Tag: vegan

10-minute Lowfat Vegan Mushroom Alfredo gf, df, soyfree, nutfree)

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As promised on my Instagram account, here comes the easiest, healthiest and best 10-minute lowfat vegan mushroom alfredo you’ll ever make.

I don’t say this lightly. This is serious stuff. I am aware that there is no lack of vegan Alfredo recipes, a lot of which involve tofu (which can be an issue for some) or cashew nuts and/or coconut cream, therefore being very heavy. In short, alfredos, whether vegan or not, are not exactly lowfat. I have made alfredo sauces using cauliflower which is a better option to achieve that creamy consistency that we crave but the flavour of the cauliflower (and the smell of your kitchen when cooking it) can be a bit overwhelming when all you are after is mushrooms, creams and garlic. What I wanted was an Alfredo sauce which fulfilled the following criteria:

-relatively low in fat
-takes 10 minutes to make from start to finish
-requires about 5 ingredients
-is economical
-tastes divine

I’m so excited because my mushroom Alfredo does all that! With only coconut oil, garlic, plant milk, mushrooms (duh!), cornstarch and plenty of herbs and spices, there are no obscure or hard-to-get ingredients, no nasties and you don’t need to set aside your precious weekend for meal prepping – all you need is the commercial TV break on a weeknight. Sounds good? Sure does!

You can use any plant milk you like or have on hand. If you are not worried about the soy/nut issue, then soy or nut milk is perfectly fine to use. I like oat milk as it makes the sauce really unctuous, however, it is quite a bit higher in carbs than other non.dairy mylks and also sweeter, so you might want to keep that in mind. I have tried this recipe with both almond and oat milk and love them both! So it’s completely up to you. What’s not up to you is the spice part. There is garlic, sea salt, fresh black pepper and fresh parsley, which is not a lot of spices. They are therefore not negotiable. If you don’t like or can’t have garlic, pepper and/or parsley (seriously???), then you can try to omit them, but it really won’t be the same.

Lowfat Vegan Mushroom Alfredo

Serves 2

1/2 to 1 tbsp refined coconut oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
250 g button/cup mushrooms
250-350 ml unsweetened plant milk (depending how much water is sweat out by your mushrooms)
1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with equal amounts water to form a paste
sea salt and fresh black pepper
parsley
any other herbs of choice

Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan and fry the garlic until aromatic. Add the mushrooms and fry until they start to wither. Add the plant milk, starting with a cup (ca. 250 ml). Whisk in the dissolved cornstarch and keep whisking until no lumps are left and the sauce starts to thicken. Add salt, pepper and spices and some more plant milk until the sauce has your desired consistency. Serve with pasta of choice.

Enjoy!

 

Oil-free Blueberry Muffins {vg, gf}

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Back in the days when I ate wheat and dairy and generally all things processed and sugary I had a staple recipe for blueberry muffins, which – on the rare occasions that I baked – I always fell back to. I loved it as it was lower in fat than other muffin recipes, replacing most of the fat with buttermilk. It was also dirt-easy to make, requiring just one bowl – perfect for a fast food-addicted 20-something university student without a dishwasher! The muffins were always a success and the recipe was customisable meaning you could use any fruit you wanted in place of the blueberries.

A solid muffin recipe is the first and most basic thing in a baker’s repertoire so once I got into this whole gluten free baking thing, I knew I had to tweak my old go-to. My new gluten-free version of this was just as popular but still relied on refined gluten-free flour and dairy. So after the first step – creating a gluten-free muffin recipe – I needed to come up with a way to make it wholesome and not rely on conventional gluten free flour mixes that with their less than ideal nutritional profile literally make you hungry while you eat! However, not only did I want to create a gluten free and oil free muffin, but also a vegan muffin. Yogurt and buttermilk are great in gluten-free muffins as they really provide that texture that we love and miss about conventional baked goods. The acid in the milk combines with the baking soda to yield moist and tender products. Using yoghurt or buttermilk also means you can nix most of the oil, butter and eggs! So how to replace dairy?

