Tag Archives: gluten-free

The Most Delicious Hummus!

Dips & Spreads, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Vegan, , , , , , , , ,

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!

Quinoa Porridge

Breakfast, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Vegan, , , , , , , ,

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

Gluten-Free, Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, , , , , , , , , ,

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

Gluten-Free, Main Meal, Recipes, Vegan, Videos, , , , , ,

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.

Vegan Chocolate Muffins

Cakes, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Snacks, Vegan, , , , , , , ,

Treat yourself to these delicious yet healthy gluten-free, vegan chocolate muffins! They are perfect to have as an afternoon snack and will satisfy your sweet tooth! The quinoa and brown rice make them high in vegan protein!

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Makes 12

90g                 Quinoa

90g                 Brown Rice

1tbsp              Coconut Oil

2tbsp              Ground Flaxseed

3tbsp              Cacao Powder

4tbsp              Agave Nectar

1tsp                Apple Cider Vinegar

2tsp                Baking Soda

1/4tsp             Pink crystal salt

300ml              Almond Milk

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Grease each section of a muffin tray with coconut oil.

Add all the ingredients into a Vitamix blender. Blend for 30 seconds until well mixed.

Next spoon the mixture into the 12 sections of the muffin tray. Fill up each section to about ¾ full.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes.

When they are cooked, leave them to cool for 5 minutes and then carefully remove each muffin and place on a rack to cool.

Store in a cool, dry place and eat within 5 days.

 

My Vegan Chocolate Muffins recipe is featured in the ChefChili app!

ChefChili

Red Lentil and Kidney Bean Curry

Gluten-Free, Main Meal, Recipes, Vegan, , , , , , , ,

Now that it’s Autumn, it’s a great time to start cooking curries again! The warming, spicy flavours of this delicious red lentil and kidney bean curry are perfect to warm up on a chilly day!

Red Lentil and Kidney Bean Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients

1tbsp                          Coconut Oil

1                                 Red Onion

1                                 Garlic Clove

½ tbsp                        Ground Cumin

½ tbsp                        Ground Coriander

½ tsp                          Ground Turmeric

½ tsp                          Cayenne Pepper

½ tsp                          Ground Ginger

½ 500g can                Passata

400g can                    Coconut Milk

125g                           Red Lentils

400g can                    Red Kidney Beans

600ml                         Filtered Water

300g (75g/serving)      Brown Rice

¼ tsp                          Pink Crystal Salt

¼ tsp                          Black Pepper

Instructions

Pour the brown rice into a pan of filtered water at the ratio 1:2 brown rice:water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 40 minutes on a low heat. Do not stir.

Melt the coconut oil in a medium pan. Add the chopped onion and stir. When the onions start to brown, add in the chopped garlic. Next add the spices and stir to mix in.

Now add the passata, coconut milk and red lentils. Simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes stirring regularly. Add in extra water if necessary. Finally stir in the red kidney beans and heat for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Serve the curry with the brown rice. Enjoy![amd-zlrecipe-recipe:29]

Green Pea & Mung Bean Soup

Gluten-Free, Recipes, Soups, Vegan, , , , , , , ,

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Out of the blue yesterday evening, I had the idea to make green pea soup! I forgot to write it down. Then today at work my colleague had pea soup for lunch and I remembered! When I got home I put a sweet potato in the oven for dinner and then remembered my plan to make the soup! So I thought I could add the sweet potato into the soup to give it a thicker consistency. Then I noticed a jar of sprouted mung beans on the kitchen window seal waiting to be used! So I thought I would add these in too!

So in the end I had a tasty, green soup with an interesting, smoky flavour! I discovered that no-one has put a green pea and mung bean soup on the internet yet, so this is a truly unique recipe! Peas and mung beans seem to go well together and are a good source of vegan protein.

As you may have noticed, I have gone mad lately blogging everyday! I keep coming up with good ideas! I’m on a roll (a blogroll) ha ha! Plus it’s fun!

