1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp White Miso Paste
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
Pinch of fresh Ginger
5-ingredient Miso Ginger Dressing
Tag: vegan
Vegan Cream Cheese Dip [dairy free]
Yogurt, quark and cream cheese are definitely the things I miss most since giving up dairy. While I can tolerate moderate amounts of dairy again, I try to steer clear as I know I will definitely go overboard once I tuck in!
In Australia it is next to impossible to obtain dairy free alternatives such as vegan cream cheese, vegan yogurt and the like. While in my home country Germany, great-tasting, inexpensive and lowfat soy yogurt and soy quark is readily available at all supermarkets, vegan “yogurt” Down Under is limited to coconut yogurt which is sky-high in fat and obviously tastes nothing like yogurt (and don’t even get me started on the price tag)!
So what was I supposed to do with my cream cheese cravings? Thankfully, I discovered a way to recreate a creamy, dreamy, dairy-free dip that tastes heavenly and surprisingly close to cream cheese. My secret ingredient is….silken tofu.
Silken tofu is readily available, low in fat, relatively inexpensive and virtually flavourless which makes it an excellent vehicle for any savoury or sweet creations you might fancy. And since my first try creating a vegan “cream cheese” with silken tofu was so successful, it is definitely not going to be my last!
This dip really is so delicious, even my dairy-loving husband loved it! And best of all, it is ready in a jiffy and super versatile. I made this version with sundried tomatoes in, but anything will taste amazing – use chopped cucumbers and garlic to create a vegan tzatziki, make a nacho dip with mexican spices and capsicum or even try a sweet version with frozen fruit. The sky is the limit here.
This dip is great with crudités, crackers, on bread or even as a creamy pasta sauce.
1 packet (300g) silken tofu
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp lemon juice (apple cider vinegar also works)
Salt and spices to taste
Add-ins (sundried tomatoes, capers, olives, fresh cucumber…)
Simply blitz all ingredients together and there you have it! Vegan cream cheese! This keeps well in the fridge and tastes even better the next day!
Enjoy! Nathalie xoxo
Three Ingredient Protein Bliss Balls [gf, vegan, nut free]
Soooo….it’s been 3 whole years since I last posted. Crazy, I know. And we all know that a few things happened last year. So let me just say I hope you are all staying safe and sane and because I thought we can all use a little bliss and energy in our lives right now, I created these bliss balls (or energy balls) for you.
They are obviously gluten free, dairy free and vegan as all the creations on this page. And they are also high in protein to feed that baby biceps. Being nut-free, they are not only great for kids lunchboxes, they are also considerably lower in fat than nut-based bliss balls.
When I found out, that my two littlies really like dates, I decided to harvest this opportunity and create these super yummy and super healthy treats that only require THREE simple ingredients and are ready in a jiffy! Think juicy dates, your favourite vegan protein powder (obviously, do not use powder that contains stimulants if you are making these for kids), as well as buckwheat groats! If your protein powder is not salted, I also highly recommend adding a good pinch of Himalyan sea salt. And because being flexible is key, feel free to add whatever you fancy – raw cacao powder, maca powder, coffee powder, nuts, seeds…the sky really is the limit!
Are you ready?
Makes approx. 20-25 bliss balls
250 g juicy dates
100 g vegan protein powder of choice
50 g raw buckwheat groats
pinch of Himalayan sea salt (optional, but highly recommended)
any other add-ins (optional) (coffee, chocolate chips, nuts…)
- Chuck everything into a high powered blender and blitz away! Note, you will probably have to add a little (!) (hot) water to get the mix going, depending on the amount of moisture in your dates.
- The mix should come together in a ball after about 20 seconds or so. If not, add a tiny dash more water. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of your blender with a spatula.
- Now comes the fun part: Roll into balls! If you can resist, I’d highly recommend putting these in the fridge for a bit before tucking in.
- Please let me know in the comments if you made these and what you added. 🙂
Enjoy!
Nat XOXO
Vegan Chocolate Coconut Panna Cotta with Agar {gluten free, dairy free, sugar free}
Panna Cotta is the ultimate Italian dessert. It is creamy and indulgent, but light enough to to be served after a rich meal. Because it is a snap to make and can easily be prepared in advance, it is a popular option for dinner parties. Maximum impression with minimum effort – well, not so fast. Panna cotta (literally “cooked cream”) is traditionally made from cream and/or milk, making it unsuitable for folks with dairy intolerance/allergies or those who avoid dairy for health and/or ethical reasons. Moreover, panna cotta’s infamous “jiggle” results from beef gelatin which is obviously not suitable for vegans and vegetarians or for those who avoid gelatin for religious reasons. But fear not! I got you covered with my vegan chocolate coconut panna cotta – less jiggle, more fun to eat!
The concept to use agar agar instead of gelatin is of course not new and I have experimented with it before. However, it is very difficult to get the ratio right. Most of the time, the vegan “panna cotta” ended up brick hard, overset and just unpleasant to eat. Obviously, a panna cotta made from agar will never be 100% like a gelatin one, but this vegan chocolate coconut panna cotta is almost like the real deal without any dairy – and is omnivore-approved as well. I think that’s a fair deal!
This vegan chocolate coconut panna cotta is fairly foolproof to put together and the agar sets a lot quicker than gelatin – another plus in my book. So yes, if your mother in law texts you to let you know they’ll be at your place for dinner in an hour, you can still whip this one up and have it ready for dessert. If that sounds good or you just want to have an excuse to enjoy a healthier, but no less delicious, version of a classic, grab your pot and stirrer now!
I used coconut milk for this panna cotta. I tried both full-fat and “light” versions and it definitely works with both! Obviously, more fat equals more taste but if you have a luscious main meal and want to go easy on the dessert, you can totally use light coconut milk here. In any case, coconut milk contains beneficial fat called lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid that’s easily absorbed and used by the body for energy. Coconuts’ fatty acids are primarily saturated fats, but they’re known to actually help you lower cholesterol levels, improve blood pressure, and prevent heart attacks or a stroke. I don’t think your traditional panna cotta can match this!
I also used xylitol instead of sugar (though you can totally use sugar or any other sweetener of your choice). This makes this dessert practically zero-carb, although that is not necessary. The idea to add cacao is due to the fact that I had run out of vanilla. If you have vanilla, I would still recommend adding it as it just makes everything awesome. I used raw organic cacao – another superfood I consume pretty much daily. Not that I am a health freak. But if you can have deliciousness that’s also good for you, why not?
Another thing I love about this vegan chocolate coconut panna cotta is that it is so customisable. Add some peppermint or orange oil for an interesting twist. Bring the summer on your table by adding some berries or mango!
Vegan Chocolate Coconut Panna Cotta
Serves 6
250ml coconut milk (light is fine)
1.5 teaspoon coconut oil (melted)
0.5 teaspoon agar agar powder
2 tablespoons xylitol or sugar
2 tablespoons raw cacao
a dash of vanilla essence (optional but recommended)
Add coconut milk, coconut oil, agar and xylitol/sugar into a saucepan and stir well over medium heat until completely dissolved. Bring to a gentle boil while constantly stirring, then turn down the heat. Add the cacao and vanilla and keep stirring on a gentle simmer for at least five minutes or until viscous.
I used a silicon mini muffin tray to pour the mixture in. If you are using a ceramic or metal mould/ramekin, you will need to slightly oil it to be able to get the panna cotta out. If you intend to serve it in a glass without flipping it over, you won’t need to worry about. Pour the mix into your mould and chill in the fridge for around two hours. Serve with whatever you fancy. Chocolate sauce and fresh berries are great options.
Enjoy!
Healthy Cauliflower Pudding {vg, gf, lf, lc}
Who else hated cauliflower as a kid? I certainly did – now I love it! And I bet I am not the only one. It’s amazing how your tastebuds change, isn’t it? And there is hardly a vegetable that is more versatile than the humble cauliflower. From cauliflower rice and cauliflower pizza dough to cauliflower buffalo wings and cauliflower steak – what can’t you do with cauliflower? Few people though know that cauliflower is not only great in savoury dishes, but also sweet! What? Yes, you read that right! Here comes….drum roll…my healthy cauliflower pudding!
Before you close this page because you think I went completely crazy, hear me out! This is a game changer. Actually, if you haven’t made cauliflower pudding you haven’t lived, in my view. This cauliflower pudding is seriously addictively delicious. It actually reminds me of my favourite childhood dish – wheat semolina pudding (or “Grießbrei” for my German-speaking readers), which is something like cream of wheat (correct me if I am wrong). Which is obviously not gluten free or low-carb or any of those things that the hipster in me relishes in.
So for all the lovers of cream of wheat and Grießbrei out there, here is a healthy version that will absolutely knock your socks off! Besides, it is ready in only a few minutes and it is vegan, gluten free, paleo, low carb and low fat! How about that!! It is also extremely filling, rich in protein and fibre and the best way to get one of the world’s healthiest vegetables into your child. Even my fussy toddler loves it. You will never walk past cauliflower again!
To add a bit of the nitty gritty of what you take in while you are munching this scrumptious healthy cauliflower pudding. Cauliflower is not only higher in protein and lower in carbs than most other vegetables, it is also loaded with fibre for a happy tummy (yes, I suffer from IBS and a lot of fibre-rich foods are off-limits for me but I DO tolerate cauliflower well), folate for healthy blood cells, vitamin C to get that immune system going, B vitamins for energy, enzymes to aid detoxification processes, manganese for the old nerves and antioxidants to protect from cancer. Not bad for a comfort food!
This cauliflower pudding tastes great hot or cold, in a bowl or jar (or straight from the processor), with fresh berries in summer or stewed apple and cinnamon in winter. Or get indulgent with chocolate sauce and add some crunch with cacao nibs and/or nuts and seeds. The options are endless!
Serves 1-2
500 g cauliflower (approx. half a head)
a good dash (75-100ml) almond milk or other plant milk
30g vegan vanilla protein powder
sweetener or flavdrops to taste
real vanilla or vanilla essence
1 tsp guar gum (optional, but helps firm it up; leave out if you tend to have tummy issues like me)
Start by thoroughly washing your cauliflower and trimming it into small pieces. The smaller the pieces, the more quickly it will be cooked. You can also process it in your food processor until it resembles rice to speed up the cooking. Boil, steam or microwave the cauliflower until it becomes REALLY soft – trust me, you don’t want any raw cauliflower pieces in your pudding! Once the cauliflower is cooked and cooled down a little, process with all the other ingredients until smooth and creamy. Adjust the sweetener to your liking and…
Enjoy!
Healthy Chocolate Orange Truffle Bliss Balls {vg, gf}
When it comes to snacks (or food in general), efficiency is key for me. I like recipes that don’t take long to prepare but yield enough to be set up for a few days. Bliss balls is one such efficient way of snacking. They are ready in minutes and you have a healthy snack on the go for a few days, if not a week. So please excuse another bliss ball spam and let me introduce you to my healthy chocolate orange truffle bliss balls!
Chocolate and orange are a match made in heaven, and while I am generally not a huge fan of pairing fruit and chocolate, the combo chocolate-orange simply amazes me every time. The tangy zest of the orange is just a perfect match for the slight bitterness of dark chocolate. I added some poppy seeds for some additional crunch.
Containing just five ingredients – dates, oats, orange marmalade, cacao, and poppy seeds -, these bliss balls couldn’t be easier to throw together. Their rich taste and texture is incredibly satisfying, meaning they are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up or after dinner treat without the risk of going overboard or unhealthy cravings.
Dates and oats provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy carbs, while the raw cacao is not only a mood booster, but provides more calcium than cow’s milk and more iron than some cuts of beef! Finally, poppy seeds for healthy fats. Hello, shiny hair!
