Simply delicious apple caramel slice

I made a big mistake yesterday - I watched an episode of The Great British Bake Off. The programme itself was fine, but it was cold, grey and wet outside and the combination of the dull view out the window and the gorgeous looking cake on the screen could only lead to one thing - I had to bake!
I've been trying really hard to cut down on sugar recently; having a yeast intolerance is all connected to a yeast overgrowth which of course thrives on sugars. I feel so much better when all forms of sugar are avoided, but sometimes it really is just too hard and I fall off the wagon. It is definitely my weakness! When I tell people that I have a dairy free diet, they look in horror and always ask how I manage without cheese. For me, it's not too difficult, but live without cake.........? Now that's really hard!
Our rather overgrown and straggly apple tree has had a bumper crop this year, so there's been lots of apple based dishes served up in my gorgeous new kitchen. With a bowl of freshly picked fruit on the worktop, it had to be an apple based bake, but really sweet and sticky. Caramel was the answer, but was it possible to make it dairy free ?

 The answer is yes - and amazingly successfully as long as you're patient and have a little time! I found this recipe in The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town, a book packed full of mouthwateringly gorgeous cake recipes, and adapted it slightly (hope Ms Cupcake doesn't mind!).
Caramel is traditionally made with sugar, butter and cream; rather wonderfully, it works equally well with dairy free options, just done in a slightly different way. The trickiest part was melting the sugar and golden syrup at the beginning - it seemed to take ages but do persevere as it comes together eventually! I have to admit my caramel was rather grainy before I put it on the bake, but it didn't matter as once baked and cooled it was wonderfully smooth - and oh so sweet!!
So, if you have a spare hour, it's grey and wet outside and you just need something delightfully sweet to cheer everyone up, give this a go. But if you're trying to lose weight - steer clear, as this is definitely not a healthy option!!
** allergy options - this recipe contains wheat flour and nuts. It would work as well without the nuts and just the apple. I made this with wheat free flour with excellent results, so no need to shy away if you have a wheat or gluten allergy.
Apple Caramel Slice

For the caramel:
200g caster sugar
60g brown sugar
2 tbspoons golden syrup
35g dairy free spread
60mls soya cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the base:
270g self raising flour
230g brown sugar (caster will do if you've run out)
180g oats
1/2 tsp salt
260g dairy free spread
3 medium sized apples
50g pecan nuts (or walnuts)
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grab a 33x22cm cake tin, grease it well and line it with baking paper - make sure it comes up all the sides as well.
Make the caramel first - put the sugars and golden syrup into a small saucepan over a low heat and stir. Keep going - it will melt eventually and you will end up with a thick liquidy sticky brown gloop. Don't be tempted to increase the heat otherwise the sugar will burn. Once you think all the sugar has melted, take it off the heat and leave for a minute or so. Then add the dairy free spread, soya cream and vanilla essence and stir well to combine. Leave to one side to cool whilst you make the base.
Place the flour, sugar, oats and salt into a large bowl. Add the dairy free spread and mix well - I used my hands as it was easier! Once you have a sticky dough, put about 200g to one side and press the rest into the base of the cake tin, making an even layer. Pop it in the oven for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, peel and chop the apples and check your caramel - I found it had gone too thick to spread so reheated it very gently to make it pourable. Take the base out of the oven, cover it with apples and pecan nuts and then pour on the caramel sauce. Crumble the remaining dough over the top and put back in the oven for 20mins or until it's golden and bubbling.
Remove from the oven and put out of the way - the caramel is so liquid you cannot do anything with it until it's completely cool otherwise the whole thing will collapse. Patience is definitely required at this point, so go and do something else to distract you!!!
Once cool, cut into slices and serve with a little ice cream (dairy free of course!) and enjoy!
Top tip - the caramel is really sticky so when you pour it over the top before baking, try not to go right up the outside edges. It will spread anyway and too much sticks to the paper and the tin!!

Seriously scintillating sesame slaw

The summer sunshine is lingering - salad is definitely still on the menu. But so many salad dressings are packed full of no no ingredients, keeping to a dairy and yeast free diet can make them a little boring at times. I love lemon and olive oil on my leaves, but repetition makes it a bit dull.
Browsing through my fabulous Leon cookbook, I stumbled across a double page spread of coleslaw recipes. I love coleslaw - my favourite sandwich used to be cheese piled high with creamy coleslaw - but so often the dressing is laden with some form of dairy it's a rare treat to find one I can eat. Even the Leon one has had to be modified to leave out any vinegar or fermented products, but the overall taste is still marvellous.
Having soya milk or cream as a dressing base hadn't occurred to me before - goodness knows why! The sesame is a strong base flavour but isn't overwhelming and stands alone as a great salad dressing for strong green leaves and cucumber, as well as this slightly different coleslaw. And of course, being high in calcium and other minerals, it's pretty good for you too!
The slaw contains edamame beans. If you're not into Japanese food, these may be a mystery to you - it's just green soya beans, rebranded! Soya gets a bad name some times, especially in the States where GM is an issue. But these beans really are worth a try as they are not only delicious but packed full of goodness. One of the few vegetable products that is a complete protein (contains the full complement of essential amino acids), they are high in fibre, low in fat (and being a veg contain no cholesterol) and have impressive amounts of vitamin C, folate and thiamin, as well as magnesium, iron and a superb dollop of manganese. Often served in the pod as an appetiser at Japanese restaurants, they are juicy, sweet and a much more interesting and less bitter alternative to broad beans. I've only found them fresh in the pod in a specialist store in London, but luckily my local supermarket stocks bags of frozen beans - not as much fun but still pretty tasty.
I'm definitely going to be trying out some other non-dairy creamy dressings - in the mean time, try this Asian-ish coleslaw and give your taste buds a sesame treat.
Creamy sesame dressing
3 1/2 tbspn soya milk or 2 tbspn soya cream mixed with 1 1/2 tbspn of water
1 tsp Dijon mustard (or mustard powder)
2 tbspn lemon juice
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 1/2 tbspn sesame oil
100mls light olive oil
salt and pepper
Apart from the oil, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil and continue whisking until the dressing has emulsified. Add an extra tablespoon of water if it's too thick and extra seasoning to taste.
Sesame slaw

1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
200g peas (fresh or frozen and defrosted)
110g edamame beans (defrosted if you can't find fresh)
1/4 white cabbage shredded
2 medium carrots grated
1 portion of creamy sesame dressing
handful chopped parsley
Toasted the seeds and leave to cool. Prepare the vegetables and combine everything except the parsley in a bowl. Pour over the gorgeous dressing and leave for a while for the flavours to fuse. Sprinkle the parsley over the top when you're ready to eat and enjoy!