After a bit of research I decided to recreate the sourness from the yogurt/buttermilk with some apple cider vinegar in almond milk. Instead of conventional gluten free flour I used a mix of freshly ground oat flour, almond meal and flax meal (with the flax also replacing the need for eggs). Apple sauce and blueberries keep these muffins nice and moist, so there is no need for eggs or oil. I will probably still tweak the flour part a bit, as the flax gives a somewhat coarse texture but for the time being this is a great recipe if you want a tasty and filling muffin that is gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free, oil free, low in fat and refined grain free and is easy and quick to make with some simple ingredients you likely have in your pantry!

Oil-free Blueberry Muffins {vg, gf}
Oil-free Blueberry Muffins {vg, gf}
Oil-free Blueberry Muffins (vg, gf)

Yields 16 mini muffins

½ cup almond milk
1 tb apple cider vinegar
2 cups oat flour
1/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup flax meal
½ cup coconut sugar
½ cup apple sauce
Pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon
2 tsp of baking powder
dash of vanilla
1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 180 °C and lightly grease a muffin pan or use paper muffin cups. Mix the almond milk with the apple cider vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for the two ingredients to react. Then add oat flour, almond meal, flax meal, coconut sugar, apple sauce, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and baking powder and whisk just until combined. Fold in the blueberries and pour the batter into the prepared muffin tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Healthy Madras Curry with Chickpea Tofu

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Please, can you please all make this curry? Seriously, it’s soooo good! Like, I-want-to-eat-all-servings-by-myself type good. And guess what? Because this curry is really light and healthy, you can! If you are organised and disciplined (I am neither), you double or triple this recipe and freeze leftovers as it freezes really well and makes for a great stand-by on busy weeknights (I already see you dialling that takeaway number, but you will never again after you have tried this recipe). If you are looking for an alternative to Indian takeaway, enter my healthy Madras curry with chickpea tofu!

What I love about our local Indian takeaway is how you can customise the protein and the degree of spiciness in the dishes. What I am less keen on is the amount of cheap oils, butter and cream in Indian takeaway curries and the feeling that you have swallowed a whale (or turned into one). So I’ve been looking to come up with a good alternative that is healthy, easy, quick, inexpensive and, most of all, tasty. It seems like I nailed all these briefs at the first time! This stuff is hearty, satisfying, exotic, just the right amount of spicy, filling without sitting like a rock in your stomach, nourishing and comforting!

Using light coconut/almond milk, this dish is a lot less heavy than traditional Indian dishes and very low in fat, with the fat mainly coming from healthy coconut oil. If you like things extra creamy, you could use full-fat coconut milk or cashew cream although I really prefer the lightness of my recipe. I love my carbs so I tend to serve brown rice on the side with also lends this meal a nice crunch, but if you limit your carbs, you could try cauliflower rice. As a protein, I used Burmese chickpea tofu to create a soy-free vegan meal. I don’t mind soy anymore but I try to not go overboard with it. You can of course use “normal” tofu, tempeh, paneer or whatever protein suits your taste buds and dietary requirements.

If you aren’t familiar with chickpea tofu though, I’d definitely recommend trying it. I made mine using the recipe by the incredibly talented vegan Richa. I looked at several recipes for no-soy tofu, and hers was by far the most straightforward one. It literally comes together in ten minutes and is set in the fridge in under an hour. I was so pleased to have found a cheap, easy, healthy and lowfat alternative to regular tofu! The texture is almost the same as tofu and it has a subtle, not overwhelming earthy chickpea flavour which I love. I actually make a big batch and munch on it as a snack. With its gooey, slightly rubbery consistency, it feels like having naughty cheese, only that due to the chickpea flour, chickpea tofu is low in fat while boasting fiber, iron, potassium, manganese, copper, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, folate, vitamin B-6 and thiamine!

Sounds too good to be true? Then get cooking!

Healthy Madras Curry with Chickpea Tofu
Healthy Madras Curry with Chickpea Tofu
Healthy Madras Curry with Chickpea Tofu

Makes 3 servings

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped (optional, leave out for low FODMAP)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tbsp ginger powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried coriander
1 tsp curry powder or garam masala
a pinch of turmeric
chili powder or fresh chilis, to taste
1 recipe chickpea tofu, chopped
1 tin (400g) tinned tomatoes
sea salt and pepper to taste
dash of lemon juice
dash of light coconut milk or almond milk
500 g steamed vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas
brown rice or cauliflower rice, to serve

Heat the coconut oil in a deep saucepan and add garlic, onion if using, ginger, cumin, coriander, curry powder, turmeric and chili powder. Fry the spices until they are aromatic. Add the chopped chickpea tofu and fry until lightly browned, then add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes, adding a little bit of water as necessary. Stir in lemon juice, coconut milk and vegetables and serve immediately with rice.

