Welsh laverbread cakes - oat and seaweed cakes served with a creamy mushroom garlic sauce and vegan bacon. Funnily enough, I actually first had this Welsh dish in Edinburgh, Scotland last year, it was absolutely incredible and I just had to recreate it. Serve it up for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, whatever time of day, you're guaranteed to love it!
With the simplicity of the ingredients in this meal, it's incredible how delicious it really tastes. The savoury oat cakes are lightly fried and crisp on the outside, coming together with the creamy, garlicky, mushroomy sauce and smokiness of the vegan bacon.
Laverbread is a specific type of seaweed, but in the absence of this locally, I used dried wakame that I rehydrated which worked as a great alternative. The vegan bacon I used is the brand This, it's my absolute favourite alternative and the smokiness works perfectly with this recipe - but, using vegan bacon is optional as you've still got an incredible meal without it! P.S. this isn't sponsored, I just love the taste!
This meal is loaded with some really key nutrients like iodine, iron and fibre. Seaweed and veg grown near the sea are loaded with iodine; a really important nutrient for vegans to ensure they get enough of - it's used by our thyroid glands to make hormones that support our metabolism and cell growth and is particularly important for pregnant women, to ensure healthy brain development. Oats contain lots of vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein, as well as beta-glucan; great for regulating blood sugar levels, improving cholesterol levels and beneficial to your gut bacteria. Cashews deliver healthy amounts of iron and magnesium and copper, for red blood cell production and muscle maintenance. If you opt-in for This vegan bacon it will even give you a generous amount of protein and is also fortified with vitamin B12, essential for DNA production and keeping our nervous system healthy.
The laverbread cakes are actually pretty easy to make and you can prep everything whilst the seaweed is soaking. If you use already prepared laverbread (cooked and minced), you can skip the soaking step and go right to the mixing!
Laverbread Cakes & Mushroom Sauce | Serves: 2 | Time: 40 mins
You'll need
- Mixing bowl
- High-speed blender (I used a nutribullet)
- Non-stick frying pan x2
- Sautee pan
Ingredients
Laverbread cakes:
- 30g dried seaweed (I used wakame), or 1 cup prepared laverbread
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1.5 cups porridge oats
- 1/4 cup water
- Pinch salt and pepper
- Olive oil, for frying
Mushroom sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 250g chestnut mushrooms
- 1/2 cup cashews
- Juice 1/2 lemon
- 1 cup water
- Salt and pepper, to taste
To serve:
- Vegan bacon (optional) (I used This)
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Method
- Soak the seaweed in water for 20 minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Blend or chop the seaweed into 1/2 cm pieces and then transfer to the mixing bowl. If you're using prepared laverbread, you can skip the soaking. Combine with the lemon juice, oats, water and a good pinch of salt and pepper and stir together. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms and fry off in a sautee pan with a splash of olive oil and 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Blend the cashews, lemon juice and water in the blender until smooth and add to the mushroom pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
- Form the oat mixture into 4 patties and fry with a good splash of olive oil on a medium to low heat. Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side, flipping gently.
- Fry the vegan bacon for 1-2 minutes on each side, until slightly crisp.
- Serve up with a base of mushroom sauce, topped with the oat cakes and vegan bacon, pour a little more sauce over the cakes, garnish with chives and enjoy!
Cassidy xx
