Who doesn’t love peanut butter and jelly? I’ve brought this iconic flavour to the smoothie game. This has got to be the most delicious, refreshing, nutritious afternoon pick-me-up ever!
For one smoothie, blend together:
Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.
This Christmas day I wanted to share a dessert with my family that was plant-based and dairy free, but still decadent. I’m so glad I made this rich, creamy banoffee pie that tastes every bit as good as the original with its condensed milk, butter and whipped cream, but without the tummy-ache.
Crust:
Filling:
Topping:
To make the base, pulse the nuts into crumbs in a a blender, then add the dates and cinnamon and blend until doughy and clumping together. Press into a pie dish and freeze.
For the filling, soak the dates in just enough boiling water to cover for 30 minutes. Put the dates, the soaking water, and all the other ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy. Spoon the caramel into the crust and return to freezer. This is the stage to transfer it at, then add the final stage just before serving.
To serve, take the pie from the freezer and leave to thaw for about 30 minutes. Slice the banana and arrange over the caramel.
To make the coconut cream topping, open the tin of coconut cream that has been in the fridge (without tipping it), and scoop out the firm cream that will have settled at the top. Discard the ‘water’ that is left (it is good in smoothies or pancakes). Beat the coconut cream as you would dairy cream. It doesn’t go quite as thick but is still delicious. You can even add a splash of vanilla essence and/or icing sugar for extra flavour. Spread over the banana, sprinkle with cinnamon, slice, and enjoy!
Here’s a tutorial for whipping coconut cream: https://downshiftology.com/how-to-make-coconut-whipped-cream/
I had the privilege today of catering for a group of lovely ladies at a yoga day retreat. My plan was to nourish everyone, physically and emotionally, with nutritious plant based food and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables that wouldn’t weigh them down or make them too sleepy.
We started the morning with a lemon and coconut slice and a selection of fresh herbs to make herbal teas. My slice was made with cashews and coconut, and being so high in natural fats it kept everyone well full until lunchtime.
Here is the recipe:
Base:
2 cups cashew nuts
2 cups desiccated coconut
5 tablespoons rice bran syrup/maple syrup/honey (or a combination of)
2 lemons
1 tsp vanilla essence
pinch salt
Icing:
1/4 cup smooth almond butter
2 tablespoons cacao butter or coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Blitz all the base ingredients in a blender until sticky but not oily. Press into a tin and put in the freezer. Put all the icing ingredients in a small saucepan and gently heat until combined. Spread over the base and freeze until set.
Best served from the fridge or freezer.
Lunch was The Fuelled Furnace’s famous creamy spinach and lime dhal with brown rice. We served this with lots of coriander and lime-based condiments, and it was just the ticket after a full-on morning. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love this recipe!
We finished lunch up with fresh pineapple, then it was back into it for the afternoon!
Thanks for having me!
Salted caramel sauce is the best topping. Ever. But the butter and sugar can be pretty unwanted. Try this date and peanut butter concoction and you’ll never go back.
My recipe serves 2, but can easily be doubled, or tripled…
1/2 cup dates
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
1 tablespoon peanut butter (or more to taste) I used Fix and Fogg’s coffee and maple p.b.
1-4 tablespoons plant milk (I used almond milk)
Simmer the dates in the water for a couple of minutes until they are soft. Put the whole lot in a blender with the salt, vanilla, and peanut butter.
Blend until smooth, then add milk until you get your desired consistency. Great over coconut yogurt, sliced bananas, or licked straight off the spoon.
Usually I would avoid processed carbs like the plague, with good reason; they wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels, have most of their nutrients stripped from them, and you feel hungry pretty quickly after eating them.
There is one time though when it’s better to put the wholegrain bread aside and reach for something white, and that’s before a long run/training session. This is because you need carbs for energy while running, but don’t want most of your body’s resources to be used digesting them at the same time! So you want to eat something that your body can digest quickly and easily.
I aim for a breakfast of a simple carbohydrate like white bread, oats or fruit for fast energy, with a bit of protein to keep me full and help me stay the distance, about 1-2 hours before I head out.
My main go-to is sandwich thins with peanut butter and sliced banana. (Bananas are a great source of potassium.) I like to add a sprinkle of cinnamon which is known to be beneficial for its effect on blood sugar. This meal will keep me going for a while, and best of all, it tastes really good!
Other days I’ll scoff a bowl of bircher muesli or porridge with some nuts. What is your go-to pre-training meal?
