Nibbles

Cookie and cake, square and round,
salty and sweet, what's all this about?
Mini nibbles for a party, vegan and gluten free,
Trevor's office colleagues, ate them happily......
There was a chocolate cake too,
with a rich and decadent sauce,
But I'm so thrilled to say,
they devoured these without pause......

Dry Ingredients:

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup finely dessicated coconut

1/2 cup raisins 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1/2 nutmeg powder

Wet Ingredients:

3 tablespoons sunflower oil

3 tablespoons honey or agave

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg Substitute:

2 tablespoons of flax seeds powder

6 tablespoons of warm water

Both whisked together till slimy like eggs

Add this mixture to the wet ingredients

Method:

Mix together all the dry ingredients.

Blend together all the wet ingredients.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture

and combine well, forming a dough.

If the dough is too stiff, use some water,

or soya/nut/hemp/rice/oat milk.

If it is too soft, add some more flour.

Chill the dough for half an hour,

I put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C or 350F

1) - Mini Cupcakes

Form half the chilled dough into small balls,

flattening a little on the top.

Place the balls on a baking tray,

that is lined with baking paper.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes till the balls rise

and turn golden, and the blade of a small knife

comes out clean.

Cool them for a few minutes on a wire rack,

and viola they are ready to serve and eat.

2) Mini Square Bites

Sprinkling flour as and when needed,
roll the other half of the chilled dough out,
like as if making a thin pizza base - a 1/4" thick.
Place it on a baking tray, lined with baking paper.
Score it lightly into small squares, and bake it for
10 to 12 minutes, till it rises a little,
and turns golden on the surface.
Let it cool and cut into squares, then serve.

 

Notes:

I love buckwheat flour, it adds great taste

and is one of the best flours to use for gluten-free.

The rice flour adds smoothness and starch.

Almonds (roughly ground to give some crunch)
and dessicated coconut add beautiful texture

and healthy fats, so this recipe needs very little oil.
I used agave, and a small quantity,
as the raisins add sweetness too.

Flax seeds need a whole page to rave about,

and they make a wonderful vegan egg substitute for baking.

The texture of these gluten free and vegan nibbles

is something between a cake and a cookie.

they are easy to pop and taste delicious.

Enjoy :-)

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your Own Way.

Smoothie

 

 

I made a mango smoothie today,
to begin my liquid feast,
It was delicious beyond words,
I was immensely pleased......
For lunch I had a fresh juice,
with carrots, cucumber, celery,
a piece of ginger, a dash of lime,
some sea salt sprinkled lightly......
Now its time for dinner,
whisked in the Vita-mix blender,
Spinach, basil, avocado, spice,
a green soup to make me stronger.....

Mango and Almond Milk Smoothie:

1 ripe Mango, peeled and chopped
3 Dates
1 tablespoon Almond Butter
1 glass of Water
a pinch of sea salt
a pinch of cardamom powder
a big handful of ice cubes

Blend all the above ingredients,
to a make a silky smoothie.
You can add more or less water,
to make it thinner or thicker.

Notes:

I use almond butter in this smoothie
along with water to make instant
almond milk, and to add healthy fats.
I love hemp milk as an alternative,
but you can use soy milk, rice milk
or any other nut milk of choice.
Cardamom goes very well with Mango.
The sea salt enhances the sweet taste.
And dates are my favorite natural sweetener.
This made 2 good glasses,
1 for me, 1 for my daughter.....

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your own Way.

Brunch

Sunday, happy Sunday......
Cuddles and care,
sweet smiles to share,
cooking brunch together,
in the kitchen with Trevor......
With a ton of love,
and a bunch of herbs,
some fresh, some dried,
some lemons, some spice.......
Vegetables of all color,
warm melting butter,
the smell of bread baking,
a masterpiece in the making.....
Sunday, happy Sunday,
what more can I say,
a love-filled gorgeous Sunday meal,
deeply content is how I feel :-)

Lettuce, Peas and Mint

 

1 Red onion
2 Little gem lettuce
2 tins of peas
2 teaspoons of dried mint
2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons of oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Slice the red onion finely and saute in the oil.
Add the roughly chopped lettuce, the mint,
sea-salt and pepper and saute all together
for 5 minutes.
Stir in the peas. Sprinkle some water.
Add the sliced lemon on top and cover.
Let it simmer for 5 minutes and serve warm.

Mediterranean Veggies

Purple sprouted broccoli - lightly steamed

Green and yellow peppers (capsicums) - sliced

Tomatoes - chopped

Garlic - crushed

Parsley - finely chopped

Chili flakes

Tuscany herbs

Sea salt

Olive oil

Heat the olive oil gently and saute the peppers.

