liquid detox

Apart from being the 10th week into the challenge, it's also the beginning of gluten-free October.  As you are all well aware of my baking addiction, gluten-free October means that I get to try different things in the baking department.  Or maybe I'll lay off the baked goods for a while, I mean, the single reason for doing a gluten-free month is so that I can survive No-sugar-vember!!
Yes, I think laying of the baking is a good idea.  But before I go into a baking hiatus, here's a little healthy treat I baked for my girls.  I got the thumbs up from both.
I will say that this cake is better eaten the next day.  For some unknown reason, it's more moist if left overnight.

Zucchini and Carrot Cake
Serves 12 squares

Ingredients

2 cups wholemeal plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup water
1 cup dates chopped
1 cup sultanas
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/3 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed if possible)
1/3 cup almond milk


Method

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.
In a small sauce pan, add water, dates, sultanas and spices.  Heat over medium heat until boiling, cook stirring for another 3 minutes and remove from heat.
In a large bowl, place grated carrots and grated zucchini, make sure you squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini.  Pour date mixture over the vegetables, stir until mixed through and leave until it has cooled down.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Line a square cake tin and set aside.
Once your mixture is cooled, mix in the orange juice.  
Add your flour mixture to the liquid mixture and mix until well combined.  Add your almond milk and stir through.
Pour into your lined container and bake for about 40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

This is a good way to sneak in some vegetables into your snacks and though sweet, it doesn't contain any refined sugar.  Double bonus.

I've also made this in a loaf tin and served it toasted with almond butter.  OMG, DELISH!!

Now to my juice cleanse.  Well, it's not exactly a juice cleanse, more of a 72 hour liquid detox.
I'm currently on the last day and I know I'm jumping the gun by posting before it's over but I have noticed a few things already.

1.  It's not that hard to do.  
2.  I didn't get as hungry as I thought I would.
3.  It's a mind thing.
4.  Less digestion means better sleep.

I'll start with the first point, a liquid detox means different things to different people.  If you look through cyberspace, you'll find numerous liquid detox guides, the important thing is to choose one that suits you.
I decided to do a gentle detox as I've never done one before and I wasn't sure how I'd go having no solid food.
So here's what I did:

On awaking:

Morning liver tonic
500 mls of water

Breakfast:

Green Smoothie

Green smoothie 

300 ml coconut water
1 Tbs chia seeds
1 banana
1 english spinach handful
3 stalks of kale
1/2 avocado
1 tsp spirulina
1 tsp hempseeds

The rest of the day consisted of 6 juices.  I chopped and changed to keep it interesting but these are the ones I had.  I got the idea from urban remedy.
The juices I made were the green apple alkalizer, supercharged greens, metabolism booster and the calming smoothie.

Green Apple Alkalizer

The calming smoothie was so delicious, and you can get the ingredients from the above site or check out my previous post.

Although I wasn't hungry as in my stomach-is-hurting-from-hunger, I did have a desire to chew!!  Especially when everyone was eating around me and I could smell the aromas.  But I could distract myself and be ok.
The first day was the hardest and I did give in to the chew and had a couple of corn thins :( 
But what can I say, you can only try and do the best you can, no point beating yourself up over it :)
And as you know, I can't not have dessert so I made a little chia seed pudding on day two to replace the calming smoothie.

Chocolate chia pudding
Serves 1

Ingredients

2 TBS chia seeds
1 TBS raw cacao powder
1 tsp mesquite powder
1 cup coconut water
1/2 banana

Method

Blend all ingredients together and leave to thicken, about 30 minutes.  YUM!

I also made sure I drank water throughout the day, and had a couple of cups of herbal tea.

