Welsh Rarebit with a Leek & Thyme Garnish

Happy St David's Day! 
Or should I say 
Dydd Hapus Gŵyl Dewi!

We're celebrating in style today with all things Welsh and you can't beat the classic dish of Welsh Rarebit. When I transferred to a vegan lifestyle, I did think that I would miss cheese but surprisingly I haven't. There are plenty of cheese substitutes out there for you to try and my favourite at the moment is the smoked version of the Tesco free from range.

After making the three 'cheese' cauliflower and broccoli bake I found that a combination of three different cheese substitutes gave a winning combination. This recipe incorporates that winning combination to give a really 'cheesy' taste to this famous dish.

Ingredients - Serves 4-6
1 Tbsp Plain flour
1 Tbsp Vitalite
150ml Vegan Beer
80g Vegan 'Mozerella', grated
1 Tsp Mustard powder
2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
Pinch Cayenne pepper
Good grind of black pepper
35g Smoked Vegan cheese (I used Tesco free from), grated
2 Tbsp Soft vegan cheese (heaped)
Loaf of bread
2 Leeks
1 Tsp Dried thyme


Method

First, melt the Vitalite in a small saucepan, then sprinkle in the flour. Mix until you have a thick paste and cook over a very low heat for a minute. Slowly add the beer stirring continuously to prevent lumps.

Add the vegan mozzarrella and stir until its melted, add the mustard powder and nutritional yeast and stir until combined. 

Add the black pepper & cayenne pepper and the smoked vegan cheese and stir until the cheese has melted. The mixture will be very very thick, a paste rather than a sauce.

Finally add the soft vegan cheese and stir until melted.

Slice 6 pieces of your bread of choice and place under a grill, toast each side.

Spread the 'cheese' paste onto one side of each slice of bread and return to under the grill. Grill for 3 minutes or until the 'cheese' paste starts to bubble.

Meanwhile fry the leeks in a little olive oil for 2-3 minutes or until soft and starting to brown. Sprinkle over the dried thyme and cook for another minute.

Cut each slice diagonally in half and serve with the leek and thyme garnish on top.