Vegan Mac and Cheese

Ok, let's be real for a second here. This 'Mac and Cheese' contains some mac but no cheese. 

 BUT, it will give you the same fuzzy, warm feeling the folks at Kraft have always promised minus the bloating, bubbling layer of grease and the gnawing sense of regret that will follow you to the gym for the entire week as you try to 'exorcise' (*BADDUM TCH!*) those cheesy demons! 

Or maybe that's just little old self-loathing me... I should really work on that... 

Either way though, this dish is legitimately the bomb dot com! Its not only VEGAN but also GLUTEN-FREE and pretty low in fat, especially when compared with its traditional counterpart. Rather than a cheesy, floury sauce it uses fresh pumpkin roasted with garlic and spices, almond milk and nutritional yeast for that familiar cheddar' flavour. Plus I served it in an edible pumpkin bowl so you know... its got that cute yet practical factor going on.

Vegan Quinoa Pancakes

What a perfect way to spend the weekend.

A morning run in the fresh air followed by a plate of gorgeous vegan pancakes smothered in maple syrup and tart fresh berries. I feel like I have fallen straight out of the Cosmo lifestyle section...

These pancakes are vegan-friendly, gluten and dairy free but still keep that familiar light fluffiness of their traditional counterparts. Win-win right?!

Now I decided to use quinoa flour in my batch purely because I hadn't tried it in a pancake batter before and I'm going to be honest, if you aren't used to the taste you may want to swap in some buckwheat, oat or other type of flour or use a blend to ease yourself in. Its not a bad taste necessarily but it does retain a more earthy/grainy flavour that is more subtle in other types of flours out there and if you are jumping straight from the processed wheat flour to a gluten free option it might be a bit of a palette shock. But hey, if you try it out and aren't such a fan, there is nothing a good dousing of maple syrup or honey and a fist full of fresh berries can't fix!

I also used mild EVOO as the fatty component but you could use grape seed, canola, coconut or whatever other oil you like. Usually I would go for a flavourless oil in this sort of a batter but I couldn't detect any olive-y taste so as long as it isn't a strong flavoured oil you should be fine whichever way you go.

**ALSO! I did a quick little recipe video down below the recipe so check it out and let me know what you think! **

Vegan Quinoa Pancakes

Serves ~2


1 cup quinoa flour (or another variety if you prefer)
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract/essence)
1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large tbsp applesauce
 

Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the wet ingredients and whisk to combine until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps. 

Heat a fry pan over a medium heat with a little oil and cook your pancakes for about a minute each side or until lightly browned. 

Finish with your favourite choice of toppings! I went with a squirt of fresh lemon, a generous drizzle of maple syrup and some fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. A nice dollop of whipped coconut cream would have been great though... maybe next time!  

Raw Vegan Chocolate Ice Creams

The warm summer days are quickly coming to an end here in WA, but that's no reason not to indulge in a little frozen deliciousness especially when it tastes just so damn good! Oh, and they are also dairy free, gluten free and egg free. So there's that...

I am a confessed lover of banana 'nice cream' (see earlier posts here and here... and also a little bit of here) and recently I made the inevitable leap from giant bowls of the stuff to its more appropriately portioned pop stick form. 

Super quick. Super Easy. Super Dooper Delicious! 

All you need is a basic blender and a cheap popsicle mold you can pick up for a couple of dollars... and some similarly cheap pop sticks! 

Also, if you find you're having trouble getting the ice creams out of the moulds dip the bottom of the mold in a bowl of warm water just to start softening it (not so much that it melts though!) and they should be able to slide right on out. They are also fully customisable! Change up the flavour of the ice cream by adding berries, other fruits etc. and sprinkle them with whatever you little pixie hearts desire. I went with some chopped nuts this time but I'm already dreaming of rolling them in coconut... *drool*.

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WARNING: THESE BAD BOYS MAY RESULT IN YOU LEARNING SOME DISTURBING FACTS ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES. DISCOVERING THAT PERSONS (I.E. YOUR OWN MOTHER) ARE ICE CREAM 'BITERS' MAY RESULT IN INTENSE SHOCK, DISBELIEF AND THE FEELING THAT YOU MAY NEVER BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THEM THE SAME WAY AGAIN. DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

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Choc-Mint Nice Cream!