 

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Vegan Avocado Brownies

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Luscious chocolate brownies that are vegan, oil-free and gluten free sounds like an oxymoron, but if you have avocados, you can make the impossible a reality. With their neutral taste and creamy texture, avocados are the perfect replacement for nasty processed oils and antibiotics-laden eggs. Avocados are also a perfect complement to dark chocolate and cacao, so using avocados to make brownies was a no-brainer for me.

Now, every man and his dog seems to make chocolate cake with avocado as a “secret” ingredient these days, so I am probably not going to shock anyone anymore by saying that these yummy gooey brownies have avocado in them. Both my husband and daughter love avocado, and they are in season right now, so needless to say, we are going through quite a few at the moment. As they ripen very quickly, this recipe doesn’t only make sure that you get your dose of healthy monounsaturated fats in one super-fudgy yet good-for-you brownie, it is also a great way to rescue any avocados you might have lying around that are past their prime! I hate wasting food so if you can create something nutritious to fix your chocolate cravings while being good to your wallet and the planet too, then why not?

Honestly folks, if you don’t try this, you are really missing out! These brownies are seriously rich and chocolatey and so fudgey it’s ridiculous. Your junk-loving friends, relatives and kids will never be able to tell that they pack a punch: Besides superfoods avocado and raw cacao, there is oatmeal for healthy carbs, protein and fibre, vegan protein powder to keep you full and satisfied as well as coconut flour, psyllium and flaxmeal for some more protein, fibre and nutrition! Needless to say, they are gluten free, vegan, dairy free, soy free, refined sugar free and oil free! How about that? Like most of my recipes, this is a fuss-free affair – melt chocolate, mix everything together and bake for 20 minutes. Easy as that!

Shall we get baking?

Gluten Free Vegan Avocado Brownies
Gluten Free Vegan Avocado Brownies
Gluten Free Vegan Avocado Brownies

60 g vegan dark chocolate
150 g brown rice syrup, divided
flesh of 1 large ripe avocado, mashed
1 large ripe banana, mashed
50 g ground rolled oats
2 tbsp rice or pea protein powder
2 tbsp raw cacao
1 tbsp flaxmeal, almond meal or LSA
2 tsp coconut flour
1 tsp psyllium husks, flaxmeal or chia seeds
1 tsp gluten free baking powder

Preheat oven to 180 °C or 350 °F and grease a 20x20cm baking pan. Melt chocolate and 100 g brown rice syrup in a double boiler until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly. In a different bowl, mix avocado, banana and 50 g brown rice syrup until smooth. Stir in melted chocolate mix until smooth, add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Spoon into baking pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Healthy Asian Broth with Zoodles (low fat, low carb, gluten free, vegan)

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I’ve always liked Asian cuisines for their explosion of flavours, but since transitioning to a largely plant-based diet, I really appreciate curries, stir-fries, and Asian-style soups! The variety of fresh herbs, spices and vegetables in combination with rice or noodles and potentially some tofu or tempeh (if you tolerate soy) or quorn (if not strictly vegan) ensures maximum satisfaction sans meat and is a great option for when herbivores and omnivores get together as it will please to all tastebuds. Enter my healthy Asian broth.

This is my express version of a Vietnamese pho as it were. Of course, this is not a traditional pho, but it’s the quickest and easiest and -dare I say, healthiest- pho you’ll ever make. You can also just call it a broth. Depending on size and add-ons, this could be a quick lunch, afternoon pick-me-up, small starter or a bigger, comforting meal. For this particular version, I used “zoodles” (spiralized zucchini) to ramp up the veggie content and save my carbs for something else. But if you crave carbs, you could easily use rice or soba noodles. When it comes to the protein, I used quorn, but depending on your preferences and dietary requirements, you can of course use tofu, tempeh, chicken, beef, seafood or simply add more of your favourite vegetables. When it comes to cooking, recipes are generally just a matrix – you can mix and match!

