veganfoodmadeeasy

Recipe Sunday – Buttery Leeks and Cabbage Recipe

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Hello beautiful kittens! How are you? These days everybody is talking a lot about how spring is approaching and they are all so happy, I don’t have the heart to tell them that spring doesn’t agree with me! But yeah, the past days have been decisively milder, although I wouldn’t scream “spring!” just yet as a couple of years ago we got snow in May and two years before that it was “The Beast from the East” in March.

Anyway, today’s recipe is so easy and so tasty and you can use it as a side but also for a risotto! So here is the Buttery Leeks and Cabbage recipe by VeganPunks.

Buttery Leeks and Cabbage recipe by Vegan

Ingredients

  • 350 g cabbage savoy or white – sliced
  • 1 leek – washed and sliced
  • 3 tbsp vegan butter or margarine
  • Salt & Pepper
  • (to make a risotto, 1 cup of arborio rice plus 1 1/2 cup of vegan broth)

Method

  1. Melt the vegan butter over a medium-high heat in a large frying or sautéing pan
  2. Put the leeks in once the butter has melted and stir well. The leeks should get a nice coating of vegan butter
  3. Cook for five minutes until they softened slightly
  4. Next pop the cabbage in. Keep stirring until it wilts down. Due to the volume, this will take about 15 minutes!
  5. Season generously with salt and pepper.

For Risotto

6. Add the rice, add broth and let it cook until al dente.

Enjoy!

Love,

TVCL xx

Recipe Sunday – Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cookies

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Hello beauties! Just a very short post today. We’re having an unusual mild weather at the moment, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t make some delicious comforting food. So here’s the recipe for Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cookies by Elavegan: you won’t believe how delectable they are…and without flour!

Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cookies by Elavegan

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tbsp ground chia seeds + 1/4 cup (60 g) water
  • 1 scant cup (100 g) ground sunflower seeds or almond flour
  • 3/8 cups (75 g) date sugar or organic cane sugar
  • 5 tbsp (30 g) cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp espresso powder (optional, but recommended)
  • 3 1/2 tbsp (50 g) nut/seed butter of choice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp (18 g)coconut oil melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup (60 g) dairy-free chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (or both)

Instructions

  1. 1 To a small bowl add ground chia seeds (or ground flax seeds) and 1/4 cup water. Stir to combine and set aside. Also, preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. To a medium-sized bowl (or food processor) add ground sunflower seeds (or almond flour), cane sugar (or granulated sugar of choice), cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Mix until there are no lumps.
  3. Add nut/seed butter of choice, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and the chia seed mixture. Stir (or blend, if using a food processor) until combined.
  4. Finally, add the dairy-free chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) and mix with your hands until you have a smooth dough.
  5. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each weighing about 50 grams / or make 10 smaller ones) and roll each piece with your hands into a ball. You can also use an ice cream scoop.
  6. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared parchment paper and flatten them with your hand. Bake in the oven for 14-16 minutes. They will be still soft when you take them out but firm up once cooled. Enjoy!

You won’t regret making them and probably eating them as soon as they get out of the oven!

Love,

TVCL xx

Recipe Sunday – Vegan Borscht

/ thevegancatlibrarian / 3 Comments

Hello my beautiful cats! How are you? It’s been quite a long time since the last time I wrote here! I’ve been away visiting my parents for two weeks during the Holiday season and it’s been great: I spent such a lovely time with them, we’ve been visiting some different places almost every other day, just the three of us and it’s been amazing! The downside, leaving them and when I came back home to the UK I felt I was missing them a lot – but this is not the place to talk about it and will dedicate a post about moving away from home, to another country.

Today it’s Recipe Sunday! And I wanted to share the Vegan Borscht recipe by ConnoisseurusVeg I made this week, which was exactly what I needed for a comfy night after an extremely busy day. It’s an easy recipe with a delicious result!

