CREAMY SOY COFFEE

the perfect accompaniment to a hot weekend breakfast - a mug of hot, creamy soy milk coffee... yum!

STICKY CINNAMON, SESAME + AGAVE APPLES

seeking a topper for your creamy morning oats, or perhaps a batch of hot vegan pancakes? try these sticky cinnamon, sesame and agave syrup apples that are easy as pie to make, super delicious and vegan!

how? 

1 red apple, cored and cut vertically into eighths

1 teaspoon of sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon of agave syrup

coat the apple sections in the other ingredients. place into a microwave safe bowl and cover. cook on high for 5 minutes, or until the apples have softened and the syrup has thickened. allow to cool slightly before serving with a creamy bowl of oats or fresh batch of delicious vegan pancakes - yum! 

TASTY VEGAN TOFU SCRAMBLE

a cool spring saturday morning calls for a descent hot breakfast! and what better way to warm up and fill up than a tasty vegan tofu scramble - yum! 

how? 

250 g firm tofu, patted dry with paper towel and crumbled

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 1/2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes

salt and pepper to season

2 teaspoons of evoo

combine the crumbled tofu with the other ingredients. heat the evoo in a hot frying pan. add the tofu mix and pan fry until crispy and golden. serve with a couple of slices of toasted wholemeal bread drizzled with a little more evoo

with easy, tasty, and healthy vegan meals like this, how can you go wrong! 

MUM'S FAMED EASTER FRUIT 'N' SPICE BREAD

a memory from home... this weekend my mum has once again whipped up her fab un-crossed easter fruit and spice bread - definitely missing home right now!

MYO MUESLI

i really enjoy a good bowl of muesli, and what could be better that making your own so you get all the good bits! 

how? 

1/2 cup of rolled oats

1 tablespoon of sultanas or raisins

1 tablespoon of dried cranberries

1 teaspoon of sesame seeds

1 teaspoon of chia seeds

2 teaspoons of sunflower seeds

10 almonds (you may wish to chop these)

1 tablespoon of walnut pieces

1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds

mix and top with your favorite non-dairy milk - yum! 

SPICY WEEKEND BEANS

since my first attempt at soaking a batch of chickpeas, and enjoying the fab results, i have been dying to try another legume variety! when i saw these massive great northern beans at the supermarket, although rather pricey, i just had to give them a go! 

the image of some hearty homemade 'baked' beans popped into my head and this recipe and these saucy, tasty beans were the result - so good!

how?

1 cup of dried great northern beans (soaked over night)
1 1/2 cups of red pepper relish
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of chilli powder (you may want to you only 1 teaspoon if you are not too keen on super spicy dishes)
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 cup of water

cook the beans until tender (around 1 hour). drain and return to saucepan. whilst beans are cooking combine the red pepper relish with the spices. add the relish mix to the cooked beans and heat through (you may even want to reduce the sauce at this stage by cooking for an extra 15 minutes uncovered). serve with a thick slice of wholemeal and grain bread - just delish! 

FRUIT 'N SEED SALAD

a great low energy way to start your morning! at less that 900kJ (215 calories), this fruit 'n seed salad is a super healthy, super nutritious breakfast idea.

how?

1 cup of diced pineapple
1 cup of diced watermelon
1 cup of strawberries, quartered
1/4 of a green 'granny smith' apple
1 teaspoon of chia seeds
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
2 teaspoons of sunflower seeds

mix the fruit and sprinkle over the seeds... simple!

CHOCOLATE KAMUT + HAZELNUT PORRIDGE

for those kamut lovers, here is a breakfast treat to satisfy your kamut cravings! 

how? 

1/2 cup of rolled oats

1 1/2 cups of kamut (chocolate flavoured)

1 tablespoon of sugar

combine the oats, sugar and kamut in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. turn down the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes (or until the oats have softened). serve topped with a sprinkle of whole or crushed hazelnuts. 

in case you have never heard of kamut before, which is not suprising! here is a bit of info about this non-dairy beverage: 

kamut is a brand of khorasan wheat, an ancient strain of wheat also referred to as Q-77. it has a very high protein content and also contains a high mineral concentration (especially selenium, zinc, and magnesium). it is considered a high energy grain, providing the body with more energy in the form of complex carbohydrates (the better kind). even though this strain contains gluten, it has been found to be more easily digestible by people who may have slight allergic tendencies to wheat. 

i have to say, i am not a huge fan! perhaps this is due to the high quality of soy milk available in madrid or the fact that this one was chocolate flavoured?! either way i think i will stick to the other non-dairy milk varieties available, which are considerably lower in price too! i do consider the nutritional aspects of this product to be highly beneficial - however the fact that i have added sugar to this recipe to suit my taste considerably alters the nutritional value of using it in the first place... but if you are a fan omit the sugar and reap the rewards of this complex carb beverage! 

VEGAN BREAKFAST SCRAMBLE

left over crispy corn croquette mix? no problem! how about a quick and easy vegan breakfast scramble

how?

1 cup of leftover crispy corn croquette mix

½ teaspoon of oregano

¼ teaspoon of garlic powder

salt and pepper to season

1 teaspoon of vegetable oil

mash the leftover croquette mix with a fork to ‘fluff’ and separate into small pieces that resemble scrambled eggs. add the oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix to combine. heat the oil in a pan, add the croquette mix and fry until browned. perfect with a spoonful or two of red pepper relish and a glass of fresh orange juice – breakfast is served!