Healthy Asian Broth
Healthy Asian Broth

Serves 2-4

oil for frying (can use water, tamari or stock instead if oil-free)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece ginger, grated (can be omitted)
1 l organic vegetable stock
400 g vegetables of choice
2 celery stalks, chopped
200-400 g protein of choice, cooked, prepared and cubed (quorn, tofu, tempeh, meat, fish….)
dash of lemon juice
zoodles/rice noodles/soba to taste, prepared
fresh chili, to serve
fresh coriander, to serve

Heat the oil, if using, in a nonstick frying pan, and add the garlic and ginger if using. Turn the heat down and fry spices until soft and aromatic. Add stock, bring to a simmer, then add vegetables and zoodles/noodles. Simmer for a few minutes, then add your prepared protein. Finish with lemon juice and serve with chilli and coriander.

Enjoy!

Vegan Lentil Bolognese

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The idea of making a vegan “Bolognese” with legumes has been at the back of my mind for some time, and while the concept is not exactly new, I think I have come up with quite a cracker vegan lentil bolognese recipe which will convince even the most ardent meat lover! At the point of making this, I had run out of diced tomatoes in my pantry (yes, it happens). I had neither the time nor the inclination to run out to the shops and get some so I used the last bit of Maggie Beer tomato sauce we had in the fridge.

The result was divine, which is the best proof that you don’t need a tin of tomatoes or a jar of marinara sauce if you make bolognese (you’ll be hard-pressed to find a recipe for bolognese on the net, vegetarian or not, which doesn’t include a tin of tomatoes or a jar of marinara sauce).

Back to the vegan bolognese – you won’t miss anything in here. My husband, an avid meat eater, loved it and simply couldn’t believe there was no meat in it. This is comfort food at its best, and at the same time full of goodies while being very low in fat. Your vegan/vegetarian and omnivore friends will be raving alike. Serve it with gluten free pasta like I did (photo) or “voodles” (spiralised vegetables) and it’s gluten free as well. So what inspired me to make a lentil bolognese?

While mushrooms or quorn mince would be an obvious choice, there had to be a more cost-effective solution. I love the effect legumes have on my blood sugar and satiety levels – I don’t so much love their effect on my gut. However, I found the “smaller” the legume the more easily digested, hence lentils are usually my legume of choice. (They taste friggin’ delicious too.) I love kidney beans and chickpeas, but if I have too much of them, they just about kill me (or rather, my bowels). Of course I know the spiel about soaking and phytic acid and blabla, but I couldn’t find a huge difference between soaking dry lentils and just rinsing organic tinned ones very well, and if in doubt, I always opt for the easier and quicker option but it is of course up to you if and how you prepare your lentils.

With all this being said, you would assume that lentils are the hero of this dish, but they are actually not…it’s celery! What the…? Well, I have to admit I’ve never liked celery all that much, especially in its raw version. In fact, celery is probably the only vegetable I couldn’t eat raw to save myself (something I inherited from my mum). So while I have recently found a new organic box delivery service which I really like, their inclusion of celery in the last box was a bit of a letdown for me at first. But an unknown vegetable for the amateur chef is like a new country to the devoted adventurer, so I knew I had to experiment. My internet search about the uses of celery only yielded raw salad recipes – three strikes, I was out. Had to do it without the help of Uncle Google.

Soups and stocks usually contain traces of celery. I figured if I just cooked it long enough, maybe it would act a bit like vegetable stock without imposing the (imho yucky) raw flavour of celery. Bingo! This bolognese tasted so rich and just had this certain “je ne sais quoi”, and since I don’t cook with onions, I knew it had to be the celery which lended this dish “a depth of flavour”, according to my hubby.

So I’ll be sure to include celery more often in my creations. You never stop learning, do you?

