Gluten Free Bread

I'm not a big bread eater but the people I live with are and as most bread we buy has so much sugar and isn't as natural or organic as I would like I have decided to make my own bread.

I want my family to cut down on Gluten so I tried this recipe. 

The bread was tasty and fluffy although it did come out a bit too crumbly so I may need to practise this a bit more to perfect it. Either way, it tasted really good and at least I know what my family and I are eating. 

Ingredients:

220g Rice flour
80g Millet (flour)
40g chick pea flour
20g Raw sugar Cane / Panela
140g corn flour
2 tsp of chia seeds in water or flax egg
1 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp salt, I prefer himalayan salt to sea salt due to contamination.
40g mixed seeds
400g water
30g of olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 large egg subs (I use chick pea flour with water).

Recipe:

1. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and set aside.
2. Mix all the flour and sugar in a bowl.
3. Add chia with water, yeast, salt, mixed seeds, water, oil, cider vinegar and egg substitute and mix well.
4. knead the dough and then transfer to loaf tin.
5. Leave the tin for aprox 45mins, so the dough can rise, it should double in size.
6. Pre-heat the overn at 180ºc ten minutes towards end of resting time.
7. Bake bread for 40-50 mins in oven at 180ºc.
8. Remove the bread and let it cool before cutting into slices.

Smoothie Idea

Banana Coins

Mornings can be stressful for both myself and my son, mostly because my son can be a bit of a fussy eater and I'm trying to find the best breakfast for him before he goes off to nursery. He needs something healthy, sugar free and something that will keep him going.

He loves fruit and peanut butter so as an option I made him these banana coins. 

It's simple, quick and easy to prepare and its great for toddlers, kids and adults.

I sliced a banana into 1 cm coins and spread peanut butter in some and almond butter in others and closed them like sandwiches.

Put them on a little plate for little one and in 2 mins breakfast was served.

Let me know what your little ones think?

Please feel free to give me any feedback!

My favourite Porridge Recipe

Breakfast is such an important meal yet so many of us tend to skip it. We either have a quick coffee or tea and maybe get something down us but in general, people don't dedicate themselves to eating something nutritious. Food is so important because we are what we eat and it's so important to try and eat as healthily as possible. Furthermore, it helps us to stay active and energetic all the way till lunchtime. So why don't we eat breakfast? Is it time? Not hungry?
No matter your excuse your habit needs to change now.
You need to start gradually and build up your appetite.
When I was younger I never liked porridge, I think it's partly due to the fact I didn't know how to make it properly but since I have learnt how to make a simple bowl of Porridge I now add some amazing ingredients to make it even more appetising.

In this post I will explain how to make a simple porridge and then you can add extra ingredients according to your taste buds.

Ingredients:
50g Porridge oats
350 ml water / plant based milk
pinch of salt

Extras:
1 banana
1 tsp vegan protein
1/2 tbsp Chia Seeds
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Peanut Butter



Recipe
1. Put oats, water and salt in a saucepan.
2. Put at a high heat and bring to boil.
3. Once it begins to boil, bring to a low heat and leave to simmer for 3 - 4 mins. While it is simmering you can add the mashed banana and any extras to give the porridge more flavour.
5. Serve

Healthy morning breakfast Smoothie

I love smoothies and I love sharing my recipes.

You can follow me on instagram and follow my daily insta stories with quick recipes or follow my blog with updates.

Here is a simple, tasty recipe.

I blended all the ingredients with water but you can also mix with your favourite plant based milk.

Golden Milk - Haldi Doodh

Turmeric has been become more and more popular because of its health benefits as well as its taste in cooking.

I have used turmeric in my cooking for years now and now and again I would put it into my tea as I heard it had amazing benefits.