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Serves 2

1tbsp              Coconut Oil

1                     Red Onion

1                     Garlic Clove

500ml             Filtered Water

250g               Frozen peas

200g               Sprouted Mung Beans

1                     Medium Sweet Potato

1tsp                Thyme

1/4tsp             Pink Crystal Salt

1/4tsp             Black Pepper

Soak the mung beans in filtered water in a sprouting jar overnight. Drain the water in the morning and leave to sprout.

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

Melt the coconut oil in a sauce pan on a medium heat. Finely chop the onion and add to the hot pan. Stir occasionally. Cook until the onions start to brown then add the finely chopped garlic which cooks quickly.

Now pour in the water and add the frozen peas, mung beans and sweet potato cut into chunks. Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Now bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Leave the soup to cool slightly. Pour it into a blender (I use a Vitamix) and blend on full power for 30 seconds.

Now pour into a serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with a slice of bread.

Store any leftovers in the fridge.

Red Lentil Dhal

Gluten-Free, Main Meal, Recipes, Vegan, , , , , ,

As the days get colder, we need to cook warm, spicy, comforting meals to stay warm. Try this tasty and filling red lentil dhal recipe to warm your heart! This is one of my favourite winter recipes as it is quick to make and rich in protein.

Red Lentil Dhal

Serves 2

Ingredients

1tbsp               Coconut Oil

½                     Onion

1tsp                 Mustard Seeds

1tsp                 Ground Coriander

1tsp                 Ground Turmeric

500ml              Filtered Water

400g can         Chopped Tomatoes

½ 400g can     Coconut milk

125g                Red Split Lentils

1/4tsp              Pink Crystal Salt

1/4tsp              Black Pepper

Instructions

Melt the coconut oil in a sauce pan. Chop the onion finely and add to the hot oil. Add the mustard seeds. When the onion has started to brown, add the ground coriander and turmeric. Stir in the spices.

Pour in the filtered water. Add the can of chopped tomatoes, coconut milk and red split lentils. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Season with the salt and pepper and serve warm with a slice of bread. Store in a container in the fridge.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:28]

Vegan Quinoa Special Fried Rice

Gluten-Free, Main Meal, Recipes, Vegan, , , , , , , ,

This high protein combination looks to me like a vegan version of special fried rice! The pinkish haricot beans look suspiciously like prawns, the golden quinoa like fried rice and the avocado like egg! It is my new favourite main meal as it is so delicious! I always go back for seconds!

You could try the recipe with rice, but I prefer quinoa as it is a higher source of protein and quicker to cook. Peas and beans are also great sources of vegan protein.

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Serves 2

150g                           Quinoa

100g                           Frozen Peas

1 can (250g)               Haricot Beans

½                                Ripe Avocado

1/4tsp                         Pink Crystal Salt

1/4tsp                         Black Pepper

1                                 Small carrot finely chopped (optional)

Cook the quinoa and peas in boiling water for 10 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed.

Rinse the beans in a colander. Cut the avocado in half, cut slices into the flesh and peel off the skin.

Add the avocado slices and beans to the cooked quinoa and peas. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Serve warm. Store the leftovers in a container in the fridge.

Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges

Gluten-Free, Main Meal, Recipes, Vegan, , , , , , , ,

These divine spicy sweet potato wedges were inspired by the fact that I noticed that I had 4 bags of sweet potatoes in the bottom of the fridge that were rapidly going out of date! So I decided to make the spicy wedges for dinner to use up one of the bags. It is a simple and easy to make recipe, and the spicy flavours of the crisp sweet potato wedges make a tasty dish!

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Serves 2

4                      Sweet Potatoes

4tbsp               Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

1tsp                 Ground Coriander

1tsp                 Ground Cumin

1tsp                 Ground Cardamom

1/4tsp              Pink Crystal Salt

1/4tsp              Black Pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Wash the sweet potatoes and chop them into quarters lengthways. Place the wedges in a baking dish and drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle over the spices, salt and pepper and toss to mix.

Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp.

Once cooked, transfer the wedges to a plate. Drizzle over the oil left in the baking dish and serve warm, with hummus as a dip.