2 ripe, but not over ripe, Avocados (the brown ones – ‘ready to eat’ are best)
3 large garlic cloves (Not Chinese)
1 large teaspoon paprika
2 pinches sea salt
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Sprinkle of pepper
Juice of quarter of a lemon
PREPARATION
Peel avocados. Be sure to get the flesh closest to the skin as this is highly nutritious.
Chop the garlic.
Add the ingredients to bowl and either use hand held mixer or mash with potato masher.
Add lemon.
Place in bowl and serve with carrot sticks or spelt crackers.
Quinoa and Chickpea salad
Feeds approximately 3 or 4 people
(can be served as a side or as a main meal)
NOTE: Quinoa does not need to be soaked before you cook it but do rinse it as you would do with all other grains. Moreover rinsing it gets rid of saponins, which are found on the outer layer and can have a bitter flavor.
INGREDIENTS
1 packet mixed grain quinoa
1 large finely chopped onion
3 finely choppedcloves of garlic (not Chinese)
1 chopped medium marrow
Half a chopped green pepper
Half a chopped medium aubergine or one miniature aubergine (egg plant)
1 cup chickpeas
4 large chopped tomatoes
6 chopped sundried tomatoes
1 table spoon fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon of fresh chopped dill
1 table spoon of fresh chopped basil
2 tablespoons Linseed (Flax) oil (alternatively use extra virgin olive oil)
1 small pinch of dried chillies
A handful of sunflower seeds
A handful of ground linseed
A couple of grinds of sea salt
A couple of grinds of black pepper PREPARATION
Soak chickpeas for 8 to 12 hours. Cook chickpeas in advance of making this dish as they take so long to cook. They can take up to 3 hours in a regular pot. (see: http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Chickpeas ).
If you have a pressure cooker they take around 40 minutes (see: http://www.livestrong.com/article/433790-how-to-pressure-cook-dried-chickpeas/)
Add water to saucepan, bring to boil and add the quinoa. Bring to boil and cook for around 15 minutes. If you want it softer cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove from heat; fluff with a fork.
Heat coconut oil in a frying pan. Add chopped onions and let them cook until soft – stir often. Add chopped garlic and aubergine. After 3 minutes thro in chopped green pepper and marrow and cook until softer but still slightly crunchy.
Mix cooled quinoa and mixture together in large dish. Add all the other ingredients.
Optional: Add some cubed feta cheese or vegan alternative.
Remember, if you are vegetarian look more cubed feta made with vegetable or microbial rennet.
You can also add chopped hazlenuts, almonds or pistachios.
15 minute easy stir-fry with quinoa
INGREDIENTS
1 carrot
6 mushrooms
Half a green pepper
4 cubes frozen spinach
1 small onion
3 medium garlic cloves
1 small lime
Half cup quinoa
1 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of black pepper
Dash of soy sauce (Good quality without preservatives and colouring)
A small handful cashews or sunflower seeds (use sunflower seeds if on weight control diet)
PREPARATION
Boil quinoa until cooked.
Meanwhile chop onion, pepper, mushrooms and garlic in small pieces.
Peel the carrot and throw away outer layer (unless organic – then scrub the outer layer with water and brush only). Continue to peel the carrot so you get thin strips.
In frying pan heat some coconut oil or extra light virgin oil and add the onion.
Once onion has softened, add all other ingredients.
Cook until tender but still crunchy.
Cut the lime into four quarters. Take out pips. Squeeze lime on top of mixture and throw in the rest into the pan.
Add cooked quinoa (well drained). Mix together in pan.
Add salt, pepper and soysauce.
Green Wraps
INGREDIENTS 6 large collard green leaves (preferably organic)
1 cup quinoa
Half a green pepper (preferably organic)
Half a red or yellow pepper (or use a third of all)
1 medium onion (preferably organic)
2 medium garlic cloves
A little fresh chilli (according to strength of chilli and your taste) (preferably organic)
8 medium mushrooms
Half an organic vegetable stock cube
1 mashed avocado
6 table spoons Savoury cashew cream
PREPARATION
Heat up a small amount of water in a large pan to cook the collard green leaves in. If you have a steamer it is even better.
