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Author Archives: Aissa

Fluffy Red Velvet Aduki Truffles

02 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Aissa in Chocolate, Gluten Free, No bake/ Raw, Superfoods, Sweets, Vegan

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Tags

Gluten free, No bake, Superfoods, Sweets, Vegan

These are fluffy with a gentle sweetness; as a result they are easy to eat. Don’t be deceived by their soft melty-ness they are super filling. The aduki beans and almonds mean one are two are more than enough at a time. I store them in the fridge or freezer to keep them firm.

You will need a cup for measuring, a plate, a bowl and some sort of blender. I use a hand held one which works fine.

Fluffly Aduki Cocoa truffles or Red velvet Aduki Truffles?

Fluffly Aduki Cocoa truffles or Red velvet Aduki Truffles?

Fluffy Red Velvet Aduki Truffles 

    • Nine unsulphered dried apricots
    • Optional: A spoon of dried mulberries

Soak these in a some water for at least an hour and then chop them.

    • A generous mug of cooked aduki beans roughly 240g. If you used canned ones make sure they are well drained.
    • Two dessertspoons of date syrup. If you are more used to normal sweets you may want to add a spoon of agave/maple syrup too!
Adukis and syrup

Adukis and syrup

Mash these together with a fork, you will be blending it so don’t worry about squashing every bean.

Dry Stuff

    • Half a cup of ground almonds
    • A quarter cup of cocoa or raw cacao
    • A dessertspoon of raw carob
    • A teaspoon of vanilla powder/ scraped insides of two vanilla pods*
    • A pinch of salt about a quarter of a teaspoon
    • Optional: Half a teaspoon of maca powder
    • Optional lovely extra: Orange zest

*If you want to use vanilla essence don’t! Vanilla bean paste in sugar would be fine but alcohol based extracts aren’t so good in raw sweets.
Mix the dry ingredients together, pressing out any lumps.

    • Two thirds of a cup of desiccated (shredded) coconut
    • Twenty four organic almonds, finely chopped

Put these on a dinner plate. You will be rolling the mixture in them.

almonds etc

Put your chopped fruit into the adukis. Give things a mix. Stir in your dry ingredients.

Grab your hand blender and start blending! Use a low setting at first, it is better for your blender. The ingredients will get quite fluffy and a pinky chocolate colour. Should have called them Red Velvet Aduki Truffles 🙂 You know I will, they were called fluffy aduki cocoa truffles.

Rinse your hands in cold water. If your hands are too warm handling the concoction you may find it all melting to goo. By the dessertspoonful gently roll the aduki truffles into the nuts and or the coconut. It was a warm day here and I found everything going a bit squashy. So work quick if you are having good weather!

Put them in the fridge or freezer to set for half an hour. I store mine in the fridge as they are lovely cold and it keeps them firm. I am a messy chef so while they are setting I try and get the mix off my hands, the cupboards and every surface. Works up the appetite anyway!

Xs Aissa

 

 

Tomato sauce again?!

02 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Aissa in Gluten Free, Savoury, Vegan

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Gluten, Savoury, Vegan

Tomato sauces are my fall back dinner. If I can’t think what to have … it is what I have. It changes based on what organic vegetables I happen to be available (and in my kitchen). There are so many computations that work it seems like an ever versatile dish! It is simple,fast, healthy and tasty. Beans taste so much better if bought dried, soaked overnight and cooked for forty five minutes before adding them to the tomato sauce. I was not organised so went for my organic cans in the press!!From start to finish it should take under an hour.

Tomato Sauce Again! 

