New Beginnings

It feels like such a long time, even though it's only been just over a month.  I have to say, i've been feeling a little bit less motivated to do the blog, not because I don't enjoy it, it just takes forever to write up all the recipes.  For this reason, I've decided to change the structure a bit.  After this post, I will be posting recipes on a more regular basis.  

This will mean shorter posts but you will get the recipes sooner rather than waiting for me to get my ass into gear.

So much has happened since I last posted.  We sold our little home, we're in the process of moving to another (temporary) little home, which I've nicknamed the smurf house because it's tinie tiny, has blue windows and doors and a little picket fence.  Really reminds me of something out of the smurf village.  If you grew up in the 80's or were are raver at some stage in your life (i am/was both), you will know what I'm talking about.  

I always did want to live in those little mushrooms.....but I digress.  

Ok, so June was full on, but not full on enough to stop making delicious meals!

Here are some recipes that I hope you like.  Some are raw, some are cooked, some are a mixture.  Try what you like, experiment, and let me know how you go.  Been loving everyone's creations of the meals on IG, so awesome.  There's so many recipes so I will post some of the ones that I think people will like.  If you see a recipe on IG that isn't here and you want the recipe, let me know and I'll post it.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 frozen bananas

1 cup cooked pumpkin 

1/8 tsp ground cloves, nutmeg, ginger 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

Method

Blend in high powered blender until ice cream consistency.

I had this for breakfast with some fresh fruit and activated buckinis.

Pumpkin Pie Granola with Goji

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup GF oats (or regular if you're eating gluten)

1 TBS pumpkin puree

1 TBS rice malt syrup

1 TBS maple syrup

1 TBS water

2 TBS goji berries

2 TBS pumpkin seeds

1 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.  Place the syrups, coconut oil, water, pumpkin puree and cinnamon in a small saucepan and heat until combined and coconut oil is melted.

Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.

Place mixture on a tray lined with baking paper and place in over for about 10 minutes.  Turn oven off and let it cool in the oven.

Serve with your favourite milk or on top of ice cream.

Cherry Ripe Ice Cream

Serves 1

Ingredients

3 frozen bananas

1/4 cup of frozen cherries + a couple extra

1 TBS shredded coconut + 1 tsp

Raw chocolate(recipe here)

Method

Blend the bananas in a blender until it forms ice cream consistency.  Add some of the cherries and pulse.  Do this until you get the desired mixture.  I like to leave a few chunky and be able to see a swirl of colour.

Once done, stir through the coconut.

Top with extra cherries, melted raw chocolate (it will harden like ice magic!) and coconut.

Banana & Strawberry Ice Cream Parfait

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 frozen bananas + 1 extra

1/2 punnet of strawberries + 2 extra 

1/4 cup activated buckinis

cashew cream (recipe here)

goji (optional)

Method

Place bananas and strawberries in blender and process until it looks like ice cream. 

Layer with fresh banana, strawberries and activated buckinis. 

Add some cashew cream on top and a sprinkle of goji or any other little deliciousness you want.

The following recipe calls for horchata.  I fell in love with horchata on my trip to the states last year.  As I love everything cinnamon, this was totally up my alley.

Basically, it's a drink made from almonds and rice, and flavoured with cinnamon.  It's deliciously served cold and is very refreshing.  It originated in Spain but is very popular in Mexico, to the point that it's basically recognised as one of their national drinks.  Apart from tequila that is!

I made my version using brown rice but you can use white rice if that's all you have.  I don't recommend using basmati rice as this is quite strong in flavour.

Horchata

Makes 1 L

Ingredients

2/3 cup brown rice

1 1/4 cup blanched almonds

1 cinnamon stick

4 1/2 cups of water

4 medjool dates, seeds removed

Method

Place all ingredients in a jar and leave in the fridge over night for the flavours to develop.

The next day, place all the contents of the jar in a powerful blender and blend until it's as smooth as it's going to get (there will still be some grit).  Adjust sweetness by adding some more dates if required, or sweetener of choice.

Strain through a milk bag (or clean stocking) and place contents into a container.  Keeps in the fridge with a tight fitting lid for about 3 days.  Serve cold.

Horchata Chia Pudding Parfait with Papaya, Caramel Pears & Cinnamon Buckinis

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 cup of horchata

3 TBS chia seeds

1/2 cup pear cubes

1/2 cup papaya cubes

1 tsp of mesquite powder

2 TBS activated buckinis

3/4tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Make your chia pudding by mixing the chia seeds and horchata in a jar with a tight fitting lid and placing it in the fridge.  Leave for 30 minutes or overnight if possible.

