vegan

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Lunchbox Boss: Blueberry Coconut Balls – George Georgievski

Lunchbox Boss
George Georgievski
Plum
Pan Macmillan Australia
ISBN: 9781761265938
RRP $26.99
**photography by Mark Roper

“Blueberries are my favourite superfood. I use them almost daily in my kids’ lunchboxes (a half-handful is enough for a healthy hit). I like to buy blueberries in bulk when they are in season, then freeze them so I can make these beauties year-round.” p177

Ingredients
155 g (1 cup) fresh or frozen blueberries
150 g (1 1⁄2 cups) rolled oats
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or MCT oil (see Tips)
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 tablespoons maple syrup
45 g (1⁄2 cup) desiccated coconut
Makes 15
NF DF EF VG

Method
Time to plug in your food processor and blitz some ingredients. Drop in the blueberries, oats, oil, chia seeds, maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of the desiccated coconut. Blitz until all the ingredients are pretty smooth and you want to dip your finger in to taste (but don’t do that … unless no one is watching).

Pour the mixture into an airtight container and pop it in the fridge for 2 hours or the freezer for 1 hour.

Place the remaining desiccated coconut onto a small plate or in a bowl. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the cold blueberry mixture, then roll it with your hands until it’s almost perfectly round. Roll the ball in the desiccated coconut until it is evenly coated. Repeat until you’ve used up all the mixture. (If you’re like
me you’ll have to taste test every third one just to make sure the kids will survive.)


These are best popped back into the fridge in an airtight container until you’re ready to dispatch them to the lunchbox.


TIPS
Available from supermarkets, MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) oil is great for gut health, the heart and energy levels. It doesn’t have a strong taste and is very similar to coconut oil.


These balls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 1 month.


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Vegan Breakfast Banana Bread – Intolerance Friendly Kitchen – Georgia McDermott

Intolerance Friendly Kitchen

**Images courtesy of Georgia McDermott**

The year 2020 taught us a few things, and one of them was the importance of a good banana bread. This version is refined sugar free, dairy free and vegan, which all sounds pretty good to me. While the quantity of ripe banana in this bread is within FODMAP limits, it might not agree with some. If you don’t get along with ripe bananas, use just ripe or slightly under-ripe ones instead. I find it can be helpful
to roast these first to bring out their sweetness and flavour. p

LACTOSE FREE
GUM FREE
EGG FREE
VEGAN
FODMAP FRIENDLY
GLUTEN FREE
DAIRY FREE
Serves: 8–10
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 40–55 minutes

Vegan Breakfast Banana Bread

200 g (1 ¼ cups) fine white rice flour
60 g (½ cup) tapioca flour
2 ¼ teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
200 g banana, ripe or just ripe

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 21.5 cm x 11.5 cm (base measurement) loaf pan.

Place flours, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Mash the banana in a medium bowl, keeping some larger chunks for texture. Mix in the dry ingredients.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in any additions here if using (see notes). You can top the bread with some thinly sliced banana coins or
slices, but this is optional.

Pour the mixture into the pan, sitting it on a baking tray. Cook for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If necessary, cover with foil and continue to cook for a further 10–15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Set loaf aside to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve with vegan, FODMAP-friendly yoghurt if desired.


NOTES
This banana bread will keep in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days.
You can mix in several things here: chocolate, nuts or berries. Just make
sure any additions are vegan, low FODMAP and gluten free if they need

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#Meat FreeMonday: Cauliflower Cakes – The Dirty Dishes – Isaac Carew

‘The Dirty Dishes: 100 Fast and Delicious Recipes by Isaac Carew, Published by Bluebird, RRP $39.99’ 

 

Cauliflower cakes
“This is a twist on a potato rosti I used to make when I was a Saturday boy for my dad in the restaurant. One of my jobs was grating about a million potatoes to make crispy potato rostis. The amount of time and finesse it took to get the rostis perfectly crisp and brown on either side . . . I have never concentrated on something so much in my life! Having said that, these are really simple to cook. Just watch out for the water content in the cauliflower mixture before you start frying because you don’t want it to be too soggy.” p. 180

serves 2

sea salt
1 x 500g head of cauliflower, cored
and cut into florets
olive oil, for frying
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
40g strong flour
50g vegan hard cheese, grated
15g chives, chopped
pinch of smoked sea salt (optional)

To serve
green salad
dollop of dirty chilli sauce

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil over a medium heat. Add the cauliflower and boil for 3 minutes.
Drain, then set aside to stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, hit a saucepan with a small amount of olive oil and sweat the onion for 2 minutes. Add the
garlic and smoked paprika and sweat for another 3 minutes.

Add the cauliflower to the onion and stir in the flour. Cook for 1 minute.

Either transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse for 10 seconds, or chop the mixture until
fine on a chopping board. Allow the mixture to cool, then add the vegan hard cheese, chives and a
pinch of smoked sea salt, if using.

Form the cauliflower into 6–8 cakes. Either fry them in a splash of oil for 3 minutes on each side and
serve straightaway, or make the cakes in advance and allow them to firm up in the fridge for an hour
before frying.

Serve with a simple salad and the dirty sauce

.
TIP Boiling the cauliflower partly cooks it, takes some of the bitterness away and makes it easier to
form into cakes.

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Banana, Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Coconut Muffins: Fodmap Friendly – Georgia McDermott

FODMAP Friendly Cover

FODMAP Friendly by Georgia McDermott, Published by Macmillan Australia, RRP $34.99

“This one is for the FODMAP, gluten-free vegans – you must be going through it, because I certainly was while I was
developing this recipe. If you don’t need the muffins to be vegan, you can use regular chocolate, but otherwise, find
a brand of vegan chocolate with as few weird additives as possible.” p. 146


Banana, peanut butter, chocolate and coconut muff ins

Banana, peanut butter, chocolate and coconut muffins

Makes 7–8 muffins
55 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
60 ml (¼ cup) coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
¼ cup coconut yoghurt
60 ml (¼ cup) maple syrup
110 g (½ cup) light brown sugar
1 banana, mashed
185 ml (¾ cup) almond milk
a pinch of sea salt, plus extra for serving
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 cup fine rice flour
50 g vegan chocolate, broken into small chunks

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 12–hole 80 ml (1/3 cup) capacity silicone muffin tray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa and coconut oil, ensuring there are no lumps. Add the peanut butter, coconut yoghurt, maple syrup, light brown sugar, mashed banana, almond milk and sea salt, and continue to whisk until combined.
3. Add the baking powder and baking soda, along with the vinegar, and stir through. Finally, add the flour and mix
until a batter forms.
4. Pour the batter into your greased muffin tray and gently press
a few chunks of chocolate into the top of each muffin. Cook for 35 minutes, or until the muffins are firm, but springy.
Immediately transfer to a wire rack to prevent soggy bottoms (but take care as the muffins will be delicate fresh out of the oven). Sprinkle over a pinch of salt, if you like, to intensify the chocolate flavour.
5. Store in an airtight container and eat within 2–3 days.

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Review: Fodmap Friendly – Georgia McDermott

For the digestive challenged 🙂 

FODMAP Friendly Cover

Fodmap Friendly

95 Delicious Gluten – Free, Mostly Vegetarian Receipes suitable for the Digestively Challenged.

Georgia Mc Dermott

Macmillan Australia

ISBN: 9781760555467

RRP $34.99

 

Description:

A low-FODMAP diet is the simplest and most effective way to manage irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and a range of other dietary intolerances.

 

Georgia McDermott is one of the 15 per cent of Australians who suffer from IBS. She is also a passionate home cook. She set out to find a way of managing her symptoms and discovered the low-FODMAP diet. At the same time, she chronicled her journey and her cooking experiments on her phenomenally successful blog and on Insta (@georgeats).

 

Now, in her first book FODMAP Friendly, Georgia shares over 90 recipes that are not only delicious, but will help relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of an unsettled gut.

 

Georgia creates food for all occasions, from colourful salads and hearty dinners to gorgeous savoury bites and full-blown baking extravaganzas. Accompanied by all-new photography, these recipes – most vegetarian and sometimes pescetarian – are tried and tested by Georgia to ensure that taste is never sacrificed in the pursuit of feeling well and comfortable.

 

Whether you’re following a low-FODMAP diet, suffer from food intolerances or experience gut-health issues OR you simply love great-tasting food that’s also good for you, this book, bursting with deliciousness, is for you.

 

 

My View:

This book is an excellent resource with many recipes that will soon be on my daily meal plan. I will put my hands up – I am digestively challenged, reflux is not my friend. A low *FODMAP diet is one I am keen to try.

 

*FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols – types of carbohydrates that some people find hard to digest. Common FODMAPs include:

Fructose: A simple sugar found in many fruits, vegetables and added sugars.

Lactose: A carbohydrate found in dairy products like milk.

Fructans: Found in many foods, including gluten grains like wheat, spelt, rye and barley.

Galactans: Found in large amounts in legumes.

Polyols: Sugar alcohols like xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol and mannitol. They are found in some fruits and vegetables, and often used as sweeteners.

