This is what winter food is about to me, spicy flavourful deliciousness. Warming food that comforts you, makes you feel like you've been given a hug. Food like this also reminds me of my childhood, my mother used most of these spices daily and started showing me how to cook with them when I was still a child. It's a thrifty way to add flavour and life to dishes that otherwise might be a bit bland. Spice was gold in our family's kitchen and still reins supreme in mine.
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Who likes ice cream? I like ice cream! I'll be honest with you, if I hadn't promised a sample of this to a couple of the girls I work with... I probably would eat the entire thing... :/
The boy has been away for a week, so I've been able to indulge in my favourite plant based recipes and am feeling like a million bucks. Dairy and I have never been fantastic friends so after a serious midday craving for mint choc chip ice cream... I decided to do something about it. This is dairy free, egg free and only contains natural sugars... you know, in case you needed to justify dessert ;) Serves roughly 6 3 1/2 cups organic coconut milk or cream 3 heaped tablespoons raw cacao powder 3 tablespoons cacao nibs 1/2 cup of either rice malt syrup, agave, maple syrup or if you're not vegan - honey 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract 3 teaspoons organic peppermint extract Using electric beaters, mix the coconut cream, cacao powder, vanilla, peppermint and sugar of choice in a large bowl until completely mixed. Pour into your ice-cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Mix in your cacao nibs in the last couple of minutes. You can either eat straight away or store in the freezer. Remember to remove from the freezer around 10 minutes before serving to allow it to soften. DEVOUR! :) Til next time Loz xox Baby it's hot outside!!! Brisbane is in the middle of a heat wave at the moment, we are currently sitting on... 39 degrees celsius (103 degrees fahrenheit) I'm melting! Cooking these little babies up didn't cool things down for me but they were certainly worth it in the end. The pineapple salsa is fresh and summery, the cakes themselves are delicious with just a little spice to keep things interesting.
I am day 4 into Veganuary (http://www.veganuary.com/) which means for the month of January I am eating no animal products or foods produced with animal products in them. I initially thought this would be quite a challenge with work and being busy, however I've been surprised at how simple it really has been. It's also made me be a lot more creative with my food than I normally am. I've been eating a much wider variety of food and am feeling fantastic for it. Preparation has been my friend, cooking extra for dinner to have the next day and always having suitable snacks on hand to stop those 3pm sugar demons... A book that has helped me so far is Chloe Coscarelli's cookbook (Chloe's Kitchen). This book was a firm favourite of mine before Veganuary and I highly recommend it to anyone. It has some seriously delicious recipes in it - including today's recipe. Her website is http://www.chefchloe.com/ Baby Black Bean Cakes Makes 16 bean patties Ingredients: 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil 1 brown onion, finely chopped 400g cooked black beans, rinsed (or 1 can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed well) - it also helps if you premash them a little 1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced 1/2 cup polenta (aka cornmeal) 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 1 tbs chilli powder 1 tsp himalayan salt 1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped 1/4 cup water In a large frypan heat 2 tbs olive oil over medium heat and cook the onions until they are caramelised. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and set frypan aside for later. Add the beans, carrots, polenta, breadcrumbs, chilli powder, salt, coriander and water to the bowl of onions. Using your hands, mash the mixture together. If it is too dry to bind, add 1 tbs of water at a time to the mixture until it binds. Mould the mixture into patties about 5cm wide. Heat the remaining oil in the frypan over medium high heat and cook the patties for 3 minutes each side, until they are browned and crisp on the outside. Add more oil to the skillet to stop burning if required. Drain cooked patties on paper towels. Serve with a spoonful of pineapple salsa on top. Pineapple Salsa 1 cup diced pineapple 1/4 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped 2 tbs red onion, finely chopped 1 tbs agave syrup -if needed for sweetness Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Chicken schnitzel is a classic dinner for many people. Unfortunately, more and more people are being diagnosed with celiac's disease or gluten intolerance every day. Other's choose to avoid gluten for other reasons. This is a healthy twist on a classic family meal that nearly everyone can enjoy. As this also uses quinoa flakes instead of breadcrumbs, it has a little extra kick of protein. I baked the schnitzel instead of frying it so it hasn't browned up quite as much but this is a great alternative. You can throw whatever spices you like into the mix.
