Category: vegetarian

While the cat’s away…

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Or in this case, while the boys are away, the girls will pig out on vegetables! With only two of us home, a fancy dinner was never on the cards, but we still needed to get our vege fix. Bring on our favourite vegetarian go-to meal (and I say meal because it covers breakfast, lunch or dinner); good old mushrooms on toast. I gave this meal a bit of a twist by chucking in some spinach leaves at the very end of cooking to add some extra iron and vitamins, and sprinkling over some sharp tasting sheep feta to give it a bit of kick. It’s not a recipe, but I usually make this great by frying a chopped garlic clove and red onion in about a tablespoon of butter, cooking until soft, then adding the mushrooms. When they’re almost cooked, in goes a tablespoon of fresh thyme (or any herb really), a tablespoon of worchestershire sauce, and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. This version got a bit fancy with a spoonful of sour cream mixed through at the end of cooking. Spoon onto a bit of toast (make mine gluten-free) and voila. Masterpiece.

mushrooms on toast

 

Raw gingerbread balls

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It’s always fun to ask the family, “what would you like me to bake this week?”, and have them reply with the most unhealthy suggestions they can think of just to see my reaction. So when the request went out for gingerbread, I initially rolled my eyes and laughed. But then I wondered if I couldn’t come up with an energy-dense raw snack with those spicy gingerbread flavours but without the sugar, butter and white flour. I have based this recipe on one from Nutritionist in the Kitch, but tweaked it to suit our needs and tastes.

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3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup walnuts

1/3 cup brazil nuts

1/4 cup cashew nuts

1 cup dates, soaked in boiling water for 1 hour and drained

½ cup sultanas

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon lucuma powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon organic blackstrap molasses

1 tablespoon agave syrup (honey would work also)

12 squares Whittakers Dark Chocolate or 3/4 cup desiccated coconut

 

Combine all the dry ingredients and spices in a blender and blend until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Add the drained dates, sultanas, molasses and agave until well combined.

Roll the mixture into balls and freeze until firm (about an hour). At this stage you can either roll the balls in the coconut, or melt the chocolate and dip them in it to coat. Either is delicious.

 

 

Spaghetti squash; my new favourite thing!

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spaghetti squash

I keep coming across recipes online which use this strange ingredient, so when I saw a spaghetti squash for the first time in my local supermarket I grabbed it! Then spent ages searching for tips on how the hell to cook the stuff.

It turns out that spaghetti squash is just like normal squash, but when cooked it shreds into these amazing spaghetti-like strings and the flavour mellows to a gentle nutty sort of pumpkin taste.

So, armed with this knowledge, I cut my newly purchased spaghetti squash into quarters, seasoned it with olive oil, salt and pepper, and baked it at 200 degrees for about 40 minutes. Once it had cooled down to a manageable temperature, I held my breath and dug into the flesh with a fork. And it really worked! Gorgeous pumpkin strings materialized and within minutes I had a bowl full of perfectly formed squash strands.

So what to cook with it? I guess any sauce that goes well with pasta would work with spaghetti squash-and I fully intend to test that theory! For tonight’s nervous debut though I played it safe with sauteed garlic and shallot, mushrooms, shredded spinach, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, feta, kalamata olives and a good grating of parmesan to top it off. The verdict? Well, not everyone in the family was completely sold, but everyone’s bowl was licked clean at the end of the meal…so I’m going to give it a tick. Spaghetti squash is never going to pass for the real thing, but that’s not the point. It’s a tasty low calorie vegetable base for meals with such a low GI that it won’t give you cloudy brain half an hour after eating it. It’s full of great nutrients like folic acid, potassium, Vitamin A, and beta carotene, and is an easy way to get one of your 5+ servings of vegetables. It is perfect for vegans and people who eat gluten free. And it’s really filling! Are you sold yet?

