NUTTY, CRUNCHY, CRISPY, TASTY - SALAD FOR THE HUNGRY

NUTTY, CRUNCHY, CRISPY, TASTY - SALAD FOR THE HUNGRY

This salad was so satisfying, the tastes all go so well together and the crunch satisfies the "crisp" lover in me - all with out guilt.

Salad Ingredients

Baby spinach leaves

Broccolini - thinly sliced

1 can organic chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry

A hand full of slivered almonds

Salt, pepper, chilli pepper

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Dressing ingredients

1 tsp wasabi paste

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Half a tsp of honey

6 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil or flax seed oil

Directions

In a bowl mix your chickpeas with a tablespoon of olive oil and season to your taste, spread on a baking tray and bake in a hot oven for about 35 minutes. In the mean time slightly stir fry your broccolini (or you can keep it raw if you prefer) once the chickpeas are ready you can construct and dress your salad. Happy Healthy Weekend Everyone!



PAPRIKA BEANS WITH TAGLIATELLE

PAPRIKA BEANS WITH TAGLIATELLE

Prepare beans as per the below post
http://suevegetarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/paprika-chilli-beans.html
- and serve with your favorite pasta :)

PAPRIKA CHILLI BEANS

PAPRIKA CHILLI BEANS

This looks and feels like you are eating something naughty - but it is actually full of great vegetable protein and as long as you limit the nachos - and don't be tempted to put a pile of cheese or sour cream on top you will be eating a very healthy meal.

It is also super easy to make, it is my favorite "no think" dish.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients

1 carrot

1 onion

1 red pepper

1 red chilli

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon turmeric

3 tablespoons premium paprika

1 vegetable stock cube

2 tins kidney beans drain and rinse well

2 tins chopped tomatoes

Fresh coriander to garnish

Directions

Chop the veggies and saute in the olive oil until tender, add the tomatoes, stock, seasoning and kidney beans cook on a low heat for about 25 minutes. Serve with plain nachos.

p.s. This recipe will make loads - so invite your mates to dinner

or you will be eating it for the next week.

ROASTED CARROT DIP WITH CRUNCHY SEED AND APPLE CRACKERS

ROASTED CARROT DIP WITH CRUNCHY SEED AND APPLE CRACKERS

This whole dish was a delightfully tasty experiment,

and I have leftovers in the fridge for low carb snacking.

Carrot Dip Ingredients

6 carrots pealed and chopped

1 tablespoon organic coconut oil

Juice of half a lemon

1 tablespoon of tahini

Mixed spice and other seasoning to taste

Directions

Roast carrots until they are turning slightly golden - blitz in a food processor or blender with a tablespoon of tahini, 1/2 a teaspoon of mixed spice - I also added some herb salt and half a squeeze of lemon - but just taste it and add whatever you like!

Cracker Ingredients

1 cup flax seeds

1 cup sunflower seeds

juice of half a lemon

1 green apple - cored and diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Blitz in a food processor or blender, I made my mixture quite smooth - almost a paste, once you have the right consistency (kind of like a dry cake mix) spread it out on grease proof paper and bake in the oven or follow your dehydrator instructions. I used my dehydrator - but they would work perfectly well in an oven, just keep the temp low - like 60 degrees C and keep a very close eye on them - you want crunchy but not burned crackers! 

AVOCADO AND PISTACHIO PESTO PASTA

AVOCADO AND PISTACHIO PESTO PASTA

Thank you to my friend Sarah for testing out this creamy, garlicky mid week pasta dish!

Pesto Ingredients

2 Avo's

2 tablespoons of pine nuts

4 tablespoons of pistachio's

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 a lemon juiced

1 hand full of basil leaves

1 Garlic clove crushed

salt, pepper

Add all ingredients to a blender and chop - don't over do it as you want some texture to the pesto.

Mix the pesto through hot drained pasta and serve immediately.

RAW ZUCCHINI "PASTA"

RAW ZUCCHINI "PASTA"

Okay, I will be honest - the zucchini does not taste like "pasta" but this dish was extremely delicious and perfect for hot weather.

For the "pasta" simply grate an organic zucchini

For the sauce, I blended up the following ingredients (NB; all raw)

3 large ripe tomatoes

1 red pepper

1 garlic clove

1/2 a cup of sunflower seeds

Salt and pepper

DELICIOUS QUNIOA BREAKFAST

DELICIOUS QUINOA BREAKFAST

This high protein breakfast was full of tasty nutty goodness, I guess it would be best served in winter - but who says we can't eat porridge when it is summer? My trainer will be delighted that I have found an alternative to toast for breakfast.

