Hot Cross Buns

This week has been rather slow (and hot - summer, I thought you had left?!). I had things to do and not many of them got done. Oh motivation, wherefore art thou... Besides toing and froing from uni, dropping off and picking up my brother (parking woes apparently), I managed to get a little bit of alone time out of the house which I don't usually do. But I decided that it would be nice to get out of the house, go for a walk somewhere, just do something by myself. I am no doubt an introvert by nature, so alone time is always my favourite time, and it's kind of even better with a salad sandwich and a fresh juice (orange, carrot, beet + ginger, bless). 

Aside from that little outing, I caught up with my best friend whom I haven't seen in at least a week, maybe even two weeks. I know that doesn't sound like an overly long time, but in our friendship, one week feels like one year. I won't go on and on, but I am incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful friend that turns my kind-of-crappy week around in a matter of seconds. You da best, Laura. 

Since this weekend is Easter, I'd been thinking about baking hot cross buns for the last few days and this morning I finally decided that enough was enough. Plus, the weather has cooled down a little again, and I'm praying for some rain, so a little baking sounded perfect. I will admit though, I've never made hot cross buns before, but I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled them out of the oven - eight little buns, toasty warm, ready for their sugar glaze, a dollop of vegan butter, and a hot cup of tea on the side.  

You can head on over here for the recipe. I made only a few switches - I used wholemeal spelt flour instead of plain flour, raw sugar instead of castor, and oat milk instead of soy. But that mostly came down to preference and to what I had on hand. The spelt flour didn't make it any more dense than a normal hot cross bun should be either which is great. Oh, I also used some dried fruit (sultanas, dates, etc) instead of the chocolate chips, but one or the other, or a mix of the two would be great. All of the quantities stayed the same. 

And just quickly, I went on a little blog-editing-spree last night and I am pretty pleased with the results thus far! It has taken me a little while to figure out how to make it look how I want it to look, but it's coming together well! 

Quinoa, Brussels Sprouts, Leek, and Almonds

It's funny looking back over my early childhood, especially thinking about dinnertime, and how I used to hate green vegetables. Not like that it a far-fetched idea - a kid not liking broccoli? What? - I was just a raw carrot kind of girl (to be honest though, I still am). I always remember having a strong aversion to Brussels sprouts in particular - they were always steamed for a minute too long, and turned to mush in my mouth when I tried to choke them down. Then I found ways to cook them so they actually tasted like Brussels sprouts and not...dirt. I've roasted them and I've sauteed them, and now I love them. 

This recipe is quick and simple, and may even convert Brussels sprout-haters to Brussels sprout-lovers. One of the keys to success (and to maintaining flavour and nutrients) when cooking vegetables is to not over-cook them. Vegetables are at their best when they are only lightly cooked; you don't want them to fall apart, but to be slightly crunchy. That way you keep their nutrients intact, and you don't lose any flavour.  

Quinoa, Brussels Sprouts, Leek, and Almonds

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa

About 1/2 a leek, cut down the middle and thinly sliced

15 baby Brussels sprouts, washed

1 - 2 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup canned mixed beans, rinsed

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 - 2 tbsp balsamic

Slivered almonds, to serve

Start by heating the coconut oil in a pan over a low-medium heat; add the sliced leeks and saute for a minute or two until soft, but not coloured. Wash the Brussels sprouts, chop off the ends, and slice into quarters. Add the sprouts, garlic, and beans to the leeks, and continue to cook for about 2 - 3 minutes. Divide the quinoa into two serving bowls and top with the Brussels/leek/garlic/bean mix. Drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic, sprinkle over the almonds, and serve. 

Avocado Strawberry Salad (and an ode to avocado)

Oh, avocado, my love. Your perfect green goodness pairs perfectly with tomato for Sunday morning toast. You stand out within a bowl of otherwise boring salads, adding something no other fruit or vegetable could ever achieve. Your hard-to-catch creamy ripeness spreads evenly over crispbreads, and you mix wonderfully with peas to make a delicious soup. Oh, avocado, when I eat you I can feel the good you are doing to my body. You add a little something to life that no other can create. Oh...

(Is this normal behaviour?)

(I don't care.)

