you can make friends with salad.

 "Ergh? A salad... Really?"  Yep, I heard you.  But this is the best kind of salad.  It's nutrient dense, full of nuts and seeds for that filling protein hit and soggy lettuce free - guaranteed!  It's super easy to prepare and fun to mix up.  Use this recipe as a loose guide, add in your favourite things, and if you don't like cucumber you're crazy - nah,  just leave it out!

You will need:
1 can of chickpeas
1 can of corn
1 small sweet potato
1 lebanese cucumber
A red capsicum
A bunch of mint (don't get picky- coriander is a great fill in guy here too!)
1 carrot
half a red onion (diced)
1 large aussie avocado
2 teaspoons of coconut oil
Juice of a lime
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, cube the sweet potato and cover the cubes with a little coconut oil and sprinkle the coriander powder over the top.  pop them on an oven tray and into the oven.  take them out every ten minutes or so and give them a shake whilst you are chopping everything else.

Rinse the chickpeas and corn and pop them into your salad bowl, dice the red onion, cucumber and capsicum and also put them in the bowl.  Next, make thin carrot ribbons using your veggie peeler, and rip up the mint leaves.  Add them to the bowl as well as the nuts.  Check your sweet potato!

in a small bowl, smash up the avocado with the remainder of the coconut oil, the lime juice and the cayenne pepper until it is almost a runny paste.  Check your sweet potato!

All ready to go?  Serve with the veggies on the bottom of the bowl, sweet potato croutons, then with a dollop of the avo on top.  sprinkle a little paprika over the whole thing and you are ready to go!

intolerable intolerances.

It's been a tricky couple of months in our house, with a lot of time in the kitchen experimenting and not a lot of time on the internet.  Lots of different food related intolerances have popped up, and with us both being vegan - it makes things a little tricky.  well, at least I thought it did.

My boyfriend has been battling some nasty fatigue for pretty much all of the year.   It's been pretty horrible.  But after looking at his food diary and seeing some specialists he has cut out soy and increased his protein intake considerably.  Can you do both of these things as a vegan at once?  Yes, and quite successfully, it just takes a bit more work.

I did a five day juice fast in early November and felt amazing as a result of it.  What didn't feel so amazing was when I was re-introducing my foods.  Every time I ate some kind of grain that wasn't an ancient grain, or a pseudo-grain I bloated and felt very unwell. I'd always suspected that gluten and I didn't get along but I couldn't deny it any longer. I am working at being a gluten free, paleo inspired vegan.

The transition period hasn't been easy for either of us.  All of a sudden, pretty much all of our staple meals are useless to us because it will adversely affect one of us.  To me, it feels like  I am learning how to cook, and how to be vegan all over again with the focus on high protein, low intolerance and soy free at every meal. My boyfriend feels like he is thinking "more like a carnivore, because all of our meals are planned around protein."

What has been easy is feeling so much better.   I now know a new kind of day to day wellness. My energy levels are balanced throughout the day.  I'm so much more aware of what I am putting into my body and how it affects me because I am not clouded with the intolerance response fogginess I was getting from my old pal gluten.  Brendan Brazier's Thrive book is getting a workout in the kitchen, as is the food processor and things are pretty good again.

As for this blog?  Well,  things are about to get pretty good here again too.  Expect plenty of recipes in the future that will be intolerance friendly, supermarket friendly, easy to prepare and delicious!

the quickest, most delicious dinner you will ever make.

It's getting to that time in the semester - the end is in sight, your stress level is through the roof and you don't have time to make something elaborate.   You want something fresh, simple and that will take that five minutes you have spare to smash something delicious together... enter your new superhero!  The lettuce leaf tempeh taco!

You will need:
1 big Cos Lettuce
2-3 Tomatoes of your choice
1 large ripe Hass Avocado
1 block of seasoned Tempeh (splash out and grab a good one such as Tallyho Farms Biodynamic Tempeh)
Hommus
Dried Chilli
Bit of Coconut Oil

Cut up tempeh into slices approximately 1cm thick and throw into a pan with the coconut oil over a medium- high heat,  they will cook whilst you prepare your other ingredients so keep an eye on them and give them a shake once in a while.

Wash lettuce and cut into large squares.  lay them flat on plates and squash some avo into the middle of each one.  Slice up tomato and put a couple of slices into each lettuce "taco" on top of the avo.  spread a bit of hommus on top of the tomato and spinkle some chilli flakes.

Next, take your sliced tempeh from the frypan and put a few bits on top of the hommus. 

Wrap up each lettuce leaf and eat - whilst reviewing your lecture notes.

schkinny maninny juice cleanse

I said that things would get more interesting this week and they certainly did.  The lovely folk at Schkinny Maninny got in touch with me and kindly offered a one day juice cleanse for me to try.  People often compliment me on how well I eat and how I must be "super healthy", but I certainly don't brag about my naughty little habits!  I don't declare about my undying love for carbohydrates out loud (hello hot chips and bread!), my desperate need for my morning coffee and my sneaky gluten free cookies I love to snack on when no one is around.  So whilst my diet is generally pretty clean, there is a lot of room for improvement. A one day cleanse to re-calibrate is exactly what I needed.