Although I didn't feel tired, I did make sure my exercise routine was gentle.  I did a 30 minute circuit on day 1 and 2 and I'm planning on doing a long walk tonight.
I have noticed that I've been able to get to sleep with no issues for the past two nights, and I've stayed asleep the whole night.  I think the stars have also aligned as my girls have both slept without issues for the past two night.  YAY!
I can only imagine that because the body is not working hard to digest a full meal, that it actually is able to rest and hence, great shuteye for moi.
Because of the restful sleep, I've been waking up at around 5 in the morning!  This has given me the chance to get my exercise out of the way, and even squeeze in some meditation.  
I can't say I'll be doing this on a regular basis but I do think it's a good way to kick start your digestion if you have digestion issues.
I expected to get headaches, but I didn't experience any which is  good.  I take this to mean that my body is not toxic and I have my new way of eating to thank for that.  If I wasn't a believer in the benefits of a plant based diet, I am now.
If anything, doing the cleanse has strengthen my desire to keep to a vegan way of eating.

Which leads me to my dinner at Quay tomorrow, I am so excited! I'm sure I've already told you that but just in case I didn't, there it is.
I will post photos of the food they prepare for me at the end of the week, as well as some gluten-free recipes.
If you are doing gluten-free October, or you have any gluten-free recipes, please send me details or post in comments.  I would LOVE to see the amazing food everyone else is making.
Sharing is caring!!

Love, peas and mungbeans

xxb

week 9

Ok, as I am a bit late posting, I thought I'd start by giving you Angelica's recipe for the vegan pasta as promised.
I've made no amendments as I didn't want to mess around with the goodness.   So here it is in all it's glory.
If I was to make this dish, I would substitute the olive oil with coconut oil.

Vegan spinach, pumpkin & pinenut ravioli
serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side or light meal

Ingredients


FILLING

SPINACH
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bag of washed baby spinach
2 cloves of garlic

PUMPKIN
1 tablespoon olive oil
Half a butternut pumpkin, chopped into cubes
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup pinenuts

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 degree
Place pumpkin in casserole dish and toss oil. 
Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven until soft and cooked through.
Heat a fry pan over medium heat. 
Add oil and 2 cloves of crushed garlic. 
Sauté garlic in oil for 2 or 3 minutes. 
Add spinach to the pan turn leaves in warm oil until they wilt. 
Season the wilted spinach with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Place the pumpkin, spinach and pinenuts in a food processor and wiz until combined. 
Set aside until the dough is ready.

PASTA DOUGH

200g white flour
150ml warm water
1 tblsp olive oil
Pinch of salt

Method

Put the salt and flour in a large bowl and mix. 
Make a small circle in the middle and pour the water in a little at a time, mixing with a fork. 
Once combined, knead the mixture your hands until smooth. 
Wrap in glad wrap and let rest of 20 minutes. 
Once rested, cut the dough into 4 pieces and use a pasta maker to roll out the dough. I rolled it out to notch 5. 
Dust with flour and lay to rest while you repeat with all pieces. 
Cut circles out of the rolled pasta dough with a cookie cutter and place a teaspoon of filling into the center of each. Brush the edges with a little water and place another circle of dough on top. Pinch edges to seal. 


SAUCE

1 Brown Onion, diced
400g tinned Tomatos 
400g passata
1 tblsp olive oil
½ cup Fresh Basil
Pinch of powdered vegetable stock
Pinch of salt and pepper

Method
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan
Add the onion and the vegetable stock and fry on a low heat. Do not brown the onion. 
Add the remainder of ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.

Boil some water in a large pot.
Add in the ravioli and cook for about 5 minutes
Remove from heat once al dente and drain
Add in the sauce and serve. 

vegan cook off tasting plate

Now that's out of the way I will make a confession.  I have turned into a baking machine this past week.  It started off with a banana bread, then I experimented with a banana and mango bread, then I went somewhere I've wanted to go for a long time, and that was baking some cinnamon scrolls.  But not just any cinnamon scrolls, no, these were a much healthier alternative, with no oil added and with wholemeal flour.  Although I promised myself it would only be a treat, I couldn't help but scoff two down as soon as they were out of the oven.  What can I say, tasting is part of cooking :)

Cinnamon, pumpkin and apple rolls
makes 7 (odd number I know)

Dough

1 cup almond milk
1 yeast sachet
2 cup wholemeal plain flour
1/2 cup white plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBS cinnamon powder
4 TBS pumpkin puree

Filling

1/4 cup apple sauce (homemade using stewed apples which I blended)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBS cinnamon

