So recently there has been loads of hype about the benefits of almond milk: it's dairy-free, lactose-free, low in calories and nutritious.
Personally I use it as a compliment to regular milk both for drinking and cooking. However, it's become so over-commercialized now; that if you read most of the almond milk labels at the supermarket it's hard to find one which doesn't contain some insane sounding chemical or additive! So I began making my own, it's totally natural, cheap, and SO SIMPLE! Below is a quick recipe which takes literally 2 seconds. How to make almond milk: Soak a handful of almonds in filtered water overnight. Use just enough water to cover the almonds. The next day, remove the almonds from the water and place in a blender with water. You can use a ratio of 1 cup almonds to 2 cups water to begin with, and then add more or less depending on your taste. You can also add some vanilla essence, honey or cinnamon, as you like, Blend for at least one minute and then pass the milk through a sieve to remove the almonds. Many recipes recommend using a cheese cloth but seriously, who has one of those? A sieve works just fine for me. You can store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
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Everyone knows how healthy lentils are, but getting kids to eat them? Hmmm... Well, I thought why not add some sweet potato to give the soup a naturally sweet taste, so fingers crossed they will gobble up those lentils!
Ingredients: 300ml (use a measuring cup) lentils 750ml water (use the same measuring cup) at room temperature 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 2 large onions, peeled and cut into rough cubes a handful of coriander, roughly chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely crushed 1 teaspoon garam masala 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1 tablespoon organic honey Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil Heat the coconut oil over medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Lightly brown and then add the sweet potato, continually stirring until the sweet potato is slightly brown (it will still be raw just slightly brown on the edges). Add the lentils and 600ml of water and bring the water to a boil. Add the cumin seeds, garam masala, salt, pepper, honey and turmeric and cover with a lid wrapped in a kitchen cloth. Once the water has been absorbed by the lentils add the rest of the 150ml water and coriander so the mixture takes on a soup consistency. Making sure the sweet potato is fully cooked take off heat and let cool. Enjoy with some of my fresh sweet potato bread rolls! All kids love bread right? Let them fill their tummies with these sweet potato rolls. Aside from the amazing health benefits of sweet potatoes, they are among the most versatile veggies. They can be used in desserts, cakes and yes, to make a most delicious and moist breadroll! These are filled with clean ingredients and will give your home a sweet bakery scent.
Ingredients (makes 10 breadrolls): 1 large sweet potato, steamed, peeled and mashed so there are no lumps left 120ml almond milk 60g pumpkin seeds a handful of roughly crushed almonds 100g oat flour 1 tablespoon honey a pinch of cinammon Salt and pepper to taste a pinch of turmeric 2 teaspoons baking soda Combine all the ingredients except the almond milk in a large mixing bowl and continue blending and mashing with a fork until evenly distributed. Add the almond milk and knead the mixture together. Once all the liquid has been evenly absorbed split into 10 breadrolls, mould and place on a baking tray. Cook in the oven for 50 minutes on medium heat or until a knife comes out dry and then enjoy your delicious rolls hot out of the oven. These little indulgences are full of clean ingredients for kids to munch on, and are also ideal for Mom and Dad to enjoy over a glass of red wine once the kids are asleep!
ingredients: Makes 15 truffles 1 large sweet potato, steamed, peeled and mashed a handful of roughly crushed almonds 1 tablespoon ground coconut 200ml coconut milk 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons unsweetened cacao 8 deseeded dates a teaspoon of vanilla essence a pinch of cinammon shredded coconut for garnishing In a mixing bowl add the mashed sweet potato, crushed almonds, ground coconut, cacao, vanilla essence and cinnamon. Mash together with a fork until evenly mixed. Put the mash in a pan over medium heat and add the coconut milk and honey, stirring continually until an even liquid has formed. Put the dates in a food processor and blend until they form a paste. Add the dates to the mixture in the pan and cook for approximately 1 hour, until the mixture forms a thick paste which comes away from the sides of the pan with ease. Place the mixture in the freezer to cool for 30 minutes. Once chilled mould into 15 truffles and roll in shredded coconut. Once prepared keep in fridge until consumed. To all those moms who live by bananas and always have that pile of bananas in the kitchen for in between snacks; did you know that you can substitute eggs for bananas in most cake, bread and dessert recipes? If you are like me and constantly run out of eggs or forget to buy them among the millions of other things we have to remember, just add one large banana for every 2 eggs and you are good to bake!
