HEARTY LENTIL BARLEY #vegan #recipes #healthy

Place all ingredients except salt and spinach into a large pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and barley are tender, about one hour. Add salt to taste and spinach, if desired. Cook briefly until spinach is wilted but still bright green.

1 C lentils, rinsed
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 C hulled or pearled barley
1/2 tsp oregano
6 C water or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 tsp salt 
2-4 C fresh spinach, chopped  

#VEGAN #Recipe: Healthy Chocolate Fudgesicles

These fudgesicles are luxurious, sweet and smooth. I encourage you to play around with the recipe – feel free to leave out an avocado, or use more or less coconut milk, or add a different amount of cacao or maple syrup. Experiment until you find the consistency and flavour that appeals to you.

And if you don’t have popsicle molds (I like using ones that are free of BPA, a toxin that disrupts our endocrine system), just freeze the mixture in one big container and scoop it out like ice cream.

Chocolate Fudgesicles

gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, soy-free, egg-free

Ingredients:

2 small ripe avocados
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup raw cacao powder, or cocoa powder
1/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup water, or more as needed to blend
1/2 tsp vanilla
Preparation:

Place everything into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need additional water, depending on how thick you want your fudgesicles to be.
Taste, and adjust ingredients (maple syrup, cacao, etc) if necessary.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze until solid.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/recipe-healthy-chocolate-fudgesicles/

TO DIE FOR SOUTH AFRICAN YELLOW RICE. #VEGAN #RECIPE #YUM #AFRICA.

Forget Coconut Rice ( Sticky Rice ) Try this out. A one pan dish that a baby could make. Tastes absolutely devine and I just made 2 batches of it.
( See picture above for mine )

NOTE. Have rice just below simmer to absorb water slowly. Makes rice fluffy without drying out. ( Learn’t that the hard way with my first batch )

*1 Cup Long Grain Rice
*1/2 Teaspoon Salt
*11/2 Teaspoon Ground Turmeric
*3 Tablespoons Raw sugar or Substitute
*3/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
*1/2 cup Raisins (Sultanas)
*1 Tablespoon Vegan butter or Margarine
21/2 Cups Water

Put everything into Saucepan, bring to boil.

Reduce heat as mentioned above and let all water absorb. (Slowly). 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally!

Remove from heat, stir rice till fluffy with fork.

EAT TILL YOUR FULL :-))))

• #Vegan Brown rice, roast pumpkin & seed salad

• Olive oil spray, to grease
• 1kg kent pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 2-3cm pieces
• 400g (2 cups) long-grain brown rice
• 60g (1/3 cup) pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels)
• 55g (1/3 cup) sunflower seed kernels
• 80ml (1/3 cup) fresh lime juice
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1/4 tsp brown sugar
• 1 bunch rocket, washed, trimmed, leaves torn

CLICK PHOTO FOR METHOD

• 2 EASY #VEGAN Avocado, spinach & walnut salad

• 1 1/2 tablespoons roughly chopped walnuts
• 200g baby spinach leaves
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, stone removed, sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon

SAVING 100s OF ANIMALS YEARLY AND IT’S EASY, ETHICAL, HEALTHY, AND ALSO WONDERFUL FOR THE PLANET!

While it’s obvious that vegetarian’s and vegans spare the lives of certain number of animals each time they avoid animal flesh and choose vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and legumes, it’s unclear how many that amounts to in a year. The good news is that the awesome people at Counting Animals have done all the complicated math, so you don’t have to!

They looked at the total number of animals killed for food in the U.S. in a given year and the size of the U.S. population during that year and used a pretty interesting formula, incorporating semi-vegetarians and the Meatless Mondayers, to estimate the number of animals saved.

Their analysis revealed that a vegetarian saves:

34 land animals each year, over 32 of them being chickens.
219 fish each year.
151 shellfish each year, the vast majority of them being shrimp.
Therefore, vegetarian, saves at least 404 animals per year (34 land animals, 219 fish and 151 shellfish), which amounts to at least an animal a day!

What’s even more fascinating is that they claim these numbers are very conservative.

Click photo for more

A VEGGIE BURGER YOU CAN REALLY SINK YOUR TEETH INTO!

I give you…Baked Eggplant Burgers! These burgers are savory, filling and addictive. They’re packed full of protein and vitamins. Above all else, they are delicious! I love to top them with tahini sauce and they are also fantastic when topped with hummus and dill pickles.

Makes 4 big burgers

Burger Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more to brush on eggplant before roasting
1 red onion, diced
1 14 ounce can cannellini beans
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 an eggplant (should equal about 1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup classic hummus (or your favorite flavor hummus)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
tomato, sliced for topping (optional)
lettuce, for topping (optional)

Preparation:

To make the burgers,
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Roast the eggplant by cutting it into 1/4″ slices and brushing each side with olive oil.
Bake for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the slices and bake for another 5 minutes.
Once the eggplant is done and you remove it from the oven, turn the oven down to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
While the eggplant is roasting, place the diced red onion and 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until the onions soften.
Place the eggplant, onion, beans, bell pepper, parsley, pine nuts, garlic, sea salt and cumin into a large bowl.
Add the hummus and stir.
Place the mixture into a food processor and blend everything together. It should only take about 15 seconds.
Pour the mixture back into a bowl, stir in the breadcrumbs, and use your hands to make four large patties.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray the foil with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.
Place the patties on the foil and bake for 45 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Remove the burgers from the oven, add your preferred toppings and enjoy!

11 Tips for Making Great Vegetable Soups

1. Start with a Great Broth

I firmly believe that the quality of a broth can either make or break the soup. Whether or not you choose to spend time making a rich homemade broth (always the best), there are definitely better and worse bouillon choices. Some are under-salted, some over-salted, and a good deal contain MSG and other unpleasant additives. Some are just straight-up bland.

My favorite bouillon cubes come from the local health food store, hand-packaged and unbranded, containing only dried vegetables, herbs and salt. I also like the brand Celifibr, who not only makes vegetable bouillon cubes, but vegan chicken and beef ones as well.

If you’re motivated to make your own broth – and power to you if you are – it’s really as simple as throwing a bunch of rough-chopped veggies in a pot, covering them with water, simmering them for a couple of hours and then straining the mixture so you’re left with a clear, golden broth. I find carrots, onions, garlic and celery to be essential, and love adding a bunch of fresh parsley, a couple bay leaves and a small sprinkle of whole peppercorns. Plenty of other vegetables and herbs can be used for broths as well, depending on what’s in season and/or in your fridge. Of course, don’t forget the salt!

Click photos for the other great tips

#vegan #Recipe: Banana PeanutButter Breakfast Muffins

My muffins are vegan and healthy. They are moist, slightly sweet and fluffy. If you want them sweeter go head and slather them with this peanut butter, jam or maple syrup.

These muffins have all ingredients to make them perfect for the breakfast table, they have oats, bananas, peanut butter, flax seeds and they are also whole wheat! Enjoy them with a tall glass of your favorite plant-based milk or a hot cup of coffee for a quick weekday breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar or substitute
2 tbsp flax seed powder + 4 tbsp water
1 cup mashed banana
6 tbsp peanut butter
1 cup water
2 tbsp flax seeds (for topping)

Preparation:

Mix flaxseed powder and water, keep it aside.
Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.
In a separate bowl, stir oil and peanut butter. Now add the mashed banana, flax seed and water mixture, 1 cup water and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix till everything is combined. Do not over mix.
Spoon them into greased muffins tray and top each muffin with few whole flax seeds.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 20-25 minutes or till the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

#vegan Recipe: Yam and Walnut Salad

YAMS ARE EASY TO FIND, GO TO YOUR LOCAL AFRICAN MARKET OR JUST USE SWEET POTATO

This is a great side dish that is perfect for this time of the year. The sweet and savory flavors of the Yam and Walnut in this salad are sure to please you and your guests on any occasion.

Ingredients:

2 medium Yams Or/sweet potatoes
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
2 Tbsp maple syrup or alternative
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp cardamom (optional)
1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1 pinch cayenne or chili powder

Preparation:

Cut sweet potatoes/yams into cubes
Combine honey, vinegar and spices together
Pour mixture onto sweet potatoes and massage with hands
Place on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes in pre-heated oven @ 375 Fahrenheit
Chop red onion (or white/yellow/green onion)
After 30 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle on chopped onion
Place back in the oven and continue cooking for 30 more minutes
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes
Place back in bowl and add walnuts and raisins
Toss everything together and serve