Millet and Miso vegetable soup

I found this recipe in Janella’s Super Natural Foods by Janella Purcell. I like miso but have never cooked with millet, so I thought ‘why not try something new?’.  I had to do a bit of a search for it in the shops. Although we are seeing quinoa in the supermarkets these days, millet has not appeared yet. I ended up getting a bag of it from a health food shop.

I mostly stuck to the recipe but I did double the amounts, as I wanted more than 2 serves the original made.  You can use any type of miso and either paste or powder form is okay.   The other change I made was cooking it for a bit longer, so the vegetables not as firm. You can play around with the times,  as you wish, but perhaps stick to  10 minutes for the millet.

What you will need:

4 cups of finely chopped vegetables ( such as spinach leaves, Zucchini, bokchoy, snow peas, carrots)

2 cups miso

1/3 cup millet

1 litre vegetable stock

You can also add 1 tsp of any seaweed  or 2 tsp grated ginger to the stock, if you like.

Method:

Bring the stock to simmer over medium heat in a pot.

Rinse the millet and add to the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the miso and cook for another 5 minutes.

Turn off heat and let stand with lid on pot, for about 10 minutes before serving.

Cauliflower Bites

I found this recipe on potatostrong.com but have tweaked it to suit me. Basically, I have simplified it because I am lazy. To get the original recipe, see the website.  I liked the results I got with the pared down version, but I suspect the original gives you an even better end result.

What you will need:

1 head of cauliflower

1 cup pf flour (I used chickpea to keep it gluten free)

1 cup non-dairy milk (I used rice milk)

1 cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten free ones)

Spices (you can use onion or garlic powder, nutritional yeast, etc)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 235 degrees Celsius. Wash and cut cauliflower into florets. Mix the flour, non-dairy milk and spices and whisk to combine. Put florets into this mixture and mix to coat. Then dip each floret into a bowl of the breadcrumbs and lay onto baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Bake until crispy and browned – approx. 20 minutes.

Serve as is or you can serve with bbq or chili sauce to dip florets into. 

Beans and Things

This is an oddly titled recipe but not an oddly tasting meal. Easy, filling, tasty and low fat – like most of the McDougall recipes I have tried out so far. I like the inclusion of molasses in this. I am pretty new to this ingredient. It is rich in iron and gives this dish a full body flavour.  You can find top grade, organic molasses in health food shops.  I used Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Molasses. 

What you will need:

2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Small broccoli, chopped

Half cauliflower, chopped

1 onion, chopped (optional)

1 stick celery, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

2 tbsp soy or tamari sauce

1 ½ tbsp molasses

Dash or two of paprika

Dash cayenne pepper

Few fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Method:

Combine the beans and vegetables in a large bowl. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and then pour over the vegetables. Mix well and pour into a covered casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour. Serve as is or spoon into tortillas. Easy!

Cauliflower and Potato Curry

Another low fat recipe I found in The New McDougall Cookbook by John and Mary McDougall. I have been concentrating on low fat recipes lately. My interested started purely for weight loss issues but then in December I had to have my gallbladder removed. Once that happened, I had even more incentive to cut back on my fat intake. So here I am, learning how to cook and eat without the use of vegetable oils. I have found that it hasn’t been all that hard, once you learn a few techniques and substitutions. Oh, and the food still tastes good!

I am sharing this recipe because I loved it!  So full of flavour and very filling! Just serve over a bed of steamed brown rice.

What you will need:

1 large onion, chopped (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

¼ cup water

1 tbsp cumin

Dash or two chili powder

1-2 tsp curry powder

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup brown lentils

1 can crushed tomatoes

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cups cauliflower florets

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

1 cup frozen peas

¼ cup chopped fresh coriander

Method:

Place the onion and garlic in a large pot with water and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add spices and stir. Add vegetable stock and lentils. Mix and bring to boil and then reduce heat, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

Add tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, and carrot. Cook for 30 minutes. Stir in peas and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in coriander.