Place the pear in a bowl, sprinkle wit mesquite powder and stir until all the cubes are coated.  Set aside.

Mix the buckinis and 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon and set aside.

One your pudding is set, you can build your parfait.

I put the papaya on the bottom, added 1 TBS of the buckinis, added the chia on top, pears, chia, papaya, more buckinis and the left over cinnamon.

Vanilla Pudding with Spiced Quince

Serves 2 (pudding) 2 cups (quince)

Ingredients

Pudding

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)

3 TBS of maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

Spiced Quince

2 medium sized quinces

2 cups of water

1 stick of cinnamon

10 whole cloves

1 star anise

5 pepper corns

1 piece of lemon peel

2 TBS of sweetener of choice (i used coconut sugar)

Method

Pudding

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid, shake it well to combine and leave to set in fridge over night or for at least 30 minutes.

Once ready, blend until smooth and fluffy, adjust sweetness if required.

Spiced Quince

Place spices, lemon and water in a heavy based saucepan.  Bring to a gentle boil.

Add the quince as soon as you peel and cut them into wedges, to prevent from discolouring.  Don't worry about removing the seeds, this is what gives it the red colour you see.

Cook on a soft boil with lid off until they are soft and the liquid has reduced to make a bit of a syrup.  It won't be as syrupy as if you used sugar, but you can take the lid off and reduce it that way.

Stir in the sweetener and adjust to taste.  Place in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.  Should keep for about a week or a little bit more.

To make the dessert, just spoon pudding into desire glasses and top with quince wedges and a little bit of the syrup.

Banana Peanut Butter Loaf with Choc Chips

Makes 1 loaf (about 8 slices)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup gluten free oats ground to flour

3 small ripe bananas + 1 extra

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

2 tsp gf baking powder

1/2 cup dairy free choc chips + 1 TBS extra

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a loaf tin with baking paper.  Set aside.

Blend bananas, peanut butter, sugar & baking powder together, than add flour and mix until smooth (or throw it in the blender). Add some water if too thick, I added about 1/2 cup. It was still very thick but it produces a beautiful dense loaf. 

Stir in 1/2 cup of vegan/dairy free choc chips to the batter and put in baking tin. Top with the extra banana and choc chips. 

Bake in moderate oven for 45-50 minutes. I started checking it after 40 mins, remember all ovens are different.

I served mine with some blueberry and chia jam.

Matcha Ice Cream Cookies

Makes 2

Ingredients

Ice Cream

4 frozen bananas

1 tsp matcha green tea powder*(or more to taste)

Cookie

6 dried figs

6 medjool dates

1/3 cup shredded coconut

Method

Process cookie ingredients until it resembles fine crumbs and mixture can hold together. Spread on to a flat surface covered with baking paper. You want it about 1 cm in thickness. If you don't have enough, just make some more.

Place in freezer to harden whilst you make the ice cream.

Place bananas into the blender and process until resembles soft serve. Add powder, adjust to suit taste. Place in a bowl and stick it in the freezer.

Get your cookie base out, cut it into circles using cookie cutters. Top with ice cream, and then another cookie.

Roll them in whatever you want or leave them as is. I rolled them in buckinis for some added crunch.

Ok, enough of the sweetness!! NO never enough!  But seriously, let's get our savoury ON.

Spanish Cauliflower Rice

Serves 2

Ingredients

Rice

500g cauliflower florets

1/3 cup red capsicum diced

1/4 cup coriander chopped

1/3 cup celery diced

1/3 cup zucchini diced

1 tomato diced

4 olives, pitted and sliced

Dressing

Flesh of 1 medium avocado

1 lime juiced

1 TBS fresh basil

1 TBS paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

1 garlic clove

Method

Rice

Place cauliflower in food processor and pulse until it resembles rice grains.  Place in large bowl and toss through the rest of the ingredients.

Dressing

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Add to cauliflower mixture, stir through to mix and serve.

I've also been making lots of simple but delicious meals so here are some that take little to no time to prepare.  Just using fresh ingredients and minimal fuss.  No extensive recipes required.

