EASY VEGAN BANANA BREAD

This simple vegan banana bread recipe makes great use of those speckled and somewhat sad looking bananas that are hanging out in your fruit bowl!

What you need:

SPICED PEAR, APPLE + WALNUT SQUARES

REFINED OIL-FREE | REFINED SUGAR-FREE | SOY-FREE | DELICIOUS!

These healthy treats are perfect for anytime of the day! They are full of fibre, healthy fats and anti-inflammatory spices while also being free of refined oils and sugars.

What you need:

SMOKY TAHINI, HEMP & LIME ZUCCHINI PASTA

Time to get back on track! Since my last post, I have powered through my Master program, completed 6 demanding months of internship/placement, moved back to the other side of the country, gained my accreditation to practice as a Dietitian (yay!), and established my own plant-based Dietetic consulting business (insert exhausted sigh here!). 

Although, as always, I have been busy in the kitchen... the time to post evidence of my efforts and update my blog never seemed to materialise. But today, feeling a little less overwhelmed by daily demands, I've grabbed out my camera and taken a minute to stop and snap a shot of my delish lunch before getting stuck in. 

I was really impressed with how this zucchini pasta worked out! The dash of smoked paprika, generous dollop of creamy tahini, and splash of zesty lime juice really made it shine. 

What you need:

BARLEY, ROCKET, ROAST PUMPKIN + CHICKPEA SALAD

serves 4

cooking time: nil

what you need:

1/2 cup of uncooked pearl barley, cooked

400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 medium butternut pumpkin, roasted

4-6 cups of rocket (arugula) 

add your ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine. season with salt + pepper. serve with your dressing of choice, or dressing-free, for a hearty, healthy lunchbox idea. 

[energy: 745kJ / 178 Kcal; protein: 8.3g; fat: 2.1g; carbs: 26.65g; sodium: 167mg]

ROAST PUMPKIN, COUS COUS, CHICKPEA, ROCKET + CHERRY TOMATO SALAD W/ CREAMY MINT DRESSING

yet another satisfying salad - this time with peppery rocket, sweet and juicy cherry tomatoes, sweet and tasty roasted pumpkin, hearty chickpeas, and fluffy cous cous with a creamy mint dressing. 

for the dressing

1/2 cup of loosely packed fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons of cashew pieces

1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1/4 cup of water

1/4 teaspoon of salt

place all ingredients into a small food processor or wet mill - using a bamix. blitz for 5 minutes or until creamy and perfectly smooth. serve your salad and top with lashings of this creamy minty dressing - yum! 

serves 2-4 

PAD THAI-STYLE SALAD W/ A CREAMY PEANUT-LIME DRESSING

the latest in my salad series was a pad thai-style salad smothered in a creamy peanut-lime dressing. as i had no limes on hand i subbed the ¼ cup of lime juice for fresh lemon juice, reduced the water by half and added the extra peanuts for the salad to the dressing to make it a little less loose and a lot more creamy. this crunchy salad was crisp and refreshing and really quick to pull together with the right ingredients on hand. i did have to make a special trip to the asian grocer for some bean sprouts as i decided it just wouldn’t be pad thai-style without them. although this hasn’t been my fav salad from isa chandra’s appetite for reduction so far, it was a nice change to feast on some fresh asian flavours (and after the rotten day i had, this fresh and crunchy salad had a pretty tough job of inspiring any sense of enthusiasm from me)

CHICKPEA, BLACK QUINOA + ROCKET SALAD W/ BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

working with my left-over black quinoa and isa chandra's appetite for reduction in hand, i smashed together the everyday chickpea-quinoa salad, swapping out the romaine lettuce for rocket (arugula) and skipping the red onion on this occasion  as i planned to eat half for dinner and save half for my lunchbox tomorrow, i held off dousing this with the accompanying creamy balsamic vinaigrette - so you will have to trust me that it was yum (and also try it too as you will most probably, almost definitely love it like i did).

CATALAN COUSCOUS SALAD W/ PEARS + ROMESCO DRESSING

continuing to work my way through my growing vegan cookbook collection, i threw together isa chandra's catalan cous cous salad with pears and amazingly delicious romesco dressing. cous cous is so simple to prepare, slicing a crisp pear takes seconds and blitzing up the dressing will be done in minutes. as quick as this fab meal comes together it will dissapear off your plate - an absolute winner!

this is the second recipe i have attempted from isa chandra's appetite for reduction and i am really loving this book! the recipes are low-fat (excellent!), the ingredients are stock-standard in a moderately established vegan pantry, it takes no time at all to have a really special looking dish on the table, and 2 out of 2 have been really, really, really satisfying and tasty.