Bowl of Vegan Borscht with Lemon Slices and Water Glass in the Background

Vegan Borscht recipe by ConnoisseurusVeg

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 medium beets, peeled and diced (½ inch)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (½ inch)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
  • 1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced (½ inch)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Vegan sour cream, yogurt, or cashew cream, for serving
  • Chopped fresh chives and/or parsley, for serving

Method

  1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the beets, carrot and onions. Sauté until the veggies begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute, until very fragrant.
  2. Stir in the broth, tomato paste, cabbage and potato. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, until the veggies are tender, 15-20 minutes. You can add more broth or water if you like.
  3. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the lemon juice and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Serve the soup into bowls and top with vegan sour cream, yogurt, or cashew cream, and a sprinkling of fresh dill, parsley and/or chives.

Enjoy!

Love,

TVCL xx

Recipe Sunday – Vegan Vegetable Wellington

/ thevegancatlibrarian / 1 Comment

Hi kittens! How are you? It’s been a very cold week: snow and ice have covered where I live and I was really a Winter Wonderland! Just perfect for the pre-Christmas period. And it’s a great time to have some comfort food like this Vegan Vegetable Wellington by ConnoseurusVeg.

Vegan Vegetable Wellington by ConnoseurusVeg

Ingredients

  • ½ cup uncooked brown rice
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 3 cups diced (½-inch) butternut squash (Note 1)
  • 8 ounces diced ½-inch) cremini mushrooms (about 3 cups of mushrooms)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup whiskey (Note 2)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 sheet (about 9 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed (Note 3)
  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Place the rice, broth, thyme, sage and rosemary into a small saucepan and set it over high heat.
  2. Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Allow the rice to simmer for about 40 minutes, until the liquid is fully absorbed.
  3. Remove the pot from heat and allow it to sit with the lid on for at least 5 minutes before uncovering.
  4. While the rice cooks, preheat the oven to 400°.
  5. Toss the squash with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and and toss the mushrooms with 2 teaspoons of oil. Arrange them separately on the baking sheets.
  6. Place the baking sheets into the oven and bake until the squash and mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.
  7. Remove the baking sheets from the oven but leave the oven on.
  8. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and place it over medium heat.
  9. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
  10. Add the garlic and sauté another minute, until very fragrant.
  11. Lower the heat and carefully add the whiskey (Note 4). Raise the heat back to medium, bring the whiskey to a simmer it simmer for about 2 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked off.
  12. Add 1 cup of the cooked rice (Note 5), squash, mushrooms and pecans to the skillet. Stir a few times to mix everything up.
  13. Taste-test the mixture at this point (careful, as it will be hot) and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
  14. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to incorporate. Remove the skillet from the heat.
  15. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  16. Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it to about a 12-inch square. Transfer it to the baking sheet.
  17. Pile the filling on the puff pastry, forming a long rectangle extending down the center of the puff pastry sheet. Shape the filling with your hands and pack it in. It should seem like a lot, but you can remove some if it’s way too much.
  18. Option 1: Braid the dough. Use a knife to cut approximately 1-inch strips down either side of the rectangle, stopping about a half in from the strip of filling. Starting at the bottom, fold the strips inward at a slight diagonal, over the filling, pinching opposite strips together.
  19. Option 2: Simply fold the top and bottom ends of the puff pastry over the filling, then wrap the sides overtop to form a log shape, pinching tightly at the seams to form a seal. Poke a few holes in the dough to allow steam to escape.
  20. Brush the pastry with the melted butter.
  21. Bake the log until golden and puffy, 30-35 minutes.
  22. Allow the vegetable Wellington to cool just for a couple minutes, then slice and serve.

I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Love,

TVCL xx

Vegan Christmas Menu Ideas

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We’re so close to Christmas! Do you have everything ready for this holiday? If yes, I’m absolutely happy for you and kudos for your organisational skills. Here, we’re not 100% ready but. I know what I would like for my Christmas dinner! So, I’m sharing with you the recipes

Appetisers

My Vegan and Gluten-Free Bruschetta is always a hoot! It’s flavourful and you’ll find it very easy to make.

Plate of bruschettas.

