Tropical summer smoothie (with ginger, turmeric and baobab!)
I typically have my smoothies green (like this one) but these last few days with the sun being out, I have often fancied a chilled afternoon smoothie of the more fruity variety.
This is my current favourite smoothie and I love that it has some ‘boost’ foods in there to bump up the nutritional content without impairing the flavour, in fact it all adds to the flavour.
If you don’t have baobab, that’s ok just leave it out. Baobab is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants and what I most love about it is the sherbert-like flavour which works so well in this smoothie, but it won’t make much difference if you don’t have it. You may like to try adding a squeeze of lemon or lime instead for a little extra zing!
Even when this smoothie has no milk in it (optional), it is still has a creamy texture from the banana and mango and reminds me of mango lassi’s that I often have as a dessert in Indian restaurants.
Give it a try… I think it may become a summer favourite. :-)
I think it would also work well frozen in lolly moulds, but I haven’t yet tried this so let me know if you do! (I suggest using milk and a little less liquid overall if you do this as you want it super creamy)
Ps. as per usual none of my measurements are exact, so you don’t need to weight anything - just eyeball it.
Recipe: Tropical Summer Smoothie
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen mango or tropical fruit chunks
1 large banana (if using frozen you may need to add a little extra liquid)
1 thumbnail-sized piece of ginger root (or 1/2 tsp ground)
1 slightly smaller chunks of fresh turmeric or a heaped 1/4 tsp tsp ground
A pinch of black pepper
1 tbs baobab powder
approx 2 - 2.5 cups water (or milk if you want a super-duper creamy smoothie)
Method:
Blitz together until super smooth. Serve in two tall glasses.
Easy Matcha Nice-Cream
Summer is in full swing! Yay...
I have been spending as much time outside as possible, walking to the gym with an audio book in headphones, making big dreamcatchers in the garden (I have a commission to make a collection of big ones for Soul Circus festival!)... and eating refreshing summer snacks.
Matcha tea came to mind recently, as I have just introduced a friend to it and he's become something of a little obsessed with matcha lattes. But for summer time it's nice to have something of the chilled variety on hand!
If you haven’t tried matcha. It’s a form of green tea that super high in antioxidants as the whole leave is ground and consumed (rather than just an infusion as per regular green tea bags). It is reported that just one serving of matcha tea has 137 times more antioxidants than 10 cups of regularly brewed green tea (source).
I love that is also has a milder, smoother flavour than regular green tea and a lot of people love it as it provides a caffeine boost of steady energy and focus but without the crash. Winner!
On the the recipe…
I love this twist on the classic vegan 'nice' cream. You could also make this into a creamy chilled thick shake by blending half and half with a plant-based milk of choice. It’s a two-way recipe :-)
Enjoy!
Recipe: Easy Matcha Nice-Cream
Ingredients - serves 2 (ish)
equivalent of three frozen bananas cut into chunks (I pre-freeze big batches to have to hand at all times)
1 teaspoon matcha tea powder
pinch of vanilla bean*
*this is optional, another option would be a few drops of peppermint with some choc chunks or cacao nibs mixed through (matcha mint chic chip!!)
Other optional toppings: nuts, cacao nibs or dried fruit sprinkled on top. Go crazy ;-)
Method:
Simply blend in a powerful blender that can handle frozen banana chunks for about 30-40 seconds until super smooth. Dollop into bowls (or tall glasses with a long spoon for special effect) and sprinkle with toppings of choice. This can also be frozen if not serving immediately.
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My top #Rawgust meal ideas & raw banana bread recipe!
It's coming up to the end of the month. The end of August.... and therefore the end of #Rawgust
I didn't announce it directly on my blog (kept that to social media) but I made the decision on the last day of their life to give Raugust a go - that's raw vegan for the month of August. My boyfriend was also up for playing along which helped!
It's coming up to the end of the month. The end of August.... and therefore the end of #Rawgust
I didn't announce it directly on my blog (kept that to social media) but I made the decision on the last day of their life to give Raugust a go - that's raw vegan for the month of August. My boyfriend was also up for playing along which helped!
I felt very unprepared and aware that it may not run perfectly or smoothly but that's ok. It was the spontaneity that spoke to me in the moment when I saw a post by the Ethcs crew that I really resonated with.
