Meatless mondays

1. Watermelon and ginger Juice for breakfast
2. Avocado and carrot pasta for Lunch
3. Stir Fry vegetables with teriyaki and sweet chili sauce

Recipe #96 Watermelon Juice (100 calories)

• 1 cup of watermelon (pref. without seeds)

• 1 kiwi

• 6 frozen strawberries

• small slice of Ginger (add more to taste)

Peel the kiwi and place everything in a blender with around 3/4 cup of water, and blend.
Fresh, nutritious and low on calories (only 100 calories) 

The Benefits of Ginger

• Maintains Normal Blood Circulation. 
• Remedies Motion Sickness.
• Improves absorption. 
• Cold and Flu Prevention. 
• Combats Stomach Discomfort.
• Colon Cancer Prevention
• Reduce Pain and Inflammation.
• Fights Common Respiratory Problems. 
• Ovarian Cancer Treatment. 
• Strengthens Immunity. 
• Combats Morning Sickness. 

Recipe #94 Ginger and Strawberry juice

Great alternative for a breakfast

- Small piece of ginger

- 2 peeled kiwis

- 6 frozen strawberries

- juice of 2 oranges

- 1/2 cup of water

Just blend everything together. It's very good 😍

Recipe #88 Citrus Juice

Makes 2 juices of 300ml, around 170 calories each juice.

• Water 300ml
• 3 peeled kiwis
• 3 oranges
• 1 lemon
• 10 leaves of mint
• 6 ice cubes

Juice the lemon and the orange, Place the juice and the rest of the ingredients in a powerful blender or juicer. Blend.

-- It's not "cowcium" it's "calcium" --

Recipe #74 Vegan Mac n Cheese

inspired by the Mac n Cheese recipe in "Mayim's Vegan Table"

Ingredients (2 people)

• 260 gr dry pasta
• 1 cup milk (soy or almond)
• 1 tablespoon of plain flour
• salt and pepper
• Nutritional yeast (about 4 teaspoons)
• 115 gr grated vegan cheese (such as violife pizza cheese)

Method

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain the water.

In a small saucepan heat the soy milk. Sift in the flour and keep stirring; now add the nutritional yeast and when it starts to boil stir in gently the grated cheese.
Stir until it's bubbly - then season with salt and black pepper.

Stir the pasta into the sauce and serve

OR

Place the pasta into an oven proof dish, cover with the sauce, mix everything. Finish with an extra sprinkle of nutritional yeast or breadcrumbs.

Place this into the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 180oC or until it's golden and crispy on the top.

Recipe #70 Homemade Hot Cocoa

My homemade cocoa mixture

• 1/4 pure unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 cup of powder sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Use 3 teaspoons of this mixture for 1 mug, fill 2/3 with boiling water and 1/3 with milk (hazelnut gives it a nice nutty flavour)

You can also 2x or 3x this and gift it as a DIY gift in a Jar.

Recipe #68 Orange Vegan Cake

Shopping list

• 3 cups of plain flour
• 2 cups of freshly pressed orange juice (around 4-5 medium oranges)
• 1 + 1/2 cups of white sugar
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• some drops of vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon of vegan butter (for the tin)

 

Method

In a bowl mix everything with a wooden spoon. Rub a cake tin with a tablespoon of vegan butter -  the inside of the cake tin. Transfer the cake batter into it.
Cook for 45-55min at 180o C.

Easy and tasty ! Very fluffy

From this Brazilian blog 

Cruelty Free Foie Gras

Check the recipe here 

Mushroom Mousse
1/4 cup finely diced white onions
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup unflavored soy milk
1 Tbsp. agar-agar
3 cups de-gilled and chopped portobello mushrooms
1/8 tsp. truffle oil
1/4 tsp. salt

• Cook the onions and 1 tablespoonful of vegan margarine on low for 15 minutes or until extremely soft.
• Add the soy milk and leave on low for 10 minutes, or until it comes to a boil.
• Add the rest of the vegan margarine (7 tablespoonfuls) to the pot and leave on low for 15 minutes, or until it comes to a boil.
• Add the agar-agar and whisk until it comes to a boil again (approximately 10 minutes).
• Remove from the heat and pour into a Vitamix or other high-powered blender and blend until very smooth and creamy.
• Add the mushrooms, truffle oil, and salt and blend for 2 to 3 minutes, or until creamy and fully incorporated. If the mixture is not silky smooth, pass through a fine mesh sieve or a chinois.
• Pour into a nonstick silicon cube mold and tap the mold a few times to ensure that the mousse has settled. Pour excess mousse over the top of the cube mold to make sure that there is no air trapped in any of the compartments and scrape the top to make sure that all the compartments are filled.
• Refrigerate for at least two hours, or until solid. Note: These directions are for preparation on an induction burner set between 1 and 2; if using a gas burner, set the flame as low as possible and keep an eye on the ingredients, as cooking times will likely be much shorter. Serving Suggestion: Spread the portobello mousse on truffled toast made from baguette slices. Place thinly sliced, grilled portobellos on top to give it more texture, and add peach and fennel compote for sweetness, if desired.

