Vegan Vanilla Birthday Cake

11:43 Soph 1 Comments


I absolutely adore eating birthday cake, however as most cakes are made with egg, butter and sometimes milk they are definitely NOT suitable for vegans! Therefore my only solution to ensure that I can continue to eat any birthday cake that I choose, is to make the birthday cake for everyone I know (plus you then get the brownie points of being a good friend). 

VEGAN VANILLA BIRTHDAY CAKE

This cake is not only perfect for a birthday but for any occasion as it is light and fluffy without being dry (which you might presume it could be without the addition of egg or butter). You could top this cake with vanilla frosting (as pictured above) or with royal icing if you are looking to create a more specific design! As always my recipes are base recipes and are to be adapted and adjusted to your personal preference! Please let me know if you decide to recreate this recipe by tagging me in a picture on instagram or twitter (@positivesoph). 


Yields one large cake 
Ingredients
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp bicarb of soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
2 tsp cider vinegar
150ml vegetable oil
300g caster sugar
350g plain flour
500g vanilla soya yogurt
(if using plain yogurt, add extra tsp of vanilla)


1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius 

2. Beat together the sugar, oil and vanilla extract with an electric whisk until combined

3. Mix the cider vinegar and yogurt together before adding to the bowl


4. Add the flour, bicarb and baking powder to the bowl and mix until well combined 

5. Grease two 20cm cake tins with greaseproof paper and distribute the mixture evenly between them 

6. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until they are golden brown and a metal skewer comes out clean when removed from the middle 


7. Once removed from the oven, leave to cool slightly in the tins before transferring to a wire rack and leaving to cool completely 

8. Once cool, sandwich together with frosting and jam before topping with icing or vanilla frosting and serve! 


You can leave your cake plain and simple with vanilla frosting like pictured at the very top of this post, using the following frosting recipe ; 

1. Combine 200g of vegan butter, 650g of icing sugar (pre-sieved) and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and beat with an electric mixture until smooth

2. Cover the entirety of the top of the cake and store in the fridge 

Alternatively, you can use royal icing to create more specific designs (you can buy this pre-made and pre-coloured but do check it is vegan!) as shown below, from when I made an Adventure Time themed cake for my sisters 16th birthday. 




Thank you for reading! If you have any feedback on this recipe I would love to hear it, message me over on any of my social media accounts (@positivesoph) or email me at positivesoph@gmail.com!

Keep your soul happy! - Sophie :)

1 comments:

Packed Lunch Ideas for School / Work / Uni (Healthy & Vegan)

14:14 Soph 4 Comments



As I have had such a positive response to my 'Breakfast Ideas for Lunch / School / Uni' post (you can view it here) I have decided to do a post on vegan packed lunch ideas for school (or work / uni). When I was at school this was definitely something I struggled with even when I wasn't vegan, as the school canteen food just wasn't particularly great, or affordable, and even though I had the option to leave school for lunch not everyone has that luxury! Therefore thinking of a diverse range of options for my school lunches every week was pretty challenging for me! The ideas that I have compiled for this post are suitable for those of you who have access to a microwave at work / school / uni and also to those of you who don't, so hopefully there is something for everyone! They are also 100% vegan and healthy(ish) and are categorised into varying levels of time required to make them. 

PACKED LUNCH IDEAS FOR SCHOOL / WORK / UNI (HEALTHY & VEGAN) 

I always found that preparing my lunches the night before, or even the weekend before was much easier than scrambling around 10 minutes before I had to leave attempting to make my lunch! Therefore a lot of these recipes can be made in bulk and sectioned out for the whole week (or next few weeks) or are easy and quick enough to put together in the morning! As usual you can substitue any of the ingredients mentioned in this post to suit your dietary requirements and preferences and please let me know if you recreate any of them over at my social media accounts (@positivesoph). 

Easy Bulk Recipes  

These recipes can easily be made at the weekend to serve you for the whole week or alternatively the night before to save you time in the morning! All recipes have rough measurements for EACH serving, so adjust if making in bulk for how many portions you wish to make! 


