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Recipe Blog

LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE BE THY FOOD

My wish for you is to Live Better, Strive Harder, Be Bolder, Dream Bigger, Climb Higher and Seek Greater.
My vision is to help people create food that is delicious, easy to make and high in nutrition,
so that food once more becomes a vehicle to fuel your body, mind and soul.

No-Bake Sweet Salty Chocolate Tart (Vegan, GF)

By , May 2, 2020

‘Happiness is…. when your cooking experiment is a success’

I have been in the kitchen a lot during this quarantine period. Cooking Italian comfort food for Mr. B, healthy immune boosting food for myself and the blog and more recently entering a weekly competition with the institute of culinary education to challenge myself. 

Every week a star ingredient and a basket of others are provided, and you have to use your imagination to create a winning dish. This was my second entry. It is a super healthy dessert, it is no bake, high in protein and full of a delicious combination of ingredients. 

When I saw the market basket ingredients, including miso, dates and nut butter, I was immediately inspired to make a sweet and salty dessert. My husband (Mr. B) has a sweet tooth and I have a salty one (they say opposites attract), so I am always playing around with that flavor profile, in order to make dishes we can eat together. 

I had taken a raw desserts class a few years ago, so I also wanted to challenge myself to make the whole dessert raw. The term raw tends to intimidate people and I wanted to show the accessibility and ease of it. 

For the base, the dominant ingredients were walnuts, cashew nuts, oats and peanut butter, with a little maple syrup, which was the beginning of the sweet salty journey. I then layered on bananas and a caramel which included the focus ingredients dates and miso, as well as reinforcing the sweet-salty theme. Lastly, I had a hazelnut almond nut butter that I had bought as a treat for Mr. B, but which was a little on the salty side for him and so I thought Tofu would be a good addition to mellow it out and create more of a mousse type texture.  

I topped it off with shapes I had made with the leftover pastry, shaped like birds as an ode to earth day and the beautiful nature we are seeing back all over the world and in NYC. #silverlinings

Recipe

No-Bake Sweet Salty Chocolate Tart 

Yields 4 tarts small tarts (4-inch rounds) or one large tart (9-inch round)

Base

  • 1 cup walnuts
  • ½ cup cashews
  • ½ cup oat flour 
  • 1 tbsp. peanut butter
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ½ tsp vanilla 
  • 1 tbsp psyllium husk
  • ½ tsp. cardamom
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼. Tsp. nutmeg

Middle

  • ½ ripe banana
  • 1 cup soft dates
  • 1/3 cup almond milk or coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp. sweet miso paste
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • ¼ cup agave 

Top layer

  • ½ cup hazelnut almond/hazelnut nut butter
  • 200g tofu cream cheese

Method

  1. Add the walnuts and cashews to a blender and blend to form a crumb (don’t go further than this or you will make a nut butter)
  2. Add the oat flour (if you don’t have this make your own but blending oats and sifting them)
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend till it comes together in a ball
  4. Place it between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out to ¼ inch thick, line the tart base(s) and leave to dehydrate for 10 hours or until the pastry is set. If you don’t have a dehydrator use the lowest setting of your oven 
  5. Slice the bananas to ¼ inch thickness and layer the bottom of the dehydrated pastry
  6. To make the caramel, simply blend all the ingredients and layer on top of the bananas. The recipe will make more than you need so save the extra caramel to dip apples into or pour onto pancakes
  7. For the topping mix the nut butter and tofu cream cheese (if you can’t find this then just drain and blend some soft tofu) until well combined and place over the top, smoothing the mixture out with a palate knife or the back of a spoon
  8. Top with shapes made out of any leftover pastry

Native Fine Blue Cornmeal Muffins (Vegan, Gluten Free)

By , April 26, 2020

‘’When you pursue great flavour, you also pursue great ecology” – Dan Barber 

Anson Mills Native Fine Blue Cornmeal is the star of this recipe. You can use any cornmeal as a substitute, but I wanted to explain why I love this brand. 

I discovered Anson Mills when reading Dan Barbers, ‘The Third Plate’ which speaks to the history of American agriculture and how we as chefs and consumers need to think about how to align our purchases with a sustainable food system, which is not only better for the land but for taste and nutrition also. 

Anson Mills is an example of exactly this, having brought back heritage seeds and grains that were breed for flavour and to complement the terroir. (This includes Carolina Gold Rice, known as Carolina ice-cream, in the south and this beautiful native blue cornmeal dating back to pre-Columbian times.) It is in these two components that bring the integrity and sustainability to the plate. Hence the third plate title from Dan Barber, reimagining the future of food. 