HOMEMADE SUSHI FOR LUNCH - YUM!

AVOCADO, TOMATO + MUSHROOM PÂTÉ TOASTIES

super simple, super tasty, super healthy lunch idea - vegan avo, tom and mushroom pâté toasties!

how? mushroom pâté

5-6 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup of boiling water, drained (soaking water reserved)

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup of breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon of evoo

salt and pepper to taste

combine the ingredients into a food processor and blitz to combine. whilst the food processor is running, slowly add the cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mix takes on a pâté consistency (smooth but with some texture) 

this will store in the fridge for about a week and is not only great as a sandwich spread but also a tasty accompaniment to pasta sauces or stirred through rice - yum!

SASSY VEGAN POTATO SALAD

i am a big ginger fan, so when making my sassy vegan potato salad you can be sure that ginger will feature prominently! i often make up a batch and then keep it in the fridge (for up to 3-4 days), adding it to my lunchbox along with a variety of other tasty vegan salads each day - yum! 

how? 

10-12 small potatoes (you could also use large potatoes and cut these into smaller pieces, i personally prefer small for the extra skin content)

1/4 cup of fresh mint, finely diced

1/4 cup of fresh coriander, finely diced

1-2 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

1 tablespoon of evoo

salt + pepper, to taste

boil you potatoes in a medium saucepan until tender, testing with a sharp knife or skewer, then drain. add the mint, coriander, ginger, evoo, salt and pepper and cover with the saucepan lid. i then give the pot a shake (making sure to hold onto the lid), to combine the ingredients, alternatively you could stir these through with a spoon. by adding the herbs, ginger, oil and seasoning whilst warm, the potatoes will absorbed the flavours perfectly. allow to cool and serve, or store in the fridge for later use. 

serves 4-6

MOROCCAN CARROT SALAD

the word salad is so vague and that is exactly what makes it so intriguing! when planning my lunches i know that salad is on the cards but the options are almost limitless and (almost) guarantee healthy, low-fat eating. 

this moroccan carrot salad is super simple and requires little time, ingredient and know-how! 

how? 

5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 5mm slices

1/2 cup of dried dates, sliced

1/4 cup of slivered almonds, toasted

juice of 1 lemon

1 table spoon of evoo

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne

1/4 teaspoon of salt

blanch your carrot slices in boiling water for 1-2 minutes until tender (but still with a bite!) place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl all ingredients and mix to combine. serve or store in the fridge to allow the flavours to infuse. will keep in the frige for up to 4 days

serves 6 

SPROUTED SPRING SALAD

so spring has finally sprung and i am certainly greatful for the gorgeous sunny days, despite the fact that all my winter clothes finally arrived from spain! but in the spirit of spring i decided a fresh, colorful, and crunchy salad was in order... with my first lentil sprout 'harvest' as the star - so good!

how?
1/4 avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or whole (as desired) 
small handful of snow pea sprouts
4-5 edible flowers 
1/4 cup of lentil sprouts
2-3 strips of semi dried tomatoes, sliced into strips

toss together in a serving bowl, placing the edible flowers on top as a vibrant and peppery garnish and  dig in! (you can dress your salad with your fav vinaigrette, creamy-style dressing, or with a little oil from the semi dried tomatoes... i cut out dressings to lower the fat and find the avo does a good job alone!) 

serves 1 

MIXED SUMMER SALAD W/ SWEET SESAME DRESSING

following on from my fresh and healthy rocket, apricot, cherry tomato + sesame miso salad, and keeping in line with my meal plan, i decided a salad for dinner was a good idea! again relying on the fresh produce in the fridge, i put this mixed summer salad w/ sweet sesame dressing together. 

how? 

1/2 a ripe avocado, diced into largish 'chunks'

1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes

6-8 button mushrooms, quartered

1/2 cup of diced red capsicum

1/2 cup of diced ripe pinapple

2 loquats, peeled and deseeded, roughly diced

1 teaspoon of tahini

1 teaspoon of miel de caña (or molases)

place the diced fruit and vegetables in your serving dish and drizzle over the molases and tahini to dress.  

ROCKET, APRICOT, CHERRY TOMATO + SESAME MISO SALAD

making the most of the salad resources on hand, i improvised and pulled together this rocket, apricot, cherry tomato salad with a sassy-salty-sour miso and sesame dressing - yum! 

how? 

