Home-Made Hummus (Better than store bought!)

I love this recipe from Inspiredtaste.net – Easy Hummus Recipe – Better Than Store-bought

It’s my go-to! They instruct you to use a food processor. Since I’ve lived my life without one, I just use a Wizz-stick.  Here is my adjusted version with more straight forward instructions.

Ingredients

·         1/4 cup (60 ml) well-stirred tahini

·         1/4 cup (60 ml) of fresh lemon juice

·         2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

·         1 small garlic clove, minced

·         1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

·         1/2 teaspoon ground paprika

·         Salt to taste

·         400g can of chickpeas, drained and well rinsed

·         2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) water

·         Dash ground paprika, for serving

Method

· Put Tahini and lemon juice in a jug.

· Wizz for 1 minute until “whipped or creamy”

· Add olive oil, garlic, cumin and salt

· I also add a dash of paprika, but this is optional

· Wizz for 30 seconds until blended

· Add chickpeas and wizz until smooth – you can add half of the chickpeas, wizz, then add the other half to make this easier.

· Season to taste

· Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and another dash of paprika

· You can store the hummus for up to one week in the fridge

NUTRITION PER SERVING: Serving Size 1/4 cup / Calories 190 / Protein 6 g / Carbohydrate 18 g / Dietary Fiber 5 g / Total Sugars 3 g / Total Fat 11 g / Saturated Fat 2 g / Cholesterol 0 mg

Rum Balls or Truffles

To make rum balls, add rum to taste. To make truffles, leave out the rum. 

250 grams arrowroot biscuits or Marie biscuits
100 grams or 1 cup of Desiccated Coconut Unsweetened
1/4 cup cocoa
395 grams Milk Canned, Condensed, Sweetened 
Rum to taste


Crush the biscuits. The best way to crush the biscuits is in a food processes. 

Then add the other ingredients. Roll into balls. You can then roll them in more desiccated coconut, or melted chocolate, or you can leave them plain.

Pasta Sauce - Tomato, Roast Capsicum, Sweet Chilli & Garlic With Blackbean

Ingredients

Olive Oil
2 capsicums, halved, seeds removed
2 sweet chillies, halved, seeds removed
1 head or bulb of garlic, end cut off
1 Onion, diced
4 tomatoes, diced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 Tin of Black Beans (Turtle Beans), removed from tin and rinsed well
Stock cube or stock


Cooked pasta & parmesan to taste


Method

Preheat oven to about 200 degrees celsius.
Place some baking paper on a baking tray.
Chuck the capsicum, chillies and garlic on the tray.
Drizzle with olive oil generously.
Place in the oven and cook until the veg is softened and has some roasting marks.

Remove the veg from the oven and let sit to cool down.
Once cooled slightly, squeeze the garlics out of their shells.

(Sometimes the skins of the capsicum or chillies can get a but tough while their roasting. You can remove the skins, and just add in the fleshy parts of the veg to the sauce, or add in the whole veg, depending on taste. I like to add the whole thing, because, you know, fibre & flavour.)

Meanwhile...

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saucepan
Fry onions until browned
Add the tomatoes with some salt & pepper to taste
Once the tomatoes are on their way to softening,
Add the roasted veg to the onions with a bit of the oil they cooked in and stir through
Add the beans,
Melt the stock cube in some boiling water, maybe a 1/4 cup of water, but add more or less if required or desired.
(To be honest, I just chuck in the stock cube and the water and let it melt while it's cooking, but you can put it in water first if you prefer)
Simmer until everything is looking combined and saucey

Serve with the cooked pasta. Oh my yum!

Nutrition

Nutritional Calculators

Very Well Fit - Recipe Nutrition Analyzer

Burrito Bowl

Ingredients

Mexican Rice
1 Spanish onions, diced
2  cloves garlic, diced
2 cups brown rice
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp cumin
Tomato paste

Mexican Beans
1 Spanish onions, diced
2  cloves garlic, diced
1 capsicum
1 cup black turtle beans
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup lettuce, shredded
1 tomato, cut into chunks
1/2 avocado

Smoked Tabasco Hot-sauce to taste

Method

Rice
Cook off the onion & garlic. Add rice and cook until translucent. add stock, cumin and tomato paste.

Beans
Cook off onion & garlic. Add capsicum and cook until slightly softened. Add beans, cumin, paprika & salt.

Serve with the lettuce, tomoato and avo. Add hot-sauce to taste.

Links to Pages about Anti Inflammatory Foods

www.mindbodygreen.com

• The 25 Best Inflammation-Fighting Foods (And How A Food Editor Actually Uses Them Every Day) from MindBodyGreen

Pasta Sauce - Mushroom Alfredo with Pine Nut Sauce

Most vegan Alfredo recipes use cashews. Since I didn't have cashews, I used pine nuts as an alternative.

Most other recipes also use Almond Milk, however I substituted mine with Like Milk by AO (Australian Owned),  which is a pea protein based milk that I found at my local Coles.





Ingredients 

2/3 cup of pine nuts
Handful of spaghetti
Drizzle of olive oil
1 Onion
3 cloves garlic
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup mushrooms
3-4 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup dairy free milk
2 tbsp lemon or lime


Method

Soak the pine nuts in water for 30 minutes.

Cook spaghetti as per instructions.

Heat olive oil in pan. Add onion, garlic, salt & pepper and cook until onions are translucent or golden. Add mushrooms & cook until golden.

Meanwhile, drain pine nuts. Add to Nutri-bullet. Add the yeast, milk and lemon/lime. Blend until consistent.

Add the pine nut sauce to onion mushrooms, and cook until thick and heated.

Add the spaghetti using a spaghetti utensil. Its okay if its a bit wet from the spaghetti water as it will add to thicken sauce. mix until combine.

Enjoy a 100% vegan meal.

The Flavor Star

Links To Amazing Plant-Based Recipes, Websites & Recipe Lists

Links to Favourite Recipes, Websites & Recipe Lists

Favourite Websites

WeAreSoVegan.com

VeganHeaven.org

Nutriciously.com

Recipes

Vegan Alfredo From WeAreSoVegan.com

Easy Hummus Recipe - Better Than Store Bought!  From InspiredTaste.net

Crunch Oven Roasted Chickpeas 4 Ways from YayForFood.com

Recipe Lists 

30 Easy Vegan One Pot Meals From VeganHeaven.org

23 Healthy Vegan Quinoa Recipes From VeganHeaven.org

17 Vegan Quinoa Recipes From Nutriciously.com

Roasted Chickpea +  Recipes for Variety of Flavours   From ThisGrandmaIsFun.com

https://www.maddielymburner.com/blogs/recipes/creamy-cauliflower-sauce-gluten-free-vegan

Creamy Vegan Cauliflower White Sauce by MaddielyMBurner.com

https://www.avantgardevegan.com/recipes/lasagne/

Vegan Lasagne from AvantGardeVegan.com

https://www.deliciouseveryday.com/vegan-mac-cheese/

Vegan Mac & Cheese from DeliciousEveryday.com

Mum's Stir Fry Sauce

Sauce
1 Chicken stock cube
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp corn flour
2 tbsp Mirin or white wine
2 tbsp minced or microplaned ginger or garlic

Mix ingredients with 1/2 cup cold water. The water needs to be cold for the corn flour to dissolve.

Onion, Garlic & Ginger Fried Rice

Ingredients
1 peanut oil
1 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, diced
1 ginger root, sliced into sticks 
2 cups rice
2 stock cubes

Method
1) Fry onion, garlic & ginger in peanut oil until browned and aromatic.
2) Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Add stock cubes to 2 cups of water. 
3) Add the rice to the onion, garlic & ginger, and fry for a minute, then add the stock. 
4) Cover with a lid and boil for 20 minutes.
5) Remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. 
6) Fluff with a fork, and stir with Stir Fry. Try with Stir Fry Vegetables with Tofu & Egg Omelette.

