Easter Pascha and a easter cake

I can't believe that it's already Easter time. In my family we celebrate Easter with Eggs "clapping", salad, Bread and of course the traditional Pascha. Every year when the family comes together everyone brings his own made pascha and then they're discus which one's the best and as every year it's the one my mom made.

As I'm vegan, Easter isn't the same for me anymore, cause I know all the bad thing behind the eggs and beside that I have a allergy against eggs.

Pascha is a dessert made with quark and eggs, sugar and dried fruits, drained over night. It's full of calories so nothing for those who want to loose weight.
This year I wanted to try my first vegan pascha and a Easter cake. It's been years since I made my last pascha and for the Easter cake it will be the first time. But both the pascha and the cake were very good and I made my mother happy, cause she was afraid the pascha wouldn't taste good without eggs. I changed her mind and I'm glad about that!

 

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Easter Pascha

 

 

 

I made the pasha with soy quark and soy whip cream, I'm not sure if it will worke as well with plain soy joghurt or soy sour cream. In our family we always made it with quark!

 

serves 4-5

 

Ingredients

2 dl vegan whip cream

300 g soy quark

3 tablespoons vegan margarine

2 tablespoons sugar

1 dl almonds, toasted and finely chopped or ground

1 dl candied citron

1/2 dl chopped sultanas

grated peel of one orange

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

 

Direction

I first whisked together the soy quark, soy whip cream, and margarine, until the mixture was smooth, and then added the rest of the ingredients and mixed thoroughly. Now, it’s important to check the taste: it should be both tart and sweet, and finding the right balance between the two depends on the soy products used and the sweetness of the dried fruit. The flavors will deepen when the pasha sits in the fridge overnight, but at this point it might be necessary to add a hint of lemon juice if the mixture is too sweet.

 

Now, I've covered a wet!! clay pot with a layer of cheese cloth, and spooned the pasha mixture in the clay pot and covered with the overlapping cheese cloth. Then I placed the clay pot over a deep bowl  and placed the bowl in the fridge to let our pasha drain overnight.

 

The next day, I removed the bowl from the fridge, removed the clay poth, and covered it with a serving plate, making sure that no cheesecloth remained under the rims of the sieve. Now I've turned the whole thing upside down to plate our pasha. I peeled the cheesecloth, decorated the pasha with citron and sultanas.

 

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Easter Cake

Ingredient:
For the dough:
250 g wheat flour
2 Tbsp. sugar or Agave nectar
Zest from one lemon
1 pinch of salt
125 g Margarine (vegan Butter)
1 Tbsp. Sojaflour and 3 Tbsp. water, mixed
2 Tbsp. Sojacream
Optional: Apricotjam

For the Filling:
200 ml Sojamilk
200 ml Sojacream
2 Tbsp. Vanillepuddingpowder
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
100 g Sultanis
3 Tbsp. Sojaflower and 9 Tbsp. water, mixed well
100 g Almonds
3 Tbsp. sugar or Agave nectar
Zest of one lemon
1 tsp. Bakingpowder

Direction:
Dough:
Wisk together the flour, sugar, lemonzest and one pinch of salt in a big bowl. Add the butter and mix well with your Fingers till there are no clumbs anymore.
Add the sojaflower/water mix and sojacream and stirr well and form it into a bowl. Wrap in some foil and put in the refrigerator for 30 min.

Meanwhile make the Filling:
Wisk together the milk, cream, Vanillepuddingpowder and cornstarch till everything is liquid. Add the Sultanis and bring to boil while constantly stirring. Turn of the heat and let it cool for 15 min with frequently stirring.

After cooling down wisk in the sojaflower/water mix, almonds, sugar, lemonzest and bakingpowder and stirr well.

Preheat the over to 200°C.
Take the dought of the refrigerator and roll it out thin (2-3mm) and put it over a bakingpaper in  28 cm bakingdish and cover the bottom with apricotjam and put it back in the refrigerator for 10 min.

Then put the Filling in the form and spread it well out and put the cake in the lower section in the oven and bake for 30 min. After the baking take it out let it cool completly down before powdering over the powdered sugar.

Serve cold and enjoy your easter dessert cake!

Carrot and raisin sandwiches

Good Friday! Easter is here and we're having terrible cold and rainy days! I can well remember last year when we already had springtime. This year winter is hard and it seams he won't get aways pretty soon. Too bad for the children staying inside and searching their easter net.

Early in the morning I was awaken by the phone and I immediatly knew it couldn't be someone I know and as I saw the number on the phone I just picked the phone up and said "it's Good Friday, thank you" and hang up. Not very friendly I know. Anyway I made my way back into bed again.


