Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

 

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Black bean brownies that are vegan, gluten free, and require just one bowl and about 30 minutes to prepare! Healthy, easy and delicious - the best kind of dessert.

Author: Minimalist Baker

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten Free Brownies

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz. (425 g) can (~ 1 3/4 cups) black beans, well rinsed and drained
• 2 large flax eggs (2 heaping Tbsp (~16 g) flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp (90 ml) water)
• 3 Tbsp (45 g) coconut oil, melted (or sub other oil of choice)
• 3/4 cup (72 g) cocoa powder (the higher quality the better)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• heaping 1/2 cup (105 g) organic cane sugar, slightly ground or pulsed in a food processor or coffee grinder for refined texture
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Optional toppings: crush walnuts, pecans or semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).
2. Lightly grease a 12-slot standard size muffin pan (not mini). Make sure you've rinsed and thoroughly drained your black beans at this point.
3. Prepare flax egg by combining flax and water in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.
4. Add remaining ingredients (besides walnuts or other toppings) and puree - about 3 minutes - scraping down sides as needed. You want it pretty smooth.
5. If the batter appears too thick, add a Tbsp or two of water and pulse again. It should be slightly less thick than chocolate frosting but nowhere close to runny.
6. Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin tin and smooth the tops with a spoon or your finger.
7. Optional: Sprinkle with crushed walnuts, pecans or chocolate chips.
8. Bake for 20-26 minutes or until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides. I found mine took about 25.
9. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan. They will be tender, so remove gently with a fork. The insides are meant to be very fudgy, so don't be concerned if they seem too moist - that's the point. Plus, they're vegan so it doesn't really matter.
10. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.

These turned out really well, so I wanted to share the recipe. Next time I make them I want to try them with a different type of bean because it is hard to find black beans here. 

Garden Sauerkraut

My intention of writing every week has already gone out of the window and it is only March.  I keep losing track of time, I don't seem to be achieving very much either.  I have been through a few low moments and my energy has been on my little boy, me and keeping my head above water.  I had an old university friend to stay which was really refreshing and easy.  He taught me how to make "no need to knead bread" and sauerkraut.  

I have never been too keen on sauerkraut but I keep hearing about how amazing it is for "gut health"!  And the garden version we made is pretty good, so I thought I would share it. 

We collected loads of veggies from the garden, golden french beans, beetroot, zucchini, dill, pepper dews, cabbage, chard, whatever is available.  Chop everything finely.  

The guideline we followed is 2% salt.  So for a kilo of veg we used 20grms of malden sea salt. Add the salt to the finely sliced veggies and massage and squeeze all the water out.

You can then start putting the veggies into a glass jar, pushing the veggies down with your fist to bring more water out.  You want the vegetables to be covered by liquid. 

Finally leave this to ferment for 4/5 days. It will bubble over, put the glass jar on a plate to catch the extra liquid.  Make sure the veggies are covered by liquid all the time. When it is ready, you will notice a change in smell, put it in the fridge and its ready to eat.  Despite not looking very yummy, It is good! 

 

  

Butter lettuce salad with a cashew cream dressing

It has been really hot recently, but I have still had some amazing produce in the garden.  Lots of radishes, kohlrabi, pepper dews.  I am knee deep in pickled pepper dews at the moment!

 

I have also had the most beautiful butter lettuces from the garden, which I love and consider such a treat so I wanted to hero them in a salad. 

 

The result was a lovely light/fresh salad with an unusual dressing. I have been getting bored of the same old dressing of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a splash of tamari so I came up with something totally different. To start with you will need some cashew cream which is easy to make and you can keep the extra in the fridge.

Cashew Cream

130g of soaked cashews-I soak them overnight but if you cant then about 4 hours will do!

Juice of ½ lemon

½ tablespoon coconut oil

Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender with 50ml of water and blitz until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as you go.  You have to be quite patient, but persevere as it does come smooth. Put it in a little container and refrigerate.