Makes approximately 9 servings

Recipe #65 Sauteed Greens

Easy Side dish !

Shopping list

• 4 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• 6 big leaves of dark green cabbage, cut into small chunks
• (you can add more greens such as asparagus, kale, green beans, white cabbage, leek)
• 2-3 teaspoons of powder garlic (depending if you really like garlic)
• 2 tablespoons of oil (I like walnut or olive oil, use nut oil if you want to add nuts later)
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder
• freshly ground black pepper (5x turns)
• a pinch of sea salt 

Method

In a wok heat the oil and the greens. When you hear it start cooking add the seasoning and keep moving them so they won't stick and burn.

After 5-10 minutes all vegetables should be cooked and you can serve (be sure to use the remaining oil from the pan as this is full of flavour and, of course, garlic taste!) 

Recipe #64 Falafel Burger (no frying needed)

Similar to recipe #22 -  Falafel

Shopping list

• 100gr of dry chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of dry parlsey
• cayenne pepper

Method

Place the dry chickpeas in water for 4-8 hours. Rinse well and drain the water. Place them in a food processor with all the other ingredients. Chop in the food processor till it is a nice thick paste. Place in the fridge for about 1h. 
Put some flour onto your hands and make little patties of the mixture. It should be enough for about 3-4 patties. 
Cover an oven proof tray with some baking paper and place the patties onto it. Let them cook for 30 min on 220 oC. Turn them after 15-20min.
They will be cooked and crunchy on the outside.

I served with homemade hummus

Recipe #63 Roasted vegetables with cinnamon

Similar to

Recipe #3 Vegetable Couscous (vegan)

Shopping list (4 portions)

• 1 cup of dry couscous
• turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper
• salt & pepper
• Olive oil
• 2 carrots
• 1 courgette
• 1/2 butternut squash
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves

Method 

I cut the vegetables into big chunks and placed them in a wok with a big of olive oil (+- 1 tablespoon)

Seasoned with salt, pepper, cinnamon (1 teaspoon) and cayenne pepper till they were getting roasted on the outside.  (this pre roasting in a pan or wok gives the vegetables more flavour, you can use whatever vegetables you like: asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, etc)
Then I transferred everything into an oven proof dish and left it to roast on 250oC for 30min. At the end I added 1 mug of water and half a vegetable stock cube (optional 1 cup of frozen peas and 1/2 can chickpeas)

In a big bowl I added 1 cup of dry couscous with some turmeric and 1/2 vegetable stock cube. I poured over this 2 cups of boiling water, stirred a bit, not too much as you don't want to loose the steam. Cover this as soon as you can with a cloth or dish and let it be for around 5 min. When this is done you will have nice fluffy cooked couscous.
Serve the vegetables on a couscous bed.

Almond Milk, make your own !

Check out on WikiHow

You'll need:

• 1.5 cups or 220 grams of raw almonds (unsalted, uncooked)
• 3 cups of spring water, plus water for soaking
• 1 vanilla bean; scoop out the seeds; alternatively, use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract

1. Soak the almonds in water overnight. Do this for at least 8 hours, up to about 12 hours.
2. Blend the almonds in 4 cups of fresh spring or filtered water. Add the vanilla extract and continue blending until well mixed.
3. Sweeten to taste if desired. 
4. Strain. This is very important or you will be drinking almond pulp as well as the milk. Using something like a very fine strainer or sieve, or several layers of cheesecloth (muslin), pour the almond milk through the filter into a large bowl underneath. The filter will retain the almond pulp and the liquid will go through.
5. Store. Almond milk can be kept in the refrigerator for 4-7 days, covered. 

Recipe #58 Mushroom and Vegetables Stroganoff

Shopping list

• 3/4 cup of basmati rice
• 4 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1/4 cup of wild rice
• (optional) 1/2 finely chopped red paprika or medium chilli 
• 350 gr mixed mushrooms ( chestnut mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and white mushrooms)
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 small package of vegan cream (I used Alpro soy cream)
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Cayenne Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Dry parsley
• 150ml white wine
• 1 cup of peas ( frozen ones work well)

Method 

For the rice: add 2 cups of water and get it to boil. Add a pinch of salt and the cup of rice and lower the heat. When almost all the water has evaporated, turn off the heat and cover the pan. Please note that the black grains of the wild rice usually take longer to cook and might be more al dente than the rest. If you don't like this, place the wild rice first into the boiling water, let it cook for 5min and then add the basmati rice.

