Lemon cake

Abundance of lemons in the production office, so I won over some hearts and minds by baking this. Very easy to follow. Make sure to use excellent EVOO!

OG recipe here

Ingredients

Vegan Lemon Olive Oil Cake

• ▢2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose plain flour, spoon and leveled (note 1 for gluten-free option)
• ▢1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
• ▢3 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢Pinch of salt, optional
• ▢1 cup (250g) dairy-free milk, room temperature
• ▢½ cup (125g) extra virgin olive oil
• ▢⅓ cup (80g) lemon juice, (note 2)
• ▢~2 tablespoons lemon zest
• ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

To decorate (optional, see note 2 for alternatives)

• ▢1 ½ cups (150g) powdered sugar / icing sugar
• ▢2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢1 cup (150g) fresh berries

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Instructions 

To make the cake:

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper.
• Add all the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) to a large bowl. Mix until there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients (milk, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla) and mix until just combined.
• Pour the lemon cake batter into your prepared pan. Smooth the surface if necessary.
• Bake the cake for 1 hour or until you can insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and there's no wet batter on it. As this is a moist cake, some crumbs on your toothpick are fine. If the surface of your cake is browning too quickly, carefully tent the pan with aluminum foil.
• Allow the cake to cool in the loaf tin for 10 minutes then let the cake cool on a cooling rack.

To make the icing:

• Add the lemon juice and sugar to a medium bowl and mix until smooth. Add more lemon juice or non-dairy milk for a thinner icing (like a lemon glaze) or more powdered sugar for a thicker icing.
• Drizzle the icing over your cooled cake. If desired, top the cake with berries just before serving.
• Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or in the fridge for up to 3 days. The cake can be stored without the icing in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Broccoli, barley and cannellini bean soup.

Fucking delicious. Made it for the Hick's 48th birthday and doubled the barley and broccoli to make a big broth. It was damn good. Happy birthday Anto. xx

OG recipe here

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings as a main course, 6 as an appetizer

• ⅓ cup pearl barley

• Salt

• 1 head of broccoli (about 1 pound)

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

• 1½ tablespoons chopped garlic

• 1 cup cooked cannellini or other white beans (from a 15-ounce can), rinsed and drained

• 1 beef bouillon cube or 1 teaspoon beef stock concentrate

• Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Put the barley in a large saucepan with enough water to cover by 3 inches and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a slow, steady simmer, then cover, and cook until the barley is fully tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain, saving the water in a bowl for the soup.

2. Step 2

   While the barley is cooking, detach the florets and any small leaves from the broccoli. Peel the main stems and the florets’ stems. Rinse the broccoli well.

3. Step 3

   Fill a large soup pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the thick, main broccoli stems. (The salt is to keep the broccoli green and it will not make it too salty.) Cook for 7 or 8 minutes, then add the florets. When the water returns to a boil, cook for another 10 minutes or so, then drain. Chop the broccoli rather fine and set aside.

4. Step 4

   Put the olive oil and garlic in the soup pot, turn on the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, just until the garlic turns a deep ivory, about 1 ½ minutes.

5. Step 5

   Add the broccoli and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, turning it over from time to time to coat it well. Add the cannellini beans and cooked barley and stir once or twice.

6. Step 6

   Add enough of the barley cooking water to cover by at least 2 inches, using fresh water if you need more. Put in the bouillon cube and several grindings of pepper, and stir for 15 or 20 seconds. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Taste and correct for seasoning. Serve with a trickle of olive oil in each bowl.

Caesar Salad

 For some reason I was hugely craving this. Wasn't vibing on croutons and chickpeas, so I made it with chicken, capers, avocado and tamari almonds. The dressing was perfection.

OG recipe here. 

Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

FOR THE SALAD

• ½ small loaf crusty bread, such as sourdough, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and thoroughly dried

• 1 large bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)

• 1 large head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)

FOR THE DRESSING

• 1 cup whole (unroasted) cashews

• 1 snack-size (2-by-3-inch) sheet roasted nori, crumbled (optional)

• ¼ cup nutritional yeast, plus more for serving

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2 teaspoons brine from a jar of capers

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon white miso paste

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt 

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a medium baking sheet, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season generously with salt and pepper. On a second baking sheet, toss the chickpeas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Bake both until chickpeas and croutons are browned and crisp, stirring both halfway through, about 10 minutes for the croutons and 20 minutes for the chickpeas. Set aside.

2. Step 2

   While the chickpeas and croutons roast, prepare your dressing: To a high-speed blender, add all the dressing ingredients, plus ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and ¾ cup water; blend until completely smooth, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula every now and again. Set dressing aside. (You should have 1 ½ cups).

3. Step 3

   In a large bowl, add the kale and the dressing. Using your hands, massage the kale until slightly softened. Add the lettuce, croutons and half the roasted chickpeas; toss to coat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with additional nutritional yeast. Top with remaining roasted chickpeas; grind black pepper over, and serve immediately.