ABC(LG) Juice

I have never been on a juice 'cleanse'/detox.

I have no current plans to undertake a juice cleanse/detox in the near future.

But if I did, this sweet bad boy would most definitely be on the menu!

I don't own a juicer (and quite frankly I don't see the point in wasting precious and nutritious fruit and veggie pulp) so I just blitzed everything up in my little blender with some water and it was good to go. Its both earthy and sweet and full of all those good things that will leave you feeling satisfied and refreshed, plus its a great way to boost your fruit and veg intake!

ABC(LG) Juice

Apple
Beetroot
Carrot
Lemon (the juice of)
Ginger (~2 cm chunk, peeled)


Roughly chop up everything and blend it all together with enough chilled water to make it smooth and enjoy!

Potato and Rosemary Pizza (v, df)

I am a girl who loves herself some carbs, and this recipe has that need totally covered.

Pizza - Check.

Potatoes - Check.

Vegan friendly - Check. 

 No further explanation needed. Get some pizza in your lovely faces right now!

Potato and Rosemary Pizza

 

Ingredients

Pizza Base:

250 strong white flour
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
175ml warm water
     

Toppings:
 
1 large potato, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large sprig rosemary

20g non-dairy cheese of your choice, sliced**

**If using a dairy cheese I would recommend a brie or other semi-soft cheese
  

 

Method

To make the pizza base start by mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl and making a well in the centre. Pour the olive oil into the well and mix with enough warm water that the mixture comes together to form a soft dough. 

Knead on a lightly floured surface for ~10 minutes until smooth and elastic then place in a lightly oiled bowl (this will help stop the dough sticking to the bowl as it expands), cover with clingwrap or a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size. 

Tip the risen dough onto a floured surface and knead again for a further 2-3 minutes. Roll out to fit a lightly greased pizza tray ready to receive the toppings.    

Heat a pan of water, tip in the potato slices and simmer for 5 minutes until just cooked through. Drain the potatoes and and add to a bowl with the olive oil and rosemary. Mix together well so that the potatoes are completely coated.

 

Scatter the cheese over the pizza base, then arrange the potato mixture on top. Season with salt and pepper, then bake for 20 minutes, until the pizza base is golden and the potatoes are starting to brown.

Cut into that gorgeous mo-fo and enjoy!

The Big JO! (a.k.a Jaime Oliver's Moorish Crunch Salad)

I had several great loves growing up...

Leonardo DiCaprio circa Romeo and Juliet  and Titanic was a big one! With that floppy 90's hair and looking down the camera like you just kicked his favourite puppy... swoon! 


As I got a little older we drifted apart (*I'm sorry Leo my love, can we still be friends?*) , my tender heart was eventually claimed by another. Like so many other girls (and lets be real, grown married women too!) at the time, I was seduced by the blue eyes, gelled hair and fennel fondling hands on Mr. Jamie Oliver.

Teen crushing aside, the man formerly know as the Naked Chef is still one of my favourite tv personalities to this day (and as someone who swings between total fangirling obsession to an audible snort of the nose and maybe a lazy 'meh...' in the space of a few months, this is kind of a big deal!).

And guess what all you fellow veggie loving, non-meat eaters?! He has a ton of vegetarian and vegan recipes on his website and posts a new one every week for Meat-Free Monday. #Legend. 

To be honest, I'm not really one for following recipes others have written. I will for sure take bits and pieces and inspiration, but it usually ends up being some Frankenstein of its original self as I stamp my own personal flavour on it. And by that I don't mean I go flicking drops of my sweat and tears into thing.

Don't be gross guys. I know your brand. 

Swiftly jumping back upon my train of thought, one sunny afternoon I decided to break my usual trend and actual follow one of the recipes I had found on jamieoliver.com - spoon for spoon, raisin for raisin! It was one of those rare, wonderful decisions I make from time to time.

This Moorish Crunch Salad delivers what it promises. Its crunchy, its moorish. Its what you would generally call a salad.

It even converted a recipe-phobe like me. Sometimes colouring within the lines and actually following a recipe can be a good thing, who would have though?! Give this one a go and let me know if you loved it as much as I did (or if the temptation grew to much and you threw half a pineapple and a handful of mustard seeds in there just because...).   

Recipe from jamieoliver.com

Moorish crunch salad

300 g carrots, peeled

150 g radishes 

2 crunchy eating apples

1 small handful raisins or sultanas

1 handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1 handful fresh mint, roughly chopped

4 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar

8 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tahini

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted in the oven

Finely slice your carrots into matchstick-sized batons. 

Finely slice your radishes – you can leave a little of the tops on if you like. 

 
Quarter your apples, remove the cores and finely slice. 

Add all these to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, apart from the sesame seeds. Toss together, carefully checking the seasoning, and serve with the sesame seeds sprinkled over the top. Eat straight away.

Just Beet It!

Ahh beetroots... 

The perfect vehicle for puns (they will make you feel 'up-beet'!) full of the goodies your bodies craves like folic acide, fibre, calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron - what's not to love?!

There are a million and one ways to chow down on it; roasted, sauteed, steamed, raw and  even sliced into thin chips. Plus, as you have probably guessed by this stage, chopped and added to your favourite juice blend or smoothie! 

Naturally sweet yet also earthy and refreshing, just one beet in your smoothie will give you plenty of nutrients plus a super awesome colour! Get on it folks!   

Refreshing Beetroot Smoothie

1 small-med sized beetroot, roughly chopped

1 cup chopped pineapple

1/4 cup frozen blueberries

large handful of baby spinach

1 cup chilled water

handful of icecubes

Just blend everything up and enjoy! Clean and simple folks.