Just grate/chop your fave veggies and serve with quinoa and a tahini/lemon dressing

Cos lettuce wraps filled with mango, kiwi, capsicum and celery

Vietnamese noodle salad:  sliced cucumber, mushrooms, bean sprouts, herbs and other veggies with rice noodles, almonds and a lime/tamari dressing.

simple lunch: rocket with strawbs, capsicum, avocado, zucchini & sundried tomatoes.  Drizzled with coconut vinegar and dates for dessert!

Kale, broccoli & raspberry salad with coconut vinegar and a side of beet, parsnip and sweet potato chips

Lettuce sushi:  iceberg lettuce filled with my mango, enoki, tomato and avocado

Radicchio boats filled with mango, strawbs, spinach, avocado and macadamia nuts

Snake beans with roast pumpkin, kale, crunchy asian slaw and topped with homemade cucumber pickles

There you have it friends, hope you like and please, if you want any more detail regarding how to make any of the above dishes, please contact me.

Now with July here, I'm putting myself through a fitness challenge.  My aim is to build some lean muscle, get strong and increase my stamina.  Have  you set any goals?  If you have, good luck achieving them and remember, where the mind goes, the body will follow.  So, think positive and go out and kick some ass (in the nicest possible way)!

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

end of week one

Week one down, eleven to go.

Ok, so i've learned a few things from week 1.  

First of all, as I've said before, preparation is key.  If you happen to get caught out without any pre-prepared food, know where there are vegan friendly stores.  Luckily, working in the inner city, there's plenty of choice.

Second thing I've found works for me is to have an eating routine.  So the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to have a litre of water followed by a dandelion root tea.  I figure if I can knock out 1 litre first thing, I can get away with missing a litre throughout  the day if I get busy and forget to drink water.  Which is something I do all the time.

Third is this: VEGAN FOOD IS YUM!

I've been experimenting with different textures and even got to do some baking.  It turned out amazing, and even my chocolate cake loving but vegan disliking partner loved it.  That's pretty strong proof that it's a good cake.

So here is the recipe which I have changed a little bit but you can find the original at http://www.instructables.com/id/The-BEST-chococlate-cake-ever...that-happens-to-be/

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Cake Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

1 1/2 Tbs granulated coffee

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp distilled white or apple cider vinegar

Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup sugar

4 tbsp margarine (i used nuttelex)

2 tbsp soy milk

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt with a fork, making sure it is really blended together. Add the water, vanilla, oil, and vinegar, and again, mix together so that it's really blended together. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides if necessary.

Pour into prepared pan (i used a square one) and bake in oven for approx. 40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.  Wait for it to cool on rack prior to cutting.

For the glaze: in a small saucepan, bring sugar, margarine, milk, and cocoa to a boil. Stir frequently; then reduce heat to a simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir for another 5 minutes.

Add vanilla, stir, and immediately pour onto cake. Glaze dries really quickly, so spread it immediately and add any sprinkles now. Let this cool for an 1 hour, if you can wait that long!

I dressed it with some fresh strawberries and it was delicious.

This would also be a good cake for people with dairy and egg allergies and perfect for kids parties when you don't want to leave anyone out who has allergies (except gluten).

It was good to know that I can still bake some delicious things without having to worry about compromising taste, so I feel some relief about that.  

However, I think in a few weeks I might start trying to cut back on the sugar and probably wheat but I'm mindful that I've just implemented a big change in my life so I don't want to send my body into shock!!!

But before I do that, here's another recipe for dessert that I developed.  

I don't know about you, but I love love love custard and I love to pair it with stewed fruit mostly.  So here's a recipe for a winter warmer that includes fruit, custard and some granola for added crunch :)

I make the granola bars ahead for me and the kids to have as snacks on the go and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, it last for ages, but never more than 2 weeks in my house.

I just crushed them up and used it on the dessert. yum!

Baked apples and pear with brown sugar custard and granola crunch

2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges

2 pears, peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges

1 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbs water

Place all ingredients in saucepan, cover and put on low heat for 2 minutes. The apples and pears will drop some fluid.  Remove lid and cook until soft or to your liking.  You can remove the fruit and continue to simmer the liquid for a few more minutes or until it thickens slightly.  It will be plenty sweet.

Brown Sugar Custard

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp flour

3 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1 1/3 cups soy milk

2 tsp vanilla

1. In a medium bowl, beat together sugar, flour, cornstarch and water quickly for about 2 minutes, or until it’s creamy.

2. Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Pour 1/3 cup of the milk into the sugar mixture and combine. Add the sugar and milk back to the saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. It starts to thicken right away.

