Summer Cheesecake Smoothie

IMG_9254

Summer Cheesecake Smoothie

My Summer Cheesecake Smoothie is smooth, sweet, nourishing and creamy.  It’s packed with paw paw, banana and ruby grapefruit and blended with cashews for a gorgeous creamy texture. Vegan smoothies are just as creamy as their dairy counterparts, so don’t be afraid to leave the cow’s milk out because you won’t even know the difference.

 

YOU NEED

¼ cup of raw cashews

½ cup of fresh ruby grapefruit juice

1 large, super ripe frozen banana

¾ cup of papaya

# Would be gorgeous with the addition of lime zest/lime juice and/or fresh ginger too.

 

YOU DO

Blend until velvety smooth.

Enjoy

 

Time: 5 – 10 minutes

Yields: 1 serve

Notes: If you have a high powered blender your smoothie should be smooth and creamy with no gritty unprocessed cashew bits.

If you soak the cashews over night it softness them and makes them easier to blend.

I am equally proud and humbled to be featured in Kathy Divine’ new book “Everyday Vegans”.  And I love that it encompasses such a diverse cross section of people: truck drivers, models, actors, photographers, aids researchers, virologists, teachers, rappers, dancers, public servants, administrators, authors, managers, nurses, retailers, accountants, biologists, psychologists, writers, journalists, bloggers, lawyers, hospitality workers, illustrators, software developers, activists, vets, business owners, students, CEO’s, electricians, chefs, mums, dads, kids, families…

I hear the book has already been a sellout, which is wonderful news as all profits are going to Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary. It’s such a great read so grab yourself a copy & save a life.

everyday vegans

EASY (Vegan) Vanilla, Choc Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

EASY Vegan Choc Chip Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches wm

EASY (Vegan) Vanilla, Choc Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

I prefer to make my own meals and desserts most of the time but sometimes I just want something super quick and even easier. My EASY Vanilla, Choc Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches are just that and they are always a hit!

 

YOU NEED

1 packet of vegan friendly chocolate chip cookies

1 litre of dairy free ice cream

 

YOU DO

Lay the biscuits on your bench, smooth side facing up.

Using scissors cut the ice cream container away from the ice cream. Discard the container. Now cut the ice cream into large slices at whatever width you want your ice cream sandwiches to be.

Use a cookie cutter to cut rounds of ice cream from the slices. As you cut each ice cream round, immediately place it onto a cookie and top with a second cookie and pop onto a plate because they melt fast!

Once you have finished, place the sandwiches into the freezer to firm up. Then serve. It’s that easy!

VARIATIONS:

Use any vegan friendly sorbet or flavoured ice cream.

Use any kind of vegan cookie you want.

Roll your sandwich sides into sprinkles, coconut or nuts.

Dip half of each sandwich into vegan friendly chocolate.

 

Yields: 10 serves. I get 20 small cookies in my packet.

Time: 10 minutes.

Notes: I get my chocolate chip cookies in the health food aisle of the supermarket. They are not only dairy free, egg free and vegan but also wheat free and gluten free.

Beetroot Rosemary Pizza with Almond Feta

Beetroot Pizza wm

Beetroot and Rosemary Pizza with Almond Feta

I love beetroot but I’m not normally a fan of it on pizza. But then Nourish Magazine asked me to do a series of beetroot recipes for one of their publications and among the many recipes I experimented with, I played with a popular beetroot pizza recipe to make it dairy free, vegan and healthier. And whilst doing the recipe development I made so much of this pizza that I came to love it!

 

YOU NEED

For the almond cheese

1/2 cup of blanched almonds

1/8 cup of fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon of olive oil

¾ teaspoon of salt

¼ cup of water

 

Other

2 large whole meal Lebanese pita breads

4 tablespoons of tomato passata

4-6 cooked baby beetroots, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary leaves

1cup of fresh rocket, washed well and drained

1 lemon

 

YOU DO

Make the almond feta the day before.  Simply blend all the almond ingredients together in a high powered food blender or food processor, for a few minutes until they are smooth. This takes about 5 minutes.

Line a colander with a clean chux and scrape the almond mixture onto the middle of the chux. Bring the sides of the chux up around the mixture and tie it firmly with an elastic band. Place the colander onto a bowl and place it into the fridge to drain over night.

