Tag: vegan

Sunday morning ANZACs.

Om Nom ANZACs.jpg

I doubt there is a single Aussie kid who hasn’t baked or eaten these at one point or another…they’re the quintessential antipodean biscuit.  So bloody easy to make, I remember these were one of the first things I ever cooked in Home Ec class, back in the day (are those classes even around anymore??) – and many, many times since.

These ANZACs have a bit of a twist – partly because of preference, and partly because of what I did (or didn’t) have in the pantry at the time.  That’s the great thing about these biscuits – they can take a bit of tweaking and still taste delicious.  If you can tolerate gluten free oats, these are good for those with gluten issues (just swap out the flour for a GF variety) and vegans can use a vegetable based margarine in place of the butter, to make them completely free of animal products.

But please…don’t EVER call them cookies.  To an Aussie, that’s just sacrilege…they were, are, and will always remain, BIKKIES 🙂

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We all scream for ice cream.

Ice Cream

It has been a funny old summer here in Melbourne…nothing new about that I suppose!  We’ve swung between ridiculous heat and very mild weather – hovering around 20C on some days, which feels freezing at this time of year.  But on those days the heat really starts ramping up, my thoughts naturally start turning to creating sweet and frosty treats.

I am a bit of a sucker for ice cream…I think it really is my great weakness when it comes to sweets.  I could eat it all day long!  I can tolerate dairy in small amounts, so if I grab some gelato from the divine place literally around the corner from my house, i’m generally fine.  However, if I have a tub in the fridge and my willpower fails me, I end up feeling quite unwell as a result of the dairy overload.

That’s why it’s great to have a few fabulous and easy dairy free ice cream recipes up your sleeve…this one is so simple to make and tastes incredible.  It gets its beautiful green colour from avocado – and I promise you that you can’t even taste it.  It does however lend a lovely rich creaminess to this treat, along with adding plenty of healthy fats, and vitamins C and B6, as well as magnesium.  Which practically makes this ice cream a health food!

I used an ice cream maker for this recipe (best investment I ever made) but you can definitely make this without one – i’ll pop those instructions in the notes section below.

Dairy Free Avocado & Lime Ice Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 can of full cream coconut milk, refrigerated
  • Flesh of 2 ripe avocados
  • 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice
  • 1 cup of pure maple syrup or agave
  • 1/4 cup water

Method

  1. Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
  2. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and churn until your machine lets you know its ready.
  3. You can either serve this immediately – it will have a soft-serve like texture – or freeze it for a firmer texture.  I served mine with toasted shredded coconut and cacao nibs – so delicious 🙂

Notes

  • If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can pour this into a container (a loaf tin is good because the cold will conduct quicker than through porcelain or glass) and freeze until you see ice crystals start to form around the edges.  Once that happens, take it out and give it a good stir, then pop it back into the freezer until completely hard (or to whatever your desired consistency is).
  • Before juicing my limes, I always get the zest off as this is too good to waste!  This can be frozen in a small snaplock bag, or a container with a tight lid, for later use – such as in my Best Fruit Salad in the World 🙂

 

Tofu tacos.

Tacos 3

I mentioned when I posted my Tasty Baked Tofu recipe ealier this week that I was planning to test out using it for a meat-free taco.  Well, the results are in and it was a success!  So much so, i’m writing this at 9:30am and i’m already salivating over them…is it a thing to have tacos for breakfast?  If not, maybe it should be 😉

This is so easy i’m not even sure it constitutes a separate recipe, but i’ll write up what I did for those of you who want a bit of a guide.

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Tasty baked tofu.

Tofu 1

I’ve been a bit ambivalent about meat lately…like most things, I go through stages with it, but right now it’s just not really on my culinary radar.  I’m still having the occasional bit of fish, and a slice of bacon every now and then (because, well…bacon), but for the most part i’m happy with a predominantly plant-based diet.

I spent most of my 20s eating either a pescatarian or vegetarian diet, and even a couple of years as a strict vegan…I guess you could say that these were my ‘formative cooking years’, so my diet mostly came of age foccused on plant foods.  As a consequence, I had a steep learning curve figuring out how to cook meat in my 30s!

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Easy iced chai.

Iced Chai 1a

I love chai tea, but it can be a time consuming process to make it properly.  And in the hot weather we’ve been having, an iced version has naturally been on my mind!  I wondered if there was an easy way to make it and have it available for on-the-spot consumption, whenever the fancy takes me, so the other night I started fiddling around with the idea of a ready-made base I could just add the final touches to.

I’m not going to pretend this recipe is rocket surgery (ha)…really it’s just cold brewed tea with sweetener, but sometimes it’s the dead simple ideas that make the most glorious experiences, right?  This recipe makes about 6-8 glasses of delicious iced chai….mmmm…I think I need one now 🙂

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Granola love.

Granola 3

Since committing to going gluten-free in 2016 (you can read why here), i’ve had a grain free granola on my kitchen radar.  I like to use it as a sprinkle on my fruit salad and smoothies, and it works equally well as a muffin topping, as a crust for your fruit crumble, or as a little crunchy boost to your breakfast pancakes…the list goes on really.  You can even eat it on its own, as a snack – it’s pretty versatile!

I was a bit worried that a grain free version would lose some of that decadent mouth feel that regular granola has, but rest easy folks – after a little tweaking, this one turned out perfectly.  I had it this morning with sliced peach, banana and plain greek yoghurt for breakfast, and it was HEAVEN.  I also used it on my delicious dinner smoothie, which you can find here…seriously, I think you should make some.  STAT.

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You old smoothie.

Banana Smoothie & Granola 3

Some nights, you just can’t be bothered cooking…I think that’s why the universe gave us smoothies.  Amirite?  They’re just the perfect combination of, well…anything you like…all in a cold, creamy, delicious drink.  Which if you’re lucky, is also good for you. And guess what…this is your lucky day.

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Vegan No-Bake Bliss Balls

Bliss Balls Cropped

So as part of my strategy this month to avoid refined sugars, today I made these raw vegan bliss balls, rolled in (variously) dessicated coconut (I found the shredded variety didn’t give a nice even coat), green tea powder, and slightly crushed up cacoa nibs.  Delicious!

These bliss balls have a beautifully cakey texture, and they’re so satisfying for that pesky sweet tooth, i’ve found that when I get the chocolate (or cake) urge, just one of these little wonders completely hits the spot.

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