Icing

1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 TBS almond milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

coconut oil for greasing or baking paper

Method

Heat almond milk in a small saucepan until tepid, add in yeast, stir and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin.  Pour in milk/yeast mixture and mix with your hands. Be gentle, try not to over mix.
The mixture will be sticky but don't worry.
Pour some plain white flour onto a clean surface and knead your dough.  Keep adding flour until you get a ball that holds together and is a little elastic.
Use a rolling pin to spread out your dough in as close to a rectangle as possible.  Don't make it to thin or else it will be hard to roll, about 1 cm thickness is good.
Spread the apple sauce on top and then add the mixed sugar and cinnamon.  Get as much coverage as possible.
Roll your dough from one end of the other.  Go slow so you don't end up with a broken mess!!
Slice into desired thickness, I did mine about 4 fingers width.
Place in a baking dish that's been greased with some coconut oil or lined with baking paper.  
Leave to rest either overnight or for at least 20 minutes.  This will cause the dough to rise.
Bake in a moderate pre-heated oven for about 25-30 minutes.
Let cool slightly before icing.
For icing, mix all ingredients together until you have a nice runny consistency.
Drizzle icing on top and serve stat!!

I don't just love these because they taste so damn good.  I also love them because they smell so good!  It makes the house feel welcoming and nurturing, hmmmmm......warm fuzzies all round :)

Now with my cake fix completed, I endeavoured to experiment more with gluten free recipes seeing that I will be going full steam ahead with that challenge in 4 days!!  YIKES!!
And what better way to experiment than with pizza!  
Definitely a favourite meal at our place, and we normally make our own using wholemeal lebanese bread and a range of toppings.  My daughters prefer pineapple, mushrooms and ham. The hubby loves lots of veges with chorizo or ham and I used to eat olives, basil and anchovies.
But now that I am on a plant based diet, I have to be honest, I've been avoiding it.  No cheese and no anchovies?  What's the point?
But, I do love mushrooms so here is my recipe for a gluten free "pizza" that's filling and full of vitamin B.
I got the idea for this recipe from a portuguese friend at work. Sometimes she brings polenta squares that she bakes and then eats with whatever side she makes.  It made me think about how well it would be as a pizza base because it holds it's shape really well and you can bake it, or just cook it on the stove and let it sit until it becomes solid.

Mushroom Pizza
serves 8 as a light meal

Ingredients

Base 

2 cups water
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1 TBS coconut oil
1 cup of polenta

Topping

4 cups mushrooms of your choice, sliced
1/3 cup brown onion sliced
1 kale leaf torn into slices
3 TBS pine nuts toasted
1 TBS coconut oil
Pasta sauce*
handful fresh parsley/basil
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Bring water to boil in a medium sized saucepan.  Once boiling, add oil and seasoning.
Pour in polenta in one thin stream whilst stirring.
Keep stirring for about 5 minutes or until the polenta is thick and creamy.  
Once cooked, pour your polenta into a square or rectangle pan that's lined with baking paper.
Use a spatula to evenly spread.  Don't use a wooden spoon, it won't work as polenta will get stuck to it.
Whack it in the fridge to harden (about 30 mins).
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and bake your polenta base for about 40 minutes.  Set aside.
Whilst there is still 15 minutes left of cooking time for the polenta base, heat oil in a frying pan, sauté onions and add mushrooms.  
I like mine soft so I usually put the cover on and let them sweat a bit.  Season with salt and pepper.
Add the kale and sauté until bright green.  Remove from heat.
Spread tomato sauce onto polenta base, sprinkle on your pine nuts and then arrange your mushrooms and kale over the pizza.
Cook in the hot oven for 15 minutes or until the kale starts toasting.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley and enjoy.
You can substitute any topping on this recipe so go nuts!

*I used a basic pasta sauce for this, if you're rushed for time, you can use store bought or maybe some tomato paste sprinkled with some dried oregano.

Next time, I'll make a batch of Angelica's tomato sauce for sure.

This next recipe has more of an Indian flavour to it, thanks to the cumin seeds and turmeric.  I served it with some rice, lentils and quinoa for dinner, than I had a big bowl of it on it's own for lunch the next day.

