Vegetarian Chickpea "Tuna & Mayo" Sandwich

I recently called out to the Vegan, Vegetarian & Plant-Based Group on Facebook for their favourite Chickpea recipes.

One of the suggestion was using chickpea to replace tuna in a tuna and mayo Sandwich. It almost is like an egg, mayo and lettuce sandwich, without any egg. I was surprised at how delicious it was.



Ingredients
1/2 cup of cooked Chickpeas (pressure cooked from dry)
1 tbsp of your favourite mayo
Salt & pepper to taste

Smash up the chickpeas with the mayo, salt & pepper.
Serve on a sandwich with baby spinach.
Add extra salad if desired.

Alternatively, I tried a deconstructed hummus sandwich. I smashed chickpeas with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, than had it on a Sambo with baby spinach. Surprisingly, it was delicious!

Ingredients
1/2 cup of cooked Chickpeas (pressure cooked from dry)
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
Good drizzle of olive oil
Sprinkle of cumin & paprika
Salt & pepper to taste

Smash it up together, but leave it chunky.
Serve on a sandwich with baby spinach or extras salad if desired.

Pressure Cooker

Information about my Favourite new kitchen accessory

Philips All-In-One Multi Cooker HD2237/72



Information Flyer & Specs

Instruction Manual 

Recipe Book


Meal Ideas for the Pressure Cooker

Potato Soup

Risotto

Mac & Cheese

Lentil Soup

Giant Pancake



Quinoa
1 cup to 1 cup
Use rice setting

Brown & white rice
1 cup to 1 cup
Use rice setting

Chickpeas
1 cup to 6 cups
45 minutes

Pinto Beans
1 cup

Ideas for Chickpeas

Lots of ideas for what to do with Chickpeas.
Courtesy of the Vegan, Vegetarian & Plant-Based Group on Facebook

I asked the group for their favourite Chickpea recipes, and this is the AMAZING result:


Roasted
Roast them on 200 degrees C for about 30 minutes
They crisp up while cooling so doesn't be fooled into thinking they are too soft when they come out of the oven

Spice Combinations for Roasted Chickpea  
Chilli, garlic & maple: Marinate in chilli & garlic sauce,  then toss them with lime juice and a little maple syrup (Be careful with the syrup as it can burn in a higher heat oven)


Another way to Roast
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Garlic salt
Cayenne pepper

Blot chickpeas with a paper towel to dry them
Toss chickpeas with olive oil, and season to taste with salt, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper
Spread on a baking sheet
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 230 degrees C until browned and crunchy
Watch carefully the last few minutes to avoid burning.

Tips for Roasting
Be sure the oven is hot enough when you put chickpeas in and that they are in long enough
Blot chickpeas with a paper towel first
They may be soft when they come out of the oven, but they crisp up while cooling


Chickpea Salsa 
Cilantro, green onions, onions, celery, chickpeas, cayenne, vegan mayo, hot sauce, lime on tostadas


Roasted Salad

roast garlic, onion, sweet potato, and chickpeas seasoned with paprika, chilli powder, and a small dash of cinnamon for a sweet and smoky flavour
Drizzle tahini and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve over rice!!

Chickpea Tacos

Courtesy of IHeartVegetables.com  

2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons hot sauce, plus more for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shredded purple cabbage
2 radishes, sliced into matchsticks
4 flour or corn tortillas
Preheat oven to
Mix chickpeas, cumin, hot sauce, and salt in a small bowl until evenly coated.
Spread over a baking sheet sprayed w/ olive oil & spread the chickpeas in an even layer
Roast for 10 minutes @ 170 degrees C. Stir then continue roasting for 5-10 minutes until browned.
Serve on tortilla with cabbage, radishes & drizzle with hot sauce

Beans & Chickpeas

Mix in a bowl Black beans, Red Kidney Beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, red onion, squeeze one lime, add cilantro.
Add avocado when eating!


Chickpea Stir Fry
Courtesy of Elavegan.com

1 tbsp peanut oil
1 onion
5 garlic cloves
a knob of ginger, microplaned
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
broccoli cut into small florets
1/3 cup broth
2 cups of cooked chickpeas

Cooked rice of choice for serving

Sauce
1/2 cup of water
3 tsp soy sauce (I love tamari soy)
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup, honey or rice malt syrup
1 tbsp cornstarch

Stir fry the way one stir-fries :)

Chickpea Meatballs 
Courtesy of KarissasVegankKitchen.com

2 cups chickpeas
2.5 tbsp ground flax seed
6 tbsp water
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp black pepper

Cook chickpeas in pressure cooker as normal
Drain the chickpeas & try to peal as many as possible
Wizz chickpeas in a blender until broken dow.
Add an egg & wizz
Mix herbs
If too sticky, add more breadcrumbs half a tablespoon at a time.
If too dry, add oil.
Make them into balls
Bake the chickpea at 230 degree C meatballs for 20-25 minutes, turning over halfway

Chickpea Salad
Courtesy of LoveAndLemons.com

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp sea salt
 black pepper
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds (or 1/2 tsp ground added directly to mixing bowl, not toasted)
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 cup cherry tomatoes
4 Medjool dates
3 cucumbers, sliced
⅓ cup capsicum, diced finely
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
¼ cup fresh mint
tahini to taste
⅓ cup chopped roasted chickpeas, optional

In a bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper.
over medium-low heat, toast the cumin seeds in a pan until aromatic, about 30 seconds
Remove & crush them a bit in a mortar & pestle
dd them to bowl and stir.
Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, dates, cucumbers, red pepper, and parsley to the bowl
Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with mint, drizzle tahini and top with the extra roasted chickpeas


Other Ideas

Coconut-Ginger Chickpea Soup

Chickpea pot pie

Chickpea stew

Mac and cheese  & chickpeas

Chana Masala 

Another Chana Masala 

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Chickpea Shepherds Pie

Best Chickpea Burgers

Chickpea of the Sea “Vegetarian Tuna Fish” Sandwiches

Oat Bowl Themes

Tropical - Oats soaked in coconut milk, topped with tropical fruit like pineapple, passionfruit, mango, ect and chia seeds

Apple crumble - Oats soaked in apple juice, topped with sultanas, sliced apple, cloves, and SLA crumble (this is also delicious as heated oatmeal or in a slowcooker)

Choc banana - Oats soaked in cashew/almond/coconut milk and 1tbsp raw cacao to 1tbsp rice malt syrup topped with slice banana and chia

Honey & cinnamon  - Oats soaked in dairy free milk with sultanas, cinnamon & honey (also amazing as heated if using quickoats)

Berry bowl - oats soaked in a dairy free milk (soy, Almond, cashew, coconut) topped with strawberry, blueberry, chia and some nuts.

Chai - cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove

Carrot cake overnight oats - Oats, grated carrot, sultanas, cinnamon, maple syrup

Coconut berry - Oats, coconut yoghurt & frozen berries

Fruit & Nut - Almond butter, fig jam, chopped almond, maple syrup and walnut

Kewpie Mayonnaise Potato Salad

Potatoes vary from starchy to waxy. 

Starchy potatoes break down more easily and are better used in potato mash. Starchy potatoes varieties include Russet and sweet potato.

Waxy potatoes have less starch and keep their shape when boiled. Waxy potatoes include Hasselback or Kipfler.

In-betweener potato varieties (or all-purpose potatoes) are not too starchy or waxy, and they fall somewhere in-between. They include Desiree or Sebago.

The waxy potatoes are preferred for a potato salad, because they hold their shape, and won't turn into a mash when the potato salad is mixed together. You can also use the inbetweeners like Desiree too, but be mindful of not overcooking the potato or it will fall apart.


Ingredients 

• 1kg of potatoes 
• 1 cup of Kewpie Mayonnaise
• 1 small lemon, juiced
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped (you can use spring onion instead)
• 1 punnet of chives

Method

• Put the potatoes in a pan with cold water, then bring to boil
• Reduce the heat and cook potatoes for 3-4 minutes until tender
• Meanwhile, combine mayo, lemon juice, onion & salt in a container 
• Drain the potatoes and transfer to a large mixing bowl
• Add half the mayo mix over the potatoes and stir gently
• Place in a fridge to cool and the potatoes will absorb flavour
• Once cool and when ready to serve, add the rest of the mayo
• Then be the hero of the BBQ

This recipe is adapted from Potato Salad from Taste.com.au

Easy Falafel Wrap with Easy Tabouli

Ingredients 

- Falafel, made from a falafel pack or prepackaged
- Hummus
- Fake tabbouleh

Assemble the easy falafel wrap with the hummus, falafel prepared as per packet & the fake tabbouleh. Enjoy!

Home-Made Hummus   (Better than store bought!)

- 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

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

Fake Tabbouleh:
- Red onion, finely diced
- Tomato, finely chopped & seeds removed
- Parsley, finely chopped
- Pine nuts
- Lemon juice
- olive oil
- Salt & pepper

Make a fake Tabbouleh with the onion, tomato, pine nuts, lemon juice, olive oil. Add ingredients to a bowl & mix together.

Mushroom Stew in Red Wine Burgundy Sauce

Ingredients
olive oil
3 large onions or 5 smaller onions
2-3 carrots
500g mushrooms
4-8 cloves of garlic
185 mls of red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
herbs (thyme or rosemary)
2 bay leaves
250 ml veg stock (or vegetarian beef stock)
black pepper

Mash potato to serve



Method
1) Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celcius

2) Slice one of the onions & cut the head and tails off the remaining onions. If they are larger, cut in half.

3) Cut the head and tail off the carrots. You can leave the mushrooms into very chunky slices, cut them in half, or leave whole.

4) Heat up some oil and add the garlic and sliced onion, and saute until aromatic.

5) Then throw in the remaining onions with the carrots & mushrooms

6) If using rosemary, throw that in & fry off as it is a hard wooded herb.

7) Turn up the heat and add red wine and allow to reduce for 5-10 minutes

8) Add the tomato paste, bay leaves, stock & black pepper

9) Put the mix into a baking dish and bake for 40 minutes.

10) Serve with mash potato

Lots of Wrap Ideas (Mostly Vegetarian)

Grilled Veg Wraps - Capsicum, grilled - Eggplant, grilled - Zucchini, grilled - Mushroom, grilled - Red onion, grilled - Sundried tomatoes - Hummus - Feta Cut up the veggies, roll in minced garlic & olive oil. Chuck them under the grill in the oven. Serve on a wrap w/ sundried tomato, hummus & feta	Cold Roast Veg Wraps - Pumpkin, roasted - Sweet potato, roasted - onion, roasted - Pine nuts or pepitas - Pesto - Spinach - Parmesan or feta cheese Cut up the pumpkin, sweet potato, onion & roll in minced garlic & olive oil. Bake in oven. Allow to cool, then roll in the pesto. Serve with baby spinach leaves and either parmesan or feta cheese.	Tangy Veggie Wrap - Onion - Capsicum - Spinach - Bean sprouts - Carrot - Sunflower seeds (probably could switch for pine nuts or sliced almonds) Dressing: - Ginger - Cottage cheese - Sour cream - Lemon zest - Dijon mustard
Coleslaw Wraps - Green or red cabbage - Carrot - Onion - Beetroot - Mayo	Spinach, Feta & Avo Wrap - Spinach - Feta - Avocado	Beetroot, Carrot & Pickled Ginger - Carrot, grated - Beetroot, grated - Pickled ginger
Egg & Lettuce - Egg, boiled & sliced - Lettuce, shredded - Mayo	Caesar Wraps - Egg, boiled & sliced - Lettuce - Parmesan cheese - Caesar dressing (garlic, olive oil, mayo, Dijon, parmesan, lemon juice, salt & pepper)	BLT (Or ELT or MLT) wrap - Lettuce - Tomato - Mayo - Substitute bacon for facon, eggplant or mushrooms
Cold Burrito w/ Black bean Salad & Avo - Black bean salad - Avo - Jalapeno - Chipotle mayo Black bean salad: - Black beans, washed & cooked - Onion, finely diced - Capsicum, finely diced - Tomato, seeds removed & finely diced - Corn - Coriander leaves - Lime - Olive Oil - Salt Precook black beans as per instructions on the tin. Mix onion, capsicum, tomato, corn, coriander, lime & olive oil. Serve on wrap w/ avo, jalapenos & chipotle mayo.	Falafel Wraps - Falafel, made from a falafel pack or pre-packaged - Hummus or Tahini - Fake tabbouleh Fake Tabbouleh: - Red onion, finely diced - Tomato, finely chopped & seeds removed - Parsley, finely chopped - Pine nuts - Lemon juice - olive oil - Salt & pepper Make a fake Tabbouleh with the onion, tomato, pine nuts, lemon juice, olive oil. Prepare falafels as per package Serve with hummus/tahini and the fake tabbouleh.	Pizza wrap - Capsicum - Mushroom - Spinach - Olives - Tomato - Cheese - Pizza sauce Put the ingredients on a wrap. Chuck it on in pan like a toasted sandwich.
Ideas for Kids: - Ham, Cheese, Lettuce - Chicken & mayo - Pizza (Eg tomato sauce, pepperoni, ham, cheese) - Quesadilla (grilled cheese) - Cheese, bacon & egg	Other ideas: - Greek Salad wraps (Tomato, cucumber, avo, feta, olives) - Avocado & Cucumber - Traditional salad (Lettuce, tomato, onion, carrot, tinned beetroot, grated cheese, mayo) - Fake gyros (Halloumi, baked potato chips, tzatziki, tomato, onions, spinach)

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Ideas for Vegetarian Wraps

Grilled Veg Wraps
- Capsicum, grilled
- Eggplant, grilled
- Zucchini, grilled
- Mushroom, grilled
- Red onion, grilled
- Sundried tomatoes
- Hummus
- Feta

Cut up the veggies, roll in minced garlic & olive oil.
Chuck them under the grill in the oven.
Serve on a wrap w/ sundried tomato, hummus & feta

Cold Roast Veg Wraps 
- Pumpkin, roasted
- Sweet potato, roasted
- onion, roasted
- Pine nuts or pepitas
- Pesto
- Spinach
- Parmesan or feta cheese

Cut up the pumpkin, sweet potato, onion & roll in minced garlic & olive oil.
Bake in oven.
Allow to cool, then roll in the pesto.
Serve with baby spinach leaves and either parmesan or feta cheese.

Falafel Wraps
- Falafel, made from a falafel pack or prepackaged
- Hummus
- Fake tabbouleh

Fake Tabbouleh:
- Red onion, finely diced
- Tomato, finely chopped & seeds removed
- Parsley, finely chopped
- Pine nuts
- Lemon juice
- olive oil
- Salt & pepper

Make a fake Tabbouleh with the onion, tomato, pine nuts, lemon juice, olive oil.
Prepare falafels as per package
Serve with hummus and the fake tabbouleh.

Cold Burrito w/ Blackbean Salad & Avo 
- Blackbean salad
- Avo
- Jalapeno
- Chipotle mayo

Blackbean salad:
- Black beans, washed & cooked
- Onion, finely diced
- Capsicum, finely diced
- Tomato, seeds removed & finely diced
- Corn
- Corriander leaves
- Lime
- Olive Oil
- Salt

Precook black beans as per instructions on the tin.
Mix onion, capsicum, tomato, corn, corriander, lime & olive oil.
Serve on wrap w/ avo, jalapenos & chipotle mayo.

Tangy Veggie Wrap
- Onion
- Capsicum
- Spinach
- Bean sprouts
- Carrot
- Sunflower seeds (probably could switch for pine nuts or sliced almonds)

Dressing
- Ginger
- Cottage cheese
- Sour cream
- Lemon zest
- Dijon mustard

Coleslaw Wraps
- Green or red cabbage
- Carrot
- Onion
- Beetroot
- Mayo

Spinach, Feta & Avo Wrap
- Spinach
- Feta
- Avocado

BLT (Or ELT or MLT) wrap
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Mayo
- Substitute bacon for facon, eggplant or mushrooms

Ceaser Wraps
- Egg, boiled & sliced
- Lettuce
- Parmesan cheese
- Ceaser dressing (garlic, olive oil, mayo, dijon, parmesan, lemon juice, salt & pepper)

Egg & Lettuce
- Egg, boiled & sliced
- Lettuce, shredded
- Mayo

Beetroot, Carrot & Pickled Ginger
- Carrot, grated
- Beetroot, grated
- Pickled ginger

Rice cooker hack

Websites:
Life Hacker 15 Surprising Things You Can Make In A Rice Cooker

Rice Cooker Instructions:

Teriyaki Marinade

This recipe is an adjusted version of a recipe from Budgetbytes.com Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce or Marinade.

The changes I've made include almost doubling the recipe and reducing the amount of sugar. I also used Tamari Soy Sauce, which is a Japanese Soy Sauce that is thicker and less salty than Chinese Soy Sauce.

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Tamari Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp of ginger, minced
1 Tbsp of water

Method
Mix up the ingredients in a bowl. It does take a while for the brown sugar to dissolve.
Add whatever you are going to marinade to the mix.
Allow the marinade to work its magic for at least 30 minutes before stir frying.

Watermelon Fruit Salad "cake"

Layer watermelon with your other favourite fruits.

We used:

Watermelon
Strawberry
Mango
Blueberry

You could  also add:

Apple
Peach
Nectarines
Plums
Rockman
Orange
Mandarin
Kiwi Fruit
Passion fruit
Cherries
Or any other fruit you can think of...

You could even add whipped cream or dipping chocolate you want it to be a bit more naughty.

We did this for my daughter's birthday. She was acting up just before her birthday, and I made the threat of no cake if she keeps playing up. Then she kept Playing up. Since I believe you can make empty treats when you're a parent, we chose not to have a birthday cake. Instead, we made an alternative... Here is the result:

FYI, I'm not a totally terrible parent. She did get a proper cake at her birthday party, which was on the weekend before her actual birthday. Needless to say, there was a massive sugar crash afterwards. 

We made the layered watermelon cake for her actual birthday, which fell on a school night. She actually loved it! 

 There were no more sugar crashes!

Since it was so successful, we did it again for our Sister's birthday. At the time she was on a very strict diet. She also loved it. She felt special we made the effort, and she could still enjoy a sweet fruity treat while keeping the calories low. 

Vegan Mushroom Burger

This recipe makes 2 burgers, but you could easily double the ingredients to make more.

To come up with a recipe, I researched what ingredients help bind. I have recently been turned off eggs, therefore I wanted to find an alternative binding ingredient. Technically, these are vegan burgers, but it does depend on what you put on the burger itself.

You can use a food processor to combine them more finely and turn the mixture into a more processed consistency. It's a personal choice for me not to do this in my recipe because I like the texture of bits of veg in my burger. It just makes them seem less like meat and more like a veggie burger.

The beetroot needs to be very finely grated to cook by frying. I use the fine side of my box grater, or you could use a microplane. Alternatively, you could cook the beetroots by boiling or in a microwave before using them in the recipe.

I used quick oats in this recipe, as they are already quite finely processed. You could use whole oats, but you may need to use a food processor to break them down a bit so their binding magic works better.