Golden Spicy Cauliflower

A quick and easy low fat recipe that I found in The New McDougall Cookbook by Dr. John McDougall. I like this served on top of steamed brown rice. The original recipe calls for the use of 2 tbsp of rice vinegar but I found this to be too much, so I suggest halving that amount, unless of course, you really like the sharp, vinegary taste of foods.

What you will need:

1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets

2 cloves of garlic, pressed (optional)

2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 cup water

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch spring onions, chopped (optional)

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

½ tsp ground turmeric

Method:

Place the cauliflower, ginger and garlic (if using) in a saucepan with ½ cup of water. Cook, stirring now and then, for approx. 10 minutes. Add another ½ cup of water and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender. (Usually 10 more minutes.) Stir occasionally while it is cooking, to prevent sticking. 

Broccoli Pasta Soup

You can’t get much easier than this for a quick, low fat meal. I found this one in The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook: Over 300 Delicious Low-Fat Recipes You Can Prepare in Fifteen Minutes or Less by John and Mary McDougall. This is a nifty little recipe for throwing together something for dinner after you get home, too tired from a day’s work to cook something too involved.

What you will need:

8 cups vegetable broth (I use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon powder. I have found it in several healthfood shops. )

4 cups broccoli cut into florets (about 1 medium to large head of broccoli)

250g (approx.) uncooked pasta (I like to use Orgran Vegetable Rice Pasta which you can find in health food shops and supermarkets, in their healthfoods section)

1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce (optional, as it depends on how salty your stock is)

Dash or two of Tabasco sauce

Method:

Place the broth in a large pot and bring to boil. Add the pasta and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until almost done. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and turn off heat. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Serve with bread. I like having this with plain toast - gluten free, of course! 

Kez's Free and Naked Choc Mud Bars

I came across these snack bars at my local Coles supermarket, in amongst the healthfoods products. I am familiar with this brand, as they do gluten free biscuits and other stuff, but I had not seen these bars before.

They come in a pack of 5 and although each bar is fairly small (25g), I find this to be just the right size, as they are a bit rich. They are gluten free and clearly labelled as being vegan. The bars contain 5 ingredients - dates, cashews, cocoa, sesame seeds and chia seeds. That's it. A simple but pleasing combination.

I keep a pack in my desk drawer at work, for when I am having a craving for something sweet.

Harvest Box snack packs

I do enjoy poking around supermarkets, looking for new vegan appropriate products. My partner spotted these by Harvest Box, in amongst the other dried fruit and nut packs. They are handy to throw into your bag just in case you get an attack of the munchies while you are out of the house.

There are two varieties that are suitable for vegans.

The Raw Mix is a nice though I am not a fan of peanuts, so there is a bit of wastage with this one for me. This mix as a 'tart' quality to it, due to the dried apple and cranberries.


My partner prefers the Go Bananas mix, as it is sweeter with the dark chocolate bits and the dried banana.

Both varieties are gluten free.

The Bar Counter

I recently stumbled across these at my local Coles supermarket. There were a whole heap of varieties and as I fossicked through them, I was starting to lose hope that any would be vegan. My perseverance paid off, however, as I found their Raw Blueberry and Vanilla bar which is clearly labelled as being vegan on the front. (I LOVE that kinda of labeling. Makes shopping so much easier for us.) It contained dates, blueberry, almond, fig, vanilla and raw rice protein. I was a bit skeptical. I have tried these date based type of bars before and have always found them to be too sickly sweet. I need not have worried, as this bar was delicious. Sweet, but not overly, with a lovely vanilla flavour and a hint of blueberry and fig. I also loved the texture the almond supplied. Oh, and this bar is also gluten free!

The Bar Counter also make another vegan bar - the Raw Chocolate,Coconut and Lacuma bar, which is also gluten free. I will have to try this one next!

Tyrrell's English Chips

One of the most frustrating things about shopping as a vegan, is the way so many snack products have animal ingredients in them. And I am not talking about the obvious things, like cheese flavoured crackers or  whatever, but rather things like salt and vinegar chips that contain dairy! What the hell?
Before going vegan, S&V potato chips were my fave. But after going vegan, I was surprised and then pissed right off to see that they contained milk products. Since then, I have been on the look out for a vegan S&V chip.

