Perfectly Cooked Quinoa

A huge shout out to my good friend Gwyneth Paltrow for this recipe...

Here is a photo of her on one of our coffee mornings (decaf, soy, of course) in Venice.

1 cup of quinoa

1 3/4 cups of water

Coarse sea salt

Rinse the quinoa thou roughly in a fine mesh strainer (although this may sound like an unnecessary step, it really makes a huge difference in flavour, since quinoa's natural coating tastes like soap).

Place it in a pot set over high heat with the water and a pinch of salt. Bring the quinoa to the boil, lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa's germs look like lots of little spirals, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the heat off, place a dry paper towel between the pot and the lid and let the quinoa sit for at least 5 minutes before giving it a fluff with a fork.

Shallow fried vegetable fritters

This week I have learnt a valuable lesson in feeding my family, particularly my husband, vegetables; SHALLOW FRYING!!!! 

Anything, rolled into a ball and shallow fried WILL BE EATEN!!! 

Quinoa and veg fritters.

These ones have mushroom and asparagus, but you could substitute any vegetables. 

Ingredients:

3 cups of cooked quinoa - you can refer to my perfectly cooked quinoa post 

1 onion, finely chopped (the smaller the better) 

Almost one cup of chopped veges (again, the smaller, the better)

3/4 cup spelt flour

Some sea salt (how much you put in is up to you, I put about 5 shakes of my grinder. You can add more if you are cooking for adults, less if cooking for kids)

About 1/4 cup of almond milk- this amount may vary, depending on your mixture

The juice of half a lemon

Oil for frying

Method:

Mix the quinoa, onion, veges, flour and salt in a large bowl until the mixture is consistent.

Add the lemon juice and milk, a small amount at a time, and mix with your hands, until the consistency is thick and moist when you squeeze it in your hand. If the mixture is too runny, add some more flour.

Roll into balls, footballs, patties, fritters, or shape you like, cover, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Heat up some oil in a pan, and add your fritters. Turn over after a few minutes, the cooked side should be quite solid, and golden brown.

When both sides are cooked, (it should take about 8 minutes, depending on the size) place on some paper towel and allow to cool slightly. This is the hard part! 

Enjoy by themselves, or with a sauce, we love it with soy sauce, or tomato sauce (ok, it wasn't my most creative moment- I was hungry ok?) you could experiment with any sauce though.

These can be kept in the fridge for a few days, in a container wrapped loosely in paper towel, but I can assure you, that unless you make a double batch, there won't be any left overs! 

People are actually reading my blog!

Wow, I never actually thought it would happen to me, I am almost treating this blog as my own favourites recipe book- do you remember the one your grandma had, with magazine cut outs, handwritten recipes, notes, and looked about a million years old? Well, this is the modern version! 

Being 6 weeks off having a baby, I don't have much energy for much really, but I think I had better give you my latest favourite meal.

Sun-dried tomato Alfredo fettuccine, or as my son calls it:

The Best Pasta in Town! 

This is not my recipe, I wish it was, though! 

I put a cup of vegetable broth, as I found it was too thick, and I don't put the basil leaves in - kids don't generally like whole basil leaves. 

My tip for making a great meal in only half an hour for the whole family- start soaking the cashews, boil the water for the pasta, and whilst waiting for the pasta to cook and cashews to soak, add all of the ingredients into your blender (or if you are lucky, thermomix). Your cashews and pasta will be ready at the same time. Blend, and add to the pasta- and you are ready to go! 

My husband loves this, as well as my mum, brother and mother in law. So far, 100% of people that have tried it love it! 

Let me know what you think! 

Just an ordinary dinner...

This is what I would consider an ordinary dinner for my kids. 

The asparagus is fried in some nuttelex, as is the tofu, after I coat it in cornflour. 

The sauce for dipping is Japanese Teriyaki. 

Most nights they are happy with what they are presented with! 

I always give the kids a dessert after dinner, but a kind of healthy dessert. 