I’d love to hear about other people’s experiences with spaghetti squash and welcome any recipe ideas. Sorry family, I think this ingredient is here to stay…

 

 

What to do with leftover mushrooms and blue cheese…

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So with a stack of mushrooms needing to be eaten and a wedge of beautiful blue cheese sitting in the fridge, I was scratching my head trying to think of a great way to serve them that would include plenty of vegetables and maybe something fermented. Bingo! Calzone…

Sourdough pizza dough started the day before using just flour, salt, olive oil and water, wrapped around a mixture of mushrooms, silverbeet, cottage cheese and blue cheese and cooked on a hot BBQ plate. Perfect.

calzone

1 quantity pizza dough

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup tomato paste/puree

8-10 field mushrooms, wiped and roughly chopped

1 brown onion, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

8-10 silverbeet/spinach leaves washed and chopped

150 grams cottage cheese

small wedge blue cheese to taste (I used about 50 grams)

salt and pepper

 

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion. Add mushrooms and cook until soft. In a separate bowl mix the thyme, silverbeet, cheeses, salt and pepper. Stir through the mushroom mix.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll into rough rectangle shapes. Spread half each rectangle with the tomato paste or puree, top with a quarter of the mushroom mixture and fold the dough over. Crimp the edges to seal. Slide the calzone onto a hot BBQ grill plate, close the lid and cook for 6-7 minutes until brown. A pizza oven would be even better, and a hot oven would work just fine as well.

Serve with a green salad and enjoy.

Serves 4

Autumn calls…

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Shopping at the local farmers market this morning I came across these little beauties; a huge pot of field mushrooms that looked as if they had just that minute been picked. My mind immediately made the leap to Jamie Oliver’s insanely good Mushroom Soup recipe, and one trip to our incredible local French patisserie L’amour en cage for baguette and Bleu Auvergne cheese meant we were set for an epic meal.

I’m constantly reminded how lucky I am to live to live in a place where fresh, quality food is accessible, affordable and valued by so many passionate foodies (like me!)

mushroom dinner

 

Lemon & Raspberry Tart (raw and vegan)

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This tart is the culmination of lots of experimentation, and I love the way I’ve managed to get the lemon and raspberry flavours swirled together. It is extra versatile because as well as being grain, dairy, gluten and refined-sugar free, it is also nut-free (very important in our household!) It is a great recipe to take to a pot-luck dinner or shared lunch, as it is impressive, tasty, and goes a long way.

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For the base:

45 grams cashew nuts

45 grams sunflower seeds

45 grams pumpkin seeds

85 grams dates

25 grams desiccated coconut

1-2 tablespoons water (if you need to make the base slightly stickier)

 

For the filling:

350 grams cashew nuts, soaked in cold water for 2-6 hours

2 tablespoons cacao butter, melted

3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

5 tablespoons dehydrated raspberry powder

 

To make the base, blitz all the ingredients together in a high-speed blender until they form a sticky mixture. Spread this over the base of a spring-form tin lined with baking paper. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the filling, drain the cashews and blend them with the cacao butter, coconut oil,vanilla, honey and salt until really creamy. Separate the mixture into 2 bowls.

Add the lemon juice and zest to one half of the cashew mixture and blend well. Add the raspberry powder to the other half and blend well.

Dot spoonfuls of the lemon and raspberry mixtures all over the base, then swirl them together with a spoon. Smooth the mixture down as much as possible without spoiling the marbled effect.

Freeze the tart for at least 1.5 hours, then pop the base out of the tin, cut the tart into slices, and serve with fresh raspberries. Serves 10-12.

 

 

Peanut, oat blueberry slice

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This recipe is based on one by Emily Van Euw,  but where she uses whole berries I prefer to make a raw berry jam and drizzle it all with raw white chocolate.

The slice is filling, nutritious and delicious, and transports reasonably well. I recommend you try it!

oat slice

1 cup rolled oats (not the wholemeal ones)

3 tablespoons coconut flour

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup rice syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1/4 cup water

1.5 tablespoons chia seeds

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons cacao butter (optional)

3 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

To make the base, give the oats a very quick pulse to make them a bit finer but still chunky. Add the coconut flour and coconut and mix. In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil, peanut butter, rice syrup and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and push down into a loaf tin (I love to use a silicon one; the slice comes out really easily). Refrigerate while you make topping.

To make the topping, grind the chia seeds using a blender, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle until very fine. Mix the ground chia with water and leave to sit for a few minutes to absorb. If using frozen berries allow them to defrost. Blend the berries with the honey until smooth, then mix through the chia mixture. Spread over the oat base and place back in the fridge.