Butter lettuce salad  Serves 4

1 large head of butter lettuce

1 kohlrabi –peeled and cut into ¼ inch match sticks

a small handful of fresh mint leaves

1 avocado-cubed (optional)

Dressing:

2 ½ tablespoons cashew cream

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground pepper

To make the dressing whisk together the cashew cream, olive oil, and honey.  Add the lemon juice/vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk again. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste or a touch more vinegar of you prefer your dressing on the more acidic side.

Gently pull the lettuce leaves from the head, making sure they are dry.  Toss the leaves, the kohlrabi, mint and avocado with the dressing and serve immediately. 

Chilled Avocado Soup with Chipotle Chile

I can't believe it has been over two years since I last wrote a blog post!  It doesn't feel that long ago...but in the mean time life has changed a huge amount for us and we now have a baby boy, Little H, who is 4 months old.

  In the past two years there has been the meteoric rise of food bloggers, lots of incredibly inspiration people, mainly women, writing and creating the most amazing plant based food. It is so exciting to see. I have even managed to get my husband to eat at Nama in London-the most incredible, raw food restaurant in Notting Hill, and The Mae Deli.

Life on the farm continues and we have just come to the end of our short season harvest of Hass Avocados, so of course todays recipe has to be avocado based!

 

It has been really hot here recently and so this Chilled soup has been hitting the spot.  It is loosely based on a recipe from Deborah Madison which I have adapted to make my own.  On a side note, I once read that if at least three ingredients in a recipe are changed the recipe is yours-does anyone know anything about this?
Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the soup, photographing my food and "food styling" is something I am going to work on in 2017.

Chilled Avocado Soup-This is a really rich, smooth soup so I find that half a cup portions are enough.  This serves 6 people.
1 Small onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick rings
5 ripe avocados (about 300 grms), halved and seeded
2 cups home made vegetable stock or water
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (mint is also yummy)
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
1/2 Teaspoon of Chipotle chile paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
grated zest and juice of 2 limes
Sea salt
1/2 cup Coconut cream (coconut milk would also work)
Pepitas:
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds, raw
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of chile powder (I use Chilimanjaro powder)
Sea Salt

Sear the onion rings in a dry frying pan until softened and browned in places, about 5 minutes. I add 2 tablespoons of water half way through. You want to remove the harshness of the onion, but it doesn't need to be well cooked.
Using a spoon, scoop the avocado flesh into a blender.  Add the onion, stock, parsley, oregano, spices and the chipotle chile paste.  Puree until smooth.  Pour into a bowl and stir in the lime zest and juice. Add some salt to taste, then stir in the coconut cream.  Cover and chill well.
To prepare the peptise, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the pumpkin seeds and stir until they begin to colour and start to pop, a couple of minutes. Add the lime juice, chile powder and a good pinch of salt and give everything a stir.  Remove the pan from the heat, and stir until the lime juice has evaporated.  Leave to cool.

Taste the soup for salt and acidity-you might want to add more lime juice, serve in small bowls with the pumpkin seeds scattered over.

Super seeds flatbread

We are getting ready to head off to Slovenia for a few weeks holiday.  Its rather an epic journey from Kilimanjaro so I have decided to pack my own food-its a bit of a nightmare travelling for me being vegan and gluten free-I normally pack a few apples.  This time I am being organised!  On my last trip via Istanbul I made the fatal error of eating a salad in the airport and then spent the next 7 hours being really sick.  An experience I do not want to repeat!  So…I am taking some bread and avocados with me.  I have found a gluten free bread that I really like in "The Oh She Glows Vegan Cookbook" http://ohsheglows.com

I have made some for my trip.

This is gluten free and yeast free, it is dense and filling and packed with protein

Ingredients

For the seed topping:

4 tsps raw pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp raw sunflower seeds

1/2 tsp chia seeds (thank you Melinda!)

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Fine sea salt for sprinkling

For the flat bread:

 

3/4 cup gluten free rolled oats-or any gluten free flour available (i used a quinoa and mulit seed flour)

1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats (kasha).  Again can substitute with any gluten free flour.