Stir Fry Vegetables with Tofu

Ingredients
1 tbsp peanut oil
200 g tofu
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 nob of ginger, finely sliced into stick
1 capsicum, chopped
1 broccoli (or broccolini), chopped

1 large mushroom, sliced

1 carrot, halved and sliced

Sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp corn flour (must add to cold liquid, not hot)
2 tbsp vinegar (mirin, rice malt, apple cider vinegar or white wine)

2 tbsp rice malt syrup (optional)

1 vegan XOX chicken/beef/vegetable stock cube

1/4 cup boiling water


Method

Sauce

1) Mix the soy, oil, cornflower, vinegar and syrup together. 

2) Mix the stock cube and water separate, then add the 1/4 cup stock to the sauce.

Fry
1) Fry off the onion, garlic and ginger until browned and aromatic. 

2) Add the tofu and fry until brown.

3) Add the mushroom with a dash of the sauce, fry. 

4) Add the broccolini, a bit of the stock, and fry. 

5) Then carrots and the capsicum and fry off with remaining sauce.

7) Serve with rice or mix in hokkien noodles & enjoy. 

Mexican Style Beans in Capsicum Boats & Jacket Potatoes

Mexican Style Beans in Capsicum Boats & Jacket Potatoes

Ingredients

2 large potatoes, skins left on
2 capsicums, tops cut off, seeds removed
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 capsicum, chopped
1 tin of black beans
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
Coriander

You can also top the potatoes with sour cream and cheese if desired, or leave it out if you are being vegan.

Method


Pre-heat oven to 200 c

Take the potatoes scrubbed clean, then pat dry with a paper towel. Use a fork to peirce multiple holes all over the potatoes. Place on a baking tray and drizzle & smear olive oil all over. Add salt to taste.

You need to bake the potatoes for 60 minutes in total. Put the timer on for 40 minutes, and after 40 minutes, put the capsicums in the oven too. Place the capsicums on the baking tray, up-side-down.

Meanwhile, while the potatoes and capsicums are in the oven, cook the beans.

Fry the onion and garlic until browned. Add the capsicum & cook until slightly soft. Add the beans. Add the spice & a few tbsp of water. Fry off until flavours combined. Add more water if it dries out too much.

Remove the capsicums and potatoes from the oven. Slice the potatoes length-ways and place the beans on top. Turn the capsicums up right, and load with beans. Use coriander as garnish.  Enjoy.

Tropicana Smoothy

Tropicana Smoothy

Ingredients 
-1 Banana
-1/2 Cup of Pineapple
-1/2 Cup of Kale or Baby Spinach
-1/2 Cup of Coconut water
-Mint to taste

Method
Add to cup, use a Nutribullet to blend & you're ready to go!

Baby Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

Baby Spinach & Mushroom Quiche 

Ingredients
-1-2 Sheets of puff pastry
-Olive oil spray
-1 Medium brown onion
-2 Cloves of garlic
-1 Small sprig of rosemary or thyme
-3-4 Mushrooms, sliced
-2-3 Handfuls of baby spinach
-4 Eggs
-1/4 Cup of light milk
-3/4 Cup of light ricotta or light sour cream
-Parmesan to taste
-Salt & pepper


Method
1) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2) While puff pastry is thawing, cook off onions, garlic, until browned.
3) Add rosemary and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have soften.
4) Add spinach and cook until wilted. Set aside to slightly cool.
5) Spray a quiche dish with olive oil spray, and line with  1-2 sheets of puff pastry
6) Add eggs & milk, and whisk with a fork until combined. Season to taste.
Add the spinach mixture to the egg mixture.
7) Gently stir through the ricotta. Use a microplane to finely grate Parmesan to taste.
8) Pour the mixture into the quiche dish.
9) Cook for 30 or so minutes, until puff pastry is golden, and the quiche has set.

**Note that the puff pastry can be cooked prior to adding the mixture. Simply line with rice and cook as per instructions on packaging.

**The mushrooms can be substituted for zucchini or eggplant