Mentally Wealthy

This is like eating a cuddle. It is not good for you.

You will need a 1.2 litre pudding basin, a trivet, kitchen foil, greaseproof paper, a deep saucepan, and kitchen string (i.e. not synthetic, which melts)

INGREDIENTS:

1 packet of oreos
3 tbsps golden syrup (substitute agave if you're feeling healthier, but what's the point, in this context?)
2-3 ripe bananas (depending on size)
175g self-raising flour
175g vegan margarine, plus extra for greasing basin (e.g. Pure)
150g dark muscovado sugar (or alternative unrefined sugar)
1.5 tsps baking powder
3 tbsps No Egg (or alternative egg replacer)
3 tbsps water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Grease the basin well with margarine
2. Put three tbsps golden syrup into the bottom of the basin
3. Wrap the oreos in a tea towel and bash them with a rolling pin until they are mostly crushed
4. Mix the crushed oreos, flour, margarine, bananas, sugar, baking powder, No Egg and water - either in a mixer with paddle attachment, or with a wooden spoon. Make sure it's all well mixed, with no lumps (apart from the odd piece of oreo)
5. Pour the mixture into the basin (on top of the golden syrup), and smooth it out with the back of a wet spoon
6. Cut out a piece of kitchen foil and a piece of greaseproof paper, making sure both are easily large enough to cover the top of the basin
7. Follow these instructions to cover and tie the basin - do it properly, or you will have a soggy pudding
   
8. Place the trivet in the bottom of a deep saucepan and boil the kettle
9. Pour enough boiling water into the saucepan so that it will come about halfway up the basin but not touch the foil/greaseproof paper
   
10. When the water in the pan is boiling, carefully lower the basin onto the trivet (using the string handle you created in step
    
11. Cover the pan immediately and steam - do not remove the lid for the first thirty minutes
12. Steam for about two hours - do not let the pan boil dry as the pudding will burn and the basin may crack
13. Pudding is ready when the top feels springy to the touch
    
14. Turn the pudding out onto a plate
15. Optional - pour more syrup over the top before serving
    

Best served with custard - Birds Eye is vegan if you make it with non-dairy milk

The bananas have gone brown. It must be time for... but let's do it healthierly. And vegan, of course.

FIRST: Soak three tablespoons of chia seeds in six tablespoons of water for at least 10 mins

THEN: Preheat oven to 180c (that's with fan, 190 if no fan)

4 ripe bananas

3 tablespoons oil (I use rapeseed because it's full of omega 3 but doesn't have the strong taste of hemp)

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups of flour (any flour, choice will obv affect texture and spring, I like to use white spelt and wholegrain wheat mixed up)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1-2 teaspoons cinnamon 

1. Mash bananas - do this as roughly or as smoothly as you like, depending on how you like your BB

2. Mix soaked chia seed/water mixture, sugar and syrup, oil and vanilla essence into the bananas

3. Mix flour, cinnamon, bicarb and baking powder and salt in a separate bowl

4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, working in 3-4 batches so that lumps do not form and you have a uniform mixture

5. Grease and line a 2lb (1kg) loaf tin

6. Pour mixture into loaf tin

7. Put in oven, set timer for 35 mins

8. 35 mins PING check BB with toothpick to see how far along it is. Is it getting too brown but still far off being ready? If so, wrap it in tin foil before replacing in oven for another 10 mins or so.

9. Check with toothpick. When toothpick comes out clean, BB is ready.

10. Cool on rack.

This quick dish has been voted top soup of all time at my Friday night table. It's vegan, creamy and will convert into lovers those avowedly opposed to peas (I have evidence).

• 500g frozen peas (not petits pois, peas)
• 5 spring onions, sliced
• 100g pine nut kernels
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (depending on size and your preference), chopped or minced
• 1.5l hot vegetable stock (ideally Marigold vegan organic bouillon)
• Handful mint leaves (discard stems)
• olive oil
• salt
• sugar
• truffle oil

Saute the spring onions in olive oil on low heat for about 8 minutes until softened but not browned. Add garlic and saute for another minute or so. Add pinch of salt. Add peas and stir until they're evenly coated. Pour in vegetable stock. Bring to boil then simmer for 10 mins (or less if you're using a pressure cooker, the best way). Turn off heat. Pour in pine nut kernels. Blitz with immersion blender. Add 2 tsps - 1tbsp sugar and about 8 mint leaves, blitzing and tasting as you go. Final blitz and season to taste. Drizzle each portion with truffle oil before serving (this step matters).

These vegan brownies are full of healthier wholesomer (!) ingredients and they go down a storm with vegans and non-vegans alike. So easy too, literally 30 mins including prep:

GNOCCHI (do this first)