Appetisers page 2

CARROT DIP-Inspired from Middle eastern recipe.

2 tbsp olive oil

4 medium carrots grated

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

4 cups cashew cheese (recipe page 32)

2 cups walnuts finely crushed

½ teaspoon chilli powder

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt to taste

Garnish;

olive oil (to drizzle on top)

walnuts crushed and a few ½ walnuts

sumac

Heat oil in a saucepan, add the carrots. Stir until they are soft, then add the garlic and stir until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat, lid and let cool. Add all other ingredients except the chilli, salt and garnish, beginning with cashew cheese. Taste, season with salt and chilli to taste.

Transfer to a serving bowl or bowls, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. Before serving, garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, a few crushed walnuts, and a half walnut, and make a circle of sumac on the outside edge of the bowl.

CASHEW CRÈME, also called CASHEW CHEESE. This is a must in every Vegan kitchen. It has multiple uses- in salads, on baked veggies, on toast. This basic recipe is frequently used in vegan dishes. It is a regular go-to in the vegan kitchen as a replacement for hummus, a delicious base in a galette, and an additive to yummy vegetable dishes. Therefore, the recipe is for a large amount of Cashew Cheese that must be kept in a jar and refrigerated. Cashews have a creamy consistency, enriching and thickening dishes without adding flour or cornflour. Cashews are a superfood that provides your body with essential dietary fibres not produced naturally by the body, as well as many vitamins and minerals, protein, and healthy body fats. Regular cashew consumption has been linked to a reduction in several digestive diseases.

4 cups of raw cashews

6 garlic cloves

1 cup of fresh dill leaves (no stems)

1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons light olive oil

about 4 tablespoons of water from the soaked cashews.

Powdered contents of five probiotic capsules

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon salt

Soak cashews in water for at least 12 hours or overnight. Drain the cashews, but save about ½ cup of the liquid. Place the cashews in a food processor with the salt, oil, and vinegar, continuously adding small amounts of the remaining cashew liquid until a smooth consistency is obtained. Keep scraping the sides of the blender. Add the dill and the rest of the cashews. Then, add the nutritional yeast. Spoon into a glass jar, gently float olive oil on top and seal tightly. Refrigerate. Repeat the olive oil topping whenever you use some of this Cashew Cream.

Note: Cashew Cream makes a fast dip, either by itself or with added herbs and spices. For a quick salad, dilute a little cashew cheese with vinegar and olive oil and use it as a dressing. For children, omit the garlic spread of bread topped with a combination of a quarter cup of sugar and one tablespoon of powdered cinnamon.

CAVIAR-Vegan, of course.

In 1988, biologist Jens Møller created beautiful seaweed pearls to amuse his children. The pearls are now known as Cavi·art, a plant-based caviar.

2 cups of tasteless, light-textured oil

4 cups of water

3 tablespoons of ginger, sliced.

2 tablespoons of dried dulse

3 tablespoons of dried nori

1 large (or equivalent) dehydrated shiitake mushroom broken into small pieces.

6 tablespoons of liquid (without oil) from a caperberry jar or a jar of Kalamata olives

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 dessertspoon of agar agar powder

½ a teaspoon of activated charcoal

Pour your olive oil into a wide container and refrigerate it overnight or for at least 10 hours. This recipe will only work if the oil is icy-cold. Boil four cups of water in a small, deep saucepan. Add ginger, dulse, nori, and shitake mushrooms, and then lower the heat. Simmer for about a minute. Remove from the heat, cover the saucepan. and leave to marry and cool for ¾ hour. Pulse until smooth, then strain. Return the liquid to the saucepan, and either discard the solid or keep it to spread on toast for a snack. Add the caper or olive brine, soy sauce, agar agar, and activated charcoal. Stir until it is all dissolved and bring it to a low boil. Let simmer, stirring, for 3 minutes, until it thickens and the agar agar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool. Using a Caviar Maker Box, follow the instructions to make the divine little dark spheres, transfer to a lidded jar and refrigerate.

Take this method if you don't have a caviar maker box.

Drip the caviar liquid into the chilled olive oil using an eyedropper or food baster dropper. Continue until all the liquid is used. If it becomes too solid in the saucepan, heat it with a tablespoon or so of water and stir until it is liquid again. Strain the oil (it can be reused) and store the vegan caviar in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Note: Because the dropper takes a long time, I find it best to keep the bowl of oil in a larger bowl containing ice.

CROUTONS.

They add elegance and contrasting crunchiness to dips, soups, and leaf salads. Serve croutons hot or cold, large or mini.

Croutons are small, crisp cubes of toasted or fried bread. Popular shapes are stars, moons, circles, and triangles. People in a hurry fry them but prefer to avoid the added, secret flavour an oven imparts. To make the best croutons, take stale slices of bread and remove the crusts. Then brush both sides with olive oil, garlic-infused oil, or a smoky oil. Spread them evenly on an oven tray and bake in a hot oven until golden and crisp.

CUCUMBER SANDWICHES.

Imagine navigating the sweltering heat of India as a British colonist, desperately needing something refreshing to eat. Enter the humble cucumber—cool, crisp, and incredibly versatile! This vegetable inspired the creation of the delightful cucumber sandwich. Not only did it conquer the Indian climate, but its exquisite taste also made waves back in England, becoming an essential part of Victorian-era high tea.