Ingredients

Quinoa

Water

Mix of seeds and nuts

(I used; crushed almonds, sunflower, almonds, pistachio's sesame seeds, coconut pieces)

Maple Syrup

Milk to serve

Directions

Prepare a mix of nuts and seeds, spread on a baking sheet and toast in a hot oven for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Prepare Quinoa according to the instructions on the pack, then drain, mix through some maple syrup to taste and spread on a baking sheet and pop in the oven to dry out a little - takes about 5 minutes in a warm oven.

Mix quinoa, nuts and seeds and some chopped prunes or other dried fruit

and serve with your favorite type of milk

RAW PIZZA ATTEMPT

RAW PIZZA ATTEMPT

Now, I assure you - I am no raw food guru, but since I am on holiday and I have the time, I decided to try a "Raw Food" pizza. The base was a mix of flax seeds, red pepper, garlic and sundried tomatoes, whizzed up in a blender, I dried this in my newly purchased dehydrator - but it could easily be done in the oven on a very low heat for a few hours. In the mean time, I made Cashew "Cheese" which is really more like a cashew nut dip - soak your cashews overnight then blend with a clove of garlic, half a red pepper and some herb salt. When your pizza base is ready, cut in to pizza type slices, spread the nut sauce over and then top with lots of fresh salad type ingredients. It really was quite yummy and I felt so proud eating it.

CHINESE CABBAGE SALAD WITH HONEY ROASTED PEANUTS

CHINESE CABBAGE SALAD WITH HONEY ROASTED PEANUTS

Ingredients

1/2 a Chinese Cabbage thinly sliced

1 and a half cups of bean sprouts

1 cup of sugar snap peas sliced

1/2 a red pepper sliced

1/2 a cup of honey roasted peanuts

Dressing Ingredients

4 tablespoons peanut oil

a few drops of sesame oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic crushed

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and toss through the salad dressing,

this should be enough to serve 3 or 4 - depending on how hungry your guests are!

If you are preparing the salad ahead of time, hold off on adding the dressing

until just before you serve.

EGGPLANT AND ZUCCHINI CURRY

EGGPLANT AND ZUCCHINI CURRY

This delicious curry is inspired by my beautiful mentor

Jenny from http://two-days-at-a-time.blogspot.com/

Jen has a glut of eggplant at the moment, so I hope she can use this recipe to use them up!

Ingredients

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam marsarla

2 dried chillies

4 curry leaves crumbled

1 thumb of ginger grated

Oil for frying and for baking eggplant

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 onion diced

6 small zucchini

1 eggplant

5 Vine ripened tomatoes

1 tin organic coconut milk

1/2 a cup of vegetable stock

Directions

Lightly fry onions, garlic, ginger and spices

Meanwhile, peel the eggplant and slice in to bite size pieces, bake in a 250 degree oven drizzled with olive oil until tender - turn every 8 minutes to ensure they are evenly cooked.

Slice zucchini in to rounds and cut tomatoes in to quarters. Add coconut milk and vegetable stock to the onions, garlic and spices, warm through. Place cooked eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes in to a casserole dish and cover with the curry sauce, bake in a hot oven for about 25 minutes. Allow to sit in the oven for a further 15 minutes then serve with fluffy rice, Greek yoghurt and fresh coriander.

NOT SO NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS TREATS

NOT SO NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS TREATS

100g Nuts - I used macadamias

250g pitted dates

100g shredded coconut

Blitz in a food processor and roll in to balls.

Simple, tasty, healthy, Christmas treats.

CRUNCHY KALE "CHIPS"

CRUNCHY KALE "CHIPS"

Kale is a beautiful dark leafy vegetable, which makes the most delightfully, light and tasty crunchy treat instead of fatty deep fried chips!

If you are in Perth check out Subi farmers market on a Saturday

8am - 12pm for great organic Kale http://subifarmersmarket.com.au )

Ingredients

1 bunch of Kale, wash very well, dry very well, chop in to slightly larger than bite size pieces

Garlic or herb salt

Good quality olive oil

1 Lemon

Directions

Place grease proof paper on the bottom of your oven tray, place an oven rack on top of that and spread the kale evenly over the rack. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic or herb salt. Bake in a warm oven, about 200 degrees, for about 15 - 20 minutes, checking every 5 minutes, and shuffle the pieces around a bit. Don't let the kale burn, but you do want it to be crispy, so test a piece every now and then, you will know when it is ready! Serve with a wedge of lemon. Happy crunchy munching everyone.

