Category: Food

  • Vegan Spring Rolls

    Vegan Spring Rolls

    I wish i had taken the time to make a photo that did more justice to the crispy, fresh, nutty, soft-yet-crunchy bite of these darlings.

    The truth is i didn’t realy make these spring rolls myself; i just put all the ingredients on the table and had people have their own way with stuffing the Vietnamese rice paper sheets. So in order take a nice picture, i had to grab their creations from their plates and hold them up into the last sun rays of the day… well. You get the picture. The above is the best i could come up with ;).

    Now i’ll keep this short and dive straight into the secrets of rolling spring rolls. The idea is: anything goes. I especially like combining two or more vegetables with some green leafs, sesame seeds, sprouts and avocado and then dip them in soy or sweet chili sauce.

    raw-salads-stuffing-springrolls-pixlrFor these (almost) raw vegan spring rolls, i made three colorful vegetable combinations:

    • Zucchini with thyme
    • Carrot with hemp and black mustard seeds
    • Turnip with roasted sesame seeds

    We also had three dip varieties: spicy chili, tahin (= sesame paste) with olive oil and lemon, and soy sauce.

    And instead of using avocado (which is really definitely very great for adding creaminess to spring rolls), we enjoyed these with a store-bought lentil sauce that i spiced up a bit.

    After all, there was already enough avocado going on inside the avocado lemon pie we’d have for dessert..

    Zucchini with thyme

    Grate the zucchini or cut it using a julienne cutter. Add a little bit of salt and leave to drain for 20 minutes. The salt will draw the excess water from the zucchini. You may want to catch the fluid and add it to a sauce or soup.

    Add thyme to the zucchini to taste, preferably fresh but dried is also ok.

    Carrot with hemp and mustard seeds

    Grate the carrot or cut it using a julienne cutter. Meanwhile, slowly heat the mustard seeds in a tablespoon of coconut or olive oil. The seeds are ready when they pop rather enthusiastically (whatever that means – just be careful not to burn them and you’ll develop a feeling for it).

    Add hemp and mustard seeds including the oil to the carrot. Stir.

    Turnip with sesame seeds

    Grate the carrot or cut it using a julienne cutter. Add a little bit of olive oil and the sesame seeds. Mine were ready-roasted. Freshly roasted is even more tasty. Roasting obviously makes this dish non-raw, so if raw is a must for you, don’t roast ;). Same goes for the mustard seeds above, by the way.

    Rice paper sheets

    Soak each sheet in hot water for 10-20 seconds. Take out, spread on plate, fill with desired filling, make sure it has both creaminess and crunch. It’s a nice effect when you see little black sesame or mustard seeds shining through. Roll up while also folding at least one side in, so that sauce inside will not spill all over the place.

    Eating with hands and double dipping are allowed.

     

  • Raw Avocado Lemon Pie

    Raw Avocado Lemon Pie

    Alive
    Last week i found myself dancing, swimming and chilling out in Portugal, at the bi-annual Boom Festival. It was like a fairy tale, a soothing and hope inspiring experience of what life on earth will be like if we all just respect and love each other and find our space to play and relax into the wonder and abundance of nature’s gifts.

    I felt so alive, brimming with energy and joyful jumpiness while all my senses were heightened – pure natural bliss induced by this environment that brings out the best in people.

    It’s in this place that i had the avocado lemon pie. It was so delicious. I got another piece and shared it with friends. Next day, i got yet another piece to share again. Everybody must know how good this tastes.

    Raw pie
    I loooooove raw pies. Although they’re just as packed with calories as the oven baked butter-flour cakes i grew up with, raw pies also carry an amazing taste and feeling of nutrient-rich freshness. Now, usually, i don’t let any opportunity pass to add copious amounts of raw cacao powder, but this time… i’m giving space to the taste of summer pleasures featuring fruits and flowers!

    This pie holds fresh coconut*, slices of peach, avocado and lemon, and is kept in shape using coconut fat, which is solid at room temperature.

    * not the super-young fresh green coconut but the type that we find in western stores, where you need to break the brown fibery shell open with a hammer or axe to find the 1-2 cm thick white coconut coating inside.

    Back home
    Yesterday i had a go at creating my own version of this tangy, creamy, crispy pie. It turned out blissfully tasty, especially if you’re like me and you like the combo of sweet, sour and a hint of salt combined with all kinds of fruity tones. I had kept the avocado-lemon filling quite zesty, so it could use some extra honey dripped on top just before serving or, as my half-indonesian brother-in-law suggested, some gula jawa (palm sugar) flakes – and indeed this goes perfectly with the coconut that is also inside!