For lunch I made this really simple and very good sandwich. I could hardly stop myself from eating it was just that good. If you don't like raisins in a sandwich just leaf them out, they that as good without it.

Carrot & raisin sandwiches

 

A vegetarian sandwich with a difference, this light filling is simple and great for afternoon tea or lunch boxes

 

Serves 8

 

Ingredients

1 large carrot , peeled and grated
2 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp chopped mint
4-6 slices brown bread
3 tbsp houmous

Direction

Mix the carrot with the raisins, olive oil and vinegar. Season and add the mint.

 

Spread 2-3 slices of the bread with houmous, top with the carrot mix and sandwich with 2-3 more slices. Cut into your desired shapes.

 

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 These baked sweet potato fries are one of my favorite one, especially together with the cilantro sauce you can eather sprinkle over the potato fries or use a dipping sauce. I just love it and it gives a fresh taste to the dish.

 

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Cilantro Sauce

 

 

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, cleaned

cooking spray

salt

Direction

1. Preheat oven to 450°

2. Cut sweet potatoes into thick fries.

3. Coat a roasting pan in cooking spray, then arrange sweet potatoes evenly, leaving space between each fry.

4. Coat the sweet potatoes in cooking spray, then sprinkle liberally with salt.

5. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until fries are browned in places and crispy on the outside.

 

Cilantro Sauce

Ingredients

1 bunch of cilantro

3 cloves roasted garlic

1 raw clove of garlic

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp cumin

salt

1/3-1/2 cup Olive Oil

Direction

1. In a food processor, pulse all ingredients except olive oil until finely chopped.

2. With food processor running, slowly stream in 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil, or until desired consistency is reached.

3. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.



Oatmeal-Rhubarb Porridge and a dip

Yesterday I saw that the local supermarket got their first Rhubarb for this year. As I'm am I immediatly bought some. I wasn't sure what I shall do, mostly I do some cooking for jams together with strawberries or for a dessert. But this time - as we still are lightly deep in winter - I wanted to do a healthy small dish, then came an idea for this surprisingly breakfast. The rhubard just give that great lightly sour taste which I really like.

I could easly dig in this breakfast porridge, hmm.
Be sure to get well ripeness rhubard otherwise you have to add too much agave nectar to get a lighly sweet taste.

Oatmeal-Rhubarb Porridge

2 servings, 1 generous cup each

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups soymilk or almond milk

1/2 cup orange juice

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup 1/2-inch pieces rhubarb, fresh or frozen

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

2-3 tablespoons agave syrup

2 tablespoons chopped pecans or other nuts

Preparation

Combine milk, juice, oats, rhubarb, cinnamon and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover and cook at a very gentle bubble, stirring frequently, until the oats and rhubarb are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in sweetener to taste. Top with nuts.

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Creamy Tomato Garlic Hummus Dip

This Creamy Tomato Garlic Hummus is dreamy and rich textured with a hint of heat. Make it as spicy as you'd like. This healthy vegan dip can be served with freshly chopped veggie sticks, slathered on sandwiches, alongside salads or spread on bagels and toast. You can make an easy lunchtime wrap by simple scooping a nice portion of hummus into a large tortilla and adding a rainbow of veggies or greens - maybe a few grains like quinoa or cooked and chilled farro too.

Creamy Tomato Garlic Hummus

makes about 8 servings

1 cup white beans, cannellini
1 1/2 cups chickpeas
1/2 cup walnuts, raw
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup lemon juice
6 cloves roasted garlic (roast in the oven with oil until soft)
1-2 cloves raw garlic (adds spiciness, optional)
3 Tbsp walnut oil
1 Tbsp flaxseed oil
1/3 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp tahini
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste!)
a few dashes fresh pepper
a few dashes cayenne

To Make:1. Drain the excess liquid from the cans of beans. Roast your garlic in the oven with some oil and sea salt - about 20 minutes at 400 degrees should do it.
2. Add all ingredients to your blender of food processor.
3. Pulse and blend until creamy – thickness to your preferences.
4. Do a taste test and adjust ingredients as desired.

serve!


Roasted Cauliflower soup

I saw this image on How Does She’s Facebook page today and it couldn’t be more accurate.

 

Yesterday such nice and well temperature over zero nearly getting into warm and today the same dark and cold day again as we already had enough. Lately I hears some news that last year around this date it already getting into springtime, but this year springtime seams to be far aways. I really can't stand this cold days anymore. 

 

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Well this soup may take you some time to cook but it's worth it, cause it's roasty taste is just that good and you will be glad for doing it so. I for mine really liked the taste.


roasted cauliflower soup with roast-y onions + rosemary


 

serves: makes a large batch

soup:
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed (I use yukon because of the waxy/creamy quality)
2 cooking onions, papery skin removed
1 sprig of fresh rosemary (mine was particularly lush, so perhaps 2 normal sprigs is advisable)
2 tbsp oil
salt and pepper
juice of 1/3 of a lemon (like 2 teaspoons)
5-6 cups vegetable stock

Topping:
toasted bread with some of your favorite oil and herbs

Direction:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the core from the cauliflower and chop it into rough florets. Place the florets into a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

Chop the potatoes into pieces about half the size of the cauliflower florets and toss them into the baking dish as well.

Chop the onions into rough 1-2 inch pieces and toss them into the dish. It doesn’t matter if the layers stick to each other.

Remove the leaves from the rosemary sprig and chop/mince them up. Sprinkle the rosemary over the vegetables in the dish. Liberally salt the vegetables and season with pepper to taste. Add the oil and toss the vegetables until evenly coated with the oil, herb and seasoning.

Roast vegetables for about an hour, flipping and tossing them here and there with a metal spatula/spoon to promote even browning. When done, remove from the oven and squeeze the 1/3 lemon over the hot vegetables (I just drop the lemon into the warm pan when I’m done so that it can release some oil too). Using your metal spatula, toss the vegetables with the lemon juice, scraping the browned bits off the bottom.

Once the vegetables are cool enough for you to handle, start blending them in batches with the stock.

Purée until smooth and pour into a big soup pot. Continue blending in batches until you’ve used up everything. Heat the large soup pot full of purée over medium heat until it boils. Add more stock or water to thin the soup out if necessary and adjust seasoning to taste.
Serve hot with the topping.

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Sweet Pepper Chutney

 

Ingredients

450 g red, green and orange peppers
900 g bramley apples
675 g onions
900 g tomatoes
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 lt pickling vinegar
250 g fruit sugar

How To Cook

Wash the peppers and cut them in half. Then remove the stalk and any seeds and chop the peppers finely.

Peel, core and dice the apples, then finely dice the onions. Wash and dice the tomatoes and place in a large preserving pan.

Stir in the paprika, cayenne pepper and ground black pepper, mixing well, and then stir in the vinegar and bring to the boil. Allow the spiced appleas, onions, tomatoes and peppers to simmer for about 45 minutes until softened.

When the fruit and vegetables are ready, spoon in the fruit sugar, stir until dissolved and continue to simmer until desired consistency is reached.

Pour into warmed jars, cover and label. Store in a cool dark place for at least three months before using.

Paella Primavera and Energy Bars

Paella usually made with fresh fish or sea fruits and meats. I only ate the original paella by avoiding the meat once. This was that much years ago I can't really remember how it was. Last year I made my first real paella with soy curls and fish. The things I needed for the paella I bought at a small spanish local store. I was amazed about the food they were having there. I probably spend over an hour in the store sneaking around.

Now that springtime is coming closer I wanted to change the ingredients in the paella with some spring vegetable and herbs.
As the original paella calls for saffron I wasn't sure weather to use it or not, but I was happy I let it away. It would have wasted the great color of the vegetable in the paella. The taste was a great as it looked like. Defenetly a dish I'm going to do over and over again!

Paella Primavera

 

 

Serves 6

30 minutes or fewer

Ingredients:

2 ½tsp. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped

6 green onions, thinly sliced 

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
1 tsp. crumbled saffron threads
1 cup short-grain white rice, such as Valencia
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup fresh or frozen baby peas
1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
12 pitted green olives, halved
12 pitted black olives, halved, optional
1 lemon, cut into wedges
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

 

Direction:

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and green onions; cook 5 minutes. Stir in broth, garlic, and saffron; bring to a boil. Sprinkle rice over ingredients, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.

2. Sprinkle broccoli, peas, tomatoes, and olives over rice. Cover, and cook paella 8 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and let rest, covered, 5 minutes. Season 
with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. To serve, spoon paella into 6 bowls, and garnish each with lemon wedges and parsley.

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Energy Bars

 

Earlier I use to buy energy bars but since I'm vegan I make them on my own. They taste much better and you can add what ever you like. They're easly done. Sometimes I just make fruity bars, I even tried to add vegetable such as carrots with ginger instead of the fruits. With the carrots it almost tasted like a cranola breakfast bowl. You see there are many various possibilities to make the bars. Just try out which one you like the most.

 

12 bars

Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/4 hours

 

Ingredients

1 cup lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup crispy brown rice cereal

1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking rolled oats

1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

1/4 cup dried blueberries

6 dried apricots, diced

3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

5 tablespoons brown rice syrup or light corn syrup

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.

 

Combine peanuts, rice cereal, oats, pumpkin (or sunflower) seeds, blueberries, apricots and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Drizzle with syrup and gently stir until thoroughly combined. Spread in the prepared baking pan. Coat another piece of foil with cooking spray and place on the bar mixture, sprayed-side down. Place another pan on top and press firmly to compress the mixture. (Pressing before baking helps the bars hold together after baking.) Remove top pan and foil.

 

Bake until just beginning to turn golden at the edges, 20 to 24 minutes (metal pan) or 30 to 35 minutes (glass pan). Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

 

Carefully lift the baked square out of the pan by holding the edges of the foil and place on a cutting board, leaving the foil underneath. Cut in half, then cut each half crosswise into 6 bars. Let cool completely before lifting the bars off the foil.

Ratatouille Pizza

It's been a very long time since I ate the last pizza. For a long time I avoided them cause I didn't like eating that much of bread, I felt like just having bread in my stomach. Silly I know, but I can't change it. I still have a pizza mix in my cabin and I had to make it before the due date on the packing and I really enjoyed eating the pizza I made. Making a pizza on your own is still the best one.
In fact pizzas are easly done and you can put anything you want on the pizza.

As I love zucchinis I put lot of them on it together with some eggplants, peppers, much like a ratatouille -  that's why I called it "ratatouille Pizza".

I served the pizza with a green salad with italian dressing and I immediatly felt like being in Italy only the sun was missing.....

roasted ratatouille pizza with chickpea cheese sauce

Yield: 2 pizzas

 

Ingredients

for the pizza:

1/3 recipe pizza dough (or use pre-made dough from the grocery store) per pizza that you plan to make

1 eggplant, diced

3 squash (or other zucchini type of squash), diced

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

½ large red onion, thinly sliced

olive oil spray

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 teaspoon thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 15oz can fire-roasted tomatoes

 

for the chickpea cheese sauce:

1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/3 – ½ cup nutritional yeast

juice from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon white miso

1 teaspoon garlic powder

several dashes smoked paprika

salt to taste

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread chopped/sliced eggplant, squash, bell pepper, and onion out on the baking sheets. Spray with olive oil and evenly sprinkly spices over the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss to fully coat.

 

Roast the vegetables at 400 for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through to cook evenly.

 

While the veggies are cooking, roll out your pizza dough into a round shape and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or use a pizza pan/stone.

 

Make the cheese sauce: In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, nooch, lemon juice, miso, garlic powder, paprika, and salt. Puree until smooth.

 

When the vegetables are done roasting, place them in a bowl with the can of fire-roasted tomatoes and stir to combine.

 

Increase the oven temperature to 475. Spread about 1/3 of the sauce on the prepared pizza dough. Top with 1/3 of the tomato/vegetable mixture. Bake at 475 for 12-15 minutes, or until crust is risen and slightly browned. Remove from oven and serve hot. Enjoy!

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broccoli salad with wild rice and citrusy avocado & basil dressing

serves: 6-8
dressing:
1 medium, ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 small jalapeno, seeds and veins removed (optional)
1 cup lightly packed basil leaves
salt and pepper
3 tbsp grapeseed oil

salad:
1 bunch of broccoli, large woody stems removed
1/2 cup wild rice, soaked, sprouted and drained
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
salt and pepper
6-7 chive blossoms, broken up into smaller pieces/petals

Make the dressing:
Combine all of the dressing ingredients except for the basil and oil in a blender. Blend on medium-high speed until a smooth and creamy mixture is achieved. You may have to stop the motor and push the avocado down a couple times. Add the basil leaves and oil to the blender pitcher. Put the lid on and slowly bring the speed up to medium-high. Once you have a creamy consistency similar to mayonnaise, you’re set. It should taste sweet, tangy and rich. Adjust seasoning to your liking and set aside.

Chop the broccoli into very small florets. They shouldn’t be bigger than the end of your thumb. Place florets into a large bowl with the rice, raisins and sunflower seeds.
Pour about 3/4 of the dressing over the broccoli mixture. Give the salad a good seasoning with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Place salad into your serving bowl of choice. Garnish with chive blossoms and a sprig of basil if you like.

Eggplant Potato Moussaka and a smoothie

It seems like winter will never go aways. After a few days with temperature over zero winter has come back with cold days. I can't see the winter anymore. I'm more into warm days.

Ok I'm not really a eggplant lover but in some dishes I really like them. It depends how they are cooked. In this moussaka eggplants are a must and I don't matter, in fact I like moussaka very much. Mostly I cook it when I have guest over, cause only for me myself it means too long standing in the kitchen and only making a smaller version - no. Can't tell you why, guess I'm lazy.

