Browsing Tag

vegan

Lunch + Dinner Recipes

Spiced pumpkin & chickpea stew vegan stew

25th July 2021

This spiced vegetable and chickpea stew reminds me of a cosy winter afternoon in a bowl.

As always, this is a very simple one pot meal to make. The chickpeas,  along with a helping of brown basmati rice makes this a plant protein powerhouse.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small red onion, finely diced
  • 2 cups of cubed pumpkin
  • 1 cup of shredded kale, tightly packed
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger
  • 1 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons of coconut oil

Spices etc:

  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon of turmeric
  • 1 heaped tablespoon of tomato paste
  • ½ cup of water
  • 1 heaped teaspoon of brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon of allspice (optional)
  • Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Serve with well-cooked brown basmati rice

Instructions:

Start by getting your basmati rice cooking. Setting it aside with the lid on when done to keep steaming and fluff properly.

In a deep saucepan or medium sized pot fry the diced onion until soft & translucent. Then add the pumpkin cubes, season with salt and continue sautéing the pumpkin & onion mixture for a further 5 minutes.

Next add the chickpeas, kale, all the spices and tomato puree, sugar and water – seasoning once again with salt now – then give it a good stir through before turning down the heat, placing the lid on the pot, and then leave it to simmer slowly for 45 minutes.

Then serve with a little salad on the side and a helping of brown basmati rice.

Wishing you radiant health and kitchen contentment ahead,

Marlien

Salad

Winter Squash Salad with a Ginger & Citrus Dressing Winter-Salad

1st July 2021

Citrus & ginger roasted squash salad

 Makes 4 servings

  • 1/4 pumpkin (I used Queensland Blue Variety also known Boer Pampoen)
  • ¼ cup of chopped mint
  •  a handful of kale, chopped (optional)
  • ¼ cup of sundried onions
  • ¼ cup of pomegranate seeds
  • 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
  • Salt to taste

Dressing:

  • 1 thumb size piece of ginger, grated finely
  • 3 tablespoons of macadamia nut butter
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • ¼ cup of olive oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Slice pumpkin into fairly large chunks/ wedges – keeping the skin on. Season with salt and then pack them out in a roasting tray drizzling over some melted coconut oil or macadamia nut oil.

Roast for 60 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius. Then set aside to cool.

While the pumpkin is roasting, add all the dressing ingredients to a jar and shake well.

Chop the kale & mint finely and then dress the salad with the greens, sun-dried onions, pomegranate seeds and dressing – serve and enjoy at room temperature, or slightly warm.

Lunch + Dinner Recipes

Vintage Sweet & Sour Vegetable Stir-Fry

23rd June 2021

This is my version of old school vegetable stir fry with a sweet and sour sauce. It was delicious and took less than 30 minutes from prep to table. This reminds me of what Vintage Vegetarian food looked like (back when I was a little kid).

You can vary the vegetables (mushrooms, peppers and kale can work well too), whatever you have in the fridge really – because this is all about the sauce. Also I served this with Udon noodles, but buckwheat noodles for a gluten-free option will work perfectly too, or even just jasmine rice.

For protein you can stir in a beaten egg towards the end, or add cubed tofu / tempeh.

I used shredded cabbage, thinly sliced carrots, spring onions and baby spinach (last veg in the fridge I confess).

Instructions:

  1. Cook your noodles/ rice and set aside (you can dress it with a little Tamara or sauce sauce and a few drops of toasted sesame oil)
  2. Then prep your sauce by adding the following to a bowl and whisking together well
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons of honey or brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of Tamara or soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon of natural ketchup (optional)
  • 1 heaped tablespoon of corn starch
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

3.  Then heat a deep pan or wok and in some coconut, peanut or macadamia oil stir fry your veggies to almost perfection (you can season with a little salt) and then just before your veg is perfectly done stir through the sauce, it will thicken quite quickly.

4. Take it off the heat and serve over your noodles or rice.

Happy cooking

Marlien x

Lunch + Dinner Recipes

Crispy Lemony Tempeh Baked Lemony Tempeh

28th May 2020

Do you love tempeh? If not, you have to try it this way – it will change your mind (your world in fact).

Slice you’re tempeh into ‘fishfinger sized’ pieces.

Then transfer them to a baking sheet, next drizzle with a bit of avocado oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and sprinkle with nutritional yeast and sea salt, then give them a shake so that the ‘marinade’ anoints all sides of your pieces and pop them in a 180degree Celsius pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.

Warming: Addictive!

 

 

Salad, Wellness + Nutrition

Sunflower Seed Spread Vegan & Paleo Friendly

29th January 2020

If you are looking for a plant based/ dairy-free spread or simply a delicious dollop of good fats and fibre to add to salads you must try this recipe.

Before I dive straight into the recipe details, here is a few more reasons to incorporate sunflower seeds int your diet; Sunflower seeds are especially high in vitamin E and selenium. These function as antioxidants to protect your body’s cells against free radical damage, which plays a role in several chronic diseases.

Additionally, sunflower seeds are a good source of beneficial plant compounds, including phenolic acids and flavonoids — which also function as antioxidants  – read more on sunflower seed’s health benefits here 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of lightly toasted sunflower seeds
  • the juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/3 cup of cold pressed olive oil, or macadamia oil
  • 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast flakes
  • a generous grinding of sea-salt

Simply add all the above ingredients to your blender and whizz until you have a smooth consistency.

Storage: it keeps in the fridge for 7 days.

 

Happy cooking & nourishment

Marlien x