1. Rice Noodles with Vegetables (REQUIRE A MICROWAVE AT SCHOOL / WORK)
This is probably one of the easiest meals you can put together, whilst also keeping you full all day and being really delicious! All you need to do is mix together rice noodles (no need to cook them at this stage if they are pre-cooked ones such as this brand), baby sweetcorn, chickpeas, mange-tout / sugar-snap pease, sweetcorn and any other veggies you want. When portioning off into your lunch box, add in a handful of spinach and some sweet chilli sauce and then at lunchtime just put in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and its ready to eat! I would suggest using around 150g of noodles per serving (which is half of the packet shown in the link above) and its up to you how many veggies you prefer! You can keep a bit container of this in the fridge (without the spinach and sweet chilli sauce added) to dish out for lunch when wanted!


2. Rice with Tofu, Peas and Sweet Chilli Sauce (REQUIRES A MICROWAVE)
Another easy, healthy bulk meal is rice with tofu and veggies, as all you need to do is cook your rice and peas (from frozen) in a large pan and then when sectioning off for your lunch just add some marinated tofu pieces (such as these) and add sweet chilli sauce, you can also add any other veggies you like and some spinach! Make sure that when your rice is cooked you let it cool but as soon as it is cool transfer straight to an airtight container and refrigerate until you put it into your airtight lunchbox! DO NOT LEAVE IT AT ROOM TEMP FOR A LARGE AMOUNT OF TIME - this can give you food poisoning!! When at school / work just put it into the microwave until PIPING HOT - this is crucial!! Then its ready to enjoy! 


3. Quinoa and Veggie Wrap 
This lunch item does not require any heating up at school therefore would be more suited to people who don't have access to a microwave or who eat lunch on the go! To create this all you need to do is cook some quinoa with seasonings such as a veggie stock cube (1/4 stock cube per portion), salt and pepper and mixed herbs. Once cooked and cooled store in an airtight container in the fridge. If you have enough time in the morning you can just fry some mushrooms in olive oil or coconut oil (however you can leave this step out if you prefer). When assembling your wrap just add quinoa, sweetcorn, the mushrooms, grated carrot, spinach and sweet chilli sauce (optional). Cut in half and store in your lunchbox until lunch time, and then enjoy! 


4. Mixed Bean Salad 
Okay I stand corrected, this is the easiest vegan, healthy meal you could possibly create for a packed lunch! Just combine tinned kidney beans, chickpeas, mixed beans and cannelloni beans into a container along with chopped raw red onion, baby sweetcorn and when portioned into your lunchbox add a handful of spinach along with a squeeze of lemon and its complete! Such a simple, healthy and delicious meal! 


5. Raw veggie and bean salad 
Another super quick and easy meal is this combination of raw veggies and beans topped with spices and seeds! Just combine raw broccoli pieces with grated carrot, cannelloni beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, chopped up carrot and when portioned into your lunchbox add chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, spices (I used paprika) and a squeeze of lemon! And there you have a nutritious, easy and super healthy lunch! 


6. Vegetable Soup 
In the winter, soup was my favourite thing to take to school with me as it was just so warming on a cold day! I usually just combine whatever veggies I have in the house to make soup but some good recipes are here. You can warm up your soup in the morning and take it with you in a flask or alternatively warm it up at work / school in the microwave, its up to you! 

7. Pasta 

Pasta is such a versatile dish that you can pretty much pair anything with it! Just cook your pasta in bulk and keep in the fridge until you section it out into your lunchbox the night before. Then add your topping, some of my favourites are dairy free pesto or my vegetable pasta sauce (which you can also make in bulk) - recipe can be found here. You can then eat your pasta either hot or cold for lunch, whichever you prefer! 


8. Leftovers 
Leftover meals from the night before or the weekend are the perfect lunch item as they have already been prepared and you can just pack a portion in your lunchbox for the next day! One of my favourite leftovers to take to school / work is chilli (a great recipe can be found here), just heat it up in the microwave and you have a delicious and warming lunch, that didn't even require any extra effort!