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 tbsp chia seeds

11/2 tsps granulated sugar

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp fine grain salt

1 cup unsweetened dairy free milk-I use soya milk

1 tbsp melted coconut oil or olive oil

Preparation  

1. Preheat oven to 180C.  Line a square pan with two pieces of baking paper, one going each way.

2. Make the seed topping: in a small bowl combine all the seeds for the topping and stir to mix.  Set aside

3. Make the flat bread: If useing oats and buckwheat, in a high speed blender combine the oats and buckwheat and blend on high until a flour forms-about 10 seconds.

4.  In a large bowl, combine the oat and buckwheat flour, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, herbs, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Whisk or stir to combine.

5.  Add the milk and oil to the bowl and stir very well until no lumps remain.  Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth it out with a spatula.

6.  Sprinkle the batter evenly with the prepared seed topping and salt.  Lightly press down on the topping with your hands.

7.  Bake for 25-30 mins, uncovered, until the flatbread is firm to the touch.

8.  Let the flat bread cool in the pan placed on a cooling rack for 15 mins.  Lift it out of the pan and place on a clean work surface.  Slice it into 4 squares.

9.  Store the flatbread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

 

Tip:

Top with avocado and you're good to go! 

Cauliflower Rice

You know its got to be good to inspire me to write again!  I have been having great fun on amazon recently and this week I go three new cookbooks.  One of them being Hemsley + Hemsley "The Art of Eating Well".  Lots of treasures in this book and on their blog http://www.hemsleyandhemsley.com
My husband complains that I eat too many carbs, and then tempt him to eat lots of rice etc.  I found the perfect solution in "The Art of Eating Well"-Cauliflower Rice!  I made it today instead of rice for us both and we LOVED it.  It is a 100% vegetable alternative to rice which I served with a simple coconut dhal.  

Cauliflower Rice
1 cauliflower
1 tbsp coconut oil (or ghee)
2 tbsp water
sea salt and black pepper

To make the "rice" remove the cauliflower leaves and the tough end of the stalk.  Use a food processor or the coarse teeth on a grater to grate the cauliflwer into rice-sized pieces.
Add the coconut oil to a pan with the grated cauliflower and the water.  Stir to mix.
Cook over a medim heat, lid on, to let the grated cauliflwer steam for 4-6 minutes until tender.  After a few minutes check to make sure that there is still enough water on the bottom of the pan to stop it catching.
Once cauliflower is tender, season to taste and serve.

Kale and Soba salad with Sesame Dressing

I hope been hopeless at keeping my blog up to date.  I seem to only be able to do one thing at a time.  Anyway we have been feasting on home grown artichokes recently which has been a huge treat. H has been complaining that we eat too many cards, so this was my compromise.
I made this a week ago -loosely based on a recipe from Vegetable Literacy.  It is heaven!

1 bunch tuscan kale (cavolo nero)
5 tsp light sesame oil
Sea salt
4 brussle sprouts-I used some finely sliced cauliflower florets, and some french breakfast radishes instead!
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp brown rice wine vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted in a dry frying pan until golden
clives to finish
A bundle of soba noodles-cooked, drained and cooled-cook according to instructions as brands do vary

Slice the kale leaves off their ropy steams and discard the stems.  Working in batches, stack the leaves, roll them up tightly lengthways, and the thinly slice cross ways into narrow ribbons.  Put the ribbons in a slad bowl with 1 tsp of the sesame oil and a pinch of salt.  Squeeze the leave repeatedly with your hands until they glisten.
Slice the cauliflower thinly, and the radishes paper thin, then toss them all with the kale.
Pound the garlic with a pinch of salt in a small mortar until smooth.  Stir in the vinegar then whisk in the remaining sesame oil and the soy sauce.
Toss the salad with cooked, cooled soba, pour the dressing over and toss well.
Just before serving, toss with the sesame seeds and chives.

vegan chocolate mousse

We are coming to the end of our avocado harvest and it has been heaven to have an endless supply of avos.  We have had to get creative once or twice-from new versions of guac to mango and avo smoothies.  Today I discovered a new use for avocados and it is heavenly!  A new favourite, and no one would know the main ingredient is avocado.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse
300g ripe avocado-weighed without skin and stone
125g good quality cocao powder (it seems alot but it isnt!)
2 tbsp coconut oil
200ml agave or maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extrct

To decorate-1-2 tbsp cocao nibs

Its a really quick and easy recipe with the aid of a food processor.  simply put all of the ingredients into the machine and process until thick and smooth.  You will need to open the food processor and push down the mixture from the side a couple of times.
Spoon the mixture into small bowls and chill in the fridge until required: it will keep for several hours. Serve decorated with the cocao nibs.

Tangled Carrot and radish salad with tahini dressing

I have been hopeless at posting on my blog, and hope thst now life is a bit simpler and less hectic I will be able to keep this up.  My veggie garden looks incredible at the moment and yesterday I managed to pick: pak choy, yellow carrot, orange carrots, radishes, lettuce, green beans, runner beans, limes, lemons, oranges...with this glut of everything I have been busy in the kitchen experimenting.

Tangled Carrot and radish salad with tahini dressing:

I made this a few days ago, thinking James would hate it-I was very wrong!  This is very loosely based on a salad in “The Spouted Kitchen” cookbook. 

Serves 4

6 carrots-I use an assortment of orange and yellow carrots

1 radish- moli (the long white ones!)

½ cup toasted cashew nuts or pistachios

Tahini dressing:

¼ cup tahini

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp agave nectar

3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1-3 tbsp water, as needed.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots.  Rest the bottom of the peeled carrot on a chopping board and starting at the skinny end of the carrot, press firmly down the length of the carrot with the peeler to create thin shavings.  Do the same with the radish.  Add the shaved carrots and radish to a mixing bowl.

To make the dressing, in a separate small bowl, whisk together the tahini, olive oil, agave nectar, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Add the water 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the consistency of a basic vinaigrette.

Add the dressing to the bowl with the vegetables and toss to coat.  Add the toasted nuts-sprinkled on top and serve immediately.

Tomato and basil Risotto

I literally have a forest of basil in my garden, Janet, who helps me in my garden has not yet quite got the hang of only planting a few seeds at a time so we have feast or famine!  This time I am quite stuck on what to use all my basil for, I have been making jars and jars of basil oil.  This is a sludgy, verdant sauce that tastes clean, punchy and pure.  I have been adding it to all sorts of dishes-and it is delicious with a tomato risotto.

Basil Oil:
3 large bunches of basil-proper bunches, not the mean little ones sold in supermarkets
1 clove of garli, peeled
sea salt and black pepper
200ml extra virgin olive oil
Pull the basil leaves from their stalks and put them into a food processor with the garlic and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Process until the basil is finely chopped.  With the motor running trickle in the olive oil through the funnel and continue to blend until you have a beautiful moss green puree.  Leave to stand for a few minutes, and then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Pour into a jar, cover and refridgerate until ready to use.  It keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Tomato Salad:
I am always amazed by how many types of tomatoes are available-little, big, long, yellow, thin, round-so go crazy!
4 big handfuls of mixed tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Herb or balsamic vinegar
1 fresh red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh chopped marjoram
1/2 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
a big handful of fresh basil leaves-picked and divided into big and small ones

Chop up the tomaotes in an irregular fashion.  Season from a height with sea salt, using slightly more than you normally would, this will draw out the yummy flavour and intensity of the tomatoes.  Put the tomatoes in a colander over a bowl and leave for 20 minutes to let any excess water and salt drip out.  Pour the liquid away, dry the bowl and out the tomaotes in it.  Dress them with a glug of olive oil and a slash of vinegar.  Add some pepper, the chilli, marjoram, and the large basil leaves, torn up.  Toss together, correct seasoning.  tumble the tomaotes onto a large platter, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and sprinkle over the little basil leaves.