One day, I was scanning the snack shelves of Coles and noticed a new brand. This one was called Tyrrell's and was from England. I  spotted their Sea Salt and Cider Vinegar variety, and picked it up, turned it over and read the ingredients list, fully expecting it to list 'milk solids' or some such useless crap. But no! Eyes dilated, hands trembling, I turned to my partner (who has a habit of exclaiming very loudly in supermarkets "Why does this have milk in it!?") and said "This looks like it is vegan!".
In disbelief, he snatched the bag out of my hands and had a look. Yep, vegan! Even says so on the pack! No palm oil either, and gluten free, to boot.

Well, once I got home and opened the pack up (yes, I waited that long), I stuck my nose into the bag and inhaled. Oh that vinegary aroma! The first chip - wow! Bursting with flavour but not overly done. I remember in the bad old days with the non-vegan potato chips, you eat a few and your tongue goes numb. Not with these ones! I savoured each and every chip in that pack and they have since become my firm favourite.

Since that first foray, I have also tried their other vegan varieties, such as the Lightly Sea Salted (nice), Sweet Chili and Red Pepper (tasted a bit too much like tomato to me), and the Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper (yummy - not too peppery).
There are other varieties, but they are not vegan, so give them a miss.

Portuguese Arroz

This is a herb filled and tomatoey rice dish that has just a bit of a spicy kick to it. It is super simple to make and has become one of my favourite ways to eat brown rice. I found it via the recipes page on the Dr. McDougall site. There is a plethora of low fat, easy to make recipes on that site, so do check it out. And yes, they are all vegan!


What you will need:

1 ½ cups yellow onion, finely chopped (optional)
4 teaspoons garlic, minced (optional)
½ - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper chili flakes
1 bay leaf
1 ½ cups tomatoes, chopped 
2-¼ cups water
1-cup vegetable broth ( I use either bouillon powder or cubes by Marigold or Massel )
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 ½ cups long grain brown rice, uncooked ( I used a mix of short and long grain and it worked out fine.)

Method:

In a large non-stick pan, sauté the onions with ¼ cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 7 minutes.  Add the garlic, crushed red pepper chili flakes and bay leaf and cook for 1 minute, stirring well. 

Add the tomatoes, mix well, and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.  

Add the remaining water, vegetable broth, parsley and cilantro and stir.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Add rice and stir well.  

When the liquid returns to a boil, stir again and cover the pot with a lid and reduce heat to low.  Cook the rice undisturbed for 35 minutes.  

Mix the rice well and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, or until the rice is tender.  Let the rice stand for 5 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and fluff the rice with a fork.  Serve with fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste, if desired.

Beanfields Bean and Rice Chips

I found these savoury snacks in the health foods section of Woolworths. They are clearly marked as ‘Vegan’ on the front of the pack and after peering at the ingredients list, I found that they were, indeed, vegan.

So far, I have seen three of the varieties in Woolworths – Salsa, Sea salt, and Nacho. The Nacho is my favourite. Very tasty, very cheesy in its flavour. The Salsa has a smoky sort of flavour to it.

There are also 2 other varieties that I have yet to see them in the shops here in Perth. One is Salt N’ Pepper and the other Unsalted.

And new to the range is Barbecue and Ranch. My partner managed to find small packets of these two in the Loving Hut café in Victoria Park.  The Ranch variety tastes a lot like sour cream and chives to me.

All of these products are gluten free, veganand non-GMO. Hopefully, the other varieties will eventually be available in Woolworths. I have noticed that the current ones sell very well at my local supermarket. 

Wild Basmati Pilaf

This is a very plain and simple recipe. I find that if I have days of eating rich foods, I crave a simple (but still tasty!) meal. I found it in “Food that Cause you to Lose Weight : the negative calorie effect” by Dr Neal Barnard.

What you will need:

¼ cup wild rice ( Available in supermarkets. A bit pricey, but you don’t need to buy much.)

2 cups vegetable stock (You can get Massel vegan stock at supermarkets.)

