea stuffed sweet potatoes with spinach and tahini dressing.

Let me know if you try this recipe and I’d love to know how you enjoyed it. Make sure to tag me on instagram if you do!

Jas

Sukin Sensitive Skincare Review

January 24, 2020February 25, 2020 littlepieceofveganLeave a comment

As someone who has suffered with hormonal acne for as long as I can remember, skincare for me can make a huge difference in the appearance and texture of my skin, especially when I get an aggressive breakout.

I have used Sukin for the last couple of years, testing out various different products to see which are best for my skin, and I feel like I have finally found a combination that really works for me!

Sukin are an Australian, completely vegan and cruelty free brand, with all of their packaging being recyclable. Their ingredients are lovely and natural, and they pride themselves on their no list (ingredients you won’t find in their products!)

NO Synthetic Fragrances
NO Animal Derivatives
NO Artificial Colours
NO Harsh Detergents
NO Propylene Glycol
NO MEA/DEA/TEA
NO Petrolatum
NO Mineral Oils
NO Phthalates
NO Triclosan
NO Sulphates
NO Parabens
NO Silicones
NO EDTA

The three products that are always in my bathroom now have got to be:

Sensitive calming night cream £14.95 for 120ml
Sensitive cleansing lotion £7.95 for 125ml
Sensitive facial moisturiser £7.95 for 125ml

Sensitive Calming Night Cream

This has got to be my favourite product out of everything I’ve tried by Sukin. Its thick consistency means you only have to use the smallest amount, and every night I use it I wake up with beautifully hydrated, plump skin. I definitely notice a difference when I skip using it for a night! It’s a little pricier than the other products like the facial moisturiser, but I find it lasts me much longer, Ive had this tub for around 3 months now and only just used half the pot!

Sensitive Cleansing Lotion

For a long time I had been using the Foaming facial cleanser, but I find that it dries my skin out a little too much and as I have oily skin it then goes into overdrive producing even more oil, not ideal. So I decided to switch to the sensitive cleansing lotion, since I already knew I loved the night cream from the same range. It was strange to go from a gel cleanser to a cream based one, as I was so used to that squeaky clean face feel you get from a gel cleanser, but the cream leaves my face perfectly soft and supple, and is so gentle it doesn’t irritate any of my breakouts which is a common problem for me with most cleansers!

Sensitive Facial Moisturiser

This is the only product out of the range which doesn’t blow me away, but I only think it’s because I love the night cream so much. It works well as my daily morning moisturiser, and is a perfect base under my every day makeup where I don’t use a primer! It’s nice and lightweight and doesn’t give your skin that claggy feel that other moisturisers can.

Overall, Sukin have quickly become my favourite skincare brand. They’re affordable, natural and have good ethics at the core of the company. You can purchase Sukin products from Boots, Holland and Barrett and the Sukin website itself.

Had you tried any of the Sukin Skincare ranges? I’d love to know your thoughts and favourite products to try out! I’m eyeing up a few of their masks for my next purchase.

Jas

Recipes

Vegan Dippy ‘Egg’

January 23, 2020February 29, 2020 littlepieceofvegan2 Comments

There aren’t many animal products I really miss from my omnivore days, being nearly 5 years into veganism I’ve tried almost every replacement out there. But one thing from my childhood that I’ve never been able to replicate is the classic taste of dippy egg with soldiers, until now.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons water
1tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp corn flour
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch of kala namak (Indian black salt)

Method

Whisk in a small microwave safe container (I use a ramekin) the water and corn flour together until there are so lumps.
Add into the mix the turmeric, oil and nutritional yeast, and microwave for 30 seconds.
Remove from the microwave and check the consistency, if it is too runny then you can continue to microwave in 10 second bursts, checking the consistency each time. It should come together and be slightly gelatinous.
Once you have your desired consistency, add the pinch of kala namak, this is the magic ingredient that gives it that eggy taste.

I always usually make this in the microwave for ease and also less washing up, but if you were making it in a larger quantity you can bring all the ingredients together in a saucepan on a low heat until all combined and your desired consistency.

Serve with a crack of black pepper and buttery toast soldiers for the ultimate weekend brekkie treat.

I’d love to know if you recreate this recipe and how you enjoyed it! make sure to tag me on instagram if you do! 🙂

Jas

Recipes

Easy Vegan Mac And Cheese

August 28, 2019February 29, 2020 littlepieceofveganLeave a comment

Now I get a hell of a lot of people asking me for the recipe for this whenever I post that I’ve made it on my instagram, so I thought I would share it here!

This pasta is so super simple and easy to make, and every time I’ve made it for a non vegan they’ve not noticed a difference to the dairy version! Win!

This recipe makes about 6 small portions, or 4 if you like a decent hearty portion like I do.

Ingredients

400g dry macaroni (you can use any pasta really, but macaroni always works best for me!)

1 litre of plant milk (I use oat milk or unsweetened soy)

100g vegan cheese (I love violife)

2 tablespoons plain flour

2 tablespoons or dairy free spread

1 teaspoon mustard

1 tablespoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 cup of nutritional yeast

Method

1. Add most of the salt to a large saucepan of boiling water (saving some for the sauce), and cook your pasta according to instructions on the packet.

2. Drain and rinse your pasta to prevent sticking and leave to one side.

3. Melt the butter over a medium heat in the same pan and slowly add the flour, gradually combining the two into a clump, this is your roux which will act as a thickener for the sauce.

4. Slowly start to pour your milk into the pan with the roux, and whisk together to make a smooth sauce.

5. Bring to a boil, whilst continuously whisking, and then turn down to medium as the sauce starts to thicken.

5. Add in your seasonings, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, vegan cheese and the key ingredient, nutritional yeast, and whisk to combine.

6. Go get your cooked pasta, pour it into the pot of sauce and combine to create your amazing vegan cheesy pasta.

I always top mine with some extra nutritional yeast because I just love the stuff, but this is optional.

You can also add any veggies you wanted into this dish, my favourite is to add broccoli to the pasta 5 minutes before it has finished cooking.

And thats how simple it is! I would love to know if anybody tries this recipe, make sure you tag me on instagram if you do 🙂

Jas x