Avocado Strawberry Salad

Serves 1

Large handful or two of baby spinach

1/4 - 1/2 an avocado, sliced

4 or 5 medium-sized strawberries

A few asparagus stalks, ends trimmed

1/4 cup (roughly) of cooked quinoa

1/4 - 1/2 cup chickpeas

A sprinkle of slivered or flaked almonds

Pepper, to taste

1 tsp balsamic 

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil  

Salt and pepper, to taste

Place the baby spinach in a serving bowl. Chop the asparagus into 3cm or so pieces and lightly cook in a non-stick pan (no oil necessary) for a few minutes; throw in the chickpeas with the asparagus and cook for a couple more minutes, just to warm through the chickpeas. Set aside. Add the chickpeas and quinoa to the spinach, and top with asparagus, sliced strawberries, avocado, and almonds. In a small bowl combine the balsamic and EEVO with a little salt and pepper. Drizzle on top of the salad. Easy! Enjoy!  

(Mostly) Raw PB and Superfood Power Balls

Oh, weekend cooking. Even though I'm at home everyday and I have ample amount of time to bake and cook during the week, there is just something about lazy, rainy weekends that inspire me to be creative. Maybe it's the rain that does it to me - can't go outside? Bake. Don't want to go outside anyway? Bake. 

As I mentioned in my previous post, I love the cooler months, and so far into autumn (all two days of it), it has rained. And it has been perfect. I've been waiting since last winter for this winter to come around. Everything becomes so much more appealing. However, during the cooler months it is so easy to stick to rich comfort foods that leave you feeling a bit...bleh. And tired. And that's all fine and good when all you want to do is curl up on the lounge and watch movies (or jump in bed and sleep off the food baby), but sooner or later you're going to have to get up and go to work, or to school, or to do that really important thing that you should probably do (you know the one). And you might just need a little something to help you get there. Like these (mostly) raw power balls, in peanut butter, and superfood varieties (i.e chocolate-almond-berry). I by no means eat a raw vegan diet, mostly because I like roasted nut butters, and tofu, and baked sweet potato, and I am quite content with my just vegan diet. However, I love baking (is it even really baking?) raw food, like these raw balls, because they are quick, super healthy, super delicious, and an all natural pick-me-up. I'm going to start experimenting with more raw baking, but for now, I give you these.

Notes: Acai berry powder is from (obviously) the acai berry which is a superfood as it's full of antioxidants and other goodness that will do your body wonders. If you don't have this, or don't want to buy it, that's okay! You could add more goji berries, or another type of dehydrated fruit into the mix (about 1 - 2 tbsp worth).

(Mostly) Raw PB and Superfood Power Balls

Makes 8 - 10 balls per batch

PB Power Balls

1/2 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup (about 15) pitted dates

1 heaped tbsp natural (raw, if possible) peanut butter

Chop up the almonds and dates roughly. Add all ingredients into a food processor and blitz until it has all come together and is chopped up. You can make it as chuncky or smooth as you like, but I prefer a little texture. Roll heaped tablespoons (or so) of the mixture into balls. Store in the fridge, they'll keep for a good five days, at least.

Superfood Power Balls

1/4 cup raw almonds

1/4 cup raw macadamias

1/2 cup (about 15) pitted dates

1 heaping tsp (natural) almond butter

1 1/2 tbsp goji berries

1 heaping tsp acai berry powder

1 heaping tsp raw cocao powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

See method above.

Quinoa, Cannellini Bean, and Roasted Tomato Salad, for one

I've had a somewhat productive week. I mean, more productive than most other weeks. I got school work done, I went to the doctors, I had a good few yoga practices, and I'm feeling a bit better... I'm feeling content. And healthy. And normal. I guess. I guess that's how I feel. It's a nice feeling, y'know, having a somewhat productive week and actually noticing, and feeling okay. I mean, I often (more often than not) go weeks where everything is a chore - school work, going out, exercising, getting dressed...and every now and again when I have a week like this one, where I've been able to get out of my head a little and move around and breathe - it's freaking great. 

Along with this burst of motivation for all things important, my cooking motivation comes back. I haven't posted a recipe for a little while (or so it feels) because, well, because of the above. Obviously. But I'm getting my act together, and I have plans for some delicious treats to share with you in the near future. First though, comes this salad. I really love roasted cherry tomatoes with herbs and garlic - they soften and sweeten, and they are just so good. Especially on toasted sourdough with avocado. But that's for another day. 

Notes: You could substitute any bean, really - red kidney beans would work really well, or even chickpeas, whatever you've got. This is a recipe for one serving, but you can easily double the recipe (or triple etc) to feed more people. If you do this, and for example want to feed four people, I would cook about 3/4 - 1 cup of quinoa in about 2 cups of water (bring to the boil and then simmer until the quinoa has swelled up and all the water is gone).