It's also important to let the mixture sit before baking or frying, so the mixture has more stickiness too it and binds better.


Ingredients

Olive oil
1 onion, diced finely
Salt & pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, diced finely
250g Mushrooms, diced finely
1/2 beetroot, grated finely
1/4 cup quick oats

Method

Fry the onion, garlic, salt & pepper in olive oil until translucent & aromatic.
Add the mushrooms and fry until browned and softened.
Add the grated beetroot and fry until softened.
Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.
Add the oats and mix them together.
Let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour.
Remove from fridge and use your hands to make the mixture into burger patties.
Bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celcius for about 15-20 minutes.
Turn them over, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and bake for another 15-20 minutes.


Serve on a burger bun with fresh salad, like grated carrot, tomato, baby spinach leaves, red onions, and vegan mayo or cheese.

Anzac Biscuits

Traditionally, Anzac biscuits are made from butter. In this recipe, I've substituted the butter for coconut oil, or you could use a vegan butter, like Nuttelex, or Nuttelex lite. You could use olive oil, but I wouldn't recommend it, as olive oil has a stronger taste. If you choose to do this, I recommend a "light" or "pure" olive oil, as they have a less strong taste than extra-virgin olive oil.

I've also tried to make this recipe a little healthier by halving the amount of sugar normally used. Coconut sugar is very slightly better than brown sugar, but it's still sugar.
There are recipes that also substitute brown sugar with rice malt syrup. However, if doing this, I would recommend adding the rice malt syrup to the wet ingredients, and removing the golden syrup. You could add maple syrup instead, but it wouldn't have that Aussie, traditional, Anzac biscuit taste.



What you'll need

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar, or coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil or vegan butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon bi-car soda

What to do

Mix oats, flour, coconut and sugar in a bowl.

In a pan, melt the oil, golden syrup, and water in a pan.

Add the bi-carb soda, and watch it foam up!

Add the wet mix to the dry mix. Mix well.

Take small tablespoon sized scoops, and roll into balls.

Place on a tray, well spaced apart.

Bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes.

Tepenade

What to put in a tepenade?

• 1 packed cup pitted Kalamata olives
• ¼ cup almonds
• 1 small garlic clove, pressed
• 1½ tbsp capers
• lots of freshly ground pepper
• a handful of fresh parsley or fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Slow Cooker Dal

You'll need: 

1 cup yellow split peas, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
3 cups of water
1 tsp salt

And

1 tbsp oil (coconut, olive)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 onion
5 clove garlic
a large knob of ginger
3 tomatoes
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
3/4 ground turmeric
curry leaves
coriander leaves




How to cook it:

Add lentils, salt, and water to the slow cooker.

Meanwhile, in a pan, fry the cumin & mustard seeds until poppin'.
Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, then fry until aromatic.
Add tomato add spices, then cook until tomatoes are breaking down.

Add to slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 - 6 hours.

Mediterranean Meal Ideas

Pasta

Mediterranean pasta salad
Mediterranean fettuccine
Mediterranean tagliatelle
Mediterranean pasta salad
Chargrilled Mediterranean vegetable pasta
Penne with roasted tomatoes, capsicum, artichokes & basil

Tarts Quiche Lasagne Pie Loaf

Spanakopita
Pumpkin, spinach and lentil lasagne
Mediterranean antipasto tart
Veggie Mediterranean Quiche
Mediterranean-style picnic cob loaf

Stuffed Vegetables

Chickpea and couscous filled capsicum
Mediterranean roasted mushrooms

Salads & Roasts

Roasted Mediterranean vegetables with fetta and olives
Lentil tabbouleh with haloumi
Almond and pistachio dukkah couscous
Mediterranean roast vegetables
Bruschetta



Other Antipasto Ideas

Olive Tapenade
Focaccia
Parmasan cauliflower soup
Tabouli salad with whole grain pita
Falafel

Breakfast & sweeter snacks

Greek yogurt topped with berries and a drizzle of honey
Fig & ricotta with honey on Crusty wholegrain bread
Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Overnight Oatmeal


Common Mediterranean Diet items

Garlic
Onion
Herbs (basil, thyme, parsley)
Olives
Spinach
Capsicum
Tomato
Artichoke

Greek yogurt
Ricotta
Bocconcini cheese
Parmesan
Feta

Blueberry
Figs
Peaches
Dates

Honey

Almonds, walnuts, pistachio

Olive oil

Legumes
Chickpea
Lentils

Banana Hot Dogs

A vegetarian hotdog, with a twist.