You may ask yourself now, weather I changed my mind and made this moussaka for only me or for guest. To give you the answer - I had potato and eggplants left I wasn't sure what to make and then the idea about this moussaka came and I made it only for myself. It may look like a lasagne but isn't.

Eggplant Potato Moussaka

For the vegetable layer:
1 lb eggplant
1 lb zucchini
1 1/2 lbs russet-type baking potatoes (using large, long potatoes works perfectly in this recipe)
1/4 cup olive oil

For the sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large shallots, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup vegetable broth or red wine
2, 15 oz. cans crushed tomatoes, with juice
2 teaspoons oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
salt to tastePine Nut Topping:
1 lb. soft tofu

Direction:

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly oil three baking sheets or shallow pans.

Wash and trim stem from eggplant and zucchini. Scrub and peel potato. Slice the eggplant, zucchini and potato, lengthwise, into approximately 1/4 inch thick slices. Rub eggplant slices with a little salt and set aside in a colander in the sink or in a big bowl for about 15 minutes to soften, briefly rinsing with cold water and squeezing out any excess liquid water.

Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and place each vegetable on a separate baking sheet. Distribute 1/4 cup oil between the three sheets and sprinkle vegetables with salt (except eggplant if salted already). Toss to coat, making sure each piece is completely coated with oil. Spread vegetables out with minimal overlapping. Roast the zucchini and eggplant for 15 minutes or until tender. Roast the potatoes for about 22 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

While vegetables are cooking prepare the tomato sauce.

Add remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and minced garlic to a large heavy bottom sauce pot. Bring to medium heat and let garlic sizzle for about 30 seconds, then add shallots and cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine and simmer until slightly reduced, another 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, ground cinnamon and bay leaf. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sauce should reduce slightly. Turn off the heat, remove bay leaf and adjust salt.

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 I love smoothies. I had a time when I made them really very often and then suddenly I stopped and now I started again with the winter fruits to get an extra vitamin kick during winter time. Every morning I just press two orange to get the juice and during the day I drink a selfmade smoothie. Especially when I'm getting tired and need some energy.

winter citrus green smoothie

 

Yield: 1 large smoothie

 

Ingredients

1/2 a grapefruit, seeds removed and peeled

1/2 a tangerine type fruit, seeds removed and peeled

1/2 an orange, seeds removed and peeled

1 kiwi, peeled

1 cup diced frozen mango

2 1/2 cups spinach, cleaned and stems removed

1/2 cup almond milk, plus more for thinning the smoothie out

1 1/2 tablespoons hemp seeds

1 heaping teaspoon maca powder (optional)

2 ice cubes (optional)

 

Direction: 

Place all ingredients, except the ice cubes, in a high-speed blender (or regular blender) and blend until smooth. Add more almond milk as needed to thin it out to desired consistency. For an icier smoothie, add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

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Aspargus and cilantro soup

We had such good weather but now winter is back with cold and rainy days. These day's are perfect for a warming soup as I mostly eat for lunchtime. I just love soups.
Yesterday I bought the first aspargus this year though it's not yet really aspargus season. When I was a child my mother used to cook them and we ate them with a Sauce hollandaise and potatoes.

As I'm in soup season I just had to make on with them, but I didn't want to make a simple soup it had to taste like a little bit of asian. First I wasn't sure if cilantro would be the right herbs to use but together with the tamari the flavor was just that good, just perfect. Defenetly a soup I'm going to do over and over.


Aspargus and cilantro soup

When aspargus is in season you simply must make this soup. The rather exotic, bitter-tasting aspargus pairs amazingly well with fresh, clean flavor of cilantro.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small russet potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
6 cups vegetable stock or water
2 pounds aspargus, trimmed, tips reserved, and stalks cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. tamari
2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Direction:
1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and sauté for 8 min.or until the onion are translucent.

2. Stir in the potato, basil, oregano and cumin. Add the stock and bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 min. or until the potato are almost tender. Add the aspargus stalks and simmer for 5 min. or until the aspargus is tender and the potato is very tender.

3. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the soup in the pot until smooth. Stir in the tamari, salt and white pepper. Return the soup to a simmer then stir in the cilantro.

4. Meanwhile cook the reserved aspargus tips in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 min. or until crisp-tender. Drain then cut the aspargus tips in half lenghtwise.

5. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with the aspargus tips and serve.

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Blueberry Lemonade Smoothie

Sunday, so great but it also means weekend is almost over, which is too bad.

