Black Bean Salad with Basil Pesto

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Black bean salad

Like many other legumes, black beans are an excellent source of the cholesterol-lowering dietary fibre good for cardiovascular system. They also contain a good amount of iron that gives you energy, antioxidants that protect you from cancer and a complete source of protein for vegetarians when combined with a whole grain such as brown rice. Their high soluble fibre, low GI and high protein stabilises your blood sugar level, which helps people with diabetes. This superstar is so versatile in cooking and baking as well. You can add into your soup, salads, taco fillings, hummus made of black beans, braised black bean casserole, vegetarian patties, even in your brownies…list is endless! Tips for cooking these amazing guys? You need to soak your beans overnight to reduce your cooking time. Don’t add salt or acidic ingredients while boiling them otherwise it won’t cook but gets really tough.

Black Bean Salad
Cook pre-soaked black beans. Pan-fry diced sweet potatoes with sage and cumin. Mix beans and sweet potatoes with chopped cucumber, celery, parsley and coriander in a mixing bowl. Season with Himalayan salt and ground pepper. Dress with vinegar, a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of e.v.o.o.

Basil Pesto
Put a handful of basil leaves, a teaspoon of chopped garlic, 100g of cottage cheese, handful of pepitas, a squeeze of lemon into a food processor. Whiz up until all blended nicely. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Beef Tataki

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

Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Lasagna with Kale Chips

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I made a vegetarian version of the traditional meaty lasagna last night for “Meatless” Monday. Meatless Monday is an international campaign, no meat on Mondays to improve your health and the health of the planet. It started quite a while ago in America in 2003 and runs in over 20 countries, mostly high meat consuming countries. I am very positive about this movement, not that I want Australians to turn to vegetarians or vegan. But it’s a fun program that you can think about your health and environment at the start of the week and come up with some interesting vegetarian dishes. I don’t need to follow this rule since my diet is already 90% vegetarian though I try to cook a vegetarian dinner at least x 1-2 a week for my hubby.

pumpkin lasagnaA traditional lasagna is a nice comfort food, but can be quite heavy loaded with ground beef and cheese. You can make a healthier version and have a generous serving of veggies by simply replacing ingredients. You can make it gluten-free by using gluten-free lasagna sheets or just layers of sliced vegetables such as eggplant and zucchini. Bechamel sauce is traditionally made of butter, flour and milk that gives a nice creaminess and builds a lasagna shape. To make a healthier version (gluten-free and dairy-free! yay!), you can use creamed tofu, celeriac purée, cashew cream or white bean purée. These substitutes don’t compromise flavour at all but in fact adds more protein and fibre. I find a beauty of making lasagna is when it shows beautiful layers when you cut into it. I used pumpkin mash, slices of sweet potatoes, Parmesan cheese and sage leaves – simple ingredients but nice flavour. I served with bitter crunchy kale chips which compliment this dish very well. This would be a fabulous dish for a potluck dinner or a holiday party as well.

Posted in: Baking, Dinner, My recipes, Vegetarian

My Weekend Lunch

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Tofu lunch

My weekend comfort food is tofu just by itself. I know some people will frown on me, but I don’t care I like them so much. What I’m about to write is the reason why I try to indulge myself with tofu only on the weekend. I’ve written health benefits of having soy in blog before. I don’t want to confuse you, however, there are some bad news. There is some evidence showing that isoflavones in soy can interfere with your endocrine system and hormone balance. It can possibly reduce fertility in women, contribute to premature puberty, link to some cancers when consumed in large amounts. Don’t worry I’m not talking about fresh tofu and the fermented ones like miso, tempeh and tamari. I am talking about more packaged and processed soy products that you consume even without knowing such as protein bars, cereals, soy milk, vegan substitute products, etc. These bad guys have high phytic acid which can interfere with mineral absorption. The bottom line is that soy has a good source of plant-based protein and fibre. So enjoy in moderation and avoid processed soy products.

