Cooking that gives a damn
I was thrilled to be invited last year by Animals Australia to submit recipes for consideration for their cookbook – Taste for Life. I was even more thrilled when they selected 5 of those recipes to be included and am so excited to now see it in it’s completion.
This incredible initiative can now be purchased here: http://animalsaustralia.org/taste-for-life-cookbook/?ua_s=facebook
Enjoy this smoothie for breakfast, dessert or post work out. It’s often my treat after a km or 2 at the pool.
It’s a thick, rich, sweet soft serve smoothie, with the crunch of chia and raw cacao nibs. Plus it’s dairy free! I eat it with the same spoon I use to measure the peanut butter, so that every mouthful has some creamy nut butter in it.
YOU NEED
2 small or 1 super large banana, pre peeled and frozen
1 cup of chilled rice milk
1-2 tablespoons raw cacao
1 very generous tablespoon peanut butter
*optional 1 tablespoon chia seeds
YOU DO
Yields: 1 serve. 2 if you are more generous than I am.
Time: 1 -2 minutes
Tips and Notes
This is why you never throw out super ripe bananas, they make for beautiful smoothies. P.S the more ripe your banana, the sweeter this is.
You can substitute the rice milk for any other plant based milk that is fairly neutral in taste.
I use peanut butter that is just peanuts and has no added oils, salt, fat, sugar etc. The ingredients list just states “peanuts”.
Go for raw cacao over cocoa if you can. It’s less processed and you know there is no hidden sugars or dairy.
I will tell you a secret – I hate raw cacao nibs – on their own, but in this they provide a gorgeous crunch to break up the rich creamy texture.
For a nut free version, replace the peanut butter with a nut free paste.
Got to chat with Libbi Gorr on 774 ABC Melbourne last Sunday. Unfortunately the podcast is no longer able to be streamed, but what an incredible opportunity it was.
5 Things To Do With Beetroot
Baba Ganoush
Baba ganoush is one of the many vegan dips you make and it’s so versatile. Enjoy it with vegetable sticks, on pizzas, in wraps or include it as part of a mezze plate for parties and BBQ’s.
I like mine rich, smokey, creamy and well seasoned with loads of olive oil drizzled on top, waiting to be mopped up with warm flat bread.
YOU NEED
2 small to medium eggplants
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
½ teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of tahini
1 tablespoon of olive oil
For Garnish
Handful of crushed pistachios
Extra olive oil
YOU DO
Place the eggplants on your stove top, on a medium to high flame. Turn them as they start to wrinkle. Cook until all sides start to char and they feel soft, (approximately 20 minutes).
While they are cooking, put the garlic into a small pan with a little water (about ¼ cup). Simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Discard any left over water. # This is an important step as it eliminates that harsh astringent taste of raw garlic.
Cut the cooked eggplants in half. If there are still any firm bits of flesh, put them back on the flame, skin side on the flame, until they are cooked. Then remove and discard the woody tops. Scoop the flesh out with a spoon and discard the skin.
Blend the eggplant flesh and the remaining ingredients (except for the garnishes) in a blender or food processor, until they are well smooth and creamy.
Check the seasoning and serve with a sprinkle of olive oil and pistachios.
Time: 5 – 10 minutes preparation. 20 minutes cooking time.
Yields: Approximately 1.5 cups of dip. Amount will vary depending on the size of the eggplants used.
Notes: If you don’t have a gas stove top or don’t feel confident cooking the eggplant over a flame, cook it in the oven. This will take 40 plus minutes. The eggplant will not have the same smoked flavour, but you can add a little liquid smoke. Liquid smoke is found at well stocked delis, specialty supermarkets and online.
This is best served straight away or at room temperature not long after you have made it.. Sometimes once refrigerated, it can split. But if you do make it the day before or have left overs and refrigerate it, simply blend it again before serving.
If you missed my interview with Sarah Howells at the ABC Gold Coast studios on Friday for their Foodie Friday Segment – here is the podcast.
Just click on the link below:
http://blogs.abc.net.au/…/foodie-friday-15th-april-2016-veg…
A new vegan magazine, titled Australian Vegans is going to be released this year and I was thrilled to be asked to contribute a recipe for it’s very first publication. I’ts about to hit the “stands” so watch this space.
The Kind Cook’s recipes are featured in this booklet by Paul Mahoney at Terrastendo. Paul even generously chose to feature one of my recipes and my food photography on the cover.
To read the booklet simply visit: http://tinyurl.com/zx6e9eg.
Chocolate Honeycomb Cheesecake
YOU NEED
For the crust:
¼ cup of almonds
3 fresh, pitted dates
1 tablespoon of raw cacao
For the filling:
1 cup of raw cashews
½ cup Bonsoy organic soy milk
4 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons of cacao
2 pinches salt
For the garnish:
¾ cup of chopped vegan chocolate honeycomb
YOU DO
Line a spring form tin (10 cm diameter and 7 cm depth) with baking paper.
Blend the crust ingredients in a high powered blender until they are well combined and form dough like consistency. If the mixture is a little too dry, add a teaspoon of water to bring it together.
Press the crust into the base of the spring form pan. It can be quite sticky so just wet the tips of your fingers a little if you need to.
Place all the filling ingredients into a high powered blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
Spoon the mixture onto the crust. Top with the chocolate honeycomb.
Place the cheesecake into the freezer until it sets. This takes about 3 hours
Remove from the freezer and allow it to soften in the fridge or room temperature (if not too hot), for about an hour before serving.
Yields: 4 serves
Time: 20 minutes preparation. 3 hours freezing time.
Notes: You can double the base ingredients if your processor is going to struggle with such a small amount. Use half of the mixture for the base and with the remainder; roll the mixture into balls to eat as snack
You also can pre soak your cashews overnight, if you wish to (and discard the soaking water). But a good quality high powered blender or food processor should give you a smooth, velvety consistency for this recipe.
I chose Bonsoy soy milk because it doesn’t have a strong soy flavour and because it has a rich creamy texture.
Medjool Dates with Rosewater Cashew Cream
YOU NEED
12 medjool dates
Soaking water
1 cup of raw organic cashews
2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
Pinch of salt
An extra ¼ cup of water
Rosewater to taste
A few drops of beetroot juice or natural red food colouring
YOU DO
Soak the cashews for a few hours, in enough water so that they are covered. Then drain and discard the soaking water.
Cut a thin slice lengthways, along each date and carefully remove the seed.
To make the cashew cream, blend all the remaining ingredients in a high powered blender until everything is smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender to ensure you blitz any lumps.
Pipe equal amounts of the cashew cream into the dates. For a firmer result, refrigerate the cream for an hour or so before piping it.
Serve as a dessert, along with coffee or mint tea.
Yields: 12
Time: 10 minutes
Notes: A high powered blender, built for processing nuts, is the key to this recipe and will provide the creamiest result with no lumps.