    Recipe for Raw (Vegan) Avocado Lemon Pie

    Don’t worry if you don’t have a cake form; a soup bowl will work just as well. These measurements are for a cake of about 12 cm wide and 6 cm high and serve 8.

    Crust

    • 1 handful of coconut (semi-fresh is best, bust desiccated will also work)
    • 1 handful of unsalted cashews
    • 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (liquid so gently heat to just above room temperature)
    • 2 soft dates or figs, or use one tablespoon of marmelade
    • pinch of salt
    • pinch of vanilla or some drops of vanilla essence

    Soak a handful of raw, unsalted cashews in water.
    Open the coconut (here’s how – for Dutchies), take out some flesh and cut in small pieces until you have a handful. I left the brown skin on, it was fine like that but for a more delicate/pure taste you could peel the coconut pieces until purely white.

    In a food processor, combine the cashews and coconut and chop until fine and crumbly. Now add coconut oil, vanilla, salt and dates or marmelade and combine into a dough.

    Spread it out in the middle of a plate into a cake bottom layer. Make sure the soup bowl (if using) fits tightly around it. Put in fridge to cool and harden.

    Fruit layer & filling

    • 1 peach or other fruit
    • 1.5 large avocado
    • 1.5-2 lemons, juice and rind (use grater to grate yellow lemon rind)
    • 0.5 cup of extra virgin coconut oil (not the unscented kind)
    • 0.5 cup honey or agave syrup
    • tiny pinch of salt

    In a clean food processor or blender, combine the avocado, lemon juice and rind, honey or agave syrup, coconut oil and pinch of salt until smooth. Taste and adjust the ingredients to taste. Make it just a bit sweeter than you might feel like as cooling will make the sweetness less prominent.

    Take crust from the fridge, add a single layer of fruit slices and spoon all the avocado mixture on top. Cover with the soup bowl again and put back in the fridge for an hour or two or longer if you want.

    Decoration

    Take the pie from the fridge, gently lift the soup bowl and top the pie and plate with fresh fruit slices, chocolate flakes or (as shown in picture) colorful dried and/or fresh flower buds. I used lavender and dried calendula (marigold). Drip with honey, agave syrup or gula jawa (palm sugar) flakes for added sweetness.

    And… enjoy <3

  • Raw fruity tomato soup

    Raw fruity tomato soup

    If you think this soup looks pale, you’re right. It did! However i’m sure it will give you a healthy blush, for it’s packed with vitamins and fibers.

    One could say this is a gazpacho… yes, let’s call it that. But with a surprising fruity twist!

    Now i’ll be quick and get this recipe out. After all, it only takes one minute to make. The blogpost should hardly take longer.

    Recipe for Fruity raw tomato soup

    In a blender, combine:

    • 3 tomatoes
    • 1 baby cucumber (or 2-3 inches of a normal one), leave rind on
    • 2 prunes
    • one quarter of a small apple
    • one half of a little garlic glove
    • one small handful of sunflower seeds

    Blend until smooth and serve. My vegetables came from the fridge and so the soup was at perfect temperature. Should be fresh but not very cold.

    This a nice and quick starter for a summer evening dinner. Some green herbs would have been nice. Mint or basil and parsley, probably.  That’s for next time. I love these little experiments.

  • Sweet & Spicy Carrot Beetroot Salad

    Sweet & Spicy Carrot Beetroot Salad

    Ahhh yes this one is a classic, fun to make and a big winner – probably because of its nice warm flavors.

    I bought the ingredients already sliced in julienne. If you want to do it yourself, a julienne cutter comes in very handy.

    Recipe for Sweet & Spicy Carrot Beetroot salad

    serves 4, as a side dish

    • one handful of raw carrot, en julienne
    • one handful of beetroot, en julienne (raw or cooked, i used cooked)
    • ginger syrup, two tablespoons
    • Chinese five spices (fennel-pepper-cinnamon-coriander-anisseed-mixture)
    • handful of raisins
    • handful of seroendeng (Indonesian dried coconut & peanut mixture) *
    • dried chili flakes
    • sesame seeds (i may have added some hemp seeds as well..)
    • greens to decorate, such as diced peppers or coriander leafs
    • some oil, sesame or sunflower for example

    Toss everything together. Let sit for 10 minutes (or more) so that the tastes can all combine nicely.

    Enjoy!

  • Stuffed bell pepper

    Stuffed bell pepper

    In my local Turkish shop, i found dried aubergines (eggplant) and bell peppers. Wow! They’re very tasty and they look so festive, don’t you think? Also, they’re very handy to stock up in your cupboard. They’re cheap and won’t spoil. They look great. They’re a perfect way to make tapas at home. Yay for dried veggies like these.

