Vegan – Page 2

Healthy cinnamon, fig and coconut granola

12.01.2014 by georgie // 9 Comments

Bar a vat of coffee, I was never much of a breakfast person until I started dating Pete. (Pete is one of those naturally skinny people who has to eat every few hours or becomes mute and/ or grumpy). Now however it is my favourite meal of the day. For the last few months we have started the day with a bowl of chopped seasonal fruit and yoghurt, which has been perfect but now that the days are getting colder we’re finding we need something a little more filling. Porridge has made a welcome wintery return, however you can only have porridge for so many days on the trot without feeling like you are living off wallpaper paste. And cereal is pretty much a no-no in the Hayden household now (Sugar! Sugar!), and although some are ok, a lot of my dear boys favourites have been kicked to the curb. What to do?

Cue: homemade granola. With Pete’s nut allergy it wasn’t easy finding a granola or muesli that was nut free and wasn’t full of sugar. And when I did find one that was ok, it was crazy expensive! Much cheaper and more satisfying to make your own I say. So today I set about creating a delicious and healthy nut-free granola, to pimp up our fruit and yoghurt breakfast. It is incredibly quick to make, you know exactly what goes into it and, without blowing my own trumpet, it is pretty bloomin’ good.

Cinnamon, coconut and fig granola — Healthy cinnamon, coconut and fig granola

HEALTHY CINNAMON, FIG AND COCONUT GRANOLA

Makes around 16 servings

2 tablespoons groundnut oil (or any flavourless oil – light olive oil, sunflower, veg etc)
125ml runny honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
275g rolled oats
125g mixed seeds (I use a mixture of sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and poppy seeds. Around 100g of the larger seeds and then a few spoonfuls of the little ones)
50g unsweetened coconut flakes
100g dried figs, chopped
75g dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 150/ gas mark 2.

In a large bowl whisk together the oil and honey.

Crush the sea salt with your fingers into the bowl and add the oats, seeds, ground ginger and cinnamon. Mix everything together well with a large spoon and divide the mixture between two baking trays. Spread it out as much as possible and then pop into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven a couple of times during cooking and mix everything up so it goldens nice and evenly.

After 20 minutes the granola should look pretty golden. Stir in the coconut, chopped figs and cranberries and pop the trays back into the oven for a further 6 – 8 minutes, until the coconut has toasted and you have a lovely crisp granola.

Leave to cool in the tray completely and then spoon into an airtight jar or container. It will last up to a month. Serve with milk and/ or yoghurt, with fresh fruit. Dreamy.

Sweet potato, chickpea and spinach soup

11.09.2014 by georgie // Leave a Comment

This bowl of goodness was created for Ma and Pa Socratous. On a recent trip up north they ate something similar and have been trying to find a recipe for it ever since. With no such luck I decided to write one for them based on what I know: that it had sweet potato, chickpeas, spinach and a generous amount of cumin. And that they both loved it. (I can only hope that this soup does the original one justice, as it is pretty rare for my folks to like the same thing!)

With its natural sweetness and creamy texture sweet potato makes a fantastic base for soups. And it works incredibly well with the rest of these ingredients creating a hearty yet wholesome soup, with a North African/ Middle Eastern feel. It’s wheat/ gluten and dairy free, and a great fertility boosting dish. Heck its a great everything boosting dish!

If you like your soup a little chunky, try mashing it with a potato masher, or only blitzing it a little.

SWEET POTATO, CHICKPEA AND SPINACH SOUP

Serves 6

2 onions, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
Olive oil
1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 – 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
A tin of chickpeas, drained
A tin of reduced fat coconut milk
800ml vegetable stock
Around 800g sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
150g spinach, washed well
A handful of coriander, washed
A juicy lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a large non-stick saucepan on a medium-low heat and add a lug of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for around 10 – 12 minutes until soft and sticky, but not coloured. Add the cumin, coriander and chilli and fry for a further 3-4 minutes. Pour in the stock and coconut milk, and add the chickpeas and chopped sweet potatoes. Gently bring everything to the boil, season well, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for around 15 minutes, or until your potatoes are soft and completely cooked through. Add the spinach and coriander and cook for a couple more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and using a stick blender, blitz the soup until smooth. If the soup is a little on the thick side add a little more stock or water until you get to the texture and thickness that you like. Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir through. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve.

My new favourite lunch

10.09.2014 by georgie // 1 Comment

My fridge looks pretty bare right now, but being a little broke and a little lazy (it’s raining) I was adamant to create something delicious and nutritious from what I had at home. And I think I might have just done that. Heck, even if no one else is on board, I think I’ve just created my new favourite lunch.

It ticks a lot of boxes this recipe: unrefined carbs, protein, veg, packed with flavour and I feel virtuous eating it. I love satay style foods, with gado gado being one of my favourite things ever. However with peanut allergic husband its no-go in this house, so I am always looking for ways to create that ‘nutty’ texture, without using nuts. Tahini is great for this, as is my new favourite thing, seed butters. There is a lady at our local food market who sells a range of nut and seed butters and at the moment I have a tub of pumpkin seed butter on the go. It makes a great snack, keeps well and as I have also found out, is a dream in salad dressings. Also its pretty darn good for you.

Mushroom and spinach noodles with lime and ginger dressing — Mushroom and spinach noodles with ginger and lime dressing

MUSHROOM AND SPINACH NOODLES WITH GINGER AND LIME DRESSING

Serves 1 (multiply as needed…)

2 teaspoons pumpkin seed butter (available at most health shops) or use peanut butter if you like
3 teaspoons coconut oil or other unflavoured oil (avocado oil would be good too)
2 teaspoons low salt soy sauce
2cm piece of ginger, peeled
1/4 red chilli (tip: I freeze red chillies, makes them easier to use and finely grate)
Half a juicy lime
1 teaspoon runny honey
a few springs of coriander and mint, leaves picked
50g brown rice noodles (or use normal rice noodle is you can’t get brown rice ones)
5 closed cup mushrooms, wiped
Large clove of garlic, peeled
2 balls of frozen spinach (you can used fresh if you like. A large handful of washed baby spinach, chopped would work)
1 large free range egg (omit to make vegan, or if you just don’t fancy it)

Start by finely slicing the garlic, and slicing the mushrooms. Put 2 teaspoons of your chosen oil in a small non-stick pan, and place on a medium-low heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for 6 – 8 minutes until golden, and any water has evaporated.

Whilst the mushrooms are frying cook your rice noodles according to packet instructions and leave to one side, in cold water until needed.

Soon as the mushrooms look a little golden add the frozen spinach and turn the heat down to low. Stir occasionally to soften, they should take 3-4 minutes to cook down.

Meanwhile make the dressing by mixing together the pumpkin seed butter, remaining oil, honey, lime juice and soy and finely grate in the ginger and most of the chilli. If you chilli isn’t frozen and won’t grate, then just finely chop it. Chop the coriander and mint leaves and stir most of them into the dressing.

Once the spinach and mushrooms are cooked, crack your egg into a small bowl and whisk. Add to the pan and ripple into the veg until it is just cooked through. If you aren’t adding egg just skip that bit and add the drained noodles straight to the pan. Toss everything together well, then remove from the heat and stir in the dressing. Mix together and plate up. Garnish with the remaining chopped herbs and a little more grated/ chopped chilli. Heavenly.