Creamier than your standard Bombay Potatoes, these work beautifully as a stand alone dish, served with lots of steamed greens, or as a side to Dhaal. You could also use sweet potatoes, or even pumpkin, and add peas for a burst of colour!
I really wanted soup. Something soft and mushy – I’d spent three hours in the dentist’s chair earlier that day and I really wasn’t up to chewing a lot – but I’d had soup earlier that day, and the night before, and the lunchtime before that (#soupaddict)… so decided on a vegan ragu.
Traditionally, ragu’s are meat based dishes, thick and with lots of herbs. I knew I could whip up a lentil version in a flash and it would be just as good – if not better – than it’s meaty counterpart.
I roasted my cherry tomatoes, to help them retain their stunning colour and shape (as well as packing a punch in the flavour dept.).
I used gluten free penne- but you could use any type of short pasta on hand.
And kale.
I have been obsessed with making my slow cooked No Waste Broth, Stock and Cubes recipe for the last few months, and am always finding new ways to use it.
I was craving something ramen-ish, after watching a whole lot of ramen videos on Facebook (seriously, don’t they just make you starving?!) and decided that my favourite broth would be the perfect base, with a few additions.
Now, you can either use the broth (which is a mix of a whole lot of vegetables, herbs and spices, and slow cooked overnight) or simply vegetable stock, or even water. Mind you, using a water base for ramen is a little thin, so you can jazz it up like I’ve done here in my Brown Rice Noodle and Ginger Broth.
The key to a great ramen is a depth of flavour that can be achieved by a mix of mushrooms, tamari or soy sauce, and miso. A balance of these will give you a gorgeous well rounded flavour, and if you wish, ginger, garlic and onion will also lend well.
The beauty of a great broth, is that you can use it for so many things – to drink alone as a tonic (which I’ve been doing with loads of extra turmeric), as a soup base, added to stews and curries, and even frozen so nothing goes to waste!
This ramen soba noodle soup is the perfect blend of a soupy base, chewy soba, fresh and vibrant vegetables and lots of fresh herbs and chilli.
A warming, nourishing bowl of love!
Sometimes you just need a mid-afternoon pick-me-up! These cookies are brilliant for snacks on the go, and are easy to add into your meal prep for the week.
I used Clean Lean Protein powder from NuZest in their delicious coffee flavour! It’s made of Golden Pea Protein, is smooth and not overly sweet; making it perfect to add to things like cookies and muffins, as well as smoothies!
It’s easy to substitute flour in part with protein powder – simply replace up to 1/3 of the flour with the protein powder of your choice and follow the rest of the instructions. Not all protein powders are made equal however; I’ve had a long and winding road to finding one that I can consume long term that doesn’t upset my stomach.
Some of the brown rice and standard pea proteins give me an upset stomach and send me running to the bathroom. When it comes to choosing one for you, listen to your body and pick one that makes you feel the best!
Any flavour protein powder can be used in this- plain, vanilla, chocolate or even strawberry! The goal is for it to have a subtle undertone and for the flavour not to completely overtake the cookies.
Want more cookie recipes?
Coconut Oat and Macadamia Nut Cookies
Super Vegan Calcium Cookie Dough Bites
Note: This recipe in not sponsored by Nuzest. It’s using product I purchased myself. All opinions are my own
I’ve wanted to make my own spice mix for a long time – using more than just dried spices. I have been growing my own organic vegies and herbs for over a year now in my two Healthy Patches, and had an abundance of celery, chillies, oregano, rosemary and spring onions… and nothing to make with it all.
This recipe is completely interchangeable – have you got an abundance of carrot tops or beet leaves? Use them in place of the celery leaves. How about parsley, basil and coriander? Use them instead of the oregano and rosemary. For an Indian twist, add garam masala instead of the smoked paprika. It’s really that easy!
Use this to add a depth of flavour to soups and stews, and for any of the savoury recipes in my brand new eBook ‘The Vegan Slow Cooker’.
Dried lemon peel would be a gorgeous addition as well!
While I was away in Bali, Paul face timed me and he put the dogs on the camera. Oh those eyes! Asking “when’s mummy coming home?!” He wanted to give them a little treat, so gave them each their own spoonfuls of peanut butter (their favourite treat ever!)
Could you ever say no to this face?
And the joy!
When I arrived home, the pantry was BARE. I mean, bare enough that even me, who teaches people what to do with all the food in their pantry – was almost stumped. Almost.
I was dying for a bowl of cereal, and only had rolled oats, some coconut sugar, a few staples, and some of my fave 99th Monkey Organic Salted Peanut Butter in the pantry. So I got to work.
And what came out was not only amazingly delicious, but also doubled as – wait for it – a homemade dog treat!
Good enough for humans and dogs! Win win in my books. The reason why I love 99th Monkey nut butters so much (I have ridic love for them, their ethos and the butters) is that they’re just nuts – nothing else – all organic, fair trade, and made right here in Melbourne!
A lot of commercial peanut butters contain Stevia (more so in the USA than here in Australia) which has been shown to cause diarrhoea in dogs – so we avoid them of course- but 99th Monkey has NO stevia, NO palm oil (total win!) and the pups love the peanut butter like crazy…as do I.
This can be eaten:
SO many ways.
You could even use Almond Butter, or even this Hazelnut and Cacao Nut Butter!
Go forth and make these! You won’t be sorry!
*Note: This blog post was not paid for by 99th Monkey. I was given some nut butters to try, and fell in love with them. As you guys know, I’ll never promote something I don’t absolutely adore, or wouldn’t buy myself. All opinions and words are my own.
I’ve had the house to myself this week – with Paul’s work schedule taking him all over the country, and my travels taking me far and wide, we don’t often spend a lot of time together. When he’s away, I love to go all out in the kitchen. I do when he’s at home as well, but I find myself being a tad more adventurous when it’s just me; so if the dish is a total flop, no one else has to suffer. I had some gorgeous fresh tofu staring at me from the fridge, longing to be eaten, and loads of chilli and coriander from mum and dad’s garden. I wanted something light, filling, grounding and spicy.
This really hit the spot. Using a few ingredients I always keep on hand, along with some fresh lemongrass, ginger and lime, this curry has the freshness and lightness of a Thai curry, but without the lengthy ingredient list (trust me, I know how long some of those Thai curries are – I spent a lot of time in Thailand learning from the local Chefs, and some curry pastes have up to 30 ingredients!).
Funnily enough, it has a few ingredients you’re more likely to find in Indian Curries- cumin seeds and potato.
Potato itself isn’t traditional in a lot of Thai cuisine, but finds itself comfortable in thick, rich Indian gravies.
So while this isn’t traditional in any sense of the word, it’s a nice blend of both Worlds.
You’ll love it midweek, midday, midnight.
Promise.
Serve it over brown rice, or with heaps of fresh roti bread.
Light and toothsome, this dish will be added to your regular rotation!
We’ve been in the Caravan for the last few weeks! We all love it – there’s something simple about life in the van. Everything has it’s place, there’s not enough room for excess ‘stuff’ and it’s so easy to clean. We’ve had all types of weather as well… from stunning blue skies and stinging sun, to rain and wind and temperatures that have had us all running for our jumpers and thick socks. If it’s one thing I know, eating and cooking in the van is a breeze. Again – you’ve got limited space so you really do learn to make do with what produce and dry goods you have on hand. So much fun! I was craving something thick and filling and full of protein. I’d slow cooked some chickpeas the day before (for hommus of course) and had some fresh firm tofu in the fridge. Easy – a curry it is.
We have travelled a lot in both tents, our old campervan, and now, the caravan. Admittedly, it’s taken me a few big trips to learn what we do and don’t need, and we should and shouldn’t take, and how much will actually FIT inside. It’s a great size van, with loads of storage, but I’m also mindful not to overstock my fridge or pantry, and only want to take things that we’ll use.
Thankfully, I had most everything on hand for this curry!
Now while I didn’t cook this over a campfire, we ate it around a campfire – but you totally could cook it over a campfire if you like! Just ensure you’ve added enough water and that you’re stirring it regularly as to not have anything stick to the pot.
I hope you love this curry as much as we did!