ASPARAGUS SALAD

Asparagus Salad

Need something simple for lunch? Try this quick and health salad of asparagus, tomatoes and avo - drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. I was lucky enough to get all the fresh organic ingredients from the Subiaco Farmers Market. Non vegans can add some fetta.

VEGAN BREAKFAST FRY UP

VEGAN BREAKFAST FRY UP

Sweet potatoes (cooked), red pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, coriander...fry in a little olive oil....yum, breakfast is ready. 

Broccoi Soup

BROCCOLI SOUP

1 Large broccoli chopped

1 litre vegetable stock

1 large onion

2 ruby red potatoes, peeled and diced

Olive oil, black pepper and basil to serve

Lightly fry onions, add broccoli, potatoes and stock. Cook until potatoes are tender. Blend and serve with a dash of olive oil, black pepper and torn basil.

SOUL FOOD PESTO

SOUL FOOD PESTO

I just bought a mortar and pestle, and I am delighted with it! The first thing I made in it was this delightful pesto. A lot of commercial pesto's have cheese in them and it sometimes overpowers the delicious taste of fresh basil and pine nuts.

Ingredients

1 big bunch of basil

1 small garlic clove

1 70g bag of pine nuts

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 teaspoon sea salt

4 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions

Lightly toast the pine nuts on the stove top, this should take about 4 minutes maximum, watch them because you only want a very slight brown tinge. Remove the leggy stalks from the basil and roughly chop the small stalks and leaves (with scissors) in to the mortar, add the pine nuts while they are still warm, and throw in the garlic, olive oil, sea salt, and lemon juice. Give it all a good bash and grind....this is the part that is good for the soul. Obviously this would be good for pasta, but I decided to serve this for breakfast on toast with a grilled tomato on top.

ROLLINI WITH BABY ZUCCHINI, TOMATOES, BASIL & PINE NUTS

ROLLINI WITH BABY ZUCCHINI, TOMATOES, BASIL & PINE NUTS

I think the name of this one is pretty much enough for an average cook to work out how to make it! A couple of tricks though....have lots more veggies than pasta. I used rollini pasta because it is pretty...but any pasta will do. Use very fresh baby zucchini & don't over cook everything! The tomatoes were simply quartered and cooked in a hot pan (much like I did for the hangover breakfast) which made quite an impact on the dish. Don't be shy to add fresh garlic and lemon juice & chili if you enjoy a zesty zingy pasta!

VEGETARIAN HANG OVER BREAKFAST

VEGETARIAN HANG OVER BREAKFAST

A lot of friends ask me what we eat when we have a hang over...well this vegetarian "fry up" worked a treat on Sunday!

Ingredients

Whole Grain toast - 1 or 2 slices each

Brown or button mushrooms - about 6 each

Tomatoes - about 2 each

Banana's (1 between two)

Olive Oil

Salt, Pepper

Fresh herbs to serve (I used basil)

Directions

The trick is to have a really hot pan and fry each ingredient separately, placing in a warm oven until it is time to plate up. Start with mushrooms, then tomatoes and finally the banana. Pile on toast, grind on pepper, sprinkle on salt and top with a few fresh herbs.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND CASHEW PESTO

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND CASHEW PESTO

Ingredients

250g Roasted Salted Cashew Nuts

2 large red peppers

1 large clove of garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil

Black Pepper to taste

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Directions

Grill red peppers until skins go black, when cooled, remove the skins & place in food processor (I used my hand processor). I put the piece of garlic under the grill for about 5 minutes, just to take the edge off and then added that to the processor. Add cashew nuts and olive oil, pepper and lemon juice. Blend until it reaches the desired consistency. This can be served with bread, baked potato or pasta!

BUTTERNUT, FETA & ROCKET SALAD

BUTTERNUT, FETA & ROCKET SALAD

Ingredients

1 Butternut (Will make enough for 4)

Bow Tie Pasta

Capers

Rocket

Feta

Dressing

1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard

4 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 Teaspoon sugar

2 Teaspoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons peanut or olive oil

1/2 a Teaspoon sesame oil

Directions

Chop and roast the butternut in a hot oven for 35 minutes or until just turning golden, Cook and cool bow tie pasta. Plate up with rocket, feta & capers and dress just before serving.