For the stroganoff:

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a pan or wok (big enough for the mushrooms) and fry the onion till it's golden. Throw in all the mushrooms cut in different shapes (some in quarters, other sliced etc) so you have nice texture in the stroganoff. Season the mushrooms and add another 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir and after 2-3 minutes cover them with the wine and season well again. Let this cook on medium heat for about 10min so it makes a nice sauce.

Now add the cream and the parsley and let this thicken for another 10min (add 1 tablespoon of cornflour if needed, but it shouldn't need if you let it long enough on medium/low heat). Near the end add the peas to bring color and texture to this dish.

Serve on a bed of mixed rice.

Milk and cream alternatives

People are more and more aware of lactose free, plant based, crueltryfree free, cholesterol free alternatives to cows milk such as soy milk, almond milk, hazelnut milk, rice milk, hemp milk, oats milk, coconut milk; and their many flavours: roasted, chocolate, strawberry... Yummy ! Prices range from 0.85-2.69€ per litre Alternative to cream too from soy or almond. Prices range from 0.99-1.39€ Per 200ml.

Happy days !

Recipe #50 Vegan Almond Cookies

Recipe from SheKnows.com

Shopping list:

• 1/3 cup vegan butter
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2-3 tablespoons vegan milk
• loose almonds for decoration

Method:

In the mixer fitted using the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugars and beat until smooth. Add almond extract and milk (i used oats but almond or soy is fine) and beat. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and blend together. If the dough is particularly dry, blend in the almond milk. 

Cover an oven proof tray with baking paper. Make little balls out of the dough, place them on the tray and flatten them slightly with your fingers. BEWARE they will expand a lot in the oven so leave plenty of space in between the balls.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes on 180 oC. 

Recipe #45 Fettuccine and aubergine [vegan]

Shopping list (2 portions)

200 gr dry Fettuccine

1 onion

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 garlic clove

1 aubergine

1 can of chickpeas

salt & pepper

dry oregano & 1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes

2 tablespoons of olive oil

You'll need a food processor

Method 

Cut the aubergine in half and place it on a oven proof dish. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Let it roast in the oven for 30min on 200o C.

Cook the pasta al dente. (because it will go back into the pan). Drain the water (keep 1/2 cup of this water and cover the pasta with this water. This will prevent the pasta from sticking until you need it)

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a sauce pan, place the chopped onion and garlic clove and let it get golden. Add the tomatoes (i chop them into smaller chunks in the food processor so it's like a runny passata). Season and add the oregano (be generous) and add the chili in (if you like it spicy you can add more or sprinkle in cayenne pepper). Throw in the chickpeas and aubergine (diced). Let it thicken a bit and then mix the pasta in. You can turn off the heat after 1-2 minutes. Done ! (you can serve with grated parmesan if you eat dairy)

Recipe #43 Avocado Pasta Sauce [vegan]

Shopping list (5 portions)

1/4 cup dairy free milk

Juice of 1 lime

2 garlic cloves

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1/2 onion

1 avocado

salt & pepper

10 leaves of mint

1/2 tablespoon of olive oil

You'll need a food processor

Method 

Place everything in the food processor and blend until it's smooth. Stir into the pasta, or filled tortellinis or whatever you like (over couscous).

Recipe #41 Avocado & Coconut sauce [vegan]

Great for pastas! Nice fresh avocado sauce, for 2-4 people depending on the amount of pasta

Shopping list 

1 avocado

Juice of half lime

1 garlic clove

Fresh mint (about 10 big leaves)

1/4 red onion

coconut paste

salt & pepper

You'll need a food processor

Method 

Use the chopping blade of the food processor. Peel the avocado, place the mint (with stem), peeled garlic clove, lime juice, onion and seasoning into the food processor. Turn it on and chop it as small as you can.

Boil water in your kettle. Measure 100ml and place a package of coconut paste into it (not coconut oil, nor coconut cream, it's a paste which you should dissolve in 400ml hot water but here we will use 100ml only) and with a spoon break it apart till it's s liquid.

Pour this into the food processor and turn it on for another couple of minutes. 

You'll have a nice thick avocado minty sauce for your pasta!

Recipe #40 Zoodles [vegan]

Ever heard of Zoodles? This will change the way you eat your vegetables ! Gluten free "pasta" ! Carbs free meals !

You can get a Zoodle chef online
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoodle-Chef-Spiralizer-Satisfaction-Alternative/dp/B00LBGOX5U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412968245&sr=8-1&keywords=zoodle

Just place the vegetable into one end (e.g. courgette/ zucchini) and twist like a pencil being sharpened. You will get nice loooooong slices of pasta-like vegetables. You can place them directly into a wok with 1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil and add other vegetables into this (stir fry mix).