World’s Best Vegan Burger – Part 1

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I’m on a special quest. I’m trying to make World’s Best Vegan Burger. I think I’m pretty close. This Vegan Bean Burger is the best I have ever had or made. And the fact it came from my kitchen just makes it taste even better. I knew the moment this burger materialised that I had a decision to make: keep this a trade secret, or share it with you all, my lovely friends and readers.

You’re welcome.

Best Vegan Burger

This vegan bean burger has so much protein you could slap it across peopless’ faces the next time they ask you that question about getting enough protein again. Okay, maybe not. That sounds too violent and we’re all about compassion here. Maybe, instead, you could make this for them so they can slap themselves in bewilderment as to how good it tastes. Seriously though, this is it! It’s the bomb.

Best Vegan Burger

The key to making the world’s best bean burger is to get the perfect texture and consistency for the bean mixture. Too dry and it won’t bind. Too wet and you’ll have sludgy bean patties that are un-flippable and will just break when on the frying pan. The trick is to slightly undercook some of the beans. This is where you’ll get the nice slightly chewy texture that we all love in a good burger. It’s genius, I know. I was proud of myself too.

The beans

Because we need such a specific level of done-ness (or cook-ness, if that’s a word), we can’t just use canned beans. Therefore you’ll need to use dried beans (both soaked and un-soaked to get the maximum flavour and texture) so it does take a while to make. So what? You don’t get to create the world’s best bean burger in less than 30 minutes. Rome wasn’t built in a day. I recommend you make this ahead of time because you can freeze the patties (this recipe makes you 16-20 patties) and defrost them whenever you feel like a burger. Cool? Let’s built Rome.

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World’s Best Bean Burger (makes 16-20 patties) 

Ingredients

Bean Patties:

  • 1 cup of dried blackbeans – unsoaked
  • 1 cup of dried chickpeas – soaked overnight
  • 1 cup of rolled oats
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 4 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 medium size onion, diced
  • 2 tsp. ground coriander
  • ½ tsp. cumin powder
  • ½- 1 tsp. salt (start with ½ a tsp and add as required)
  • 1 tsp. pepper

The Burger:

  • Burger bun or bread roll
  • Large swissbrown mushroom, grilled
  • Tomato, thinly sliced
  • Cos Lettuce, leaves shredded
  • Cucumber, thinly sliced
  • Vegan mayonnaise

Instructions

  1. Rinse and drain black beans. Place beans in a pot, add 1 tsp of salt and fill up with water until beans are submerged by about 2-3 cm of water. Cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
  2. Rinse and drain chickpeas. Place chickpeas in another pot, add 1 tsp of salt and fill up with water until beans are submerged by about 2-3 cm. Cook for 1 hour (notice the chickpeas’ cooking time is shorter than the black beans). It will look a tad undercooked but this is what we want.
  3. Meanwhile heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic and onion and sautéed until fragrant. Set aside.
  4. Place 1 cup of oats and 1 cup of water in small pot. Bring to boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  5. Rinse cooked black beans and chickpeas with cold water and transfer them into the food processor. Add the sautéed onion and garlic, cumin, ground coriander, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Pulse beans until resembles coarse crumb. Be Ccareful not to over-process the beans. I used my Cuisine Companion (with the chopping blade) and only pulsed 5 times. You want the mixture to still have chunks of beans or peas in there, not turn the whole thing into mush.
  6. Add more salt or pepper if required. Take a small handful of the mixture and shape into patties. Place on a tray and chill for about an hour.
  7. To cook the patties – lightly fry in olive oil for 2-3 minutes each side, turning once, or spray with cooking spray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, turning halfway.
  8. Assemble the burger. Layer the base with lettuce leaves and add grilled mushroom, slices of tomato, cucumber, salad a drizzle of your favourite vegan mayonnaise and top with the bean burger patties.

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and tag me so I can see your creation.

Keren x

 

One Pot Spaghetti Bean Bolognese

One Pot Spaghetti Bean Bolognaise

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Lately, I’m all about one pot everything. But let me tell you the backstory of this one pot spaghetti bean bolognaise recipe.

A few weeks ago I was working on a video assignment for Everyday Vegan. If you’re not aware of Everyday Vegan, it’s a really cool project founded by Maz (Sadhana Kitchen) and Dan (Grow Space) which seeks to show people how easy it is to live a plantbased lifestyle. Anyway, they were working on a 7-Day Dinner online course and wanted me to direct and produce the videos for them.

