To celebrate World Environment Day, I wanted to do something a bit different on my blog. I have previously reviewed gluten free products, and even done a step by step macaron post, but I’ve never done any of my own recipes on here before. So now is my chance to show you all that I can actually cook too! This post is all about going green and reducing your carbon footprint by using a brand new dairy/vegan friendly butter- food from Flora Freedom!

New analysis from the Carbon Trust in partnership with Flora Freedom has revealed the environmental benefits of reducing butter in our diets. Going dairy-free for even one day a week helps reduce our carbon footprint. New Dairy Free Flora Freedom spread is a good choice for those who favour a plant-based diet but want to add the indulgence of a great tasting dairy free spread to their meals. It is completely dairy free and contains no ingredients of animal origin, making it a spread suitable for vegans. I put it to the test and here’s what happened…

Recipe 1- Veggie Kebabs, free from gluten, dairy and vegan friendly

You will need:

Flora Freedom spread

kebab skewers

Peppers

Courgette

Sweet potato

mushrooms

Sweetcorn cobs

Savoury rice packs

Baby spinach

Chop your veggies up, not too small as we need to put these onto skewers! Start the rice first as this takes the longest. I boiled the rice for 20 mins in 1 pnt of water, and added in a little pepper and garlic salt. I also boiled my corn in a separate pan too, I did them for 15 mins.

Fry the raw veggies all up (I did peppers separate to the courgette and mushrooms) with a tablespoon of Flora Freedom and season with some jerk spice- fry until golden brown. I did the sweet potato in the microwave (5 mins), and then sliced them into round sections and peeled of the skin last, et voila!

You are ready to skewer.

I used the baby spinach to lay the kebab on top of, so pretty! I used the Flora Freedom on my corn too! A gorgeous, vegan friendly meal in under 30 mins.

Recipe 2-  Classic Victoria Sponge, free from gluten and dairy

You will need:

300g Flora Freedom spread

300g caster suger (white or brown)

300g gluten free, self raising flour

3 eggs

Raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

First mix the Flora spread with the sugar to create a smooth paste. Next break in the eggs one by one and stir in individually. I do all my mixing by hand as I feel that this way the cake tastes better, but you can use a mixer too 🙂

Then add in the gluten free flour bit by bit, and carefully fold into the mixture to lose as little air as possible.

Once you are happy with the consistency of the mixture, separate out into 2 cake tins, and shake tins back and forth so that the mixture evens out and touches all the sides (we don’t want a wonky sponge!).

Place into the oven for about 30 mins. I usually don’t rely on exact timings, normally your nose will tell you when it’s just right! If unsure, stick a knife into the centre and if it comes away clean, your cake is done!

Once cooled, take out of the tin, and add a nice layer of raspberry jam into the centre before placing the top tier on.

You can leave as is, sprinkle with some icing sugar perhaps, or decorate it however you like!

So there you have it, 2 quick and easy recipes you can use to cater for allergy sufferers and vegetarians, plus at the same time you are helping to reduce the carbon footrint by switching to a dairy free spread too! It tastes just as good as your regular spread so why not try these recipes out for yourself? Food from Flora Freedom in my opinion was a great success!

Saharasplash x

This is a sponsored post

For more food and fun, check out my DIY spa night in with Oykos Whip n Mix!