A gorgeous depth of flavour. A nice, thick gravy. Tender potatoes. Moorish tofu. Kale, that’s soaked up all of those gorgeous juices. Served with chewy brown rice, and we’re all happy.
I shared a photo online a few weeks ago of some Polenta Chips that my mum had whipped up for me. It had a bunch of comments from people who wanted to know her secrets! “How do you get polenta chips to stay together?” “How do you make polenta smooth?” “How does she get her polenta chips crispy?”. So I asked her to share with us her secrets to the perfect, no fail, Polenta Chip. And in this case, her Lemon, Rosemary and Chilli Polenta Chips.
It’s a family tradition that we go to mum and dad’s each week, and my mum always whips up something incredible for my brother and I. We’re the two Vegie Heads and while some may think it’s an imposition to cook two different dinners, I really think my mum loves the creativity and the chance to try new and different things for us. Heck…we love it!
She’s been making these for years, and serves them with a fresh green salad, a spicy curry, or even as a base for her homemade pasta sauce.
Add the polenta slowly, to boiling water
Stir it continuously to get rid of any lumps
Allow it to rest for a moment before adding spices and herbs, and don’t over-mix
Let it rest and set for as long as you can- overnight is best!
Slice it into even ‘chips’ and brush it lightly with olive oil
Pop into a hot oven, in the centre of the top tray, and don’t flip until the tops are golden and firm
Let me introduce you to my 6 Ingredient Creamy Vegan Pasta Sauce. And the story of how it happened. It’s supposed to be Springtime here in Melbourne, but there’s nothing Spring-like about the cold, wet, windy weather we’ve had. Before I left for Bali (Sunshine! Tropical fruit!) I was cleaning out the fridge. We had some homemade pasta that I’d made the week before sitting in the fridge, and I knew I’d have to use it. I wanted something creamy and moorish. I wanted my creamy pumpkin pasta. But with no pumpkin in the fridge, what’s a girl to do?
Rummage.
In the crisper, 2 bright red capsicums. Probably a few days off from being mush in the bottom of the drawer, but still good. So let’s see how it turns out hey?
Sweet, salty, and creamy.
Tender pasta.
Crispy kale.
Winner.
Paul came back for seconds, and by then, the pasta had absorbed the excess sauce, and tasted even better. You could add chilli for a spicy kick, smoked paprika to deepen the flavour of the capsicum, Tamari for a good dose of umami, and any other combination of vegetables you like. Think green beans, asparagus, peas, or even julienned zucchini.
You could even use this sauce for any of the following dishes:
Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Spicy Kale and Avocado Cream
Creamy Gnocchi with Roasted Sweet Cherry Tomatoes
Pumpkin and Cashew Cheese Tortillas
Looks good, doesn’t it? Go forth and create.
If you're looking for something fast, and have minimal ingredients - this could be just what you need! A new twist on my popular Pumpkin Pasta (Recipe in Main Essentials), this light, creamy sauce will soon be on high rotation. Enjoy it over zoodles, salad, and even as a dip!
I remember years ago, working in a nursing home, and one of the staff told me about this diet she was on. She could only eat ‘white’ foods. Except flour. And sugar. Of course.
Cauliflower, egg whites, protein powder, chicken, milk and potatoes made up the bulk of her diet- which lasted a few weeks. Enough to see her sufficiently hungry, irritable and I daresay, smelly. At the time, my thought was ‘Gross’. Still is, actually. But I also recall thinking that I would DIE if cauliflower was the only vegetable I could eat.
My experience with cauli’s was probably like every other Aussie kid. Roasted ‘trees’ in white sauce. Or boiled and served with a sprinkle of salt and pepper on the top. It was never one of my favourites.
Give me broccoli! Cabbage! Potatoes! Pumpkin! Kale!
Then as I got older, and began my food journey, I discovered the versatility of the very humble cauliflower. Cauliflower, who sits, understated and often forgotten about in the crisper. Waiting to be used for something other than a ‘roast dinner’ and begging to be covered in a myriad of spices, and sauces, and herbs, and baked, roasted, broiled to perfection.
Since cauliflower was revealed as the magic, new, fantastic, paleo (yawn) pizza base (see my recipe from 2013 here) I feel like it’s solidified itself as something heartier than a mere ‘tree’. Able to be turned into soup, rice, bread, and the pizza itself, pushing the boundaries on this little guy is welcome. Relished.
And it’s no surprise that here, alas, is a Mexican inspired dish.
Mexican Food + Me = BFF’s.
Mexican from the La Tortilleria Tortillas and spices – that’s where the similarities end. But the roasted, tender and caramelised cauli, the spicy kale, the cool, rich avocado cream and lashings of tahini… I won’t object if Mexico brings out the fanfare and claims this as their own.
One caveat: free tacos for life, please. Cause you can never have enough.
Thick, chunky and layered with smoky, spicy flavours.... this is a must-make winter warmer!
A delicious spice mix, that can be added to salad, soup, dips or tossed over roasted vegetables. It's incredible when served the tradtional Lebanese way...mixed with olive oil into a paste, and used to dip with pita bread.
The perfect picnic salad!
A symphony of colour, golden pumpkin, passionate pink beetroot and vibrant greens…
Try this Roasted Beet Dip (recipe a part of Kale and Beet Pizza)
Try this Cashew Cheese (minus the Za’atar) or Peace Love and Vegetables Cashew Cheese
Not only mildly sweet, but high in fibre, vitamin A, C, rich in beta-carotene and readily available for most of the year, it’s also a great banana alternative for those who find that banana is too mucous forming.
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, (my preferred modality) banana’s are very damp and form mucous in the body (along with a number of other foods).
Sweet Potato, while being cooling, helps to tonify the ‘Yin’ and aid in liver function.
Could this be the banana alternative I’ve been waiting for?
Bright, golden hues, with a stunning flavour profile, this smoothie is a winner. It’s like christmas in a glass, anti-inflammatory and filling to boot!
I used SteviaSweet in the smoothie, to bring forth the earthy sweetness of the sweet potato.
SteviaSweet is:
Note: this is a sponsored post, however all words and opinions are my own
Light and spicy vegetables, stuffed inside chewy wonton wrappers...and cooked to moorish perfection. You can steam the dumplings, or fry in a non stick frying pan with a small amount of sesame oil.
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I had the same craving then as well.
But I wanted to make it a bit lighter…not as many spices, stripped back and with more of the focus on the ‘cream’ factor.
Coconut cream on it’s own can be overpowering; especially when we’re talking a classic take on a famed Italian pasta dish (oh, the humanity!).
What would my ex Italian boyfriends mama say? Probably throw me out of the kitchen in a rage.
So, I had to pare back the coconut notes.
Salt and turmeric. Turmeric and salt.
Magic ingredients that seem to add a level of earthiness and cut through the fattiness, instead allowing the pasta to soak up the cream, and not the coconut.
Voilà.
This recipe first featured in my Vegan Nutella Whoopie Cookies (A VIP Club House Recipe), but has been dying to make an appearance of it’s own.
A twist on a traditional Indian Ayurvedic soup, designed to nourish and support your health. You can make it as thin or as thick as you like; and it always tastes better the next day!
Bright, firm, juicy and sun ripened in glasshouses, Blush are Australia’s leading producer and marketer of premium Glasshouse tomatoes.
Blush has 30 hectares of glasshouse located in Guyra, atop the Northern Tablelands of NSW. Thanks to the unique micro climate – it’s perfect for growing tomatoes that are packed with taste and flavour!
Not only are tomatoes such an important part of so many dishes; they add acidity, which is necessary in heavier dishes, and colour to make everything look better- but they’re so good for you.
Tomatoes include an impressive amount of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as significant amounts of vitamin B6, folate, and thiamin. They’re are also a good source of potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, and copper! Dig in I say!
My Top Tomato Recipes:
Thick, Rich, Tomato and Basil Soup
And this.
Inspired by my Creamy Vegan Mushroom Linguine (loved by SO many of you) I wanted to test out some different vegetables and add in some colour.
Comfort food with no animal nasties… it ticks all of my boxes.
Roasting the vegetables gives it a depth of flavour and texture that creates a heartiness that just boiling the vegetables doesn’t create; so roast away dear friends. And then blend!
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