  

 Well hi there! I hope your having as good a weekend as I am! Oh wait, your can't possibly be because unlike myself you haven't been enjoying this summery delight!

It's Choc-Mint Nice Cream y'all!

Now I have posted about banana ice cream (a.k.a 'nice cream') before (check it out!) but this time I decided to mix it up a bit and add one of my sister's all time flavour combos to the equation. The result, the perfect treat to munch through on this glorious spring day.

 FYI I decided to top mine with a drizzle of raw chocolate sauce (simple mix of cacao, melted coconut oil and maple syrup) and some crumbed chocolate 'biscuits' (process some walnuts, dates, oats, cacao and maple syrup then shape into flat disks and bake or dehydrate until just crisp on the outside).

But now, on to the star of the show....

Choc Mint Nice Cream

4 small bananas 

Dash of milk (almond, dairy, soy, whatever!)

3 tsp Stevia (or your preferred sweetener)

2 tsp vanilla

Small bunch of mint, roughly torn up

3 tbsp cacao 

Start by slicing your bananas and placing them in a single layer in a zip lock bag. Freeze overnight or at least until fully frozen. 

Pop your frozen banana slices into a food processor with a small splash of your chosen milk and blend until it looks like soft serve. add the sweetener and vanilla and process again to combine. 

 

Split your banana mix in half and stick one half back into the food processor with the mint. Process the other half of the blended banana with the cacao until totally combined. 

Voila! If necessary you can stick your two mixes into plastic containers and freeze until they firm up to your liking or just alternate dollops of your nice cream into a hip-tastic mason jar and enjoy on the spot!   

 

 

What the?! Two posts in two days! Craaaaazzzyyyy!

Shock and awe aside, today I decided to share with you two recipes for my current favourite breakfast option: Overnight Oats. 

Not only are these oats packed with fibre, protein and just plain delicious, but they are also so easy and convenient! I usually throw them together in a screw top jar before I go to bed and take them to work with me in the morning. No fuss or messing around when your trying to get out the door!

Now because variety is supposedly the spice of life, I have two different variations of these oats and I want you guys to let me know which you prefer!

PB + Heeyyyyy!

The first flavour is a little number I call PB + Heeyyyy! 
This is my usual go to simply because its super quick and easy. As you will see in the recipe below I like to use PB2 rather than normal peanut butter purely for the sake of calorie cutting but you can use the traditional version if you prefer (PB2 is essentially peanuts which have been roasted and had a lot of the oils removed so you have all the flavour but less of the fat ). Also, in the recipe I used almond milk but you could use coconut, soy, dairy, whatever you choose.

Carrot Cake-Walk

The second flavour is a little number I made up yesterday called Carrot Cake-Walk.
Basically I had seen versions of raw carrot cakes around the Internet and thought, why should your oats be missing all that carrot loving? Well no longer! Time for that great carrot cake sweetness to make the move to breakfast. 


Both sound pretty good right? So here is what you'll need:

Ingredients:

 

PB + Heeeyyy

1/3 cup Rolled Oats (or instant)
2 tbsp Chia Seeds
1 tbsp PB2 powder (or normal peanut butter)
2 tsp Sweetener (you can use stevia, natvia or even equal if you choose)
5 or so Pitted Dates, roughly chopped 
1 cup Almond Milk (or coconut, soy, dairy, whatever you like)
 

Carrot Cake-Walk

1/3 cup Rolled Oats (or instant)
2 tbsp Chia Seeds
1 small Carrot (shredded or blended in a food processor)
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Mixed Spice
1 heaped tbsp Shredded Coconut
2 tsp Sweetener (you can use stevia, natvia or even equal if you choose)
5 or so Pitted Dates, roughly chopped 
1 cup Almond Milk (or coconut, soy, dairy, whatever you like)



The process is exactly the same for both, simply stick everything into a jar, stir or shake to make sure it is all well combined and stick in the refrigerator overnight. Voila! 


So now you all know how simple it is go and test out these wonder jars of oaty-goodness and let me know which flavour you think comes out on top. Though lets face it, when your eating these babies, everyones a winner!