cooking

March 16, 2015

Vegan ice cream sundae

For two huge sundaes:

Chop up three bananas and put them in a sealed bag in the freezer – use them from 24 hours later.

Take out the bananas about 10 minutes before you’re ready to blitz them.

For the hot fudge mix 3 tablespoons brown rice or agave syrup with 1 tablespoon cocoa in a double boiler over low heat. I just use a small pot with some water in it and a coffee cup inside that.

Chop some nuts of your liking.

Dump the bananas in the food processor with a half a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of any nut butter or tahini but beware peanut butter will have a dominant flavour. Blitz until the consistency of ice cream and scoop into a bowl.

Top with hot fudge & nuts!

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March 9, 2015

mexican bean soup

This is very similar to the winter veg soup last week but with some different flavours.

Just start a pot on the stove top 1/3 full of salted water, throw in whatever veggies you have, in the order of how long they will take to cook. I used potato, carrot, onion, mushroom, red pepper & lots of different beans. Add in a can of chopped tomatoes & some mexican spices; cayenne pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, italian herbs & just a sprinkle of sugar.

All the flavours should be infused by the time the veggies are cooked. Top it with avocado, coriander if you have it/like it & perhaps some nutritional yeast for a little “cheesiness” – yum!

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March 2, 2015

Winter Veg Soup

We affectionately call this one “oma soup”, oma is grandma in dutch and this is a classic winter soup like your grandmother used to make – minus the chicken carcass.

Start a large pot on the boil about half full of water. I add the veggies in the order of how long they take to cook. In this case it went; swede, parsnip, potato, onion, celery (and leaves they have lots of flavour), carrot, capsicum & mushrooms. Once the water starts to boil I add in a handful of pasta. Also some beans, whatever I have on hand; kidney, chick peas, black beans – whatever. I don’t use a stock mix as all the ones I can find have vegetable oil in them so I do a lot of dried herbs and spices, you can just do some stock instead. I put in a big handful of salt, lots of fresh ground pepper, some dried chili flakes or cayenne pepper, some mixed italian herbs or herbs de provence, garlic powder, onion powder, and a couple dashes of worcestershire sauce or soy sauce – it just adds some depth of flavour. Just taste it as you go along and add more to your liking.

I serve it with a big hunk of crusty bread and some olive oil drizzled over. Sometimes I sprinkle nutritional yeast on top too. Supper yummy & healthy & a great use of all that root veg from the veg boxes. Great for leftovers too.

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February 23, 2015

Vegan mac n cheese

Put your pasta on to boil.

Sauté a small diced onion & 2 cloves of garlic minced – I use a sprinkle of apple juice instead of oil.

In a food processor blend the onion & garlic with cashew nuts (3/4 cup soaked for several hours) & the below ingredients until smooth:
Vegetable broth, 2 cups
Brown miso, 1.5 Tbsp
Nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup
Tomato paste, 1/2 Tbsp
Turmeric, 1/2 tsp
Corn starch, 1.5 Tbsp

Bring the mixture to a boil then simmer 5-8 minutes while stirring. Once it’s thick mix the cooked & drained pasta into it. Serve with salt, pepper & a squeeze of lemon juice.

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February 16, 2015

bbq breaded tofu with kale couscous

This is a fun & different way to eat tofu, especially for when you’re feeling like something a bit naughty. They taste deep fried even though they’re super healthy! Start by cutting them into squares and dredge them first in a bit of watered down bbq sauce then a mix of flour and bread crumbs. Dry fry them on medium high until browned in a tefal pan. Once they’re done on both sides turn the pan down to low and baste them with bbq sauce on each side.

CousCous is a super easy side dish, 2 parts boiling water poured over 1 part couscous & let it sit covered for 5 minutes and it’s done. I add in veggies & spices before I pour over the boiling water so the flavours really get mixed in. This one I did with some shredded kale leaves, dried currants, pine nuts, mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame & flax), salt, pepper, & a bit of cayenne pepper.

I also did some candied nuts while everything else was cooking and served those over the top. I mixed them with a little garlic powder & maple syrup and cooked them in the oven on high for about 10 minutes.