Then I discovered "Golden Milk", it has been used as a medicinal drink in India for centuries. It is fairly simple to make, it's creamy and tasty and is made with ingredients that help with inflammation, bloating, and weight loss. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of plant based milk, 

1 tsp turmeric

1tsp ginger, 

1tbsp coconut oil, 

1/2 tsp pepper 

A splash of maple/agave syrup 

Recipe:

1. Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to boil and leave to simmer for a couple of minutes.

There are so many benefits to drinking this tasty elixir and here are just a few.

• Better digestion: Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries because of its ability to help the body in major ways. One such benefit? Better digestion. Multiple studies have shown turmeric to help fight gas, bloat, and indigestion. 
• Happier muscles:  As a natural anti-inflammatory, turmeric can relieve joint and muscle pain and even help with headaches. In some studies, turmeric offered similar relief to Ibuprofen and at least we know Turmeric is natural and less harmful to our bodies. 
• A shield against colds and flu: Besides helping soothe a sore throat, ginger has long been used as a cold remedy in naturopathy, and for good reason. 
• A boost in good cholesterol: The raw coconut oil often used in golden milk has been shown to help raise good cholesterol in the body. 

BBQ Pulled "pork" Mushroom

As a vegan who wants to stay creative and never feel like I'm missing out, I try to go back to certain food cravings I've had and then work on it to meet that need but without death or blood on my hands. I went vegan mostly for the animals, but also for my health and the environment and when I eat it needs to be tasty, wholesome and guilt free.
This is a really easy and tasty recipe which takes me back to those days when I would eat pulled pork Arepa's, A typical dish from Venezuela and Colombia which are like mini sandwiches made with corn flour and filled with different ingredients to make a tasty snack or dinner.
I don't miss the pork but I miss the texture and the BBQ taste and since I discovered the oyster mushroom it made me easier to recreate this sandwich filler.

This recipe is super quick and easy to make and one I recommend if you like BBQ sauce.

I tend to do a weekly shop at my grocers and depending what is available, I then decide what to cook for the week. I used to make the mistake of buying so many vegetables that by the end of the week most of the food had gone rotten or mouldy and I had to throw it and apart from being a Vegan I do try to be as environmentally friendly as possible and try not to do waste anything, including food.

 The best mushrooms I have found to do this are the King oyster mushrooms. If you can see in the picture they ready to be shredded because of their form.

You can easily shred them with a fork or use a knife following the lines of the mushroom.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion sliced
1 packet of King oyster Mushrooms shredded/pulled
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground garlic
1/2 cup of BBQ sauce

Recipe:
1. Wash and slice the onion.
2. Put the oil into a frying pan, large enough to fit all the mushrooms so it cooks evenly. Put on a medium heat.
3. Wash and pull/shred the mushrooms into thin slices.
4. Put the onions into the pan and fry for 2 minutes or until a bit golden,
5. Stir the mushrooms into the pan and continue to fry at a medium-high heat for about 6 - 7 mins, or until most of the water has evaporated and they begin to brown.
6. Add the seasoning; Paprika, salt, Black pepper, Cumin, ground cinnamon, ground garlic and stir and leave for a further 2 mins.
7. Add the BBQ sauce, I recommend you add gradually according to your taste. I put less than half a cup but you can add more or less.
8. Leave for a few more minutes until the sauce begins to caramelize.
9. You will see it has a thick caramelised texture and the Pulled mushrooms are ready to take out.

You can serve this in a sandwich, an arepa or even with a jacket potato.
It's an easy, quick recipe and i'm sure you will love it.

Cauliflour (Alfreddo) Pasta

This has to be one of the easiest and perhaps tastiest dishes I've made in a while.

If you are a busy mama like me you will love this.




INGREDIENTS:


1 cauliflour 
1 Cup oat milk
2 tbsp Nutrional Yeast
1 1/2 tbs vegan butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Pinch of salt and pepper
Peas
Parsley


DIRECTIONS:

- Simmer cauliflour for 12 minutes. 
- While the cauliflour is simmering boil spaghetti in a separate pan.
- Put cauliflour, oat milk, Nutrional Yeast, vegan butter, garlic powder, onion powder, pinch of salt and pepper in blender or food processor.  
- Blend until creamy and smooth. 
- Once blended mix in peas and parsley. 
- Mix with spaghetti and serve. 