    You  can just put them in warm water and leave to soak for some time. How much time depends on wether you want to steam or cook the stuffed veggies later on. If they’ll be heated later, soak for only 20 minutes (while you prepare the stuffing). If you’ll eat them right after stuffing, soak for at least one hour.

    Another great thing: you can stuff the peppers or aubergines with any leftover you have, possibly add some nuts or spices, drizzle with olive oil and here’s a beautiful brand new dish!

    For this dish, i used a mushroom risotto leftover and added some dried tomatoes and roasted pine nuts. Add green leafy vegetables such as arugula (rocket salad) for color and vitamins and this is a perfect dinner starter or even lunch.

    You could also use a pasta, potato or rice dish, stuff the bell peppers with that and simmer everything in a tomato sauce with garlic and oregano for some time. This is perfect for preparing and keeping warm, then serving because it doesn’t really matter how long the dish is simmering. Very comfortable when you’re expecting guests.

    Or you could crumble a veggie burger and combine with onions and cream cheese… hmm!

    Endless possibilities. I say: go find yourself some. And always drizzle with olive oil in the end.

  • Favorite foods in India – quick impression

    Favorite foods in India – quick impression

    Funnily, here’s a very non-typical impression of the food we ate in India. Not representative, because there’s a big one missing: CURRIES. In the land of curries, i managed to not photograph any of them. Bad foodie.

    Coconut

    Shown: Drinking coconut water through a straw. After you’ve drunk all the juice, you go back to the seller and he’ll chop the coconut further. Using one of the chopped coconut pieces as a spoon, you can scoop out the fresh, blubbery coconut meat.

    Thali

    Then, very important: thali (small amounts of curries, dhals and condiments to go with white rice and/or breads such as chapati). So niiiiice! There are many restaurants where they ‘just’ offer one or two or three choices of thali. It gets served on a metal plate with small cups or on a banana leaf and you eat it using only your right hand. It’s an art and we mastered it very quickly.

    Salad

    And finally, shown: salad. Aaahhhh salad. Every few days, we’d find a place where they served them ‘continental’ style. Be it plain lettuce, avocado and tomato, or maybe cabbage, carrot and raisins – my belly was sooo happy. You know, all those curries are delicious but they are also thick with unidentified mixed onions, garlic, spices, ghee (fat) and sugar. I just yearned for raw, freshly cut veggies which were just, and no more than, what they were: veggies.

    Missing: curries

    NOT SHOWN: all the wonderful, spicy, versatile curries we had. Man, so many curries. One dish per person was usually enough for us (we shared almost all of them). I don’t know how i managed to NOT take ANY curry pictures! It’s crazy.

    Flex

    Spelling, in India, seems to be not taken very seriously. If it sounds somewhat alike, that’s good enough. So you end up eating becked omblets or plane porege. Heck, why not? This girl took a nice menu shot:

    mennu-kochin-300x295

    http://www.chhavisachdev.com/2011/03/30/omblet/.

  • Avocado and halloumi salad

    Avocado and halloumi salad

    As we all know, India is the holy land of curries (spiced everything dishes) and dhals (spiced lentil dishes). Little did i expect my first recipe after India to be about… simple avocado and Greek grilled cheese.

    🙂

    Back to basic

    Truth is, all the amazing curries, thalis, dhals and breads i ate while in India, have in the end of my stay ignited an enormous craving for raw and almost bland food.

    And so once i discovered that our favorite beach restaurant served a simple salad of carrot, cabbage and cheese, i couldn’t get enough.

    However, no worries! There will also be curries. Only a bit later.

    Contactgrill

    Lately, i’ve been raving over my new contactgrill (bought secondhand, unblemished, for only 5 euros). This recipe is an example of why: just toss some raw veggies in a bowl, top with nuts and seeds and olive oil and serve with shortly grilled halloumi cheese (or zucchini slices, or seitan strips). Looks great, very healthy and ready within only a few minutes. Minutes!

    Halloumi

    Halloumi is a Greek cheese that can be grilled and still remains its bite and form. It is quite salty so it’s a perfect companion for otherwise unsalted foods – be sure not to add more salt. It combines great with sweet foods such as raisins, pomegranate seeds and honey.

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_highlight color=”green”]

    Recipe for Avocado and halloumi salad

    For one person:

    • Halloumi cheese, three 5 mm slices
    • Cabbage (green, white, red or chinese), two handfuls
    • Raisins or mulberries, 1 small handful
    • Avocado, one half
    • Hemp seeds and cashew nuts
    • Pepper
    • Olive oil

    Heat the halloumi slices on the contactgrill or in a pan. Meanwhile, cut the veggies and toss together. Sprinkle with olive oil, add some pepper. Place the lightly browned halloumi slices on top, add a few more drops of olive oil and some nuts and seeds.

