Tag Archives: vegetarian

Veggie Cakes

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

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.

Roasted Root Vegetable Casserole

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

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.

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.

Raw Mango Cheesecake

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

Treat yourself to this tasty raw mango cheesecake!

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Makes 1

Base:

150g               Walnuts

150g               Dates

1tbsp              Desiccated Coconut

1tbsp              Flaxseed

Topping:

2                     Ripe Mangoes

150g               Cashew Nuts

3tbsp              Agave Nectar

1tbsp              Peanut Butter

1tbsp              Coconut Oil

Soak the walnuts in water overnight.

Add all the base ingredients into a food processor and blend until the mixture starts to stick together. Scoop out of the food processor and spread evenly in the bottom of a cake dish with a spoon.

Blend the cashew nuts until fine. Add in the other ingredients and blend until a smooth paste has formed. Pour into the cake dish over the base and spread evenly with a spoon. Put in the fridge to set for a few hours. Serve and enjoy!

Store in the fridge. Eat within a week.

My Transition from Junk Food to Healthy Food

Articles, Diet, Health, ME/CFS, Nutrition, , , , , , , , , , ,

Here is my transition from junk food to healthy food:

Step 1: Junk Food

When I was a student at university living away from home and first became ill with ME/CFS I used to eat a diet of junk food such as:

  • Microwave ready meal lasagne.
  • Microwave ready meal salmon and broccoli in creamy sauce.
  • Microwave chips and fish fingers.
  • Pop tarts
  • Sugary Cereal
  • Pizza
  • Prawn mayonnaise sandwiches
  • Baked potato with tuna mayonnaise
  • Chocolate bars
  • Pasta in creamy sauce
  • Beef burgers

I now know that when you microwave meals it denatures the structure of the food so it is not the same food that went into the microwave!

Step 2: Gluten-Free

After visiting a Naturopathic Nutritionist who used a bio-resonance machine to detect my wheat and sugar intolerances, I altered my diet and cooked things such as:

  • Trout with wild rice, steamed broccoli and carrots.
  • Sea bass with gluten-free pasta and steamed vegetables in a creamy sauce.
  • Sausages, wild rice and steamed vegetables.
  • Gluten-free pasta in tomato sauce.
  • Steamed egg ramekin.
  • Gluten-free sandwiches
  • Rice pudding
  • Oat porridge with blueberries
  • Spaghetti Bolognese with gluten-free pasta
  • Oat flapjacks
  • Gluten-free pasta bake
  • Fish pie
  • Homemade pork burgers
  • Lamb shanks

Step 3: Reduce Processed Food

However my body become intolerant to the gluten-free pasta made from maize which I was consuming at least once a day. I developed IBS with stomach cramps, diarrhoea and even vomited once. So I had to change my diet again and ate things like:

  • Tofu with rice noodles
  • Carrot & Coriander Soup
  • Spanish Sausage & Bean soup
  • Tomato soup
  • Cheese & tomato sandwiches
  • Liver and bacon with potatoes
  • Baked potato with tuna mayonnaise
  • Pork balls with stir-fried vegetables
  • Chicken Gohan curry
  • Chicken kebabs in peanut satay.
  • Homemade chips
  • Chicken drumsticks & wings

Step 4: Vegetarian

I became interested in Detoxing the Pineal Gland and read a book where the author explains that tap water contains toxin fluorine and chlorine and fish contains toxic mercury. He also explained that meat has a very heavy vibration of death, fear, pain and suffering. I did not want to put that energy into my body as I wanted to raise my vibration. Also I had a emotive dream about a chicken in packaging that was half cooked and half still alive looking up at me with innocent eyes. I couldn’t bear to eat chicken after that and decided to become vegetarian so as not to support animal cruelty. The meals I ate included:

  • Baked butternut squash with thyme, walnuts and feta
  • Spanish omelettes
  • Baked potato with cheese
  • Potato salad
  • Greek salad
  • Hummus on gluten-free toast
  • Gluten-free pizza
  • Ratatouille

Step 5: Raw Vegan

Then I met my health-conscious ex boyfriend who had cancer and became raw vegan like him to get the benefits of detoxing my body, more energy and clear skin. I ate things such as:

  • Kale Salad with Sprouted Seeds
  • Smoothies
  • Juices
  • Raw chocolate
  • Chocolate & almond milk smoothie
  • Veggie nut mix in lettuce boats with hummus
  • Nori Rolls
  • Guacamole on corn cakes
  • Hummus and sprouted sunflower seed on rice cakes.
  • Raw carrot cake
  • Kale chips

Step 6: Mixture of Cooked & Raw Vegan

I found it very difficult to get enough calories on that diet and although my skin was clear, I felt hungry and weak. So I am now a mixture of cooked and raw vegan and seem to have a lot of energy. My favourite meals at the moment are:

Featured in the September 2014 issue of WDDTY magazine in the article ‘Why ME?’ about my recovery from ME/CFS using diet.

Quinoa and Lentil Burgers

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

This is my favourite meal and I eat it several times a week during the summer. These delicious quinoa and lentil burgers can be stored for 3-4 days and are quick to make for lunch or dinner. They are delicious served on my Avocado & Artichoke Salad with 3 tsp of hummus and a handful of bean sprouts.

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Makes 4 Burgers

Ingredients

125g               Red Split Lentils

100g               Quinoa

500ml             Filtered water

1                          Carrot

2tbsp               Pumpkins Seeds

Handful           Fresh Parsley

1/2tsp             Ground coriander

1/4tsp             Pink Crystal Salt

1tsp                Coconut Oil

Instructions

Soak the pumpkin seeds overnight.

Cook the quinoa and lentils in the filtered water for about 10 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Once cool, pour into the blender.

Cut up the carrot and add to a blender with the pumpkins seeds, parsley, coriander and salt. Blend for 1 minute.

Pour out onto a sheet of baking paper and roll out to about 1/2inch thick. Cut into 4 segments with a knife. Shape into round burgers.

Melt the coconut oil in a small non-stick pan. Place a burger in the hot pan and cook each side for 5 minutes on a low heat until golden and crisp.

Serve the quinoa and lentil burgers with your favourite salad.

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

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:16]

Amaranth Gingernut Biscuits

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

The flavours of amaranth and ginger combine well to make a tasty tea-time treat!

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Makes 10

150g               Amaranth

3tbsp              Agave Nectar

4tbsp              Melted Coconut Oil

50ml               Filtered Water

½ tbsp            Ground Ginger

¼ tsp               Pink Crystal Salt

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Pour the amaranth into a Vitamix blender and blend on full power for 30 seconds.

Add all the other ingredients and blend until the dough is well mixed.

Put a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray. Spoon the mixture onto the baking paper using one dessertspoon full per biscuit. Press down with the back of the spoon.

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Bake for 15 minutes.

Leave to cool, then store in an airtight container. Eat within a week.