Thursday, December 31, 2015

Vegan and Gluten-free Breaded Fish

This recipe is wonderful and if you’re craving for some fishy taste, give it a try!

For me it was never a big deal to stop eating meat because I never liked it anyway and I
grew up in a family that never ever offered red meat to us at home. On the other hand,
still today I miss eating some fish because I enjoyed the taste.

Ingredients:

400g firm tofu
Vegan Worcestershire, to marinate
¼ cup almond flour
¼ cup rice flour
¼ cup tapioca starch
2 nori sheets

Directions:

Cut tofu in the shape you want, I cut my 400g log into 2. Leave marinating in
Worcestershire sauce overnight.

Mix all flours in a small bowl.

Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Remove each tofu “filet” from the marinade and wrap in a nori
sheet, wetting your fingers and the nori so that it smoothes and sticks. Dip into flour
mix and put them on parchment paper over the oven tray.

Bake for ca. 40 minutes. Serve.

Inspired by this recipe: http://cookberry.net/en/vegetarian-cheese-fish/

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Chuck's Chocolate Mug Cake

I'm the queen of mug cakes, I simply love them. They are usually easy, quick and you can pack them with superfoods if you wish.

This one was kinda special because Chuck (from Brand New Vegan) had the idea of adding a dollop of peanut butter that made me crave for it instantly.

I made mine gluten-free using 1 TBS of tapioca and 1 TBS millet flours.


From Brand New Vegan
Recipe: http://www.brandnewvegan.com/recipes/chocolate-mug-cake/

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Vegan Fudgy Raw Cake with Strawberry Frosting

I have no words for this cake. I can only swear improper words due to the fact that strawberry season is over.


The raw cake is scrumptious and this frosting is absolutely out of this world.

FUDGY RAW CHOCOLATE CAKE:

3 cups walnuts or pecans
1 heaping cup of dates, pitted and softened in warm water
⅔ cup raw cacao powder
¼ tsp Hymalaian salt or sea salt
¼ cup coconut oil
1-2 TBS date/maple syrup

Process first the walnuts, then add dates. Process until it forms a sticky dough (don't overheat your processor, do it slowly, scraping the sides all the time). Pour into a big bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Work on the mix with your hands (use gloves if you like) until you get a uniform dough.

Press half the cake mix into the bottom of an adjustable spring-form pan. Let it set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before adding the frosting.

FROSTING:

My sub in the frosting: a mix of Xylitol + Erytritol for the powdered sugar (which I never use in my recipes). That's why it was runnier than the original. I suggest reducing a bit the amount of strawberries if not sticking to the original sugar.

Frosting from The Vegan 8: http://thevegan8.com/2015/10/26/vegan-strawberry-buttercream-frosting/

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Low-Fat Chili Cheese Fries

This is the BEST chili I've ever had. It is so good, that the 4 servings were all mine. Had almost everything for dinner at one sitting. You'd also refuse to share, I'm sure.

Not a drop of oil or sugar used. Healthy, scrumptious and good for you.


From The Vegan 8
Recipe: http://thevegan8.com/2014/11/08/low-fat-chili-cheese-fries/

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Pumpkin Puree Muffins with Pepitas

Don't know what to do with leftover pumpkin puree? Muffins!!!


Ingredients:
(yields 3 muffins)

1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
4 TBS pumpkin puree
2 TBS maple syrup
2 TBS coconut sugar
1 ½ TBS non-dairy milk
6 TBS gluten-free all purpose flour mix
Pepitas, to garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C and grease 3 muffin cups.
2. In a small bowl, whisk dry ingredients together and then add wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
3. Spoon into muffin cup and garnish with pepitas.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Inspired by this recipe: http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/single-serving-pumpkin-muffin/

Thursday, December 17, 2015

How to sprout buckwheat groats

I am in love with sprouted buckwheat, it’s my favorite “raw” flour now.