 Snack-Style Easy Lunch Components 
The next category of lunch ideas are more snack-style foods that you can combine with some of the ideas above or with each other to create a nutritious and filling lunch (basically don't have these ideas alone as they will NOT fill you up!!) 

1. Hummus with Carrot Sticks 
My all time favourite snack is anything that contains hummus!! Hummus is great as it contains healthy fats that will keep you energised throughout the day, and it also is just really delicious! I love having raw vegetables such as carrots or broccoli with hummus as part of my lunch, alternatively pitta and hummus is another great combination! Just pack it in your lunchbox and you are good to go! 


2. Fruit !!
Of course fruit has to be mentioned, I always used to take fruit to school as its just so easy to get out and snack on and it will boost your energy levels for a long day of school or work!! I loved taking any type of fruit from strawberries, to mango, to grapes! Make sure you store your fruit in a hard container so they don't get squashed and you are good to go!


3. Apple and Peanut Butter

If you have never had this combination you might be thinking its a weird one but trust me when I say that it is INCREDIBLE !! Just pack one apple and a few tbsp of peanut butter (organic and 100% peanuts) and you will have such a delicious and healthy snack. 



4. Vegan Baked Treats 
Needing snacks for your packed lunch is a perfect excuse to do some baking at the weekend! My favourite treats to take in my lunchbox are vegan peanut butter cookies (view the recipe here) and banana muffins (view the recipe here), as sweet treats are always necessary! 


5. Hummus, Pesto and Avocado Sandwich 
I have already featured this sandwich in my vegan picnic post but it's too good not to share again! Just spread one side of your bread (I used sundried tomato ciabatta) with pesto, and the other side with hummus and then place sliced avocado and spinach in the middle and its done! SO easy to make, really healthy and it tastes amazing! 


6. Fruit & Nut Bars 

 Having an energy bar in your bag at school or work is essential as you never know when you will need that pick-me-up of energy and they are so convenient to eat on the go or between classes! Some of my favourites are nakd bars as they are so healthy, being made from only a few ingredients, with the best flavours (in my opinion) being Cashew Cookie, Cocoa Orange, Cocoa Delights and Cocoa Mint (which I can never find but tastes exactly like After Eights!). Another brand of energy bars I love is 9Bar, with the peanut ones (pictured above) being my favourite, as it consists of an abundance of seeds and what tastes like peanut butter! Snacks like almonds and raisins are also great for a lunchbox as they are so easy to just slip into your bag and can be eaten in your breaks!

7. Dairy Free Flavoured Milk 
Okay so this isn't an essential in your lunchbox but they sure do taste good! Dairy Free milk is great at providing calcium, B12 and other essential vitamins, and realistically who doesn't like chocolate or strawberry milk?! These are perfect to just slip into your bag for a convenient and tasty snack! And people will get over the fact you're drinking out of a carton pretty quickly don't worry! 


8. Smoothies

I have talked extensively about smoothies in lots of blog posts now but they really are one of my favourite things! If you have a large bottle that you can take your smoothies with you in then this is a perfect addition to your lunch! If you want a smoothie that stays cold for longer in your bag I would suggest you add some frozen fruit, but for a whole list of recipes you can check out my smoothie post here. 

I hope some of these lunch ideas have given you some inspiration for this week's packed lunch and that you are never stuck for lunch ideas again! As always, make sure that you are drinking enough water throughout the day as you need to stay hydrated to be on top form at school / uni / work (more on that in my last post). Please let me know if you have any other ideas or if you try any of these recipes out!! Thanks for reading! 

Keep your soul happy! - Sophie :)


4 comments:

Breakfast Ideas for School / Work / Uni (Healthy & Vegan)

14:03 Soph 0 Comments


Breakfast foods are one of my favourite things in life, I would eat breakfast for every meal if I could (actually I pretty much do that anyway) and therefore I am so surprised when people tell me they don't have breakfast before school / work / uni ??!! However I do understand that making time to fit everything into your morning routine can be pretty difficult if you have an early start, and sometimes you just have to prioritise your eyeliner over making breakfast. Therefore I have compiled a list of some of my favourite easy breakfast ideas that are perfect for making before school, uni or work (or just for any day) and are of course 100% vegan and healthy(ish). 

