Festive Biona Recipes

This Christmas, try these three festive recipes from our friends at Biona Organic! A selection of Christmas table staples, including a simple and satisfying dip and two sweet treats - a yule log and mince pies, both vegan and full of chocolate-y goodness!  

Enter our social competition for your chance to win a selection of Biona goodies and pieces from the Emma Bridgewater Winterberry range. Competition ends 11.59 on December 10th 2019. Enter here.

FESTIVE SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: N/A
Serves: 12-18

INGREDIENTS:

  • 100ml Biona Kefir
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 1 large handful of baby spinach
  • 4 tbsp cream cheese, softened
  • 1 pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 pinch of nutmeg

METHOD:

  • Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth.  Serve with crackers, breadsticks, vegetables…

 

VEGAN YULE LOG

Prep time: 1hr 30 including cooling time
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 10

INGREDIENTS:
For the cake:

  • 3/4 cup aquafaba (from 1 x 400g tin of Biona Organic chickpeas)
  • 100g Biona Organic coconut sugar
  • 60g (1.2oz) plain flour
  • 40g (1.4oz) cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp Biona Organic applesauce
  • Biona Organic Coconut oil for greasing
  • icing sugar for dusting
  • 1 can Biona Organic Coconut Whipping Cream (refrigerate before whipping)
  • Icing sugar
  • ½ jar Biona Organic Dark Chocolate Spread

METHOD:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C or 390°F and lightly grease a swiss roll tin with coconut oil. Then line the tin with baking paper and grease the baking paper with oil to ensure the cake doesn’t stick.
  2. Pour the aquafaba into a food processor and blend for roughly a minute until it turns white and fluffy. Then add the coconut sugar and process again until the aquafaba and sugar are fully combined.
  3. Add the flour, cocoa powder, applesauce and vanilla extract to the food processor, and gently process until all the ingredients are fully combined.
  4. Pour the cake mixture into the swiss roll tray and tap gently against the tray until the mixture is level.
  5. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
  6. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the edges. Then leave it to cool for 5 minutes.
  7. Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar. This will ensure the cake doesn’t stick to itself when you roll it.
  8. Line a chopping board with a tea towel and carefully invert the cake onto the tea towel. Gently peel off the baking paper and dust the bottom of the cake with icing sugar.
  9. Very slowly, start rolling the cake from one of the longer edges using the tea towel for friction. Make sure you roll the cake with the tea towel inside, then leave the cake to cool completely.
  10. Meanwhile, whisk the coconut cream until light and fluffy.
  11. Once the cake has cooled, very carefully unroll it and put the tea towel to one side.
  12. Using a knife or spatula, place the coconut cream on the cake and smooth it out. Leave a cm gap around the edges so the cream doesn’t spill out when you roll the cake.
  13. Roll the cake back up again and transfer to your serving plate. Use the tea towel again if it makes it easier to move the cake.
  14. Cover the cake with the chilled chocolate spread (using a warm knife) then run a fork over the outside to create a bark-style pattern and sprinkle with icing sugar.

 

VEGAN MINCE PIES WITH A TWIST

Prep time: 30 minutes - 1 hour
Cook time: 10-30 minutes
Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS:

  • 280g plain flour, sifted 
  • 125g coconut sugar, sifted 
  • 50g Biona Organic Dark Chocolate Spread
  • pinch salt
  • 200g Biona Organic Coconut oil, melted 
  • 2 flax eggs
  • 500g/1lb 2oz ready-made vegan mincemeat
  • 2 clementines, zest and juice
  • 2 tbsp plant milk

METHOD:

  • Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt together in a bowl. Mix in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
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  • Stir in the flax egg & chocolate spread until the mixture comes together in clumps (you may need to a little cold water). Knead the dough briefly until smooth, wrap in a beeswax wrap and leave to chill in the fridge for one hour.
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  • Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
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  • Mix the mincemeat, clementine zest and juice together in a bowl.
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  • Remove the pastry from the fridge, and roll out to a thickness of 0.5cm/¼in. Using a 7.5cm/3in fluted cutter, stamp out 12 discs from the pastry and use them to line a 12-hole bun tin. Fill each hole with two teaspoons of the mincemeat mixture and brush the edges with a little plant milk. 
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  • Using a 6cm/2½in fluted cutter, cut out 12 circles and use them to top the mince pies, pressing the edges together with your fingertips. Brush the top of each mince pie with more plant milk. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked through.  Leave to cool and dust with icing sugar.
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