  • A dessertspoon of coconut oil
  • Half a teaspoon of nigella seeds
  • Half a teaspoon of chilli flakes
  • Black pepper to taste
  • A pinch of sea salt
  • Five cloves of finally (ha! meant finely) chopped garlic
  • One carrot finely sliced
  • One 400g (240g drained) can of organic chopped tomatoes
  • A teaspoon of paprika
  • A dessertspoon of dried oregano
  • One 400g (240g drained) can of organic pinto beans
  • Third of a cup of organic frozen peas
  • !00g of organic baby spinach leaves
  • A third of a cup of ground almonds
  • Ten fresh basil leaves- torn

Get your saucepan and put it on a medium heat. Add your coconut oil and let it melt. Add your nigella seeds, chilli flakes and black pepper. Let them sizzle for a half a minute.  Add your garlic and after another minute add your carrot. Give things a stir. Add your tomatoes and paprika. Let this cook for a five minutes. Add your pinto beans and peas. Let these cook through so the peas are warmed through. Add the spinach, stir it into the tomatoes. Let it all cook for ten/ fifteen minutes at a simmer. The spinach releases a lot of water so it needs to reduce. Add the ground almonds, this thickens the sauce and adds a richness to it. Throw in the basil leaves. It will prob need to cook for another few minutes.

Colourful food

Colourful food

I had mine with kelp noodles but clearly it would go with any kind of pasta you like!

Xs Aissa

Image

Intense Juice

01 Sunday Jun 2014

Tags

Fermentation, Juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

Intense Juice

Still having my juice a day, for that extra nutrient blast! Wanted to go for bitters and fabulous organic stuff that is good for the digestion.

I have been juicing for a while and I have built up the intensity of greens I can take. If you have just pulled your new juicer out of the box do not start with this one! Have a look at my other lighter recipes and certainly do not juice garlic. I would even recommend diluting this with some water kefir or natural mineral water if it is your first green veg juice. Also sip the juice, take your time enjoy.

Intensity of colour, intensity of flavour, intensity of nutrients!

Intensity of colour, intensity of flavour, intensity of nutrients!

Intense Juice packed with flavour!

  • Two large pak choi leaves
  • Four or five kale leaves and stalks
  • Four catalogna leaves
  • Three red cabbage leaves
  • Half a pointed red pepper
  • Two stalks of celery
  • One green apple
  • A nub of turmeric (as thick as tip of your baby finger)
  • Half a lemon
  • A slice of ginger ( half cm thick)
  • Optional: one small clove of garlic
  • Optional: A dash of water kefir

As I said this is Intense! If you think your palette or your system is not ready for it yet you can A: reduce the green leaves by half  B: Dilute the juice. C: Come back to it another time 🙂

The catalogna are bitter green leaves, “bitters” stimulate the digestion. All the greens are filled with energising chlorophyll. The cabbage’s red colouring is an antioxidant. Along with the greens it is a massive source of vitamin K. This juice gives an intense hit of B vitamins, vitamin C, glutamine,potassium, the enzyme superoxide dismutase with a massive etc. The addition of the lemon, turmeric, ginger and garlic gives it anti-inflammatory,antibacterial and extra anti-oxidant properties. It also does taste lovely!

Xs Aissa

P.S. Even the pulp is amazing looking!

Rainbow pulp!

Rainbow pulp!

 

 

Posted by Aissa | Filed under Fermentation, juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

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Video

Sunny Morning Yoga

31 Saturday May 2014

Posted by Aissa in Natural Health, yoga

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Tags

Natural Health, Yoga

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xfqio9l3x4

It’s an actual sunny day in summer! Irish weather is behaving, a rare occurrence. With the sun streaming in my window I wanted to kick start my day with an energising routine. It is nicely paced, you warm up gently. Half way through I found myself more challenged but ready for it! Hope you guys like it!
Xs Aissa

Apricot Bread

25 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Aissa in Bread, Cake, Traditional, Vegan

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Bread, Cake, Traditional, Vegan

This Apricot Bread was inspired by a couple of my Nana’s recipes. Her “Granny cake” which is an Irish style bread cake a bit like a big sweet scone that has sultana’s in it. The other recipe was her light Soda bread that was made with a sweet milk as opposed to a normal buttermilk/ sour milk one. I am not a huge sultana fan but don’t mind the less sweet dried apricot.

Apricot Bread 

  • Two thirds of a cup of chopped organic unsulphered apricots approx. seventeen apricots
  • One and a half cups of wholemeal spelt flour
  • Half a cup of oat bran. I actually made it with half a cup of buckwheat flour this time but it wasn’t as nice.
  • Three rounded teaspoons of baking powder
  • Two dessertspoons of rapadura sugar
  • Two dessertspoons of caster sugar
  • One generous teaspoon of vanilla powder/ vanilla extract in with the wet ingredients
  • Zest of an unwaxed orange
  • A pinch of sea salt
The dry stuff!

The dry stuff!

  • A quarter cup of dark agave
  • A quarter cup of sunflower oil (one suitable for frying)
  • Two thirds of a cup of soya/ almond milk (you could put a little orange juice in and reduce the milk a bit)
  • Seven drops of an orange oil suitable for food use/ A teaspoon of a good orange extract
  • A few dessertspoons of fine maize meal for sprinkling on top
The wet stuff!

The wet stuff!

Preheat your oven to 200C / 390F. Prepare a loaf tin. I use a normal pound loaf tin though the measurements may seem small for that. It will not expand like a ballon to the top of the tin, but don’t worry it isn’t meant to.

Chop your apricots and put them to soak in a cereal bowl of water.

Soaked apricots

Soaked apricots

Grab a mixing bowl and start putting in your dry ingredients, pausing to sieve the baking powder.

In another bowl (or jar in my case) put in your wet ingredients.

Pour the wet into the dry. Gently mix everything together, be carefully not to overwork. Once your ingredients are combined fold in the soaked apricots.

Dark Battter!  Haha bad pun ;-)

Dark Battter! Haha bad pun 😉

Pour the batter into the cake tin, making sure it is even.Sprinkle the coarse maize meal onto. The maize meal will prevent it from burning. Put a few diagonal slashes on top to help with the rise.

Place in the centre of your oven. After five minutes turn the oven down to 180C / 350F.

It is done when it is coming away from the sides and a golden brown colour. It will take a minimum of thirty minutes, do not be tempted to take it out before then. I have a fan oven and it takes thirty five minutes , it could take forty five in a non fan. While writing this I forgot about the aforementioned Apricot bread and nearly burnt it. When you take it out leave it sit for five minutes. Wrap it in a clean towel and leave it to cool for another fifteen minutes. I leave mine cool on the windowsill. If you cut it while it is warm the texture can turn gummy. This is what will probably happen mine, since I cut it so I could take a photo!

Apricot Bread

Apricot Bread

Try it toasted with coconut oil. It is reaaaally good. Xs Aissa

Drink your Greens

25 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Aissa in juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

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Juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

Hey, just a quick juicy recipe! This an Uber green concoction, if you are not used to intense greenness you could increase the apple or add a little lemon juice! First gather your organic goodies and prepare for juicing!

 

a bowl of green

a bowl of green

  • Four kale leaves
  • Half a teaspoon of magnesium powder (to balance the oxalic acid in the kale)
  • Two pak choi leaves
  • Five lettuce leaves
  • A stick of celery
  • Half a green apple
  • A third of a cucumber
  • An inch thick bunch of wheatgrass
  • Half a purple kohl rabi
  • A baby finger tip size of ginger
  • If you have it add a double shot size of water kefir to the juice

It is fabulously green. It gave me a great energy boost!

Super green with a delectable frothy head!

Super green with a delectable frothy head!

Here’s one I had while writing this one up!

  • Half a green apple
  • Half a purple kohl rabi
  • Three lettuce leaves
  • Three pak choi leaves
  • A half inch bundle of wheatgrass
  • A couple of inches of cucumber
  • Half an organic unwaxed lemon
  • A slice of organic ginger

It was very refreshing a lighter green but great greeny nutrition all the same!

Drink your greens two- too

Drink your greens two- too

Delectable Duo of Juices!

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by Aissa in juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Uncategorized, Vegan

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Juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

I surprised myself with my juice this evening. The combination was refreshing and enjoyable. I felt like I needed a pick me up- a boost of vitamins and minerals I thought ‘I have these good organic things I will juice them!”

