Lentil Loaf and Raw Red Salad

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Lentil loafI cannot help myself when my laziness kicks in during the week. I don’t feel like cooking or don’t have much appetite for anything, then I easily grab a piece of muffin or raw desserts, instead of a proper meal, that I always keep in my fridge. Why is it so hard to cook for myself? >.< Then problem sorted! I made this lentil loaf and red salad on Monday which was perfect for my lunch for the rest of the week. I assure you it is super easy to prepare, cheap, healthy and flavoursome, too. It is in fact great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, any time of the day. Enjoy x

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

Lentil Loaf

200g mixed grains (I used French lentils, brown rice and quinoa)
6 eggs
1 cup of spinach, steamed and roughly chopped
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp of minced garlic
50g toasted pepitas

Soak and rinse French lentils, brown rice and quinoa. Cook them in a pot for about 15 minutes over low heat until tender. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs and add all other ingredients including cooked lentils. Combine well and transfer to a loaf tin, silicon or lined with a baking paper. Bake in the preheated oven (180) for about an hour or until cooked. Let it cool  for 10-15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy either warm or cold with a fresh salad.

Raw Red Salad

1 beetroot, grated
1 carrot, grated
1/2 of green capsicum, chopped
1/2 cup of chopped fennel
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
1 tbsp e.v.o.o
salt and pepper to taste

Mix vinegar, mustard, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add prepared vegetables in and combine well. Adjust seasoning and set aside for 30 minutes or so before serve.

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

Savoury Roasted Nuts + Chickpea Salad

\ Leave a Comment \ by

savoury nutsIf you are bored of chewing on plain raw nuts, try roasted nuts dressed in either savoury or sweet flavour. I’ve made vanilla and cinnamon roasted nuts earlier. This time it is salty and spicy savoury nuts 🙂 I used a coconut amino sauce, which is gluten-free and soy-free sauce containing 17 amino acids. If you don’t have it, don’t worry! You can replace with tamari or sodium reduced soy sauce. It is great on its own as a snack, but I also use as salad toppings (as below in chickpea salad) and a sprinkle on soup for extra flavour and crunch. Enjoy x

Savoury Roasted Nuts

100g raw almonds
100g raw pepitas
100g raw sunflower seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp coconut amino sauce
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Soak all nuts in water overnight. Drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Melt coconut oil for 30 seconds in microwave. Then combine with coconut amino sauce, cayenne pepper and salt in a large bowl. Pour the nuts into a bowl and mix well with a spatula making sure all nuts are coated with the sauce. Transfer the nuts onto a baking tray and spread evenly in a single layer. Place in the preheated (170) oven for 20-30 minutes or more until nuts are fragrant and crispy, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely before storing in an air-tight container. Store in the fridge or freezer.
Chickpea saladSo this is the salad I made after roasting some nuts. Chickpeas are a great base for salads and also add the buttery texture and hearty element. Sweet caramelised onion, rich blue cheese, salty roasted nuts and bitter greens are a match made in heaven. Delicious! It can be a complete dish on its own as well as a great accompaniment to any protein of your choice.

Chickpea Salad with Caramelised Balsamic Onion and Blue Cheese (serves 2)

100g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 cup of salad leaves
1 white onion
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
50g blue cheese
2 tbsp savoury roasted nuts
1 tbsp e.v.o.o
salt and pepper to taste

Put soaked chickpeas in a pot and cover with water. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until cooked. Drain and set aside. In the meantime, thinly slice onion and cook in a pan with coconut oil, balsamic vinegar and honey until caramelised. Season with salt and pepper. To assemble the salad, put cooked chickpeas, salad leaves, caramelised onion and crumbled blue cheese in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil and extra balsamic vinegar into a bowl. Gently toss to combine. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle savoury roasted nuts on top.

