Tuesday, March 31, 2009

0 Parsnip Soup Recipe



Parsnip soup is a common dish in Czechoslovakia where is is often cooked using sauerkraut, carrots, parsnips, onions and potatoes. It varies from place to place which ingredients are used.

Chefs parsnip soup recipe is not traditionally Czech but it is a vegan parsnip soup recipe.


This soup is white, creamy and really tasty.

In Chefs my parsnip soup recipe parsnips and white cabbage are used with a hint of zucchini all of which have a great natural sweetness once cooked.



For extra creaminess Chef added some vegan butter and soya yogurt at the end of cooking, soya yogurt is very low in fat and the fat it does contain is healthy.

With or without the added yogurt and butter this parsnip soup recipe is a winner.

Chef uses a pressure cooker to cook t shis parsnip soup but you can boil and simmer the vegetables in a pan instead .

Chef also garnished this soup with some peeled and lightly fried parsnips.


Ingredients for Parsnip Soup Recipe

2 Medium Potatoes (big chunks)
3 large Parsnips (big chunks)
1/2 medium Zucchini (peeled, chunks)
1/4 White Cabbage (shredded or chopped coarsely)
Pinch mild curry powder
2 Shallots (chopped)
Pinch dried chives
1 small Garlic clove (minced)
Water

3 tsp Soya Yogurt
Salt to season
1/2 tsp Cider vinegar
1 tsp Agave syrup


Would you like a taste of this creamy soup ?


How to make a healthy Parsnip Soup

Lightly fry the shallots for 2 minutes in a little oil on a medium heat.

Add garlic, curry powder and chives, stir well and cook for another minute.

Take pan off the heat.



Place the parsnips, cabbage, potatoes and zucchini into the pan.



Pour some water into the pan - you want to just be able to see the water barely coming through the vegetables. ( when you cook vegetables they turn into water so you do not need to cover them in water).



Bring to full pressure then turn pan to the lowest heat and cook for 15 minutes.

If you are not using a pressure cooker then bring pan to the boil and simmer until all vegetables are cooked and soft.



Whilst the parsnip soup is cooking take a small frying pan and heat up some oil. Cook shavings of parsnips until they start to turn golden, immediately remove the golden parsnips and lightly wrap in tissue paper until the soup is ready.



After 15 minutes place the pressure cooker under the cold water tap and release the pressure.

Leave the vegetable for a few minutes.



Scoop out a few potatoes and a few parsnip chunks and place in a small dish.



Drain the water from the soup and keep water to the side. Pour all of the cooked vegetables into a blender and blend at full power.

Gradually keep adding the soup water until it reaches the consistency that you desire.

Alternatively you can use a ladle with holes to scoop the vegetables out of the pan then keep adding the water from the pan.

Keep tasting and add enough salt to season.


Once the soup mixed perfectly you can optionally add 1 teaspoon of butter and 2-3 teaspoons of yogurt and a teaspoon of agave syrup for sweetness.

If not the soup is very tasty without these extra ingredients.

Blend again until smooth.



Take the chunks of cooked potato and parsnips and carefully cut into little chunks - stir through the soup.

You can garnish the soup with these chunks if desired.



Place on the golden parsnips and serve.

Enjoy Chef Jeenas tasty Vegan Parsnip Soup Recipe.





My parsnip soup provides an excellent source of vitamin C & E folic acid, pantothenic acid, copper, and manganese, niacin, thiamine, magnesium, and potassium, vitamins B6. So as you can see, not only is my soup healthy for you, but the taste is out of this world.


Try cooking this healthy dish today you will love it !

For more of Chefs healthy vegan recipes see: vegan recipes page

Saturday, March 21, 2009

0 Golden Coconut Cake Recipe Gluten Free Vegan



This golden coconut cake is a real delight to eat! It is a tasty coconut cake with a white frosting and butter cream filling with chunky coconut toffee crumbles.