 

Georgia states (p. 10): “Digestive issues are extremely personal, and everyone has nuanced reaction to food. For example, I don’t tolerate many gr4ains (FODMAP friendly or not) so I only eat them occasionally, If onion and garlic don’t bother you? Add them! If the thought of tomatoes makes you nauseous? Don’t eat them. Remember the whole point is to feel better.  If something doesn’t sit well with you acknowledge it, work around it and substitute other foods.  This book will hopefully provide you with ideas and inspiration to experiment with a way of eating that suits you.”

 

Sound advice. I am ready to experiment.

 

 

 

 

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Chocolate & Almond Nice Cream: Farmacy Kitchen Cookbook – Camilla Fayed

Farmacy Kitchen Cook Book by Camilla Fayed cover art

Farmacy Kitchen Cookbook by Camilla Fayed ($39.99), published by Hachette Australia.

 

Chocolate & Almond Nice Cream

GF R VG

Serves 6–8 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 4 hours freezing

“Regulars at Farmacy know we love a nice cream. It was hard to choose which flavour to include. Emily loves this banana and almond version and could quite happily eat it every day. It has a creamy edge and chocolate fudge chunks in the middle. There are no grains in the recipe and no flour, and it is sweetened with natural sugars. All the ingredients support good health. This is a nice cream your body won’t mind you eating.” p.231

 

Chocolate and Almond Nice Cream

For the fudge

50g (1¾oz) coconut flour

3 tbsp cacao powder

6 tbsp maple syrup

¾ tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

 

For the ice cream

6 peeled, sliced and frozen bananas (you can use fresh but these take longer to set)

175g (6oz) smooth Almond Butter (see page 74)

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Put all the fudge ingredients into a small food processor and blend until well combined. The mixture should resemble dry brownie pieces. Turn into a bowl and break up the mixture into chunks or finer pieces if desired.

Put all the ice cream ingredients into a blender and whizz at a high speed until completely smooth. Transfer the mixture into a freezer-proof container. Add the fudge pieces, folding them in with a spoon until they are evenly distributed. Freeze for 4–5 hours until set.

 

Almond Butter

GF VG

Quantity: approx 250g (9oz)

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes cooking

 

500g (1lb 2oz) raw, peeled almonds, Unsoaked

 

“This recipe is a one-ingredient wonder that transforms almonds into a luxurious, velvety

spread. We use it as a butter replacement in our recipes and in a variety of plant-based

dishes. Almonds are high in vitamin E and are one of the most nutritional of all nuts. The

butter adds flavour and thickens sauces with all the nutty goodness that almonds provide.”p74

 

Preheat the oven to 150˚C (300˚F), Gas Mark 2. Place the almonds on a baking tray and put in the oven for 15 minutes. Be careful not to colour the nuts too much; do not fully toast them.

Place the nuts in a food processor and process at high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce to medium speed and process until the mixture has a creamy, tahini-like texture, and is smooth and velvety. If there are still lumps, continue processing. The mixture will go through different states, turning from almond meal to powder and then into butter. Be patient and scrape the bowl frequently, especially at the start. The time it takes will vary depending on the freshness of the nuts – this process can take up to 15 minutes.

Notes

This is one recipe for which you don’t need to soak the almonds. The almond butter works best when the nuts’ natural oils are warmed, allowing them to be released more easily. This recipe does not work with ready-ground almonds. Raw, peeled almonds produce a creamy and velvety butter texture free of the solids of the skin. Alternatively, you can use almonds with their skins to create a darker butter with a slightly different flavour.

This keeps well in an airtight container in a dry, cool place.

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Sweet Potato & Mushroom Curry: Farmacy Kitchen Cookbook – Camilla Fayed

Farmacy Kitchen Cook Book by Camilla Fayed cover art

Farmacy Kitchen Cookbook by Camilla Fayed ($39.99), published by Hachette Australia.

 

Sweet Potato & Mushroom Curry

GF VG

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes cooking

“This Thai-inspired recipe is a homely update on our Farmacy restaurant curry. It’s colourful and bursting with goodness. Susie says that this curry would be her desert island luxury. This is one of the recipes that elicited excited gasps at the testing table. Its flavour is deep and delicious, warming heart and soul.” p. 180

 

Sweet Potato Mushroom Curry

For the curry paste

1 red chilli

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 lemon grass stalks, sliced

4 coriander sprigs, stems included

1½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

 

For the curry

4 shallots, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp curry paste (see above)

1 tbsp grated fresh root ginger

500ml (18fl oz) Vegetable Broth (see page 60)

1kg (2lb 4oz) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 kaffir lime leaves, chopped

