A vegan take on a classic german cake, this apple cake is delicious without being too sweet. A great accompaniment to your afternoon tea from the compassionate cook Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and her The Joy of Vegan Baking.

I wish I could share this beautiful moist and fruity Christmas Pudding recipe with you, but it’s a family secret – and not mine either!

I thought I’d add this just to show you how densely the fruit was packed in. The pudding was amazing with some soy ice cream and berries. Mm…. might just go help myself to some more right now.

Okay I’m back and I must encourage you to try these Pistachio, Cardamon and Rosewater cupcakes from the Post Punk vegan kitchen of Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero. You can find the recipe in their book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I have also tried the pineapple right side up cupcakes from this same book (but forgot to take photos… sorry!). They were tasty, but I think I might do a bit of fiddling around with the recipe to suit my taste buds. Will let you know how I go!

These cookies were both crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and they keep really well. Be warned though : they are very moreish so don’t bake them if you’re looking to lose a few inches in the new year. The recipe is another one from The Joy of Vegan Baking.

And last but not least, my very first set of gingerbread men. Making these gingery cookies really made me feel like a child again and I must admit, I am very partial to their flavour. You can find the recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking as well. My only suggestion is that you make sure you knead the dough well before refrigerating.

Well that’s it for now. I hope you have a safe Christmas, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the new year!

The only changes I made to the recipe were to add a little less oil (about half), and to add about 15 black kalamata olives. To serve we stirred through some nutritional yeast (to taste – my DH uses much more than me) and voila! Delish! Last but not least, the recipe definitely does make enough for at least four servings.

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So instead I decided to experiment a little.. and to be honest with you both my DH and I were quite pleasantly surprised. The end product tasted quite like the raita we get served at our local Indian restaurant. To make this vegan raita simply combine the ingredients listed below, and taste as you go along. The ingredients make about two servings. I didn’t think to add the cumin, but I know it would go well. The raita we usually have at the restaurant is quite thin, but if you like yours thick simply add a little more soy cream cheese.

I apologise for the quality of the post photo, but at least it gives you an idea of what the end product is.

• 1 tablespoon of Soy Cream Cheese + ~1 tablespoon of soy milk
• juice of 1/2 to 1/3 lime
• pinch of salt
• pinch of white sugar
• dried mint to taste (~1/2 to 1 teaspoon)
• 1 lebanese cucumber, chopped finely
• cumin powder to taste (optional)

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I find that they’re great for a simple healthy dessert after dinner, a healthy pick-me-up in the afternoon and a great way to start the day off. In general, I try to only have one a day, though it is tempting to go for two If you’re looking to oomph it up a little for sustained energy then simply add a few whole grains like oats or even a whole-grain cereal like vita-brits (or weet-bix) (Thanks Munevver for the idea!).

My two favourite soy milks to make smoothies are only recent additions to my life. They’re both reasonably cheap (well, compared to the $4.50/litre Bonsoy I was previously using!) and taste great. The healthier one is probably the Vitasoy Vitality Soy milk as it has pear concentrate to sweeten it, as well as kombu (a sea vegetable, also known as kelp) to increase calcium naturally.

The other one is called Vitasoy High Fibre Soy milk. As the name suggests, it is high in fibre (thanks to the addition of inulin), however it is sweetened with sugar and is supplemented with calcium. Inulin is a starchy fibre found in fruit and vegetables. It is not a soluble fibre, which means it passes through to your bowels to support the bowel bacteria grow and assist with digestive functioning. Interestingly, taking inulin for 8 weeks has been found to reduce triglyceride levels by up to 19%.[1]

Some great smoothie combinations I’d recommend are:

• frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, boysenberries) with soy milk
• frozen blackberries, frozen banana, passion fruit and soy milk
• frozen banana, passion fruit, coconut milk and soy milk
• pineapple, mango, shredded coconut and soy milk
• frozen banana and frozen strawberries with soy milk
• canned lychee’s, soy milk and frozen raspberries
• rock melon (aka cantaloupe) with a little agave syrup, crushed ice, with a little rosewater if you’re feeling extra special

References

[1] Nutrition Facts, Nations Diet in Crisis

[2] WebMD, Inulin

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This recipe is fast and easy to prepare, and can be customised to suit your taste buds. Although the measurements below are guestimates, I put the ingredients into Cronometer and found that one serving of this recipe will provide you with almost all your vitamin C and manganese needs, roughly two-thirds of your copper, selenium and iron needs, and a heap of thiamine, folate, vitamin B6 and zinc. And for all those protein fanatics out there, you’ll also bag 16g of protein.