I’ve accepted that eggs on toast won’t be part of my life anymore, and that doesn’t make me sad because they don’t do me any favours. But it’s the recipes that have eggs as an integral ingredient that I miss. So I’m pretty chuffed with this egg replacement using soft tofu, because it means that I can make a pad thai that’s pretty close to the original!
I wouldn’t eat this on toast, but it makes a great substitute in a meal. I give you scrambled tofu:
1 packet soft/silken tofu
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coconut oil
In a bowl, roughly mash the tofu so it is still lumpy and mix with the seasonings. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then toss the tofu until it is brown and hot through. Optional extras you could throw in include spring onion, chopped chilli, fresh herbs, mushrooms, chopped spinach…the list is endless!
It’s Friday night, the grocery shopping hasn’t been done, there’s nothing in the cupboards. It sounds like the only solution might be takeaways-but wait! Have you considered gathering the few scraps you have left and presenting them on a platter? It may be a last resort, but you’d be surprised how appetising a dinner platter can be! Add to that the convenience of not having to cook, and being able to eat with your fingers, and you may have a winner on your hands.
Case in point; we were down to snow peas and carrots in the vege bin of the fridge this week. There’s no dinner you can make with that. But with some quick thinking, we hard-boiled some eggs and fried some tempeh that was languishing in the fridge door. A quick search through the jungle of jars revealed sun-dried tomatoes, gherkins and hummus. Throw in some of yesterday’s sourdough, toasted, a handful of crackers and some sliced cheese, and you’ve got yourself a respectable platter! Here is the finished product:
The trick is to base your platter on fresh vegetables, include a protein (like tempeh) and then bulk it out with stuff you have lying around.
Suggestions for a D.I.Y platter:
Fresh vegetables and fruit:
Back of the fridge finds:
Pantry staples:
So at the end of the week, I like to round up a whole lot of green stuff and make a pesto sauce with it. It’s an absolute gem to have in the fridge for the week, and doubles as a salad dressing, pasta sauce, sandwich filling, dip, cracker spread and soup stir-through.
There really is no recipe, but I want to share the idea because its a great way to boost your raw vegetable intake with minimum effort!
I literally gather up whatever leafy greens I have plenty of, add some fresh herbs, cashew nuts, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, water, and blend it all until it’s smooth. It keeps in the fridge for about 5 days, and if I make an extra big batch I freeze some.
This emerald-green pot of goodness was made with about 6 silver beet leaves, 2 big handfuls of rocket (I’ve been clearing out my vegetable garden for spring-yay!), a few sprigs of parsley, mint and coriander, juice of a lemon, 1/3 cup raw cashew nuts, about a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of salt and enough water to get a good consistency.
You can use any greens; kale and spinach are also good, and you can mix the flavour up with garlic and different herbs or nuts. Give it a go-you won’t know how you lived without it!
Anyone who has discovered coconut yogurt knows that it’s a revelation; creamy, rich, tangy and full of probiotics without the side effects of dairy. Anyone who has bought coconut yogurt knows that it’s really expensive!
I’m here to tell you that making your own coconut yogurt is ridiculously cheap, easy, and good! Here are the basics:
You will need:
When your previous yogurt batch is down to the last 2 tablespoons, just add the tin of coconut cream and any flavourings you want. Give it a really good mix/shake, and leave in a warm place for 2-3 days. That’s it. In winter I like to use my yogurt maker, but I fill it with hot tap water rather than boiling water or it tends to separate. Otherwise, a hot-water cupboard, a sunny windowsill or any other warm, draft-free spot will work fine.
If you want to start from scratch, instead of using old yogurt you can open up a probiotic capsule (the ones you take for gut health) and sprinkle it in. These all have different strains of probiotic and strengths, so you might need to experiment with using more than one if it doesn’t turn tangy after a a couple of days.
My advice is just to have fun; it only costs the price of a can of coconut cream so experiment until you find a recipe that works for you. I had a few fails before I settled on a recipe that works for me. I like to use Kara coconut cream and either leave it unflavoured (so it works for savoury or sweet dishes) or add a touch of vanilla bean paste. But the possibilities are endless!
Please comment if you come up with a great flavour combination; I’d love to hear about other people having success with coconut yogurt making.
Pad Thai is a great meal any day of the week, but can be a bit stodgy with lots of oil and eggs. I made this version with loads of fresh vegetables, not too many noodles, and scrambled tofu. Fresh and zingy, and the left-overs make a great lunch the next day!
thefuelledfurnace 