This is a vegan and gluten free version of cornbread, so there are a few techniques to getting it right, all distilled below into an easy recipe that takes 30 minutes from ingredients to the table. 

Mr B loves these so much he has been eating them for breakfast! They are a savoury sweet, so can be used to accompany any meal.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tsp. GF baking powder
  • 4 cups fine blue cornmeal (preferably Anson Mills)
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tsp. sea salt
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 2/3 cup melted coconut oil
  • 4 Tbsp. flax seeds

Method

  • Mix the almond milk and vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes (this will make a vegan version of buttermilk*) 
  • Next, make the vegan egg*. Blend the flax seeds till they form a flour like consistency, add 10 tablespoons of water and stir, leave for 5 minutes
  • In a bowl mix the cornmeal, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Mix.
  • In a separate bowl mix the coconut oil, maple syrup, flax eggs and vegan buttermilk. Make sure all these ingredients are room temperature as otherwise the coconut oil will crystalize. If that happens, then just gently warm the mixture and it will melt back in. 
  • In a large bowl, slowly add in the mixture and mix until fully blended (I like a figure of eight movement to fold in the flour from the bottom) 
  • Use silicon or paper muffin holders and evenly pour the batter in. Fill 2/3 of the way as the mix will rise. 
  • This mixture makes approximately 24 muffins or 12 muffins and a cornbread (use a greased cake tin). 
  • Place in a preheated oven at 400F for 15 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes. 

*For future reference, buttermilk is made by adding full fat milk with an acid (e.g. lemon or white vinegar), this causes it to curdle. To make vegan buttermilk you can use any unsweetened plant milk and add an acid, I like almond milk and apple cider vinegar, soya milk and lemon would be good substitutes.

*For future reference, this is a common substitute in vegan recipes for an egg. It works as a binder in muffins, pancakes etc. Flax seeds are one of the oldest crops in the world and have great health benefits. Just one tablespoon provides a good amount of protein, fibre and omega-3 fatty acids, in addition to being a rich source of vitamins and minerals. They are one of the richest sources of Lignans, providing around 800 times more lignans than other plant foods, which may help with preventing cancer.

Vegan Hot Cross Buns

By , April 18, 2020

‘Wait, be patient, the storm will pass, the spring will come’

Easter is a great reminder that a new season and new day is coming. It is a time of renewing the spirit, a reminder of rebirth and resurrection. I love this period, for it brings a different reflection than the new year, with the sky starting to get brighter and the sensation of hope and new life bursting out of the early morning due.

In blighty (the UK), during Easter we have Hot Cross Buns. They are a sweet fruit filled bread with a cross over the top. They have an enticing aroma that finds you wherever you are as they contain cinnamon, nutmeg, orange and lemon zest. 

Given our current quarantine status, I decided that now was the perfect time to make them at home. I was so excited to try a vegan version and to fill my home with those wonderful aroma’s. 

On Easter Sunday, I proudly presented them to my Italian family on Zoom, to the response, ‘what are those?’ Mr B and his family didn’t have a clue what Hot Cross Buns were, as evidently, they are not so common in the USA. Ahh well, the smell managed to evoke a memory for me and will now become a new tradition as Mr B became rather fond of these little buns and ate at least two thirds of the dozen rolls before the week was out!

Ingredients

Buns

  • 2 ¼ tsp. Yeast
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • ½ cup lukewarm water
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (more for dusting)
  • ¾ cup almond milk
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • 1.5 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp. ground cardamom (optional)
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp. orange zest
  • 1 tbsp. lemon zest
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup cranberries

Vegan ‘egg’ wash

  • 2 tbsp. almond milk
  • 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

Icing

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2.5 tsp almond milk

Method

  • Mix the yeast, sugar and lukewarm water in a bowl and let stand for a few minutes until the yeast has foamed up
  • Add the lukewarm milk, oil, salt, spices, zests and flour and mix to combine. Add the raisins and cranberries. Mix in as you knead.
  • Mix to form a dough, if sticky add more flour, if dry add more milk or some water
  • When formed, tip out on a surface that is lightly dusted with flour. Knead for 8-10 minutes or until you can poke the dough and it springs back
  • Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or equivalent and leave to rise for 60 minutes or until it has doubled in size
  • After an hour tip the dough, out and punch the air out and knead for a few seconds, separate into 12 pieces and roll each into a ball
  • Place all onto a lined baking tray, it’s okay if they are close together. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes
  • Preheated oven to 375F
  • To make the ‘egg’ wash mix the milk and maple syrup together and brush onto the buns once rested. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until brown
  • Take out of the oven, do not separate. Leave to cool
  • Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk in a bowl. Place into a piping bag or bottle and once the buns are cooled, draw lines straight across (see video) the horizontal and vertical
  • Serve with a cup of tea

Lentil Bolognese (Vegan, Gluten Free)

By , April 11, 2020

‘Per Aspera ad Astra – through adversity to the stars’

Lentil Bolognese is a great quarantine recipe. It is made of pantry goods and leftover or wilting vegetables. I made this in my third week of quarantine when my cupboard and fridge were depleted but it has been one of Mr B’s favourite dishes so far. 