 BREAKFAST IDEAS FOR SCHOOL / WORK / UNI (HEALTHY & VEGAN) 

I'm going to break down these breakfast ideas into a few different categories as then it'll be easier to find the breakfast that best fits your preference. Also you can adjust any of these recipes to suit the foods that you have around your house or to your dietary preferences, for example wherever I mention a type of non-dairy milk you could substitute it for any non-dairy milk that you like (e.g coconut milk, rice milk, soya milk), and you do not have to use the specific fruits or extra ingredients such as chia seeds or flax seed if you do not have them! 

DRINKING WATER

The most important thing to do in the morning is to drink lots of water! I recommend that you have around 1L of water as soon as you wake up, and preferably 30 minutes before breakfast (so get ready first before eating anything) this really kick starts your metabolism and wakes you up for the day! If you aren't used to drinking water in that quantity or in the morning then start slow but force yourself and soon you will get into the habit! You get so dehydrated during the night that if you don't drink a lot in the morning you could have headaches or affected performance at school or uni so its very important! Also lemon water and green tea are perfect ways to start the morning as they contain little to no caffeine and naturally wake your body up so you are not dependent on caffeine to function!

Quick & Easy 

These breakfast ideas are the quickest & easiest healthy breakfasts that I regularly have, each taking under 10 minutes (maybe longer if you take time to make them look pretty and take pictures for instagram - because thats all I do realistically).


1. Nice-cream (banana ice-cream)
Nice-cream is one of my favourite meals all year round as it is just so tasty, especially when flavoured with different fruits! My favourite types of nice-cream are raspberry, peanut butter or mango, topped with a variety of yummy things such as granola, coconut, chia seeds, flax seeds or even vegan brownie pieces (as pictured above). To make nice-cream all you have to do is freeze some bananas overnight and then in the morning before school you can just put your frozen banana (I use about 3-4 bananas) into a blender - though make sure its a fairly powerful blender or it could potentially break the blade, and blend up with whatever flavour you desire, I love to add a handful of frozen raspberries or a tablespoon of peanutbutter at this stage. The banana will clump together at first but once its been blended for a few minutes it will become smooth and creamy, and then its done! Just spoon into a bowl and top with fruit, nuts / seeds, granola or whatever else you would like, and enjoy!

2. Smoothie Bowls 

Smoothie Bowls are my FAVOURITE BREAKFAST EVER as they are just delicious, so easy to make and so good for your body! I already have a whole post on smoothie recipes that you can read here, but I am constantly discovering more and more flavours and combinations that I love. The best thing about having smoothies for breakfast is that all you need to do is put all the fruit in a blender (I have the blendactive one which was about £30 from Argos) and blend together. You can pour it into a bowl so you can top it with granola, nuts and seeds, fruit, coconut and any other toppings of your choice! The smoothie bowl featured below consisted of banana, strawberries, peach and almond milk and was topped with blueberries, granola and coconut! If you are new to having smoothies for breakfast I would suggest you may want to add some type of sweetener such as maple syrup however if you consistently eat them then you will get used to not including sweeteners in your smoothies! 


3. Oatmeal 
Many people may think that oatmeal is only a winter breakfast, however I love it so much that I don't think it should be limited to only one season! I prefer to cook oatmeal on the hob however you could also cook it in the microwave if you prefer! Just combine 1 - 2 cups of oats with 2x the amount of liquid (I usually go for 1 cup of oats, 1 cup of almond milk and 1 cup of water) in a small saucepan and cook on a low to medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously until thickened. Make sure that you do not cook your oatmeal for too long otherwise it will start to clump together, making it not as creamy. The great thing about oatmeal is that you can create so many different variations, I love to add flax seed, chia seed and cinnamon to my oatmeal whilst its cooking and then add fruit and other toppings afterwards. Alternatively you could add fruit into your saucepan whilst your oatmeal is cooking, such as banana slices or frozen berries. 