Heat up water to cook the quinoa and add quinoa once water is boiling. Cook for 15 minutes or until cooked – not too soft.
Cut off the stem of each leaf.
Once water is boiling, add the leaves one by one for around 5 minutes each. If steaming them turn them once. The leaves should go dark green but not wilted.
When each leaf is ready place on tissue paper (kitchen roll) to dry.
Chop up onion, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, chilli into small cubes.
Fry up onion until soft, add peppers and chili, then garlic and mushrooms.
Add stock and back pepper.
Add Quinao and stir.
Turn off heat.
Filling the leaves:
Spread a table spoon of cashew cream.
Spread a small spoon of avocado.
Add a large table spoon of quinoa.
Roll the leaf turn in the sides.
Repeat for all leaves.
Serving:
They can either be served as is – they will be warm but not hot; or
place in fridge and serve cold; or
place in oven dish and drizzle over extra light olive oil or coconut oil and heat under grill
If heating under grill: Option 1: you can add some more savoury cashew cream and ground nuts – cook until lightly browned Option 2: You can add some cheese (either dairy or vegan) and cook until the cheese has melted and lightly browned
Don't fancy quinoa?
Try these:
Aubergine, tomato, chickpeas and olives
Mushroom, spinach and savoury cashew cream
Avocado, grilled marrow and tomatoes
Amazing Dhal
(Feeds 4 people)
NOTE: Lentils – Brown and green lentils should be soaked for about 8 hours before cooking. Red/orange lentils and Puy lentils can be soaked for an hour before cooking.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 large onions
3 garlic cloves (Not Chinese)
1 medium leak
1 pkt brown lentils
1 pkt Puy lentils
8 medium carrots
2 medium marrows
1 large green pepper
10 tomatoes – peeled if you prefer
Half an organic stock cube (Kalo)
1 tablespoon Tumeric
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 tablespoon Curry
Chopped Fresh coriander
Chopped fresh parsley
Coconut cream (Do not use the tinned. Please use the one that comes in a box and is 100% coconut cream)
PREPARATION
In a large saucepan (soup style)fry onion, leak and garlic in a little coconut oil or in a little water. Don’t burn.
Add the sliced carrots, pepper, marrows and fry up.
Add the lentils, stir and add enough water to cover all the ingredients.
Add your chopped tomatoes, stock cube, turmeric, cumin and curry.
Bring to boil and then turn on low heat. Add more water. Leave to cook for around two hours – keep a regular check on it to make sure there is enough liquid and stir every 20 minutes.
After two hours the lentils should be soft; if not, cook until they are – add more water if required.
Mix up 50 grams of coconut milk with a little of the liquid from the pot and add to mixture. Add more according to taste.
Add parsley and coriander. _____________________________________________________
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Feeds approximately 3 people NOTE: Quinoa does not need to be soaked before you cook it but do rinse it as you would do with all other grains. Moreover rinsing it gets rid of saponins, which are found on the outer layer and can have a bitter flavor.
INGREDIENTS
1 packet mixed grain quinoa
3 medium tomatoes
4 chopped sundried tomatoes
1 cupchopped fresh mint and parsley (mixed)
Half a mediumcucumber
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon Linssed oil (flax) (Alternatively use extra virgin olive oil or hemp oil)
PREPARATION
Add water to saucepan, bring to boil and add the quinoa. Bring to boil and cook for around 15 minutes. If you want it softer cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove from heat; fluff with a fork.
Stir in all the ingredients. Let it cool down. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Add pinch of salt and pepper if required.
Serving suggestion: Serve with roasted vegetables such as marrow, aubergine, whole garlic, tomatoes and sweet potato. (see photo)
Pesto
INGREDIENTS
A large bunch of basil (preferably organic)
1 ripe avocado
A large pinch of chopped coriander (optional)
Two large garlic cloves or equivalent (add more if you love garlic)
Two tablespoons olive oil (You can use Linseed oil if you are on a strict cancer free diet)
Four tablespoons water
A pinch of sea salt
Two pinches black pepper
A handful of walnuts or Almonds (with skin)
Half a cup of cashews
NOTE: Traditional pesto uses pine nuts but these are very expensive in some parts of the world so I opt for using other nuts instead. The walnuts/almonds give the pesto a nice flavor and the cashews make it lovely and creamy.