Other appetisers can be the Air Fryer Vegan Spring Rolls by KiipFit and the Vegan Puff Pastries with Spinach and Ricotta by Tasty, Thrift, Timely (on BestOfVegan).

Soups

There are many Christmassy soups that are going to make for a very festive dinner! The Vegan Carrot Soup by LovingItVegan is one of these, as well as the Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup by TheStingyVegan.

Main Course

To me, lasagna is THE Christmas main course par excellence: there is just something about the whole mix of ingredients in the lasagna that screams “festivities”. And just to give a twist to the traditional recipe, the Vegan Lasagna Rolls with Tofu Ricotta by Shane&Simple is the perfect main course recipe for your Christmas dinner. Another delicious recipe for the occasion is the Wild Garlic and Asparagus Risotto by LovelyJubley.

Wild Garlic and Asparagus Risotto by LovelyJubley

Childhood memories of roasted dishes and savoury tarts won’t be disappointed with the Vegan Roast Beef by TheHiddenVeggies and the Vegan Asparagus Potato Tart by HolyCow.

Sides

Two side dishes by the LazyCatKitchen are the Maple Roasted Carrots with Cranberries and the Roasted Green Beans with Almond Bacon.

Desserts

To finish, I propose to you a cake, Cookies and a traditional Christmas pudding. TheVegSpace has the recipe for a scrumptious Vegan Christmas Cake, while the Hazelnut Cookies by Elavegan will be perfect for those who want something sweet but don’t have space in the belly for the cake.
But we can’t end the dessert section of a Christmas dinner without a Traditional Vegan Christmas Pudding by the VeganFamilyHouse.

Conclusion

I hope you’ll have a great time during these holidays and you’ll manage to also get some rest. And I hope you’ll enjoy some of these delicious dishes! If you make any of these, let me know what you think 🙂

Love,

TVCL xx

Recipe Sunday – Air Fryer Tofu

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Hello beauties! Is everything okay with you? Here it has snowed and it is really Winter Wonderland! So beautiful. This morning I felt like pancakes and followed a recipe by the VietVegan that I shared last year for Pancake Day: it’s my favourite recipe for pancakes, so easy to make and has a delicious result! For dinner, I wanted something versatile to use for tomorrow’s lunch and this Air Fryer Tofu by LovingItVegan was exactly what I needed.

Air Fryer Tofu by LovingItVegan

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces Firm Tofu Pressed for 30 minutes
  • 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
  • ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic POwder
  • 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper Ground Black Pepper

Method

  • Press the tofu for 30 minutes. It’s ideal if you use a tofu press. If you don’t have a tofu press you can place your tofu on a plate, with another plate on top and then stack something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot.
  • When the tofu is pressed cut it into cubes.
  • Add sesame oil, soy sauce and maple syrup to a measuring jug and whisk together into a sauce.
  • Place the tofu cubes into a container with a tight sealing lid.
  • Pour the sesame oil, soy sauce, maple syrup mix over the top of the tofu.
  • Place the lid onto the container and rotate it a few times, gently tossing the tofu with the sauce.
  • Add cornstarch, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and ground black pepper to a small bowl and mix together.
  • Sprinkle half the spice mix over the tofu. Put the lid on the container and rotate it a few times to gently toss the tofu in the spices.
  • Then sprinkle the rest of the spice mix over the tofu, seal the container again and rotate it a few times again to toss the tofu in the spices.
  • Place the blocks of tofu into the air fryer in a single layer with space between each block. Make sure they don’t touch.
  • Depending on the size of your air fryer you may be able to do it in one batch.
  • Cook at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes until golden and crispy.

Let me know what you think!

Love,

TVCL xx

Recipe Sunday – Creamy Potato Leek Soup (plus alternative recipe!)

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Happy Sunday my beauties! Is everything okay with you? This weekend has been so lovely, I have enjoyed a couple of nice autumn walks and also a trip to a local Christmas Market and coming back from these walks I was craving some comfort food. This Creamy Potato Leek Soup by SimpleVeganista was definitely the answer to these cravings!