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I said yes (more like hell, yeah!) and a few days later we shot seven recipes over a couple of days at the Whitehouse Institute of Design. It was pretty intense! We tackled all sorts of problems, from missing ingredients, to animal control. I’m serious. At one point we actually had to tell the cleaner, who was cleaning the rooftop (the building acoustics were pretty bad), to stop singing because the boom mike was picking it up. Elli (our in house, very talented photographer) had to run to the shops a number of times to pick up some missing ingredients, and that animal control issue – well, let’s just say that the dog we had in the promo video was not part of the storyboard. It just so happened that there was a dog (owned by one of the Institute’s teachers, in a meeting room at the time) walking around and barking in the studio and we had to do something about it. It was so cute and adorable and seemed to love being cuddled so we decided to include it in the video. The canine actually made everything better.

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What has this to do with the recipe? Well, the recipes we shot during those two hectic days were all one-pot recipes. They were so simple, and delicious, that I was inspired to do more one-pot dinner meals at home. In fact, after completing the video project I ended up doing one-pot meals every second day. It’s the best thing ever.

Anyway, this one pot bean bolognaise is really good if you want a hearty and satisfying meal that is rich in both protein and fibre. And to give some variety of texture and taste, I recommend having more than one type of bean. You can use whatever combination of beans you like – I just happened to have adzuki, soy and black beans in my pantry so I used those.

One Pot Spaghetti Bean Bolognaise

Ingredients

For the bean bolognaise

  • 2 cups of mixed beans (I use 1 cup of adzuki beans, ½ cup soy beans and ½ black beans), soak overnight in 4 cups of water, then drain and rinse
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 bunch Kale – leaves shredded, roughly chopped
  • 2 cans tomato (400g)
  • 6 sprigs of thyme
  • 4 sprigs of parsley, roughly chopped
  • 5 cups water
  • 4 Medjool dates, pitted
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

For the spaghetti

  • 500 gram spaghetti
  • 3 cups of water
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup of vegan parmesan (optional but recommended)

Method:

  1. Heat oil in cast iron pan. Add onion, stir, then garlic, stir.
  2. Add thyme and rosemary leaves. Add stock cubes, stir.
  3. Add beans, stir for 2 minutes. Then add water.
  4. Bring to simmer, turn down heat, cover and let cook for 1 hour.
  5. Add spaghetti (or fettuccini), add 3 cups of water. Cook for another 10 minutes.
  6. Add shredded kale and parsley. Cover, turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

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Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you. Leave a comment below or share a picture and tag me on Instagram!

Keren x

One Pot Spaghetti Bean Bolognaise

An easy and delicious hearty meal for any day of the week.

For the bean bolognaise

  • 2 cups of mixed beans (I use 1 cup of adzuki beans, ½ cup soy beans and ½ black beans, soak overnight in 4 cups of water, then drain and rinse)
  • 1 brown onion (diced)
  • 4 cloves of garlic (diced)
  • 1 bunch Kale – leaves shredded (roughly chopped)
  • 2 cans tomato (400g)
  • 6 sprigs of thyme
  • 4 sprigs of parsley (roughly chopped)
  • 5 cups water
  • 4 Medjool dates (pitted)
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

For the spaghetti

  • 500 gram spaghetti
  • 3 cups of water
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup of vegan parmesan (optional but recommended)
  1. Heat oil in cast iron pan. Add onion, stir, then garlic, stir.
  2. Add thyme and rosemary leaves. Add stock cubes, stir.
  3. Add beans, stir for 2 minutes. Then add water.
  4. Bring to simmer, turn down heat, cover and let cook for 1 hour.
  5. Add spaghetti (or fettuccini), add 3 cups of water. Cook for another 10 minutes.
  6. Add shredded kale and parsley. Cover, turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with Tofu

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I love Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls. Not only because they’re light, healthy and delicious, but also I can eat them with my hands and still be lady (not that I am one, but it’s nice to pretend). I love the sensation of the rice roll sticking to the skin of my fingers as I hold the roll, and the balancing act of trying to get enough sauce, but not so much that it would drip every which way, and the explosion of taste in my mouth right after taking the first bite. They’re very sexy.

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I remember when I was little and growing up in Jakarta, my mum would feed me with her hands. And so did my grandma, my auntie, my housekeeper, or whoever was like feeding me at the time. Sometimes they use spoon, but most times hands. Never forks. And it was always the right hands. And no, you were not allowed to be left-handed back then.