Tomato and basil risotto:
This is an adaption of Jamie Olivers one which he uses ricotta cheese in.  It is so yummy with basil oil drizzled over it.
1 litre veg stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion -peeled and finely chopped
4-5 sticks of celery, thrimmed and finely chopped
600 grms risotto rice
250ml vermouth or dry white wine

Put the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and celery and cook very gently over a low heat for about 15 mins, until soft.  Add the rice and turn up the heat.  Dont let the rice or veg catch on the bottom of the pan so keep stirring.
Quickly pour in the vermouth or wine, keep stirring until it is has evaporated.  Add the stock to the rice, a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next.  Turn the heat down to low so the rice doesnt cook too quickly., and continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all be absorbed-about 15 mins, the rice should still be a little bit al dente.

700ml extra veg stock.
4 hndfuls of ripe tomatoes-I use the tomato salad above.
Add 1/2 the extra stock and 2/3rds of the tomatoes.  Gently bring to the boil, stirring all the time, turn down the heat until almost all the stock has been absorbed.  Add the rest of the stock a ladleful at a time.  Be careful not to overcook the rice, it should be soft, creamy and oozy!
Turn off the heat (at this point you can add in grated parmesan or ricotta) add a tbsp of the basil oil.  Check the seasoning then stir in the rest of the marinated tomatoes.  Put a lid on the pan and let it rest a min or two.  Serve with bsil oil.  

A supper of Courgettes, tomatoes and basil

This is from Nigel Slater's amazing book "Tender Volume 1", and has been a life saver for us as I have a glut of courgettes and a forest of basil in my garden.  For years I have been trying to grow courgettes and have always lost to powdery mildew-despite granny's potions-but since I have had drip irrigation in the garden I have an incredible selection of yellow, and green courgettes.
Squashes of every variety love a tomato, some people feel the need to skin and seed the tomato, but I dont think that its necessary for this dish.  It is a bit of a rough-edged supper but it tastes like late summer!
Courgettes-5 medium
olive oil-3 tbsp
tomatoes-4 medium to large
basil leaves-a handful
lemon

Cut the courgettes into thick fingers-about the size of a homemade chip.  Warm the oil in a deep pan and let the courgettes cook over a moderate heat for 6-8 minutes or so until they start to soften.
Chop the tomatoes roughly and add to the courgettes with the torn up basil leaves, salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon.  Stir, cover with  loose fitting lid and leave to simmer for 10 mins, until the courgettes are totally tender and the tomatoes have cooked down to a basil scented saucy slush.  The colours should be bright, the courgettes softly yielding but not browned.
If you are like my husband you can sponge up the sunny-tasting juices with fresh bread. 

Beans with marrow and corn

A very simple dish, based on a latin american one.  You can use any white beans; I use black eyed beans.  We have so many courgettes in the garden at the moment so a few have turned into marrows, but pumpkin would work just as well for those in colder climes!  To me this is a great comfort food.
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion peeled and chopped
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
1 can of tomatoes
fresh basil
fresh oregano
225g black eyed beans-soaled and cooked until very tender
1 marrow cut into largish dice
1 sweetcorn-cooked and kernals cut off
sea salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a good sized saucepan and fry the onion for 5 mins, or until beginning to soften, then add the garlic, tomatoes (if using dried herbs add now) and cook fairly fast for about 10 minutes, without a lid on the saucepan, to make a thickish sauce.  Stir in the dried drained beans and marrow and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the marrow is nearly cooked, then mix in the sweetcorn and continue to cook until everything is tender and the mixture piping hot.  Season with salt, pepper and the fresh herbs and serve!

Nut and Seed Crackers

My lovely new cookbook, 'The Sprouted Kitchen' arrived last week and I have become addicted to these crackers.  They are the first ever gluten free and vegan biscuits I have ever been able to successfully make.  I tried them out on my friend SP and they passed the test!  They are really unusual and healthy.