I often find that the recipes that were made using leftovers or with humble dry ingredients like lentils and beans are my favourite dishes. In both Indian and Italian cuisine there are many examples of this. Pakora’s or Bhaji’s where created to use up leftover or wilting vegetables and are now a favourite appetizer on Indian menus. Panzanella (bread salad) was created to use up left over bread and arancini to use up leftover risotto. Thus, remembering adversity can bring wonderful and lasting beauty, is good to remember in the kitchen, just as it is in everyday life.  

This lentil Bolognese dish is great to make in bulk and can be used in many different ways. I like to eat it as soup, Mr B with chickpea pasta and at the weekends I sometimes use it to make empanadas. It is high in protein, minerals and fibre with added spices and herbs giving a boost to your immunity.  

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 cup celery or fennel, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1.5 cups of petit lentils
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 4 cups tomato passata
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh herbs, parsley and basil, if available 

Method

  • Heat the oil and gently fry the onions, celery/fennel and carrots
  • Season with salt and pepper 
  • Once starting to soften, 8-10 minutes
  • Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
  • Add the tomato passata and cook for 2 minutes
  • Add the lentils, stock and bay leaf’s and leave to simmer 
  • The Bolognese is ready when the lentils are soft
  • Serve with pasta or rice and top with herbs

Baked Falafel (Vegan, Gluten Free)

By , April 5, 2020

‘God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us, in the dreariest and most dreaded moments, can see the possibility of hope’ – Maya Angelou

Whilst in quarantine, Mr B and I have been trying to focus on what the quarantine has brought us versus what it has taken away. One of the things it has given me is time to try new recipes and practice new skills and it has given Mr B a way to have all his favorite dishes without leaving the apartment. One of those is Falafel.

Falafel is a great quarantine recipe as it can be made with mostly dried ingredients. It’s also a blend and bake recipe, which means very little time, effort or washing up.

The herbs used in this recipe are immune boosting, antibacterial and antiviral. Oregano for example is a great antibacterial agent and has Thymol which supports the respiratory system and is the predominant ingredient in cough syrup.

Ingredients

Falafel

  • 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
  • ½ red onion
  • 1 tsp. coriander/cilantro
  • ½ tsp. parsley
  • ½ tsp. oregano
  • ¼ tsp. mint (optional)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp flour (plain or GF)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder

Tahini sauce

  • ½ cup tahini
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Pinch of salt and cumin
  • Filtered water to thin

Method

  • Combine the chickpeas, garlic onions and seasoning
  • Blend to create a crumb
  • Add the olive oil, flour and baking powder and mix
  • Turn the mixture out into a bowl
  • Shape mixture into palm sized balls, approximately 12
  • Place them on an oiled baking tray or one lined with parchment paper
  • Place them on the tray and push slightly down
  • Bake in a 400F preheated oven.
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crispy and brown on both sides
  • Serve with salad, naan and a tahini sauce
  • To make the sauce, combine all tahini sauce ingredients, whisk together and drizzle over the top of the falafel

Spinach Cilantro Pesto (Vegan)

By , March 30, 2020

‘Necessity is the mother of invention’

The last time I went to the supermarket and left my apartment building was two weeks ago, but even then, pasta sauces had left the building. I guess it is something easy to stock up on that is tasty and comforting. Pasta is also a comfort food of my Italian, Mr B and so I had to get inventive. 

I love this recipe as it is super tasty even if you just use the spinach and garlic (as one of my Instagram followers did). The rest of the ingredients add a little more umami. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 cup cilantro (optional)
  • 1 tbsp. white miso (optional)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice (optional)
  • ½ tsp. salt 

Method

  • Combine all the ingredients in a blender, taste and add additional seasoning if needed
  • Serve with ramen noodles or pasta

Introducing Quarantine Kitchen

By , March 22, 2020

The only thing that is certain is uncertainty

You can’t control the situation; you can only control your response

You can choose to have a positive or negative perspective

Some advice that has helped me during this time;

  • Think about what you need to stay healthy mentally and physically and put in a routine that allows for this (Online meditation and yoga have been helpful to me; they make me feel more grounded and connected)
  • Think of three things to be grateful for every day to set yourself up with a positive mindset (Shelter, Food and Flexibility are essentials that I have that many don’t) 
  • Use technology to socialise from a distance. Just because we have to be socially distant, doesn’t mean that we are alone. If nothing else, this situation shows us that we are all connected.
  • Use this time to do the things that you have always wanted to do and haven’t had the time. This way you will have gained something positive from something negative. Reading and cooking are two great gifts that keep on giving.