For me, there’s something primal and nostalgic about eating with your bare hands. Once you get over the fright of getting your hands dirty (what’s with that, anyway, after all, we touch everything else with our hands) and embrace your inner child, it’s quite exciting and liberating. I always feel more connected with my food when I eat with my hands as I can feel it before I taste it.

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Tips For Making Rice Paper Roll

Making good, tight rice paper rolls can be daunting if you’re new at it but it doesn’t have to be an ordeal. You just need a bit of practice.

  1. Don’t soak the paper for too long. You want the wrapper to be still slightly firm. If it’s soft when you take it out, it will be too soft.
  2. Don’t over fill. The key is to making a nice, tight roll, is to avoid overfilling your wrapper. Use half the quantity of fillings you think you’ll need and start from there.

These Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls are very simple to make. There’s a lot of preparation involved, but minimal cooking. It also makes a great meal prep for lunches. It’s delicious, light, satisfying and perfect for the warmer months such as now (at least in Australia). You can also experiment with other noodles such as soba noodles, use tempe instead of tofu, coriander instead of mint, whatever your creativity takes you. You can even make a sweet version with fruits and yogurt. Check out this tutorial video I made which will hopefully inspire you to start rolling.

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Vietnamese Summer Rice Paper Rolls With Tofu and veggies

Ingredients

Rice Paper Rolls

  • 100g vermicelli (or you could use soba noodles)
  • 1 large cucumber, julienned
  • 2 carrots, peeled and julienned
  • Baby Cos lettuce, shredded
  • 250g extra firm tofu (I use Simply Better Foods Organic Tofu
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 2 tbsp refined coconut oil
  • Sea salt

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or lime juice
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1 tbsp warm water, or more as needed

Directions:

  1. Pat dry tofu block of any excess water with paper towel. Cut into 1 cm strips. Pat dry again. Rub each strips with a pinch of sea salt. Let sit while you prepare the noodles.
  2. Place rice noodles in boiling hot water and cover for about 10 minutes (read instructions on the package). Drain and set aside.
  3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan over medium-high heat and then add the marinated tofu. Cook for several minute each side or until tofu is cooked. Set aside.
  4. Prepare the dipping sauce. Mix everything together in a bowl until smooth. Add extra warm water or until you reach desired thinness.
  5. Prepare the rice paper wrappers. Pour hot water into a large bowl or a baking pan. Dip the rice paper wrapper into the water one at a time and immerse for about 15 seconds. You want the wrapper to be still slightly firm (if it’s soft when you take it out, it will be too soft).
  6. Add the fillings. Place a few sticks of veggies on top of the bottom end of the rice paper. Add a small amount of rice noodles, mint and then lay tofu on top. Remember not to overfill the wrapper. If it doesn’t look enough, then it is probably enough. Start with a small amount and increase it as needed, as you roll each one.
  7. Roll them: Pull up the bottom of the roll and roll over the filling. Fold the the sides of the rice paper roll and roll tightly. Place on a serving plate and serve with peanut sauce.

Storage tip: Wrap the rolls individually in plastic wrap and store up to 2-3 days in the fridge.

 

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Baked Beetroot Donuts

Baked Beetroot Donuts

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Seriously, who would have thought that beetroot makes delicious donuts? But they do! I was inspired by my friend Jo to create something with beetroot in it and the first thought that leapt in my mind was – beetroot donuts! “Can you pull it off, Keren?” asked my inner voice. Hell, yeah! Challenge accepted.

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Too easy! I can’t believe how well these donuts turned out. Not only are these some of the easiest donuts to make, they’re also some of the quickest. All you need to do is blend the beet with the wet ingredients, and mix in with the dry ingredients, and voila – you have a delicious, incredibly cute pink-coloured batter.

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I wish they retained that pink hue a bit more but they turned a bit brown after baking. However, you can top them with some pink beetroot frosting, using only coconut butter, sugar and a little of beetroot juice. Don’t they look adorable? As you can see, I’m shocking at decorative frosting (as is evident from my squiggly, worm-y  stripes), but the good thing is that the donuts are delicious on their own!

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Honestly, I hope you try this Baked Beetroot Donut recipe!

  • It’s healthy
  • Delicious
  • Dairyfree
  • Eggfree
  • Baked, not fried

And it takes less than 10 minutes to put together, and around 10 more minutes in the oven.

So if you ever have some leftover beetroot and you’re craving some healthy sweets, make these Baked Beetroot Donuts. You won’t regret it.