It's a good meal to cook because the left overs taste better the next day after the flavours have had time to develop.

Another thing I love about this recipe is that it's super easy and you can use whatever vegetables are dying in your fridge as long as you have an eggplant as it's the main point of the dish.

This recipe was adapted from one I found in Mr. Wilkinson's favourite vegetables cookbook.  A lovely birthday present from miss Italy herself xx

Eggplant Casserole

serves 4 as a side or 2 on it's own

Ingredients

1 TBS coconut oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp sweet paprika

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 large eggplant cubed

2 garlic cloves crushed

1 brown onion diced

1 zucchini cubed

2 squash cubed

2 carrots cubed

1 can chopped tomatoes

1/2 TBS caster sugar

2 cups kale strips

1 lemon juiced

2 TBS continental parsley chopped

Method

In a large heavy based saucepan, add your coconut oil and heat on medium heat.  Add your onions and garlic and sauté.

Add the rest of your vegetables except kale, and cook until eggplant is soft and a little mushy.  Add your tomatoes and sugar and cook until other vegies are soft but still have a little bite to them, and the sauce is a little reduced.  About 10 minutes.

Add your kale and lemon juice and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Take off heat, taste and adjust seasoning as required.  Stir in parsley.

Serve straight away and store left overs for tomorrow's lunch.

The next recipe is really good for those that are time poor and I usually have it for lunch at work because it requires minimum preparation.  It's also a go to meal on Mondays, when I'm exhausted and don't feel like cooking dinner for myself.  I normally make a big batch of brown rice a couple of times a week so that I can just make meals as I go.  This is a perfect example of a meal on the run for me.

Brown rice bowl with tofu and sesame

serves 1

Ingredients

1 cup of cooked brown rice

handful of mixed salad greens

1/4 cup cucumber julienne

1/4 cup carrot julienne

1 TBS coriander finely chopped

1 TBS tamari

1/2 TBS sesame oil

1 TBS sesame seeds

1/2 cup of firm tofu diced

Method

Put your brown rice at the bottom of your bowl (hot or cold, up to you).

Add your vegetables, herbs and tofu.  Sprinkle on your sesame seeds and drizzle with oil and tamari.

Mix it all together and enjoy.

Can't get simpler than that!!

Feel free to add whatever vegetables your belly desires, steamed or raw broccoli go well in this, or any other asian style vegetable. 

The next gluten free recipe is rice pudding.  You know I can never finish without a dessert!!

Growing up in Peru, rice pudding was a popular dessert and I remember that it always made an appearance at birthday parties.  It was served on it's own with a sprinkle of cinnamon, or with a side of mazamorra morada which is a dessert made from purple corn and it is delicious. As a combination, it's killer.  Everytime a family member returns from Peru, they always bring sachets of instant mazamorra morada for us.

Eating rice pudding brings back warm memories of my family and my dad's rice pudding is the best.  Always creamy and sometimes he would add raisins which would turn into soft plump little pillows. 

Here's my recipe, and I topped it with some stewed pears and chia for some added sweetness.

Rice pudding with stewed pears

serves 2

Ingredients

Rice

1/3 cup arborio rice
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup water
1 cinnamon stick

Pears

2 medium sized pears
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
1/2 TBS chia seeds

Method

Put rice, water and cinnamon stick in a small heavy based sauce pan over medium heat.
Bring to the boil and cook until the water has nearly absorbed.  
Add the almond milk, turn heat to low and cover for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove lid, rice should be getting close to ready, stir gently and cook until liquid is reduced and rice is cooked and creamy.

Slice your pears, and place in small saucepan.  The pears won't be covered by the water but they will drop some liquid so don't despair.
Cook them on medium heat until soft and liquid has reduced by half.
Stir in your chia seeds and cook for a further few minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.
Remove from heat and stir in your vanilla extract.

Place your rice in glasses and layer with stewed pear.
Or you can just pop it in a bowl, top with pears and gobble it up!