Makes 2 schnitzels Ingredients: 1x 200g chicken breast, trimmed of fat. 1/2 cup quinoa flakes 1 tsp dried italian herbs 5 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed from stalks 1 egg If baking the schnitzel, preheat your oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine the quinoa flakes, italian herbs and thyme leaves in a bowl and mix well. Crack the egg into a second bowl and beat with a fork. Cut your chicken breast in half lengthways into 1 inch slices. Dip the chicken into the egg, then toss in the dry mixture, pressing down so that it is well crumbed. Set aside and prepare the other slice. If you are baking the schnitzel place on the baking tray and lightly spray the top with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes then turn over and bake for another 8 minutes (or until golden, we were hungry so we didn't necessarily wait much longer). Try not to cook any longer than 10 minutes on the second side or your chicken will be dry and horrible. If you are frying, cook as normal. Serve with your favourite side. OK, so vegan fried rice is not a particularly hard thing to do, but this is delicious, quick to make and literally ANYONE can cook this. Fried rice is a great way to use up cooked rice and to pack a whole lot of veg into your life. Let's be real - who doesn't love fried rice? This is a tasty plant based version which is so tasty, you'll wonder why you don't cook this more often. As I mentioned, cooking time on this is really quick, so make sure all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to go before you start to cook.
Serves 2 as a main Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice - make sure the rice isnt wet, it needs to be dry 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup of chopped brown onion 3/4 cup of diced carrot 2 medium size mushrooms, chopped 1 cup frozen peas 1 vegan burger pattie, chopped into bite sized pieces 3 tbs extra virgin coconut oil 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp tumeric powder 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper 1/2 tsp himalayan salt 4 tbs soy sauce 1/4 cup water Heat 2 tbs of coconut oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. Add the garlic and salt and cook until the garlic softens. Add the carrots and onions and cook for 1 minute stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms, veggie burger and 2 tbs soy sauce. Cook until the vegetables and burger have softened. Push the vegetables to one side of the pan. Add 1 tbs coconut oil, the cooked rice and 1 tbs soy sauce onto the cleared half of the pan and mix well. Flatten out the rice the best you can and let fry for few minutes. Mix your spices and vegetables into the rice and cook for a minute. If your rice is still hard add a little water. Once the mixture has cooked together add the frozen peas and 1/4 cup of water. Mix together until the peas are cooked through and the water has absorbed. Serve! So after an incredibly busy period at uni, an amazing trip to Thailand and even more uni assignments later - I'M BACK! I spent the better part of last month lazing around Thailand with a coconut in my hand and this dish was one of my favorite things to eat over there. The balance of sweet, sour and spicy blows my mind every time. It's true what they say - street food is the way to go over there and there are plenty of stalls to try. The freshness of this recipe is what hooked me though, it's perfect for the hot weather. If you aren't a fan of spicy food, reduce the chilli in the recipe to one instead of 3.
Tip: this goes perfect with a fresh young coconut to drink:) Enjoy! Serves 1 Ingredients: 100g fresh shredded GREEN papaya 3 small hot chilli 1 snake bean aka chinese long bean, cut into 1 inch pieces 1 tomato, cut into wedges 1 tbs dried shrimp 1 garlic clove 2 tbs roasted peanuts 1 tbs fish sauce 1 tbs sugar or natural sweetener 2 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice In a large mortar and pestle crush the garlic and chilli until well mushed. Add the snake bean and tomato wedges and crush together until well combined. Leave it a little chunky. Add in your green papaya, dried shrimp, peanuts, sugar, lemon juice and fish sauce and mix well. Once combined, plate up and top with a little extra chilli and a few peanuts on top. Serve immediately. Chia seed puddings are an interesting thing to look at. One of the women I work with described them as looking like fish eggs... and she's pretty on the money. What they don't score in looks however they more than make up for in taste. There are a MILLION recipes for these on the web so I wasn't going to post this, except that I have made this about 4 times in the last week already. It's that tasty. It's also incredibly easy, who can't take 2 minutes to mix the ingredients together and place in the fridge overnight to soak? Yeah you can:) This is a sweet treat and texture wise, reminds me of the sago puddings my mother used to make when I was younger. Nutrition wise it's a winner too with Chia seeds being high in omega 3's, manganese, fiber and containing 18% of your daily calcium requirements. This makes them a great alternative for vegetarians and vegans. Try it:)
Serves 2 or 3 Ingredients: 6 ripe strawberries, sliced 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 1/4 cup chia seeds 1/8 cup pure maple syrup (you could also use agave or coconut nectar but adjust the sweetness to taste) 1 tsp organic vanilla extract (make sure its the real stuff not imitation), you could also use 1 vanilla pod, scraped dash of cinnamon Combine in a bowl, cover and leave in fridge overnight to soak. Stir well in morning and serve with a few extra strawberries on top. What this pate lacks in looks it makes up for in flavour. Organ meats are something alot of people avoid, usually after a bad experience with overcooked, rubbery meat. I know I'll never forget my first encounter with kidney....However nutritionally, liver is one of the most beneficial foods we can eat. Rich in iron, vitamin A, protein, most of the B vitamin family and zinc, liver can hold it's own amongst other so called "super foods". Fortunately, when it's done right it's also damn tasty and pate is a yummy way for the squeamish to enjoy the benefits.
