Strawberry Mousse

BEST DESSERT EVER!!!!!!!!!

I think this even beats my choc-cherry dessert which up until now has been my favourite!

In a mini food processor combine

1 cup frozen chopped strawberry pieces

150g soft silken tofu

2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend until smooth

Devour!

This makes enough to serve 2 - if you can bear to share it ;-)

Sweet Potato Chips with Spicy 5 Bean Mix

To make the sweet potato chips:

Slice 2 sweet potatoes and place in a bowl of water to soak for 40 minutes.

Drain & then coat in paprika.

Bake at 200C for 40-45 minutes until lightly golden - you can bake them for longer if you want them to be more crunchy. Also note that oven times vary a lot & also this will depend on the width that you've cut the potato.

To make the Spicy 5 Bean Mix:

You'll need:

1 can 5 bean mix

1 zucchini

1 corn cob

1 onion

1 red capsicum

1 garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon chilli 

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 heaped Tablespoon tomato paste

Chop all the vegetables into bite size pieces.

Saute the onion and garlic with all the herbs until the onion is soft & lightly golden brown.

Add the vegetables and stir well - cook for 10 minutes.

Add the drained beans, apple cider vinegar and the tomato paste and combine well. Cook for another 5 minutes until mixture begins to gently bubble and thicken.

Serve bean mix over the sweet potato.

YOU'VE GOT TO TRY THIS!

This is so super easy & yet it is divinely tasty!

Wrap a sweet potato in foil & bake for 45-60 mins in oven - til soft.

In a frying pan combine red kidney beans, chopped onion, chopped green capsicum with a generous tablespoon of salsa and a half teaspoon cumin. Fry until all is heated through.

Cut the sweet potato in half and serve the bean mixture on top.

SO TASTY!

Risotto Make-over

Do you think of risotto as a huge bowl of creamy rice???

I think most people do.

I have decided to give the traditional risotto a make-over to make it healthier, yet still with its creamy texture that is so comforting on a cold winters night!

Chop one brown onion & put it into a stock pot with a teaspoon of minced garlic and a teaspoon cumin. Stir together. When the onion is lightly browned add 1 1/2 cups arborio rice. Stir around to mix well. 

Make up 5 cups of vegetable stock. 

Add to your stock pot 150g green beans, chopped into bite size pieces, 1 cup chopped button mushrooms, and 4 cubes frozen spinach. 

Add the stock to your stock pot 1 cup at a time and continually stir until all the stock has been absorbed. Then add another cup.

This process will take about 30 minutes.

In the last 5 minutes, add a drained tin of borlotti beans & a tablespoon lemon juice. Stir well to combine & put the lid on for 5 minutes to allow the beans to warm through.

Serve with nutritional yeast & a lemon wedge.

Makes 4 serves. Reheats well if using for leftovers :-)

Strawberry "Ice-cream"

Adding to my collection of frozen desserts.

Its always fun to add more flavours to the collection!

Here's a strawberry version.

You'll need:

2 frozen bananas

1/2 cup chopped frozen strawberries

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup soymilk

Blend together in a high powered blender or mini food processor.

Serve :-)

Yum!

Fritters 5 Ways

Fritters make a salad on a cold day bearable!

Here's a few different flavours for you to try out.

Basic fritter mix:

1/4 cup wholemeal flour

1/4 cup soymilk

sprinkle of cracked black pepper

Combine in a bowl & stir well with a whisk.

(You can leave out the pepper if you're not a fan, I just personally LOVE it!)

This is the base to which you can add the varying flavours.

Once combined, just drop spoonfuls of the fritter mix into a saucepan & fry both sides lightly as you would a pancake.

This makes 2 fritters. Perfect lunch for one.

Taste one: Cabbage, corn & chives

Stir into the basic fritter mix 1/2 cup corn kernels, 1 heaped Tablespoon sauerkraut, and chopped chives.
Serve with a salad for a tasty complete meal :-)

Taste Two: Spinach, Mushroom & Onion

Add to the basic mix 1/4 cup drained chopped cooked spinach (either fresh or frozen), 1/4 cup chopped button mushrooms, 1 x spring onions, 1/2 teaspoon paprika.

Perfect partner: couscous

Taste Three: Cheesy Sun-dried Tomato

To the basic mix add 1 heaped tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 Tablespoon soy cream cheese and 1/4 cup chopped drained sun-dried tomatoes.

 

Perfect partner: a massive mushroom!

Taste Four: Curried Cauliflower

Add to the basic mix 1 cup cauliflower that has been crumbled in a food processor (cooked or raw up to you!) and 1/2 teaspoon curry powder. You could add turmeric if you don't have curry powder.

Taste Five: Carrot, PB & chilli

Grate into the basic mix one carrot. Add a tablespoon peanut butter & a 1/4 teaspoon chilli (more if you're brave!).

 

Delicious with sweet chilli sauce!

Coconut Apricot Bars

Here's a great idea for a healthy treat for kids lunchbox...... or for adults who enjoy snacks too! (I include myself in that list!)
Bonus: Its so easy to make.

In a food processor combine:
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup almonds

Process until mixture resembles crumbs and then add:
2 Tablespoons brown rice syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla soymilk

Continue to process for a bit longer until mixture holds together. It will be slightly sticky but not too sticky too handle.

Press into a muesli bar maker or roll into balls.
NB: This may work if you press it into a baking tin & then cut it but I haven't personally tried it that way.

This mixture makes enough to perfectly fill the Tupperware T-bar set which is an ultra easy way to make healthy bars at home!