On Monday,  I woke up and found a supercute little cooler outside my front door.  It contained my juices and soups for the day, as well as a little pack of seeds in case I needed to chew something.

 

The first juice was a super green concoction called the Schkinny Leap Frog.  It contained all of my juice faves including cucumber, kiwi and parsley.  It was very fresh, and gave me lots of energy and was a really good start to my day.  I was feeling pretty pumped and ready to get on with things.  Next up was the Pine Grapple.  It had all sorts of delicious fruits and vegetables but all I could taste was the intense ginger.  I initially really struggled with the strong ginger taste of this juice and was a bit sad that I couldn't taste any pineapple, but after a few sips I started to enjoy it.  I was still pretty full from my morning juice so I couldn't quite finish this one.

Finally, Lunch time came around and I have to say,  I started to feel a bit average.  I was hungry and experiencing a nasty detox headache (told you my diet wasn't that clean huh!).  Thankfully it was time for the Lentil Luncheon.  I enjoyed that this was savoury, something different to all of the fruity juices I had been drinking all morning.  It was pretty spicy, and the Lentils were delicious.

My detox headache continued as the day went on, so I tucked myself into bed with my laptop and a DVD for a bit - eventually I had a snooze and woke up at about the right time for my next juice and possibly my surprise favourite for the day,  Fruit Punch!  I felt a lot better after drinking this baby!  It was refreshing, invigorating thanks to the mint and was the afternoon pick me up I really needed.

I spent a bit of time doing some quality lazing about the house and then it was time for the Rockin' Tomato Soup.  This was delicious.  It was creamy due to the chickpeas and full of flavour.  I wasn't gracious in eating this one.  It lasted about two minutes.  I was feeling much better by this stage so I headed out for a walk to clear my head and get my blood moving again.   I had a shower and tucked into the Sleep Well Almond and Brazil Nut Milk which was soothing.  I slept very well and woke up feeling refreshed the next day.

All of the juices and soups are 600ml - so they are pretty filling.  Although I felt like I was "hungry" I think it was more that I wasn't eating solids like I would normally.  I always felt satisfied after I had a juice or a soup.  I certainly feel like I have re-calibrated my digestion and cravings.  On Tuesday,  I just felt like more juice, fresh fruit and I had a mild soup for lunch and this has continued today.  Instead of heading to the biscuit barrel I'm heading for the fruit bowl and making a better choice. 

Although I struggled with the detox headache and lowered energy levels, the results are already worth it.  I feel much healthier, lighter and cleaner on the insides and I'm not craving the carbohydrates and sugar like I normally do.  I feel like the benefits outweigh the negatives by far and I'm already planning on booking in for the 5 day cleanse in early November.

If you get the chance, check out their website www.schkinnymaninny.com.au.  It's full of excellent information.   Thanks to everyone at Schkinny Maninny! x

baby it's (a) cold.

I've been down and out this week with a nasty little cold that I've just managed to shake.  I haven't had a cold in two years, and I forgot how awful they are- the stuffy head, the foggy brain, the runny nose and feeling miserable.  Next time anyone I know has one, I'll certainly show more sympathy now that I have been reminded of how horrible they are.  In the absence of anything exciting happening this week (it's a different story next week!), I've decided to list a few suggestions that helped me through my sniffles.

1.  Cold Tea. 
This horrible tasting concoction helped me a lot. smash up a whole bulb (yes, bulb!) of garlic, and add it to a saucepan with a litre of water, 2-3 inches of ginger, 2 hot chillies and two lemons sliced up.  bring it to the boil and then simmer for ten minutes.  Drain out all of the ingredients, keeping the water obviously.  Pour the liquid into your trusty thermos and add some molasses and agave and sip on it throughout the day.  Be warned, you will smell like garlic, and probably dream about garlic bread but it'll be worth it.

2.  Supplement with Vitamin C and Zinc.
Vitamin C and Zinc are your immune system superheroes! Think of them as the fuel your immune system needs in order to run well.  The level of Vitamin C everyone needs varies, but try to take it three times a day.  I took two zinc tablets at night, away from my other vitamins.

3. Keep Clean.
I felt really gross when I was sick, and found that a couple of things helped.  I stuck to my skin regime, even when I just wanted to crawl into bed.  Keeping my face and hands clean made me feel a lot better.  I wore fresh PJ's every night and kept my hair off my face. It was the little things that helped.

4.  Fresh Juice is your friend.
We purchased a juicer last weekend and it's been my companion whilst I've been down with the cold.  I didn't have much of an appetite so it was great to have an alternative way of getting lots of nutrients into me whilst I was sick.  My favourite was beetroot, apple, ginger, carrot and orange.