Add the chopped tomatoes and crushed garlic

and saute together for a few minutes.

Add the steamed broccoli, the herbs, chili flakes,

sea-salt and stir gently till cooked.

Melt-in-the-Mouth Aubergines

Baked and grilled aubergine slices,
coated with olive oil, sea salt, paprika,
dried thyme, oregano and basil.

Coconut Flax Tomato Butter

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup flax seed oil

3 slices of sun dried tomatoes

1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of very finely diced white onion

Herbes de Provence (dried mixed herbs)

sea salt

Process sun dried tomatoes,
garlic, herbs and sea salt.

Gently warm the coconut oil,
add the onions and saute lightly.

and add the processed tomato,
herb, garlic mixture to it.

Mix well till it is combined.

Drizzle the flax seed oil
while stirring continuously.

Pour this oil mixture into ramequins

or a silicon ice cube tray.

Let it set in the fridge.

Use it on toast, steamed vegetables,
in soups and stews.

Vegan Soda Bread with Tomato Butter

We went vegan a week ago.
No more goats butter nor any yogurt.
Was it going to be bye bye soda bread??
which is the only bread we eat at home,
and which requires yogurt or buttermilk....
Knock knock, get creative, ideas please!!!!
So we used coconut milk and lemon juice
and it worked, it worked just fine :-)
We made soda farls, cut them in half
horizontally, and toasted them.
The coconut flax provencal vegan butter
melted beautifully and tasted like heaven......
No measurements were taken today,
we were just experimenting,
hoping we'd succeed with a vegan soda bread.
The next time we make this delice,
I will jot the recipe down and post it for sure!

Almond Butter and Date Treat 

2 tablespoons almond butter

6 soft plump dates (I used mejhdool)

a pinch of sea salt

Process the above ingredients in a food processor

till completely integrated and combined together.

Make small balls - 1" diameter.

Roll in dessicated coconut if desired.

One of these energy balls (or laddoos as we Indians say)

is enough for the day.

It is a healthy nutritious treat that is sweet

yet totally sugar free.

 

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your own Way.

Vegan

We've decided to go vegan for 3 months.

It's an experiment, one I've already done.

This time, I will not be doing it alone,
sitting down to meals on my own.....

Trevor and Saatchi will join me in this change,

there is much to choose from, such a wide range.

Who knows, maybe at the end of this period,

we'll enjoy being vegan and vegan we'll stay!!!

Vegetables, fruits, salads and greens,
wholesome grains,  nuts and seeds,
quinoa, oats, millet, wild rice,
all will be enhanced with herbs and spice......
Juices and smoothies, elixirs and shakes,
soups and crackers, all easy to make,
some tofu, some lentils or perhaps chick peas,
with coconut flax butters, rich in omega 3's.......
Baked or blended, steamed or raw,
many experiments, no rigid laws,
dates, raisins, stevia in sweet treats,
no sugar, no honey, yessss quite a feat!!!
Lots of healthy and fun food to do,
and wonderful to share it all with you :-)

 

Keep it simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your own Way.

IceCream

 

Sunday, dark, grey, depressing.....

Indian summer fading away,

London winter setting.....

My heart clings on,

to sunshine clear and bright,

to yellows and whites,

and rooms full of light.....

I dream of mango kulfi

with the perfume of cardamom,

So I turn my dream into reality,

and right away make some!! :-)

Method - 1

Take 3 cups of sliced mangoes,

and blend them in a high speed blender,

adding a cup of coconut milk,

half a spoon of crushed cardamom seeds,

a pinch of sea-salt,

and 2 or 3 tablespoons of honey.......

Freeze this mixture for an hour,

blend once more to remove all ice crystals,

then freeze for 3 hours more,

and viola, the ice cream is ready......

Sprinkle some dessicated coconut,

as well as some more cardamom seeds,

then scrape, roll and serve this ice-cream

in all its golden glory and sheen......

Method - 2

Peel and slice 2 bananas,
and freeze them overnight, or at least for 6 hours.
Peel and slice 2 mangoes and freeze them too.
In a high speed blender (I use Vitamix)
blend the frozen bananas and mango,
adding a spoon or two of honey or agave.
Add a pinch of sea salt, a teaspoon of vanilla extract,
and half a teaspoon of crushed cardamom seeds.
Blend it all to make a smooth instant ice cream,
that is raw, diary-free, sugar free, gluten-free,
delicious and totally healthy :-)

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your own Way.