Roast Mexican Salad

I'm all about roasted salads at the moment. They're hearty, flavoursome and comforting for the Wintery weather. I've learned, with all my roasting of late, that there are a few important tricks to making perfect roast veggies; the most important being not to overcrowd your tray. I have quite a large oven tray and find that I get the best results when I roast my veggies in smaller, sparsely spread batches. I put the grill on its highest temperature (250 degrees Celsius) and roast each batch near the top of the oven for a quick 10-15 minutes, depending on the type of vegetable. This way, you retain the crunchy freshness of the vegetable, get a nice charred outside and you don't waste too much time and electricity cooking one big batch for a long time.

 To contrast the savoury roast corn, green pepper and mushrooms in this salad, I made a vinegar based dressing with purple onion, brown sugar and fresh herbs. The acidity of the vinegar works beautifully with the olive oil coating of the vegetables.

For the salad:
2 ears of corn
1 green pepper, diced
1 punnet button mushrooms, halved
1 purple onion, roughly chopped - keep 1/4 aside for the dressing
1/2 cucumber, diced
10-15 baby plum tomatoes, halved
4 tbs olive oil for roasting
Himalayan salt and black pepper for seasoning

Turn your grill on to 250 degrees Celsius. Cut the nibs of the corn directly into your oven tray and coat with 1 tbs olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 5-10 minutes. Repeat with the green pepper and onion in one batch and then the mushrooms. The mushrooms may need a little more than a tbs olive oil as they are very absorbent, though I try to use as little as possible where I can. Allow the veggies to cool before combining in a medium-large bowl with the cucumber and tomato.

For the dressing:

1 tbs Sriracha sauce (or any chilli sauce you have available)
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 purple onion very finely chopped
1 small handful cilantro, finely chopped
1 small handful basil, finely chopped

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Toss the dressing through the salad and allow to sit for 15 minutes so that the flavours are absorbed into the vegetables.

This makes two large servings or four side servings. Unfortunately I don't have any ripe avo's at the moment, as a couple slices on top would be a great addition. This would also be fantastic served as a side with a slice of toasted ciabatta with avo.

Happy Winter salad making!

Cashew Chai Latte

Ingredients:

3/4 cup home made cashew nut milk (recipe here)
1/4 cup coconut milk
5 cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
seeds from 2 vanilla pods (or 1 tsp vanilla essence)
2 tsp xylitol

Combine all the ingredients and heat, either in the microwave or on a stove top, until piping hot. Enjoy! x

Cashew Nut Cream, Two Ways

Cashew nut cream is a byproduct of home made cashew nut milk. To make the milk, soak 100g cashews in 1 cup of filtered water overnight. Transfer the nuts and water to a larger jug, add another 750ml filter water and blend with a stick blender until the cashews are fine. Use a cheese cloth bag (or just a large piece of cheese cloth) to strain the milk into a large glass jar. The pulp that remains in the cloth can then be blended with a little water to make a smooth cream.

I have been struggling to find nice dairy free options for my toast, so have made a sweet and a savoury topping using the cashew nut cream.

For the sweet one, I used the cream as is and just added a generous drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon and chia seeds.

For the savoury, I  made a tasty cream cheese and topped with thin cucmber slices and chia seeds.

Cashew Nut Cream Cheese:

2 tbs cashew nut cream
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 pinch Himalayan salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
a squeeze of lemon juice

 Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl. This is just enough for one portion, but you could make a larger batch to keep.

Roast Chickpea and Mushroom Sweet Potato

This is my version of a hearty Sunday roast; warm, savoury and satiating. I have never roasted chickpeas before, they go a beautiful toasty brown and absorb the wonderful salty flavours of your seasoning.

1 can chickpeas in brine, drained (save the brine, next weekend I am going to try an "Aqua Faba" recipe)
1 punnet button mushrooms, sliced in quarters lengthways
2 sweet potatoes, washed and steamed
4 tbs hummus
12-16 baby plum tomatoes, sliced in halves
2-3 tbs olive oil
seasonings: Himalayan salt, black pepper, Ina Paarman's Rosemary and Olive salt, garlic powder
a few sprigs fresh oregano

Preheat your oven's top grill to 220 degrees Celsius. In an oven tray, toss your mushrooms and chickpeas in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in the oven quite close to the top and roast for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, add a sprinkling of garlic powder, toss with a spatula and roast for a further 10-20 minutes. They should be well browned as in the image below when they are done.

Slice the steamed sweet potatoes in half lengthways (one half per portion) and spread a generous tablespoon of hummus on each half. Top with the roast chickpeas and mushrooms, as well as the fresh baby plum tomatoes. Garnish with a handful of oregano and a twist of black pepper.

Makes four meals.

Power Snack

Snacking can be tricky when you're trying to stay healthy. This energy boosting mini bowl packs plenty protein and fibre and satisfies the sweetest of sweet tooths.

