14 days fully rooooaaaarrrr!

Hello lovelies!

So the 14 days fully raw challenge is complete.  Have to be honest, I had cooked food a couple of times.  Once at a friend's lunch and on the last day of the challenge.  No excuses, I just got tempted by some delicious salads that had some cooked grains in them, tsk tsk!

Anywho,the reason I decided to do the 14 days was due to the numerous questions I was getting from people via the FB page about making a transition to a raw vegan lifestyle, or even just trying it for a period of time.

I did intend to post what I ate every day but it just got so crazy, you know, with life and all, that I actually missed a lot of days, sorry! 
Also, I didn't think posting photos of raw fruit, or salad would be very interesting, you can all do that right?
I did eat a ton of fruit and vegetables, and some raw nuts too.  Whilst I love raw, I really do, doing this really cemented in my head that I couldn't and wouldn't do it 100%.  I just felt that I was eating lots, and all the time, and to be honest, who has the time to be prepping and eating all of the time?  Summer is coming, I want to be outside doing stuff with the kids, my hubby, my friends, and not cleaning in the kitchen!
So, whilst I will always promote that raw fresh fruit and veggies should make up the bulk of all our meals, I do feel that for me, there is a place for cooked meals in my life!
But, at the end of the day, you have to do what's right for you and well, that's just what feels right for me.


I hope you enjoy the recipes!

Zucchini Spaghetti with Olives, Mushroom and Tomato
Serves 1

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini, spiralized into spaghetti
3 small mushrooms
1/2 tomato, diced
1/8 cup red onion diced
5 kalamata olives, diced
2 TBS nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
1/2 lemon, juiced
Himalayan pink salt to taste

Method

Just mix all ingredients together until combined and serve.

Zucchini Fettucini with Spinach and Chilli Pesto
Makes 1 cup of pesto, but serving is for 1.

Ingredients

Pasta

2 medium zucchini, spiralized (save the peel and the core)
4 cherry tomatoes
1 TBS spring onion finely chopped
1 TBS parsley finely chopped
1 TBS of basil finely chopped
Some red cabbage for the plate

Method

Toss all ingredients together

Sauce

1 handful of fresh basil
1 handful of fresh parsley
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1/2 medium zucchini + the peel and left over core of the spiralized zucchini
1/4 cup of spring onion
1/3 cup of water
1/2 tsp of Himalayan pink salt or to taste
1/4 tsp of chilli flakes
2 TBS of hemp seeds

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Adjust seasoning to taste.
Pour desired amount of sauce over pasta ingredients and toss.  Arrange the red cabbage on a plate, and place the fettucine on top.  You can eat the cabbage of course, but I also think it looks lovely.

Raw Burger Patty with Salad and Tomato Ketchup

Ingredients

Patties

1 cup of raw sweet potato

1 large field mushroom

5 TBS flaxmeal

3 pitted medjool dates

1 clove of garlic

1/3 cup spring onion

1/4 cup of capsicum

1/4 tsp of paprika

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp of dried oregano

small handful each of fresh basil and parsley

4 TBS of nutritional yeast

3 pitted kalamata olives

1 tsp Himalayan pink salt or to taste.

Method

Process until all combined. You still want to see some of the vegetables so don't process too much.

The mixture is wet and sloppy.

I just shaped them in my hand and coated them in more flaxmeal.

I kept two raw and I baked the other two and froze them for when I'm finished with the 14 days.

I think they would go really well with a side of sweet potato fries!

Tomato Ketchup

Ingredients

2 tomatoes

1/2 cup of sun dried tomato (no oil)

1/4 cup of lemon juice

3 pitted medjool dates

Himalayan pink salt to taste.

Method

Blend until smooth and some more juice or water if it's too thick. That is all!

I served it on some oak lettuce leaves with tomato, avocado, alfalfa sprouts and some of the ketchup on top.  I also added some more salad on the side, just some kale, more lettuce, cherrie tomatoes, carrots, and cucumber sticks.  Was delicious!