This is soooo yummy and creamy. 

Sour Kiwi Sweets

What do you do when you are given a whole bag of Kiwi's? 

You try different dishes including Sour sweets. 

I know that many sweets contain gelatin, derived from animal collagen, this is a protein that comes from skin and bones, sounds appetising right? Not for myself or my family. So what do I do when my son grows up and asks me for sweets? I'm going to try and make my own. For some time I wanted to try making sweets with strawberries but as the kiwi's had arrived first I thought of trying them first.

I'm not going to lie, the preparation is the easiest one so far, however, the wait is a long one. You can dehydrate them if you have the correct utensils for this but in my case I didn't so I did this the traditional way.

- Turn the oven on at the lowest heat.

- Peel the kiwi and cut them into 5 mm slices.

- Put them on oven proof paper and place in oven

- Leave for 6 - 8 hours (yes you read that right)   

 I recommend you do this on a lazy Sunday when you know you won't be doing anything exciting and have time on your hands. Obviously you leave them in the oven and set your alarm and have nothing to worry about. I also recommend you do a large batch of them as you won't be doing this too often.

The end result is great though. You have a fruit which is a sweet and has an amazing sour kick to it. Next time I'll try strawberries and tell you what they taste like. hopefully they will be slightly sweeter as I do prefer sweet flavours than sour.

Courgette and Apple Tater Tots

The other day I was looking up different recipes with courgettes as I had a large bag of them and needed inspiration.

Nakoa's birthday is coming up so I'm deciding what's going to be on the menu. Don't want any family members rolling their eyes at the 'Vegan menu ' selection. Then I saw the Tater Tots and just the name sounds so fun and appetising. The recipe I saw was for courgettes and I made two batches. One with courgettes and the other with apples.

Today I tried out apple (top) And courgette (bottom) tater tops.

These are so simple to make, they only require 4 ingredients and I think these are great finger foods for a party/gathering. 

They can be served at kids and adults parties or just to have as a side dish at home like what I'm doing now  

follow the recipe below and if you want to make the apples tots then replace the courgettes for apples. It's that simple. 

3 large potatoes, peeled

2 courgettes, grated (large holes)

1 tsp salt

Olive oil

- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and cook potatoes for 20-30 minutes, until fork tender but still hard in the middle. Drain water and let potatoes cool until they are comfortable to handle. You want them to still be warm.

- Preheat oven to 220ºC. Grate potatoes on the large side of a box grater and put into a large bowl. Grate each courgette and squeeze out the liquid using a clean dishtowel or kitchen roll. 

- Place grated courgette into the bowl with the potatoes and add 1 teaspoons salt. Use your hands to mix everything together.

- Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use your hands to form small cylinders with the mixture. Use about 1 tablespoon per tater tot. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes to allow them to firm up.

- Brush the top of each tater tot with a small amount of olive oil.

- Bake tater tots until browned a crispy, about 30 minutes flipping halfway though.

 

- Serve with ketchup or bbq sauce if desired, or why not try my vegan sour cream which you can find on here.

Kiwi Chia Pudding

Whether you follow my blog, instagram of Facebook page you would have noticed i'm crazy about chia pudding and chia seeds. If I can put them in a dish I will. I guess because they are so tiny yet so nutritious and have so many benefits for us.

For breakfast I made a different kind of chia pudding. 
Instead of using my regular oat milk I blended 2 kiwi's, added 2 tbsp of chia and a dash of maple syrup. I gave it a good stir before serving in my breakfast jars.
I first put a layer of muesli to give it a bit more substance, I then poured the kiwi chia pudding on top and added two frozen strawberries. I left them over night so the fruit flavours would mix.
This is a powerful pudding and for the people who prefer sour tastes*. 
*To make this sweeter I suggest adding some vanilla extract.


Did you know Kiwi's have more Vitamin C than oranges? Vitamin C lowers blood pressure, and thereby lowers the chances of hypertension as well as cardiovascular disease.

Avocado & Basil Spaghetti

This avocado and basil spaghetti dish was so creamy and simple to make. This is a nice starter to have or even as a main course.

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INGREDIENTS for sauce
1 - 2 Avocados
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup fresh Basil
Handful of raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup olive oil
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DIRECTIONS:
- Put a saucepan of water to boil to make prepare spaghetti.
- In a frying pan fry 2 cloves of crushed garlic, olive oil and cherry tomatoes. - Sautee for about 10 mins at a low heat with lid on it.
- Blend all ingredients until you have a thick creamy sauce.
- Mix with pasta, fried cherry tomatoes and sprinkle black sesame seeds on top.
.
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#lukitaslittleworld

ESP:

INGREDIENTES SALSA
1 - 2 Aguacate
2 Ajos
1/3 taza albahaca fresca
Un puñado de pipas crudas
1/3 taza aceite de oliva
.
DIRECCIONES:
- Prepar una olla con agua y poner a hervir para preparar los espagueti.
- En un sartén freír ajo triturado y añadir tomates Cherry y dejar 10 minutos a fuego lento con una tapa.
- Para hacer la salsa poner todos los ingredientes en la batidora o trituradora, encender y dejar hasta que se haga una salsa cremosa.
- Mezclar con pasta y tomates. Añade sesamo negro por encima.

Banana Cinnamon Bites

Here is another quick and easy breakfast/snack/ dessert for you and the family to enjoy. 


Fact: Did you know Bananas help with anxiety and depression? So if you tend to suffer from this have a banana a day. It might help 💛💛💛

🍌Banana cinnamon bites.🍌
INGREDIENTS (ESP 👇)
2 Bananas
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS
~ Slice banana in 1 - 2 cm chunks and put in a bowl.
~ Mix with cinnamon and nutmeg.
~ fry at a medium heat with vegan butter for about 5 mins or until banana is a bit soft.

.
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ESPAÑOL
INGREDIENTES:
2 Platanos
1 1/2 C.cafe canela
1/2 c.cafe nuez moscada

DIRECCIONES:
~cortar el platano en trozos de 1 -2 cm
~mezclar con canela y nuez moscada hasta que los trozos estén cubiertos
~freír a medio fuego en sartén durante 5 minutos o hasta que el platano este blando.
Ñam Ñam

Moroccan Red Lentil Soup with Chard

In my last post I mentioned that I bought Chard from the local farmer, which means its a week of cooking different dishes with Chard before it goes to waste.

I always try to pack my dishes with all the food your body needs in a day; legumes, grains, fats and oils, leafy greens and veg. (Fruit tends to be in my smoothie)
For starters I prepared a red lentil Moroccan soup and as the main course; spicy chardslaw with pumpkin and hemp seeds (in previous post), potatoes, red quinoa.
Super filling and tasty. Great for this miserable weather we are having. I do like a bit of rain, the city needs it but I do hope it's not like this all bank holiday weekend. This dish is excellent for autumn/winter.

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 Tbsp olive oil

- 1 medium onion diced

- 2 medium carrots diced

- 2 large cloves garlic crushed

- 1 tsp ground cumin

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

- 1 - 2 chilli's 

- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

- 1 tin diced tomatoes (400g)

- 1 cup dried split red lentils

- 8 cups of vegetable stock

- 1 bunch chard (stems removed and roughly chopped)

  

     DIRECTIONS:

- In a large saucepan heat the oil. 

- Sauté the onion and carrot over medium-high heat until soft and beginning to brown, (7 minutes).

- Add the garlic, cumin, ginger, turmeric, chili flakes, and salt. (Cook 1-2 minutes more). 