Baked Beetroot Donuts (Vegan)

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain flour (or gluten free flour for 
gluten-free option)
  • 3 tbsp. coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 100 g baby beetroot (peeled and cooked, I use vacuumed beets from LoveBeets but you could also use canned beets.)
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • ¼ cup soy milk (room temperature)
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp. chia seed mixed with 3 tbsp water (let sit for 5 min)
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
  2. Add all wet ingredients into a blender and blend until well combined.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a whisk to mix thoroughly. Stir in the blended wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
  4. Scoop 1 tbsp onto mini donut pan. Smooth the surface with the back of the spoon. Make sure to fill the pan 1/2 full or you will have mushroom-shaped donuts instead.
  5. Bake for 10-12 min until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the donuts from the pan.

Variation : add 1/3 cup of desiccated coconut and 2 tablespoons of soymilk
These donuts freeze well so you can make a double batch and freeze them, if you can wait that long. They last about a month in the freezer.
Frost with pink beetroot frosting. Mix 2 tablespoons of coconut butter, 1 tablespoon of caster sugar or your favourite sweetener and a few drops of beetroot juice to get your desired pink hue

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Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and/or share a picture on Instagram and tag me in the picture.

 

Keren x

How To Make Vegan Parmesan

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If there’s one vegan cheese you need to make, this is it. It’s super simple, very quick to make and delicious. There’s no fermenting or cooking involved so you can spend less time in the kitchen, and more time eating! Here’s a video I made which will show you how to make vegan parmesan in a few simple steps.

 

This recipe is adapted from Minimalist Baker and Beard and Bonnet, two of my favourite foodie bloggers. It’s super easy to make and it’s super handy to have around, especially if you love savoury sprinkles on everything.

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Once you’ve learned how to make vegan parmesan you’ll wonder how you could ever live without it. It’s dairy-free yet it makes everything taste nice and ‘cheesy’. Whether you’re trying to eat less dairy in general, or transitioning to eating more plant-based foods, or perhaps feeling slightly adventurous in the kitchen, this recipe will open up a world of possibilities.

You can sprinkle vegan parmesan on pasta, salads, roast vegetables or anything that needs a hit of ‘umami’. I especially love it on top of mushroom risotto and soup. Yum!

Oh, by the way, you’ll need a food processor to make this (I use Cuisine Companion) or you’ll need to pound the mixture using a mortal and pestle.

Enjoy!

how to make vegan parmesan

How To Make Vegan Parmesan

How to make vegan Parmesan

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • ¼ cup silvered almonds
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs (I used Cuisine Companion and it took less than 10 sec on Pulse setting with chopping blade).
  2. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months, or longer in the freezer.

how to make vegan parmesan

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and/or share a picture on Instagram and tag me in the picture.

 

Keren x

Chai Infused Oat Porridge

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Some days you just want to have your tea and eat it too. If today is one of those days then this bowl of spicy, creamy Chai Infused Oat Porridge has come to your rescue.

Chai Latte Oat Porridge-1

Why I’m in love with this chai infused oat porridge

This yummy dish is comforting, calming and stimulating at the same time. The creaminess of oats and the nuttiness of almond milk mixed with the sweet spicy aroma of chai creates a delicious, flavour-packed sustenance.

Chai Infused Oat Porridge

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup almond milk I use@insideoutng
  • 1/2 -3/4 cup water (depending how thick or creamy you like your oats)
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons Chai tea – I use @rainbowchaitea
  • 1/4 tsp ginger powder
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
  1. Place chai tea, water and milk in saucepan, bring to boil.
  2. Gently simmer for 5 min, strain.
  3. Pour the chai tea back to the pan. Add rolled oats.
  4. Cook until creamy for about 5-7 minutes.
  5. Cover and stand for 2 minutes before serving.

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Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and/or share a picture on Instagram and tag me so I could see what you’re up to.

 

Keren x

 

The Life Changing Donuts

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Today, we’re gonna transform some lives. With real good donuts. Behold, the Life Changing Donuts.

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How life changing are these donuts, really?

For me, it was like making a new friend: when you’re craving a donut-like experience and you’ve learned how easy it is to make a bunch of these babies, your life will never be the same again.

They’re baked not fried, egg-free, dairy-free, and 100% vegan. You can make them gluten-free by using gluten-free flour instead of normal plain flour and you could easily make them refined sugar-free, as well, if you opt to use coconut sugar or Natvia instead of plain sugar. They’re versatile, incredibly healthy and very tasty! The best thing about them is that they won’t make you feel guilty or sick after eating them. Don’t you just hate that remorseful feeling after a delightful but sinful meal, even though it’s a treat and you know you shouldn’t feel bad about it? You just can’t fool your body.