4. Granola, Fruit and Almond Milk with PB and Banana Bagel 
One of my absolute favourite breakfasts for before school, the banana and peanut butter provide you with energy to wake you up and keep you motivated with school, whilst the granola and fruit is the perfect combination of sweetness that also helps to keep you full until lunch! I love using wholewheat bagels, with organic 100% peanut butter and sometimes I will have granola and milk without fruit, sometimes I'll add fruit, usually depending what's in the fridge! So easy to make but so filling and delicious at the same time!


On-The-Go 
These breakfast ideas are perfect if you don't have any time to eat breakfast before leaving for school or work, or if you have a long journey to school on a train or bus that is convenient to eat breakfast during. Each of these ideas either takes under 10 minutes to make or can be pre-made the night / week before so that you can just grab it in the morning and go.

1. Smoothies 
You can pour your smoothie into a bottle to take to school or work if you are really in a rush (I always used to take smoothies on the train to drink in the morning). The blender that I have is really convenient for this because you make the smoothie in a sports bottle which is screwed onto the base, meaning that you can easily unscrew the blade and replace it with a lid and then take your smoothie with you on-the-go without having to put it into another bottle, for more information on the blender I have, you can check it out here. 

2. Banana Muffins 
Another of my favourite quick and easy breakfast options is a banana muffin, which I actually have a recipe for here. Whilst not as filling as oatmeal (I would suggest you have a smoothie or some fruit along with a muffin otherwise it may not fill you up completely and you will be extremely hungry waiting for break time!) Bananas are a great thing to have for your breakfast because they provide energy that will help wake you up in the morning and get your metabolism kickstarted! 

3. Overnight Oats 

 When I first came to veganism, the idea of cold oats that had been prepared the day before was not at all appealing but trust me when I say this is such a yummy breakfast, and so easy to prepare! The night before, pour about a cup of oats and 2 cups of non-dairy milk into a jar (one with a lid so you can take it with you) or a container. Add some peanut butter or cacao powder to sweeten (about 1 tbsp of cacao and 1 tbsp of pb) and mix together, leave in the fridge overnight and then in the morning add any toppings such as banana or granola and take it with you for an easy on-the-go breakfast! 


If you have a bit more time in the morning 

When I was at school (I am currently on my gap year) I used to have one day per week where I would have no lessons and therefore didn't have to get up at 6.30am to get ready, meaning that once a week I could make something for breakfast that took me a bit longer to prepare. These breakfast ideas would also be great for the weekend, or for if you just have that little bit extra time in the morning, as they take around 10-30 minutes to make!

1. Nice cream with Avocado on Toast 
As already mentioned, nice cream is one of my favourite breakfasts, but sometimes I just want something warm in the morning to go alongside it, and that's where avocado toast comes in! Personally I really dislike the taste of avocado by itself, but I can just about handle it on toast or in a sandwich (as mentioned in my picnic blog post which you can read here). When having avocado on toast I love using a heartier bread such as sourdough or homemade bread (pictured above is homemade wholemeal bread), because I feel it is just such a nicer combination. Once my bread is toasted, I mash up an avocado (I use about half of one for 2 slices of toast) and then top with lemon juice and cracked pepper to taste. This breakfast will fill you up until lunch and is perfect for indulging in the morning!

2. Spelt Waffles 
I just purchased a waffle maker which was probably the best decision of my life so far, and therefore I had to include this amazing recipe that I discovered (see below). Whilst this isn't the healthiest breakfast to have everyday its a perfect treat for a Friday or a day where you have a little more time, and you could even make this batter the night before and keep it refrigerated meaning in the morning you would just have to pre-heat your waffle maker and your waffles would be done in under 10 minutes! I love topping my waffles with banana and strawberries, vegan whipped cream and even icecream (I mean if it's vegan it's healthy right??)
- 1 1/4 cup non-dairy milk 
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup 
- 1 3/4 cups spelt flour
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 
- 1 tbsp flax seed

- Combine the wet ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together
- Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine
- Add the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix with the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined
- Let it set for 5-10 minutes whilst you preheat your waffle maker 
- Coat your waffle maker with coconut oil before pouring in your batter (about 1/2 cup)
- Cook according to your device's instructions (around 2-3 minutes) 
- Remove from waffle maker and top with your choice of toppings 



3. Pancakes
I'm sure you already all know that I absolutely adore pancakes, and you can check out my basic pancake recipe here, but I really want to reiterate how incredible pancakes are, especially for breakfast! You can make the mixture the night before and refridgerate it so that in the morning you just have to cook and eat them! A delicious breakfast in under 15 minutes? YES PLEASE!! 