- Stir in the tomatoes, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until the liquid has reduced and the tomatoes are soft, (5 minutes).

- Add the lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the lentils are soft, (10 minutes). 

- Fold in the chard and cook until wilted, but still vibrant, 5 more minutes. Taste for seasoning.

- Serve the soup in bowls with a wedge of lemon on the side and some crusty bread or croutons.

Nutty Energy Balls

Good morning.
Have you had breakfast yet?
If you haven't, why not try this walnut energy bliss balls?
Really easy and fairly quick to make: 
Tasty for whole family. Has been Nakoa approved.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup of Walnuts
1/2 cup of oat flour or oats
1 1/2 cup pitted Dates
3 dried Apricots
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
Pinch of salt
Dash of Vanilla extract
2 tbsp coconut oil

Coatings:
Coconut flakes
Chia seeds
Cacao powder

DIRECTIONS:
- Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor.
- Process of ingredients until it makes a flour/dough
- Press the mix into balls with your hands, add more coconut oil or dates if it's too crumbly or dry.
Roll in the coatings.
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Enjoy 🖒


ESPAÑOL:

INGREDIENTES:
- 1 Taza Nueces
- 1/2 taza de harina de avena o avena
- 1 1/2 taza Datiles deshuesada
- 3 orejones de albericoque
- 2 cucharadas de Cacao crudo en polvo
- Pizca de sal
- chorrito Vanilla
- 2 cucharadas de aceite de coco

Capa:
- Coco rallado
- Semillas de Chia
- Cacao

DIRECCIONES:
- Poner todos los ingredientes en el batidora o trituradora
- Triturar hasta que se haga una masa
- Prensar la masa en bolas con las manos, añade aceite de coco si la masa es muy seca.
- Rodar encima los capas
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Disfruta 🖒

Spicy Chard-Slaw

Close to my house there is a lady who sells fruit and veg grown from her farm. You can tell everything is organic from the colour and smell of each piece of food. The lemons are triple the size of a lemon you would find in most supermarkets and even green grocers.

We try and go as often as possible and buy whatever is in season. This week she has chard as well as some other great vegetables. There was normal white and green chard and then there was this beautiful green and fuchsia pink one. I asked what was the difference and she explained that the taste maybe a little different, perhaps more bitter. As I bought a good bunch it meant I had to get different recipes that included chard.

This week I made a Morroccan Red Lentil soup and this lovely Chard-slaw, (instead of coleslaw).

It was very easy to make and was a winner at lunch. Very refreshing and great to go with potatoes or as a side dish at a BBQ.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 medium bunch Swiss chard
- 1 Avocado, medium

- 1 Large or 2 small carrots (Peel and grate the carrot on the large holes of a grater)

- 1 Onion (thinly sliced)

• - 2 - 3 tbsp Lime juice (depends on how tangy you like the dressing to be)
• - 1 tbsp Mexican hot sauce

• - 1/2 tsp Salt

• - 1/4 cup Vegetable oil

• - 1/2 tsp Cumin, ground
• - 1/4 cup Pumpkin seeds, roasted

• - 1 tbsp Water

DIRECTIONS:

- Place the onion and hot sauce in a large bowl and toss to combine; set aside while you make the salad and dressing.

- Wash, cut and remove the stems of the chard. Thinly slice crosswise into ribbons. Transfer to the bowl with the onions (do not mix). 

- Peel and grate the carrot and add to the bowl of chard and onions; set aside.

- Scoop the flesh of the avocado into a blender. Add the lime juice, oil, water, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Season with pepper, and blend until smooth. 

- Transfer the dressing into the bowl of Swiss chard and add the pumpkin seeds and add a pinch of salt.

- Mix the dressing so ingredients are fully covered and then transfer the slaw to a serving bowl and top with more pumpkin seeds before serving.

Personal Recommendation: 

• This salad is even tastier refrigerated. It can be made ahead and refrigerated up to a day in advance. Toss again and drain off any excess liquid before serving.