Happy NYE everyone! I know some of us are looking forward to waving 2016 goodbye and making a fresh start with 2017. But however you feel about this year, don’t forget tonight is yours! Whether it’s going for a big night out, having a house party or singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ from the sofa in your PJs – own it!
So with all that in mind, you’re going to need to fuel up. And to that end, I have come up with this festive toastie based on the brie and cranberry sauce ones I used to love. The cranberry sauce is a fruit-packed version of the traditional recipe, replacing sugar with apple puree, maple syrup and a tangy twist of orange. The ‘cheese’ spread is a melty concoction of cashews, nutritional yeast and tapioca starch which tastes so much better than the ingredients list would suggest. Then it’s just a matter of sandwiching them between seeded bread and toasting.
For any leftovers, both can be stored in the fridge. The cranberry sauce makes a great topping for hot porridge and the cheese can be loosened with a little water and heated before dolloping over a jacket potato with beans. Or just used for a New Year’s Day toastie!
Serves 4 + leftovers
INGREDIENTS
Cranberry Sauce
- 3 cups/300g fresh cranberries
- 1 orange, zest and juice
- ¼ cup/60ml apple puree
- ¼ cup/60ml maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
Cheese Spread
- ½ cup/75g cashews, soaked overnight (or boiled for 15 minutes)
- ¼ cup/10g nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp tapioca starch
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup/250ml water
The Rest
- 8 slices of gluten free seeded bread
- a handful of rocket (optional)
METHOD
- Start by making the cranberry sauce. Place all the ingredients except the chia seeds in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Take off the heat, stir in the chia seeds and let stand to cool.
- To make the cheese, add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until very smooth.
- Empty into a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture reaches a thick consistency (like melted cheese on pizza). Remove from heat.
- Sandwich slices of bread with the cranberry sauce, cheese and rocket (if using), then toast in a panini press or a dry frying pan until golden brown. (If you don’t fancy the hassle, you could also just toast the bread before sandwiching it together).
- Eat!