3. Cook until it begins to bubble, whisk super hard for 30 seconds then remove from the heat. Add in vanilla.

4. Transfer to a bowl.

Vegan Granola Bars

wet

2/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp nut butter (i use brazil nut and flaxseed)

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg

pinch of ginger

pinch of cloves

dry

1 1/2 cup wholegrain rolled oats

1 cup brown rice puffs

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup flaked almonds

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup mixture of shredded coconut, sesame seeds and salted peanuts.

Preheat oven on 180 degrees celcius.

Heat wet ingredients until gently boiling and stir for about 3 minutes or until thickened.

In a large mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients and then stir in the warm liquid.  Mix thoroughly and pour into a tray lined with greaseproof paper.  Flatten down (I put more paper on top and flatten it by rolling a glass over it).

Bake, uncovered, in a moderate oven for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares or desired shape and size.

Note: this granola recipe is awesome because it's so adaptable.  I use whatever dried fruit and nuts I have and sometimes, I add macca powder or raw cacao powder if I want it to have a boost of antioxidants with a chocolate hit.

Okay, the finished product is basically just layering the whole thing together, you could do it totally pretty and layer it in a glass where you can see all the layers, or, you can do what i do and just throw it all on the plate and call it rustic :)

But just so you know, I haven't just been living off desserts, as yum as that would be.

I've found that I've been eating mainly the same things at each meal.  So just about always porridge for breakfast, I just change the fruit that I put into it, or add spices.

For lunch I normally have a kale/spinach salad with either lentils, chickpeas, red kidney beans or quinoa.  I always add capsicum as I know that adding vitamin C rich foods increases iron absorption from the legumes, spinach and quinoa.

I normally add avocado also, as I think it's important to eat good fats, specially since my regular fish oil tablets are off limits.  I have also been adding chia seeds to my water for a boost of omega 3's.

Dinner is mainly baked vegetables with a side of kale/spinach, legumes and some type of carb, mainly sweet potato, brown rice or quinoa.  I do love tofu but I haven't yet had any.  I'm going to try some tofu recipes this coming week.  A cauliflower and tofu curry with herbed quinoa is on my mind, specially in this cold weather.

Salads are my favourite though, they're just so quick to make and I love that you don't really have to cook anything!  It's not laziness, well, not entirely anyway :)

Here's one that I had tonight.

Green monster salad with lentils and pomegranate

1 cup kale

1 cup tuscan cabbage

1/4 cup red capsicum

1/4 cup baked pumpkin

1/4 cup avocado cubes

1/4 cup cooked lentils

2 Tbs pepitas

2 Tbs raisins

1/2 small pomegranate, seeds removed

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

sea salt

cracked pepper

Mix the dressing ingredients and toss through the salad until all  the greens and vegetables are coated with it.

Enjoy.

Food aside, I have noticed a few things happening with my body.  

The main one that is at the forefront is how regular I've become.  I thought I was always regular but I'm more so now.  In one short week, I feel like my insides have been cleansed and so everything that I eat, soon finds it's way out.  

I don't particularly love talking about my bowel habits but alas, I think it's an important change.  Certainly those with a sluggish system might benefit from eating a plant based diet, even for the short term.

The other thing I've noticed is that I've lost some weight.  Not that it was my intention but I guess it makes sense.  Eliminating animal products also eliminates a lot of hidden fats/sugars that you find in ready made foods.

You are mainly making your meals, so you can control what goes in and how much and also the quality of the ingredients that you use.

I've also noticed that I'm actually full after my meals.  I normally need to snack about an hour after but I'm not doing that so much now.  I can't really explain why this is.

I do however, make sure that I have a good snack with me for the afternoon snack attack and I've also discovered the most amazing tea EVER.  Seriously.  

As you know, I'm a massive sweet tooth and so what I do now is make myself a large mug of Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice Tea with some soy milk.  The cinnamon and liquorice root make it sweet and it has absolutely NO sugar.  

I have a feeling it will become my best friend when I attempt at reducing my sugar intake.

Ok, just before I finish I have to tell you that my one big disappointment was having to give up Lindt dark chocolate, specially the one with a touch of salt which i'd just been getting into.  But, I have found a vegan friendly replacement at half the price.  Yes, it just happened to be at Aldi and it just happens to be dark and it just happens to be organic.  major win.

Til next time lovers.

Peas, love and mung beans

xxb

p.s you can also find me on instagram (brendad)for more food pics :)