1 banana, sliced
4 chopped dates
6-8 raw almonds
1 tsp chia seeds
sprinkle cinnamon

Pop all the ingredients in a bowl together and enjoy the goodness. This also makes a great 5 minute breakfast!

Persimmon Smoothie

The persimmon, or "Sharon" fruit, which is actually considered a berry, is often overlooked in the grocery isle because it is fairly unfamiliar to us in South Africa. Recently, at a food festival, I had a slice to taste and was pleasantly surprised. I was hesitant at first, imagining it would taste like a weirdly sweet tomato, but in fact it resembles more of a peach flavour and texture to me. So, I snapped up a few to play with at home.

The soft, sweet flesh of the persimmon lends itself to being blended into a creamy smoothie, so I combined it with a few of my favourite ingredients for a glass of liquid deliciousness.

Ingredients:

2 persimmon fruits
2 bananas
1 cup guava juice
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 handful cut spinach
1 tsp lemon juice

Remove the calyx from the top of the persimmon, and slice it in half. Using a dessert spoon, scoop out the flesh and place in your blender. The skin is also delicious to eat, I just decided not to use it in the smoothie as it is quite firm and will make the smoothie too chewy. You can use a slice of the skin to garnish your smoothie as I have, and eat the rest while you're waiting for the blender.

Add the rest of your ingredients and blend until it is smooth. Add a little water if you have too many solids and not enough liquids for blending. Pop a slice of the bright orange skin and a few mint leaves on the rim of your glass and serve. Makes enough for two smoothies.

Brocolli Stem & Baby Fennel Soup

I always feel guilty throwing out the stem of my brocolli. I know its full of goodness, but I just can't bring myself to eating that big tree trunk of green fibre. So, what better way to mask an unwanted veggie than to blend it into a smooth, tasty soup - the master of disguise.

Ingredients:

1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbs coconut oil
stems of 3 broccoli heads, chopped (I chop the florets off, rinse and keep for easy use in salads etc)
3-5 bulbs baby fennel, sliced
2 large carrots, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 litre vegetable stock
1/4 tsp salt

On a low to medium heat, saute your onions and garlic in the coconut oil. This should be done slowly so that they don't burn quickly - approximately 15 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium, add the sliced broccoli stems, fennel, carrots, salt and garam masala and continue to saute for 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and cook for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before blending with a stick blender. Serve with a sprinkling of fresh herbs and sprouts.

Note: my brilliant chef brother taught me that soups and broths are always more flavoursome when served the next day. Since soups do take a little longer to cook, I like to make them on the side while preparing a quicker meal for the night. It's a little extra effort, but means I have instant, healthy meals for the next two nights.

Almost Raw Pizza

This was an accidental pizza.

The base was originally intended to be a loaf of sprouted bread, but it's fate changed and this beauty was born. A sprouted lentil and buckwheat base with all raw toppings: glorious.

Ingredients:

For the base:

1 cup sprouted buckwheat
1 cup sprouted lentils
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
2 tbs nutritional yeast

Buckwheat sprouts aren't generally available in stores, so I grew my own. I have a sprouting kit, but there are many ways to grow them using what you have at home. For instance, I have heard that you can put your 'seeds' in a sieve over a pot and they will sprout. The key to sprouting is to rinse them often (about twice daily) and to let them drain well. There is a tonne of information on sprouting here.  

Place the sprouts in a medium sized bowl and use a stick blender to blend into a smooth-ish paste. Add the nutritional yeast and salt and mix in with a spoon. Grease a non-stick pizza tray with a little coconut oil and spoon the mixture in the middle. Rub some coconut oil on your hands and press the dough into a pizza base. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for approximately 20 minutes, then flip using a spatula. Bake for a further 20 minutes until it is crisp and brown on each side.

For the cheese:

100g raw cashews
1/4 cup soy milk or water
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp himalayan salt

Place all the ingredients in a bowl (a cereal bowl is big enough) and blend with a stick blender. I pulse it until most of it is a paste and then I sort of push the ingredients in a circle around the bowl to make sure everything is well blended. You can add more or less liquid for a firm cream cheese or a softer sour cream texture.  

Toppings:

sliced avo
sliced tomato
garlic stuffed green olives
dried italian herbs
fresh oregano
salt + pepper

 Of course with pizza you could do anything with the toppings. I used what I had around the kitchen and it turned out fabulously. I just used small dollops of the cashew cheese as it is quite rich and flavoursome, but you could spread it over the base if you wanted more coverage.

xxx

Oh Hello!

This is a collection of my kitchen and craft experiments. I love cooking and creating. 

All my recipes are vegetarian and often vegan. I tend to make things up as I go in the kitchen, so measurements and cooking times may be estimated. Anyway, its all about having fun and making delicious and conscious nourishment.

All illustrations and background patterns are my own.

Happy creating! xxx