¾ cup basmati rice

1 onion, finely chopped (Optional.)

3 garlic cloves, minced (Optional.)

2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp marjoram

1/3 cup chopped parsley

¼ tsp salt (Optional.)

¼ tsp black pepper (Optional.)

Method:

Rinse the wild rice and place it in a saucepan with the vegetable stock and ½ cup of water. Stir to mix and cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the basmati rice and cover and cook for about 50 minutes. Both varieties should be tender.

Heat ½ cup of water in a large pot and add onion and garlic (if using) and cook until all the water has evaporated. Add another ¼ cup of water, scrap the pot and cook until onions begin to stick. Repeat the process of adding water and cooking until the onions are browned. This will take about 15 minutes.

Stir in the mushrooms, celery and seasonings. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes and then add the cooked rice and parsley. Cook over low heat, turning gently until mixture is heated through.

Big Fat Taco Salad

This one is from "Appetite for reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It is a big taco...as a salad. It is kind of fiddly, in that there are three components to it  - the salad, the tomato salsa dressing, and the Guacamame. If you are a bit of a lazy cook, at least try making the Guacamame - it is fantastic!

What you will need for the salad:
4 cups shredded cos lettuce
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 batch of Fresh Tomato Salsa Dressing (recipe follows)
Approx. 100g tortilla chips
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 cup of Guacamame (recipe follows)

Method:
Arrange the salad in 2 big bowls. (Original recipe states that this for 4 people but I think if you want to make a meal of it, it is good for 2. Otherwise double the ingredient amounts for 4 servings.)
Place the lettuce in the bowls, then layer on the beans and salsa. Crumble on the tortilla chips and top with cilantro. Serve with Guacamame on the side or a dollop on the top.

What you will need for the Tomato Salsa Dressing:
3 tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
salt to taste

Method:
Chop up the tomatoes fairly small and then add all the other ingredients. Use your hands to mush everything up really well and leave to sit for 10 minutes or so. You can make this in advance and place it on a tightly sealed container in the fridge, for up to 5 days.

What you will need for the Guacamame:
1 large avocado, sliced
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed (Woolworths sells cooked and frozen edamame but you can also find it in Asian food stores. For thawing, you can leave out for a few hours or you can microwave or run under hot water. It must be thawed well.)
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
Juice of 1 lime
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
Pinch of cayenne

Method:
Place avocado and edamame in a blender or food processor and pulse until everything is well chopped. Add water, salt and lime juice. Puree until mostly smooth. Add tomato, cilantro and cayenne and pulse a few times.  Taste test for seasoning and then you are done.

Mexicali Roasted Vegetables

This easy to make recipe is adapted from the recipe found in the book “Skinny Bitch: Ultimate everyday cookbook” by  Kim Barnouin. The herbs and spices give the vegetables a nice kick to them, without being overpowering.  I was a bit skeptical about the inclusion of cinnamon but it really does work.

What you will need:

2 yellow button squash or one yellow zucchini – cut into 1 cm thick strips

1 green zucchini – cut into 1cm thick strips

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

Pinch chili powder

Pinch ground cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

In a large bowl, toss together all the ingredients, making sure all get coated well with oil, herbs and spices.

Spread vegetables out on a large baking tray and bake for approx. 40 minutes, checking in a fork for tenderness.

Tuck in! 

Everyday Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

This recipe is from the legendary vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz's book "Appetite for Reduction : 125 fast and filling low fat vegan recipes". It is, infact, the very first recipe of the book. I thought I would do my best to try as many of the recipes in this book as I could, and this one is a good start.

What you will need for the salad:
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 small red onion, sliced thinly (optional)
4 cups chopped cos lettuce
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
a few leaves of fresh basil, chopped finely
handful of snow pea sprouts
1 carrot, grated

What you will need for the vinaigrette:
1/4 cup cashew pieces
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp agave nectar
3/4 tsp salt

Method:
Mix all the salad ingredients together. For the vinaigrette, place cashews in a blender and pulse to chop up. Add rest of the ingredients and blend for about 5 minutes, to get the mixture smooth and not grainy. Add to salad and toss to coat. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up 3 days if a tightly sealed container is used.