Having spent time at Raw Fest on the last weekend of July, and more recently exploring the connection between a plant-based diet and our innate sense of creativity for my forthcoming book, I am learning that a raw vegan diet has the potential to bring you even closer to that connection with self, with source, with nature.
My good friend Rhiannon Van Der Griffin recently shared her raw journey with me a part of my book research and I was inspired more than ever to try it for myself.
In moments like this I come back to this quote by Matt Cutts. It's simply about getting curious to explore what becoming the very best version of you could look like. For 30 days.
So how did the month play out for me?
NOTE: more in depth update in this post!
Well, I admit I wasn't perfect. I wasn't 100% raw. Probably about 85% in reality.
One of the biggest reasons for wanting to do it, was to increase my repertoire of raw meal ideas for the future, and that I did for sure. In particular, raw sauces, dips and dressings for salads can REALLY make a salad.... it doesn't often matter what veggies you have in the bowl if you have an incredible sauce to smoother them in, right? ;-) Make enough for the week and you have easy meals lunches you can make in moments.
I am going to put together a separate post sharing a big roundup of raw recipes from a vegan community I am part of, but for now I'd like to share a few of my favourite discoveries and tips.
I'd also love to hear about your own 'raw' adventures...
Whether that might simply be incorporating a green smoothie each day, or a raw lunch Monday to Friday, or more raw snacks. It's not about hitting 100% perfect, what works for you?
Have you felt any benefits going more 'raw'? Or what are you currently struggling with?
My favourite things to make...
Raw sauces etc (as noted above) - make a weeks worth.
Deyhdrated flax crackers which are great as a snack in the go, as cracker as a 'bread substitute' and also as croutons in a salad when sliced into tiny squares- recipe here
Bliss Balls are also an obvious go-to, BUT I did have a tendency to eat a lot of them and then be too full for a massive salad- ooops!
Courgetti- spiralised courrgette and carrot for a fun pretty bowl. Also great with the chunky bolognaise- see pic above - recipe to come.
Smoothies of all kinds - green, berry or banana and raw cacao for a chocolate hit!
Overnight oats - this one is a little contentious as to whether it's actually raw, since rolled porridge oats are technically heated in the rolling process. But this was often nice to wake up to instead of smoothie or fruit bowl in the morning, or as lunch on the go.
Mushroom curry - so easy and so good (see pic above) based on this recipe using cashews.
Lettuce wraps with a peanut satay dipping sauce (technical the peanut butter component wasn't raw) note: gem lettuce leaves work best- those in the picture were from my veggie patch.
Still a few more days of #Rawgust to go, so I will see what creations catch my eye- I will be back with more raw recipes here soon!
For now, I'll leave you with this recipe for a raw banana bread... I totally made this up as I went along, but it worked so well as a spin-off on a bliss ball style creation.
Recipe: Raw Banana Bread Slice
Ingredients:
2 bananas
2 tbs flax seed
1 cup dates
1-2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup nuts- chopped (I used macadamias*)
1/2 cup nuts- ground (I used pecans*)
pinch salt
* I loved the flavour and texture of the chunky macadamia pieces, but I imagine cashews or almond would also work well. Any ground nut could be used.
If you want a more intense 'double banana' flavour, try using dried banana pieces (not banana chips) instead of dates - or half and half.
Method:
Blend the banana with the flax, cinnamon and dates until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well to form a stiff slightly sticky 'dough'. (I pulsed the mix together in a food processor but you could do it by hand).
Form into a log on a liner and chill for at least an hour to firm up. Once firm slice into pieces and serve. Store in the fridge for up to a week. This freezes well too.
NOTE: It makes about three times the amount shown, but I gifted most of it to my boyfriend before I had a chance to shoot it ;-)
Blueberry & Banana High Protein Pancakes
I feel like it's been forever and a day since I've posted loads of food recipes! Once upon a time back in the early days) I was posting three or four times per week, but that's when I had nothing else to do alongside ;-)
Recently I've been spending a lot more time doing my own inner work which is my track of to becoming a better person and coach. I've also been doing a lot of brainstorming- figuring out how to make my mark on this world and how best to make a difference in your lives. With the news of Scott's passing a few weeks ago it made me think more deeply about how I show up and the actions I take.
On another lighter and altogether delicious note, if you've been keeping up with me on Facebook page you'll know I have been busy creating recipes for a 'porridge' e-book to be ready for you very very shortly. Sign up to my newsletter for a special launch offer coming in the next couple of weeks!