4. French Toast 

Another one of my favourite foods, vegan french toast was something I never thought I would find! But here it is, crunchy, sweet and perfectly flavoured, this french toast is perfect for the morning before school! You can find the recipe I love to use here, just make the batter the night before and in the morning you can fry your french toast and its complete! I love topping mine with blueberries, banana and maple syrup! 

I hope you have enjoyed these breakfast ideas for school, work or uni and that this is helpful to you! If you try out any of these or have any questions feel free to email me at positivesoph@gmail.co.uk or contact me on instagram or twitter (@positivesoph) I would love to hear from you!! Make sure you always have a healthy breakfast before school as it really does affect your performance throughout the day!







Keep your soul happy! - Sophie :)

0 comments:

Quick & Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

09:05 Soph 0 Comments


Peanut Butter is no doubt one of my favourite foods of all time, so it would be unfair of me to not share this incredible cookie recipe. These cookies are perfect for a healthy (ish) snack, either to take to school / uni / work or just out and about with you, alternatively they would be great for breakfast if you're running late or with a cup of tea in the afternoon - the possibilities are endless when it comes to cookies! I personally prefer to use peanut butter that is made of 100% peanuts, as the commercially more common peanut butter (such as Sunpat) is too sweet and artificial tasting for me. The peanut butter that I use is 'Meridian Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter', as it contains no palm oil or added sugar, is organic and is just really tasty! I switch up between crunchy and smooth depending on what is available so either will work, depending on your preference!

VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

As with all of my recipes this is a base recipe so adaptations are welcome, you can use any type of non-dairy milk, my favourites being almond milk and rice milk, but any should work just fine! You can also use gluten free oats / oat flour if you wanted to make this into a gluten free cookie recipe, and coconut sugar could replace the brown sugar if wanted however note that this may alter the taste. I wouldn't suggest substituting the brown sugar for a liquid sugar such as maple syrup as this would alter the texture and as they are already pretty gooey cookies they may not set as well to form the cookie shape. Please let me know how you get on if you choose to substitute any of the ingredients via my email or instagram (@positivesoph).


Yields 9 - 10 cookies 
You will need 
1 cup peanut butter 
2/3rds cup oats / oat flour  
1tsp bicarb of soda / baking soda 
2tsp vanilla extract
1/4th cup non-dairy milk
1 cup brown sugar 
Food Processor (such as a magimix)


1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius 
2. If using oats as opposed to oat flour, put your oats into the food processor and pulse until a flour-like consistency is formed 
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and blend together (alternatively if you don't have a food processor, put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix) 


4. Once completely mixed your mixture should form a ball in the food processor
5. Remove the mixture from the food processor and grease two baking trays with greaseproof paper
6. Take small handfuls of cookie dough and place onto the greased trays, making sure you lightly flatten each ball of dough onto the tray (see below) 


7. Place trays in the preheated oven and bake for 8 - 10 minutes, once cooked the cookies should have a cracked exterior that has browned but is still squishy to touch
8. Leave the cookies to harden for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack and leaving to cool completely (or until cool enough for you to have a bite) 


9. ENJOY! Pair with a hot drink of your choice and try not to eat them all in one go! 

Just like with my breakfast cookies, these would be the perfect type of cookie to create a ice cream sandwich with! Just take your favourite non-dairy ice cream (mine are Booja Booja Chocolate or Swedish Glace Vanilla) and sandwich a spoonful between two of these cookies! Perfect for dessert or as a summer snack! I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and if you do recreate them please send me a picture on twitter (@positivesoph) or tag me on instagram (@positivesoph) I would love to see your creations! 


Keep your soul happy! - Sophie :)

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