 

 

Vegan Coconut Curry

THEY SAY VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE...

Well they are wrong. 

Spices. Spices are the spice of life.

I mean come on, its in the name dude! 

Spices are literally (or figuratively...depending on which side of the Bible belt you sit) God's gift to vegans and anyone who wants to keep their bodily temples in tip top shape! 

They come from all corners of the world in a variety of forms and have been known for centuries to carry numerous medicinal qualities: from turmeric's anti-inflammatory and arthritis-fighting properties to the digestive benefits of cumin. Pretty cool right? Whenever you hear people say food can be the greatest medicine or the worst poison you'd better believe it! 

But what's even cooler is the fact while many cooks will load up a dish with extra fats and oils (often animal derived) due to the flavours they provide, simply adding ground or whole spices to your meals can provide that flavour hit you're after without the added calories and other nasties. Look up the definition of a win-win situation and you will find a picture of a cinnamon stick giving you the thumbs up and smiling wisely. Possibly with a rosemary stem doing some chin-ups in the background.  Awesome. 

*Enter the seamless segue* 

Spices are good. Curries use lots of spices. Here is a spicy coconut curry recipe.

Nailed it.

Vegan Coconut Curry

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp ground garam marsala
2 tbsp curry powder
Pinch of salt

Olive oil (or coconut or whatever cooking oil you prefer)
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
2cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 long red chilli (more or less depending on the level of heat you like!)
2 small carrots, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, chopped
500ml coconut milk
500ml vegetable stock
Large handful of long green beans, halved or left whole
Small head of broccoli.cut into florets
300g tempeh, thinly sliced cut into bite sized pieces (*optional*)



In a small fry pan dry roast the cumin, coriander and garam marsala until lightly toasted and aromatic. Allow to cool  and blend in a spice grinder until powdered and set aside.

In a large saucepan heat a drizzle/spray of oil and saute the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion is soft and translucent. Add in 2 teaspoons of the the ground spice mix (or more if you like more of a flavour kick!), salt and curry powder and stir to coat the onions. Add in the chopped carrots, zucchini and sweet potato and cook for around 5-10 minutes so that the vegetables begin to soften slightly. Add the coconut milk and stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 to 30 minutes with the lid off until the vegetables are fully softened and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Add in the tempeh (if using), beans and broccoli and cook until the broccoli and beans are tender. 

Serve as is or accompanied with rice, quinoa or rice noodles and topped with fresh coriander, crispy shallots and extra sliced chili.  

Potatoes: Is there anything they can't do?

Seriously, I am a girl who loves her vegetables in all their shapes and sizes, from artichokes and asparagus to zucchini and ... zucchini flowers. But the humble spud may just be my king in the kitchen. You can have them mashed, roasted, steamed, pureed in a soup, made into vegetable patties and even wrapped in foil and baked over a campfire! 

One of my go to snacks (and sometimes dinner when just can't be bothered 'adulting') is a quick and easy batch of baked potato wedges. Sometimes I get fancy and throw a sweet potato in there too but only when I'm feeling super pretentious and watching home reno shows while agreeing with the neutral colour palette of that wealthy couples new open plan lounge. But I digress.

So, I am sharing with you all today my favourite quick and easy recipe for oven baked potato wedges which you can be shovelling into your face holes in less than 1/2 an hour! Flavoured with simple salt and pepper and sprigs of fresh rosemary, the crispy potato goodness gets to shine through with just enough flavour to give it a delightful kick! Obviously you could douse your cut wedges in whatever spice and herb blends you want but generally I like the stick with the old 'less is more' principle.  

You're welcome fellow potato-fiends! You're welcome. 

Baked Potato and Rosemary Wedges

~5 medium/large potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary



Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Cut your potatoes into wedges as thick or thin as you like (if you're hungry and want them to cook faster then go the thin option!) and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper then toss your rosemary sprigs into the mix and toss to make sure each wedge is covered in the spiced oil.

Bake for ~20 to 30 minutes (depending on your oven and how thick or thin your wedges are), turning and tossing occasionally until the potato is cooked all the way through and the outside has browned and crisped up.

Enjoy!

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.

The Spicy Oompa Loompa

Sometimes the weather is chilly, your nose is runny and you just want a big bowl of hot and punchy soup to cuddle up with.

This is one of these times.

Featuring an earthy trio of pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot and the spicy flavour hit from freshly grated ginger and red curry paste, all tempered with the creamy deliciousness of coconut milk. Its a winter winner for sure.

 

The Spice Oompa Loompa

Olive Oil (or coconut oil)
1 Brown Onion, roughly diced
1 Garlic Clove, crushed
Fresh Ginger (piece about 5cm long), peeled and grated
1 tbsp Red Curry Paste
Small bunch of Carrots, washed and roughly chopped
1/4 Butternut Pumpkin, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 Sweet Potato, roughly chopped
1 cup Coconut Milk
3 cups Vegetable Stock


Optional: Extra coconut milk, chia seeds and fresh coriander to top.



Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the onion, garlic and grated ginger until the onion is soft. Add in the curry paste and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes to cook the paste. Add in the carrot, sweet potato and pumpkin and stir well to cover everything in the curry paste.

Add in the coconut milk and vegetable stock and bring to the boil then turn the heat down to a simmer and allow to cook for around 30-40min or until the vegetables are completely softened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before blending with a stick blender until completely smooth.

Reheat on the stove if necessary and serve topped with an extra drizzle of coconut milk and a scattering of chia seeds and torn coriander.