In the meantime it's the weekend and so I reckon pancakes should be on the agenda. It's been a while!
Mmmmm pancake brunch!
These ones are super duper simple and also super duper high protein- all natural protein by way of the chickpea flour, chia seed and a little nut butter.
I love the flavour of these, although if you are not such a fan of chickpea flour you might want to sub half with ground oats or another grain for a neutral flavour. I have used banana and frozen blueberries, but for for an autumnal twist why not try stewed apple or pear.
If the hot sun comes out as it has done most days this week, I may well whip up another batch and sit out in the garden. Indian summer bliss!
Recipe: chickpea flour pancakes
Serves 1 (3 small pancakes)
Ingredients:
½ cup chickpea flour (aka gram or garbanzo flour)
2 tsp chia seed (or flax)
¼ tsp baking soda
1 heaped tsp coconut sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup water
1 tbs peanut or almond nut butter
toppings of choice- I used mashed banana, blueberries and soy yoghurt
Method:
Mix/mash all ingredients together until you have a thick but spoonable/runny batter. Ideally, allow to stand for 2-3 minutes to thicken a little more whilst you prepare your toppings.
Dollop into three equal sized pancakes into a large oiled frying pan. Cook for 2 minutes then flip and cook for another minute or so until both sides are golden.
Layer up with mashed or sliced banana and blueberries (or fruity filling of choice!) and a little non dairy yoghurt for extra messyness ;-)
Serve immediately.
Chocolate banana brownie bread
I called this 'brownie bread'... as it's shaped like a loaf, but with a beautiful dense and chewy sponge, best described as a cross between banana bread and a chocolate brownie!
The easiest, healthiest, allergy friendly but totally indulgent cake you'll probably ever find!
Well this recipe was totally unplanned! Making recipes on holiday in Lanzarote in my hosts kitchen! I have been eating all my meals with them, it's so lovely to be cooked for, especially since they eat a plant based diet also... i'll admit I haven't even needed to leave their house!
Since I happened to mention I write a food blog, I was offered the opportunity to come up with a healthy cake or dessert using 'anything I could find' in the kitchen. Wow, what an opportunity... though I was also pretty nervous and apprehensive in case it didn't work out! It's one thing wasting your own ingredients but anything things when it's someone else's food! Plus, I didn't have all my up ingredients and kitchen tools to hand.
Of course I wanted it to be as low in sugar as possible, and ideally contain chocolate, since I hadn't had any all week and it was calling to me! I needed a foolproof recipe that I knew would stand the least chance of failure.... that's when my crazy chocolate courgette cake came to mind. That cake is loved by so many, uses simple ingredients and I knew it would be a winner. To change it up a little I swapped the courgette for banana. This was in large part so that I could get away from using refined sugars- in the courgette version I use dates and pure stevia, but since I had no stevia to hand, I used bananas (and a teensy bit of brown sugar just to be sure) to hit the sweet spot.
Flour was also another factor to work around. I usually use fine ground oats in the chocolate courgette cake recipe, but all I had to hand here were emmer grains (an ancient grain similar to spelt and einkorn). This is what my hosts mill to make their own bread, so we milled some for this recipe. It worked perfectly.... phew! I imagine any of the ancient grain flours (or even regular wholewheat) would make a good substitute, or use fine oatmeal as per my original recipe (I haven't tried with purely gluten free flours but buckwheat or a GF flour blend could be a good bet if you do experiment).
Emmer grains- pre milling
Emmer flour being milled!
I also had to improvise with other ingredients too. Usually I use a combination of baking soda and baking power. But there was only soda to hand... a quick google gave me my solution. Baking soda needs an acid to react to, so I simply added lemon juice to the mix and it worked perfectly on its own.
The banana pieces on top were beautifully caramelised and chewy... feel free to add more or even mix some chunks into the mix to vary the texture and make more of a dessert bread, which would be amazing served warm with vegan cream or ice-cream.... or a slathering of drippy peanut butter! Oh yeah...
This basic recipe has been tried so many times now with little tweaks, it is virtually foolproof I promise! The verdict... they all loved it! Even two year old Shakti!
P.s You'll find plenty more of my 'loaf' style recipes HERE!