For todays post I keep it simple with a smoothie recipe. Blueberry taste great and in fact they are very healthy.
This blueberry lemonade smoothie recipe will give you a great boost of energy and have you feeling great and will help you lose weight.

Blueberry Lemonade Smoothie

 

Prep time: 1 min

Cook time: 1 min

Total time: 2 mins

Ingredients

6 ounces blueberries (frozen or fresh)

½ frozen banana

juice of one lemon

8 ounces water

2 tsp maqui powder

1 tsp maca powder

1-2 handfuls of spinach

liquid stevia to taste

 

Instructions

1. Blend

2. Then taste the smoothie and add liquid stevia until you reach your desired sweetness level.

Mexican Lasagne

This morning I have been awaken by the sun and now later in the afternoon the sky is full of clowds. Too bad I really hoped it's going to be sunny the whole day! Hopefully tomorrow will be better weather.

After Lunchtime I went over to my sister for a short surprising stop and by arriving there I saw my brothers car standing there. It was really funny, cause my brother also stopped over for surprise and so we had a brother and sister afternoon. It was good to see my brother after a long time, we talked a lot and had fun. Well there is always fun at my sister, her little sun is just too cute.

 

Yesterday evening i was in the mood for a lasagne but usually made one doesn't really inspired me to cook. Thinking about what to put in it I decided to make a creamy mexican lasagne. The result was surprisingly very good. First I wasn't sure about the avocado in it. But in fact the avocado just give a great taste.  

 

 

 

Mexican Lasagne

 

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 package fajita seasoning

1 package soy crumbles

½ cup water

½ cup corn meal

1 package tofu, firm or extra firm

1 medium avocado, chopped

1 can chickpeas, drained

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt to taste

2 – 3 cups salsa

18 corn tortillas

1 package vegan “cheese”, shredded

Preparation:
Heat your oven to 350 F.

 

1. ”Meat Sauce

Sauté onion and garlic in a skillet with the oil until tender. Add soy crumbles and fajita seasoning. Next, add 1/2 water and corn meal to the mixture, stir to combine and cook on low for 3 – 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

 

2. ”Guac Sauce”

Add tofu, avocado, chickpeas, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to your food processor and mix until well-combined. You may need to add a little bit of water to the food processor to get the Guac Sauce to a desired consistency.

Crumbly Oat and Raisin Cookies

When going to work I usually get up around 6 a.m. But on my days off I sleep longer. But sometimes my inner clock let me wake up around 6 a.m.. I don't like that, by then it's getting day and I can't sleep when it's bright in my bedroom. So I put on my eyemask and usually I fall back asleep. But this morning I couldn't and I was turning myself in bed every single minute, my mind spinning around thinking of my future. AND I realized I miss being alone, I wish I had a boyfriend or would be married. I really do miss a man on my side.

After breakfast I cleaned up and later I was doing some cookies I wanted to bring over to my sister and her little son, but then I realized she's working the whole day, anyway I made the cookies. I little nephew is a cookie lover as much every kid, hopefully he will like the cookies. I did so! Maybe you will do so also??!

Crumbly Oat and Raisin Cookies

These cookies are pretty healthy, no margarine, no oils, no added sugar and you could add in whatever dried fruit you have on hand.

 

Makes 6 decent sized cookies – ready in half an hour

3 tbsp smooth unsweetened peanut butter

2 tbsp maple syrup

½ cup oats

¼ cup raisins

½ cup buckwheat flour (or wholewheat, or whatever flour you prefer)

¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Pinch of nutmeg

1 tbsp non dairy milk (I used hazelnut milk)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and line a baking tray with parchment

2. In a mixing bowl combine the peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla and cream together before adding in the oats, flour, baking powder, nutmeg and raisins giving the mixture a good stir.

3. I added a tbsp of milk here as my dough was too dry, it’s up to you if you think you need a little extra, then gradually add it until your happy with the consistency.

4. Using your hand, grab a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball and flatten slightly in the palm of your hand before placing it on the baking tray, use a fork to flatten them out more until they are about 4-5mm thick. Pop in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden.

5. Remove from heat and allow to cool

 

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raw zucchini "pasta" with an avocado & pea pesto

serves 2-3 people

Ingredients:
for the zucchini "pasta":
3 green zucchini (choose ones that are long and straight)
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper

for the avocado & pea pesto:
1/2 cup of frozen, organic peas
1/2 cup of basil
1/2 of a ripe avocado
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
water

Direction:
1. Start by making the zucchini "pasta". Peel the zucchini and then slice off the two ends. Cut the zucchini into planks, lengthwise. Then finely slice the planks, lengthwise again. You should have long, thin strips of zucchini that look somewhat like linguini or fettuccini.