Grab a hot dog bun.

Cut a slit and butter if desired (I used Nutlex Lite).

Place a banana in the hotdog, with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.

Yum!

Cinnamon

Little did I know, there is a thing or two to learn about Cinnamon.

Most cinnamon sold in the supermarket is Cassia Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) and this is not real cinnamon.

This cinnamon contains a compound called Coumarin, and it can me toxic if consumed in as little as 1-2 teaspoons per day.

“True cinnamon” is called Ceylon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum). It is native to India and Sri Lanka. It is more expensive, but if you consume cinnamon regularly and in large amounts, this cinnamon is the safest to consume.

I needed to search quite thoroughly before finding Ceylon Cinnamon. Even at Indian Supermarkets, I was not able to find “True cinnamon”.  I eventually found it at my local organic Wray Supermarket.

Slow Cooked Oats in Apple Juice

Oats are a super healthy food. They are so versatile, and can be used to make a myriad of creations.

The two ways I usually make oats are:

1. A cold oat bowl:
   This is great for Summer. I soak my oats for a few hour in a plant-based milk, like coconut milk or cashew milk. Then I add whatever flavor combination I feel like at the time, like cinnamon, banana and honey, or I go tropical by topping the bowl with pineapple, passion-fruit, mango and toasted coconut. Sometimes if I'm wanting more, I'll add in chia seeds, LSA, cashews or almonds.
2. A hot oat bowl:
   This is better in winter. I cook my oats in water, in the microwave, as per the instructions on the oats. I mix up the extras by adding them pre-cooking, so the extras cook with the oats. For example, I add sultanas and cinnamon, and the sultanas become soft and add texture to the oats. Or I mix through cacao and rice malt syrup, so the oats become like a chocolate pudding. Or I even fresh strawberries, so the strawberries stew threw the oats as the oats cook. 

The possibility with oats are endless. However, I had never considered cooking my oats in the slow cooker, let alone cooking them in apple juice. 

That was until, this recipe was suggested by one of my work colleagues. Our team was discussing how they use their slow cooker. 

"I use my slow cooker to cook my oats in apple juice",  she said.
My mind was blown!
"You can also add nuts to make it a healthy apple crumble", she suggested.
Brilliant! I had to try this.

Instead of adding nuts, I decided to toast some oats by dry frying, the way I would usually toast my nuts before chucking them into a salad. I can imagine toasting them in the oven would also work.

I was a bit naughty, adding brown sugar and cinnamon too. I didn't know if dry frying them would work. However, I was glad I tried it, because the result was awesome. The brown sugar must have caramelized because it stuck all over the oats, and the oats had a lovely crunch to them.

Ingredients

1 & 1/3 cup of oats
3 & 1/3 cup of 100% apple juice

An extra 1/4 cup oats
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method

Put the oats and apple juice in the slow cooker.
Leave the slow cooker on high, if you're wanting your oats faster, or low if you want them to cook over a longer period of time (eg overnight).
The oats are cooked when they are no longer super liquidy and the oats absorbed all of the apple juice.
If they become too gluggy, you've probably left them on too long.
I cooked mine for 2 hours on high, and they were perfect.

When the oats are ready, put the extra oats, sugar and cinnamon in a small non-stick fry pan.
Keep shaking the pan over the heat until they look toasty.
Sprinkle the extra oats over your bowl of apple oats to add crunch and texture.