Creamy Potato Leek Soup by SimpleVeganista

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water (for water saute)
  • 3 medium leeks (use white and light green parts only)
  • 2 1/2 lbs. potatoes, cubed 1/2 inch (peeled or with skin on)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme or Herbes de provence
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 cups water or low-sodium vegetable broth
  • mineral salt, to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley, to garnish

Method

  1. Start by removing and discarding the root ends of the leeks and thick dark green parts.
  2. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse each half under cold water, pulling apart the layers to remove any sand or debris nestled inside, slice the leeks crosswise. Alternatively, slice the leeks, then put in a colander and wash well under running water. Should yield 4 – 5 cups.
  3. Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Feel free to peel the potatoes or leave the skin on (I left the skin on).
  4. In a large dutch oven or pot, heat the oil/water over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and wilted, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary so as not to brown the leeks.
  5. Add the potatoes, broth, bay leaves, herbs, salt to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer on low for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
  6. Remove the bay leaves, and puree the soup using a hand-held immersion blender until smooth (or leave a little chunky). Alternatively, use a regular blender to puree the soup in batches. Taste for seasoning.

Alternatively

If you don’t want to use potatoes, you can use 3 carrots instead of the potatoes. I’ve tried also adding half a broccoli and it’s DE-LI-CIOUS!

I hope you’ll try both ways and let me know what you think.

Love,

TVCL xx

Recipe Sunday – Vegan Pumpkin Curry

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Hi everybody! How is everything with you? Here we’re really getting into Autumn: yellow, orange and red leaves falling on the floor, the specific autumnal smell in the air… oh, so beautiful! And this really calls for comforting recipes (also, considering all the matter of rising living costs, we really need some good food to lift our spirits!). Pumpkin/squash recipes are usually perfect for this weather, but I’ve never been too keen on them: probably because my family had only made roasted pumpkin, which I don’t think is the best way to eat a pumpkin. However, I have been slowly warming up to this vegetable and last year I’ve been using it to make sweet dishes. And this year, I’ve seen the video by Calum Harris of the vegan PlantBoiis making a Pumpkin Curry where his premise was that he “usually would say ‘no’ to a pumpkin curry, that would be the last of [his] options” except for this recipe, so I decided to try it. And let me tell you, as someone who isn’t a fan of pumpkins: I. LOVE. IT. Dead easy, quick, flavourful and delicious.

So, here is the recipe!

Pumpkin Curry by Calum Harris

Ingredients

  • 1 pumpkin (1.5kg) or a butternut squash
  • 4 tsp garam masala (3 for the pumpkin, 1 for the onions)
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 garlic bulb
  • Loads of salt and pepper
  • Drizzle of light olive oil
  • 1 large white onion
  • 4cm ginger (with the skin is fine)
  • 1 red chilli (de-seeded if you don’t like spice)
  • 1 heaped tablespoon mango chutney
  • 1 tin (400g) chickpeas
  • 1 tin (400g) coconut milk
  • 500ml veggie stock
  • Seeds need big pinch of salt, a drizzle of light olive oil and 1 tsp cumin
  • 1-2 poppadoms
  • Top with pomegranate seeds, pinch of fresh coriander and the crunchy topping

Method

  1. Cut and seed the pumpkin and put in the oven for 40 minutes (recipe doesn’t say, but I guessed 200° C) with the garlic bulb, seasoning with garam masala, turmeric, salt, pepper and olive oil;
  2. Clean and soak the pumpkin seeds;
  3. Chop the onion and put it in blender with ginger and chilli (if you use it);
  4. Transfer the blended ingredients to a pan, stir fry until caramelised then add the mango chutney, veggie stock, chickpeas and coconut milk. Add the roasted pumpkin and let it simmer for 40 minutes.
  5. In the meantime, roast the seeds with some olive oil, salt and cumin for 20 minutes,then take them out of the oven and grind them with the poppadoms. Use it to top the curry with also pomegranate seeds and coriander.

You’ll thank me later!