It’s totally gluten-free, an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, but yet low in calories and in fat. After sprouting, its much easily digestible. Perfect for raw desserts when you want to cut some calories from the typical nut flours used (such as almond flour). I also sprout raw oats the same way, but be aware that, if you’re celiac, be sure your oats are gluten-free.

IMPORTANT:

1) Please be sure to have them sprouted if using it in raw desserts! Just processing the raw groats into flour won’t make them easily digestible and can cause you problems.

2) Be sure to buy raw and organic groats. If they aren't raw they will not sprout. So, roasted or processed brands will not work.

Step 1:

Rinse buckwheat groats thoroughly with cold water.

Step 2:

Soak groats in water for 30 minutes.

Step 3:

Rinse the groats again removing all the stickiness that might have arise from the groats. Throw away any groats floating in water (if they float, they are not good). Transfer them to a colander/mesh strainer to start the sprouting process. Cover with a cloth to protect from insects and keep them in a bright and well-ventilated spot, but away from direct light.

Step 4:

Rinse groats at least twice a day (in hotter days or countries you can do it up to 4 times), always leaving them sprouting as on Step 3. They should never get too dry, otherwise the sprouting will be interrupted.

Step 5:

After 2 days, they will germinate and sprouts will show up. You can stop the process immediately and dehydrate or do it for another day or two, when sprouts are longer (I usually let them sprout for 3 days in total).

Step 6:

Rinse again the sprouted groats and dehydrate for 4-5 hours at 46˚C or until completely dry.

Step 7:

When groats are dry, let them cool and process into flour. You’re done! Store the flour in the fridge.








Sunday, December 13, 2015

Chocolate Covered Black Bean Brownie Pops

Delicious fudgy brownies made with... black beans. No kidding.


I'd just recommend adding 1 heaping tablespoon of coconut sugar to the dough, the original recipe wasn't sweet enough for me. But you know, the good thing about raw desserts is that you can taste it anytime and fix what you want. I also spinkled some more coconut sugar on top just for fun.

From One Green Planet
Recipe: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/chocolate-covered-black-bean-brownie-pop/

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Leek and Roasted Garlic Focaccia Bread

One of this days I couldn't decide what to eat, so I just grabed some easy recipe to chew watching TV. Extremely tasty, totally surprised me.

But I'll remember something: roasting garlic makes your house really smelly, too bad!


From The Candida Diet
Recipe: http://www.thecandidadiet.com/leek-roasted-garlic-focaccia-bread/

Thursday, December 10, 2015

3 Ingredient Granola Bars

Busy weeks deserve easy snacks.

Ingredients:

- 3 cups rolled oats (gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 cup cashew butter (or any nut butter of your choice)
- 3/4 cup molasses

Directions:

Preheat oven at 180°C.

Heat the nut butter and molasses in a small saucepan on low heat until melted and mixed, stirring all to time.

Remove from heat and pour over oats in a large bowl.

Work on the dough with your hands with gloves until well mixed.

Pour batter into a 20 cm baking pan (with parchment paper), pressing it to get very compacted. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan or cutting.

Inspired by this recipe: http://fitmommydiaries.blogspot.de/2014/04/3-ingredient-almond-butter-granola-bars.html

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Vegan Harvest Pizza with Cashew Cheese

Pizza for dinner, again? No problem! With such nutritious one, nobody feels bad about this.

(Used arugula instead of kale. Use gluten-free crust if needed.)


From The Colorful Kitchen
Recipe: http://thecolorfulkitchen.com/2015/09/30/vegan-harvest-pizza-with-cashew-cheese/

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Vegan Apple and Raisins Crumble

 I simply LOVE apple crumble. Got some organic apples from some friends and this was the first think I thought about doing with them.


