Chocolate Mousse cake (Vegan friendly and gluten free)

First draft:

Chocolate Mousse cake (Vegan friendly, lactose intolerant friendly and gluten free)

Ingredients
400 ml of oat whipping cream (fridge temperature)
200 ml of rice or other veggie based whipping cream (fridge temperature)
1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar
250 grams of dark chocolate (milk free) (make sure you dissolve chocolate to runny texture, microwave or bain marie will do)
3 Tablespoons of vegan friendly margarine (melted)
2  Tablespoons of brown cane sugar
1 pack of gluten free digestives Semper oat digestive or Glutano digestive (these are wheat free, milk free, egg free)

Optional
1-2 teaspoon of agar jelly dissolved in hot water (If you're not familiar with using agar you can screw it up pretty badly)
Berries for decoration

Method

• Break the cookies into crumbles and add the sugar.
• Pour the melted margarine onto the cookie and mix well.
• Press the cookie dough mixture into a 24 cm springform pan and bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for about 5-10 mins (depending how dark you want it to be)
• Remove the cookie dough from oven and allow to cool on a wired rack.
• Once the cookie base has harden you may proceed to make the mousse. Put all the cream together and whip until almost double in volume
• Add vanilla sugar and melted chocolate and continue to whip (for a more grainy texture half whip and then stir the chocolate to get a chocolate chippy effect)
• Scoop the finished mousse onto the cookie base and even it out.
• Leave the cake in the fridge overnight (at least 6 hours) before serving. 

Note: To remove cake from the springform, run a thin knife (preferably dipped in hot water) around the edges to loosen the side before releasing the baking tin. If you use baking sheet underneath the cookie base it will make it easier to transfer to a serving dish. =) Enjoy!

Ps: The original recipe is slightly different, taken from a Finnish website called Kinuskikissa. I didn't like how it turned out so I had to adapt it to make work for me :). You should experiment to get the best results up to your taste.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin (Vegan friendly)

The Ingredients

Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin (Vegan friendly)


Ingredients
400 gr broccoli

400 gr cauliflower

Pot of water + salt 

2 Tbsp Margarine (I use Keiju blue as this was told to be without anything of animal origin)

1-1 1/2 Tbsp of flour

200 ml soya milk

200-250 ml oat cream (oatly cooking cream, the black box in this picture)

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of white pepper (as strong as you want it to be)

Salt to taste

Optional

1 tsp Vegetable fond

Dash of Garlic powder (not in picture because I was too fast with the photo :P)

Method

• Boil a pot of water and put in the harder stems from broccoli to cook for a few minutes (2-3 mins) followed by the cauliflower and the rest of the broccoli florets (cook for another 3 mins or so)
• Drain the veggies leaving behind some of the broth to add taste and to thin the gratin sauce. Pour the veggies into a oven proof bowl that is greased with margarine. Heat a saucepan (stainless steel pot) with the margarine and whisk in the flour until it turns into roux (thicker consistency)
• Reduce heat and pour in the soya milk and continue to whisk until flour has dissolved. Add the cream and continue to whisk. Now put in all the spices and add the broth from the veggie to thickness you desired (I usually add about 100 ml of the broth). Taste and add more salt if needed. You may also add some vegetable fond and garlic for the extra kick. It's good without it anyways :).
• Pour the finished gratin sauce all over the broccoli and cauliflower. Cook in the oven for 30 -35 mins at 200 °C (fan assisted at 180°C for 30-35 mins) or otherwise until there's a slight golden layer.

Caution: Don't serve the casserole immediately. Leave it to cool after removing it from the oven for 5-10 mins. 

Enjoy!

The Finished Product

Sambal Ikan Billis (Sambal with anchovies) + Vegan version

Original recipe:

1 Über large Onion
1 dl of Anchovies (dried and salted kind you can find from Asian stores)
1 clove garlic
6 shallots
3 Tbs of Tamarind Juice (Make this out of tamarind paste, the kind that has still the seeds in them)
10 large dried chillies (soaked)
Prawn paste (I would not recommend this) (optional)
Salt and Sugar up to taste

Method

• Fry the ikan Bilis until crisp and put aside
• Grind the prawn paste (ewww) together with shallots, garlic, deseeded (why the hell?) dried chillies. Slice über onions into rings.
• Heat about 2-3 tbs of oil (don't use olive and don't even try margarine <__<)
• Fry the grounded paste until fragrant, then add sliced über onion rings.
  
• Add tamarind juice, salt and sugar
• If it seem to get a bit too dry you may add a few tbs of water
• Cook, stirring occasionally until gravy thickens.
• Add Ikan bilis and mix well
• Serve with steaming hot Nasi Lemak

El-Modified version (Vegan Friendly) 1 Über large Onion 1 clove garlic 8 shallots 3 Tbs of Tamarind Juice (Make this out of tamarind paste, the kind that has still the seeds in them) 10 large dried chillies (soaked) Salt and Sugar up to taste Method:

• Grind the shallots, garlic and dried chillies (not deseeded) together. Slice über onions into rings.
• Heat about 2-3 tbs of oil (don't use olive and don't even try margarine <__<)
• Fry the grounded paste until fragrant, then add sliced über onion rings.
  
• Add tamarind juice, salt and sugar
• If it seem to get a bit too dry you may add a few tbs of water
• Cook, stirring occasionally until gravy thickens.
• Serve with steaming hot Nasi Lemak

Vegetarian Curry (Vegan Friendly)

1 clove garlic (big clove or single clove garlic)
4-5 shallots
3 tablespoon of cooking oil (not olive oil)

1 litre water
Salt to taste
1 cm Ginger
1 dl coconut milk
2 carrots
1 big potato
1/2 cauliflower
1 zucchini
1 Aubergine
1 block hard type tofu or few pieces of fried tofu
(you can replace with any vegetable you wish as well)

For Mixing
1 1/2 tablespoon of water
2 tablespoons of curry powder (preferably the Malaysian type ;) )


Method:

Chop garlic and shallots to itty-bitty pieces. Put the water into the curry powder and make into paste (not soup PASTE!) Then fry the garlic, shallot and ginger mix in the heated oil in low heat until fragrant. After the garlic, shallots and ginger mix is ready, fry in the paste. Make sure the stove heat is very low when frying...fry for 5 mins. Pour the water a little at the time until the paste dissipates, about 500 ml. Then add the coconut milk. Now add the vegetables that take a longer time to cook first putting in the zucchini and aubergine last. Add a bit of salt at a time. Then add the rest of the water and leave it to boil on low heat for another 10 mins with lid on.