Quinoa, Cannellini Bean, and Roasted Tomato Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, for one

Ingredients

1/4 cup quinoa

1/2 cup cannellini beans

1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

1/2 - 1 tsp mixed dried herbs

1/2 - 1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp olive oil

Large handful of baby spinach

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 1/2 tsp balsamic 

2 tsp good quality olive oil

Heat oven to 160 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper; set aside. Cook the quinoa in 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water until it has swelled up to double it's original size and the water has been all sucked up. While the quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl mix together the balsamic and olive oil, add a little salt and pepper; set aside. Place chopped tomatoes in a bowl, add herbs, garlic, and olive oil, and mix to coat the tomatoes. Once the oven has heated, place the tomatoes on the baking tray and pop into the oven for 10 minutes or so, until they have softened; remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Wash the beans (if canned) under running water, press slightly to dry, and set aside half a cup. In a serving bowl, place a good handful of baby spinach, and top with the cooked quinoa, beans, and then the tomatoes. Drizzle over the balsamic vinaigrette and serve.   

Choc Chip, Peanut Butter, Banana, Oat Cookies

Now here's a combination. Seriously though. Everything that is good in the world, all rolled up into one cookie. I needed a cure for some serious boredom one afternoon, so baking it was. I specifically set out to bake something involving oats and peanut butter. I kind of wanted to re-create my morning bowl of oatmeal, in cookie form. And this is pretty close. Oatmeal is one of my favourite breakfasts, and the toppings are always the same - banana, chia seeds, cinnamon, and a dollop of peanut butter. It's so good. (Recipe soon to come). And these cookies include all of those things, plus chocolate. What's not to love? I mean, they aren't the most glamorous cookies. Oozy chocolate and oats galore are merely a manifestation of their rustic, breakfast-rush-like finish. It's what's on the inside that matters, right?

Anyway, this is my ode to oatmeal, sort of. There will no doubt be more oatmeal-related goodies to come in the future, just to make my clear obsession with the stuff even more so.

Choc Chip, Peanut Butter, Banana, and Oat Cookies

Yields 12 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup flour (I used wholemeal spelt)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 banana, mashed

A large dollop of natural peanut butter, about 35g (only ingredient being peanuts!)

1 chia egg (1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water mixed together and left for a few minutes to thicken)

1 tbsp non-dairy milk

About a third of a block of Green & Black's 85% dark chocolate, roughly chopped, about 30g

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius, and line a baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients except the chocolate. In a smaller bowl, combine all the wet ingredients (banana, chia egg, and peanut butter) and mix until well incorporated.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well, then add the milk if needed to loosen the mixture, then add the chocolate. Give a final mix to incorporate. 

Spoon out heaped teaspoons of mixture onto the prepared baking tray and flatten just a touch. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool, and enjoy! 

Quinoa, Lentil, and Veggie Soup

I really just have a thing for soup. Any sort of soup, any time. I'm sure I've mentioned this before. I love experimenting, adding different ingredients, and hopefully ending up with something that's comforting and delicious and oh so good for you. 

I also love quinoa. And lentils. And obviously vegetables. All of the vegetables! Quinoa and lentils are staples in my diet, I eat them multiple times a week. So I threw all of these things into a pot and let them simmer away for a little while, and this is what I ended up with. Pretty simple, huh. 

(Feel free to use any other grain instead of quinoa e.g brown rice or barley, just note cooking time will vary.) 

Quinoa, Lentil, and Veggie Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 brown onion, finely diced

1 medium zucchini, sliced thickly into batons

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium sweet potato, diced into bite-sized cubes

1/2 - 1 head of broccoli or cauliflower, or both if you want, cut into bite-sized florets

1/2 cup each of uncooked lentils and uncooked quinoa

1 litre vegetable stock

1 small red chilli, finely chopped

Optional: a tsp minced garlic and/or ginger (add in with the chilli), kale or baby spinach (add at the end of cooking time), or other veggies. 

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over low-medium heat, and then saute the onion until it has softened, but  is not too browned. Add the other veggies and the chilli, and stir around to coat. Pour in the vegetable stock and then add the lentils and quinoa; add some water if all of the veggies aren't completely covered. Turn the heat up to medium and simmer for 15 - 25 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the quinoa is cooked. You may need to add some more water if too much of the stock has been reduced during cooking time.