Stuffed Iceberg Parcels

This is a flavour packed recipe that was surprisingly filling. My only gripe was that it was a bit tricky wrapping and eating. If you are not keen on all that, I can’t see why you can’t just serve the filling on a bed of lettuce instead.  This recipe is from the cookbook  “Mouthwatering Vegan” by Miriam Sorrell.

What you will need:

Olive or sunflower oil

2 cups cooked short grain or white rice

2 tsp curry powder

Pinch ground cardamom

1 tsp paprika

20 walnuts, chopped roughly

2 small carrots grated

1 small red onion, finely chopped (optional)

8 leaves each fresh basil and mint leaves, finely chopped

4 tbsp sultanas/raisins

10 chopped black olives

Dash lemon juice

Pinch salt

Iceberg lettuce leaves

Method:

Drizzle oil in a pan and heat over medium temperature. Fry cooked rice and spices for a couple of minutes and then let cool.

Add rest of the ingredients except the lettuce and blend well.

Heap 2-3 large spoonfuls of filling in the centre of each lettuce leaf and roll up. Use toothpicks to hold together.  Serve.

Raspberry Tapioca Pudding

I had not eaten sago/tapioca since I was a child but a friendly recently made a batch and I found myself totally loving it!

I had a look online to see if there were any variations from the basic veganized version, and came across this one at:

 http://www.dramaticpancake.com/2012/04/sandra-vegan-raspberry-tapioca-pudding/

We found all the ingredients in the supermarket.  I guess you can substitute with different berries if you like, but we found the raspberries to be delicious.

What you will need:

2 cups almond milk, divided

1/3 cup pearl tapioca/sago

Approx. 400 ml can coconut milk

1/3 cup agave syrup

1 cup frozen raspberries

Pinch of salt

Method:

In a medium sized saucepan, place tapioca in a cup of the almond milk. Cover with a plate and soak overnight (or minimum of 4 hours) at room temperature.

Add second cup of almond milk and bring the mix to boil over medium heat. Add coconut milk and agave. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring slowly and continuously for 10 minutes.

Add raspberries and salt and cook for another 5 minutes. As raspberries soften, use a wooden spoon to crush them up a bit against the side of the pan.

Remove for heat. .Refrigerate for a few hours, and you will find yourself having a smooth, creamy cold dessert for summer.  I found that it tasted even better the next day. Or if it is winter, have it while it is still warm. 

Cucumber-sesame salad

A super easy dish that you can serve with pita bread or vegetable tempura. The original recipe (which I found in the book “30 Minute Vegan” by Mark Reinfield and Jennifer Murray) calls for the use of onions but I have omitted them and the taste is still fine without them.

What you will need:

¼ cup sesame seeds (toasted or raw)

4 cups sliced cucumber (about 1 or 2 large cucumbers), peeled and cut about 2cms thick. You can seed if you want but I didn’t bother.

1 tbsp minced red onion (optional)

1 sheet nori, grated or cut finely (I used a pre-cut pack I found at the supermarket tin the Asian Foods section)

½ tsp sea salt

2 tbsp rice vinegar (found in the Asian Foods section of the supermarket)

Bag of salad greens

Method:

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Serve in bowls lined with mixed salad greens.

Easy!

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Another gluten free recipe I found in the book “Quinoa 365” by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming. This one is a mix of quinoa, black beans, corn and coriander. You can make it as hot (or not) as you like.

What you will need:

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lime juice

4 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp finely minced jalapeno (optional)

1 can corn kernels, drained and rinsed

1 diced red bell capsicum (optional)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup chopped coriander

¼ tsp salt

Method:

Bring the water and the quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover and reduce to simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and allow to cool.

Place quinoa in a large bowl.

Whisk oil, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin and jalapeno (if using) in a small bowl. Stir dressing into quinoa.

Add capsicum, black beans, coriander and salt. Toss and serve.

Salad will keep for up to 3 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.