OH my goodness, only 3 weeks to go! I can't believe it, I feel like I've only scratched the surface of my vegan journey and I feel that stopping at 12 weeks would really not be in my best interest.  I still have SO much more to learn about a plant based diet and living as cleanly as possible.  
Needless to say, I'm excited about the possibilities! 
I'm actually very excited about a couple of things, first of is that I was able to get a table at Quay restaurant at very short notice for next week, thanks to a certain crazy Indonesian goddess.  It's the boy's birthday and I'm going to surprise him (don't worry, he doesn't read my blog)!!
I know that they are pretty good catering to dietary restrictions so I'm waiting to hear back about what they say in regards to accommodating a vegan.  If it goes ahead, you can bet I will be photographing every dish so that I can share it with you.
You don't just get three chef hats for nothing, and it's rated number 29 restaurant in the world.  Not to mention that executive chef Peter Gilmore won chef of the year for 2012 in Australia.
Check out their amazing menu here.

I'm also excited because I'm doing a raw vegan workshop at the end of October at that little raw vegan cafe I told you about in a previous post, sadhana kitchen.
It's only for 3 hours but I imagine that I'll learn a lot and I'm really looking forward to the ebook that the chef, Maz Pugoy, is bringing out about embarking on a 14 day raw food adventure.  Yay!
So if there is any Sydney peeps out there who are interested, check out the above link for more details and I might see you there.

Next thing I'm excited (and terrified) about is that I'm embarking on a 3 day juice cleanse.  Yes, it's been a long time coming and I've been putting it off because I'm scared about not being able to actually munch and chew food but I think that if I'm going gluten free and then sugar free, I might as well start with a cleanse to get everything going.
I've had a look at some juices that are recommended by different sites and I think I have a few good ones to get me through and also give me the required nutrients I need to get through the day.

I've started experimenting with some and here's a cleansing tonic that I got from ecosalon.

Morning Liver Tonic


Cup of freshly boiled water
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
Juice of 1/2 lemon

And here's one that I think I'll have whilst on my cleanse, probably at night time as it feels nurturing and the blend of cinnamon and almond milk would be nice just before bed.

Thanks to the folks at Urban Remedy for the list of ingredients, I played around with the quantities and I think I found one I like, I also added some raw mesquite powder for added protein.

Urban Remedy ABC Dessert Smoothie

7 simple ingredients:

1. Almond milk

2. Coconut water

3. Filtered water

4. ABC nut butter*

5. Four dates

6. Raw cacao

7. Cinnamon

These are the quantities I like:

200 ml unsweetened almond milk

200 ml coconut water

1 TBS ABC nut butter

4 dates

1 tsp raw cacao

1 tsp raw mesquite powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Blend and serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

I didn't add any water but I imagine you could add more water to make it more filling.

So wish me luck on my cleanse, I'll be sure to fill you in on what happens on Wednesday night when it's all done and dusted.

I'm hoping I can carry it out, 3 days seems a long time but I'm confident that I'll get through it.......just!

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

Just a little update, I got a call from Quay restaurant and they've accepted my vegan challenge.  SO bloody excited! Can't wait to see what they come up with!

half way mark

Before I go into what's been going on, I should point something out.  Maybe I should have clarified this at the beginning, my apologies but here it is.

When I use the word vegan, I am not by any means stating that I follow a vegan way of life.  I love shoes way too much.

I use the word vegan to describe a plant based diet that I am currently following.  That is not to take away from those individuals who live the vegan lifestyle, it is just to simplify my life and so that I don't have to write 'plant based diet' all the time.  Hopefully, I haven't offended anyone and I'm sure that who ever owns the word vegan, will not mind.  I think this because I imagine that most vegans are non-judegemental, loving, peaceful humans.

Phew, ok, is anyone else getting annoyed by that word?!

So, the last week and a half have been rather eventful.  I had a birthday, I worked a lot, I got really sick and I tried to squeeze as many new recipes as possible into one day so that I had something new to give you.  

I should also inform you that I finally went to see my doctor, figured I needed a blood test so they were probably the best bet.  Plus, I've got a really good relationship with my G.P and he's a very open individual.  Didn't even bat an eyelid when I told him of my challenge. I really thought he might try to talk me out of it as some non-vegans (there we go again) do.