You will need

1. Very fresh, pre-sliced bread. White bread is a traditional choice

2. Cucumbers. Choose firm, dark-skinned fruit with no wrinkles.

3. Fresh dill

4. parsley, finely chopped

5. vegan butter, vegan cream cheese, or vegan aioli

6. salt

7. black pepper, freshly ground.

Prepare your cucumbers:

Rinse them in tepid water, then gently rub them dry. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin by lengthwise slicing the surface. Do not dig deeply; the cucumber needs its solid outside to remain crispy. The skin holds Vitamin A; removing it is optional, as it is not poisonous. However, some cucumber skins are a tad bitter, so to be safe, remove all the skin or remove half. Slice the cucumber into lengthwise strips for sandwiches, as it keeps its place when biting into the finished sandwich. Lay the slices on a flat tray or dish lined with paper towels and sprinkle a little salt. Leave about fifteen minutes. Then, using kitchen paper, remove excess salt and pat them dry.

Prepare your dill. Divide the fresh dill into small fronds with removed stems to place inside the sandwich, dill fronds with a little stalk intact to decorate each sandwich and sprigs for the platter.

Assemble your sandwiches one at a time. Generously spread two rounds of bread with butter, cream cheese or aioli. Arrange cucumber slices to overlap each other, add freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle a small amount of parsley, then add dill fronds without stems. Top it with the remaining slice of bread, butter it side down, and press down gently. Remove the crusts and slice the sandwich in half using a sharp knife. Using a skewer, make a tiny hole in the centre of the sandwich, then stick a frond of dill in the hole. Arrange sandwiches on a platter, and throw whole tiny tomatoes and whole caperberries between the sarnies.

Note: Cucumber Sandwiches should be made close to when they are being served but no more than two hours before. Some say the best cucumbers to use in sandwiches are English, also called European cucumbers. They are long and skinny and, owing to their thin skins, are usually sold wrapped in plastic. When out of season, some suppliers wax their skins to prevent spoiling. Try not to buy these, but if there is no other choice, lightly rub the whole cucumber under running tepid water and then rub it with a soft cloth to remove the wax. For uniform cucumber slices, it is wise to use a mandolin cutter. Cucumber seeds are a hidden nutritional gem containing vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Do not use bread with holes in it, crusty, or stale bread.

DATES TEN WAYS. Mythology tells us that the Phoenix built her nest on the top of a date palm tree. At the end of its life, the bird swallowed the last flames of the setting sun and reincarnated at sunrise. Perhaps that is why its botanical name is Phoenix dactylifera. But this is not why the date palm is known as "The Tree of Life"; it only grows where there is water, even if it is well below the surface. Thus, these miracle trees provide shelter in demanding regions of the desert for man, animals, and crops. Dates are a superfood packed with fifteen essential minerals, high prebiotic fibre, vitamin B, and antioxidants.

1. Pitted dates filled with smooth peanut butter, tahini or seed butter, then sprinkled with fine salt crystals and a touch of grated chocolate;

2. Pitted dates drizzled with Tamarind Sauce, then sprinkled with lime juice;

3. Stuffed with cashew cheese, see recipe (Appetisers), then sprinkled with cinnamon;

4. Pitted dates filled with almond cheese, see recipe (Appetisers), balsamic glaze and finely chopped thyme;

5. Pitted dates filled with marzipan, topped with crushed pistachios, and a pinch of cardamom powder;

6. Date Comfit (see recipe below) spooned over raw cauliflower florets, garnished with finely chopped basil;

7. Pre-soaked, pitted dates dusted with cumin;

8. Baked dates (see recipe below) with walnut topping;

9. Date cocktail smoothies into a short tumbler of Cointreau, vodka, gin, rum, or brandy. Replace olives or lemon wedges in a Martini with a pitted date.

10. Short tumblers containing a starter drink consisting of pre-soaked dates, bananas, smooth peanut butter, and almond milk blended until smooth

Baked Dates with Walnuts Recipe;

About 2 cups of pitted dates

almond cream (recipe page 32) to fill pitted dates

½ cup of finely chopped walnuts

1 dessertspoon of finely chopped fresh sage

½ cup of mandarin or orange juice

2 tablespoons refined coconut oil

1 teaspoon of mace

¼ cup Maple syrup

salt to taste

Soak the dates in hot water for an hour. Separately combine all other ingredients except the salt and put aside. Drain the dates and dry well, inside and out. I use a hair dryer. Cover a baking tray with baking paper. Fill the pit cavity generously with almond cheese. Arrange the cheese side up on the prepared tray. Spoon the mixed ingredients over the dates. Bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes before serving. Drizzle maple syrup over the dates and sprinkle with salt.

Date Comfit Recipe;

2 cups of pitted dates

3 cups of water

1 dessertspoon of garlic powder

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of coconut sugar

1 cup of lemon juice

1 teaspoon coriander powder

salt and pepper to taste

Soak the dates overnight in 3 cups of water; do not rinse, but transfer the dates and water to a saucepan over low heat. Add everything except the coriander, salt, and pepper. Stirring constantly, simmer until it is mush, squashing the dates with a spoon to help this. Remove from the heat, cool, then blend until smooth. Add coriander, salt and pepper to taste. Do not be afraid to add a little too much salt.

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