2. Place the sliced zucchini into a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice, and a little bit of salt and pepper. Set this aside and allow it to marinate.

3. Then, make the avocado and pea pesto. Place the frozen peas, basil, avocado, garlic, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper in the blender. While the blender is running, drizzle in the olive oil.

4. Continue to blend adding in the water until the mixture is running continuously (you should only need about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water). Blend until you have the consistency you like. I like mine a little chunky, but if you like it super smooth feel free to continue blending. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.

5. Once the pesto is done, toss it in the bowl with the zucchini until the zucchini is coated with the pesto.

Serve chilled, or at room temperature. This should last for a few days in the fridge, but is probably best in the first day or so.
enjoy. 

I didn't know what was wrong with me, being always tired, falling a sleep on the sofa, hard to get up in the morning. But now I know the reason. As I'm a medical assistent I took myself some blood and let it get checked and the result was that I have a very low Iron. No wonder I'm always tired.

This morning I was sitting outside on my balcony for the first time this year and I suck in the sun. It did so good. While sitting outside my head was craving for an idea for todays dinner. Mostly I just mix up some ingredients and see what comes out - in fact it always comes out good tasting. This time I was inspired from the asian orange-chicken and I wanted to try it out. I never ate orange-chicken before so this vegan version was the first time eating it, and I really loved it.

Orange-Soy Tofu Stir-Fry

 

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Total Time: 25 min

Prep Time: 10 min

Ingredients

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoon lite soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 teaspoon canola oil

1 package low fat extra-firm tofu, patted dry, cut into 1-in. cubes

2 teaspoon each minced garlic and fresh ginger

1 bunch asparagus, cut in pieces

2 medium red peppers, sliced

1 cup frozen shelled edamame

1 package sliced shiitake mushrooms

1/2 cup sliced scallions

Garnish: toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Mix water, orange zest, juice, soy sauce, cornstarch and crushed red pepper flakes in a cup.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add tofu; cook over high heat 5 minutes, turning often, until golden. Add garlic and ginger. Reduce heat and cook 30 seconds. Remove.

3. Heat 1 tsp oil in skillet. Add asparagus, peppers, edamame and mushrooms; stir-fry 5 minutes.

4. Add orange juice mixture and bring to boil. Stir in tofu and scallions; toss.

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Raw Cashew Cheesecake

 

Ingredients:

2 cup macadamia nuts

1 1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup dates pitted

1/4 cup dried coconut

6 tablespoon coconut oil, melted (gently warmed)

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup raw agave nectar

1/2 sun-dried vanilla bean

3 cup mixed berries, such as blueberries and raspberries

Preparation

1. Place macadamia nuts in large bowl, and cover with cold water. Place cashews in separate bowl, and cover with cold water. Soak nuts 4 hours, then rinse, drain, and set aside.

2. Pulse macadamia nuts and dates in food processor to a sticky crumb-like consistency. Sprinkle dried coconut on bottom of 8-inch pie pan. Press macadamia nut mixture onto coconut to make crust.

3. Place cashews, coconut oil, lime juice, agave nectar, and 6 Tbs. water in bowl of food processor. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into food processor bowl, and purée until smooth. Pour mixture onto crust, and freeze 1 to 2 hours, or until firm. Remove from freezer, slice while frozen, and transfer to serving platter. Defrost in fridge 1 hour, or on countertop 30 minutes; top with berries; and serve.

Chickpea Omelette

When I was younger I loved the omlettes my mother was doing, but since I'm vegan I havn't eaten omelettes that much. But since I knew how to replace the eggs I eat them sometimes, even sometimes for breakfast on sundays.
Yesterday evening I came home late and I wasn't in the mood for long time cooking and so the omelette below was created with some fresh vegetables.  It was almost like a Frittata. You can add what ever vegetable you like in it. I used some carrots, tomato, spinach.

Chickpea Omelette

This may look like a regular omelette using eggs, but it's actually a chickpea pancake! The taste is nuttier and sweeter but it has likeness to a veggie omelette. Chickpea flour is much lower in fat and calories than 2 eggs and is cheaper as well. Serve with a side of salad for a satisfying breakfast.

1/3 cup chickpea flour (1/3 cup = 2 "eggs")
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 tsp baking powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp coconut oil (for cooking)
Assorted veggies

Direction:
Start by sautéing the veggies on medium heat with coconut oil. Once cooked through, combine rest of ingredients and stir until a batter forms. Pour batter into pan, cook for 5 minutes or so, (you can even add some more nutritional yeast flakes on top before folding for a cheesier centre) then fold "omelette" in half and continue cooking for another minute or until cooked through. You want it to be slightly soft in the middle though, so don't cook it too much! Makes 1 omelette.

