Category Archives: Gluten-Free

Golden Root Vegetable Curry

This is my favourite curry recipe at the moment! It is so delicious! And perfect to warm up on a cold day! I use white basmati rice as I have read recently that it is easier to digest than brown rice and I find it is much nicer in curries!

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Serves 3

Ingredients

1tbsp              Coconut Oil

1                     Red Onion

1                     Garlic Clove

1inch               Fresh Root Ginger

80g                  Mushrooms

1tsp                 Mustard Seeds

1tsp                 Ground Cumin

1tsp                 Ground Coriander

½ tsp               Ground Turmeric

½ tsp               Cayenne Pepper

½ can              Coconut Milk

1000ml            Filtered Water

125g                Red Lentils

100g                Green Beans

200g                Jerusalem Artichoke

1                      Large Carrot

1                      Small Sweet Potato

75g                  Basmati Rice (per portion)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Put the Jerusalem artichoke, carrot and sweet potato on a baking tray. Pierce all over with a fork so the skins do not burn. Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes.

While the root vegetables are roasting, melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan on a low heat. Chop up the red onion, mushrooms and root ginger and add to the pan. Sizzle the onions and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add in the chopped garlic and spices and stir.

Now pour in half a can of coconut milk. Fill the pan with around 700ml water and bring to the boil. Add in the chopped green beans and red lentils. Simmer for at least 20 minutes.

When the root vegetables are cooked, chop them into cubes and add to the pan.

Next pour around 300ml of water into a small pan. Bring to the boil and add the basmati rice. Simmer for 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Keep the rice in the pan with the lid on to stay warm until ready to serve.

Scoop the curry sauce onto a plate next to the rice. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free, Vegan Quinoa & Brown Rice Pancakes

Happy Pancake Day everyone! Today I’m going to be making my quinoa and brown rice pancakes which are gluten-free and vegan! The almond milk replaces the dairy milk and the flaxseed binds the mixture instead of the eggs!

Quinoa & Brown Rice Pancakes

Makes 6Strawberry Pancakes

75g                 Quinoa

75g                 Brown rice

1tbsp              Desiccated coconut

1tbsp              Flaxseed

1tbsp              Agave nectar

300ml             Almond Milk

300ml             Filtered Water

If you have a Vitamix blender, pour in the quinoa and rice and blend until it has formed a fine flour. Alternatively you can cook the quinoa in filtered water for 15 minutes and brown rice for 40 minutes and then place them in the blender.

Add the desiccated coconut, flaxseed, agave nectar, almond milk and water to the blender. Mix until it has formed a liquid batter.

Heat a small pan over a low heat. Pour in enough batter to form a medium sized pancake.

Cook for about 2 minutes until there are bubbles throughout the surface and you can easily peel away the pancake from the pan. Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes until golden brown. Pile the pancakes on top of each other on a plate.

Add a fruit topping of your choice such as sliced banana, strawberries or raspberries. Drizzle with agave nectar and lemon juice. Delicious served with spoonfuls of nut butter.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Valentine’s Day Treats

Happy Valentine’s Day! <3 <3

This is a special day to spend with your loved one appreciating what you have together. Or if you are single you can treat yourself to show yourself how much you love and appreciate yourself!

Why not indulge in my delicious Chocolate Snowballs this Valentine’s Day! Or share a bowl of my dreamy Cashew & Banana Ice Cream!

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Veggie Cakes

Veggie Cakes

These delicious veggie cakes are a treat to have for a main meal! They are a combination of savoury pancakes, scones and veggie burgers! They are also a great way of using up any leftover vegetables you have in the fridge!

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Makes 12

Ingredients

1tbsp              Coconut Oil

1                      Small Red Onion

1                      Garlic Clove

80g                 Mushrooms

1                      Carrot

1/2                  Sweet Potato

Handful          Spinach

75g                  Quinoa

75g                  Brown Rice

1tbsp               Desiccated Coconut

1tbsp               Ground Flaxseed

500ml              Almond Milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C. Bake the sweet potato for 45 minutes.

Now prepare the batter. Add the quinoa, brown rice, desiccated coconut, flaxseed and almond milk to the Vitamix blender. Blend on full power for 30 seconds.

Next, melt the coconut oil in a hot pan. Add the chopped onion and sliced mushrooms. Fry for a few minutes. Add the finely chopped carrot. Lastly add the chopped garlic, cooked sweet potato cut into cubes and the handful of spinach. Now add the cooked vegetables into the batter in the blender. Mix with a spoon.

I use a specialised pancake pan with 4 moulds to cook 4 veggie cakes, but you can add spoonfuls of the mixture to a hot pan to cook. Add 2 dessert spoonfuls of the batter mix to the hot pan, cooking 4 veggie cakes at a time. Cook for 5 minutes on one side then flip over and cook for another 5 minutes or until golden brown on each side. Place the cooked veggie cakes on a plate then cook 4 more.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Store in the fridge and eat within 3-4 days.

Quinoa & Mushroom Risotto

P1000990This tasty Autumnal dish is high in protein with the mushrooms and quinoa.

I went out to the woods on the day and picked wild mushrooms which taste amazing! Had to identify them first as many wild mushrooms are poisonous!

You would cook the quinoa as you would the rice in a risotto, by simmering and adding water as necessary.  P1010056

Serves 2

Ingredients

1tbsp              Coconut oil

1                     Small red onion

80g                 Mushrooms

1tsp                Thyme

150g               Quinoa

500ml             Filtered water

1/4tsp             Pink Himalayan salt

1/4tsp             Black pepper

Method

Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan. Chop up the onion and add to the hot pan. Now slice the mushrooms and add to the pan. Fry until the mushrooms are browned.

Now pour in the quinoa. Add the thyme and stir in. Fry for a minute, then pour in the filtered water.

Bring to the boil, then put the lid on and simmer for 20 minutes.

Check the pan regularly and add extra water when the quinoa is looking dry. Quinoa absorbs water very quickly!

When cooked, add in the salt and pepper and serve immediately!

The Most Delicious Hummus!

Hummus is my favourite food! I love it on bread or on my baked sweet potatoes! It is a tasty dish that originated in the Middle East. This recipe is so delicious I had to share it with you immediately! It is based on an Abel & Cole recipe (my new favourite all organic supermarket!). It is super quick to make (20 minutes). I have been wanting to post a hummus recipe for a while. Hope you enjoy it!

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Makes 2 pots

Ingredients

400g can                    Chickpeas

150ml                         Filtered water

1/2                              Lemon

1                                 Small garlic clove

3tbsp                          Tahini

2tbsp                          Hemp oil

2tbsp                          Olive oil

1/4tsp                         Pink Himalayan salt

1/4tsp                         Black pepper

Method

Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

Place them in a pan with the filtered water. Simmer for 7 minutes.

When the chickpeas are simmering, cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice of one half into a blender. Finely chop the garlic clove. Add in the tahini, oils and 3tbsp filtered water. Season with salt and black pepper.

Next add the cooked chickpeas into the blender. Blend on a low speed for 10 seconds until the hummus is completely smooth.

Pour the hummus out into a container and leave it to cool. Then put it in the fridge to set.

Enjoy it spread on bread or as a dip for carrot sticks! Keeps in the fridge for 3 days.

Note: Ideally store in a glass container. If storing in a plastic container, ensure it has a triangle symbol with a number 5 or 24 inside as these are the only types of plastic that don’t leach into the food!

Roasted Root Vegetable Casserole

The delicious sweet flavours of the roasted root vegetables combine with the tomato sauce to create a tasty Autumnal dish! I will be making something similar for Christmas dinner with the addition of parsnips and brussels sprouts!P1000921P1000930P1000949P1000961

Serves 2

Ingredients

2                      Carrots

2                      Sweet Potatoes

1                      Red Onion

2                      Garlic Cloves

2tsp                 Cumin

3tbsp               Olive Oil

1 400g can      Chickpeas

350ml              Passata

1tsp                 Oregano

¼ tsp               Pink Himalayan Salt

¼ tsp               Black Pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Wash the vegetables. Cut the ends off of the vegetables and slice them lengthways, arranging them in layers in a baking dish. Add in the peeled garlic cloves. Sprinkle with cumin and generously drizzle over the olive oil.

Place the baking dish in the oven for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Drain the chickpeas and add to the baking dish with the passata. Season with oregano, salt and pepper.

Return the dish to the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Scoop out a portion onto a plate and serve immediately.

Quinoa Porridge

This light and fluffy porridge is delicious and takes only 5 minutes to make! The quinoa flakes are much quicker to cook that ordinary quinoa and can be purchased from most health food stores. Chia seeds and flaxseed give you a boost of omega-3. Quinoa is a good source of protein to keep you feeling full.

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Serves 1

Ingredients

75g (5tbsp)                 Quinoa Flakes

1tbsp                          Chia Seeds

1tsp                            Flaxseed

150ml                         Almond Milk

½ tsp                          Ground Cinnamon

Method

Add the quinoa flakes and seeds to a small pan. Pour in the almond milk. Turn on the heat to low.

Once it starts to bubble, cook for 5 minutes stirring regularly.

Turn off the heat. Pour into a bowl. Add a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

 

Optional: Add some diced mango on top.

Vegan Chana Halva

Halva is deliciously sweet and easy to make! The dessert is popular in the Middle East. This version is made from chana which are chickpeas. It is vegan as I have replaced the butter with coconut oil and the dairy milk with almond milk. My family found it very tasty!

I am fond of Middle Eastern dishes especially hummus, dhal and falafel. Perhaps I had a past-life in Egypt!

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Makes 9 pieces

Ingredients

150g               Chickpeas

3tbsp              Coconut Oil

150ml             Almond Milk

½ tsp              Ground Cardamom

6 tbsp             Agave Nectar

50g                 Cashew Nuts

50g                 Almonds

Method

Soak the chickpeas in cold water overnight.

Drain the chickpeas and blend them while still wet to form a paste.

Melt the coconut oil in a non-stick pan. Add the chickpea paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Now pour in the almond milk. Bring to the boil and then simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add in the agave nectar, ground cardamom and roughly chopped cashew nuts and almonds. Simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly until you have a sticky dough.

Pour the dough into a square baking tray and leave to cool for 30 minutes.

Put in the freezer overnight.

Next morning take the halva out of the freezer to defrost for 1 hour. Cut the halva into rectangles and enjoy!

Store in the fridge.

How to Make Kitchari

Kitchari is used in an ayurvedic diet for detoxing the body. It is simple, nourishing food that is easy to digest. Usually I make a large batch and store the extra in glass containers in the fridge to eat for lunch for the next few days.

You can find the full recipe below.

For more video showing how to make my gluten-free, vegan recipes check out my YouTube channel! Cooking to Heal ME

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Serves 4

Ingredients

1tbsp              Coconut oil

½ tbsp            Mustard seeds

½ tbsp            Fennel seeds

1inch              Root ginger

½ tbsp            Ground turmeric

½ tbsp            Ground cumin

½ tbsp            Ground cumin

150g               Mung beans

150g               Brown basmati rice

500ml             Filtered water

1                     Medium Sweet potato

1                     Carrot

50g                 Frozen peas

¼ tsp              Pink crystal salt

¼ tsp              Black pepper

Method

Melt the coconut oil in a hot pan.

Add the seeds to the hot oil. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the finely chopped root ginger, turmeric, cumin and coriander.

Now add in the mung beans and rice, followed by the filtered water. Cut the sweet potato into slices and then quarters. Add to the pan with the chopped carrot and pour in the frozen peas.

Bring to the boil. Now put the lid on and simmer for 45 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.