1 1/2 cups of rocket

2 apricots, cut or (if you like it a bit more rustic like me) torn into peices

1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes, whole or halved if you worry about these tasty little gems exploding all over you! 

1 teaspoon of miso paste

2 teaspoons of hot water

1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds

place your salad items (rocket, tomatoes and apricot) into your serving bowl. put the miso paste into a small bowl and add the hot water gradually until a smooth creamy-dressing consistency is achieved. pour the dressing over your salad and top with the sesame seed. 

i enjoyed this peppery, sassy salad on my balcony in the sunshine, whilst people-watching saturday shoppers and those talking they fur-kids for a walk.

SALT + PEPPER TOFU SALAD

o-m-gosh yum! this delicious dish was the amaze result of a "what can i do with this 1/2 a block of tofu?!" moment and so incredibly simple and quick to smash together!

how? 

225g of firm tofu, cubed

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

4 leaves of cos lettuce, roughly torn into pieces

1 medium sized vine ripened tomato

1/2 a lemon, halved again

combine the salt and pepper in a dish and roll the tofu pieces into the mix. heat a small frying pan and dry fry the tofu until crispy (i always charcoal mine a little [as you can see from the pic] as i love the smokey flavour!) Serve on top of the lettuce and tomato salad base with the lemon generously squeezed over the top - sooooo good! 

CURRIED TOFU SANDWICHES

to investigate further the suitability of tofu as a tasty vegan replacement for eggs, i decided that a curried tofu sandwich would be an easy (and dare i say fail-proof) way to test this theory!

how? 

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

1 teaspoon of curry powder

1 tablespoon of vegan mayonaise (optional, since i wanted a lower calorie sandwich i didn't include any vegan mayonaise) 

salt and pepper to season

lettuce

2 slices of wholemeal or multigrain bread (for that added nutritional boost of wholegrains!), fresh or toasted

combine the crumbled tofu, curry powder, salt and pepper and vegan mayo (if using this). take one of the slices of bread/toast and pile on some fresh and crisp iceberg or other lettuce of choice. top with the curried tofu mix and the second slice of bread/toast. result = ethically delicious vegan replacement for eggs!

LOW-FAT VEGAN GOLD!

at 75 calories (315kJ) this fresh and delicious salad is the perfect lunch time meal! to reduce the energy density of any salad simply swap salad dressings or mayonaise for a sprinkling of salt, pepper and garlic granules or finely chopped fresh herbs - yum!

VIETNAMESE RICE PAPER ROLLS

oh so healthy, oh so fresh and oh so vegan! with a little bit of prep and some fiddly folding you can smash a bunch together for lunch or a snack. 

how? 

medium sized rice paper 

2 carrots, thinly sliced into batons

1 cucumber, thinly slice into batons with seeds removed

5 small spring onions, thinly sliced

1/4 of a large red capsium, thinly sliced into batons

6 oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced

handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped or torn

combine the vegetables. place the rice paper, sheet by sheet, into a 'bath' of warm water to soften. remove and place onto a dry chopping board. 

place some of the mixed vegetable filling into the middle of the rice paper. fold one edge over the filling and then the two sides in. continue by rolling the rice paper covered filling toward the other edge and you're done! 

leave to dry out a little (2 mins) and enjoy with a simple dipping sauce of soy and rice wine or pre-made sweet chilli - yum! 

other great fillings include:

- rice stick noodles (pre-cooked and cooled)

- straw mushrooms

- a strategically placed mint leaf just before you finish the rolling process

WHITE BEAN + ARTICHOKE SALAD

not only does this salad look great but it is also super healthy - not so surprising i guess since it is a salad after all but it is one super ingredient that really offers a health kick - artichokes!

why? 

in a study of the antioxidant content of 1,000 different foods, artichokes (which contain quercertin, rutin, anthocyanins, cynarin, luteolin, and silymarin) ranked seventh

studies have also shown that artichokes can cause apoptosis (programmed cell death) and lower cell proliferation rates in a variety of cancers (including cancers of the prostate breast and luekemia)

on the subject of digestive health, artichokes are a natural diuretic, improve gallbladder function (bile production), lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) levels whilst raising HDL cholesterol (the good kind) levels, and aid in digestion due to their high fibre content

recommendations have been made to include an artichoke each day – diced in a salad such as this – to reap the health benefits of this super food!