Gluten free, vegan shortbread

One thousand and one apologies for going a little quiet on the blogging front for the past few weeks. The irony is I don't know if I've ever been cooking, baking, concocting and sampling more! My laptop's bookmarks are now just full of vegan holiday recipes, while my camera has taken on an extra layer of icing sugar dust that won't budge. However, while the baking subsides a little I will be posting plenty of Christmas and winter solstice recipes here.

First up is this vegan, gluten free shortbread recipe- this would be perfect to make for any gluten free-friends you have as a homemade present, or even to have ready to stack up at your desk to try and speed up those last few days of work (and how they drag!!)

I adapted this recipe from an American one I found by Char's Kitchen. I chose to use Doves Farm Gluten Free bread flour as it comes with Xanthan Gum in the blend, which you need for this recipe. If you have a preferred GF flour then just use that but with 1/2tsp Xanthan Gum to every cup of flour.

NB: The photos here of the finished biscuits are just half the final batch.

Ingredients
340g vegan margarine/butter such as Vitalite
About 2/3 cup of icing sugar
2 cups of Doves Farm Gluten Free White Bread Flour (plus about another cup for rolling and dusting the biscuits)

Instructions
Cream together the margarine and sugar, then sift in the flour and mix until the mixture is fluffy.
Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This helps the flour firm up a bit and makes it much easier to cut out shapes like hearts and rabbits, as otherwise the mixture does break easily.

Once the mix has chilled, pre-heat the oven to around 175 degrees Celsius. Tip the dough onto a floured surface and add more flour to knead. It will feel quite soft at first but add a little more flour at a time until it goes a little firmer.

When you're happy with the texture, roll out into around 1cm thickness and cut out with biscuit cutters. Use a spatula to transfer the biscuits to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Bake for around 10 minutes- you want the biscuits to stay pale and not colour. Move to a baking tray and allow to cool for 10 minutes, when they will also harden.

Vegan gift list: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

Way back in December 2011, half way through curating my (somewhat extensive) Christmas list, I stumbled upon a book called Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. I think I'd actually typed into Amazon's search list 'books that will change your life' just to see what would come up, and there was Eating Animals.

At the time I was one of those vegetarians people have to call to check they are "eating meat this week" before they make them dinner. In retrospect it was actually the perfect time for me to read this book for a bit of a wake up call- who am I kidding, a MAJOR wake up call. I'd done quite a bit of research into the farming industry in the UK for work, but I realised I wanted to find out some facts; I wanted to be a little clearer in my head when I sat down to eat chicken curry or a fish finger sandwich or even a slice of cake, what exactly I was about to consume.

After being given Foer's book for Christmas, I started reading on the 2nd of January. By the 9th of January I turned vegan without telling anyone for a few days. I was physically repulsed by what Foer describes in his investigation into the meat industry, and to be totally honest it was more of an immediate reaction at first: there's no way I could eat an egg after learning about the welfare of hens in the USA and the UK, free range or not, I couldn't go near them. I've now been a vegan for eleven months and couldn't think of living any other way.

I didn't plan to become a vegan when I started reading Eating Animals, and what's interesting (without giving too much away) is that Foer didn't become a vegan after writing it, but a vegetarian. Whatever your reaction to Eating Animals, it will change something about your standing. Whether it makes you begin to research a vegan lifestyle or all the more fierce as a meat eater to consume only the best, hand-reared whatever, the least you'll take away from this book is a better understanding of the animals you're eating. Don't let it pass you by.

Salad Days

Another extended break from an internet connection has left blog posts a little thin on the ground for August- but it wasn't all bbqs on the beach and home cooking... at least not all the time!

For my Dad's birthday this year I made him a cook book of all my favourite recipes I have so far discovered. In fact there's been quite a few new dishes I've had to keep under wraps from here as I know he checks it from time to time!

Here's a little look at the finished cook book, which we looked through with fried mushrooms and parsley from the garden for breakfast. Happy Birthday Dad!