This pate is rich and unlike other more traditional recipes, does not include alcohol. The addition of a boiled egg is optional and makes for a richer pate. Ready in less than 20 minutes. Due to the high amounts of Vitamin A in liver, it should only be eaten once a week to avoid vitamin A toxicity. Makes 1 large bowl of pate Ingredients: 500g whole organic chicken livers, cleaned 1 boiled egg *optional 1/4 cup butter 1 small onion, roughly chopped 5 thyme sprigs, roughly chopped 1/2 tsp good quality salt 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper Melt your butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the livers and thyme. Sauté until they are tender (approx 6-8 minutes - they should still be a little pink inside). Once cooked cut into smaller pieces and cool. Pour the leftover butter from the saucepan into a food processor with the liver and the rest of the ingredients. Process for a minute or until the pate is smooth. Serve immediately or refrigerate. note: If you can make the pate ahead of time the flavours will infuse more and add more depth Yum yum:) I won't go so far as to say these are completely guilt free muffins... but they are pretty damn close! To me, nothing smells as good as fresh baked muffins, especially if there is cinnamon involved. My kitchen smells like a sweet dream right now. Are you jealous? ... you should be:) These are whole wheat, dairy free and the sugar in the muffin itself is swapped with honey.
Makes 12 muffins Ingredients: 2 tbs packed brown sugar 1/4 tsp ground Dutch cinnamon 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 egg 1/4 cup real honey 2 cups whole wheat flour 3 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup frozen blueberries Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius. Spray 12 muffin wrappers and place in muffin tray. Combine your cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl using electric beaters combine the milk, oil, egg and honey. Beat until the honey has dissolved. Using a spoon, mix in your flour, baking powder and salt until just combined. The mixture may look a little lumpy. Gently fold in the frozen blueberries. Divide the batter evenly amongst the muffin cups. They should be almost full. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture across the top of each cup. Bake for 20 minutes or until you can insert a skewer or fork and it comes comes out clean. Remove from muffin pan and place on wire rack to cool. This is classic good food. Beetroot with goats cheese and a herby vinaigrette... it doesn't get much better than this:) Add lentils and you have a meal (or a tasty side dish). This recipe is from Rachel Khoo's "The Little Paris Kitchen" cookbook which I have been devouring recently. This is perfect for those nights when you just can't be bothered making much. All you need to do really is boil the beetroot up (or roast if you've got more time) and cook the lentils. Really easy stuff. Healthy too:) The vinaigrette could be made in advance.
Serves 2/3 as a main Ingredients: 1 cup dry puy lentils, rinsed 1 bay leaf 1 sprig of thyme pinch of salt & pepper 1 large beetroot, trimmed and halved 200g soft goats cheese (I used ash covered), crumbled Vinaigrette Ingredients: 1/2 bunch of dill, 2 tbs mild tasting oil 2 tbs white wine vinegar salt pinch of brown sugar Cook your beetroot until soft. I boiled mine with the skin on in a pot of boiling water for 30 min, then peeled the skin off while the beetroot was still warm. When the beetroot is half cooked throw your lentils into a pot with 2 1/2 cups of water, the bay leaf, thyme and a good pinch of salt. Once this is done you can make your vinaigrette. Simply put all the vinaigrette ingredients into a food processor and whiz until the dill stalks have broken up. This may take a couple of minutes. Taste and add more salt if it needs. Once the beetroot are cooked, peeled and trimmed, slice them thinly either on a mandolin or with a knife. Drain your lentils and remove the thyme stalks and bay leaf. Divide the lentils equally on serving plates and top with the beetroot slices and goats cheese. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, add a little salt and pepper and you're ready to eat! You should have plenty of the dill vinaigrette left over, I mixed this through my leftover lentils the next day and threw in some chopped cherry tomatoes. |
~Lauryn~Ramblings from my kitchen in Australia Categories
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