Organic goodies ready to go!

Organic goodies ready to go!

The mix really worked! So here is the Delectable Duo of Juices!

The Large One

  • One purple kohl rabi
  • Half a blood orange ( I munched the rest )
  • One green apple
  • Two large pak choi leaves
  • One carrot
  • A small fingertip size of ginger

The Little One

  • Two pak choi leaves
  • Half an unwaxed lemon- I always juice it with the skin
  • A bunch of wheatgrass- about an inch in diameter.

 

The Large One is really lovely. The orange and kohl rabi give a lovely balanced sweetness to the green of the pak choi.

I drank the Little One with it and the the intenseness of the wheatgrass complemented the Large One nicely!

A Delectable Duo of juices!

Aww all cosy in my moodily lit sitting room!

Aww all cosy in my moodily lit sitting room!

Hope you all are doing good and give this a whirl! Xs Aissa

 

Gluten Free Lemon Cake

20 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Aissa in Cake, Cupcakes, Gluten Free, Uncategorized, Vegan

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Cake, Cupcakes, Gluten free, Vegan

So my lovely” detox healthier me” plan went a little astray over the weekend. I was away with my sister and much fun was had, but a few alcoholic beverages were also had. 🙂 I had some superfood powders with me and took lots of spirulina so I was quite good really. In my holistic approach it is not healthy to be too strict either and it is rare I get too spend time with my big sis! So I am back on track again I will preparing myself a wheatgrass shot shortly.

For all you guys not detoxing here is a Lemon Cake! It is vegan (obviously), gluten free and sweetened with agave. The icing/frosting is made with icing/ confectioner’s sugar. But there are some alternative options as the bottom of the post in regards to sugariness.

Gluten free Lemon Cake 

  • Two thirds of a cup of soya/ coconut yogurt. Some coconut yogurts are very set so feel free so add a little coconut milk if nessacary.
  • One teaspoon of apple cyder vinegar
  • Juice and zest of one and a half organic unwaxed lemons

Mix these ingredients together and leave to sit and curdle while you prepare the other bits.

  • A generous half a cup of dark agave
  • A third of a cup of a light sunflower oil. I found I had run out of sunflower when I went to make this. I melted four scant dessertspoons of organic cold pressed coconut oil instead. The coconut oil changed the texture, it was more set than crumbly but tasted just as good.
  • A quarter cup of apple and strawberry puree. You could just use apple if you like.
  • One teaspoon of sieved cornstarch.

Mix these together in order, sieving in the cornstarch and then giving everything a quick whisk.

  • One and a half cups of fine maize meal
  • Half a cup of ground almonds- almond flour.
  • One teaspoon of vanilla powder. If you are using vanilla extract add it to the agave.
  • A pinch of sea salt
  • One teaspoon of baking powder
  • Half a teaspoon of bread soda/bicarbonate of soda/ baking soda. So many names for it!!

Preheat your oven to 170C / 340F if a fan oven, prob 180C/350F if not fan.

Prepare a 7.5 inch / 20cm cake tin. Put a square of baking paper in the centre and lightly grease.

Mix your soya yogurt, apple cyder vinegar and lemon juice. Leave to one side

Get a bowl and mix your agave, oil and fruit puree. Sieve in your cornstarch and give it a whisk for a minute.

In another bowl put in your maize meal, add your ground almonds and press out any big lumps. Add your vanilla powder and salt and give the ingredients a mix. Sieve in the baking powder and baking soda- I always sieve these as it is pretty horrid to come across a lump of them in your lovely cake. Now mix everything again!

Add your yogurt mix to your agave mix and give it a quick whisk. Quickly yet gently add your dry ingredients to the wet. Lightly fold the dry in, just until they are combined. NO OVER MIXING and leave your worries and tension to one side so you do not beat the cake batter up! Pour the batter into your cake tin and put it straight into your oven. Heed the advise, if you over mix the cake will be dense and will not rise.