I get my results next week so will keep you posted (unless it's super embarrassing than I might not).

Ok, so my birthday was awesome although I did leave my party after only an hour of getting there.  No dancing with my girls as planned, no hangover the next morning, just in bed by midnight like cinderella (although I had my prince with me, bonus).

That wasn't the bad part, the bad part was feeling like something was not-quite-right for four days before it hit me.  The worst nausea and many trips to the loo.  Had to leave work early because it was THAT bad.  Who would've thought a tinie tiny little bug could cause so much grief?  But it eventually got better and here I am.

Whilst sick, I hardly ate.  This is not good.  I love food and the sight of it made me sick sick sick.  Not to mention it was the prelude to many uncomfortable situations.

But, one must nourish the body in order for healing to occur so this is what I made.

Save Me Soup

serves 4

Ingredients

1 zucchini 

1 carrot 

1 brown onion diced 

2 garlic cloves crushed

1 parsnip

1 sweede

2 stalks of celery

2 cups of spinach shredded

1 handful of vermicelli noodles

1 cup of creamed corn (i use fresh corn, kernels removed and whizzed with some water)

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 litre of water

1 tsp of vegetable stock

Method

Chop vegetables roughly (except those as above).

In a medium saucepan, add the water, vegetable stock, onion, garlic, carrot, swede and parsnip.

When the water starts boiling, reduce heat to simmer and add the rest of the vegetables except parsley and creamed corn.

When the carrot and swede are soft but not mushy, add vermicelli, spinach and corn.  If it's too thick, add more water at this stage.

Cook for another 5 minutes, then turn off heat and stir in parsley.

I don't have a photo for this and it doesn't actually look very pretty but it tastes delicious and it was the only thing I could keep down.

I had it with a slice of organic sourdough spelt toast.

Yum.

I have also been trying new ingredients and one that's been interesting me of late is buckwheat.  Now, I am trying to eat less gluten (very hard, I love bread) and buckwheat actually has NO wheat in it.  Sometimes they just really get the names wrong don't they?

Anywhoo, here's a recipe that I came up with for lunch today.

Buckwheat and Kale Salad with Ranch Dressing   

Serves 3 as a light meal

Ingredients

1/2 cup buckwheat

1 1/2 cup kale shredded

1 1/2 cup tuscan cabbage shredded

1/4 cup char-grilled capsicum* chopped

1/3 cup baked pumpkin cubed

1/4 cup fresh coriander chopped

1/4 cup ranch dressing

Method

Soak the buckwheat for 20  minutes, rinse and steam for another 20 minutes.

Fluff with a fork when it's done.

In a large bowl, add all ingredients and toss gently to coat.

Add more seasoning if required.

Easy peasy japanesy.

*To char-grill your capsicum, place whole washed red capsicum over your gas stove element and cook until black and charred on all sides.  Once done, place in a bowl of cold water and leave for a while until cool enough to handle.

The blackened skin will peel off easily.  Remove seeds and store left over in a container with olive oil and add some peppercorns for later use.

But you can't have a salad without the dressing, and I got this beauty from here: http://www.yumuniverse.com/2012/01/11/creamy-dairy-free-soy-free-ranch-dressing/

It's a great recipe but next time I will change a few things.  I'll repost the updated version once my stock runs out.

I should also report that my man has decided to go on a bit of a health kick.  No, I have not been able to convince him to go meatless but it does mean that he's happy to have more than one meat free night a week.  Good for him and good for me because I get to try out some more recipes.

As a family with two young kids, spaghetti bolognese is a favourite at our place and the lover is usually in charge of making it so I thought it might be a good time to introduce my version.

Spaghetti Veganese (he he he) 

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large eggplant

2 zucchini

1 carrot

1 brown onion

2 cloves garlic

3 stalks celery

1 Tbs coconut oil

1 can organic diced tomatoes

1 Tbs tomato paste

1 Tbs dried oregano

1 tsp vegetable stock

2 Tbs fresh basil

Savoury yeast flakes

Cracked pepper to taste

1 handful of dried spaghetti (about half a pack)

Method

Make pasta to packet instructions and whilst that is cooking, make the rest.