If I knew it was this easy to have a protein rich, filling breakfast I would have been making these a long time ago. Protein smoothies are nice, but nothing beats a hearty cooked breakfast!

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Tofu Mushroom ‘Quiche’

 

This is a vegan quiche filled with a savory mix of blended tofu and mushrooms. It has a deep, rich umami flavor. 

1  whole wheat pie crust

about 1/2 cup dried mushrooms

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

Salt to taste

2 to 3 garlic cloves (to taste), minced

3/4 pound mushrooms, trimmed and diced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons dry white wine or rosé

14 ounces firm or silken tofu

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon miso paste

1 teaspoon yeast extract

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1. Roll out the pie crust into backing dish. Place the dried mushrooms in a pyrex measuring cup and pour in 1 cup boiling water. Let sit for 20 minutes or longer. Set a strainer over a bowl, line it with cheesecloth or paper towels, and drain the mushrooms. Squeeze over the strainer to extract as much flavorful liquid as possible, rinse away any lingering sand, and chop medium-fine. Set aside. Measure out 1/3 cup of the mushroom broth.

2. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to soften, and add a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and lightly colored, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until it begins to smell fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the fresh and dried mushrooms and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook, stirring or shaking the pan, until the mushrooms have begun to sweat and soften, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender. If desired add the wine and stir to deglaze the pan. When the liquid has evaporated remove from the heat.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the tofu, soy sauce, miso, yeast extract, tahini and cayenne in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and blend the ingredients until smooth. With the machine running add 1/3 cup of the mushroom broth and process until smooth. Scrape into a large bowl, add the cooked mushrooms and onions, and stir together.

4. Brush the crust with the remaining olive oil and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and fill with the tofu mixture. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is a rich golden brown and the filling has set. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Wow what a great, bright and sunny day. I was outside in the cold enjoying the good weather. As I made my way true the green I saw everywhere flowers coming out of the ground. It was so nice to see that. Hopefully winter is over.
It was so good being outside, feel immiatly better and fresh. It seemed as everyone was outside enjoying the sun.

With my yesterdays dinner I felt like being on holiday in italy. The fresh herbs had such a strong taste- great! I tasted so fresh and summerly! Of course you can take what ever beens you like, I only had canned beans in my cabin.

Pasta with Garbanzo Beans

                   

Makes: 2 servings                   

Start to Finish 25 mins

Average rating 4.0 from 10 reviews                                       

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 2 large tomatoes)

3/4 cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces dried whole wheat linguine, fettuccine, or rigatoni

1/3 cup chopped tomato (1 small)

1 tablespoon crumbled vegan feta cheese (or any vegan cheese you prefer)

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)

Directions

For sauce::

1. In a medium saucepan, cook onion, garlic, cumin, and crushed red pepper in hot oil about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in the 2 cups chopped tomatoes, half of the garbanzo beans, the salt, and black pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat until mixture is boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

2. Carefully transfer the tomato mixture to a blender or food processor. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Return all to saucepan. Stir in the remaining garbanzo beans. Cook and stir over low heat until sauce is heated through.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta. To serve, toss cooked pasta with sauce. Divide mixture between two serving plates. Top with the 1/3 cup chopped tomato and the feta cheese. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. If desired, garnish with rosemary sprigs.

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Nacho Potato Skins

 

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Makes: 24 servings

Prep 20 mins               

Bake 425°F 40 mins to 1 hr Broil             

Average rating 3.5 from 19 reviews                                       

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, such as russet (2 pounds)

Cooking oil, shortening, butter, or margarine

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

Ground red pepper

4 ounces vegan cheese with peppers, shredded (1 cup)

Toppers, such as salsa, guacamole, chopped tomato, chopped sweet pepper, sliced green onion

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degree F. Thoroughly scrub potatoes; pat dry. Rub with cooking oil, shortening, butter, or margarine; prick potatoes with a fork. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes or till tender. (Or, microwave on high for 15 to 20 minutes or till tender.) Cut potatoes lengthwise into quarters. Scoop out the pulp, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Reserve the pulp for mashed potatoes or another use.

 

2. Brush both sides of the potato pieces with the 1/4 cup butter or margarine. Sprinkle the insides with seasoned salt and ground red pepper. Place potato pieces, skin sides up, on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat for 3 minutes.

 

3. Turn potato pieces skin sides down. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Broil 2 minutes more. Arrange the potato pieces on a heated serving platter. Serve with desired toppers. Makes 24 servings.