Ingredients:

1 cup cooked black eyed beans
1 cup chopped tomato
1 small red onion – thinly sliced
1 cup roast pumpkin
1 green chilli – finely chopped
2 tbsp tamarind pulp
1 lime – juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 clove garlic – crushed
Salt and pepper – to taste

Method:

1. Wash and cook black eyed beans in 2 cups of water if using pressure cooker (for 10 minutes) or in 3 cups of water if cooking in a saucepan.
2 In the meantime put pumkin pieces garlic, oil and salt and pepper in a plastic container with a lid and shake.
3. Grill garlic coated pumpkin pieces for 10 minutes.
4. In a larhe bowl add drained beans, grilled pumpkin and remaining ingredients.
5. Toss and served garnishes with chupped parsley.

Delicious on its own, black eyed bean medley can be served as a side dish with rice or flat bread.

Tip: Cooked black eyed beans can be frozen and used for making soups and some of the other dishes in eveganrecipes.com

Frozen beans are a much healthier alternative to the canned beans.

The humble rice pudding satisfies every palate without the overload of calories and can be frequently enjoyed as a guilt free gastronomic experience.

Ingredients:

1L (4 cups) vegan milk (soy or almond)

165g (3/4 cup) medium-grain rice

½ cup almond meal

¼ tsp ground cardamom

220g (1 cup) caster sugar

Mango Coulis:

2 cups cubes fresh mango

1 tsp white sugar or more to taste

Basic Rice Pudding:

Step 1: Place the milk and washed rice in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Step 2: Add almond meal, sugar and cardamom powder. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to the boil. Boil for a further 2 minutes or until the rice is soft and the mixture thickens. The rice can be broken into smaller granules by running the stick blender for few seconds for a smoother texture.

Step 3: For a winter warming experience serve immediately. For a chilled version allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for few hours. Serve with mango coulis and garnished with flaked almonds.

How to Make Mango Coulis

Prepare mango coulis by pureeing the mango with sugar until smooth. If too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time, using just enough to make pourable. Drizzle over rice pudding when served.

Variations to Serve:

Almost every cuisine has a version of rice pudding although with normal milk. But the vegan version is just as tasty if not tastier.

Commonly rice pudding is enjoyed infused with vanilla and nutmeg. Some of the other combinations are:

Rice pudding with lychees

Caramel Coconut rice pudding

Citrus rice pudding

Fluffy banana rice pudding

Rose water rice pudding

Rice pudding with apricot compote

Cinnamon spiced rice-pudding

Rich in flavour and wonderfully creamy in texture, this satisfying rice pudding can be transformed in many ways into a modern version of a popular old favourite.

Modern science now also considers that mung beans can help clear toxins from the body, including environmental toxins and chemicals. The Indian Ayurveda approach to health ensorses mung Beans as one of the most cherished foods as it is believed they help create balance with all body types. Also, if you are looking for a vegetarian source of protein, mung bean sprouts are a food source to count on.

The sprouting process makes Vitamin C available which is not found in the seed.

Mung beans contain protease inhibitors and are known to help cancer patients. Other enzymes presentin beans help regulate hormonal activity during menopause.Mung beans are a low glycemic index food, which means the beans are a diabetic friendly food.

Delcious raw, bean sprouts can be used in different recipes, such as mung bean noodles, mung bean cake, mung bean rice, mung bean soup, mung bean desserts and even mung bean wine.

Sprouting can be done at home and requires very little effort. See video above for sprouting instructions. The pictures contain mung and black chick peas, available from Indian grocery store.

Quick High Protein Bean Sprout Recipe

This recipe requires only 5 minutes of cooking. All ingredients should be measured and kept ready prior to commencing the cooking. The freshness of sprouts, herbs and spices is best tasted with minimal cooking.

Ingredients:

Sprouted Mung or Mixed Beans – 2 1/2 lbs
Onion – 1 large, chopped
Garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Ginger paste – 2 tbsp
Cumin – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric – 3/4 tbsp
Chili powder – 1/2 tbsp
Cumin powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1-3 tbsp
Coriander – to garnish
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Salt – 1 tbsp (or to taste)

Method:

In a non stick pan or wok, heat the oil and add the cumin and stir until cumin releases its aroma. Add chopped onions and fry until transluscent. Add ginger and garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds. Add dry spices – turmeric, chili powder, cumin and coriander powders and saute for another 30 seconds. Add mung bean sprouts and stir until beans are covers with spice.

Turn the heat off add lemon juice and stir. Serve garnished with chopped coriander.

The seeds can help your health in different ways. If you don’t have any diseases that it can help treat, it is still a good addition to the diet as it can aid in the prevention of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and depression. It works to prevent and treat these diseases by regulating the sugar content of the blood the sodium content and the cholesterol content. Since chia seeds are high in fiber and omega 3 fatty acids they are also helpful for relieving constipation and creating a regularized bowel movement.

If you are interested in chia seeds for health you will be happy to know that your decision to include chia seeds in your diet is now backed by many doctors or dieticians.

If you’ve never used them before, chia seeds are from a plant of the mint family. These tiny seeds can be white or black. I often use the black variety. The beautiful thing about them is that you can consume them without cooking. Just soaking them overnight in non-dairy milk of your choice such as almond, coconut, soya, rice milk or simply soak them in water. Soak a tablespoon Chia seeds to half a cup of liquid, they swell up multifold and look like a gel. Quite bland in taste, they can be sweetened with agave, maple syrup or a spoon of sugar. Serve chia gel with your favourite fruits. Fresh mango and blueberries are without a doubt aesthetically and gastronomically divine!

Chia seeds have got every positive you can think of, they have the taste, nutrition, health and medicinal properties. I must say the look can be created with a little bit of imagination and creativity too. The scrumptious chia breakfast recipe in the image took very little effort. It could easily be served as a dessert too – versatile!
Give it go and let us know your experience with chia seeds.

Potatoes have so much goodness sealed in them and when cooked thoughtfully they are a great accompaniment to many dishes or consumed on their own. The great thing with this dish is that the potatoes are washed and boiled with their skin on, so the goodness remains within during the cooking process. The dish uses dried mango powder which is available in Indian grocery shop. If you have not been to one yet, you will be fascinated by the various ingredients available. I love the Indian herbs and spices especially since I discovered their healing properties.

Ingredients 

 6 medium potatoes

4 tbsp oil

1 tsp roasted cumin seeds

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp crushed coriander seeds

1/3 tsp dry mango powder

2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander

½ tsp ginger paste

½ tsp garlic paste

1 green chilli chopped

1 medium onion, slices

Method:

1. In a saucepan, boil whole potatoes immersed in water until cooked (test by piercing a skewer or a knife, it should slide through)
2. Allow to cool, then peel and chop potatoes into bites size pieces. No need to use the knife for peeling, pinch one bit and peel off the rest with fingers.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and sauté till it changes colour.
4. Add chopped green chilli, onion pieces, ginger garlic paste and fry for 2mins.
   Add salt, red chilli powder, crushed coriander seeds and dry mango powder.
5. Throw in potato cubes and stir carefully till the spices cover all the potato cubes well.
6. Add coriander leaves and stir. Serve hot.

This is a versatile dish which can be served as a side dish or can be eaten as a snack in-between meals with a squeeze of lemon juice. I often use it as a filling in a spinach wrap (tortilla) with humus and tabouli.

Fill it in normal bread slices and toast in a hot sandwich press drizzled with olive oil and serve with a sauce of your choice.

Tips: reduce the amount of spices to suit your family’s taste. If your kids are not used to very spicy flavours, start off with a mild version but I can guarantee that in no time they will demand more and more of this. This is a much healthier alternative to French fries and surely you will not mind your children eating it day in day out.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• ¼ of a butternut pumpkin
• ½ medium sized sweet potato
• 2 medium potatoes
• ½ a head of broccoli
• ½ cup of frozen peas
• 1 carrot
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 tbsp chopped cashews
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• 2 tbsp vegetable Oil
• 1 teaspoons curry powder (or to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 sheets frozen puff pastry
• Soy milk and olive oil wash
• olive oil spray

How I cook them:

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

1. Pre-heat oven to 180̊C.
2. Cut vegetables into cubes and steam until tender.
3. Saute onion in a non-stick pan or a wok until transparent.
4. Add cashews, salt and pepper and curry powder to taste.
5. Mix in cooked vegetables and mash then lightly.
6. Allow the mixture to cool down then leave it covered for 30 minutes in the fridge.
7. Lay out frozen puff pastry and allow to soften. Cut each sheet into four.
8. Place one tablespoon of vegetable mixture on each quarter.
9. Roll into a little tube, closing the ends by pressing down with a fork.
10. Spray baking trays with oil spray or line the trays with baking paper and place rolls on trays.
11. Stab the rolls with a fork a few times for good measure.
12. Paint each roll with soy milk and olive oil wash. Sprinkle poppy seeds for a pretty look.
13. Cook till golden brown and crispy, appx 30 minutes.
14. Serve with your favourite sauce.

Other way to have them straight from the oven without too much effort is to freeze the unbaked puffs. When you want to enjoy them in a rush, just take out from the freezer and straight into the oven.

I love them with hot peri peri sauce, however sweet chilli, tomato and mint sauce go really well with it.

Tips: Use vegetables of your choice. Cauliflower, green beans and mushrooms also go very well in the veggie puffs.

Fresh herbs such as coriander and parsley enhance the flavour big time. Mix the chopped herbs in the mixture. But not to stress if you don’t have the herbs handy.

It has been prized for centuries, both in its native countries and in the West, despite the difficulty of transporting it before the advent of modern technology. Mangosteen was once brought all the way around the world so that it could be sampled by QueenVictoria. Its health benefits were first written about as long ago as the 18th century. New scientific studies of mangosteen fruit prove that these benefits aren’t just mythical.

Chronic inflammation–triggered by everything from the typical Western diet of processed, sugary foods to irritated bowels, inflamed gums, and autoimmune disease–can be detected with tests that measure levels of C-reactive protein (an inflammation marker) and white blood cell counts. You don’t need a test, however, to take proactive steps against inflammation. A diet high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, spices like turmeric, magnesium-rich foods, olive oil, and omega-3 fatty acids all help douse the flames.

Mangosteen juice is another “firefighter”. What sets this tangerine-size fruit apart are its high levels of xanthones, powerful antioxidants that have garnered growing attention from medical researchers. So far, they’ve isolated 220 types of xanthones–42 of which are found in mangosteen.

What are Xanthones?

The primary active components of the mangosteen fruit are called xanthones. Xanthones are a recently discovered class of polyphenolic compounds that are biologically active and structurally similar to bioflavanoids. These compounds occur only rarely in nature, with the majority being found in only two families of plants. Two hundred naturally occurring xanthones have so far been identified. Around forty of them have been discovered in the mangosteen fruit.

Health Benefits of Mangosteen

Different parts of mangosteen fruit and plant were used in the treatment of various diseases and disorders. While the dried powder of mangosteen rind was used in the treatment of dysentery, its paste was used to treat eczema and some other skin disorders. A decoction made of mangosteen rind was used to treat diarrhea, whereas a decoction made of mangosteen roots was used for regulating menstruation. In thePhilippines, people used to make a decoction of mangosteen leaves and bark, which was beneficial in bringing down body temperature and also to treat thrush, dysentery, diarrhea and urinary disorders.

Mangosteen is a powerful fruit that can help you in so many ways! It however is not the only super fruit that the Earth has provided us. There are others. Others like Acai, Goji, Gac, Lychee and Pomegranate.

Guacamole Bruschetta Recipe

Serves: 12-15 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 6 min

Ingredients:

½ loaf French bread
1 clove garlic
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tomatoes (preferably Roma variety), medium chopped
2 avocados, medium chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup basil (torn into small pieces)
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
½ teaspoon sea salt or celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon coarsely crushed black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Slice the French bread on the diagonal into ½” rounds and place on a baking sheet.

Toast the sliced bread in the oven for 3 minutes, then flip each piece over and toast an additional 3 minutes.

Remove the toasted bread from the oven and immediately rub with the clove of garlic (it works best to first cut a small tip off the garlic clove so that the oils will seep out).

Brush the tops of the garlic-rubbed toasts with olive oil and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix together gently making sure the avocado is well coated in the lime juice.

Spoon a portion of the mixture onto each of the garlic toasts and serve.

And how can you go wrong with this arsenal of flavour-packed ingredients? The crunchy French bread serves as the perfect host to the avocado mixture, which is overflowing with fresh lime juice, tomatoes and chopped basil. The French bread can be substituted with gourmet crackers or toasted garlic bagels, possibilities are just endless!

Craving for more? Stay tuned with the latest in vegan on my facebook page.

Waffles are fun to make and the flavour combinations are endless. Everyone can think of and make the classic sweet waffles like chocolate, peanut banana bread, blueberry, vanilla and cinnamon-swirl however if you think outside the box savoury waffles can add a great dimension to breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Savoury waffles are a creative replacement for breads and biscuits. Not to mention the goodness that can disguise in them if you choose the ingredients thoughtfully.

These Herbed Savoury Waffles are studded with cozy bits of cashews and flavourful herbs like parsley.

Goodnees of vegies wrapped with all those crispy waffle nooks and crannies, these waffles are a delight for all in any meal. This recipes makes about 8 small waffles.

Dry Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Wet Ingredients:

1 grated carrot

1 grated zucchini

1/4 cup cooking oil (vegetable, rice bran or sunflower)

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp flaxseed meal soaked in 1/4 cup water

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (soya, rice or almond)

Fold-in Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw cashews soaked and crushed

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

2 Tbsp mixed herb blend or 1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1-2 crushed green chillies (depending on the intensity)

Directions:

1. Toss the dry ingredients
2. Add in the wet ingredients, mix well.
3. Fold in the fold-ins. Depending on the water content in vegetables you may need to add a bit of water. The consistency of the batter should be wet yet slightly thick and chunky.
4. Add a few spoonfuls of batter to a hot waffle iron. Cook through.
5. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

The finished waffles shoule be warm and crispy on the outside and chewy on inside.

Serve with sauce or gravy of your choice.

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My splurge-worthy AM meal-pancakes, every Sunday morning when I was a kid the menu included two things: freshly squeezed OJ and fluffy fresh apple pancakes – made using the apples bought from the farmers’ markets.

And just because pancakes are indeed a carb-fest, that doesn’t mean they can’t have a few redeeming qualities. Pancakes can easily be infused with plenty of nutritious ingredients like fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds and more.

Buckwheat Pancakes:

Ingredients

110g (3/4 cup) gluten-free all-purpose flour mix

110g (3/4 cup) buckwheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

250ml (1 cup) rice milk

2 tbsp grond flax seeds

2 tsp pure maple syrup

oil to grease

Step 1

Sift the combined flours and baking powder into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Whisk together the milk, ground flax seed and maple syrup in a jug. Gradually add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest.

Step 2

Brush a large non-stick frying pan with oil to lightly grease and heat over medium heat. Pour two 60ml (1/4-cup) portions of batter into the pan, allowing room for spreading. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface and pancakes are golden underneath. Turn and cook for a further 1-2 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm. Repeat, in 5 more batches, with the remaining batter to make 12 pancakes.

Step 3

Divide pancakes among plates, top with topping of your choice (peanut butter, nutella, maple syrup, fruits etc.) and serve immediately.

These pancakes go really well with stewed cinnamon apples, quite simple to make and can stored in the frig for upto a week.

Cinnamon apples (optional):

5 red apples, quartered, cored, peeled

185ml (3/4 cup) water

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Cut each apple quarter in half lengthways.

2. Place in a large saucepan with the water, maple syrup and cinnamon and bring to the boil over high heat.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until apple is tender.

4. Use a slotted spoon to transfer half the apple to a heatproof bowl.

5. Use a hand blender to blend remaining apple in the pan until smooth.

6. Add the reserved apple and set aside.

Tip: if you’re not fussed about gluten-free, then a flours can be substituted for whole wheat or plain (all-purpose) flour.

There you have it…nutritious pancakes in minutes! The beautiful part is that all ingredients can be kept handy in the pantry, so as you feel the desire for these hot and scrumptious pancakes you can decide to cook on the spot without having to spend energy visiting the super market.