Place all vegetables into your food processor until finely chopped (or looks like mince).

In a large frying pan, heat your oil and add minced vegetables.  Once soft, about 3-5 minutes, add your oregano, paste and vegetable stock.

After 2 minutes, add your canned tomatoes.  If too dry, use a little water to rinse your tomato can and add that to the mixture.

Cook until it starts to boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.

Once cooked, turn off heat and add fresh basil and cracked pepper.

Once your pasta is cooked, rinse and add to sauce.  Mix well until all pasta is covered.

Serve with a sprinkling of yeast flakes and season if desired.

I added some raw fresh spinach also but that's just because I love it so much.

What was the verdict?  Empty plates! And that's good enough for me :)

And here's another meal that I cooked for them.  You can make it meat friendly by serving it with a side of free range grilled chicken.  I marinated the chicken in mexican spices.

Black Bean Chilli   

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tbs coconut oil

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup brown onion diced

1/2 cup carrots diced

1/2 cup red capsicum

1/2 cup zucchini

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp smoky paprika

1 Tbs dried oregano

1 tsp chilli flakes*

1 tsp vegetable stock

1 can organic black beans rinsed

1 can organic diced tomatoes

1 Tbs fresh coriander chopped

Freshly cracked pepper

Method

In a large fry pan, add your coconut oil, garlic, brown onion and carrots.

When onion is translucent, add the rest of your vegetables, stock powder and spices and cook until fragrant.

Add canned tomatoes and add a little water if too dry. 

Turn down heat once it reaches a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add your beans and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Turn heat off and add fresh coriander and cracked pepper.

I served it top of some left over rice that I had and topped it with a basic avocado, red onion and tomato salsa with a lemon and evoo dressing.

*Omit the chilli flakes if your children don't like it.  Mine don't so we just add some once on our plates.  I don't think it compromises the taste.

  

After my terrible hiatus from food, albeit brief but terrible none the less, I was craving the baked goods I missed out on those few days.

So what's a girl to do?  

Well bake of course!

I revisited a fond friend in the pumpkin cake and this time I used a recipe I found here:http://joythebaker.com/2010/11/vegan-pumpkin-cranberry-apple-pecan-everythinbread/

This recipe is to-die-for delicious and results in the moistest, crumbliest, most delicious bread you'll ever sink your teeth into.  If you love pumpkin, you will love this.  The only change I made was that I used 1/2 cup of raisins and 1/2 cup of dried cranberries as I didn't have any fresh ones.  I also added 1 tsp of ground ginger.  Still delicious in my opinion.

My girls loved this as an afternoon treat which always makes me happy.

This bread is still high in sugar so as a random treat it's ok. 

I'm mindful not to feed my girls too much sugar (and I'm trying to cut down also) so I've had to play around with recipes to come up with something they like.  There has been plenty a time when my nearly 4 year old has told me "mum, it's a little bit yum but not very yum".  She's so sweet, always trying to let me down gently.

Here's a recipe that they both loved, phew!

Bananut Cake Bars

Ingredients

2 medium bananas mashed

1/4 cup sultanas

1/4 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup almond milk

1/3 cup unhulled tahini and sunflower oil mixture (half and half)

2 Tbs maple syrup

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/3 cup wholemeal self-raising flour

Pinch of sea salt

Handful of flaked almonds

1 tsp chia seeds

Method

Line a brownie pan with baking paper and set aside.  Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees celcius.

Carefully mix bananas, dried fruit, tahini/oil mixture, syrup and cinnamon.

Fold through flour and salt but don't over mix, this will result in a tough cake.

Spoon into prepared tin and spread out evenly.  Mixture will be thick, that's cool, it's meant to be.

Sprinkle with almonds and chia seeds and gently press into the batter.

Bake for about 35 minutes but start checkin at around 25 minutes as all ovens are different.

It's ready when your skewer comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack (if you can wait until then).

Store in an airtight container.

Can be warmed up and served with freshly made coconut custard.

And I'm spent!

Peas, love and mung beans

xxb