So, regular visitors may have noticed that my blog has completely changed! GoDaddy decided not to support their blogging software anymore so our computer genius of a best man sorted me out on Word Press.

Overall I’m happy, my posts look a lot better and it gave me the kick up the arse that I needed to getting round to creating a logo. However I’m sad that I’ve lost all my previous comments and rankings on Google (I was the 3rd hit on Google when searching for a “vegan pork pie”!). Never mind, we can rebuild it, WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY!

It was quite funny re-visiting all my old posts though, back before I made the jump towards veganism and when I thought I was going to make regular posts about my crochet projects…!

Also humbling to think my blog hadn’t long been on the go when my Dad had a stroke. I’m happy to report that he is doing fantastically! He has gone back to work 3 days a week and has been given the all-clear to drive again. Also since his stroke was caused by a bleed and not a clot, he has had brain scans which have shown that his risk of a repeat attack are negligible 🙂 Hoorah!

So, to celebrate, here’s my veganized recipe for Hot and Sour soup!

I think it tastes quite authentic to the restaurant version. Also the hubby managed to find some prawn-less crackers in a Chinese supermarket we visited in York, so I fried up a batch and served on the side. Yum!

Hot and Sour soup recipe:

Ingredients:

1 x heaped cup oyster mushrooms

¾ x tsp white pepper

5 x tbsps. rice vinegar

¼ x tsp dried chilli flakes

2 x tbsps. soy sauce

¼ x fresh red chilli

¼ x cup corn starch

¼ x leek (sliced)

1 x tbsp. white miso paste

1 x tbsp. tomato ketchup

1 x vegetable stock cube

1 x clove garlic (thinly sliced)

1 x small onion (diced)

1 x tbsp. sesame oil

½ x tsp black pepper

1 x tbsp. sugar water

Method

Put the mushrooms into a bowl and add 2 x cups of boiling water. In a separate bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, corn starch and miso. In a large pan, add ¼ x pint of water and a stock cube. Bring to the boil. Add the onions, dried chilli, fresh chilli, leek, garlic and the water from the mushrooms. Boil until the onions become translucent and tender. Whisk in the soy sauce mixture and heat until the soup has thickened to the right consistency. If the soup becomes too thick, add more water. Stir in the mushrooms and heat for just a couple of minutes longer. Serve and enjoy 🙂

Flash-Gordonette…X