PLANT BASED RECIPES FOR VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER

 Valentine’s Day is approaching, so why not surprise your Valentine with a homemade meal made with love. Flora 100% Natural Ingredients and Flora Plant B+tter Block are sharing vegan and vegetarian mains and desserts for those continuing Veganuary or who want to try a meat-free Valentine’s Day dinner this year.

Flora 100% Natural Ingredient’s Cauliflower Steaks with Barley Salad is a delicious vegan dinner, full of the good stuff. For a more classic dish, the Mushroom Carbonara is rich, creamy, and can be made in just 30 minutes.

And for dessert, the Maple and Pecan Bread Custard with Sea Salt and Caramel is smothered in custard and topped with a sweet and sticky pecan caramel, for an irresistible taste that’ll leave you wanting more.

Or if you really want to impress, bake Flora Plant B+tter Block (Unsalted) Vegan Profiteroles from scratch and amaze your Valentine. This recipe makes for light and delicate choux pastry puffs, filled with Bailey’s cream for a boozy dessert.

All recipes swap out dairy butter for vegan alternatives such as Flora 100% Natural Ingredients and Flora Plant B+tter Block (Unsalted). These are delicious spreads that have the same creamy, rich flavour but are made from natural ingredients – Flora Plant B+tter Block has 50% lower carbon footprint than dairy butter too!¹

Check out the recipes below – shared with love!

 

---

Cauliflower Steaks with Barley Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Servings: 2 portions

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower
• 3 tbsp Flora 100% Natural Ingredients melted

• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp fennel
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 100g pearl barley
• 1 lemon
• 75 grams pomegranate seeds
• 1 bunch mint
• toasted pistachios to serve

Instructions

1. Melt the Flora with the grated garlic. Heat 1 tbsp of this garlic infused Flora in a small saucepan over a medium heat, add the crushed spices, toast for a min, then add the pearl barley, coat in the spices and garlic Flora and cook for 2 mins, until toasty. Add water to cover the pearl barley by around 3cm and bring up to the boil. Cook according to packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, with the cauliflower upside down, cut two 2cm steaks by slicing through the base of the cauliflower. Chop the off cuts from the edges into a rice-like texture and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Brush the cauliflower steaks with the garlic flora and place on the BBQ, cook for 5 mins on each side, until charred and cooked through
3. Add the pearl barley to the mixing bowl of chopped cauliflower. Add the lemon juice and zest, the pomegranate seeds, herbs and any remaining garlic flora and toss. Season well. Tip the salad into two bowls, top with the charred cauliflower and scatter with the pistachios to serve.

---

Mushroom Carbonara

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 2 portions

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Flora 100% Natural Ingredients
• 300g mixed mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves, plus extra leaves to serve
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 3 egg yolks
• 50g vegan parmesan
• 200g spaghetti

Instructions

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Heat the Flora 100% Natural Ingredients in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the mushrooms and thyme and fry for 5 mins, until completely softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min further. Set aside.
2. Cook the pasta in the salted water for 2 mins less than packet instructions. Whisk the egg with most of the vegan parmesan. Use tongs to slosh the pasta from the water into the frying pan and place it back on the heat. Add a ladle of pasta water and toss. Working quickly, remove from the head and add the yolk mix and stir vigorously, tossing to create a silky sauce.
3. Tip into bowls and top with extra vegan parmesan and thyme leaves. Season with black pepper.

---

Maple & Pecan Bread Custard with Sea Salt & Caramel 

Prep time: 35 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 8 portions

Ingredients

Pecan Caramel

• 125g granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp Flora Plant B+tter Unsalted
• 125ml Elmlea Plant Double
• 1 tsp sea salt
• zest of 1/2 orange, optional
• 125g dry roasted unsalted pecans, chopped

Whipped Plant Cream

• 375ml Elmlea Plant Double
• 65g confectioners sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Bread Custard

• 1 loaf simple white bread, cut into large chunks about the size of golf balls
• 200g silken tofu, drained

• 375ml Elmlea Plant Double
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 150ml pure maple syrup
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Caramel 

1. Add sugar to a saucepan and allow to melt over medium-high heat. Once sugar turns a dark amber colour remove from the heat and immediately add the Flora Plant B+tter, whisking to emulsify.
2. Place pan back on heat, and slowly add the Elmlea Plant Double. Fold in the orange zest, pecans, and salt. Keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Whipped Elmlea Plant Double Cream

1. Whip until medium peaks form. Keep chilled for serving.

Bread Custard

1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Using softened Flora Plant B+tter, lightly grease eight ramekins and refrigerate.
2. Blend all ingredients except bread together until smooth in a food processor or blender.
3. In each prepared ramekin, add 5-7 cubes of the bread. Pour custard mixture over bread cubes until the custard reaches just below the rim. Lightly press in the bread cubes so they are mostly submerged.
4. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until custard is nearly set, it should wobble a bit, like a waterbed. As it cools it will set up further.
5. Pour over pecan caramel and sprinkle with flake salt just before serving. Serve with a spoonful of whipped plant cream on top.
   

   ---

Vegan Profiteroles

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4 portions

Ingredients

• 120ml almond milk
• 5 tbsp Flora Plant B+tter Block Unsalted
• 250g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of sea salt
• 50g icing sugar
• 1.5 litres vegetable oil for frying

Filling

• 170ml Elmlea Plant Double
• 1 shot Baileys Almande or vegan liqueur (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 tbsp icing sugar

Chocolate Sauce

• 300ml almond milk
• 3 tbsp agave nectar
• 100g dairy free dark chocolate finely chopped

Instructions

1. Add almond milk and Flora Plant B+tter Block (Unsalted) in a small saucepan over a low heat to melt and mix together

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then mix in the melted mixture with a spatula until it forms a wet dough. Lightly flour your hands and worksurface, then roll around 2 tbsp of dough at a time in your hands to form balls

1. Line a baking tray with kitchen paper and preheat a deep-fat fryer to 160°C or half fill a large saucepan with the vegetable oil and set over a medium heat. Test if it’s hot enough by dropping in a little piece of dough – if it bubbles and floats to the surface, the oil is ready

1. Fry 3 to 4 balls at a time for 3–4 minutes, or until golden brown; you may need to flip them over halfway through cooking. When cooked, lift them out of the oil and transfer straight onto the lined tray, before setting aside to cool.

1. To make the cream, put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together until thick and creamy. Set aside until you’re ready to serve.

1. Heat the almond milk and agave nectar on a low heat to warm gradually. Tip the chopped dairy-free chocolate into a bowl, pour over warm almond milk & agave mixture and stir until smooth and all the chocolate has melted.

1. Cut the profiteroles in half lengthways, then pipe or spoon the cream onto the bottom halves, sticking the tops back on.

1. Stack the profiteroles into a tower and drizzle the warm chocolate sauce over before serving

Check out the Flora 100% Natural Ingredients range of spreads and search for Flora recipes here:  https://www.flora.com/en-gb/flora

Find out more about Flora Plant B+tter here: https://www.flora.com/en-gb/floraplant/our-products/flora-plant-unsalted