PREPARATION
Put half you basil in the blender with the oil and water and liquidise
Once all blended add the rest of your basil, coriander and avocado. You may need to turn of the blender several times to stir the mixture. Add a little more water if required but careful not to add too much
Add the nuts and blend until you have a smooth paste.
Suggestion: Make triple the mixture so you save it in jars and freeze it. J
Serving suggestion: Cook some Japanese Soba noodles and stir in the pesto. Use as much according to taste.
Grill some chopped kale, small broccoli florets, chopped aubergine and sliced marrows and serve together with the noodle pesto.
Spelt Flour Tortillas
INGREDIENTS
2 and a half cups Light Spelt Flour – sifted
Half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons Coconut or Olive oil
PREPARATION
Mix the flour and salt together in a mixing bowl.
Mix in the oil, half a cup of water and mix until a slightly sticky dough forms. You may need to add more water but be careful not to make the mixture sloppy, If that happens, add more flour
Dust a work surface with more spelt flour and knead the dough until it is no longer sticky and soft, about a minute.
Divide the dough into 12 balls and cover with a cloth. Let rest for 15 minutes.
Roll each ball into a very thin circle, about 6 inches in diameter.
Heat a shallow frying pan on medium heat.
Cook each tortilla for about 30 seconds on each side, or until it starts to bubble up.
Leave to cool before adding you filling
Filing
You can add any filing you like.
Here are some ideas:
Onions, mushrooms, chickpeas and spinach
Avocado, marrow, onions
Free range and organic chicken, curry, onions and spinach
Peaches/strawberries and live yogurt
Wild salmon, onions and spinach
Add a table spoon of filling and roll into a spring roll shape or Add two table spoons of filling and fold over
Sweet potato gratin
INGREDIENTS 2 small sweet potatoes - peeled and sliced into thin rounds
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon flour – use buckwheat flour, brown rice or sifted spelt flour
1 low-salt organic vegetable stock cube
1 cup ground cashew nuts
Half a cup chopped hazelnuts
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cook the sweet potatoes in a medium-size pot of boiling salted water until just cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a heavy large saucepan, heat the butter/oil over medium-low heat until melted/hot. Add the onion and cook until soft. Stir in the nutmeg.
Slowly stir in the flour until incorporated. Whisk in the stock; simmer until slightly reduced, about 6 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and whisk in ground cashews.
In a small bowl, mix the hazelnuts
Poor the cashew sauce into dish.
Layer with sweet potatoes and more sauce.
Top with the Hazelnuts and bake until the potatoes are creamy and soft, about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Add some parsley on top.
Optional: Add grated goats cheese and grill for a few minutes until melted and slightly brown.
Savoury Cashew Cream (Vegan mayo ;-) )
INGREDIENTS
1 cup cashews 1 medium to large lemon (preferably organic) 4 tablespoons olive oli 2 table spoons apple cider vinegar (preferably organic) 1 medium garlic clove 1 table spoon ‘Tahini’ (sesame seed spread) Some water
PREPARATION
Chop up garlic and add all ingredients into blender (liquidiser). Add water as you blend. Add as much as water ad you require for your preferred consistency.
Hummus
INGREDIENTS
250 grams cooked chickpeas (cooked very well until soft. Alternatively use tinned but avoid tins with BPA linings and rinse really well) 3 tablespoons Tahini Juice from half a lemon (add more according to preference) 2 large garlic cloves Half teaspoon paprika Half a fresh chili or pinch dried chili (optional) 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons water Salt pepper
PREPARATION
Add half the chickpeas to the liquidiser, add garlic,Tahini, lemon juice, oil and water. Liquidise until smooth. You may need to stop the liquidiser many times to stir the mixture. If it is not liquidising well, add a little more water but be careful not to add too much.
Add the rest of the chickpeas and continue to blend - stir - blend until smooth.
Add the paprika and chili. If you don't like hot food, you can opt to leave out the chili. Add salt and pepper to taste. You may want to add some more lemon according to taste. It's a personal choice and everyone makes a their own humus a little different. :-)