(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

3 apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup oat flour (gluten-free, if needed)
1/2 cup oats (gluten-free, if needed)
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup coconut sugar
130 g vegan butter/margarine
Cinnamon, to taste


Directions:

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Fill ramekins or a medium baking pan with chopped apples and distribute raisins on top.
Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl (except cinnamon). Spoon the crumble mixture
onto the top of the apples and raisins, then sprinkle some cinnamon.
Bake in a preheated oven for ca. 30 minutes or until the top is golden/crispy.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Tempeh Bacon


This vegan bacon can be sprinkled over a salad or mixed in any recipe. A total keeper! Super simple to make, but the secret is to let it marinate a lot in the sauce: I left it in the fridge for 2 days soaked in it.

I mixed it with rice and veggies (on tamari sauce) the first time I made it.














From Vegetarian Times
Recipe: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/tempeh-bacon/

Friday, December 4, 2015

Best Ever Vegan Mushroom Gravy

I was never much into gravies until I learned how to make one. This vegan option is the way to go. (I used a guten-free flour mix for the all purpose flour).


From:  Barbara Cooks
Recipe: http://www.barbaracooks.com/recipe/best-ever-vegan-mushroom-gravy/

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Two Ingredient Caramel Bites

This is just too simple to be true. 



IMPORTANT NOTE: I advise using very small candy molds for just a quick treat. I found that more than 2 bites of this would make me a little bit sick, the cacao butter makes this extremelly satisfying.

From Raw Revive
Recipe: http://www.rawrevive.com/2-ingredient-caramel-bites/

Monday, November 30, 2015

Cuban Rice and Beans

As most of you might have already noticed, my favorite dinners are either made with starches like potatoes, rice and/or beans. Couldn't but simply LOVE this one; so spicy and satisfying... Then I added some guacamole just because :P

I made the lazy/easy version using cooked rice and beans. You just have to stick to steps 1 and 2 and then mix them all and heat through before serving.










From Gen Y Foodie
Recipe: http://www.generationyfoodie.com/2011/10/cuban-style-rice-and-beans.html

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Vegan Shredded Smoked Coconut Gouda

Tastes as good as it looks. And it melts. And it's good. And it melts. And it’s good (loop
of happiness)…

IMPORTANT: Since the cheese mix needs to be blended right after being boiled, you
must have a blender/food processor that can handle high temperatures (one with a glass cup, for example).



Ingredients:

Base mix:

1 can full fat coconut milk
1 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS. liquid smoke
¼ cup water
2 tsp Hymalaian salt
2 TBS nutritional yeast
4 TBS agar powder
1 TBS apple pectin

Dry mix:

2 TBS potato starch (cornstarch or arrowroot would work)
1 TBS tapioca starch
1 tsp ground psyllium (I think it could work with ground chia or ground flaxseed, too;
but didn’t try)

Directions:

1. Prepare yourself first: Add dry mix to a small bowl and set aside. Lightly oil a ramekin (or a glass container where you’re pouring the cheese). Set aside. Have a spatula at hand.

2. Blend base mix until fully combined in your blender or food processor. Pour it then intoa small pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium (still boiling) and continue to stir the mix for 5 more minutes so the agar can make its magic.

3. Remove from heat and pour the heated sauce directly into your blender. Quickly add dry mix and process until thick. You gotta be fast in this part because the agar tends to harden pretty quickly. Immediately pour into a lightly oiled container with the help of a spatula. 

4. Put the uncovered cheese in the fridge. Allow to set up for an hour or two. Flip it onto a plate and leave uncovered overnight in the fridge. It tends to get harder the longer it stays there. Then, move your delicious gouda to a covered container and store in the fridge for up to a week (it freezes well if you want to save for some other time).

PERSONAL NOTE: I find the use of nutritional yeast and liquid smoke a must for this
recipe.

Adapted from this recipe here: http://vedgedout.com/2012/10/22/smoked-coconutgouda/

Friday, November 27, 2015

Banoffee Pie

This is amazing. 




At first I though this was "too complicated", but it was actually so simple to make! Do it.


 The toffee filling is the best caramel recipe I've tried so far, gonna be a staple here. Next time I'll even double the amount!!!



From Oh She Glows
Recipe: http://ohsheglows.com/2015/04/04/banoffee-pie-from-my-new-roots/

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

4-Ingredient Vegan Quinoa Fudge

This is the proof you can turn that bitter quinoa into sweet dreams.


Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked quinoa, any type
8 Medjool dates (or normal ones, but softened in warm water)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

Directions: 

Blend all ingredients in your food processor. Pour over a small container, flattening the dough with your hands. Put in the freezer to harden for at last 2 hours. Cut into bites and keep them stored in the freezer. Before serving, let them thaw at room temperature.

Inspired by this recipe: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/five-ingredient-vegan-quinoa-fudge/

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Sushi Bowl

You don’t have sushi rice? Don't worry! Use the one you have and make a bowl with your favorite ingredients! It tastes the same ;)

Brown rice + raw carrots + cucumber + black sesame + nori sheet + tamari. No salt needed, since tamari is already super salty.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Crispy, Oven Baked, Fat-free Wedges

Boiling them before putting in the oven is the key for more crispiness. Boiling! What a wonderful idea, genius :) 


(Used gluten-free flour  tapioca)

From Brand New Vegan
Recipe: http://www.brandnewvegan.com/recipes/crispy-oven-baked-fat-free-french-fries/

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Rice and Beans with Guacamole and Salsa

It’s just cooking and mixing at your own will. Extra nourishing and delicious.

The combination of excessive carbs will make nutritionists cry, sorry hehe; but this is one of my favorite dinners and fix myself one big bowl of this at least once a week.

Just combine:

Beans with cumin, cooked
Brown rice with mushrooms, cooked
Guacamole
Homemade Salsa (see recipe below)
Potato wedges baked with spices
Green leaves

For the Homemade Salsa:

4 fresh tomatoes
1 handful of fresh cilantro
½ lemon
Chili flakes
Onion/Garlic, sautéed (or asafoetida powder*)
Pinch of Himalayan salt

*Asafoetida is NOT gluten-free. It contains tiny amounts of wheat in the mix.

Inspired by this recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfJUTajhyc8

Friday, November 13, 2015

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Stuffed Medjool Dates

As a peanut butter fan, I devoured these ones in a second. Dates are naturally super sweet and give everything a caramel taste.

I used my homemade chocolate (it's raw) to cover them.


From Happy Healthy Life.com
Recipe: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2015/09/chocolate-medjool-dates.html

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Cheesy Skillet Pancake

You’re gonna have a serious crush on it. SO easy and quick… It's crispy outside but
remains amazingly soft and chewy inside.


Ingredients:

1 egg
1 TBS cream cheese (lactose-free, if you want)
1 TBS water
2 TBS tapioca starch
1 TBS coconut oil
1 TBS whole flax seed
Salt, to taste

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk egg until somehow foamy. Add all the other ingredients and mix well.
Pour into a pre-heated skillet (medium-low heat). Cook both sides until golden (3-min
each side, approx.). I didn’t even need to grease the skillet because the coconut oil in the
batter helps things out.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Monday, November 9, 2015

Vegan Soy Beef Sandwich with Roasted Pepper and Eggplant

This is one of the recipes created like this: “what’s in my pantry”? Actually it’s not even
a recipe; I would say it’s just an idea with what you can do with leftovers and with
whatever you have there.


Ingredients:

2 yellow bell peppers
1 red bell pepper
1 eggplant, sliced in rounds
Olive oil, to taste
Salt, to taste
Soy beefs (I used this)
Vegan Moxarella (or any other cheese, optional)
Your favorite bread (gluten-free, if preferred)

Directions:

Preheat oven at 200°C. Brush peppers (whole) with olive oil. Place whole peppers on a
lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, turning them after 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, put eggplant slices on a colander and sprinkle salt on them. Rub the each
slice a bit to better spread the salt and let them sweating and draining its extra water
content and bitterness.

Remove peppers from the oven and don’t turn it off.

Now, rinse eggplant slices and pat them dry with kitchen roll. Brush them with some
olive oil and sprinkle salt if you want (I didn’t, I like to salt things later because I like
my food low in salt). Put them in the oven to roast for 30 minutes, flipping them after
15.