    Great with sprouts as well, and just use any veggies in your shrink![/fusion_highlight]

    Enjoy this tasty, healthy quickie. I love it!

    And now, for the Dutchies…

    Recept Salade met avocado en halloumi

    Per persoon:

    • Halloumi, 3 plakken van 5 mm
    • Kool (groen, wit, rood of chinese), twee handen vol dunne reepjes
    • Rozijnen of moerbeien, een handje
    • Avocado, half
    • Hennepzaad en cashewnoten
    • Peper
    • Olive oil

    Verhit de halloumi op een grillijzer of in de pan. Snijd intussen de groenten en hussel samen. Besprenkel met olijfolie en maal peper erboven. Leg de nu gebruinde halloumiplakken op de salade en druppel er nog wat meer olijfolie bij. Top af met noten en zaden.

    Ook super met sprouts, en qua groenten kun je natuurlijk lekker varieren met wat je toevallig in je koelkast vindt.

    Enjoy![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • 3 easy ways to get your daily dose of veggies

    3 easy ways to get your daily dose of veggies

    Eating 2 pieces of fruit and 200 grams of veggies every day is easy!

    1. Morning Smoothie

    Blend 1 apple, 0.5 banana, 0.5 stem of celery, 5 mm slice of ginger, handful of green leafy vegetables and a piece of fennel or broccoli with orange juice. Mix until smooth… and there you go! It’s only morning and already you’ve had most of your daily vitamins!

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_dropcap]Tip[/fusion_dropcap]For a full-breakfast smoothie, add some muesli. Many health food stores sell gluten-free muesli as well.

    2. Lunch Salad

    I like to take a big handful of green leafs (spinach, rocket salad, watercress for example) and drizzle with olive oil. Add pepper and salt and it’s already a treat. Add nuts or sprouts, cottage cheese and avocado and this is a delicious full meal.

    3. Supper Soup

    Cut veggies, cook onions and garlic in a pan softly until just starting to brown and then add the vegetables. Add a bay leaf, maybe also tomato pulp or chunks and water. Simmer until the veggies are just soft and use the (hand) blender to make the soup smooth.

    [/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_dropcap]Tips[/fusion_dropcap]For chunky soup, take some chunks out before you blend the rest of the soup.
    Do you like Asian food? Cook curry paste with the onions and garlic and add coconut milk.
    For a deluxe, extra velvety soup, blend it all and pass the soup through a siff, pressing it through with the round side of a spoon.

    [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Heavenly chocolate

    Heavenly chocolate

    This chocolate just makes me want to shout THANK YOU to the whole universe.

    Recipe for 6-12 portions of heavenly chocolate

    6 if it’s just the chocolate. 12 if you’re dipping or joining with fresh fruits, cakes etc.).

    Combine

    • 2 ripe avocado’s
    • 1 cup honey or more
    • 1 cup liquid coconut oil or more
    • 80-100 gr raw cocoa
    • a few pinches of salt
    • 1 ts vanilla
    • grated rind of 1 lemon

    in a blender. Don’t hesitate to add more of anything :).

    All ingredients are essential, don’t skip any. The consistency should be creamy while in the blender. When cooled in the fridge, it will be fudgy.

    I absolutely love this chocolate goddess goodness flavor magic <3. Go have some, it’ll make your day.

  • Carrot Curry Soup

    Carrot Curry Soup

    This is a great soup, a big hit in my kitchen whenever i make it, be it for myself or for a ceremony or event. It’s vegan and delicious and if you have ever been (or live) in Asia, this will bring ring a sweet bell.

    Carrot Curry Soupe recipe

    Roast a small handful of cumin and coriander seeds and black pepper corns in a dry pan until fragrant. Then, using a grinder, pulverize the spices.

    Cut one pastinaak and twice as much carrot in blender-friendly pieces.

    Chop one large onion, three garlic pieces, three stalks of lemongrass and a thumb-size piece of ginger together and lightly fry it in coconut oil.

    Then add: one tablespoon of yellow curry paste, the ground spices, some curry powder, the carrot and pastinaak, one small handful of apricots and 400-500 ml of thick coconut milk, one laurel leaf, a handful of kaffir lime leaves and vegetable stock.

    Let simmer for a while. When the veggies are soft, take out the laurel and blend until smooth.

    Even better the next day! Enjoy.