Breakfast Tiramisu

vegan,gluten free, sugar free

Ingriedients:

500g soya yoghurt

250g granola (we have a nice granola recipe)

250g homemade orange jelly*

2 medium bananas

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

* How to make your home made orange jelly without sugar.
You need 3 medium size oranges and 2 tablespoons linseeds or chia seeds.
Juice two of the oranges and place the juice in a saucepan. Peel the remaining orange and ad to juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture reaches a boil, add the linseeds, and return to a simmer, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and skim off any scum that has formed at the top.

Lentil `ragù

vegetarian, gluten free

Today we will be making a typical, but meatless, Italian ragù sauce.

I make this sauce every few weeks.  I find the entire process very comforting.  The chopping, sautéing, stirring, simmering, tasting, etc. They are good not only with pasta, you can try to eat with any dish you like.

Ingredients:

450g carrots

175g sun-dried tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic

400g chopped tomatoes

200g tomato puree

500g green lentils

500g gluten free pasta

Salt and pepper for taste

Start by peeling and grating the carrots using the coarse side of your grater. Chop the sun dried tomatoes into small pieces. Add the grater carrots, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and crushed garlic to a large saucepan with the tins of chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, lentils and 450 ml water. Stir everything together and then allow the mixture to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, stiring in every now and again as it cooks. Once it is almost ready, cook the pasta until al dente, drain it and mix it into the Bolognese. Serve with pasta.

Recipe taken from

DELICIOUSLY ELLA

Ella Woodward

2015 by Yellow Kite

Water Kefir

Today we are going to be describing the wonders of Water Kefir, a wonderful Vegan fermented beverage, which is rife with probiotic bacteria, healthy strains of yeast and natural antioxidants. You may have seen it’s dairy based counterpart on the shelves of your local health food shop. Water Kefir bacteria grains are similar to the Milk Kefir ones except that they need sugary water to survive as opposed to milk. With its simplicity, taste and health benefits it is surprising it is not more well-known.

Let’s begin!


You will need:
[Do not use any metal utensils in this recipe; the little kefirs react badly with it]

1 litre transparent glass or plastic container

6 tbsps. of live water kefir grains (internet, your health food or local to you is a keen community of food fermenters with a surplus)

3 tbsps. cane or caster sugar

½ tsp of molasses (optional, but the grains do benefit from the extra minerals)

½ lemon

Water (from the tap is fine)


1. Make sure the jug is clean

2. Put about 200ml of water into it with the sugar and molasses

3. Stir until they are as dissolved as possible. If you are using molasses expecting the water to darken

4. Add your kefir grains

5. Fill the jug with water leaving a gap of about 5cm from the top

6. Add the lemon half

7. Loosely place a lid or kitchen towel over the top

8. Leave for 24 hours to ferment. Out on a tabletop or windowsill is fine

9. Drink the liquid

Done. You can repeat this as for as long as the grains are alive. Pour away whatever you don’t drink from each batch; if left fermenting for too long the drink will become more and more alcoholic – which may or may not be a bad thing*. I’ll leave that up to you.


There are many varieties possible with this. Maybe add dried fruit or spices to adjust the flavour or make the drink using just coconut water and the kefir grains. Coconut water has sufficient nutrients for the grains to live off.


An added bonus is that if you look after your pet water kefir grains properly they can live indefinitely, and duplicate, thus you will have a life’s supply of water kefir.

*If avoiding alcohol is a part of your lifestyle, invest in a hydrometer to test the alcohol content (if any) of your drink – only a few pounds from the home-brew section of your local supermarket.


The benefits probiotics have on our guts seems to be widespread. Exciting, recent development on this train of treatment importance, implications and influence of a healthy gut on our moods and depression, visit:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/magazine/can-the-bacteria-in-your-gut-explain-your-mood.html?_r=0

Cauliflower pakoras with tamarind raita

vegetarian (vegan option), gluten free

Today we have a recipe for quick and easy starter or snack.

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower
Sunflower oil for frying
150g chickpea flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne peeper
½ teaspoon fine se salt

For the tamarind raita
6 tablespoon plain yoghurt or vegan non-dairy yoghurt
Large handful of coriander
2 teaspoon date syrup

For the raita, mix all ingredients together, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the cauliflower into small florets, no more than 2 cm across in any direction, discarding nearly all the stalk.

For the batter, mix all ingredients. Slowly whisk in 175 ml water whisk to combine and get rid of any lumps.

Heat about 1 cm depth of oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot enough to turn a cube of white bread light golden brown in 30 – 40 second, start cooking the pakoras, a few at a time. Cook for about 2 minutes, until crisps and golden brown on the base, then turn over and cook for another minute or two.

recipe inspired by:

VEG EVERY DAY

River Cottage 

2011 by Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall