Garlic Sweet Potatoes

Dinner tonight!

This is a very simple side dish to prepare.
I diced and stir fried a large Spanish onion in one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic until transparent. I added 2 small diced sweet potatoes to the onion and garlic and cooked covered in a wok for 10 minutes. I then added a dash of turmeric and cooked the ingredients uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables started to brown, finally tossing with fresh chives and a dash of pink Himalayan sea salt. Delicious.

What are your favourite vegetable side dish recipes?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

For those of you with a sweet tooth, here's a healthy & delicious raw, vegan & gluten free cookie recipe.

In a food processor grind 1 cup raw cashews, 3/4 cup gluten free oats, 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut and a pinch of sea salt until finely chopped. Add to the bowl 3 tablespoons raw agave and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. At this point I also add around 4 tablespoons of water to bind.

Remove mixture from the food processor and add in 1/4 cacao nibs. Roll the dough into 12 balls & then flatten them into a round cookie shape.

Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Eat and enjoy! Cookies should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container

Kale Salad with Red Quinoa & Aduki Beans

As previously mentioned, kale is one of the healthiest vegetables around. It's high in fiber, iron, vitamin K, A & C, calcium, is an anti-inflammatory food and can help lower cholesterol levels - plus it's delicious!
If you are a fan of leafy greens and never tried kale, now's a good time to start.

To make this salad, I wash and dry one bunch of kale, remove the ribs from the leaves, tear them into bite size pieces and throw them into a large bowl. I prepare the leaves in the same way I make my favourite kale chips - I add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of organic agave and 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, then massage the ingredients into the kale by hand until it is soft.

Once the kale is prepared, I add some spring onions, aduki beans, red quinoa and hemp seeds and it's ready for eating.

Cookies and Cream Smoothie

This morning I tried out a new smoothie recipe, which was unbelievably delicious.

The ingredients are simple - 1 cup (8 oz) unsweetened almond milk, 1 scoop Vega One French Vanilla  or Vega Vanilla Almondilla Energizing Smoothie, 1 frozen banana (sliced) and 2 tablespoons cacao nibs.
For this recipe I used the Navitas Naturals brand of cacao nibs.
I find it useful to slice and freeze my fresh bananas, so they are ready to go straight into the blender in the morning.

Blend all the ingredients and enjoy!

Lentil Crackers

These yummy & delicious Curry Lentil Crackers are made with chickpea flour, red lentils, ground sunflower seeds, balsamic vinegar, coconut oil, curry powder, cumin, agave nectar and sea salt.

I've tried making them both thick and thin and they taste great either way. They are also surprisingly filling - you can eat them as a snack or with a salad as a main meal. 

This recipe comes from the fantastic Thrive Diet book by Brendan Brazier.

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Another quick and easy summer recipe is quinoa salad.
For this dish I added 2 cups of black beans, one diced red onion, one bunch of spring onions and 1/2 cup of sultanas to 1-2 cups cooked quinoa. All the flavours blend really nicely together. Add in your favourite salad dressing to taste. It's nice served on it's own or added to a bowl of leafy greens.

You can store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge and it keeps for days.

Here I packed some quinoa salad for lunch in a bento box from black + blum, along with some romaine leaves. It makes for a very filling meal.

Sweet Nut Butter Bars

If you have a sweet tooth, but are avoiding eggs, flour etc., Nut Butter Bars (aka Chickpea Blondies) are a delicious alternative. They contain no flour, are vegan and made with chickpeas, agave and natural almond butter.

For this recipe, I combined a tin of chickpeas (washed and drained), 1/2 cup natural almond butter, 1/3 cup organic agave nectar, 2 teaspoons organic vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon each baking powder & baking soda (I use the Bob's Red Mill brand) and 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips with a dash of sea salt and processed all the ingredients in my food processor.

I lightly greased an 8x8 inch pan with organic coconut oil, spread the processed mixture in the pan, sprinkled a couple more tablespoons of chocolate chips on top and baked in the oven at 350F for 20-25 minutes. You don't want to overcook these or they will be too hard and dry.

Take my word for it - they are amazing!

I will probably experiment some more with this recipe in the future, adding various spices, trying different types of nut butters and swapping the chocolate chips for peanut butter or butterscotch ones.

I'll be sure to keep you informed of my endeavours.