Jon Hallett’s Cruelty-Free Christmas

By Jon Hallett

The man who’s responsible for the animal rights student zine ‘Animosity’ shares his favourite recipes with us.

Mushroom Pate: 500 gm mushrooms diced finely 1/2 cube of veggie stock crumbed 1 onion diced 2 garlic cloves crushed 3-Tbs. margarine 1Tbs. fresh rosemary chopped 2 Tbs. plain flour 1/2 C soya milk (roughly) salt + pepper to taste

Jon Hallet

Melt margarine in pan. Add mushrooms and onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add rosemary and veggie stock cube. Cook for a few more minutes. Add flour and cook until slightly browned. (1-2 minutes). Add enough milk to form a thick paste. Cook for a few more minutes. Put into a blender and add salt and pepper and enough milk to form a smooth thick paste.

Christmas Herbed Loaf with cream sauce (or gravox)

I normally cook this loaf during Christmas because it has that delicious fresh herb aroma and taste that cruelty-free Christmas dinners ooze. The great thing about this recipe is you can prepare it a few days before Christmas. So all you have to do on the day is pop it in the oven and voila!

Nut loaf
30gm Nuttelex margarine
1 large onion finely chopped
1.5 Tbs. white plain flour (or cornflour)
11/2 Cups soya milk
1/3 Cup water
2 tsp. arrowroot flour + 2 tsp. soya flour mixed with water to form a paste. (optional)
1 ½ Cups (200g) unsalted cashew nuts, finely ground
3/4 Cup brazil nuts, finely ground
2 Cups (200g) stale wholemeal breadcrumbs (or ground down wheat free bread eg,bodhis)
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbs. paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Herb Seasoning
2 Cups stale wholemeal breadcrumbs
(or ground down wheat free bread)
5 medium sized mushrooms
3 green shallots
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 onion,  finely chopped
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. chopped fresh sage
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 Tbs. paprika
90 g margarine (Nuttelex) melted
1/4 Cup soya milk
1/3 Cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

Cream sauce
2 warm potatoes (diced and boiled beforehand)
1 Cup soymilk (Vitasoy Calcipus brand is best)
2 Tbs. margarine (Nuttelex)
1 tsp. vinegar or white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Lightly grease 15 x 25cm loaf pan
Line base with paper and grease. Melt margarine in mediun sized saucepan, add onion and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes or until onion is soft. Stir in flour and heat for another minute.

Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk. Stir over high heat until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in mixed arrowroot and soya flour paste, nuts, breadcrumbs, parsley, paprika soya milk, water and salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the mixture into two. Spread the first half evenly into the pan pressing down lightly to compact. Set aside the second half.

Herb Seasoning:
Combine all ingredients into medium bowl and mix well. Place mixture on top of the nut layer in loaf pan. Press down lightly. Top with second half of nut mixture. Press down lightly to level the surface.

Bake in moderate oven for about 1 hour or until firm.

Cream sauce
Place all cream sauce ingredients into blender or food processor and mix until smooth. Place in saucepan and heat through.

Serving
Serve loaf sliced with cream sauce garnished with a sprig of fresh parsley.

White Christmas

250g Copha
1 Cup (40g) Rice bubbles
1 Cup Soya milk powder
1 Cup (40g) coconut
1 Cup icing sugar
1/2 Cup sultanas
1/3 cup red and green glace cherries
1 glace pineapple ring, chopped
2 glace apricots, chopped

Grease and line deep 19cm square cake pan. Melt
copha in pan over low heat. Combine all ingredients in bowl. Mix well and press mixture into prepared pan. Cover. Refrigerate until set. Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before cutting.

Gingerbread

16 oz self-raising flour
2 tsps. allspice
1/2 oz.ground ginger
4 oz. sugar
3 Tbsp. sultanas (optional)
3 Tbsp. chopped almonds (optional)
4 oz. crystalllised ginger (optional)
4 oz. candied peel (optional)
4 oz. margarine (Nuttelex)
8 oz. treacle or golden syrup
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup soya milk

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Melt margarine in a saucepan and then add syrup. Pour the margarine/syrup mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Dissolve bicarb soda with a small amount from the1/2 cup soya milk. Add bicarb mixture and rest of soya milk to the mix. Combine until the mixture reaches a thick pouring consistency. Pour into a 20cm square tin and bake in a slow oven (150 C) for 1.5hrs or until cooked.

Vanilla Slice

2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
1 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
1/2 cup custard powder (White Wings)
1 litre (4 cups) soya milk (Vitasoy Calciplus)
60g margarine
2 tsp. vanilla essence
2 tsp. rum essence

Passionfruit icing:
2 cups icing sugar
2 Tblsp passionfruit pulp

Line the base and sides of a 23cm square deep tray with foil.
Place pastry sheets onto a lightly greased oven tray and bake in oven on high for 6 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool. Then gently flatten pastry with hand and fit one of the sheets into the base of the foil-lined tray, brown side up.

Mix sugar, cornflour and custard powder in a pan. Gradually stir in soya milk until smooth and well combined. Add margarine and stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat and stir for another 2 -3 minutes. Remove from heat and add the rum and vanilla essence. Mix thoroughly. Pour hot custard over the pastry in tray. Place second pastry sheet over custard with the browned side down. Press down slightly. Allow to cool. Place passionfruit icing over the pastry. If necessary smooth the icing surface by dipping a margarine knife into hot water and then running it over the icing surface. Refridgerate.Cut into slices when cooled and set.

Passionfruit icing: Place sifted icing sugar into a small heatproof bowl. Add margarine, passionfruit pulp. Stir through until smooth. If needed add extra pulp to make a smooth paste that is easy to spread.

Hummingbird Cake Recipe

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Egg replacer to equal 3 eggs
1 1/4 cups salad oil
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple -- drained
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped black walnuts
2 cups chopped banana
Cream Cheese Frosting: (KingLand is best)
2 packages cream cheese -- (8oz each), softened
1/2 cup vegan margarine -- room temperature
2 boxes powdered sugar -- (16oz each)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, egg replacer and cinnamon together several times. Put into mixing bowl. Add salad oil. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not beat with a mixer. Stir in vanilla, pineapple and both nuts. Finally add the bananas. Spoon the batter into 3 well-greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Combine cream cheese and vegan margarine; cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar, beating with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

Frost the tops of all 3 layers, stack and then frost edges. Carefully draw a circle on the layer with a toothpick and fill in that circle with the chopped pecans.