Tonight I have made a yogurt mix:

 Banana, muesli, goji berries and a seed mix, mixed with vanilla yogurt.

It's simple, easy to prepare, delicious, and good for them. Ticks all my boxes! 

20 Minute Cheat's Risotto

This risotto has pumpkin and peas, but you could also use sweet potato, spinach, or anything else similar. I usually ask my kids to choose a vegetable each, and then they feel that they have contributed!

The cheat to this recipe pre-cooking the rice in your rice cooker, you can use any rice, and really, any amount. A huge shout out to my sister in law, Jilda who first gave me the idea. 

Whilst the rice is cooking, boil, in a large saucepan, chopped pumpkin, peas, and an onion. As these are cooking, add vegetable stock, mustard and curry powder, and a little pepper if you wish. 

Just as the veges are almost cooked, add the rice. You will probably need to add more water as you allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes. 

Done! 

It is so quick, and a lovely, and healthy meal that the kids love!

Milks... Which one and why?

At my house we have no less than 5 varieties of milk. Well, 6 if you include my husband's organic cows milk, but I try not to think about that...

Rice Milk: I buy my rice milk from Aldi, and I am really the only one who drinks this. I don't tend to give it to the kids, simply because it is so low in fat, and I don't think that growing children, aged, 1, 3 and 4 are in need of a low fat milk! I love the taste of rice milk, and it is the milk that I drink the most.

Organic Soy Milk: I also buy this milk from Aldi. I find that it is soooo think and creamy, that it is perfect for cooking. We don't drink soy milk, simply because I believe that soy may not be the best for us (I'm still researching this...), but it is honestly the best for cooking with. 

Unsweetened Almond Milk: I have recently introduced this, especially for my youngest son, Henry, simply because I am always trying to find ways for the kids to have less sugar. Henry will often drink more than a litre of milk per day, and so, I try to give him this milk, or mix it with the below two. I will also use this in smoothies, and in porridge. 

Organic Almond Milk: My kids drink either this or...

Organic Oat Milk: We sometimes will use this in smoothies.

Friends (interestingly, they have all been meat eaters) have suggested for me to make my own Almond Milk, and I have considered it, but it just seems a little too expensive, and a lot too time consuming. Between my 3 (soon to be 4) children and myself) we consume about 2 or three litres of milk per day, and as the kids get older, this will only increase. 

What kind of milk do you use? What do you use it for, and why? Can you suggest any other ways to use my current milks? I am always trying to find ways to evolve our diets, and any suggestions will be helpful! 

Tofu Scrambled 'Eggs'

Having been vegan now for over 2 years, I don't have much of an issue craving non-vegan foods, that is, until I am pregnant! 

I am currently halfway through my second vegan pregnancy (my fourth pregnancy overall), and I have been craving eggs! 

Luckily, my tofu scrambled eggs hits the spot every time. It's texture and flavour is similar to scrambled eggs, and then I add mustard powder to give it an extra kick. 

The secret is adding your sides: mushrooms, spinach, hash browns, even baked beans, and of course, toast, to make it seem even more authentic, especially for any omnivores you happen to be dining with.

Please excuse the sloppiness of the photo- I couldn't waste time on perfecting a photo- I had to eat! 

Also, please note, I am in no way taking credit for this recipe, as there are hundreds of variations on the web, it is simply my twist on a great dish. I wish I could remember where I originally found the recipe, but it was too long ago. 

Ingredients:

Classic tofu 

Turmeric

Mustard powder

Olive oil

Vegan butter

Salt and pepper

Nutritional yeast (optional) 

Method:

Pat the tofu dry with paper towel, and gently mash with a fork in a bowl. Add about 1tsp each of turmeric,mustard powder and nutritional yeast, and a dash of olive oil. 

Heat the butter in a pan and add the mixture. Try not to stir too much, as it will only turn it to mush. It should take less than 5 minutes for it to cook. 

Season with freshly ground salt and pepper, and any sides that take your fancy. 

Enjoy!