200g (7oz) oyster or other mushrooms

125g (4½oz) roasted peanuts, chopped

375ml (13fl oz) coconut milk

3 tbsp Philosopher’s Sauce (see page 64)

2 tbsp coconut nectar

 

For the cucumber raita

2 cucumbers, seeded and diced

125ml (4fl oz) Cashew Yogurt (see page 76)

3 tbsp chopped dill

1½ tbsp lemon juice

 

To garnish

dry toasted pumpkin seeds

coriander leaves

2 limes, halved

 

Blend together all the curry paste ingredients in a food processor until they form a paste. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water. Set aside. This will make more paste than you need for this recipe, but it will last several months if refrigerated. To make the curry, sauté the shallots and garlic in the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat until they are translucent. Do not let them colour. Add the curry paste and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth, sweet potatoes and lime leaves and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the mushrooms, the peanuts and the coconut milk.

Stir in the philosopher’s sauce and the coconut nectar. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Test whether the sweet potatoes are done and simmer longer if necessary.

Turn off the heat under the saucepan, cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the raita by combining all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

Serve the curry garnished with pumpkin seeds and coriander leaves along with a dollop of raita, and half a lime for squeezing over.

 

 

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Sweet Potato Cakes: Farmacy Kitchen Cookbook – Camilla Fayed

Farmacy Kitchen Cook Book by Camilla Fayed cover art

Tonight’s dinner sorted ( and some in the freezer for when my vegetarian daughter visits next) and a few gifted to my other daughter for her dinner tonight.

 

Sweet Potato Cakes

These are so easy to make and look just as delicious as those in the recipe book. Great for entree or a main meal with salad or green vegetables.

 

 

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Review: Farmacy Kitchen Cookbook Plant Based Recipes for Conscious Living – Camilla Fayed

Farmacy Kitchen Cook Book by Camilla Fayed cover art

Farmacy Kitchen Cookbook

Camilla Fayed

Hachette Australia

Aster: Octopus Books

ISBN: 9781912023509

 

Description:

Want to eat well with nature’s best ingredients while being aware of where our food comes from?

 

Think taking better care of the land and people who grow these ingredients is important?

Welcome to the FARMACY KITCHEN, where you will find inspirational ideas for conscious living and delicious recipes for plant-based eating. The Farmacy ethos is about bringing attention back to nature, simplicity and balance. We love to follow the concept of ‘simple abundance’ in the food we create, using fresh, colourful and whole foods in inspired combinations for maximum taste, digestion and enjoyment.

 

We know how good food tastes when it’s made with love and intention. It’s a creative process that brings care into the kitchen to make great-tasting food to nourish the body and energise the soul. A process that you can now bring to your own kitchen with the help of this book.

 

 

My View:

This beautiful book pays homage to fresh, natural plant based ingredients in colourful and tantalising ways. I must admit I was instantly drawn to the breakfast breads and some of the desserts (especially the gluten free, vegan, raw Chocolate Wheels – which look a lot like a commercially made comfort food of my childhood).

 

This book has so much more than comfort foods to offer; I love that there is a comprehensive guide to preparing nuts, seeds, grains and beans.  Activating nuts and seeds by soaking makes digestion easier and their nutrients easier to absorb. And can improve taste.  Following on is a section on sprouting, and then another on cooking with beans and pulses. A great tip here (that I know but don’t follow often enough) is to soak and cook different types of beans separately as the cooking times varies depending on the variety.  I often make a bean casserole or need a mix of beans for a dip or burger – and sure enough if I try and short cut and soak and cook together some are over cooked (mushy) some are still hard…one I will learn J

 

There is a great section on “basics” which covers making sauces, nut and seed milk, nut butter, fruit chia jams etc. There are sections on breakfast, dip and appetizers, sides, soups and salads, mains and desserts. The final chapter adds a surprising element – a section on natural recipes for keeping your home and body healthy without the chemicals; think edible body butter, natural toothpaste and body wash.

 

This is a comprehensive guide to fresh and natural plant based cooking.

 

 

 

 

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Who Would Have Thought…

Who would have thought that tahini ( ground sesame seed paste) and maple syrup could  taste this good?  Today I made my first raw food dessert – raw caramel slice from  Vladia Cobrdova’s “A Whole New Way To Eat.”

I love the base- dates and almonds, the caramel – basically tahini, coconut oil and maple syrup and the choc top –  mostly just cocoa and coconut oil. YUM.  A little goes a long way – but  make sure you keep this in the fridge.  The recipe  states this will keep for up to three weeks in an airtight container in the fridge, which is good because this recipe made a huge amount.  If you are down this way – pop in for a coffee and a taste.

 

raw caramel slice