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By the way, these donuts aren’t just for girls. My boyfriend Nat likes them so much that I have to make a double batch just so there’s some left over for me! If you follow me on my social media accounts you’ll see I’ve made four batches already over the last two weeks! It’s actually quite fun making these donuts, so I don’t mind it at all.

You will need a silicone donut pan

One piece of equipment you’ll need to make these Life Changing Vegan Donuts to perfection is a silicone donut pan. I use a mini donut pan like the one below, which you can get from Amazon.

You can also get a normal size donut pan. You just might need to adjust the baking time to allow for a bigger donut, maybe 15-17 minutes instead of 1o-12 minutes.

Did I tell you that these life changing vegan donuts are healthy, but tasty?

Lifechanging donutHonestly, these are one of the easiest things I’ve made in a while They’re up there with pancakes. You just mix the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, then combine the two, and finally bake. Too easy.

I’m doing a lot of testing and experiments to see how far I can push this recipe before it starts to well… fail. I managed to make an oil-free version of the donuts last night so I’m looking forward to sharing that one with you. In the meantime, here’s the recipe for the first version of the Life Changing Donuts.

Lifechanging Donuts (1)

 

Life Changing Donuts

Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 cup plain flour (or gluten free flour for 
gf-free option)
  • 1/4 cup sugar (coconut sugar or your favourite sweetener)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
 powder * (or your favourite flavours, see notes)
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup soy milk
  • 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. chia seed mixed with 3 tbsp water (let sit for 5 min)
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a whisk to mix thoroughly. Combine the wet ingredients in a small bowl.
  3. Mix wet ingredients to dry ingredient and then scoop 1 tbsp onto mini donut pan. Smooth the surface with the back of the spoon. Make sure to fill the pan 1/2 full or you will have mushroom-shaped donuts instead. Trust me, they have a lot of lift in them.
  4. Bake for 10-12 min until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the donuts from the pan.

Flavour Ideas:
Matcha – add 1 tablespoon of matcha powder
Chocolate – add 2 tablespoon of cacao powder or Dutchpressed chocolate
Coffee – add 1 tablespoon of freeze dried coffee or a shot of espresso

These donuts freeze well so you can make a double batch and freeze them, if you can wait that long. They last about one month in the freezer.

Breakfast, Snack

 

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and/or share a picture on Instagram and tag me in the picture.

Keren x

 

Vegan Protein Power Balls

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I love a good protein ball! And judging from the number of balls I see on the internet, a lot of people love them too. I think protein balls are taking over the food world. They’re slowly invading the counter space at the city cafes, the health food stores, the Instagram, and soon… your very own kitchen, if not already. At least I hope so, with this recipe.

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But before you make them, be warned! There vegan protein power balls can be quite addictive so you want to be careful not to eat all of them in one go! They can also give you a burst of energy and alertness so it’s best not to have them at night. My boyfriend said that they trigger vivid dreams when he consumes them at night. I won’t get to excited about this potential lucid dreaming side effect as I’ve never experienced this myself.

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Why I love these vegan protein power balls

First of all, there’s no cooking or baking involved. It’s a pretty straight forward mix and roll operation. You can adjust the mix before you roll and because you don’t need to cook them, you can eat them as you roll (not advisable for those with a ball addiction :P). They’re rich in fibre, protein, healthy fats, slightly sweet and very moreish. Perfect for snacking in between meals or as an afternoon pick me up.

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Vegan Protein Power Balls
Recipe Type: Snack
Author: Keren
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 25 balls
Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cup of your favourite nut flour (I use 1 cup ground almond and 1/4 cup coconut flour)
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 heaped scoop protein powder (my favourite is Bioglan rice protein powder and Sunwarrior raw protein powder)
  • 2 tsp maca powder
  • 12 dates (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 hot water
  • 2 Tbsp cacao powder
  • A generous pinch of salt
  • For Coating
  • 2 Tbsp of cacao powder, matcha powder, or dessicated coconut
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth
  2. Take 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture and roll into balls
  3. Dust or roll the balls onto a couple of tablespoon of cacao powder
Notes
Make a double batch in the weekend and freeze them to save time.[br]You could use oat flour instead of nut flour. You can make oat flour by blending rolled oat in a blender for a few minutes until it resembles fine crumbs

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how they turned out for you! Leave a comment below and/or share a picture on Instagram and tag me in the picture :)

 

Keren x

Zucchini Pasta with Coriander Pesto

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I remember making my first raw zucchini pasta, also called zoodles (zucchini noodles). It was such a revolutionary and awesome moment, being able to transform a simple vegetable into something extraordinary. It’s true: We feast first with our eyes. I cannot believe how much more appetising my dishes looked after bland slices of zucchini were replaced by sexy curly strands. They looked a hundred times better. But they’re also a hundred times more nutritious than your regular noodles or pastas. They’re low carbs and low calories too, but who’s counting?