1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 tbsp ground flaxseed-or whole flax
1/3 cup sesame seeds
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 to 2 tbsp water, as needed

Combine the almond, cashews and flax in a food processor and pulse until evenly ground.  Add the sesame seeds, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, the maple syrup and coconut oil and pulse a few times more. Add the water a tbsp at a time until the mixture just begins to stick together.  Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325 F and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Remove the dough from the fridge, put it between two sheets of greaseproof paper, and roll it out as thin as you can (1/8th inch), you want them to be thin but if it's too thin you wont be able to pick up the crackers without them breaking.   Either with a sharp knife or a cookie cutter cut them into the shape you want .  Using a sharp edged spatula to get under the crackers, gently place the crackers onto the baking sheet with a bit of space between them.
Bake the crackers, rotating the baking sheet half way through the coking time, until the edges look toasted, 11 to 13 minutes!

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt on top and leave to cool before serving.

Sweet Potato Falafel

This is a "Leon" Restaurant Classic!  I love falafel but have never been able to make them at home-they were a staple for me when I was travelling in Sudan, I became so reliant on them as a vegan food source that I was eating them hot off the street with Granny's marmalde for breakfast.  Thankfully I have come a long way since then!  These are heavenly with hummus and chopped tomatoes.  They are also vegan and gluten free.

2 medium sweet potato-orange inside.
1 1/2 tsp ground cummin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 small cloves of garlic-chopped
2 big handfuls of coriander-chopped
juice of half a lemon
120g gram flour
a splash of olive oil
a sprinkling of sesame seeds
salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees C or gas mark 7 and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender (about 45 mins-1 hour).  Turn off the oven and leave the sweet potatoes to cool, then peel.  Put the sweet potatoes, cummin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, lemon juice and gram flour into a large bowl.  Season well and mash with your hands - or a potato masher-until you have a smooth mix with no large lumps.  Stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour.  When you take it out your mix should be sticky rather than really wet and you can add more gram flour if necessary.
Heat the oven back up to 200 degrees C/gas mark 6.
Using a couple of soup spoons (put a well-heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides), make the mixture into falafelly-looking things and put them on an oiled tray.  Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake in the oven for 15 or so mins until the bases are golden brown.

Caramelised Cauliflower soup

CARAMELIZED CAULIFLOWER SOUP // Serves 4

I thought I would share a recipe from The Sprouted Kitchen blog.  I have been really into purees recently, and this makes a nice comforting change.

1 Head Cauliflower (about 3 lbs.)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Fresh Grated Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper

Broth//
2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Shallot, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, chopped
3 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
1 tsp. Dried Thyme
1 Tbsp. Ideally White Balsamic Vinegar

Toppings//
1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Fresh Torn Bread, roughly 1'' pieces-optional
Ground Pepper
1/2 Cup Toasted Hazelnuts, Chopped
Fresh Thyme Leaves
Shaved Parmesan, optional

Preheat the oven to 450'.
Cut the cauliflower into florets and spread them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle the fresh nutmeg and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper and toss everything to coat. Bake on the middle rack for about 35-45 minutes, tossing the cauliflower halfway through, until they are fully roasted and you see a good amount of brown edges. There is a pretty wide grace period here. Remove to cool.
While the cauliflower roasts, start the broth. Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes to soften. Add the vegetable broth, dried thyme and vinegar and warm through.
When the cauliflower is cool to touch, add it and the broth mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Taste for salt and pepper. If you want more contrast, add a bit more vinegar. Add it back to the saucepan to keep warm.
To make the croutons, heat the remaining oil in a small pan, add the torn bread and a pinch of ground pepper and stir it around for 5-8 minutes until crisp and the edges are browned.
Serve each portion with a few croutons, chopped hazelnuts and a pinch of fresh thyme leaves and shaved parmesan, if using.

The Sprouted Kitchen

I have been hopeless at writing my blog recently.  Today I ordered a new cookbook on amazon based on 'The Sprouted Kitchen' blog.  I love this blog, its a new find, but the photos are stunning, and I am really excited to get the new cook book!
http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/

"Eat & Run"

At the end of June, I ran the Lewa Safaricom half marathon-I must admit I found it difficult!  The altitude and the heat got to me in the end, but I was thrilled I did it.  I got to meet the amazing ultramarathon runner, Scott Jurek, who is also a vegan.  It was lovely to meet another vegan-I dont come across too many in East Africa!
Through my friends at "The Nature Conservancy" Scott very kindly gave me a signed copy of his book "Eat & Run:  My unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness" which has recipies in.