The slice is delicious just like this, but for an extra bit of decadence simply melt the cacao butter and maple syrup together and drizzle over the slice.

Slice when cold and keep in the fridge.

 

Self-Crusting Vege Pie

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I have so many friends who tell me, “I don’t want to be vegetarian, but I do want to cook more meals without meat”. This recipe is for them! It’s a family favourite that’s been doing the rounds for years. It is versatile, easy, delicious, and so filling that you never miss the meat. In fact, I’ve served it up to the most ardent meat-eaters and have won every one of them over.

Traditionally, the pie calls for 1 cup of cooked, chopped spinach, but I like to mix it up depending on what is in season (and in my fridge). So in summer I might add corn, tomato and grated courgette, and have been known to throw in left over roast veges from the night before’s dinner in winter.

Here is the basic recipe; feel free to adapt it to suit yourself:

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup grated cheese

salt and pepper

1 -2 cups chopped/grated vegetables

Whisk eggs and milk together then add remaining ingredients. Pour into a well-greased pie dish and bake at 200 degrees for about 45 minutes or until set and brown. Cut into slices and serve with salad or vegetables.

The pie is also delicious cold for the next day’s lunch, and is ideal for taking on picnics.

Cacao Toasted Muesli

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This recipe is inspired by Healthyself‘s Cacao No-Grainola, but I have added oats because I like the way they fill me up, and they make the recipe stretch a lot further. The cacao makes it seem incredibly decadent, but it’s actually full of nutrition.  I like mine topped with almond milk and fresh berries. A little goes a long way…

muesli

4 tablespoons coconut oil

4 tablespoons rice syrup/honey/maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1/2 cup cacao powder

1 cup mixed nuts (Brazil, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, Pecans etc)

1 cup cashews

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup coconut chips/flakes

1.5 cups wholegrain rolled oats. Make sure you use the large wholegrain ones and not the instant/quick cook porridge oats.

 

Preheat the oven to 170. Melt the coconut oil and rice syrup in the bottom of a large roasting dish. When liquid, mix through the cacao powder and vanilla paste.

Roughly chop the nuts, then add them to the dish with all the other ingredients. Using a big spoon or spatula, turn the mixture thoroughly so it it all coated in the cacao mix.

Bake for about half an hour, turning the mixture 3-4 times during cooking.

Creamiest Bircher Muesli Ever

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There’s rarely a day I don’t start with some form of oaty breakfast; oats keep me full all morning and provide a great source of fibre. In fact, there is research showing that the fibre found in oats, beta-glucan, can lower cholesterol and help fight heart disease.

However, one bowl of muesli can start to taste a lot like another, so I like to mix it up with different ingredients and toppings. I hit on a winner today; using a 50/50 milk and coconut cream mix to soak my Bircher muesli overnight resulted in a thick, creamy muesli that tasted more like a dessert!

My muesli ingredients and ratios tend to change depending on what I have to hand, but always include wholegrain rolled oats, seeds, nuts and dried fruit. Here is a general idea of how I made this bowl of deliciousness. Feel free to use it as a guide and change it up to suit you. The important thing is to get organised the night before so the muesli has a chance to soak up all the liquid and get good and creamy.

bircher

Handful wholegrain rolled oats

Handful sunflower seeds

Handful pumpkin seeds

Handful macadamia nuts (or walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts etc)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut or coconut flakes

4 dates, chopped (or a handful of sultanas)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup milk (dairy, soy, almond, whatever you like)

1/4 cup full cream coconut cream (I used Kara)

Fresh fruit for topping

 

Get this prepared before going to bed. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, combine the milk and coconut cream and pour over the top. It should just cover the dry stuff, so you might need slightly more or less. Stir until well mixed and leave in the fridge.

In the morning, get the muesli out a few minutes before you want to eat, so it comes up closer to room temperature. If it looks a bit dry, stir through a bit more milk to loosen it. Top with your choice of topping: yogurt, sliced banana, fresh fruit, chopped nuts, dried fruit…I used fresh berries and an extra drizzle of coconut cream.