Zucchini Pasta

Zoodles are great in salads, but they’re also good for hot dishes – or more accurately, warm dishes. They tend to wilt in high heat so you’ll need to be careful not to overcook them. They just need a light toss over low heat until they become bright green, 2 – 3 minutes or so and you’re done.

This recipe is an excellent introduction to zucchini pasta or zoodles. It’s very simple to make, requiring only seven ingredients (including salt!) and is a nifty way to use up any excess zucchini you may have. You will need a spiraliser to make the noodles but you can also use a vegetable peeler or a mandoline which will give you slight

Why this Zucchini Pasta with Coriander Pesto is the bomb!

Apart from the simplicity of the ingredients, this dish is the bomb because it’s a light but satisfying. For me, flavour is everything and the coriander pesto definitely delivers the kick. The spiciness of raw garlic, the earthiness of pine nuts and the bold fragrance of coriander give this pesto that creamy texture with bold, fresh and punchy flavours, without any added dairy.

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Zucchini Pasta with Coriander Pesto
Recipe Type: Main
Author: Keren
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • Zucchini Pasta with Coriander Pesto
  • 1 bunch coriander
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup cashew nuts *
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • ½ – 1 tbsp lemon juice (I recommend using ½ tbsp to start with)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large zucchini
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Make zucchini noodles using spiraliser or cut into thin stripes mandoline
  2. Make pesto by putting all the ingredient in a food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust flavour by adding more salt for saltiness, or lemon juice for acidity.
  3. Heat oil in pan on medium heat
  4. Add zucchini and toss until warm, about 3-4 minutes
  5. Turn off the heat and stir in pesto and toss until evenly coated.
  6. Serve immediately
Notes
You can also replace cashew nuts with walnuts or macadamia nuts.

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and/or share a picture on Instagram and tag me in the picture.

Keren x

Zucchini Pasta-2

Watermelon Rind Pickles

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I always look for ways to reduce waste. I’m not a level 5 environmentalist and I still use plastic but I do try my best not to throw things out unless I really need to. Especially food. I hate throwing food away.

watermelon2

If you usually throw away watermelon rind (the white part of watermelon just underneath the skin) like I previously did, you’re missing out on some serious nutrition and cancer fighting phytochemicals. It’s probably the healthiest part of the fruit and we’re not eating it. In all fairness though, it does taste rather bland and is not as exciting as the sweet, refreshing, red part of the fruit. But what if I tell you that you can turn it into delicious tasting watermelon rind pickles? Would you try it?

Of course you would! You should. It’s amazing!

Watermelon Rind Pickles-5

Why I love watermelon rind pickles:

They’re simple, very easy to make and taste delicious. They have a lovely spicy aroma from the cloves and the star anise, and the pickling juice makes the rinds super nice and crunchy.

These are inspired by one of my food heroes, Alton Brown. They’re quick, they don’t need a lot of ingredients and you’ll never have to throw away watermelon rind ever again.

Watermelon Rind Pickles

 

Watermelon Rind Pickles
Recipe Type: Sides
Author: Keren
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 jars
A delicious way to use up those watermelon rind
Ingredients
  • Rind from half watermelon, approximately 500 grams
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar *
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 star anise pod
Instructions
  1. Scoop out melon leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch of red flesh.
  2. Peel off outer green with vegetable peeler and then cut into 1-inch cubes.
  3. Bring the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, salt and spices to a boil over medium-high heat in a saucepan.
  4. Add the watermelon. Return to a boil and turn off the heat. Remove the pan from the heat.
  5. Transfer hot pickles to a quart jar carefully using a ladle. Pour on as much of the pickling juice as possible. Cover the jar and leave at room temperature until cool.
  6. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Great on salads or as a side to grilled dishes.
  7. Keep in the refrigerator and consume within a month.
Notes
You can replace sugar with your favourite sweetener such as stevia, xylitol, agave nectar or maple syrup. I use Natvia because it tastes more like real sugar.

 

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and/or share a picture on Instagram and tag me in the post.

Keren x

Watermelon Rind Pickles-2