Vegan Sweet Potato Dahl

To me, dahl is the ultimate comfort food and it's so easy to make.

So today I'm sharing my sweet potato dahl recipe, the sweet potatoes add a lovely sweetness to this classic dish.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• a little drizzle of oil
• 50 grams of green lentils
• half a medium sweet potato
• half a tsp of ground cumin
• half a tsp of ground turmeric
• half a tbsp of tomato puree
• a little sprinkle of salt and pepper
• some water

These small amounts are enough for one portion or one adult and a little one. This is usually enough for my youngest daughter and I. 

To make enough for two people double the ingredients, for three people triple and for four quadruple and so on, you get the idea. 

Just add a dash of oil to a pan and gently fry the garlic for a couple of minutes.

Next add the lentils and sweet potato and cover slightly with water.

Add the cumin, turmeric, tomato puree and bring to the boil.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for approximately 40 minutes.

You may need to add a little more water to prevent the mixture drying out. So keep an eye on it.

Once the sweet potatoes and lentils are soft, add salt and pepper, seasoning to taste.

Serve with some flat breads or chapatis or whatever takes your fancy. Rice goes so well with this dish. 

And all thats left to do is enjoy!

Have a fantastic day and stay kind :)

Vegan Hot Cross Buns

There is no greater smell than that of warmed hot cross buns filling your house. Since going Vegan, I have missed that smell, so this year I decided to make some.

The recipe is broken down into parts and will make 6 Vegan Hot Cross Buns, to make more just double or triple up on the ingredients.

To make the dough you will need ......

• half a cup of dairy free milk (I used hemp milk)
• half a teaspoon of yeast
• 1 tbsp of sugar

Gently warm the milk until it's lukewarm, in a bowl add the yeast, the sugar and milk, mixing well together. 

In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients below. 

• 250 grams of plain flour
• half a teaspoon of salt
• half a teaspoon of ground ginger
• half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• half a teaspoon of ground or grated nutmeg
• 50 grams of sultanas
• finely grated zest of 1 orange

Make a well in the centre and add ......

• 1 tbsp of oil
• 1 tbsp of orange juice 
• and the yeast mixture

Bring all the ingredients together with your hands, you may need to add a little more flour or water (if  the dough too wet or too dry)

Knead the dough for 10 minutes, yes your arms will ache but it will be totally worth it. 

Cover the dough in cling film or a clean damp tea towel and leave it to rise in a warm place (put your heating on if the room is cold) for an hour. 

Knead for a further 10 minutes, just think of the guns you'll get, your arms need this workout. 

Divide the dough in to 6 equally sized balls and place them on to a baking tray.

Again cover with the cling film/tea towel and leave in a warm place for a further 35 minutes.

Heat your oven to 175C

To make the crosses on top

• Just mix 1 tbsp of flour with a little water to make a thick paste.

You can use a piping bag, if doubling or tripling the mixture to make 12 or 18 hot cross buns. To make 6, I just used a small spoon and a knife to create the crosses. 

Place your buns into the pre-heated oven for approximately 20 minutes. Keep checking on them, until they look golden brown and smell delicious. 

Whilst still warm, you will need to add the glaze.....

• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp of orange juice (or water)

Gently boil the sugar and juice together in a small pan until you create a syrup. Remove from the heat and brush the syrup over the buns.

We were extra naughty and added sugar crystals too.

You could eat these straight away or serve toasted with vegan butter and a little dash of salt on top, to recreate a butter taste. 

Your house will smell amazing each time you toast some under the grill. Enjoy :)

Have a wonderful Easter and Stay kind....