The following recipe requires that you sprout some chickpeas.  It's a fairly simple and inexpensive process and you can find out how to do it here.

I used 1 cup of dried chickpeas and used the whole thing after it had sprouted, to make the recipe.

Sprouted Chickpea Falafel

Makes 16 falafels

Ingredients

Sprouted chickpeas

1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, soaked overnight and rinsed 

1 clove of garlic

1/4 medium red onion

1 cup each of fresh parsley, mint and coriander

1 tsp of Himalayan pink salt or to taste

2 TBS of unhulled tahini

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

Pepper to taste

Method

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.    Adjust seasoning.  You then shape them into balls.  I used a heaped tablespoon for each ball.  I made half raw, and then baked the rest at 180 degrees celsius for about 10 minutes.  No more or else they will be dry.  You can freeze them too and just take them out when you need them.  Pretty good I think!

Now for some sweet stuff! Blood oranges have been delicious lately so I put them to good use and made some dessert.

Blood Orange Cheesecakes

Makes 12 individual cheesecakes

Prepare a 12 capacity muffin tin by lining them with patty cases.  Set aside

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

3-4 thinly sliced blood orange cut into small segments for decorating.

Base

1/2 cup raw almonds

8 medjool dates, pitted

1/4 cup dried coconut

Method

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until mixture holds together.

Place a large TBS into each prepared patty case and press down with fingers until even and smooth. Place in freezer.

Filling

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight and rinsed

1/4 cup of liquid sweetener of choice (I used maple syrup but rice malt syrup is good if you are avoiding fructose)

1/2 cup blood orange juice (freshly squeezed)

1/4 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

1 TBS of orange zest

1/2 cup of coconut oil (liquid)

Method

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.  Adjust sweetness if desired.  I would recommend using powdered stevia, maybe try a sachet/tsp at a time.  Adding more liquid sweetener may mean that your tarts won't set, be too liquid when they defrost.

Pour filling into each prepared case, decorate with raspberries & orange segments and place in freezer to set.  A couple of hours will do.  You can keep them in the freezer and just take out 30 minutes prior to serving to soften.

The next recipe is the cake I made for my birthday, I had planned on making a delicious cake made out purely of fresh, raw fruit but I wanted the rest of the family to enjoy it too, and being the last day prior to my next challenge, I saw only fitting to make the following:

Chocolate Mousse Tart with Smashed Raspberries
Makes 1 cake (i used a small heart shaped tin)

For the base, line your tin (feel free to use whatever tin you have) with some cling wrap, then make the base using the above recipe. You could add some raw cacao powder to make it extra chocolaty but I didn't.  Place in freezer whilst you make filling.

Ingredients

Filling

1 cup of raw cashews, soaked overnight and rinsed
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 sachets of stevia powder
1/4 cup of coconut oil (liquid)
2 TBS raw cacao powder
1/4 cup of raspberries

Method

Place all ingredients (except raspberries) in a food processor and blend until smooth.  If it's too thick, you may need to add some water, 1 TBS at a time until it's still thick but able to be blended.  Make sure you scrape down the sides first before adding more water to incorporate all ingredients and if you still can't blend it to smooth, then add a bit of water.  If you're not too concerned about it being fully raw, you could use some almond milk or other nut milk of choice.
When ready, take out the prepared base from the freezer, pour over the raspberries, then pour in your filling and place in the freezer for a couple of hours to set prior to serving.
Once ready, get it out of the tin, place on plate and pour the raspberries over the top.

Smashed Raspberries

Ingredients

1 cup of raspberries
4 TBS of maple syrup

Method

Mash everything together until it becomes a liquid.

Here are some of the other meals that I had whilst on the challenge:

Salsa stuffed avocado with cauliflower and red cabbage rice

Acái, raspberry, coconut and banana smoothie 

Work lunch with left over cauliflower and red cabbage rice

Strawberry and banana smoothie topped with everything

Veggie plate with pumpkin seed hummus

with chocolate protein ice cream & cookie crumbs

Green smoothie and salad with left over sprouted chickpea falafel

Crunchy Asian salad with seasoned seaweed

beetroot, carrot, cucumber, lemon, blood orange, celery mint, kale, ginger  juice

apple pear rawnola with fruit, coconut, activated buckinis and strawberry coconut ice cream

Nori rolls and fruit platter

Neapolitan chia overnight oats with homemade chocolate almond butter

If you want any of the above recipes, please send me a message and I will post it for you. Some I have posted on the FB page and some on Instagram so check that out first.  Name is Onehungrymami for both.

So off to the next challenge I go, yep, sugar free for 8 weeks, yes my friends, that also includes sugar. Y I K E S ! !
Will post all about it so don't worry, I'll let you know how it goes.

Wish me luck!

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

chocolate brownies

Here's a plant based version of that delicious chocolate treat that a lot of people love, the chocolate brownie.
I've made this before, but I decided to revise the recipe and try to improve it.  
So here it is, I think it's a good version. It's gluten free, totally plant based, and uses a secret ingredient which you will never guess by tasting it.
It also produces a fudgey and chocolatey treat that you don't feel completely guilty eating.
So, give it a go and let me know what you think.

Chocolate Brownie
Makes 10

Ingredients


1 400g can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 TBS flaxmeal
6 TBS warm water
3 TBS coconut oil, melted (or sub other oil of choice)
3/4 cup raw cacao powder (or good quality cocoa)
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut sugar* (you could also use brown sugar)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
toppings of choice, I used walnuts, flaked almonds & dairy free chocolate chips.

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
Lightly grease a 12 capacity muffin pan & set aside, I only got enough for 10!
Prepare flax egg by combining flax and water in a small bowlthen let rest for a few minutes.
After about 5 minutes, add all ingredients except for toppings, to a food processor and puree until really smooth.  You will need to scrape down the sides a couple of times to make sure all ingredients get incorporated.
If the batter is too thick, add a tablespoon of water and pulse again. The batter needs to be thick, think mousse consistency.
Place about 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin tin and smooth the tops.
Sprinkle on your toppings and place in the oven for about 25 minutes, no more!
Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan. 
Be gentle when taking them out as they may still be a little soft. 
I found them to be fudgey which i love, so hope you like it too.
They keep well in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.
You could also warm them up a little and serve them with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, vegan of course!

*You may need to adjust the sweetness, this amount of coconut sugar was enough for me, but for some it may not be enough. I suggest adding either more coconut sugar, or 1/4 cup more of brown sugar.  You could also try using stevia powder if you're trying to watch your caloric intake, although I don't know how this would make the end texture as I haven't tried it myself.  Another option would be to use brown sugar, and then possible add just a TBS of stevia.  Good luck!

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

disruptions and goings on

Oh my, it's been way too long since my last post, my sincere apologies!
We have now moved, and we, as in me, are slowly settling in.  The family has somehow slid into a nice little routine, and my girls have just bounced into the swing of life at the new digs like it aint no thing.  
Oh to be young again, and so bloody adaptable.  
I should really be glad, and I am, don't get me wrong.   Just a little bit envious of their innocence and non-attachment to their old life.
As you can tell, I'm having a harder time adjusting to the new space, so my head space has not been the best of late.  Really unmotivated, and just generally feeling out of sorts.  I don't know if I've ever told you this, if you know me, you've probably guessed, but I'm a stickler for routine.  
Like a true Virgo, I love order and everything in it's place.  In my head that is, my house is another issue!  But, let's end the rant there, I don't want to bore you with my current emotional sensibilities, this is a food blog after all.
So, for the sake of my sanity, I will do just a few recipes, mainly the ones that people have been screaming at me for on IG. Thank you if you are following my journey on IG, you keep me motivated and definitely push me to pull my finger out and get to it.
So, without further delay, here are the recipes.

Spinach and Chickpea Pancakes
Makes 2


Ingredients 

2/3 cup garbanzo and fava bean flour*
2/3 cup water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp Himalayan pink salt or to taste
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup of spinach leaves

Method

Heat a medium-large non-stick frying pan on medium heat.
Place all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth.
Pour enough mixture to cover base of frying pan once it's hot, turning pan to fully cover.
Flip pancake over when bubbles start to break the surface and the sides are cooked and can be handled without breaking.
Repeat with second pancake.
If you find the mixture too thick, just add a little bit more water.
These pancakes are a little dense so I found them to be quiet filling.
*I use Bob Red Mills

I served them with a tomato medley salad with coriander and lemon juice, and also some pan seared mushrooms with lemon thyme. 

I used the left overs the next night, toasted them and served them with a simple red lentil curry.  Here's the recipe for the curry.

Red Lentil and Kale Curry

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 tsp of grated ginger

1 clove of garlic crushed

1/4 cup brown onion chopped

1/2 TBS of curry powder (or to taste)

1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

1/2 cup red lentils

5 very ripe tomatoes, blended (or 1 can of organic crushed tomatoes)

2 cups of pumpkin cubes

2 cups of chopped kale

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup chopped coriander

Himalayan pink salt to taste

Method

Add the ginger, garlic, onion, chilli flakes, pumpkin cubes and curry powder to a large non-stick frying pan that has a lid.

Pour about 1/2 cup of water and cook until onions are soft and translucent.  

Add the lentil and tomatoes, stir, and cover with lid.

Keep cooking and stirring, adding more water to prevent it from drying, until lentils and pumpkin are cooked.  Once they are ready, add the kale, stir until it wilts.

Remove from heat, pour in lemon juice and mix through.  Season with Himalayan pink salt to taste.

Serve with some of the toasted pancake on the side and top with fresh coriander.

Now here's an idea for when you get stuck for meal ideas, and you want something quick, filling and low-fat.

Make some delicious nori rolls!  Given, you do have to have nori sheets in your pantry but that should be on your staples list my friends.

The kids love it and you can get them to roll a few.  Yes it's messy, but they love it.

You don't have to make them raw of course, you can use lots of fillings, like left over brown rice, or quinoa.  You could also get super creative with other grains like millet or barley if you are not gluten sensitive.

I just love stuffing them with different veggies, it's like a salad wrapped up in some sea vegetable goodness.

I've got links to how to make these on the right hand side but here are some that I made using grated beetroot and grated carrot, and just adding whatever I had in the fridge, which happened to be some avocado, capsicum, zucchini and pickled ginger.

But seriously, the sky's the limit so let your taste buds guide you.

And here are some delicious treats I made last week.

The recipe is on the Facebook page but for my friends without Facebook (yes, they do exist), here it is.

Strawberry Cream Tarts

Serves 8

Ingredients

Filling

2 large strawberries, sliced thinly

1 cup raw cashews, soaked & rinsed (for at least 30 min or overnight)

1/4 cup liquid sweetener of choice

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or water or any other non-dairy milk)

Base

8 pitted medjool dates

1 cup raw almonds 

1/4 cup shredded coconut

2 Tbs raw cacao powder

1/4 cup liquid sweetener of choice

(I used coconut nectar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch Himalayan pink salt

Method

Base

Line an 8 capacity muffin tray with patty cases and set aside.

Process all base ingredients in a food processor until it holds together, like when you make bliss balls.

Press about 2 large tbs into bottom of patty cases. Set aside.

You will have some left over, use this to decorate the top of the tarts & to munch on 

Filling

Blend all ingredients except strawberries, in a powerful blender, until smooth & silky.

Set aside.

Slice your strawberries into thin slices and place 1 slice into the prepared patty cases. You will have some left over to decorate the top.

Fill each case with cashew cream mixture and top with some more sliced strawberry & crumbs from base.

Place in the freezer to set. When ready, about 2 hours, take out & let thaw a bit before slicing. 

These will melt so you need to eat them whilst they are still a bit chilled. They don't usually last that long when they are out.