Makes 18 bliss balls
1 cup (Medjool) dates (if not using Medjool, you might have to soak your dates for a bit)
1/2 cup gluten-free oats
2 tbsp raw organic cacao
1 tbsp (sugar-free) orange marmalade
1 tbsp of poppy seeds
Just mix all ingredients in your blender and roll in some additional poppy seeds if you like. These babies also make a cute gift and last at least a week in the fridge.
Enjoy!
Vegan Glutenfree Lowfat Pear Streusel Muffins
It’s my birthday and I brought you muffins! Not any old muffins, but the most delicious, moist, fruity, fudgy, crowd-pleasing vegan glutenfree lowfat pear streusel muffins! Yes, that’s right. While anything involving the word “streusel” would usually conjure the idea of either vegan, gluten free or lowfat, these babies are exactly that. No white flour, butter or refined sugar involved, and with fat only coming from the fat naturally occurring in oats. Who is in?
These little delights were born out of the necessity to do something with a huge bag full of pears that our supermarket gave away for next to nothing as they were approaching their use-by date. Ever since my teenage years, I have enjoyed making muffins. It is such an easy way to use up whatever fruit you have on hand, it is quick, virtually fool-proof and the results never disappoint. Using fruit in muffins is also a great way to lower their fat content as the fruit keeps the nice and luscious.
Back to my bag full of pears and my obsession with muffins. So vegan glutenfree lowfat pear streusel muffins it was. I had never attempted streusel before so I am quite pleased how these babes turned out after the first attempt. As I said, they are ready in a jiffy and not complicated at all. Perfect if you just want to whip up something quickly for surprise guests or the 3pm munchies.
As my daughter and hubby (who are not into health food at all) devoured them, I can’t really say how long these will keep…:-)
Vegan Glutenfree Lowfat Pear Streusel Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
For the streusel:
1/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2/3 cup oats
1/2 cup applesauce
cinnamon
For the muffins:
one cup soy milk or other plant milk
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups oat flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
cinnamon
4 pears, diced
Preheat oven to 180 °C and grease a muffin tin or line it with liners. In a large mixing bowl, mix the milk with the vinegar, vanilla and applesauce and set aside for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the streusel by mixing all the streusel ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
After 15 minutes are up, add the oat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and gently stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated and you have a smooth batter. Fold in the diced pear. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin, then divide the streusel on top of the muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes and let cool in pan for another 10 minutes before taking them out. Best to store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Enjoy!
Creamy Strawberry & Tahin Smoothie {vg}
While it’s not really smoothie weather yet here in Melbourne, I would not want you to miss out on this absolutely divinely delicious smoothie that I whipped up back when the weather was more clement (and strawberries were in season) – tada! My creamy strawberry & tahin smoothie!
At first sight, you would not think the combination of strawberries and tahin to be a natural one, but trust me, it is mind-blowingly, seriously more-ish! This smoothie is more rich than the smoothies I usually make, but it is very satisfying and will certainly keep you fuller for much longer than lighter smoothies. It is therefore an ideal summery breakfast to keep you going until lunch time or also a great healthy way to finish a meal and avoid late-night munchies.
Tahini not only tastes delicious and yields a great texture when mixed into smoothies and nicecreams, it is also rich in minerals such as phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron (source) – very important for vegetarians and vegans! The vitamin C in the strawberries and lemon juice actually makes the iron in the tahin more available in your body, so you get to reap the maximum benefits. Tahin is also a good source of methionine, which aids liver detoxification (hangover from last night’s barbecue, anyone?) and is one of the best sources of calcium out there – take that, dairy eaters!
Dates add even more iron and -along with the bananas- magnesium, which is great news. Did you know that magnesium might actually the mineral most people are deficient in? At the same time, magnesium is absolutely vital to keep up your energy levels in this fast-paced world. For athletes, magnesium will significantly contribute to avoiding cramps. Now that’s a winner! Dates also provide a hefty dose of fiber. This is important especially if you consume a lot of liquid meals such as smoothies.
Ready to dig in?
Creamy Strawberry & Tahin Smoothie {vg}
Serves 2
2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 banana, frozen
1 cup plant milk
half a cup dates
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tahin
1 tsp vanilla extract
Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender, pour into two (cute) glasses and…
Enjoy!
Matcha Smoothie Bowl
Everyone’s having a matcha smoothie bowl at the moment. When I got a matcha sample as part of my organic box subscription, I knew I had to jump on the bandwagon! Not normally a fan of green tea (or any tea for that matter), I was absolutely blown away by that matcha flavour! No comparison to cheap green tea in tea bags (which tastes a bit like liquid tobacco to me). Matcha comes with an abundance of health benefits, and – especially important – gives you an energy lift without the heart palpitations you might experience from coffee. A matcha smoothie bowl is therefore the perfect way to get your “get up and go” in the mornings while reaping some of those antioxidants, minerals and vitamin C.
The reason why matcha is actually better for you than green tea is that you ingest the whole green tea leaf and not just the brewed water. There really is no easier way to quickly get nutrients into your body in the morning than a matcha smoothie. And if it tastes like icecream, that makes it all the better! Frozen banana and mango provide for sweet creaminess without dairy and fat. The great thing is that any smoothie is a fantastic vehicle for whatever good stuff you want to put in your body. Wheatgrass, barley grass, protein powder, you name it. Smoothie bowls are not only healthy, quick and satisfying, they are also extremely customisable.
Due to the slight bitterness, sweet fruits such as bananas and mango are best to use here. Especially bananas provide for an ultracreamy, icecream-like texture you won’t get from other fruit. If you are not used to matcha, you might want to start with a smaller amount than indicated and work you way up.
Matcha Smoothie Bowl
Serves one
half cup almond milk (or other plant milk)
1 frozen banana
handfull of frozen mango
handfull of kale or spinach (preferably frozen)
2 tsp of matcha
1 tsp of barley grass or your favourite greens powder (optional)
1 tbsp vanilla protein powder (optional)
1 tsp maca powder (optional)
1 tsp hemp (optional)
pinch of spirulina (optional)
toppings (optional): coconut flakes, granola, fresh fruit etc.
Just blend all the ingredients (without the toppings) in a high-powered blender, then pour into a cute bowl, go wild on the toppings and get your mojo back!
Enjoy!
Lemon Meringue Bliss Balls {vg, gf}
If you love bliss balls, there is no shortage of recipes on the internet, including my blog. Whether you feel like carrot cake, lamington, cookie dough, baklava or ginger bread, I have you covered. Only missing are cheesecake blissballs and black forest bliss balls, and I can offer you a whole patisserie in bliss ball shape! So here is the latest creation…drumroll…Lemon Meringue Bliss Balls!
Have you tried any of my bliss ball recipes? All these lovelies – besides being healthy and super delish – have one thing in common: they are based on dates. I think making my bliss balls have severely increased our local supermarket’s turnover on dates! What, however, if you don’t love dates? I know, I know – it seems blasphemic to say this. Not loving dates? Who are you? But, ahem, tastes are different. So I am not going to judge you if you happen to be someone who doesn’t love dates. I just think you are weird, I mean, erh, did i just say weird? Okay. Sorry. I mean – we just have different tastes then. I still want to be friends with you. So I come to your rescue with some lemon meringue bliss balls, completely without dates. Are you in?
I love these babies as they are so featherlight and refreshing. They even smell a bit like a tangy lemon cheesecake. So if you are interested in a healthy snack on the go, but found my previous bliss ball recipes too sweet, I hope you’ll enjoy these ones. They come together just as easily as all my other bliss balls so they are a great stand-in for an emergency snack attack with a much lower carbohydrate and sugar content than “standard” bliss balls. They are also vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free, but I am repeating myself here…
Lemon Meringue Bliss Balls
Makes 15 bliss balls
1 cup oats
1 cup desiccated coconut
juice and zest of one organic lemon
5 tbsp maple syrup
Blitz the oats in a high-powered blender until they resemble fine crumbs. Add the remaining ingredients and process until you achieve a malleable dough. Chill the mix for 30 minutes to firm up, then shape 15 bliss balls and enjoy! Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
Enjoy!
Nat's Ladle 