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

GF Rooibos Scone

\ Leave a Comment \ by

The red bush tea a.k.a Rooibos tea from South Africa not only tastes amazing but also is incredibly good for you. It is naturally caffeine free and contains high antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also rich in minerals like calcium, manganese and zinc, which helps your bone health. Flavonoids in rooibos tea are known to relieve spasm, allergies and inflammation and help your digestion and restful sleep. Tea drinkers out there, worried about iron because of tannin in black tea? Rooibos tea actually supports iron absorption in your body unlike most other black tea since it contains less than half the tannins of black tea. The list goes on…improving blood circulation, relieving hypertension and diabetes, preventing premature aging, improving your skin tone. Wow! Are you amazed by this little beauty? I added brewed tea as well as loose tea in this gluten free scone recipe. It is crispy outside and fluffy inside, perfect as a snack with a cuppa. Enjoy x
rooibos sconeIngredients (makes 4 small scones)

3 teabags of vanilla rooibos tea
100g water to brew the tea
2 eggs
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp chia seeds
50g almond meal
50g coconut flour
50g buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt

Steep 3 teabags of vanilla rooibos in freshly boiled water and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, place all dry ingredients and combine together. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add in the rooibos tea (I added loose tea from one tea bag as well), honey and melted coconut oil. Mix dry and wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until combined. Spoon the batter onto a baking paper and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 15-20 minutes until golden. Take it out of the oven and let it cool on a rack. Enjoy with rooibos tea.

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

GF Zucchini Carrot Bread

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Zucchini carrot loafChickpea flour is readily available in health food shops, along with Indian, Italian and French grocers. It is also known as besan, chana flour, gram flour, cici flour and garbanzo bean flour. A good news is it is totally gluten-free and a fantastic substitute for wheat flour. Not done yet! Nutritionally better, as well. It has fewer calories and carbs than either whole-wheat or all-purpose white flour, yet it’s a better source of protein. Chickpea flour has double the amount of protein than whole-wheat flour and six times more than all-purpose flour. It’s an excellent source of folate, containing seven times more folate than whole-wheat flour. It even has more folate than enriched all-purpose flour. It also provides vitamin B-6, iron, magnesium and potassium. Only downfall of using chickpea flour is that cake or bread gets quite dense and it can leave a pasty taste when undercooked. So to solve that problem, I like mixing up with coconut flour or almond flour and slightly overcook to be safe. I added grated carrots and zucchini in this recipe to make the light savoury bread and served with a cashew cream cheese. It is great for on-the-go breakfast and afternoon snack.

Ingredients

3/4 chickpea flour
1/2 coconut flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup natural yogurt
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup zucchini noodles
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl. Add yogurt and whisk again. Add all other ingredients into a bowl and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into a baking tin and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 45-50 minutes until cooked. Take it out of the oven and let it cook in a tin. Serve with cashew cream cheese.

zucchini carrotloaf1

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

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

\ Leave a Comment \ by

spiced pumpkin muffinWe are all on a mission to incorporate more vegetables in your diet. Why is it so hard to squeeze in 5 servings of veggies everyday? Lunch and dinner is easier when you choose fresh salads or stir-fry or soup. Then what about breakfast? Are you rushing out with a slice of toast or none? I like making savoury goods for breakfast. The fun part is to experiment with a variety of different vegetables such as parsnip, zucchini, carrot, kale and beets. These muffins are well balanced with sweet pumpkin and beautiful spices. Seed toppings add not only crunchiness and nutty flavour but also extra nutrition. Pumpkin seeds contain high omega 3 and vital minerals like magnesium for your heart, zinc for men’s prostate health, iron for blood building and tryptophan for good night sleep. So enjoy baking, eat well and stay healthy x

Ingredients (makes 6)

1 cup of self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp all spice
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 cup pumpkin puree (peeled, chopped, steamed and meshed)
1/2 cup milk of your choice (adjust depending on your mixture)
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp raw honey (add more if you want sweet muffins)
pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds for a sprinkle

Preheat the oven to 180 and line your muffin tin with a baking paper.  Add all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. In a separate bowl, combine meshed pumpkin, milk, melted coconut oil and honey. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry mixture and combine well with a spatula until all incorporated. You might need to add more or less milk depending on your pumpkin mixture. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin about 2/3 full and sprinkle pumpkin and sunflower seeds on top. Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until cooked. Take it out of the oven and let it rest in a tin for 5 minutes then cool on a rack.
spiced pumpkin muffins

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian