Banana Blondie with Chocolate [gluten free / vegan*]

My adventure with cooking really started with baking in my early teens. That is why it is difficult for me to imagine never eating cakes. However - since I know that cakes are better for your taste buds than your waistline - I try to test out healthier options where plain white flour is replaced by wholemeal or by almond flour. If possible, I also swap butter for healthy oil (e.g. rapeseed, though it doesn’t always work due to its strong smell), and I always try to use less sugar.

So I was extremely happy when I came across a recipe for blondies that neither requires butter nor flour. To make it vegan, I made some additional changes and at the end the cake turned out great: moist and fudgy. 

I know you may be skeptical about cakes without eggs, flour or butter. And I agree that they taste differently. But differently doesn't always mean bad. So even if you are one of the people thinking that vegan cakes are not really for you as they are “too healthy”, I think you will be nicely surprised.

* The cake is 100% vegan if you use vegan chocolate.

INGREDIENTS (for 16 small pieces):

2 bananas,

120g rolled oats,

1tsp baking powder,

40g demerara sugar,

60ml maple syrup,

150g smooth peanut butter,

1 tsp vanilla extract,

100g coconut cream (the thick part of the coconut milk that collects on top of a tin),

40g chopped chocolate (if the cake has to be 100% vegan, use vegan chocolate).

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C for fan ovens) and line a 14x24cm (or similar small) baking tin with parchment paper.
2. Put all the ingredients except for the chocolate to a food processor and process till smooth.
3. Add the majority of the chocolate pieces to the batter and stir.
4. Pour it into the prepared tin, smooth the top and sprinkle with the rest of chocolate.
5. Put the tin to the hot oven for 20-25 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

This cake was inspired by Cafe Delites recipe.

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Chocolate Chia Pudding with Raspberries [vegan]

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, chia is still a novelty ingredient for me and I am fascinated by it: it is almost difficult to believe that so much goodness can be hidden in such tiny seeds, and dietary fiber is one of them. Since 34% of Chia is dietary fiber, it makes it one of the best sources in the world.

All types of plant food include dietary fiber – components that our body cannot absorb or digest so they go through our digestive system almost intact. And what it means to us is that high fiber food, in general, has less calories for the same volume as other types of food, which helps maintain a healthy weight.

Based on dissolving (or not) in water, there are 2 types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Chia seeds are a great source of soluble fiber which is very beneficial to us because:

• it reduces the risk of heart diseases by helping to lower the blood cholesterol and
• it reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by slowing down the absorption of sugar.

Adults should daily consume 20-35g of dietary fiber. If we consider having recommended 2 tablespoons of chia seeds (25-30g) per day, that tiny amount will provide us with approx. 40% of recommended daily intake of fiber in one go!

Since chia is so beneficial to our health then why not start a day with a delicious and easy to prepare chia breakfast? Which in truth is so good, it could be also served as a dessert.

INGREDIENTS (for 1 breakfast or 2 dessert portions):

125ml almond milk,

2 tbsp chia seeds,

1 tsp cacao powder,

4 tsp maple syrup,

100g raspberries.

METHOD:

1. Pour the chia seeds into a small bowl with the almond milk, stir well with a fork and put to a fridge for min. 1.5 hours or overnight. If possible, stir again after 15 min.
2. Add the cocoa powder and 2 tsp of the maple syrup to the chia and stir well.
3. Liquidise or mash the raspberries with the 2 tsp of maple syrup.
4. Serve in a glass layered chocolate chia and raspberries.

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Roasted Tomato Soup [vegan]

Tomato soup is probably the second favorite soup in Poland, just after rosół (chicken broth). Typically, the Polish version is rather thin, there is even a joke that on Sunday you have rosół, on Monday you have tomato soup as it is just a question of adding tomato purée to the chicken broth. It is not quite true (but it may be if you are in a rush!) as you can make it with fresh tomatoes and it does taste great then.

But I have always preferred thicker soups. So I make mine with plenty of tomatoes but also red peppers, onions and garlic. Roasting all these vegetables adds a really intense flavor which is so important especially in winter when – unfortunately – many tomatoes don’t really have taste. After liquidizing the vegetables, you can adjust the amount of stock to your liking: add more if you prefer to serve the soup with pasta but if you – just like me – prefer a thick soup, add only 750ml of the stock. This way you will end up with beautiful, flavorsome and creamy result.

INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 portions):

1kg tomatoes, cut into quarters,

250g red peppers, deseeded and cut into quarters,

2 red onions, peeled and cut into quarters,

4 garlic cloves, peeled,

2 tbps olive oil,

1 tsp sugar,

salt and pepper,

750-1000ml vegetable stock.

METHOD:

1. Preheat an oven to 190 degrees (170 for fan ovens).
2. Put all the vegetables to a baking tin, pour the olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar, stir and put to the hot oven to roast for approx. 50 minutes.
3. Liquidize the vegetables.
4. Add the required amount of stock, bring to boil.
5. The soup can be served with a drop of cream or/and pasta.

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Healthy Chocolate Mousse with Chia Seeds [vegan]

I have heard many times about a chocolate mousse made with avocado and was really intrigued by the idea. Even though I often find avocados very uncooperative - they can be too hard for days and then suddenly one day they are already overripe: brown and not looking appetizing at all - I still like them a lot. But to use them in a chocolate mousse?! The only way that I could convince myself this whole idea would work, was to make such a mousse myself.

When I made it for the first time, to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure about the result. But other family members who tried it, liked it a lot. So I gave the mousse a second chance. I adjusted the amounts of ingredients, I also decided to make it even healthier by adding chia seeds. This time I absolutely loved it: nice, chocolatey and creamy. Even though the portion seems to be small, it is quite filling. And another advantage of this mousse is that you can have it either as a healthy dessert or healthy breakfast. And who could say no to a guilt-free but super-healthy chocolate mousse for breakfast?

INGREDIENTS (for 1 portion):

1 tbsp chia seeds,

75ml coconut milk,

0.5 avocado,

1 banana,

3 Medjool dates (or 6 normal dates, soaked beforehand in hot water for 10 minutes),

2 tsp cocoa powder,

Raspberries (fresh or frozen) or other berries to serve.

METHOD:

1. In the evening put the chia seeds and the coconut milk to a cup, stir and put to a fridge for the night.
2. In the morning place the avocado, banana, dates and cocoa powder in a food processor or blender and process till smooth.
3. In a small glass/bowl put half of the chocolate mousse on the bottom, cover it with majority of the chia and coconut mixture, then place the other half of the mousse and the rest of chia seeds.
4. Decorate with raspberries.

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Plant Based Diet - is it safe to be Vegetarian?

I have never been much of carnivore: I could do without meat for days on end. But I do enjoy good meat or poultry dishes like Peking duck or roast lamb when I have it every now and then. That is probably why I never considered becoming a vegetarian myself and didn't even know there were actually a few variations of plant based diets:

			TYPE OF	FOOD
TYPE OF DIET	Plant-based	Dairy	Eggs	Fish	Polutry	Red meat
Vegans
Lacto vegetarians
Lacto-ovo vegetarians
Quasivegetarians (pescatarians)
"Far" vegetarians					occasionally
Semi vegetarians (flexitarians)					occasionally	occasionally

When my daughter announced she wanted to become a vegetarian, firstly I wanted to change her mind as I didn’t think it was safe for a teenager not to eat meat at all. But when I did not succeed in convincing her, I simply had to learn more about it as it is better the devil you know.

Proteins were my major concern at the beginning as they contain nine essential amino acids necessary for our body tissue to function properly and all animal products (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and diary) are their obvious source. However I have learnt there are luckily some plant foods that also include all the essential amino acids: soy products (tofu, edamame, tempeh, soy milk), quinoa and spirulina. Additionally, if you combine plant food that doesn’t contain the complete proteins with other (complimentary) foods, you can supply your body with the essential amino acids. Such combinations include amongst others: beans & rice, hummus & pita bread, tofu & rice, beans & corn, beans & tortilla, lentils & bulgur, peas & bread etc.

Even though getting enough proteins doesn’t seem to be a problem when you don’t eat meat, there are some nutrients that should be especially considered by vegetarians as not eating animal products may make it more difficult to obtain the required amounts. Here are the nutrients and also tips how to make sure a vegetarian gets enough of them:

Iron – although it exists in plant food, it is not as easily absorbed as iron found in animal food. So vegetarians should consume about 80% more iron than non-vegetarians. Soybeans, beans, legumes and fortified grains are good sources of iron. It is worth noting that Vitamin C intensifies absorption of iron.

Zinc – similarly to iron its plant “version” is less bio-available than the animal one. It is found in whole grains, legumes, soy products and nuts.

Calcium – vegetarians consuming dairy products are likely to get enough calcium but vegans may experience some deficiencies. Calcium fortified products as well as soy milk, tofu, leafy greens and broccoli may be a solution.

Vitamin D is mainly found in animal products, that is why vegans should consume Vitamin D fortified foods and expose themselves to sun (obviously without taking a risk of skin cancer!), otherwise tablet supplements might be required.

Vitamin B2 is found mainly in milk (so lactovegetarians should not have a problem with providing their bodies with sufficient amounts). If vegans’ diet is varied and they eat enough green vegetables, whole grains and fortified foods, they probably will get enough.

Vitamin B12 is found only in animal products so solution for vegans is either fortified food, or tablet supplements.

Omega-3 fatty acids are mainly found in fish products. Vegetarians not consuming fish may get some of omega 3 fatty acids from walnuts, soy, algae and flax-seed and fortified food.

Iodine typically is present in dairy products and seafood so vegans and some vegetarians may not get enough of it. That is why they should opt for iodized salt as a solution.

As it can be seen, people who completely eliminate animal products from their diet (vegans) may suffer some deficiencies of vitamin B-12 and D as well as of calcium, iron, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids. Therefore taking tablet supplements may be necessary. For other types of plant-based diets, if meals are well balanced and some fortified food is consumed, this problem may not appear at all.

So far I have only mentioned possible areas of concern of plant based diets but are there any health benefits? If a vegetarian diet is mainly based on nutrient dense food (whole products), it will result in lots of health benefits like lowering BMI, blood pressure and bad cholesterol as well as lowering risk of many chronic diseases e.g. type 2 diabetes, stroke, hypertension and some types of cancer.

So the answer to the question from the title is yes, it is safe to be vegetarian. In truth it may even be advisable to be vegetarian. But if you are still not ready to completely eliminate meat from your diet to take advantage from all the health benefits, please note that even reducing intake of red meat to less than 42g per day could reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cancer diseases and mortality by 8-9%. I think this small change could make a huge difference and certainly is worth making. 

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Mexican Salad with Avocado, Tomato and Red Beans [vegan]

I called this salad Mexican but in truth it could also be called Guacamole Salad because it uses more or less the same ingredients as the ones that are required to make this well-known dip. However – to make it more filling so it can be a proper, nutritious lunch option - I also added red beans.

Even though I know that eating salads are more associated with spring and summer, this one is still a good option for autumn or even winter, since the addition of red chilies (the amount of which you can always adjust) will surely warm you up ;)

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

2 big tomatoes, cut into cubes,

2 avocados, cut into cubes,

1 can of red beans,

1 small red onion, thinly chopped,

chopped coriander,

red chili, thinly chopped (the amount used depends on you but it is better to start with less at the beginning and then slowly add),

Dressing:

2 tbsp lime juice,

3 tbsp olive oil,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Put all the salad ingredients to a bowl.
2. Make the dressing by mixing the ingredients.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad, season and stir.

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Tabbouleh – Healthy Parsley Salad [vegan/vegetarian]

If somebody had told me, when I was a child, that years later I would not only eat but really enjoy a salad in which parsley was a main ingredient, I would have never believed them. My mother added chopped parsley to many soups and sauces and I really didn’t like it. In truth, I didn’t understand why she was doing it. So when I started cooking myself, I would always omit that – unnecessary in my opinion – ingredient.

But a few years ago, I tried Tabbouleh in a Lebanese restaurant and was surprised how delicious a Parsley Salad could be. I also know now how healthy it is: parsley is an excellent source of Vitamins K, C and A as well as folate and iron.

Tabbouleh requires a lot of chopping so a good, sharp knife is very useful but other than that the salad preparation is very straightforward. It can be served along with other mezze (meze) like hummus, olives, babaghanoush, falafel but it also tastes great with grilled or roasted meat.

P.S. In the below recipe I have included ingredients for 2-3 people only because guess what: my daughters don’t like parsley (yet ;-))!

INGREDIENTS (for 2-3 portions):

leaves from 2 bunches of parsley (approx. 40g),

a handful of mint leaves,

300g tomatoes (approx. 2 pieces),

1 shallot,

5 tbsp couscous,

2 tbsp olive oil,

juice from 1 lemon,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Rinse and dry the parsley and mint leaves very well. I dry them in a salad spinner.
2. On a big board, chop them very finely and transfer to a bowl.
3. Chop the tomatoes and shallot finely and put to the bowl with the parsley, add the couscous, stir and leave for 20 minutes.
4. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, seasoning and give it a stir.

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Dhal with Spinach and Green Peas [vegetarian/vegan]

It is thanks to Dhal that I started to appreciate lentils. I used to find them quite bland and uninteresting but when I tried them combined with spices like e.g. turmeric, paprika, ginger or chilli, I realized how tasty and appealing lentils could be.

Tarka Dhal was the first dish of this kind I had many years ago and I simply loved it. And I still do when it is on a table at my home or in a restaurant along with kormas or baltis: moving from one taste to another is just such a wonderful experience. But what to do if there is not enough time to cook more than one dish? Then, I guess, we can cook dhal with some extras like for example spinach and green peas as in the recipe below.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

2 shallots, thinly chopped,

1 tbsp olive oil,

4 garlic cloves, thinly cut,

1 chilli pepper, thinly chopped,

2 tsp grated ginger,

0.5 tsp turmeric,

1 tsp mild paprika,

250g red lentils, rinsed,

600 ml water,

6 tomatoes on the vine, peeled and chopped,

100g frozen green peas,

2 handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped,

Juice from 0.5 lime,

Salt and pepper

METHOD:

1. On a medium heat warm up the olive oil, add the chopped shallots and fry for 1 minute.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli; fry stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes.  Be careful with adding chilli as smaller peppers are spicier than bigger ones. So you may want to add less at the beginning and - depending on how spicy you would like your dish to be – add more later.
3. Add turmeric and paprika fry for 2 minutes more.
4. Stir in the lentils, add water, bring to boil and cook for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time to make sure the Dhal doesn't burn. If necessary, add more water.
5. Add the green peas, lime juice and seasoning and at the end stir in the spinach.

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Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne [vegetarian/vegan]

It was ages ago when I cooked Chilli Con Carne for the first time and it was so easy: I fried some beef, opened a pack of seasoning fix, added tomatoes and red beans and done! Yes, however much I am embarrassed to admit to it now, I used a fix to make that dish. And what is even more embarrassing, when that ready to prepare packet wasn’t available any more... I stopped cooking Chilli Con Carne.

It took me some time to realize I could make it myself from the scratch and it will taste equally good or even better and furthermore - I will know exactly what is in it. Now after years of preparing proper Chilli Con Carne, I had to face another challenge – cook this dish which main ingredient is meat – without the meat and make it taste like Chilli Con Carne. I think I may have succeeded ;-)

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions with leftovers):

2 tbsp olive oil,

1 onion finely chopped,

2 garlic cloves finely chopped,

2 tsp ground cumin,

1.5 chilli powder,

1 tsp salt,

500g mushrooms (champignons) finely chopped,

1 tin (approx. 400g) chopped tomatoes,

200ml tomato passata,
1 tin red beans,

5-10g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa).

To serve:

Sour cream,

Grated Cheddar cheese,

Cooked rice.

METHOD:

1. Heat the olive oil in a big frying pan; add the onions and garlic, sweat on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. Add the cumin and chilli, fry for a minute.
3. Add the mushrooms and fry for 3-5 minutes.
4. Add chopped tomatoes, passata, salt and fry for 10-15 minutes till the sauce thickens.
5. Add chocolate, red beans and adjust the seasoning. Serve on a bed of cooked rice with a dollop of sour cream and grated cheese on top.

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Aromatic Iranian One Pot Dish with Split Peas (vegetarian/vegan)

Cinnamon was probably the first spice I was introduced to, at least this is what I can remember! When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to cook for me semolina sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, she also used to bake yeast cakes with apples and cinnamon; so this spice has been present in my life from very early on. And now it is still probably my favourite one as there are so many dishes I cook that wouldn’t taste the same without it.

This Iranian dish is one of them: when I cook it, the wonderful aroma of cinnamon spreads around the kitchen and other parts of the house and makes all of us want to eat it immediately. However in case of this meal, waiting really pays off because it is not only super tasty and aromatic but also – thanks to the pomegranate seeds – it looks absolutely stunning.

INGREDIENTS (4 portions):

2 tbsp olive oil,

2 onions thinly chopped,

4 garlic cloves thinly chopped,

2 cinnamon sticks,

2 tsp ground cumin,

2 pinches of saffron,

1.5l vegetable stock,

200g split peas,

200g brown rice,

2 big handfuls of spinach (chopped, if it is not baby spinach),

3 spring onions chopped,

2 tbsp lemon juice,

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses,

salt and pepper,

chopped mint or coriander leaves (or both),

pomegranate seeds.

METHOD:

1. On a medium heat warm up the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and fry them for a few minutes till translucent. 
2. Add the garlic and spices (cinnamon, cumin and saffron), fry for a further minute stirring; add the split peas and 1l of stock. Bring to boil, lower the heat and cook for 40 minutes stirring every now and then to make sure the split peas don’t get stuck to the bottom of the saucepan. The dish should be watery at this stage, if it isn't, add more stock.
3. Add rice to the dish and cook everything for further 30 minutes, till the rice is soft.
4. Add the spinach, spring onions, lemon juice, molasses, salt and pepper. Stir well, check the taste.
5. Serve in bowls garnished with chopped herbs and pomegranate seeds.

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Pretty in Pink Salad with Quinoa (vegan)

When my daughter decided to become a vegetarian, I worried how she was going to get complete proteins without eating meat products. So I was happy when I learnt that certain combinations of plant ingredients (e.g. beans & rice, hummus & pita bread, tofu & rice, beans & tortilla, lentils & bulgur, pea & bread) will provide the complete proteins even if not eaten together at the same meal but within the same day. But I was even happier to learn there are actually some types of plant food that by themselves supply us with all essential amino acids, and quinoa is one of them.

So I serve quinoa quite often now and we all do enjoy it a lot. However due to its natural bitterness, it has to be prepared well before cooking to eliminate this slightly nasty taste. Once it’s cooked properly (as per instructions included in the recipe below), it can be used in this yummy and pretty looking pink salad.

INGREDIENTS (4 portions):

1 cup quinoa,

2 cups water,

0.25 tsp salt,

dash of olive oil,

0.5 cup raisins,

0.5 cup walnuts broken into pieces,

1.5 cup pomegranate seeds (from approximately 1 big or 2 small pomegranates),

0.5 red onions finely chopped,

juice from 1 lemon,

2 beetroots (approximately 300-350g) chopped into 1.5 cm cubes,

3 handfuls chopped parsley,

Salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Prepare the quinoa: put it to a fine mesh strainer, rinse it under running cold water rubbing the seeds with each other with your fingers (for at least 1 minute) and drain well. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pot over a medium heat and fry the drained quinoa for about 1 minute till the rest of water evaporates. Add water, 0.25 tsp salt and bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook covered for approx. 15 minutes. Take it out from the heat and let it rest covered for 5 minutes more. Fluff the quinoa with a fork. The quinoa has to be dry, in case there is still some water left, transfer it to a strainer and let it drain completely.
2. While you are waiting for the quinoa to be ready, combine the onion and lemon juice and let it marinate for a few minutes.
3. Combine all the ingredients, add salt and pepper according to your taste and stir gently.

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