What you’ll need

• store bought falafal, already prepared (usually found in the fridge section), about 1-2 large (5.5cm in diameter) pieces per person
• broccoli, about 1/4 cup per person
• green peppers, about 1/4 cup per person
• onion, 1/4 per person
• tahini, 1/4 to 1/2  teaspoon per person
• hummus, 1 tbsp, or to taste
• spices, (chili, salt and pepper) to taste
• olive oil
• whole-wheat bread wrap

What to do

1. Put a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat with a little oil on to heat up.
2. Roughly chop the falafel, broccoli, green peppers and onion up, and then add to the skillet tossing regularly.
3. Add spices to taste.
4. Warm up the bread either in a microwave, on the stove or any means you have available to you. Spread the hummus on top and place on a plate ready for the falafel mixture.
5. Once the falafel has heated through and the onions are translucent, remove the skillet from the heat and spoon the mixture onto the hummus-spread bread. Wrap the bread up as a roll and enjoy!

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Did you know that a mere 100 calories of asparagus contains 4mg of iron (check this post out about iron in the vegetarian diet) – more iron than beef, chicken or lamb – as well as the antioxidants lycopene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, almost twice your folate needs and plenty of lutein to maintain good eye health. Plus, you’ll be a third of the way towards meeting your dietary fibre goal of 30g per day, which will help to lower your cholesterol and normalise bowel movements. Speaking of the toilet.. ever wondered why asparagus makes your pee smell? Check this out.

Now, on to the recipe. This recipe tastes best the next day, just the way most curries do. It goes really well with rice and a tomato salad, or rolled up in a naan (or a burrito wrap) for lunch. The recipe serves about three people, or I’d say two adults and two children.

What you’ll need

• 4 bunches of asparagus, preferably thin asparagus, washed and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large onion diced into small pieces
• 2 large cloves of garlic diced
• 2 teaspoons of crushed ginger
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 heaped tablespoon of tomato paste
• salt to taste
• chilli to taste
• 1 tablespoon of oil for frying
• 2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons of ground fennel seeds

What to do

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the onions. Sauté the onions until they are translucent and starting to darken. Add the ginger, garlic and spices (including chili), and allow them to sauté for a few minutes. Your kitchen should smell heavenly
2. Add the asparagus and fry for a few minutes
3. Next add the canned tomato and tomato paste and stir until thoroughly mixed in. Add salt to taste
4. Turn the heat down and allow the curry to simmer for 10 minutes, adding water if it looks like it is drying out. Taste the asparagus. It should be firm but cooked through.
5. Serve warm with rice, or with a flat bread like naan.

Tips
Make sure you remove the tough piece at the end of the asparagus off. If the asparagus is very thick stalked then peel the bottom half as shown in the video below.




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]]> http://www.healthbites.net/2011/10/26/asparagus-curry/feed/ 2 http://www.healthbites.net/2011/10/16/best-vegan-chocolate-mud-cups/ http://www.healthbites.net/2011/10/16/best-vegan-chocolate-mud-cups/#comments Sun, 16 Oct 2011 03:39:31 +0000 Corinne http://www.healthbites.net/?p=4208
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The original recipe comes from a Donna Hay Simple Essentials Chocolate Cookbook – which is my favourite chocolate cookbook of all time. Other than making this recipe dairy and egg free (I personally try to avoid both), I have halved the original recipe (there are only two of us at home!) and divided it into 5 cups (as pictured). My DH and I both agreed that as the recipe is so rich, it could probably be divided into 10 serves instead (i.e. the original recipe serving 20 instead of 10). I hope that makes sense. Either way, I’ll give you a run down of what I did, and you can decide how many serves you want to divide it into.

What you’ll need

• 180g vegan ‘butter’ spread (I use Nuttelex Olive Spread)
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• egg substitute for 2 eggs (I use Organ Egg Replacer)
• 1 cup all purpose plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 100g dark chocolate (I use Lindt 70% cooking chocolate)
• 1/2 cup soy milk (full-fat)

What to do

1. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees F), then spray your baking cups with a little oil.
2. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave, checking on it and stirring it every 30 to 40 seconds until melted.
3. In a separate bowl mix the ‘butter’ and sugar until well combined, then fold through the flour, baking powder and cocoa.
4. Next mix in the melted chocolate and milk, followed lastly by the ‘eggs’.
5. Spoon the mixture into five separate cups and bake for approximately 20 minutes in the oven (test with a skewer to check on them).

Notes

I found these chocolate mud cups to hit the spot warm or just cooled out of the oven. However, if you like your chocolate mud cake to be really dense, pop them in the fridge and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

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In terms of goodness, this spread contains the goodness of hazelnuts and dark chocolate full of antioxidants. The hazelnuts add calcium, iron and folate to your meal, as well as great flavour (of course!). The vanilla and salt accentuate the rich flavour of the chocolate. This recipe makes enough spread for about two to three pieces of toast, depending on how thick you spread it.

WARNING: this spread is rich in calories and is not intended for daily consumption.

What you’ll need

• 50g good quality dark chocolate (dairy-free)
• 50g hazelnut meal
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• tiny pinch of salt

What to do

1. Melt the chocolate using your preferred method – microwave or over a hot water bath on the stove. I personally prefer the microwave as there’s less to tidy up afterwards.
2. Stir in the pich of salt, vanilla extract and hazelnut meal.
3. Spread on a good quality thick slice of bread toasted and enjoy!

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Please do try this – you’ll regret it if you don’t. If you don’t have a strong stomach for garlic (especially fresh), then leave it out. Initially I forgot the garlic and I thought it tasted great even without it.

Ingredients

• jar of roasted bell peppers (~400g), drained
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 1/2 pieces of wholemeal bread
• 2 teaspoons of pomegranate syrup (sour)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 fresh garlic clove crushed
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Break the bread into pieces and blend in a food processor until it becomes bread crumbs.
2. Add the walnuts to the bread crumbs and blend until they are finely chopped.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and blend until you get a consistency you’re happy with.
4. Taste-test and add salt if you feel it needs any.
5. Garnish with coriander (or any other herbs you have laying around) and black olives and serve!

Serving Suggestions

As I mentioned above, I prefer this as a spread rather than a dip. I’ve had it in a wrap with black-bean burger pieces, cucmber, and tomatoes. I’ve had it in a wrap with roast pumpkin, lettuce and olives. And most recently in a turkish pide with asparagus, tomato and avocado. It goes well with all of them! The lovely texture of it (and flavour) makes me think it would go well as a fresh sauce for a cold pasta salad – though got to wait until summer to attempt that one!

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If at first you don’t succeed: try, try again!

And I’m so glad I did. It seems strange to many, but I have grown up eating yoghurt with many rice and persian dishes. Most persians who speak to me of becoming a vegetarian say that if they didn’t have meat in their meal they’d feel like they hadn’t eaten. I feel the same way about yoghurt with my persian dishes. I feel like without it, the meal doesn’t quite come together in the same delicious way.

Now, this yoghurt doesn’t taste *exactly* like the real deal, but it smells great and I think it actually tastes great too. As you can see in the video below, its consistency is pretty good too.

It may look a little lumpy, but doesn’t taste it at all. In order to keep the consistency nice and thick don’t stir the yoghurt all up (like I have in the video!). Now, on to how you can enjoy this delicious goodness!

What you’ll need

• A cooking thermometer
• A yoghurt maker, or similar device to keep the yoghurt at the right temperature
• 1 L of your favourite soy milk, preferably NOT the ‘light’ version. I used Bonsoy (which incidentally is great for hot chocolates!)
• A yoghurt culture. I used a Kefir starter (Kefir is a turkish yoghurt drink)

What to do

1. Bring the milk to a temperature of about 37 degrees Celsius. If you don’t have a thermometer you stick your *clean* finger in every so often until it feels about body temperature.
2. Take the milk off the stove and put into your yoghurt maker.
3. Stir in the yoghurt culture until it is thoroughly mixed.
4. Let the milk and culture sit in the yoghurt maker for 8 to 12 hours. The longer you leave it, the more like it is to taste a little sour (which I like).
5. After 8 to 12 hours the mixture should look just like yoghurt, but it doesn’t taste so great warm (at least I don’t think so), so put it in the fridge for a few hours before tasting.

What do you mean by ‘almost’
Well, when I came to write this post I had a closer look at the packaging of the kefir culture. Despite the assistant at the health food store telling me it was dairy free, I’ve just noticed it has whey in it.

Given there was only a teaspoon of culture altogether, it can’t have been any more than a teaspoon of the whey powder in the whole litre of yoghurt made – which should decrease with each subsequent yoghurt (you can use some of the already-made yoghurt as the culture for the next batch).

So the moral of the story is: don’t trust the assistant – look yourself! Oh, and keep trying because you will eventually succeed!

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