Welcome to best of the week! This is a wee series where I write about all the best gluten-free, vegan products, recipes, foods etc. that I cooked, ate and loved this week!
I felt more myself this week than the previous one. I’m working hard on the blog and diving into some SEO optimization. I’m honestly not very tech-savvy and it mostly just makes my brain hurt. Needless to say, that come snack time I’ve been finding plenty of relief in the kitchen.
What I Cooked
Everything Bagels
Yeasted doughs are one the hardest gluten-free bakes to get right but these bagels were a smashing success. And thank goodness because I needed the win.
You can find the recipe here and watch this space for a cinnamon raisin version.
Meatballs
with mince from Aldi Plant Menu
By this point in Veganuary, we all know Aldi is absolutely smashing it with their Plant Menu options. I’m very fussy when it comes to vegan mince as they tend to taste like dog food but I really enjoyed their Plant Menu mince.
It’s not labelled as gluten-free but it has no gluten-containing ingredients on the back so it came home with me. I roast the meatballs in their red pesto (which is labelled as GF) and it was the best meal I had all week
FYI – I also tried their red pepper and butternut Squash sausages which were terrible!
Creamy Shredded Jackfruit Pot Pie
This sounds kind of weird but I basically made a vegan creamy chicken pie, except I used shredded jackfruit instead of chicken.
The trick with jackfruit is to shred it, salt it and roast it in the oven (without oil) for 20mins before adding to your recipe. This step dries it out and stops the jackfruit from turning to mush.
I topped the pie with Jus-Rol GF puff pastry which, is a must purchase if you haven’t tried it.
What I Ate
Moser Roth Vegan Blonde Chocolate
a.k.a. vegan white chocolate!
No more Aldi spam after this I promise! This guy was hidden in a remote corner of the shop with very unclear labelling as to what it was but I implore you to hunt it down! I don’t think I’ve ever had decent vegan white chocolate but this bar is the underdog of the vegan era! Legit so good!
Blood Oranges
Blood oranges are back in season! These gems are literally one of the only things to look forward to in the British winter months. What an absolute joy it is to cut into a blood orange and see a sunset in one single segment.
If you get your hands on some blood oranges, why not try our clementine & blood orange curd
Peanut Brittle Cookies
I made a gluten-free vegan version of Claire Saffiz’s very famous pecan brittle cookies. In truth, I burnt one batch and had to make a second so I’ve eaten a lot of cookies this week but I’m not complaining.
What I Loved
Alpaca Coffee
I have been ordering coffee beans from Alpaca Coffee for a while now and I love the ethics behind their business. The best is that I can pop the bags the coffee comes in straight into the compost bin.
Riverford Veg Box
Riverford delivers fruit and veg boxes that are all organic with the option to have your veg come plastic-free. When I first moved to the UK, I really struggled with how much of the fresh produce was wrapped in plastic, especially organic produce. Riverford is a great option if you’re looking for both organic and plastic-free.
Proper Nutty Peanut Butter
Proper Nutty was another of my discoveries that came out of my desire to reduce the amount of plastic I consume.
In our house, we go through peanut butter at a rate of knots so I like to buy the big 1kg vats of it. Instead of a large plastic tub, Proper Nutty uses stylish lever lid tins! Not to mention the peanut butter is delicious, lightly salted, roasted to a deep amber hue and smunchy!
Find it at Asda, Morrisons and Ocado.
Try it in our Peanut Brittle Cookies (above) or in our Blackberry, Cardamon & Peanut Butter Crumble Bars
Summary: Best Gluten-Free Vegan Products (Week Jan 4 - 10)
- Plant Menu Mince from Aldi
- Jus-Rol Gluten-free Puff Patry from Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose
Moser Roth Vegan Blonde Chocolate from Aldi
- Riverford Veg Boxes (I got the blood oranges from them too)
- Alpaca Coffee
- Smunchy Peanut Butter from Ocado, Asda and Morrisons
