Picky bits with your pals vegan Valentine’s menu

Main: Vegan platter

Serves 6

For the Garlic houmous and pitta chips
1 garlic bulb
2 tsp olive oil
4 white pittas
½ tsp sumac
10g fresh parsley
pinch of salt
300g pot of houmous

For the muhammara dip
70g walnuts
3 jarred roasted red peppers
70g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tsp balsamic glaze
1 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil

To serve
160g Nocellara olives
Chantenay carrots
celery sticks
vine tomatoes
Plant Chef sharing no pork savoury pie

1. For the garlic houmous, preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Slice 1cm off the top of 1 garlic bulb; discard. Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil; season. Wrap in a double sheet of foil. Roast for 50 mins, then set aside.

2. Meanwhile, slice 4 white pittas into shards. Brush with 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp sumac. Bake for 10 mins until crisp. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skin. Mash with 10g fresh parsley, a little salt and 1 tbsp oil. Spoon a 300g pot houmous into a serving bowl and swirl through the garlic purée. Serve with the pitta.

3. For the muhrammara dip, blitz 70g walnuts in a food processor. Add 3 roasted red peppers from a jar and 70g fresh breadcrumbs; blitz again. Add 1 tsp balsamic glaze and 1 tbsp tahini. With the motor running, drizzle in 2 tbsp olive oil and 1-2 tbsp cold water until smooth. Season to taste, then transfer to a serving bowl.

4. Put the dips, Plant Chef sharing no pork savoury pie and olives on the board then arrange halved Chantenay carrots, celery sticks, vine tomatoes and toasted pitta chips to serve.

Dessert: Peanut butter and jelly ice cream sandwiches

Makes 10

275g crunchy peanut butter
125g dairy-free butter-alternative, such as Flora Plant Butter, cubed
140g golden syrup
85g caster sugar
70g light soft brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
240g Dove’s Farm plain gluten-free white flour, plus extra for dusting
120g strawberry jam
200g dairy-free vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C and line 2 large baking sheets with nonstick baking paper. Using an electric whisk, mix the peanut butter, dairy-free butter alternative, golden syrup, sugars and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.

2. Add the four and mix again until combined to a soft dough. Transfer to a floured surface, sprinkle more four on top, then roll out the dough to 1cm thick. Use a 7cm round cookie cutter to cut out 20 cookies, rerolling the dough as needed; transfer to the baking tray.

3. Spoon a tsp jam into the centre of each cookie, then bake for 10 mins or until golden and just beginning to crisp at the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

4. Divide the ice cream between 10 of the cookies and top each with 1 tsp jam. Place the remaining cookies on top, jam side down, and gently push down to sandwich.