It takes 30 minutes in my fan oven but it could take 35 in a normal one. It is done when it starts to come away from the sides, there are little cracks on the top and it is going a light golden colour. If it looks good take it out and stick a skewer in it, if it comes out dry then your cake is done. Leave it in the tin for 10 minutes to cool. Gluten free goodies can be a bit delicate and crumbly while warm. Treat it kindly when you turn it out to cool on wire rack.

delicately balanced on my windowsill!

delicately balanced on my windowsill!

If you were to serve it as little lemon fingers I think you could get away with just squeezing a little lemon juice on top. This was a birthday cake for one of the guys I work with. He doesn’t mind a bit of sugar so I made a Lemony icing!

  • Two and a half dessertspoons of coconut oil- mashed
  • Half a cup of icing / confectioner’s sugar – seived
  • Half a teaspoon of vanilla powder or the scraped insides of a vanilla pod
  • Juice and zest of half an organic unwaxed lemon
  • One dessertspoon of warm water – cold water would make the coconut oil re-solidify.

Mash the coconut oil, sieve in the icing sugar and vanilla, mush mash and press so the fat is taken up by the sugar. Add your lemon juice and zest and give it another good mix. If it is still not forming a smooth spreadable mix you can add a dessertspoon of warm water. Make sure your cake is completely cooled before putting your icing on. I put a few little bits of lemon skin on a decoration.

Iced- in a slightly untidy manner and sitting in the morning sunshine. :-)

Iced- in a slightly untidy manner and sitting in the morning sunshine. 🙂

If you prefer your sugar in the agave fructose form I have made an icing with agave and coconut oil and arrowroot in the past. Elena’s pantry has one almost exactly like mine. The only adjustment I would make for this cake is reduce the coconut milk by a few dessertspoons and add the juice of half a lemon instead. http://www.elanaspantry.com/coconut-cream-frosting/

Hope you try it out. Xs Aissa

Green Juice For Two

14 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by Aissa in juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

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Juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

As part of my ongoing “healthier” strategy I am having a super juice every day. I have another half so here is a fantastically Green Juice For Two

Ooo greenness

Ooo greenness

You will require these organic ingredients.

  • One green apple
  • Two stalks of celery
  • Five or six pak choi leaves
  • Ten catalogna leaves
  • An inch/ 2.5cm bundle of wheatgrass
  • The centre of a head of green oak leaf lettuce (about the size of my hand)
  • Four mint leaves
  • Ten coriander leaves and stalks
  • A piece of ginger the size of the top of you baby finger ( I have small fingers )- it can have been irradiated if it is not organic!!
  • A couple of slices of lemon to add a squeeze of later or leave sit in your juice.

All that green goodness is really refreshing. Just a reminder that you need a masticating juicer in order to juice wheatgrass. The blade ones with a spinning basket are not suitable nor is a blender. We are just not made for digesting grass – so it is press juicing only for that particular superfood.

It's good to share x

It’s good to share x

Xs Aissa

Glowing Orange Evening juice

11 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Aissa in Fermentation, Gluten Free, juice, Natural Health, Vegan

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Fermentation, Gluten free, Juice, Natural Health, Vegan

To follow up on my juicetastic day yesterday I decided to share my evening juice. It is simple, tasty and a lovely to finish off the day with such a brightly coloured concoction.

glowing Orange Evening Juice!

glowing Orange Evening Juice!

Glowing Orange Evening

  • Half a large blood orange- mine was almost the size of a grapefruit
  • Half a green apple
  • One stick of celery
  • A piece of turmeric the size of the top of your thumb.
  • Optional: A shot measure of water kefir

C’est ça!( That is it! ). It’s a small juice so you could always double the orange, apple and celery for a longer drink. I woke up this morning feeling really refreshed. I really enjoyed my “Not so smooth energy smoothie” for breakfast! I added some organic almonds that I had soaked over night for extra crunch. Planning a gigantic salad with sprouted buckwheat and avocado for lunch.

Writing this made me want the juice again! This time I added some wheatgrass.

Morning sunshine- good name for the variation?

Morning sunshine- good name for the variation?

xs Aissa

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