5.  Don't be a fool and rest properly.
I think I made my feelings on this one quite clear. No one likes a snotty hero at work or the gym.  stay at home and keep your germs to yourself.

This list is not exhaustive - there are plenty of other things you can do such as drink water, inhale steam etc, but I found that these few things really helped me kick it pretty quickly and get on with a rad weekend.  

On Monday,  I'll be doing a one day juice cleanse, kindly offered up by the lovely people at Schkinny Maninny!  Whilst my diet is generally pretty good,  I love my morning coffee and avo on gluten free toast...I'm nervous about how I'll manage my day (and mood!) without them.  Check back on Wednesday for a full report.

jammy jams

About a month ago, I was in Perth for a quick holiday.  It was a bit of a weekend thing with my mum, and at a time where it felt like Melbourne's winter would never end - a quick trip to a warmer climate was exactly what I needed.  Pretty high on my list of things to do, was check out Freo Markets.  I'd heard good things and was keen to see if it lived up to the hype.  Believe me,  it did.

It was by pure chance that Jude Blereau, one of my favourite wholefoods chefs was doing a demonstration on making organic produce work for you.  I grabbed a raw smoothie and settled in.  Jude spoke for over an hour on all things delicious, wholefoods and organic, but something that really stuck with me was her suggestions on how to make a bumper harvest work for you.  When you have something in abundance, make the most of the opportunity, and store it for later.  You can do this by stewing fruit, making relishes and chutneys or...making some jam. It's old school, DIY, and reduces wastage - all things I am for.

I picked up a copy of Jude's latest book titled "Coming Home to Eat- Wholefoods for the Family" and it is beautiful.  Whilst it's not all vegan,  a lot of the recipes are, or can easily be adapted.  All of the recipes are nourishing, delicious and fairly simple to prepare.  There is a handy little chapter on preserving the harvest, and that's where I got the inspiration for today's jam - Fresh Strawberry, Vanilla Bean and Cinnamon.
It was my first attempt at jam and I'm not going to lie, at times it was a bit stressful at times but totally worthwhile - my house smells like strawberry lollies and I have 8 beautiful little jars of homemade jam for gifting and toast.

Fresh Strawberry, Vanilla Bean and Cinnamon Jam
(adapted slightly from here)

Seeds of 1 vanilla pod
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

300 grams sugar

1 kilogram strawberries, washed & hulled

2 tablespoons lemon juice

pinch of salt 

Run your knife down the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds.  Add with the pod to the washed and hulled strawberries and sugar. Add lemon juice and cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Roughly chop the strawberries up a bit, but leave some large chunks. Put on a medium heat to bring to a gentle simmer and leave to cook for about 10 minutes. Using a ladle remove the white scum from the top and leave to cool. Place in sterilized jars and store in the refrigerator.

super cute huh?

gluten free pear and dark chocolate crumble.

Crumble of any sort is very popular in my house. I love stewed fruit and my boyfriend thinks that the crumble-y topping is pretty much the best thing ever.  I've recently started converting all of our favourite sweet treats to a healthier, gluten free option.  It's worked well sometimes, and... not so well others.  There's been a lot of rock cupcakes, but things are improving.
About a month or so ago, I went to my pal Sarah's house for dinner.  She had recently gone gluten free and I said I'd make a desert - Sarah loves apple crumble, so I said I'd make it happen.  It happened alright, it happened in a most amazing way.  This time I've modified the recipe again to include Buerre Bosc Pears (in season right now!) and to jazz it up a bit, dark chocolate. I'm also pretty obsessed with including seeds in my baking at the moment, so I've added some seeds to the topping to healthy it up a bit!


8 Buerre Bosc Pears
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 block (i know! you can use as little or as much as you like, think of the antioxidants!) of lindt dark chocolate


1 cup quinoa flakes
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup buckwheat four
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
3 tablespoon rice milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
pinch teaspoon salt
handful of sesame seeds
handful of pepitas/pumpkin seeds


Directions
Preheat oven to about 180C

Chop up pears,  I like it a bit chunky but whatever suits you. Dissolve the arrowroot in water and set aside.  Place pears in a baking dish of your choice and add the sugar and spice, mix it all in and pour the arrowroot mix over the top. After you have done this, smash up the chocolate and place all over the top. It should look a bit like this:

Pretty impressive huh?  To prepare the topping, in a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add oil, rice milk, and vanilla.  I like to use my hands here to really combine the wet and dry ingredients, you might also need a little more coconut oil.  I like to use coconut oil for two reasons, the first being that I like the subtle coconut taste it adds to my baking.  Secondly,  it's stable at high temperatures, which means it won't oxidize and become a nasty oil.

 Crumble topping over the apples, and sprinkle sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds over the top.

Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.