Once your feta has drained and you are ready to make your pizzas, preheat your oven to 180c.  Lay your Lebanese breads onto oven trays. Top the bread with the passata. Evenly lay the beetroot slices on the passata and place the pizzas in the oven until the bread becomes crisp.

Sprinkle the feta, rosemary and rocket on top. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice onto the pizzas also, just before you serve them.

 

Yields: 8 generous slices of pizza.

Time: Once the feta is ready this is such a quick recipe with 10 minutes of preparation and only 10-15 minutes of cooking time.

Notes: I use cooked baby beetroots that have been packaged in just their own juices. You find them in supermarkets near the uncooked beetroot. They make this a much quicker recipe and are not packaged in salt and sugar like canned beetroot.

A very personal interview I did recently with the lovely folks over at balancedbabes.com

When approached by the Editor to talk about “balance”, my initial reaction was to decline the interview…instead I decided to embrace the opportunity and be completely honest in my answers.

It feels confronting to be so open about our pain in such a public arena, but I am hoping my vulnerability on this occasion, by sharing my story……. that it helps others to understand that they are not alone.

A reminder to all of you, that even those that appear like they have it all together…. are also trying to work it out…each and every day.

I’m a Balanced Babe and..I’m a Chef, Food Photographer, and Cooking Teacher Behind The Kind Cook

the-kind-cook-10

 

Maple Pear and Oat Smoothie

maplepearoatsmoothieIMG_2704

Maple Pear and Oat Smoothie

 

YOU NEED

1 organic pear, core removed (peel left on)

1/4 cup whole grain oats

1 cup Bonsoy

1 tablespoon of maple syrup

 

YOU DO

Blend till smooth.

 

Yields: 1 serve.

Time: 5 minutes.

Frozen Grapes

IMG_0501wm

Frozen grapes are the perfect treats for a hot day . They are such a fun and gorgeous snack or healthy dessert option for kids and adults alike. It doesn’t get much easier than this.

YOU NEED

Grapes

YOU DO

Wash the grapes to remove any gritty bits and pop them in the freezer until they are solid.

Serve and ENJOY.

Simple, delicious and healthy.

My friends at Edgar’s Mission asked The Kind Cook to contribute recipes to include in their new ebook, all about lambs and I couldn’t imagine a more worthy cause.

To get your free copy and to take Edgar’s Mission “Lamb Free Pledge”, simply follow the link below:

http://www.edgarsmission.org.au/pulling-the-wool-take-the-…/

Pictured below is my lamb free Harira Soup Recipe. Also pictured is Lochy who sadly didn’t make it despite all the love & care a little lamb could hope to receive. With the power of kindness though, there are so many heart warming lamb stories & happy endings for lambs like Lochy taking place at Edgars too.

Edgars3

 

Roti Canai

Roti Canai FB

Roti Cania

YOU NEED

300 grams of Atta fine wholemeal flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

250mls of chilled water

20 grams of organic coconut oil, melted

Rice bran oil for cooking

Extra flour for kneading

 

YOU DO

Place the flour and salt into a large bowl and stir. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Add the water and stir to combine. As the dough begins to form, use your hands to bring it together.

Turn the dough out onto a floured bench. Knead it for a few minutes until it is soft and smooth. Portion and weigh the dough into 8 balls. Cover the balls with a clean tea towel.

Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll one of the balls into a 20 cm circle. Brush it with a little coconut oil. Roll the circle into a log, enclosing the coconut oil. Then roll the log lengthwise into a coil shape. Once it’s in a coil shape, using the rolling pin, flatten the coil back into a 20cm circle. Repeat with the remaining balls.

Lightly brush a heavy based pan with a little rice bran oil. Place one of the uncooked roti on the pan and cook it on a medium heat. Wait until it starts to puff up. You will hear it “whistling”.  Once it has started to brown, flip it over and cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining roti.

Serve them freshly cooked and still warm.

 

Yields: 8 roti.

Time: 15 minutes preparation. 15-20 minutes cooking time.

Notes: Atta flour can be purchased in supermarkets and Indian grocers. It is much finer than normal wholemeal flour and results in a much lighter pastry like bread than if you use regular wholemeal flour.

Featured in South Africa’s August 2015 Edition as their “Blogger of the Month”. Was a great opportunity to talk about vegan food.

11738098_879006608842586_2808199540997856352_n