Mung Bean Stew

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Aside from being one of the quickest legumes to prepare and the easiest of all beans to digest, mung beans have numerous positive health benefits. They are a good source of essential fatty acids, antioxidants, minerals, and protein. Green mung bean is known as the dosha balancing food according to Ayurveda, it cleanses the gut if taken regularly. It has significant amount of soluble fiber that helps cleanse and heal the body at multiple levels.
mung bean stew
Ingredients

1 cup of mung beans
1 white onion
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp garam masala
2 cups of water or vegetable stock to cook mung beans
1 cup of coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste

Soak mung beans overnight. Rinse and cover with water in a pot. Bring it up to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until cooked. Drain and set a side. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add chopped onion and spices. Saute for 5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add cooked mung beans and stir in coconut milk. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve warm over rice or with bread.

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, Uncategorized

Cauliflower Rice with Balsamic Roasted Veggies

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cauliflower riceI fell in love with raw cauliflower rice since I made tabbouleh last time. It looks like rice but tastes quite different – crunchy, nutty and delicious. You cannot substitute for rice in every recipe, but it is a perfect base for the main meal such as curry, stir-fry, stew, roasted vegetables on cauliflower rice. Enjoy either raw or cooked depending on your preference. For your sweet tooth, you can add almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and some roasted stone fruit on top. Yum!

Ingredients

2 cauliflower florets
1 cup of diced pumpkin
1/3 zucchini, diced
1/2 spring onion
1 cup of diced parsnip
1 stalk of celery
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
a handful of dried cranberries and almonds

Wash and dice all the vegetables. Toss with balsamic vinegar, coconut oil, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Place them in a baking dish and put in the preheated oven (200) for 20-30 minutes until cooked. Make cauliflower rice using a box grater and season. You can also use a food processor. Roughly chop the cauliflower and pulse into little pieces until it looks like rice. When veggies are all cooked, take it out of the oven and let it cool slightly. Then combine with cauliflower rice in a large bowl. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with dried cranberries and almonds.

 

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, salads, Vegetarian

GF Apple Harvest Loaf

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apple loafI’m a big fan of Granny Smith apple because it is tart, tangy, crisp and crunchy. They are a great snack with low calories and high fibre, which keeps you satisfied and stabilises blood sugar level between meals. So do not peel your apples! They are also rich in vitamin C and high in the flavonoids cyanidin and epicatechin, which are powerful antioxidants. Want beautiful teeth? Bite into these little guys. The extreme tartness of Granny Smith apples helps with more salivation than a sweeter type of apple. High levels of saliva decrease bacteria in your mouth that attack teeth and cause cavities. They are a great additions to your green salads and sandwiches as well as a healthy dessert. I made a spiced apple loaf today with cinnamon and nutmeg. It smells amazing! It is not really a sweet cake so feel free to add more sweeteners if you like. Happy baking x

Ingredients

1 granny smith apple, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
4 eggs
a squeeze of lemon
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Boil apple, maple syrup, lemon juice and salt in a pot and simmer for 10 minute or until apple is tender. Take it off the heat and set aside to cool. Gently mix all the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add cooled apple mixture into a bowl and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 40-50 minutes or until cooked. Cover with foil if the top gets too brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool before serve.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

Sprouted Mung Bean, Roasted Cauliflower and Pumpkin Salad

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Sprouted mungbean1 Mung beans are highly nutritious, easy on digestion, low in calories, high in fiber and B vitamins. Sprouting process is a fantastic way of boosting enzymes, vitamins C and K and minerals, particularly zinc and iron. So try to include more sprouts in your diet. All you have to do is to soak them in water for 1-2 days and let it germinate to sprouts. After grains are soaked in water then strained and left at room temperature in the dark, their reproductive system kicks in, and they begin to sprout and ferment. Once you have a desired “tails”, you can keep them in the air-tight glass container in the fridge or freezer, which keeps it fresh for weeks. Same principles apply to other beans, grains and seeds like chick peas, rye, buckwheat, quinoa and red beans. You can add them into your smoothies, salads, bread, stir-fries and soup or eat it raw as a healthy snack. Tasty, crunchy and healthy! If you want to read more about sprouting, read my previous post about sprouting quinoa here.

Ingredients

3 cauliflower florets
2 cups of pumpkin
1 cup of sprouted mung beans1 tsp of smoked paprika
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 tsp of Himalayan salt
1 tsp of fennel seeds
1 tbsp of coconut oil
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

Mix all dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add chopped cauliflower and pumpkin into a bowl and gently toss. Bake in the preheated oven (180) for 20-30 minutes until golden. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle sprouted mung beans over the veggies and drizzle more balsamic vinegar before serve.
Sprouted mungbean

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, salads, Vegetarian

Avocado Truffles

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Did you know you can substitute avocado for butter? Sure, avocados still have calories and fat, but the fats are much better than in butter or oil.
Read more at http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2013/07/chocolate-avocado-truffles/#tsj2IpDM1eGrze1g.99

Avocado TrufflesDid you know avocado is a fruit? To be honest, I do not like avocado that much by itself (tastes quite oily and fatty>.<), but using the creamy texture of avocados instead of using the cream or butter or oil is fantastic. While avocados still contain calories and fat, they’re also packed with powerful nutrients. Avocados contain high amounts of monounsaturated fat which is easily burned for energy. They are also high in fiber (10g per on average avocado), potassium (twice the amount of a typical banana), Vitamins E and B and folic acid. They have been shown to reduce cholesterol and help manage weight.

Normally truffles contain the heavy cream, which is not good for your blood vessels and waistline. These rich little truffles substitute an avocado for the cream, making for a tasty treat with reduced guilt. It is creamy and decadent. The best part is you can’t even tell the difference. I made two versions, one with carob powder and coconut and the other with nuts and seeds. If you like creamy chocolatey flavour, go for the first one. Second recipe is crunchy, nutty and avocado-y. You can smash this one on your toast with a squeeze of lemon for your breakfast, too. Beautiful and healthy snack and dessert. Enjoy x

Carob Avocado Truffle

1/2 avocado
2 tbsp of carob powder + extra for rolling (you can also use cacao powder. I find carob powder is sweeter than cacao. So use more coconut sugar if using cacao powder.)
2 tbsp of coconut flour
1 tsp of coconut sugar
1 tsp of coconut butter
1/2 tsp of vanilla bean powder
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
a pinch of Himalayan salt

Add all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Make the truffle balls. If the mixture is too wet to work with, add a little bit more coconut flour. Roll the truffles on carob powder. Store in air-tight container in the fridge.

Chia-Sesame Avocado Truffles

1/2 avocado
5 Medjool dates
1 tbsp of chia seeds + extra for rolling
1 tbsp of sesame seeds +extra for rolling
1 tbsp of pepitas
1 tsp of flaxseed meal
1 tsp of coconut sugar
1 tsp of coconut butter
a pinch of Himalayan salt

Blend all ingredients in food processor. Make the truffle balls and roll on chia seeds and sesame seeds.

Did you know you can substitute avocado for butter? Sure, avocados still have calories and fat, but the fats are much better than in butter or oil.
Read more at http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2013/07/chocolate-avocado-truffles/#tsj2IpDM1eGrze1g.99
Posted in: Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian