NOTE: All recipes serve one unless noted otherwise. Mostly because I'm really selfish and don't like to share my awesome food. But feel free to double the amounts, or whatever.
Breakfasts!
Apple Pie Porridge
This is, without a doubt, my go-to breakfast. Sometimes I ditch the apple, add banana, or nuts, or maple syrup, or coconut milk, but oats are by far my favourite breakfast food. Most recipes with rolled oats (as opposed to instant) call for soaking. I don't do this because I prefer a heartier, chewier texture (also, I am very lazy and forgetful), but do whatever you prefer.
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked oats
- 1-2 cups water (this depends on how thick you want it)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ apple, grated
- ¼ cup light soy milk
Stovetop - Place the oats and 1 cup of the water in a small sauce pan, mixing well. Bring to the boil and lower heat. Add the brown sugar and grated apple, stirring. Add more water if you like. Cook until it reaches your desired consistency. Stir in the soy milk and serve.
Microwave - Place oats and 1 cup of the water in a large microwave safe bowl (larger is better here, as the porridge can bubble over the edge). Stir and place in the microwave on high for approximately 1 ½ minutes. Remove, and stir in the apple and sugar. Return to microwave and cook for a further minute, more or less depending on personal taste. Stir in soy milk and serve.
Simple Pancakes with Strawberry-Almost-Compote
I am an absolute FIEND for pancakes. I can eat a distressingly large amount in a very small amount of time. To counter this, I make one portion at a time. It doesn't seem like a lot in the mixing bowl, but the portion in just right. I realise these aren't the healthiest pancakes around, but I like my meals simple and quick. They also aren't very sweet on their own, again, a matter of personal taste. I like pancakes simple, and my toppings sweet.
Ingredients
- ½ cup self raising flour
- ½ cup light soymilk
- ½ cup strawberries, halved
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Mix together the strawberries, lemon juice and sugar, and leave to sit, mixing occasionally. In a small mixing bowl, gently mix together the flour and soy milk, reserving a tablespoon of each to adjust consistency. Heat a medium non-stick frying pan on medium-low heat, and pour half the batter into the pan. Watch for the top to bubble and the edges to begin to dry. Flip carefully and cook for a minute or so on the other side. Remove from the pan and repeat with remaining batter (Note: I like to put my cooked pancakes on a plate and cover with kitchen foil or cling-film- this steams them slightly and softens them so they absorb toppings and flavours more easily). Top with the strawberries and serve.
Coconut-Banana French Toast
This is obviously not traditional french toast, but it sure does the trick.
- 2 slices wholegrain bread
- ½ banana, mashed well
- ½ cup light soy milk
- pinch each of nutmeg and cinnamon
- ½ tsp coconut essence
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the banana, soy milk, spices and coconut essence. Place the bread in a shallow bowl (or on a high edged plate) and pour over the banana mixture. Let sit for a minute or so, and flip, spooning over the extra mixture from the sides (Feel free to get messy here, use your hands to scoop and swipe around the bread to get it coated). Let sit for a further minute. Meanwhile, heat a medium-large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat (if you have one that will fit both pieces of bread, even better). Gently transfer the bread to the pan, and cook for around 3 minutes, checking occasionally. When the first side is cooked to your liking, flip and cook the other side. Transfer to a plate, top with maple syrup, and devour.
Lunches!
Rice Paper Rolls
Don't be afraid to play around with the fillings here. Just be sure to be mindful of how many calories you are adding or taking away. I like to dip these in soy sauce with a little ginger, chilli and garlic.
- 3 rice papers
- ½ cucumber sliced into batons
- ½ carrots sliced into batons
- ¼ avocado, sliced
- ½ cup of bean sprouts
- 100g tofu, sliced and pan-fried
- ¼ cup coriander, or to taste
First, set up all your ingredients within easy reach (a large chopping board is great for this) and a work space with a clean, slightly damp dish towel or something similar. In a baking dish (or a high sided plate works well), pour roughly an inch of very hot water (but not boiling- you'll be sticking your hands in it). Take one rice paper, and place it in the water, pushing gently with your fingers to submerge. After about 30 seconds to a minute it will become very soft. Gently (GENTLY!) lift the paper out of the water and place it on your damp towel. Using your best judgement, add a portion of each ingredient roughly two-thirds of the way down the paper and in the middle. Be generous, but be careful not to over-fill as it may tear the wrapper. Fold the sides of the rice paper in first, then gently (GENTLY!) lift the bottom edge up and over your filling firmly. Tucking with your fingers, continue to roll all the way to the top. Place on a plate, and repeat with remaining ingredients.
Brown Rice and Vegetable Salad
Dead easy and so good. Great for a packed lunch. Don't be afraid of brown rice and use whatever vegies you have on hand. This would also probably work with any other grain you have on hand. Play around.
- ¾ cup cooked brown rice
- 1 cup mixed frozen vegetables
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
In a microwave (or stove-top), cook the vegetables until just done. Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate it until you're ready to eat it. You can eat it straight away, if you like, but I think its lovely after its been sitting for an hour or so.
Chunky Vegetable Pasta
This is SO GOOD. Any easy. Which is great because I'm pretty lazy.
- ¾ cup cooked pasta (preferably whole wheat)
- 1 cup zucchini, shaved
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1/3 cup jarred pasta sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Saute the zucchini and mushroom on medium-low heat (I don't use oil here because the vegetables will release plenty of water). When softened, add pasta sauce, stirring to combine. Place cooked pasta in a bowl and top with sauce. Done!
Dinners!
Super Simple Stir-fry
When I fond something that meets all my food criteria (healthy, tasty, low fat, easy, fast, etc) I tend to run with it... Forever. I have slight variations on this recipe basically every night. I love it. You should. I have a bamboo steamer tray that fits in my wok, but use whatever you have.
- 100g tofu
- ½ carrot, sliced
- ½ cup sliced green beans
- 3 rings of red pepper
- 3 rings of green pepper
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- Soy sauce, chilli, garlic and ginger to taste
Chop the vegetables into what ever shapes/sizes you prefer. (Optional step) Steam them for around 5 minutes, or until just cooked. Transfer them to a large bowl and cover to keep warm. On high heat, stir-fry the tofu with a little of each seasoning until cooked to your liking (I like mine very well done with crispy edges, all a matter of personal taste). Add the vegetables and a little more of each seasoning if you like (you can also use bottled/jarred stir-fry sauces, but make sure you check the nutritional info). Top the brown rice with your stir-fry and enjoy!
Two-mato Pasta Salad
Because there's 2 kinds of tomatoes! Get it? Awful name. I know. I'm sorry. Anyway, I really, really love pasta. I'm a total carb-whore. This recipe satisfies my endless cravings, while being dead easy and great for you. I really feel like its closer to a pasta salad than anything else.
- 1 ½ cups cooked pasta (preferably whole wheat)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 5 sun dried tomato halves, sliced thinly/chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- small handful baby spinach
- ¼ cup basil leaves
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tsp lemon zest
In a saucepan on medium heat, saute the garlic until fragrant. Add the cherry and sun dried tomatoes, cooking until the cherry tomatoes have become very soft (Don't smoosh them, leave them reasonably whole). Add the baby spinach, pine nuts and pasta, cooking until the greens have wilted. Turn off the heat, stir through basil and lemon zest, and serve.
Char-Grilled Vegetable Stack
When I lived with my parents, they would have barbecues all the time. When I became vegan, I still craved that smokey, char-grilled taste, and this recipe if perfect for it. The ingredients are best cooked on a BBQ, but you can cook them under the grill (or in the oven set to broil, for any US readers. Is that right? Broil?), or even in a frying pan.
- 100g tofu, sliced (optional- marinated)
- ½ red pepper, in wide strips
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced length-ways
- 2 slices eggplant
- 1 large Portobello mushroom
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tsp mustard
Turn on the BBQ, and set it to medium-high. Lay out all the vegetables in a single layer and cook for 5-10 minutes, flipping half way through. Layer on a plate like so- eggplant, mushroom, zucchini, tofu, mustard, pepper, onion, eggplant (kind of like a sandwich with eggplant for bread). Enjoy!
Bangers and Mash
This recipe (and variations) is a favourite of boyfriends. He grew up in a real "meat-and-three-veg" kind of household, so it's a little like comfort food. It also happens to be awesome. I'm thinking that onion and rosemary would be a great addition to the gravy. Experiment!
- 2 vegetarian sausages
- 1 cup sweet potato cube
- 1 tsp margarine
- 1 tbsp gravy powder
- ½ cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup broccoli
- ½ cup green beans
Place the broccoli, beans and sweet potato in a steamer (making sure to keep the sweet potato separate). Cook until done. Meanwhile, place the vegetarian sausages under the grill (broil? Seriously, am I doing this right?) on medium heat and check often, turning when necessary. In a small saucepan, saute the mushrooms until softened and add gravy powder and water (as per the packet), bring to a boil, and simmer on very low heat to thicken. When the sweet potato is cooked, mash with the margarine (and a touch of soy milk, if you like). Place the steamed vegetables and mash (separately) on a plate, top the mash with sausages, and spoon over mushroom gravy.
Vegetable and White Bean Stew
This one is a slight variation of a recipe written by Jules over at thestonesoup.com. It couldn't be easier. She has phenomenal recipes, beautiful photos, and she's an Aussie! Check her out if you haven't already.
- 1 cup of tinned white beans, undrained
- 1 tin tomatoes
- 1 medium carrot, sliced
- 2 large zucchini, sliced
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach
- 1 tbsp paprika
- Salt and pepper, to taste.
Place all ingredients bar spinach in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until the zucchini is soft. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, for around a minute or until the spinach is wilted. Season and serve!
Burger with Sweet Potato Fries
Now you have to do a little work. I'm leaving the choice of burger patty up to you. The only requirement is that it is 100 calories or less.
- 1 burger patty, 100 calories or less
- 1 english muffin
- 1 thin slice pineapple
- few leaves of baby spinach
- slice of tomato
- 1 tbsp BBQ sauce
- 1 sweet potato, roughly 5” long
Slice the sweet potato into fries, wedges, or whatever you feel like. Bake in an oven on high until soft, but crispy on the edges, approximately 20 minutes depending on the size of your chips. Meanwhile, cook the burger patty according to your recipe/box. Toast the english muffin lightly, assemble your burger, and enjoy.
Taco Salad
If I had to pick one food to eat for the rest of my life... it would probably be sushi, but Mexican food is damn high on the list. A lot of 'Taco Salad' recipes either serve the salad in a tortilla bowl (too much) or skip the corn/tortilla chips altogether (what's the damn point?). I find that this is a happy medium.
- 2 large handfuls lettuce
- ½ cup tinned red kidney beans
- 1 tsp each ground cumin and ground coriander
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup corn kernel
- 3 tbsp salsa
- 1 cup whole tortilla chips
- ¼ avocado, sliced or cubed
In a medium saucepan, combine the beans, spices (you can use a pre-made taco seasoning mix if you want) and tomato paste with a little water. Bring to a boil and simmer, mashing some beans if you like, until heated through and combined. Fill a large bowl with lettuce (I thoroughly recommend butter lettuce for this recipe), then top with beans, corn, salsa, avocado and the chips.
Pictures of the recipes coming soon. Promise!