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November 10, 2014

swede (turnip) patties with blackened leek & chard

Peel, cube & boil the swede til tender then mash it.

Slice the leek & chard & cook it on a dry cast iron skillet. Add those to the swede and season – I did mixed Italian herbs, garlic powder, salt, pepper & chili flakes.

Form into patties – if you let it cool you can use your hands but I was impatient and pressed it into a little bowl and hit it out. Fry on a hot, dry tefal skillet until browned on each side.

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November 8, 2014

Fluffy vegan pancakes!

2tbsp milled flax seed
Mixed w/5tbsp warm water
Sit off to the side

1c soy milk
Mixed with 1tbsp cider vinegar
Sit off to the side

In a large bowl:
1c flour
1tbsp sugar
1tsp each
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt
Mix

Dump in soy milk & flax seed mixtures along with:
1/2c berries mixed with a sprinkle of sugar & water
Or
1Tbsp vanilla & 1tsp cinnamon

Mix all gently.

Spoon into a hot non stick pan (no additional oil needed)

Flip when you see bubbles popping on top.

Serve with maple syrup.

Makes 4 large fluffy American style pancakes.

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November 3, 2014

Roasted spaghetti squash with tomato chick pea stuffing

This is such a quick & healthy meal! Just stick the whole spaghetti squash in the oven on 375f/180c/gas mark 6 for an hour. Check to make sure it’s done by stabbing it with a knife. While it’s in the oven warm up some chick peas & chopped tomatoes with salt, pepper, a sprinkle of sugar, italian herbs, garlic powder & chilli flakes. When the squash is done cut it in half & scoop out the seeds. Spoon the tomato chick pea mixture into the middle to serve.

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October 27, 2014

Portobello burger & chips

With the OMS diet I don’t cook anything in oil but occasionally I crave chips. This is a great solution and not even cheating!

Cut 4-5 large potatoes into wedges
Whisk together 3 eggs whites with a tablespoon cornstarch
Add in generous amounts of salt, pepper, italian herbs & spices – I use smoked paprika & garlic powder
Toss the wedges in the mixture
Put them in the oven on 475f/260c/gas mark 9 for 45-60 minutes

A couple tips: don’t leave too much excess on the potatoes & be patient, they take a long time to cook and don’t seem like they will ever be done, until they are.

To make it a whole meal I cook up a portobello burger; with a sweet soy ginger marinade* and served on a legal Paul’s roll. Top with grilled onion & capsicum, either straight on the BBQ or in winter a dry cast iron surface works great.

For the sweet soy marinade (reminds me of Soy Vay from USA):

2 cups – Soy sauce (I prefer the light soy sauce but any will work)
3 Tbsp – sugar
3 Tbsp – brown sugar
1 Tbsp – fresh garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp – fresh ginger (grated)
¼ cup – sesame seeds (toasted)
¼ cup – water
¼ cup – dried onion
1 tsp – onion powder
1 tsp – garlic powder
1 tsp – ginger powder
1 Tbsp – cornstarch (dissolved in water)

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small sauce pan. Heat the sauce over low heat until the sugar begins to dissolve. This should take between 10 – 15 minutes. It’s alright if all the sugar doesn’t completely dissolve, it will eventually dissolve over time. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, dissolve the cornstarch in ¼ cup of water and add to mixture. This will help to make the sauce a little thicker without changing the flavor very much.

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June 23, 2014

polenta with roasted veggies

I use about a half a cup of polenta per person. Bring 4 times as much water to a boil and then slowly pour in the polenta while stiring. Keep stirring until it is thickened and then turn it down to low and leave it covered for 30-40 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes or so to keep from sticking.

While the polenta cooks – slice & grill whatever vegetables you’d like. I used mushrooms, onions & zucchini. Once grilled toss them with a handful of toasted pine nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper, chili flkaes, & italian herbs.

Put the polenta in a bowl and scoop the veggie mixture on top. Anything left in the pot after serving will harden. You can cut it into pieces, keep them in the fridge and grill them later for use on salads or as a snack.

Enjoy!

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