The coconut toffee pieces will surprise the people you give this cake too as they will ask you ''what are the delicious toffee bits that I keep tasting in this cake?''.

This is not only a gluten free recipe but a vegan egg free cake recipe too.

When making the coconut toffee make sure you use a pan that is big enough for the frothing sugar.

I use creamed coconut which is coconut that is pressed into a block, I add hot water then add the creamy coconut mixture to the cake mixture.

I have some vegan and dairy free toffee recipes coming up soon using similar methods to this recipe so keep logging on.

Can you resist the golden toasted coconut sprinkled on top of this delicious cake?





Ingredients for Golden Coconut Cake Recipe
3oz Sunflower margarine
4oz Light brown muscovado sugar
1oz desicated coconut
5oz Rice flour
2oz Ground almonds
1 Tbsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Xanthan gum
2oz Creamed coconut
4 Tbsp Hot water
5 Tbsp Soya milk
4 Tbsp Cold water
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
Pinch salt

For the Coconut Toffee
2oz/60g Light brown muscovado sugar
5 Tbsp Hot water (15ml tablespoons)
1 Tbsp Golden syrup
3 Tbsp Desicated coconut

For the Crunchy Toffee Butter Cream Filling
3 Heaped Tbsp Margarine
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 Tbsp Desicated coconut
1 large tsp Cornstarch

For the Topping
2-3 Tbsp Desicated coconut
Chef Jeenas Dairy free vegan white frosting


Would you like to take a bite of this tasty golden treat?




Picture of creamed coconut in a block.



Take a look at the wonderful coconut toffee crumble butter cream filling and my peice f coconut toffee.




How to make Vegan Gluten Free Golden Coconut Cake Recipe

Align Centre

How to make the cake batter


Place the 4 tablespoons of hot water and 2 ounces of creamed coconut into a small bowl. Leave to melt and use a fork to help the coconut mix into the water, leave to the side.





Cream together the margarine and sugar.




Add the coconut cream and vanilla extract to the sugar mixture and mix well.




Add rice flour, baking powder, bi carbonate of soda, almonds, xanthan gum, pinch salt and mix very well.




Add the soya milk and cold water a little at a time mixing very well.




Pour into a round cake tin that has been greased and floured.

Cook in a hot oven at gas mark 6 for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.




Once cooked leave for a minute then remove from the tin and leave to cool on a cooling rack.

Once cool carefully slice the cake into two through the middle.




How to make the coconut toffee




Mix the hot water and sugar together in a pan.

Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes until it is really frothy.




Add golden syrup and cook for approximately 60 seconds stiring it a lot.

Take off the heat and add coconut, place pan pan back onto the heat stiring constantly for 60 seconds.

Take off the heat and pour striaght onto a lightly greased dish.




The toffee will harden within minutes so keep an eye on it.

As the toffee hardens and firms up remove the toffee and break in into peices.




Do not be tempted to take a bite of this delicious coconut toffee or else there will be none left for the golden coconut cake!




How to make Toffee Butter Cream



Put the toffee crumbles into a blender and blend into little chunks.


Make sure you turn the blender on and off on and off - this ensures that you do not pulse the toffee into a powder.


You want nice little crumbly chunks.



Add the margarine , cornstarch, vanilla and coconut mix well.




Spread the coconut toffee butter cream onto the bottom cake layer.




Place the top layer on top of the butter cream.




Spread my vegan white frosting all over the cake.




Take a small flat pan and add the coconut, heat up the pan and keep shaking the pan a little.

Once the coconut starts to turn golden remove the pan straight away and keep shaking, pour the coconut onto a plate instantly.

When the coconut turns golden some of it will still be white but when you take the pan off the heat it will carry on cooking, this is why you should not leave the pan on or else it will burn.




Sprinkle all over the top of the coconut cake.




See my gluten free recipes index pages and my vegan recipes index pages.


I had been craving a golden coconut cake for weeks before I had the time to bake it. Have you ever craved a food for a such long time?

 
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