My lunch was steamed tofu and bok choy with home-made chili capsicum chutney. It looks seriously red and spicy, but the sweetness from red capsicum actually calms down the heat of the chillies. I made a big batch and put it in a sterilised jar which can last up to weeks. You can adjust how hot you want your chutney to be. My ingredients are red capsicum, birds eye chillies ( I used five!!!), garlic, ginger, maple syrup, cinnamon powder, ground nutmeg, coconut oil and balsamic vinegar. I could use some more cayenne pepper for a challenge >.< You need to cook them until all ingredients are softened and sticky. Then whiz up in a food processor. I left all the skin of chillies and capsicum for a source of fibre, but get rid of them if you don’t like that texture. This chutney comes really handy for me as a chilli lover. A great addition to melted cheese, warm soup, steak for Daniel, stir-fry, or even on raw veggie sticks. Enjoy x

Posted in: Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

Roasted Pepitas

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Roasted pepitas

A delicious healthy snack is here – spicy roasted pepitas! I like sprinkling nuts in my salads for a nice crunch and nutty flavour. I’ve been using raw hulled pepitas so far. But OMG! after I toasted pepitas in the oven today, I’m definitely going to use roasted ones from now on. It is so addictive I cannot stop snacking on them.

Pepitas are amazing because…
– they are high in magnesium good for your blood pressure and heart
– zinc in pepitas supports your immune system, sleep, mood, eye and skin health, insulin regulation and male sexual function
– they are one of the best sources of plant-based omega-3 fats
– healthy fats, antioxidants and fibres in them may provide benefits for your heart and liver health
– pepitas are rich in tryptophan which converts to serotonin, which in turn converts to melatonin “sleep hormone”. Eating pepitas before bed may help with a better night’s sleep.
– their anti-inflammatory effects may help with arthritis

I coated raw hulled pepitas with cinnamon, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, maple syrup, coconut oil and Himalayan salt in a mixing bowl. Then spread well on baking paper in a single layer. Roast in the preheated oven (170-180) for 10-15 minutes or until browned. Stir them every 5 minutes because spices can burn. Let cool before transferring into the jar. You can use any spices or sauce of your choice  for example tamari, chili and lime, cacao powder, curry powder, honey and ginger, etc. It is super easy to make, a great snack (beer snack?) as well as beautiful addition to your salad. Seriously good 🙂

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

Raw Apple Tart

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Raw apple tart

An apple a day keeps the doctor away! As well as being crunchy and tasty, apples are packed with vitamin C great for your immune system and prevent you from heart disease, cancers, bad cholesterol and tooth decay. The quercetin content in the apple skin helps to reduce inflammation. Cinnamon also reduces inflammation and balances blood sugar. Apple and cinnamon is a match made in heaven! It sounds like a yummy dessert, right? But it is more like breakfast or morning snack. I will explain why…

Have you had a hotel buffet breakfast before? Yes.
Did you go for bacon, eggs, bread, etc before fruits? Did you feel tired after eating? Maybe yes.  Oh no. I bet your stomach was not that happy 🙁
If you’ve had no problems before, then lucky you! you have super strong stomach.

You need to have fruit only in the morning, not after midday. The reason being is your liver that works hard to eliminate all waste from your body is most active between midnight and midday. Fresh fruits don’t require the liver function that much and get digested pretty quickly within 30 minutes. So ideally you have fruits until midday to let your liver work. I don’t follow this rule to be honest, but I do eat fruits alone before having other foods because if you have starches and protein with or before fruits, the fruits get caught in the stomach and start fermenting, which makes acid and indigestion. I hope it makes sense. So big No No to fruit dessert! If you want fruits for dessert, have desserts before main! better for your stomach. Digestion requires quite a bit of energy. So if you stuff up, there is no wonder why you feel more tired after eating.

Raw apple tart

My first attempt to make raw apple tart. Simple ingredients, no oven required, real quick, fool-proof and delicious!

For the base
I used 150g of blanched raw almonds, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder, 1 teaspoon of tahini and a pinch of Himalayan sea salt. Put all ingredients in a food processor and whiz up until it gets paste consistency (it might take a while, be patient!). Spread well with back of the spoon or your fingers at the bottom of baking tin. Keep in the fridge while you are making fillings.

For the filling
Thinly slice 6 small granny smith apples. Mix with maple syrup, coconut vinegar, cinnamon powder, ground nutmeg in a big bowl and sit aside for 30minutes. Then put the mixture in a food processor. I like to have still big chunks in mine, but you can blend really fine if you like. Spread mixture on top of the base. Put it in the freezer for 30 mins to 1 hour until the tart feels firm to touch. Slice them up squares or triangles (sharp knife in hot runny water should help if you struggle to cut). Serve cold with thick Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey on the side.

Variations: you can add pitted dates in the base to make it sweeter and easily bind together. You can also add apple puree in the tart filling between the layers of apples. Top with granola, coconut chips, raisins, etc to decorate.

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