The beauty is, you can make a large batch & keep them in the freezer, ready to have whenever.

Here are some snack ideas for everyone in the family!  They take next to no time to prepare and you'll be surprised, you probably have all these things in your pantry and fridge already.

raw cacao nibs + peanut butter + frozen bananas = the best ice cream ever!

thinly slice some apples, add some homemade vanilla almond butter and top with a salsa made with kiwifruit and strawberries.

1 banana, homemade vanilla almond butter and your favourite yummies as toppings

Homemade hummus with your favourite veggies and pickles

And one last one that got a lot of likes on IG so I thought I'd better post a recipe for it although you can find recipes for chocolate mousse and vanilla chia pudding if you use the search option.  Anywho, here it is.

Chocolate Mousse and Vanilla Chia Pudding Parfait
Serves 1

Ingredients

Chocolate Mousse

1 ripe avocado
2 TBS raw cacao powder
1 frozen banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup or to taste
1 pitted medjool date

Vanilla Chia Pudding

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup unsweetened almond milk or non-dairy milk of choice
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 TBS maple syrup

Layers

4 TBS shredded coconut
4 TBS activated buckinis
4 TBS puffed millet
1 cup raspberries (I used frozen and thawed them first at room temp)

Method

Vanilla Chia Pudding

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake the beejebus out of it repeatedly until all ingredients have mixed through.  Pop it in the fridge whilst you make the mousse.

Chocolate Mousse

Place all ingredients, except raw cacao powder, in a powerful blender and process until super smooth.   Add cacao powder and continue to blend.  Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.  You will probably need to scrape the sides as you go.
It should be fluffy and delicious.  It may also taste avlot like avocado.  If you don't like that, you may need to add more banana.
Place in the fridge.

When the chia is set, start layering.
Here's how I layered mine but feel free to do whatever your heart desires.

So there we have it, a rather late post but hope I've covered some recipes that people will enjoy. Will endeavour to be more contemporaneous with my future posts.
Thank you for your patience and on going support of the blog, IG and the FB page.  Deadset legends, the lotta ya!

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

A winning combination

Like promised, here's a more timely post that contains the recipes to the last few dishes I created.

I hope this way works better for everyone, but your feedback would be greatly appreciated as I'm in the process of making a new website so all posts will be on that once it's up and running.  Yikes! Exciting and scary times ahead, specially for someone with little computer skills. Luckily for me, I've got a few smarty friends who are lending a hand, all in the name of goodwill of course, and some vegan chocolate cake!

But let's not waste time on housekeeping, here's a recipe I think you will love.

This came about after I was craving some foods from my past life.  I'm not normally a chocolate girl but seeing an advertisement for snickers, I had a desire for some.

So, I got my thinking cap on and this is what happened.

Snickers Fingers

Makes 10 fingers

Ingredients

For Chocolate

3/4 cup coconut oil (liquid)

1/4 cup maple syrup/coconut nectar (which ever you have)

1/2 cup raw cacao powder

For Caramel

10 medjool dates (seeds removed)

3 TBS maple syrup/coconut nectar

2 TBS natural peanut butter

1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts

Method

Line a loaf pan with baking paper and set aside. You could also make these in individuals patty cases.

For Chocolate

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined and smooth. Pour a layer on your prepared pan and place in freezer.

For Caramel

Place all ingredients, except peanuts, in the food processor and process until smooth.

Place this mixture on top of chocolate layer, using a spatula to create an even surface. It will be sticky!

Assemble

Pour your peanuts on top and push them into the caramel. Then pour the rest of the chocolate on top. I had to melt mine again because it had started to solidify.

Place in freezer for a couple of hours or overnight prior to cutting.

They keep in the freezer & can melt at room temperature.

WARNING:  These are very rich so I cut them up into additional squares.  Highly addictive!

This next dessert was totally different in my head, however, it died when it came time to taking it out of the mould so I had to improvise.  I will remake it to the picture I have in my head again, but for the time being, this wasn't such a bad result.  

Strawberry Mousse with Rose Water Jelly & Pistachio Crumbs

Makes 2

Ingredients

For Mousse

2 cups of strawberries

1/4 cup of raw cashews, soaked and rinsed

2 pitted medjool dates, soaked and rinsed

2 TBS of chia seeds

1/4 cup non-dairy milk of choice

1/2 tsp stevia powder

For Jelly

1/2 tsp agar

1 tsp rose water 

1 cup of boiling water

4 drops of beet juice 

2 tsp stevia powder

2 tsp maple syrup (or more stevia if you prefer)

4 TBS of shelled pistachios, cut into crumbs

2 strawberries

Method

For Mousse

Make a chia gel by soaking the chia seeds in the non-dairy milk overnight or for at least 30 minutes.

You can soak the cashews and dates together, for the same time as the chia.

Once ready, rinse the cashews/dates and place in a high speed blender with the rest of the ingredients.

Blend until really smooth and adjust sweetness if desired.

Divide mixture in serving cups, arrange some chopped up strawberries on top and place covered in the fridge.

For Jelly

Place boiling water in a small saucepan and sprinkle in the agar.  Mix until dissolved on low heat.  Increase heat if needed to keep it at a gentle boil, and add the rest of the ingredients.  You may need to play around with the beet juice until you get the desired colour.  Add 1 drop at a time.  Once it has reduced a bit, about 5 minutes, take it off the heat.  Get a shallow dish and line it with glad wrap, pour in the mixture and swirl it around until it cools somewhat.  I had to blow a bit on mine. You want it tepid before you pour it on the mousse.

Once it has cooled a bit, divide it in half and pour onto the mousse pots.  Return to the fridge until jelly has set (won't take too long).

Serve with the pistachio crumbs on top.

As you can see from the above picture, my jelly is not covering the whole thing.  This is because I initially popped it in a different serving glass, lined with glad wrap, so that I could remove it and it would be a lovely little round shaped mousse tower.  However! The mousse had not set (didn't freeze it) and it went everywhere, destroying my lovely jelly top :(

I still think it came out pretty good though, and it didn't affect the flavours.  

The next recipe is my second attempt at making a cauliflower pizza crust.

It's not the type of crust we are used to eating with pizza, as in, you can't just slice it up and hold it, it will crumble.  It's more of a knife and fork type dish.  

If you love pizza, I urge you to try it.  It's definitely a healthier alternative and it has some added protein from the almond meal.

The beauty of this dish, and pizza, is that the flavour combinations are endless.

Warning:  It takes a while to cook!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Makes 1 25x10cm rectangular crust

Ingredients

1 small head of cauliflower

1/2 cup of almond meal

2 TBS nutritional yeast

1 small clove of garlic

1 tsp of dried oregano

3 TBS flax meal

9 TBS boiling water

Himalayan pink salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Line 2 trays with baking paper and set aside.  1 needs to be larger than the one you are using to bake the crust.

Mix the flax meal and water together and set aside to thicken.

Place the cauliflower and garlic in a food processor and process until it forms fine crumbs.

In the middle a clean dish towel, place the cauliflower mixture and wrap up.  You need to squeeze out as much moisture as possible otherwise it won't cook properly, it'll fall apart and it'll just be plain annoying (yes, this has happened to me).

Once all the moisture is out, place in a large mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and get your hands in there to mix it all up good and proper!

Pour mixture into the smaller prepared pan, distribute evenly and flatten out mixture, making it as uniform in thickness as possible.

Place in oven and check every 30 minutes.

It will turn a golden colour.  Once you're happy with it, mine took about an hour, take it out of the oven, place the larger tray on top, and flip it gently.

Place in the oven again for another 15-20 minutes so that the other side can get golden.

(I did warn you)

Once ready, top with your favourite sauce and toppings.  You can put it in the oven again if you want to cook your toppings but I was over it by then, and besides, I prefer my toppings raw.

Now go forth and eat stuff!

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

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