Love,

TVCL xx

Recipe Sunday – Vegan Stuffed Shells Florentine

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Beautiful kittens! How is life treating you these days? It’s nearly Halloween, can you believe it?! I just thought of sharing this recipe very quickly with you, because I feel we need a lot of comfort with all that is happening around the world. And what best comfort food if not PASTA?! And there is the recipe for a vegan ricotta within the main recipe! What’s not to like? So, without further ado, here are the Vegan Stuffed Shells Florentine by ConnoisseurusVeg.

Vegan Stuffed Shells Florentine by ConnoisseurusVeg

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces dried jumbo pasta shells (about 20 shells)

For the Quick Tomato Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ large onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (28 ounce or 794 gram) can crushed tomatoes
  • ½ tablespoon organic granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn and lightly packed

For the Vegan Ricotta Florentine

  • ½ cup roughly chopped onion (about ½ of a medium onion)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water 4-8 hours, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened soy or almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) package extra firm tofu, drained and broken into 5-6 large chunks
  • ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped and lightly packed

Method

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook them according to the package directions.
  2. Drain the pasta into a colander, then return it to the pot and toss it with a few dashes of olive oil. Set aside.

Make the Quick Tomato Sauce

  1. Coat the bottom of a medium saucepan with oil and place it over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion until softened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and sauté it with the onion 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
  3. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and lower the heat.
  4. Allow the sauce to simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Stir in the basil and remove the sauce from the heat. Taste test and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Make the Vegan Ricotta Florentine

  1. Place the onion, garlic, cashews, milk and lemon juice into bowl of food processor. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
  2. Add the tofu, salt and pepper. Pulse the machine until a thick and slightly chunky, ricotta-like texture is achieved, again, stopping to scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
  3. If some space remains in food processor bowl, add the spinach and pulse until finely chopped and well blended. Otherwise, transfer mixture to a bowl and stir the spinach in by hand.
  4. Taste-test and season the mixture with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Make the Stuffed Shells Florentine

  1. Preheat the oven to 400º. Coat the bottom of a 9 inch by 9 inch baking dish or 10 inch round oven-safe skillet with about half of sauce.
  2. Stuff the shells with the ricotta mixture and arrange them in a single layer in the baking dish or skillet. Top with the remaining sauce.
  3. Cover and bake the shells for 20-25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly.
  4. Remove the shells from the oven and allow them to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

It’s easy and delicious!

Love,

TVCL xx

Recipe Sunday – Comforting Wholesome Pear Muffins

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Hello cuties! How is everything with yous? I hope you’re having a brilliant weekend, spending it doing what makes you feel good. If you’re not, and you have to deal with unpleasant things, I really hope you’ll get over this soon. In any way, I feel that the recipe I’m sharing with you today will bring a smile to your face.

Pear muffins are something I wouldn’t have thought I would have loved this much because I’ve never been a fan of pears. But at some point, I found myself with so many pears and wasn’t sure about what I could do with them: a browse online for “quick vegan pear recipes” and there it was, Comforting Wholesome Pear Muffins by SeitanIsMyMotor! Tried it, absolutely loved it and you will too!

Comforting Wholesome Pear Muffins by SeitanIsMyMotor

Ingredients

  • 140 g (purple) whole wheat flour (1 cup + 2 Tbsp)
  • 50 g sugar (¼ cup)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 120 ml soy milk (½ cup)
  • 70 g apple sauce (3 tbsp)
  • 30 ml neutral oil (2 Tbsp)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • zest from one lemon
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 6 mini pears or six pear quarters (or ½ cup diced pear)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200°C and grease 6 muffin tins with oil.
  • In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda and mix well.
  • Stir in remaining ingredients except for pears.
  • Pour the batter into the muffin tins and press pears into the batter. Or, if you are using diced pears, mix them into the batter before pouring the muffins into the tins.
  • Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
  • Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
  • Serve immediately or when cooled completely.

Easy, quick, and extra flavourful!

Let me know if you make it!

Love,

TVCL xx