  I never really thought too much about it but after both half marathons I did this year people commented on my amazing recovery time.  I dont hurt.  Scott talks about how becoming a vegan hugely changed his recovery time after an epic run.  So that is my little vegan shout out!
I loved the book, the recipies are all simple, things he can eat on his runs but I thought I would share one:
Rice Balls (Onigiri):
2 cups sushi rice
4 cups of water
2 teaspoons of miso (or umeboshi paste)
3-4 sheets of nori seaweed

Cook the rice in the water.  Set aside to cool.  Fill a small bowl with water, and wet both handsso the rice does not stick.  Using your hands, form 1/4 cup rice into a triangle.  Spread half a tsp of miso on one side of the triangle.  Cover with another 1/4 cup rice.  Shape into one triangle, making sure the miso is covered with rice.  Fold the nori sheets in half and then tear them apart.  Using half of one sheet, wrap the rice triangle in nori, making sure to completely cover the rice.  Repeat using the remaining rice, miso and nori.

White rice is a great food for cooling your body, especially in hot places, and easy to digest.  

Sweet potato puree with tamari, maple syrup and chilli

This is a recipe from Skye Gyngell-my go to when I need something a bit different and a bit of inspiration.  My version is adapted to make it vegan, though if you want to can add lashings of butter.  I made this for a lunch party yesterday, we sat under the grape vines on the verhanda with a cold lunch.
This is a sweety, punch almost velvety tasting puree.
For 4:
2 large orange sweet potatoes
1 small red chilli-halved
sea slat and black pepper
small bunch of washed coriander
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp tamari-or soy sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into  rough chunks, then place in a sauce pan and add the chilli.  Pour in enough cold water to cover and add a good pinch of salt, and bring to the boil over a medium heat.
Lower the heat and simmer for about 15-20 mins until the sweet potato is really tender and falling apart.   Drain in a colander.

Tip the sweet potato and chilli into the blender.  Add the coriander leaves and stems, olive oil (and 50g butter if using), tamari and maple syrup and puree until very smooth.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  The puree should have a deep, sweet, hot, velvety taste.

*as a rule of thumb, all vegetables that gro below the ground go in to cold water and all vegetables that grow above ground go into boiling water.

Lali's Soap Kitchen

Whilst I was in the UK I signed up for a one day soap making course at the Little Soap Company in the Cotswolds.  www.littlesoapcompany.co.uk
I had the most amazing day, I went with the goal of wanting to be able to make soap using our own avocado oil, and came out with so much more.

Making soap!

My favourite soap that I made-Plum kernal oil, pink oxide swirls, rose geranium and black pepper essential oil and strawberry seeds!
Emma's amazing lavender soap, which she sells at Waitrose in the UK.

Here's to my new soap venture! 

Chard Stalks with Tahini

I was in Nairobi last week with my mum, Granny sent over the most amazing basket of Swiss chard.  We made a delicious chard and mint soup with it, and were left over with all these beautiful white stalks, not quite sure what to do with them.  Here is an idea from 'Moro', the perfect way to use up the stalks.

500g chard stalks, washed and trimmed.  Cut into roughly 4 cm long, 2 cm thick slices.
Tahini Sauce-see below
1 tsp nigella seeds
sea salt.

Tahini Sauce:
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1 lemon
5 tbsp water
sea salt and black pepper
Crush the garlic cloves to a paste with a good pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar.  Transfer to a small mixing bowl.  Whisk in the tahini and then thin with the lemon juice.  Add water until you have a consistency of double cream.  Check the seasoning.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.  Add the chard stalks, put a lid on and wait for the water to come back to the boil.  Cook for 30 seconds more and check to see if the stalks are tender.  Drain in a colanderand run under cold water for a short while to cool.  Leave to drain.  Toss with the tahini sauce and serve with a few nigella seeds on top.