MUM'S ALMOND + CRANBERRY MUESLI

despite the fact that i am 14,623 km away, i can't help but ask (on a daily basis) "what's for dinner mum?!" being away from home has certainly made me miss the luxury of a home-cooked meal, our nice big kitchen, and having everything i need at hand... but my time in madrid so far has certainly been a good lesson in improvisation! 

when i arrived in madrid the first thing i tried to recreate/source a suitable replacement for was some wholesome and healthy muesli just like my mum makes at home! 

i'd so love a bowl of her homemade almond and cranberry muesli right about now... heart you mum! x

GREEN JUICE

a vibrant, revitalising glass of green juice was exactly what i needed after a rather unproductive day at work! returning back to work after lazing around in the sunshine the day before is always a hard task... and today i was really feeling it.

using a banana, a pear and a big handful of fresh spinach leaves (oh! and about a 1/4 cup of cold water) i blitzed up this glowing green juice in a matter of seconds!

it was fresh and perhaps a little too sweet from the pear that got added (but it was begging to be used... so i threw it in!)

i love green juice... and instantly feel healthier after the first mouthful!

M.Y.O MUESLI

when booking my hotel i (for once) thought ahead and made a request to have soy milk available at breakfast. well this was great! (apart from the unique soy milk flavor that i have encountered in geneva so far - which is a little bit 'eggy' tasting but guaranteed to be 100% vegetable - phew!)

the buffet spread featured a few good vegan options - such as a make your own muesli bar! (well at least that is how i saw it!) with a range of oats, dried fruit (sultanas and apricots) and nuts (slivered almonds and coconut) available, i mixed up a delicious muesli concoction

WE HAVE A WINNER

apple, cranberry + walnut bircher muesli

this was delicious!! finally i have hit the nail on the head with the whole bircher muesli thing... like they say - third times a charm! i have to say, diced apple and crushed walnuts added to rolled oats and cranberries that have been soaking in soy milk over night is a winner! 

i followed the same methodology i had previously used with the 1/2 cup of oats to 1 cup of light soy milk - but this time added about 1/4 cup of dried cranberries to the overnight mix as well

on my way out the door this morning i grabbed the container of soaked oats and a red apple from the crisper, which i diced into relatively small pieces and then sprinkled these liberally on top of the oat + cranberry mix


to top it off i added some lightly crushed walnut pieces and hey-presto! its ready to chow down - this was so good i can't wait for tomorrow morning to enjoy again! 

other ideas:
- sultanas in place of cranberries
- hazelnuts or almonds (silvered) in place of walnuts

BIRCHER MUESLI - ATTEMPT #2

ready to eat!

being a little more brave on this attempt, i took on an interpretation of the bircher muelsi recipe from veggienumnum.com  using half a pink grapefruit (left over from last nights fruit salad making), a small scoop of coconut cream (in place of the almond banana cream) and a sprinkle of pistachios on top! 

results = well... 

... it was ok! 

soaked oats

if you are a lover of tart fruits then its a winner, plus my choice of soy milk to soak my oats over night rather than apple juice as specified is likely to have contributed to the less than inspiring end product... 

i am sure, however, that if followed correctly (and not just improvised like i did) the veggienumnum recipe would work out many, many times better! (it certainly looks amazing - check it out at veggienumnum.com)

HEALHTY GREEN START

special gunpowder green tea

a 'find' from my trip to the asian alimentacion - i added a large cup of special gunpowder green tea to my breakfast bowl of banana porridge - why?

catechin polyphenols (particularly epigallocatechin gallate 'EGCG') found in green tea have been found to inhibit cancer cell growth, lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) levels, and inhibit the abmormal formation of blood clots - reducing thrombosis risk. although accessing the benefits of green tea requires the consumption of around 14 cups/day - 1 big one with breakfast is a good start!

BIRCHER #1

banana + hazelnut bircher

this is my first attempt at bircher muesli and felt like i must finally give it a go now that european winter is starting to subside, and after finding inspiration in the bircher muesli w/ pistachios + ruby grapefruit recipe on veggienumnum.com.

my version - how?

1/3 cup of rolled oats
2/3 cup of soy milk

combine in your breakfast bowl and soak over night in the fridge

1 banana
8-10 hazelnuts, smashed

add to top of soaked oats in the morning and enjoy!

serves 1

STRAWBERRY + WALNUT OATS

served with a cleansing glass of hot warm + lemon

BREKKIE IN BED

 oats, dried apricots, toasted hazelnuts w/ soy milk

a cold winter's morning demands a nice hot bowl of porridge in bed - comfort food that lowers cholesterol - win!

WEEKDAY BREAKFAST

natural muesli w/ soy milk

a quick and healthy breakfast - even better when you whip up your own muesli recipe - back home i make my own with some easy-to-find basics like rolled oats, some rolled rye, processed bran, sultanas, dried apple, flaxseeds, shredded dried coconut and chopped almonds

QUICK BREAKFAST

wheat bran + banana w/ soy milk

fibre boost in a bowl!