Quiches are a great way to load your kids up with veggies without them catching on! This quiche is filled with veggies, seeds, nuts and other wholesome ingredients.
How to make the base: 100g chickpea flour 80g pumpkin seeds 1/2 tsp turmeric salt and pepper to taste Mix all the ingredients together and slowly add water, mixing constantly. Due to the nature of the chickpea flour you will end up with a thick paste not a dough as with traditional flour. Spoon the mixture into your baking tin and smooth it out with a spoon or with wet hands. For the filling: 5 leeks, separated and finely sliced 5 spring onions, separated and finely sliced 3 chopped garlic cloves a handful of roughly chopped basil 50g chia seeds 100g roughly ground cashew nuts 1 tablespoon honey 4 eggs 100g freshly grated cheese (Parmesan Regiano is a great cheese. Roquefort is also delicious but I wouldn't recommend it for small children due to the bacteria it contains). Mix all the ingredients together until evenly blended, especially the eggs Pour over the base, press down and cook in the oven on medium heat for 45 minutes - 1 hour until lightly brown. Let it cool and enjoy it fresh out of the oven or cold at any time! Ok I'll admit this sounds dubious right? However I can assure that the result is just the opposite! These filling, nutritious and mouthwateringly delicious brownies are a must for every veggie-struggling mom.
Ingredients: 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, steamed, peeled and mashed 200ml unsweetened coconut milk 400 ml almond milk 1 ripe avocado, peeled and mashed 80g ground coconut 50g chia seeds 6 tablespoons organic, unsweetened cacao 5 tablespoons organic honey 2 tablespoons stevia 50g roughly ground almonds 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 4 eggs In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mash together well using a fork, until you have an evenly distributed and smooth mixture. For the fondant (fondant is optional): 100g unsweetened dark chocolate 1 tablespoon honey 1 teasooon coconut oil Melt the chocolate together with the honey and coconut oil in a bowl over boiling water, making sure the chocolate has no contact with the steam or the water. Distribute over the brownie and put in the fridge to set for 30 minutes and then enjoy! If your kids are anything like mine they love pancake! Why not try out totally natural version made with bananas instead of flour. Delicious and nutritious!
Ingredients (makes 3 large pancakes) 2 large bananas 4 eggs 1 teaspoon chia seeds 1 teaspoon ground coconut 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until there are no more pieces of banana. Pour 1/3 of the batch into a large pan over low heat (make sure you spray the pan well with extra virgin olive oil). Once one side is done carefully turn over and finish cooking. Repeat for 2 more pancakes. I like to serve it with some drizzled honey. When I told my kids we were making purple bread rolls, I could probably have added whatever I chose to the bread mix and they would have loved it. It's such a fun color and great to use in such a variety of dishes with a "purple" theme! It also happens to be my daughters favorite color!
Ingredients (Makes 8 bread rolls) 300g mashed up or finely chopped cooked beetroot 2 garlic cloves finely crushed 50g dried onions 150g wholewheat flour 30g chia seeds 30g ground flaxseed 1/2 teaspoon salt a pinch of pepper 1 teaspoon honey 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil room temperature water for the dough Mix all the ingredients until evenly blended. Slowly add the water kneading well until you reach the desired consistency. The dough should be easy to mould without sticking to your hands too much. Mould into 8 bread rolls and place onto a non stick baking pan. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until a knife comes out dry. I guarantee everyone will have fun with their purple breads! These are fresh out of the oven yummy!
i invented these because my son refuses to eat breakfast these days. I don't like sending him to school with just milk in his tummy and since he is the live equivalent of Cookie Monster I decided to try out these super-simple all-natural breakfast cookies for him. Ingredients: (Makes 13 cookies) 4 large carrots 300g oat flour 3 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons stevia 1/4 spoon cinammon 4 eggs 2 handful of raisins Peel the carrots and steam them until soft. Mash the carrots and add all other ingredients, mixing well until you reach an even mixture. Portion into 13 cookies onto a bake tray. Cook for 1 hour until lightly brown and then leave to cool for 10 minutes. |