Vegan Lentil Bolognese
Vegan Lentil Bolognese
Vegan Lentil Bolognese

2 generous portions

1 garlic clove, minced
2 carrots, grated or finely sliced
2 celery stalks, very finely sliced
1 tin organic brown lentils, drained and rinsed very well (or sub other legumes)
a dash of tomato sauce or tomato paste or diced tomatoes (amount depends on your preferences)
250-350 ml good vegetable stock
basil, oregano, salt, pepper and any other herbs and spices of choice
other vegetables of choice (optional) (mushrooms are a great choice)
nutritional yeast (optional)

Make sure to have all the ingredients readily prepared. You don’t want your garlic to burn while you are still slicing the celery! Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the garlic and fry for a few minutes until soft. Add carrots, celery and lentils and heat through for another few minutes, than add the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the desired consistency is reached. Adjust the amount of stock according to your preferences. Stir in the nutritional yeast for a lovely cheesy flavour. Season to taste and serve with gluten free pasta or voodles. (I’ve got no idea how long this stuff lasts and if it tastes better the next day – we finished it in one sitting!)

Enjoy!

 

Healthy Twix Bar (grain free, sugar free, vegan, paleo, low fat)

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Healthy Twix Bar
Healthy Twix Bar

Who doesn’t love a Twix bar? The combination of a crumbly biscuit, gooey caramel and creamy chocolate certainly never goes astray. Shame only that the original Twix bar is so full of sugar and industrial oils – not to mention that for us gluten free folks, it is off-limits anyway. So I thought I come to your rescue and create a healthy version of this popular treat.

As part of my subscription to a monthly box with organic goodies, I was regaled with a packet of coconut flour recently. Though by no means a coconut flour newbie, I have experimented a bit with the stuff lately and just love how it is so easy to create yummy and healthy goodies with it. As it sucks up all the moisture of any other ingredients you mix it with, it is also a great staple for lowfat baking as mixing it with mashed banana or apple sauce yields terrific results. Once I had nailed my shortcrust base, it was time to think of the caramel (knowing that I would use my favourite Lindt chocolate as topping). So it came in handy that Minimalist Baker has this recipe for making a one-ingredient date caramel. A one-ingredient date caramel ticks all my boxes for healthy, easy and yummy delicacies. And I tell you, the stuff rocks. I use it in yogurt, on icecream or porridge. It tastes just as indulgent, creamy and buttery as store-bought caramel – minus the fat and the sugar slump! For this recipe, I use the caramel of about 4 dates, but I’d recommend making the original recipe and keeping any leftovers in the fridge – they won’t stay there for long!

So once you got your biscuit and your caramel sorted, it’s time for the chocolate glaze! Just use your favourite dairy free chocolate for a true vegan delight. If you tolerate dairy and are not vegan, you could also use milk chocolate. It#s a matter of taste and experimenting. The date caramel is rather sweet so I try to offset the sweetness with a bitter-ish chocolate. Using milk chocolate would obviously yield a result closer to a “real” Twix bar (whatever is real about the stuff). It’s up to you – but this recipe is sooo easy and requires just 15 minutes in total so I think you should do it again and again and see how you like it best!

Makes one double-finger “Twix” bar

For the biscuit base
40 g coconut flour
40 g “babyfood” (i.e. unsweetened apple sauce, pureed banana or any other pureed fruit)
2 tbsp of plant milk
stevia or erythritol to taste
generous pinch of Maldon sea salt
pinch of gluten free baking powder

For the caramel
1/4 of this recipe

For the chocolate glaze
40 g chocolate (dairy free preferred)

Preheat oven to 180 °C. Line a baking tray with paper. Mix all ingredients for the biscuit base until it comes together in a uniform mass. Roll a ball, then half this ball and shape two “Twix” like logs. Bake until slightly golden, about 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly before adding the caramel.

Meanwhile, prepare the date caramel according to the recipe. Spread evenly onto the biscuit logs.

Break up the chocolate in little pieces, place in a microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave in 30 second increments. Once it is liquid and smooth, drizzle over the caramel logs.

Now, here comes the hardest part: If you can at all resist, place the Twix bars in the fridge to firm up. But there’s no harm in devouring these beauties straight away.

Enjoy!

Low Carb Low Fat High Protein Carrot Cake (grain free, dairy free, soy free)

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Low Carb Low Fat Carrot Cake
Low Carb Low Fat Carrot Cake

This carrot cake is almost an insolence. Yes, it is low carb AND low fat – for all of you that can’t decide between the two lifestyles (or simply want to eat a truly delicious carrot cake). Talk about having it all. There is many recipes for healthy treats out there, but this cake is gonna make them blush with envy. Not only is this cake moist, scrumptious and totally utterly delicious (tick tick tick). It is low carb and low sugar with the carbohydrates coming from carrots, banana and just a dash of honey (tick tick). It is low fat with the fat coming from eggs and flax (tick). It is high protein (tick), high fibre (tick) and on top of it all, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, nut free and soy free (tick tick tick tick tick). Another decisive advantage is that if you are lazy busy you can just throw all ingredients together in one big bowl in no particular order and without any laborious instructions such as “put the dry ingredients here…mix the wet ingredients there”, separating the eggs, or melting butter or coconut oil (helped by the fact that there is no fat or oil in there). It also neatly pours out of the bowl (thanks to the flax that keeps everything together)

Given the high amount of protein and fibre, this cake will fill you up for a while which is another plus, and the icing on the cake is the icing on the cake (forgive the pun). It is fat free and sugar free, made of cannellini beans – which is the reason why this cake is not paleo. If it wasn’t for the icing, this carrot cake would be perfectly paleo(ish). So for all our primal friends out there, just omit the icing or use your favourite paleo icing instead. As there is eggs and honey in it, this is not a vegan cake, but you might be able to experiment with chia eggs and rice malt/agave/maple syrup though I cannot vouch for the results.

As a word of warning, if you have IBS, follow a low FODMAP diet or otherwise have problems with fibre, this carrot cake might not be suitable for you or you might just want to go easy and enjoy a small amount. The coconut flour in this recipe is full of fibre which is great but might give certain people intestinal discomfort. Try it for yourself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

For one cake (approx. 12 large or 24 small slices)

2 heaped tbsp vanilla flavoured pea protein powder
3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup flaxmeal
pinch of salt
1.5 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp cinnamon
0.5 tsp nutmeg
1 mashed banana
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs
300 ml plant milk
5 large carrots, grated

For the frosting
1 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 tbsp stevia
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 180 °C and line a round baking tin with baking paper. Mix the cake ingredients in a large bowl until a homogenic mass develops (I did this by hand). Scoop into the mould and bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, process all ingredients in a high-powered blender until completely smooth. You can use it straight away or place in the refrigerator to firm up even more. Tip: If you find the taste of the frosting to bland, you could add spices such as nutmeg or flavouring such as almond or lemon essence.

Enjoy!

 

Vegan lentil eggplant and sweet potato stew

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mouthful. But believe me, you will want to take many mouthfuls of this stew! Imagine you have a dinner party with one friend who is paleo, one vegan friend, one gluten-intolerant friend, one friend with a nut allergy and one friend who needs to follow a low FODMAP diet. What do you do? Scroll down!

But you should also scroll down if you just want to eat the most delicious stew evaaa…with lentils, eggplant, sweet potato, tomato and kidney beans it is health in a bowl, but that doesn’t mean compromising on flavour! Curry powder, ginger and turmeric makes this stew an explosion of flavours on your tongue – the best proof that tasty and filling dishes do NOT require meat, onions or added fats!

With its “meaty” consistency, this stew will satisfy herbivores and omnivores alike, and with its rich flavours simply from vegetables, herbs and spices, it is an indulgent treat without having to worry about fat. The “good” carbs in the legumes and spuds make you fell fuller for longer – needless to say, the lentils and beans pack a decent amount of protein and fibre. You could always add extra protein from quorn, tempeh or – if you are not vegetarian or vegan – chicken or any other meat or fish. And feel free to have it as spicy or as mild as you want! I did not add any salt; all the sodium comes from the stock, so if you use a low-salt stock or broth, this can even be a low-sodium stew.

This stew is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, paleo, vegan and vegetarian, nut free and low FODMAP. I try to avoid onions and garlic as much as possible as they are not my friends. If you can, frying garlic and onions before adding the other ingredients would add even more flavour (if that is possible!). This stew was born out of the need to make use of an eggplant and a sweet potato. Adding the legumes was kind of a lightbulb moment, and I don’t regret having thrown all these ingredients together. Eggplant naturally takes a bit longer to cook than other vegetables so it is not instant but delayed gratification. It will taste even better the next day and is the perfect candidate for dinner parties. You wouldn’t even have to ask your guests for dietary requirements as this stew covers them all!

This stew tastes so good, it is almost an insolence that it is so super healthy and allergy-friendly as well! Try for yourself!