Let peppers cool. Remove skins, core and seeds. Slice each pepper into thick strips and
put in a bowl. Set aside.

Make soy beefs according to package instructions.

When beef, peppers and eggplants are ready, mount your sandwich. If you’re using the
Moxarella or any other cheese, lay it over one slice of the bread and heat the bread in
the oven for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Dreamy Vanilla Gluten-free Cake

This was the perfect recipe after a stressy working day, talk about timing!!!


It was also my first experiment with aquafaba (the water from chickpeas); it really seems to be the new generation of egg substitute! Loved it. It's said that, generally, adding 3 TBS of aquafaba should substiutute 1 egg (but it's not a rule).


As for the glaze I used her suggestion, except that it went "wrong"... or right, it's a matter of perspective :P I couldn't AT ALL beat the glaze with a handmixer; chocolate flew everywhere, LOL! I just put some gloves on and worked on the ingredients until they formed a big gooey dough and looked like cake fondant.

From The Vegan 8
Recipe: http://thevegan8.com/2015/10/20/dreamy-vanilla-vegan-gluten-free-cake/

Saturday, November 7, 2015

15 minute, Slice-able and Melt-able Vegan Cheese

I've been trying every interesting vegan cheese recipe. Since I've started playing with veganism I've noticed that cheese is still a weakness.

This one is super simple and fast to make, and it also has the advantage of being comparably lower in calories to both dairy cheese and nut cheese.

I used a soy creamer for a thicker result, it worked incredibly good.

As I always say, I find vegan cheese without nutritional yeast pretty dull. If you're vegan, I would highly recommend having nutritional yeast as a staple food at home.

From Bunny Kitchen
Recipe: http://bunnykitchen.com/2014/03/02/15-minute-grate-able-and-melt-able-vegan-cheese/

Friday, November 6, 2015

The Most Amazing Potato Nachos

Makes justice to the name. It IS amazing. A healthier way to enjoy this adored Mexican dish.















Personal advice: be careful with the chillies and hot sauce if you're not used to eating super zingy foods. Be sure to remove chilli seeds to smooth things a bit.

I LIKE GETTING ORGANIZED
BEFORE STARTING
For a gluten-free version, use GF flour for the sauce (I suggest some starch like tapioca, like I did) and use some other meat-sub for the seitan.

From The "V" Word
Recipe: http://thevword.net/2015/06/the-most-amazing-potato-nachos.html

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Autoimmune Protocol "Chocolate" Cake

This is an allergy-free cake. EVERYBODY can (and should) try this. I was a little worried aobut the carob because I usually don't like how it smells, but it was one of the best cakes I've baked so far, no kidding.

This comes from a blog that cooks AIP (Autoimmune Protocol). Free from processed sugars, no eggs, no nuts, no chocolate, no flour. A healthy mix of pumpkin puree (because they are here!), carob, plantains and banana! Use maple for the honey to make a fully vegan version (I did). If you don't have mace, ignore it.

TIPS:

Don't use ripe plantains, they will give too much of a banana flavour and will turn your cake into a banana bread for sure, I know my plantains! It MIGHT work with green bananas if you can't find plantains, but can't guarantee good results.

You can also sub raw cacao powder for the carob, but then it's not AIP anymore, if it's not an issue go for it.

Depending on your batter and banana sizes, you might have to bake longer, I needed 40 minutes!

From A Clean Plate
Recipe: http://www.acleanplate.com/recipe/aip-chocolate-cake/

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Buckwheat Kasha

Excellent substitute for rice and also gluten-free. Make it vegan with a vegan butter.


TOASTING THE BUCKWHEAT
It took me more than 5 minutes to toast the groats before cooking them -- around 20, actually! But I believe there are just too many variables; if you soaked the groats, your kind of stove, the pan...

From Natasha's Kitchen
Recipe: http://natashaskitchen.com/2015/02/15/how-to-cook-buckwheat-kasha/