Collard Wraps
Colorful vegan collard wraps loaded with vitamin-rich veggies, protein-packed chickpeas, and flavorful seasonings - these fresh wraps are the perfect plant-based packages!
Ingredients
Filling:
1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
Juice of 1 Kalamansi lime
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
Wraps:
6 large collard greens (washed)
Instructions
Add chickpeas to a bowl and mash. Add remaining filling ingredients and toss until combined and mixture clumps together.
Take a collard leaf and use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to shave down the thicker part of the stem near the base of the leaf. This will make the collard wraps much easier to roll up. Trim the thickest part of the stem too.
Divide filling into six portions and add a portion to the middle of the collard leaf.
Fold over the left and right sides and roll up like a burrito. Slice in half.
Repeat steps 2-4 for remaining collard leaves. Enjoy!
Brekky Protein Plate
This incredible breakfast plate is making history because I’ve never shared a savory breakfast recipe on this blog before! This easy brekky is packed with plant-based protein from tofu and beans, and filled with nutrients from vitamin-rich tomatoes. It’s the perfect 20-minute brekky idea that you’ll love for lunch and dinner too. If you’re looking for a vegan alternative to scrambled eggs, the easy tofu scramble is perfect for you!
Ingredients
Tofu Scramble
16 oz. firm tofu
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
3/4 tsp Celtic salt OR 1/2 tsp Celtic salt + 1/4 tsp black salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
Black beans
1 tsp olive oil
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
Plus
1 punnet grape tomatoes, halved OR 1 cup chopped tomatoes
Instructions
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. When hot, add the onion and garlic and saute for about 6 minutes until everything is soft and fragrant.
Add the tofu and break it apart with your spatula until you get a nice chunky scramble texture.
Stir in the seasonings. Heat through for another 6 minutes until hot. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add another 1 tsp olive oil to skillet. When the oil is hot, add the black beans and seasonings. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Serve tofu scramble and black beans with fresh grape tomatoes. Enjoy!
Yield: 4 servings.
Black Bean Pasta (Gluten-free)
This black bean pasta is an easy lunch or dinner recipe! Spirals are tossed with black beans, veggies, and a whole lotta flavor.
Ingredients
12 oz package brown rice pasta spirals
3 cups veggie broth or water
1 Tbsp avocado or olive oil
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 bell peppers, chopped
5 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions.
Heat oil over medium heat. Add bell peppers and tomatoes and cook gently for 4-6 minutes, stirring often.
Add all seasonings and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add beans, stir and cook for a minute to heat beans.
Add pasta into the black bean sauce and toss well over medium heat for about a minute.
Serve with a drizzle of oil.
Yield: 4 servings.
Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Pasta (Gluten-free)
The sweet and sour flavor of sundried tomatoes combined with fragrant basil makes the most perfect pesto! This vegan sun-dried tomato pesto pasta recipe is gluten-free and oh-so-easy to whip up!
Ingredients
12 oz brown rice pasta spirals
2 cups sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (as needed)
big handful of fresh basil leaves
1 lemon, juiced
5 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
Instructions
Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Blend remaining ingredients until combined but still a little chunky.
Mix the sun-dried tomato pesto with the cooked and cooled pasta. Serve hot or cold!
Yield: 4 servings.
Rainbow Bowl
Eat the rainbow with this healthy stacked bowl of seasoned sweet potatoes, carrot chips, curly kale, purple cabbage and a drizzle of your favorite oil-free dressing!
Adding some avo to this would totally up your salad game! Hope you enjoy it!!
SEASONED SWEET POTATOES
Ingredients
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp Celtic salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F.
Add sweet potatoes, olive oil and seasonings to a large bowl and toss together.
Spread sweet potatoes evenly on a silicone baking sheet.
Place in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes.
This tastes super good with a lilikoi dressing, a creamy avo dressing OR my go-to oil-free homemade salad dressing:
Ingredients
1/2 cup tahini
1/3 cup water
juice from 2 lemons
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Celtic salt
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to combine.
Drizzle over salad bowl.
Store for up to a week in the fridge!
Baked Tofu Summer Rolls with Almond Butter Sauce
These homemade, fresh summer rolls with almond butter sauce are healthy, adaptable, and make a wonderful light vegan lunch, dinner, or appetizer. Sharing optional. ;)
Tips
Preparation is everything. Make sure your tofu is cooked and veggies are chopped before rolling.
Get creative. You can literally fill your summer rolls with anything you want!
Soak your wrappers in cool as opposed to warm water as the heat can make the wrappers more sticky.
Overfilling doesn’t make rolls tighter, it just makes them tear and fall apart.
Roll like a burrito for best results.
Ingredients
Baked Tofu
20 oz block of firm tofu, pressed and sliced
1 Tbsp liquid aminos
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp arrowroot starch
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
dash of cayenne pepper
Rolls
brown rice paper wrappers
red bell pepper
cucumber
grape tomatoes
Almond Butter Sauce
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp liquid aminos
1 tsp ground ginger
juice of a lemon
dash of cayenne (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat and set aside.
Add all seasoning ingredients for baked tofu into a bowl and whisk to combine.
Place each tofu slice into seasoning and then on lined baking sheet, leaving space between pieces so they don’t touch.
Bake tofu for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.
While tofu is baking, slice veggies into strips about 2-3 inches long.
Once tofu and veggies are ready, assemble table with a pan of cold water, wrappers, filling ingredients, and sauce.
Soak a brown rice paper wrapper in the pan of water for 15-20 seconds.
Put wrapper carefully on your plate. Arrange tofu, vegetables and sauce in the center of the wrapper, all aligned in one direction.
Roll wrapper like a burrito and enjoy!
If you make these I’d love to see how they turn out! Feel free to use #sisifriendly on Instagram or tag me @sisifriendly!
Have a beautiful, beautiful day!
Nuts About Rawnola
This is my first post in almost a year! It's been an absolute whirlwind - in the space of a year I quit my full-time teaching job, moved from the Gold Coast back to Sydney, went to Hawaii for three months, and now I'm back in Sydney, uncertain but very excited about what the future holds.
Did some experimenting in the kitchen the other day and discovered my new brekky BFF - this nutty recipe will seriously take your cereal game to the next level! You can sprinkle it on top of smoothie bowls, porridge, or just enjoy it on its own.
Ingredients
3/4 cup walnuts
1 cup quinoa flakes
12 pitted Medjool dates
1 cup shredded coconut
2 Tbsps ground flax
2 Tbsps pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
Add the quinoa flakes and dates to a blender or food processor and pulse until all the dates are broken up.
Add remaining ingredients and keep pulsing until everything is well-chopped and mixed, but don’t pulse too long or else it will become a chewy ball.
Serve with plant-based milk and sliced fruit. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Sweet Potato Noodle Salad with Garlic Ginger Root Veggies
"Once she stopped rushing through life, she was amazed how much more life she had time for." - Unknown
I wake up between 4 and 4.30am most days, yet I still find myself rushing through my mornings. This morning, I decided to treat myself to a picnic on the beach. I'd seen a recipe for Rainbow Soba Salad on the Whole Foods app that inspired me to make a noodle salad for breakfast. This salad is full of vegetables and flavour - the perfect salad for a picnic!
Ingredients (makes about 3 servings - I ate half for breakfast and half for lunch)
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1 inch chunk of ginger, finely chopped
1 and a 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
fresh juice of half a lemon
2 carrots, finely chopped or grated
4 sweet potatoes, finely chopped or grated
2 beetroots, finely chopped or grated
3 kale leaves, finely sliced
100g packet sweet potato noodles
1 tbsp sesame seeds
handful of raw activated pistachios, chopped
1. Cook sweet potato noodles according to packet instructions (takes about 8 minutes).
2. While noodles are cooking, saute garlic and ginger in coconut oil for a few minutes.
3. Add the carrot, sweet potato, and beetroot, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes, until noodles are cooked (the root veggies don't need to be fully tender).
4. Rinse noodles under cold water and drain well.
5. Toss noodles, root veggies, and kale together.
6. Top with sesame seeds and pistachios.
*You can use different vegetables to what I used. I used very different veggies to the Whole Foods recipe - in fact, I also added garlic and ginger and made it into a completely different recipe. I'm the WORST at following recipes (even my own haha).
Cauliflower, Chia & Hemp Pizza Base
One of the most common questions people ask me when they find out that I'm a vegan who loves to cook is, "how do you bake without eggs?!" Although there's an abundance of egg replacers out there, I usually try to avoid them because they're highly processed. I prefer to use flax or chia eggs instead - all you do is grind flax or chia in a coffee grinder until it resembles nut meal, then mix with water to form what I like to call "gooey egg glue".
The following recipe uses chia eggs to hold this dairy-free, egg-free, grain-free and soy-free pizza base together.
Ingredients (makes one pizza base to serve 2 (or 1 extra hungry person))
1/2 head cauliflower - processed into cauliflower rice
1 tsp dried rosemary
handful of fresh parsley
pinch of Celtic sea salt
pinch of lemon myrtle
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup filtered water
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup hemp flour
1. Boil the cauliflower rice for a few minutes and then drain well. Freeze for 10 minutes to cool quickly.
2. Grind chia seeds and mix with water to create chia eggs. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to thicken.
3. Squeeze cooled cauliflower rice in paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
4. Blend all ingredients, including chia eggs, in a high-speed blender and spread mixture onto a baking tray lined with baking paper (I ran out so I had to use foil - definitely not ideal!).
5. Bake at 190C (fan-forced) for half an hour then top with all your favourite ingredients (I used homemade macadamia cheese, finely chopped beetroot/carrot sautéed in coconut oil, and green beans) and re-bake for another 15 minutes.
6. Garnish with parsley or other fresh herbs.
*You can replace chia seeds with flax seeds to achieve the same binding effect of eggs.
Raw Cauliflower Rice Sushi Rolls
Not only do these sushi rolls look good, they're good for you too!
Ingredients (makes about 8 rolls)
4 nori sheets
1/2 a head of cauliflower
the following vegetables, thinly sliced:
carrot
capsicum
avocado
spring onions
parsley
Kale pesto:
few leaves of kale
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Celtic sea salt to taste
Sauce:
1/3 cup olive oil
fresh juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp dulse flakes
Hawaiian black lava salt to taste
1. Process cauliflower into cauliflower rice using a blender or food processor on low speed.
2. Blend pesto ingredients and stir pesto through cauliflower rice.
3. Wrap cauliflower rice and veggies in nori sheets using a bamboo mat.
4. Dip in sauce to serve.
*This recipe uses pine nuts but you can replace pine nuts with avocado in the pesto to make it a nut-free recipe.
Peppermint Carob Chia Seed Pudding
There aren't many sweet treats that I still crave from my sugar-sky-high days, but a block of mint chocolate is definitely one. So I've come up with a healthy alternative to satisfy my cravings while still nourishing my body.
Chia pudding is another breakfast favourite of mine - I love the consistency and the different flavour combinations I can experiment with. Plus you can really play around with toppings and extras!
This one looks a little bit like cement but I SWEAR it's delicious!
Ingredients (serves me for breakfast)
1/3 cup chia seeds
1 can (270 mL) Ayam coconut cream
1 heaped tbsp raw carob powder (more if you want it really caroby)
fresh juice of half a lemon
1 drop of Young Living Peppermint essential oil
1 tsp coconut nectar (optional)
1. Shake all ingredients in a large glass jar.
2. Refrigerate overnight in a bowl.
3. Serve chilled with any toppings you like, such as extra chia seeds, berries, banana, coconut, dried fruit, nut butter, fresh fruit, raw activated nuts, refrigerated coconut cream, etc.
*You can also use almond milk or another non-dairy milk instead of coconut cream, though it won't set as firm so you might want to use a little less liquid.
Carob Kibble & Coconut Quinoa Porridge
I've been hooked on quinoa ever since I organised an Amazing Race event around Sydney in 2009. One of the teams dubbed themselves "The Quinoas", piquing my curiosity about this incredible gluten-free grain. It's good for you in so many ways, one of which is it's a complete protein - ideal for vegans like me!
Over the years, quinoa porridge has become a favourite at breakfast time. There are so many different flavours and varieties you can make and this is one of my favourite combinations.
Ingredients (makes 1 bowl)
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
3/4 cups water
1/2 cup coconut cream
1 tbsp almond meal
1. Cook quinoa in water and coconut cream for about 12-15 minutes until liquid has evaporated and quinoa is cooked.
2. Drown in extra coconut cream and serve with avocado, coconut chips, ground ginger, and carob kibbles. Add coconut nectar if you need sweetener.
*Stick it in the fridge for 20 minutes to serve cold on warmer days.
Lovely Lentil Curry
If you're looking for a hearty, easy vegan meal, this is the curry for you! Even if you're not vegan, I think you'll appreciate the delicious flavours and the health benefits of red lentils are awesome: high protein supply, a healthy heart, and weight loss!
Ingredients
½ cup red lentils
handful of cavolo nero kale
handful of scotch blue kale
handful of fennel fronds and stalks
1 small broccoli head
1 small carrot
1 brown onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp Celtic sea salt
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 cups filtered water
1. Chop garlic and onion and saute in oil with turmeric and salt until fragrant.
2. Chop all veggies and throw in with lentils and water, simmering, covered, for 20 minutes.
3. Serve over quinoa or enjoy alone.
*You can use any greens you like - curries are great for using up veggies!
Carob Hemp Balls
These carob hemp balls are excellent for a nutritious hit on the go and are full of protein and healthy fats!
As someone who flies between two locations (I live on the Gold Coast but my family is in Sydney) and is constantly driving between Byron Bay and Brissy for speaking engagements, musical performances, and just general adventuring, eating healthy on the run can be challenging.
Balls are definitely the solution to this first-world problem of mine.
I just throw a bunch of ingredients into a food processor, form into balls, refrigerate overnight, and Bob's your uncle!
Ingredients (makes 16 smaller than golf-sized balls)
1 cup sunflower kernels
½ cup raw activated pepitas
1 cup desiccated coconut (sulphite-free) (plus optional ¼ cup for rolling)
⅓ cup melted coconut oil
2-3 tbsp raw carob powder (depending on desired level of "sweetness")
2 tbsp Brazil nut butter
¼ cup hemp seeds (plus optional ¼ cup for rolling)
1. Pulse sunflower kernels and pepitas in a food processor until a meal forms (be careful that it doesn't become a butter consistency).
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until mixture clumps together.
3. Form mixture into balls and roll balls in either hemp seeds or coconut.
4. Refrigerate overnight.
*Make sure you use coconut oil as it's essential for the balls to set.
Baked Rainbow Chips with Coconut Ginger Lemon Dip
If you grew up in the 90s like me, the word "cabbage" used to conjure thoughts of useless, overpriced dolls called "Cabbage Patch Kids", rather than vegetables. These days, my evangelism of vegetables has thoroughly increased my appreciation for these densely leafy plants and I can't sing their praises enough. So why are cabbages so cool?
1. They go well with everything - you can toss them in salads, soak them in soups, saute them in stir-fries...the possibilities are endless!
2. They help boost the immune system - their abundance of vitamins protects the body against disease. Cabbage is especially high in Vitamins C and E, both important immune-boosting vitamins.
3. Red cabbages are loaded with antioxidants - that beautiful bright colour isn't just for aesthetics' sake! The polyphenols in red cabbages work wonders, namely in eliminating toxins and fighting free radicals that could otherwise cause cancer.
4. They reduce inflammation - cabbages are packed with nutrients that can help prevent swelling in the body and therefore reduce chronic inflammation.
5. They boost heart health - cabbage binds with bile acids in your stomach, which means they're not absorbed into your body. This also means the cholesterol they contain leave the body through the intestines instead of being absorbed!
Not that I'm intending to neglect the other ingredients in this tasty recipe...I just really love cabbage! But let's get back on track. You may find it hard to believe how easy these chips were to make. I promise you I'm giving you the exact easy peasy recipe I used. All it takes is less than 10 ingredients altogether!
Cabbage Chips
10 red cabbage leaves
Celtic sea salt
oregano leaves
1. Tear the cabbage leaves into two or three pieces.
2. Blanch cabbage leaves in boiling water then rinse under cold water.
3. Drain leaves and dry with paper towels.
4. Season with salt and oregano.
5. Bake at 100 C (fan-forced) for at least two hours - even more if you want them extra crispy.
Sweet Potato Chips
4 gold sweet potatoes, very finely sliced into rounds
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
Celtic sea salt
lemon myrtle
1. Combine oil, salt, and lemon myrtle in a bowl.
2. Toss sweet potato rounds in dressing until evenly coated.
3. Bake at 180 C (fan-forced) for at least half an hour, flipping regularly.
Kale Chips
10 kale leaves, washed, torn and dried thoroughly
2 tbsp coconut oil
Celtic sea salt
1. Combine oil and salt.
2. Toss kale thoroughly in oil until evenly coated.
3. Bake at 150 C (fan-forced) for 10 minutes until crisp.
Coconut Ginger Lemon Dip
1/2 cup coconut cream
1/2 tsp ground ginger
fresh juice from 1 lemon
2 tbsp brazil nut butter
handful of activated raw pistachios
1. Blend all ingredients in a blender.
2. Top with chopped pistachios and hemp seeds.
*These are best eaten fresh and the recipe is easy enough that you can make them fresh all the time!
Cauliflower Rice in Cabbage Cups with Curry Sauce
Last week at Murwillumbah Markets the bright, beautiful leaves of a local red cabbage caught my eye and before I knew it my market bag was graced with its striking purple presence. Oh what fun, delightful recipe ideas filled this salad lover's mind!
That same morning at the markets, I picked up a fresh jar of Nudgel Nuts macadamia butter. I've been obsessed with maca butter since I first discovered the Nudgel Nuts stand a couple of years ago. Sometimes I have maca butter with every meal, and sometimes I just eat it by the spoonful straight out of the jar (call me an extremist, but I'd rather go by the title of maca butter enthusiast).
This morning, my weekly adventure to Currumbin Valley Harvest left me laden with veggies - this recipe is made up almost entirely of ingredients from both Murwillumbah Markets and Currumbin Valley Harvest. I strongly believe in the importance of low food miles, not only for freshness but also to support local farmers.
These cabbage cups are quick and easy, with a flavoursome, tangy macadamia butter sauce - any excuse to show a little maca butter love!
Ingredients (makes 5 cups)
Cabbage Cups
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 mini eggplants, diced
handful of snow peas, chopped
fresh juice of half a lemon
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cauliflower head
5 red cabbage leaves
coriander leaves and hemp seeds for garnish
Curry Sauce
3 tbsp macadamia butter
1/2 cup coconut cream
1/4 tsp Hawaiian red alaea salt
fresh juice of half a lemon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1. Cook the spring onions and garlic in coconut oil for a few minutes, until fragrant.
2. Add tomatoes, eggplant, snow peas, lemon juice, thyme and salt and cook for 10 minutes, until eggplant is tender.
3. While the veggies are cooking, blend cauliflower into rice using a blender or food processor on low speed.
4. Add cauliflower rice to veggies and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
5. Blend all sauce ingredients until smooth and well combined.
6. Scoop cauliflower rice into cabbage leaves, drizzle with sauce, and top with coriander and hemp seeds.
*You can also grate the cauliflower to achieve a rice consistency.
Carrot and Chard Bread
I have a big bag of hemp flour in my pantry that a generous friend gave to me (knowing that I'm a big fan of hemp) so I'm always thinking of ways to incorporate hemp flour into my baking. I also threw some bright veggies into the mix for extra nutrition as I'm all about eating the rainbow!
The ruby chard is from Sylva Lining Organics - Sylva is a super friendly farmer who has a stall at Murwillumbah Markets every Wednesday morning. She's taught me so much about so many different greens. Ruby chard has all the benefits of kale, but tastes sweeter, and in my opinion, is way prettier!
I do love bread, so you may see a few bread recipes pop up from me, since I find it so difficult to buy Sisi-friendly bread. It's one of my favourite things to experiment with!
If you have any other suggestions as to how I can use my hemp flour I'd love to hear them! Please feel free to comment below.
Ingredients (makes 4-5 servings)
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 small bunch of ruby chard, leaves shredded and stems chopped
1 and a 1/2 cups of raw brazil nuts, ground (be careful not to grind it into butter)
1/4 cup hemp flour
1/2 cup of flax seeds, ground in a coffee grinder
1 and a 1/2 cups filtered water
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 tbsp tahini
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
few drops of Young Living "Taste of Italy" essential oil blend
hemp, pumpkin and sunflower seeds for topping
1. Mix ground flax and water together, then refrigerate for 10 minutes to thicken.
2. Prepare veggies while flax is thickening.
3. Combine flax gel, coconut oil, and tahini.
4. Add ground nuts and hemp flour and mix well.
5. Mix in veggies, essential oil, rosemary, and salt.
6. Pour into a baking tin and top with seeds.
7. Bake at 170C (fan-forced) for an hour.
8. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.
*Best served toasted with avocado or nut butter.
Raw Lemon Detox Balls
You've probably heard of the lemon detox diet (not one that I recommend), but have you heard of Sisi-friendly lemon detox balls? They provide the same detoxifying effects without robbing your body of the nutrition you need. In fact, these seedy, fruity balls are packed with superfoods to nourish your body!
Ingredients
1/4 cup medjool dates
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup prunes
1/4 cup goji berries
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup sprouted raw buckwheat
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup poppy seeds
juice and rind of a bush lemon
desiccated coconut for rolling
1. Process seeds and buckwheat in a food processor until a meal/flour consistency is achieved. Set aside.
2. Process dried fruit until it all clumps together.
3. Add seed meal, lemon juice and lemon rind and process until well combined.
4. Form your mix into balls and roll in desiccated coconut.
5. Refrigerate balls to firm up before serving.
*You can also store these in the freezer (if you don't devour them all in one go!).
Fennel and Sweet Potato Soup
It's hard to believe with the glorious sunny weather we've been having on the Gold Coast, but it's still officially winter here! The chilly mornings make me crave warm comfort food like this hearty soup. The secret ingredient to its tantalising aroma is a special essential oil blend that is fast becoming a favourite in savoury cooking for me. Fennel is also a favourite of mine - it's an excellent source of vitamin C, which is vital for the immune system and has strong antioxidant-promoting effects.
This recipe is vegan, gluten-free and soy-free!
Ingredients (makes 2-3 servings):
1 fennel bulb plus stems and fronds
1 eschallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small chunk of fresh turmeric, finely chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
6 cups filtered water
6 drops Young Living "Taste of Italy" essential oil blend
fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Celtic sea salt to taste
1. Saute eschallot, garlic and turmeric in coconut oil until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
2. Add all fennel bits and saute for another 7 minutes.
3. Add sweet potato, rosemary, water and essential oil blend and simmer until sweet potato is cooked, about 15 minutes.
4. Cool slightly and blend in high-speed blender until smooth.
5. Garnish with parsley and coconut cream.
Note: you can replace the eschallot with red or brown onion.
Raw Blueberry and Lime Macadamia Cheesecake
I was blessed to be in Hawaii for 16 days in April, helping out at a free community health expo and presenting health seminars. While I was there, I really wanted to make a raw cheesecake for our team as there were many team members who had never tried raw desserts before! Needless to say, they all enjoyed the experience!
Photo credit: Taj Pacleb Photography
Some of them went a bit crazy at cake o'clock!
Photo credit: Beejay Crisostomo
I wanted to create something using iconic Hawaiian ingredients, which is why I chose macadamias instead of cashews. I'd always thought macadamias were an Aussie nut, but it turns out Hawaii has a $40 million macadamia nut industry!
Photo credit: Earl Kapule
Trust and believe me when I tell you this recipe is yummy, creamy, zesty, and fruity - please try it yourself!
Crust:
💟 1 cup raw macadamias, activated (soaked in water for several hours)
💟 4 cups raw cashews, activated
💟 10 medjool dates, pitted
💟 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1⃣ Process 2 cups of nuts (set remaining 3 cups aside for filling) with dates and coconut (save some for garnish) in a food processor until well blended and sticky.
2⃣ Press mixture into the lined base of a 9" springform cake tin.
3⃣ Set aside in freezer.
Filling:
💟 fresh juice of 2 limes
💟 1/2 cup coconut nectar
💟 1 cup coconut oil
💟 1/4 tsp pure Hawaiian sea salt
1⃣ Blend the remaining nuts, lime juice, coconut nectar, coconut oil, and salt until very smooth (I alternated between food processor and Vitamix to get the consistency right).
2⃣ Pour mixture onto base and distribute evenly with spatula.
3⃣ Freeze overnight.
Topping:
💟 3 cups frozen blueberries
💟 8 dates
💟 1/4 cup coconut oil
💟 1/4 cup almond milk
1⃣ Blend all ingredients until smooth.
2⃣ Pour onto filling and freeze for a few hours.
3⃣ Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving and garnish with coconut.
✴️ Please don't substitute the coconut oil with any other oil - it's the secret ingredient to getting the cake to set. All other ingredients can be adjusted according to your taste. All ingredients purchased from Down to Earth Organic and Natural retailers, my favourite stores in Hawaii!
✅ Coconut oil actually raises HDL (good cholesterol), despite the bad rap it's had over the years - previous studies that condemned it were performed on partially hydrogenated coconut oil rather than raw, cold-pressed virgin coconut oil.
Give it a go and treat yourself, or surprise a friend with a deliciously healthy birthday cake!
Sisi xo