Vegan Lentil Eggplant and Sweet Potato Stew

Makes approx. 8 serves

1 tbs coconut oil
1 large eggplant, diced in 1cm pieces
1 large sweet potato, cubed (I leave the peel on as I’m lazy but feel free to peel it beforehand!)
1 l vegetable stock
1 tin (400ml) diced tomatoes
1 tin (400ml) lentils
1 tin (400ml) kidney beans
spices (I used Madras curry powder, ginger and turmeric)

Melt the oil in a large stockpot, add the spices and cook until fragrant. Add the eggplant, sweet potato, stock, tomatoes and legumes. Cover, bring to the boil, then open the lid a crack, turn down the heat and simmer until all the eggplant and sweet potato are tender (30 minutes). Give the stew a good whiz with a stick blender until you reach a coarse consistency. Serve as is or with fragrant jasmine rice or freshly toasted gluten free bread.

Enjoy!

Healthy Coffee and Chocolate Chip Muffins (gluten free, vegan, low GI, 70% wholegrain)

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Healthy doesn't mean boring - scrumptious vegan coffee and chocolate chip muffins
Healthy doesn’t mean boring – scrumptious vegan coffee and chocolate chip muffins

Even if you are a carnivore like me, you will sooner or later stumble upon vegan desserts if you need/want/try to avoid dairy. The label “vegan” on any restaurant or supermarket item per definitionem means free of animal products and therefore free of dairy – a safe bet for those with a casein allergy, lactose intolerance, or who simply want to avoid dairy for other health and/or lifestyle reasons. I do love my goat’s and sheep’s milk, the occasional cheese platter and, of course, my eggies, but I wanted to create something nice and scrumptious for all you vegan and/or dairy intolerant out there – and what would be better than a luscious, naughty little muffin?

In baking, you have heaps of options to replace animal products with plant products – there are flax or chia seeds you can use instead of eggs, almond milk, rice milk, oat milk instead of cow’s milk…the list goes on! And if you can’t have butter, there is always coconut oil! If you thought “vegan” is synonymous with boring and chaste, think again – these wouldn’t be my muffins if they weren’t a bit naughty! And do you really think my hubs would survive a day at work with boring snacks? These muffins are made in a jiffy, fill the house with a lovely smell, and taste so-not-gluten free! In fact, they are moist and luscious and have the soft, fluffy crumb we all love and miss about glutenated muffins! And -unlike baking with gluten flours- there is no danger of overmixing the batter, as there is no gluten that can get activated! Yay!

Don’t let the labels “healthy”, “vegan” and “gluten free” deter you – these muffins boast LOTS of coffee and LOTS of chocolate! What better way to make it through a working day on your desk? Not only do they look good, smell even better and taste divine, they are the perfect nutritious breakfast and/or afternoon snack: Fibre and omega 3 from chia seeds; iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, polyphenols and antioxidants from coconut sugar (which is so much better for your blood sugar than regular sugar and won’t send you into a carb-induced stupor); anti-viral lauric acid from coconut oil; vitamin E from almond milk; antioxidants and minerals from dark chocolate; magnesium and copper from sorghum – maybe they are not that naughty after all?

Makes 18 small muffins

100 g organic coconut oil, very soft
70 g organic coconut sugar
2 “chia eggs” (i.e. 2 level tablespoons of black chia seeds dissolved in equal amounts of filtered water)
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
125 g sorghum flour
75 g millet flour
80 g of any starch (i.e. any mix of tapioca, potato starch, rice starch, maize starch)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt
1 level teaspoon aluminium-free baking soda
1 cup almond milk
1 cup freshly brewed filter coffee, very strong
200 g vegan dark chocolate chips (from the health food store; alternatively, try very high-quality dark chocolate such as Lindt Excellence 90%)

Preheat oven to 170 °C and line or grease your muffin pan/s. Beat the coconut oil with the coconut sugar until creamy and fluffy. Add vanilla and chia eggs, mix in. In a separate bowl with a spout, mix together the coffee and almond milk. In another, bigger, bowl with spout mix the flours, starches, salt, and baking soda. Alternatingly, add almond coffee mix and flour mix to the coconut mix while beating until you get a homogenous, pancake-like, rather liquid batter. Stir in the chocolate chips. Fill muffin pan and bake for 18 minutes.

Enjoy!