For those of you who want to learn about new recipes, spices and technique. I have started a series on Instagram TV and You Tube called, ‘Quarantine Kitchen’. 

Every day I am releasing a video showing easy, tasty, immune boosting recipes. 

The pictures above are dishes that have videos that are already available to you;

  • Vegan Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper) Pasta
  • Raw Chocolate, Date, Nut Sushi (3-minute blender recipe)
  • Immune Boosting, High Protein Porridge
  • Spiced Potatoes and Peas 

I hope this will inspire you to join me in the kitchen and try something new.

Message me with any questions or requests at;

[email protected]

Blog recipes will commence as normal from next week. 

Stay safe, healthy and happy. Love and light to all.

Grounding Spiced Butternut Squash Breakfast Bowl (Vegan, DF, Gluten Free)

By , March 14, 2020

With the changing weather and the fluid situation, I decided it would be a good idea to create something grounding and nourishing. This is consistent with the Ayurvedic principle of balancing your mind and environment using food and herbs. To ground yourself use warming heavier foods like squash, pumpkin and root vegetables and warming spices like cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. 

The great thing about this dish, is it is another way of serving veggies for breakfast. Squash is also low in fat and high in fibre and thus promotes weight loss and reduces body fat. I added some cinnamon and pecan granola to the top to complement the squash (Mr B’s favourite), you could also add some berries or stewed apples. 

Ingredients

  • 1 Butternut Squash
  • ¼ Cup coconut milk
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
  • 1 Tbsp. Coconut butter (optional)
  • ½ Tsp. Nutmeg
  • ½ Tsp. Cinnamon 
  • ½ Tsp. Cardamom 

Method

  • Place the butternut squash in the oven at 400F for 45 minutes or until you can put a knife through. I don’t use oil, the whole squash with the skin on seems to allow the squash to steam itself from the inside out and so doesn’t need it
  • Once cooked allow to cool, remove the skin and seeds and place in the blender with all the above ingredients
  • Blend and adjust for seasoning and sweetness

Pulled BBQ Trumpet Mushrooms (Vegan)

By , March 7, 2020

Low fat, high in fibre. Satisfying and satiating, this vegan BBQ bun is great for a meal or a canapé and your meat eating and vegetarian friends will love it just the same. Mr B actually doesn’t like pulled pork due to the fatty texture but he loves these as the strands take on so much flavor.

Trumpet Mushrooms are not only packed full of flavor but have an impressive nutritional profile too. They are full of nutrients including riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, iron and magnesium. They have low to zero cholesterol and saturated fat and are high in fibre. They also have a good amount of protein. Studies have shown that they are a great anti-inflammatory, may aid in lowering cholesterol and they have a notable amount of antioxidants which help with over all immunity. 

Ingredients

  • 8 trumpet mushrooms
  • 3 tbsp. oil
  • 1 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 tbsp. vegan organic BBQ sauce

Method

  • Shred the mushrooms but pulling a fork downwards in motion.
  • Once shredded add the paprika, garlic, onion powder and 2 tbsp. oil
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven (400F) until the mushrooms start to become a little crispy 
  • Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and add the mushrooms and BBQ sauce, cook for 3-5 minutes
  • Serve on its own, on bread, on rice, in a taco or as part of a salad

Tahini and Halva Granola (Dairy Free, Gluten Free)

By , February 29, 2020

This is adapted from a Seed & Mill recipe, my favorite brand of Tahini. They use high quality Ethiopian sesame seeds, giving a deep roasted quality to the Tahini.

The granola is sweet and salty, with plenty of antioxidants from the raw cacao and healthy fats from the nuts. You can also adapt it, using which ever nuts you like best. Mr B likes all things with a Nutella similarity so I used hazelnuts and I personally like to throw in a pecan to any recipe whenever I can.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of nuts of your choice (I like pecan and hazelnuts), chopped
  • 1 cup GF rolled oats
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. raw cacao powder
  • ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup organic tahini (I like seed and mill)
  • 2 tbsp. organic coconut oil
  • Halva (to crumble on top)

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper
  • Mix all the ingredients apart from the Halva
  • Bake for 15 minutes or until start to brown
  • Let cool and store in a glass container

Crumble the Halva before serving