Recipe: Chocolate banana brownie bread
Makes 1 long shallow loaf (or equivalent of a large deep brownie pan)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup chopped dates (packed quite tightly)
1/2 cup boiling water (may need to add a few tablespoons extra at the end)
1/4 cup coconut oil (or other mild oil of choice)
2 tbs chia seeds (or flax seed)
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
4 medium bananas (3 to be pureed and 1 chopped for the top)
2-3 tbs brown sugar (you could omit this or sub with syrup or a few drops of pure stevia)
2/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cup emmer flour (or ground porridge oats or other flours as noted above)
1 heaped tsp baking soda
Method:
Soak the dates in the 1/2 cup boiling water for a few minutes to soften ( I did this as I only had a small stick hand blender to use, soaking it optional for more robust blenders so you could just add water separately). Add the coconut oil to melt it. Add three rough chopped bananas, the chia/flax and the lemon juice to the date/oil mix and blend until very smooth. All the wet ingredients should now be mixed.
In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa and baking soda. Add the pureed mixture and stir through until fully combined. Taste and add the brown sugar (or sweetener of choice) to taste. I only needed to add two tablespoons.
The mixture should be a soft spoonable batter. Add a few extra tablespoons of water only if needed (I added a couple). Spoon the mix into a greased and lined cake tin/loaf tin of choice (or muffin cups). Smooth the top as much as possonle then press the chopped banana pieces on top to decorate.
Bake for approx. 35-40 minutes at 180C (this will depend on the depth on the cake pan and need less time for muffins). I loosely covered the top with foil after 20 minutes once the bananas were browned to prevent potential burning. Check the middle of a cake with a fork or skewer to see that it comes away clean.
Serve warm or cold as a healthy indulgent snack or dessert! One easy cake- two ways!
(P.s this cake freezes beautifully too!)
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Choc-banana-hazelnut oat bake
I'm trying lots of new products at the moment. Having done a couple of giveaways I recently decided to get in touch with companies I love and whose products I use on a regular basis, I figured if I love them then you probably would too!
Over the next few weeks in amongst my recipes I will be showcasing their ingredients. I'll also throw in some reviews and more giveaways for you lot!
You cool with that!?
Last weekend I also went to V-Delicious and the Allergy and Free-From Show in London, which was a other great opportunity to try new foods, talk to manufacturers and make new contacts for future blog collaborations... watch this space!
The pic on the right shows a few of the things I bought- all new to me! I'm particularly excited to try the raw Pana Chocolate as I was given this sample for free from 'Mr Pana' himself! :-)
Have you tried any of them?
Today I have for you an oat bake recipe.... it's been a little while since an oat bake, and this is actually one of the first combos I ever made but I didn't capture it on camera at the time.
On Sunday I remade it with a selection of Rude Health's products... namely their oats and the new coconut milk. I also tried a recipe with their new drinking oats.. but i'll save that for another time once i've perfected it.
This coconut milk would also be perfect for making the tropical pineapple version with... still one of my favourite bresserts of all time!!
Why not serve it up for a leisurely breakfast with an extra glass of coconut milk on the side!
Recipe: Choc-banana-hazelnut oat bake
Serves 2 (could easily double up and use a larger pan to serve 4)
Ingredients:
½ cup porridge oats (could use any of these from Rude Health except the oatmeal)
1 heaped tsp ground flax
Pinch salt
Handful of hazelnuts (roasted or raw) this would also be good with coconut chips
1 tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 banana- half mashed, half sliced.
Approx. few drops stevia or 1-2 tbs sugar/syrup to taste.
½ cup non-dairy milk (I used Rude Health coconut milk)
Method:
Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, add the mashed banana and sweetener to the milk then mix all into the dry ingredients.
Arrange the sliced banana on top of the mixture once spooned into a small pie dish.
Use a medium pie dish- approx 18 cm diameter (the mixture should be approx 2cm deep). Bake at 180C for approx 20 mins until the top is golden and banana lightly browned at the edges.
Note: for speed you can microwave the bake for 2 mins and then grill the top to lightly brown for 2 mins. Keep a close eye to prevent burning!
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Ridiculously healthy - 3 ingredient - pinktastic ice cream!
Please tell me the title grabbed your attention...?
I had to come up with something suitable fitting for this concoction. Simplicity at it's finest.
I made this recipe on Saturday in the midst of having a rather overwhelming and floopy weekend...and this turned the whole thing around for me. Yep this in indeed a game changer! I posted a sneak preview on my Instagram and one comment received was doubtful of the beetroot.... wooah no...most definitely not! This is some seriously good pink stuff ;-)
Even though the main ingredient in this ice cream is banana, the combo of beet and raspberry is pretty powerful and gives a lovely sweetly sharp hint, and so the result is not an immediately obvious banana flavour. My dad couldn't even guess what was in it at all when I presented him with a bowlful for dessert on Sunday evening... he started reeling off ingredients such a white beans... ha ha, he knows me too well! :-)
This will probably be my last pre-Valentines pink post. I'm not even a lovey duvey kind of girl. I think I've simply liked making pink things. I hope you do too!
However you happen to be celebrating On Friday...if indeed at all, I hope you enjoy your Valentines Day. For all those singletons out there, how about a booking a massage or a bubbly bath with oils and a face mask. I've been trying to find time for a bit of self-love as I know I don't prioritise 'me' time nearly as much as I should.
Recipe: Banana beet and raspberry ice cream (no ice cream maker needed!)
Serves 3-4 (or two if you are ice cream obsessed!)
Ingredients:
3 bananas- chunked and pre-frozen
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cooked beetroot (i bought them pre-packed)
1 tsp vanilla extra (or other flavouring) optional
few drops stevia (optional for a touch extra sweetness)
Method:
Blend all ingredients together until smooth- but don't over blend as the ice-cream consistency will begin to soften. I added most of the raspberries into the blend, then added at the last few for decoration.
You can serve this immediately as a soft serve or spread into a tub and freeze for a few hours to serve with a scoop. Because this ice-cream uses a banana base, there is no need for an ice cream maker and the ice cream won't form icy crystals as some ice creams can tend to. Winner!
Chilled chocolate banana chunks
Phew, crazy week! I feel like i'm using that word a bit too much recently. Too many high and lows for my liking... yup still working on the old balance thing!
You will hopefully have noticed that my e-book has been released yay! I'm not the best when it comes t marketing- it's just not my strength and i always feel like i';m pushing things on people, BUT i am actually really happy with this little achievement and want to celebrate with you all!
There is menu tab up top called shop- hopefully i;ll have more things in there over time. You'll also find the e-books I have written for the dal Food Source you'll notice the similarity in page design ;-)
I also gave my first event public seminar of 'plant based food for fitness' last week. Ut was so streusel leading uo to it (stress out upon myself for no good reason!!) but it went really well and i got come lovely feedback.
So far 2014 has been filled with a few milestones!
back to my book- there is are over 30 recipes, half are taken from the blog over the years and half are new recipes created for the book only.
This little recipe is a great example of an old recipes tweaked and taken further into a new one.
Everyone is pretty up to speed with good old chocolate pudding using silken tofu, right? That was one of the first recipes I ever created for my blog... the photos were not great back then! I re-vamoed the recipe photography for he book and then decided to take it a step further and make frozen choc banana chunks. The chocolate pudding works really well to create a thick chocolate coating. You could add flavours or other dressing if you like!
Recipe: Chilled chocolate banana chunks
Serves 3-4 medium bowls (depending on bowl sizes)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 packet silken tofu (approx 360g)
- 30g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbs agave (or other syrup) and approx. 1/4 tsp pure stevia to taste
- 1 tsp flavourings (optional) orange, mint or almond extract
- 1 tbs coconut oil (don’t skip this as it makes it set to a thicker mousse)
- 2-3 bananas sliced in to 1 cm chunks
Method:
Add all ingredients (except bananas) to a blender and blend away until fully mixed and very smooth, the mixture will be fairly runny but will firm up further in the fridge due to the coconut oil content. Allow to set in the fridge for a little while until beginning to thicken- but still easy to work with.
Once the mixture is thick, coat the bananas and lay them on a lined sheet, or on skewers, or as mini lollies if using larger banana pieces.
Allow to fully set in the freezer. Store in the freezer for a sweet treat nibble in times of post-Christmas chocolate cravings!
Note: Make sure you use silken tofu and not regular firm tofu as it wont blend so smoothly!
P.s this is the chocolate mousse version as captured for the book before being made smothered around the banana! Why not try both ways!
I'd love you to join me in other places too!
Why not sign up for emails in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus. Day to day you can also find me here: