Buckwheat Salad

Hello! It’s been a while… like, a long while! How have you been?

So once again, it feels like it’s been forever since I last blogged but I’m back with a delicious, light and flavourful recipe – perfect for the nearing of spring!

The recipe starts with buckwheat groats, a new find of mine as it’s a fantastic grain for salads as it’s heartier than quinoa with great texture and a little bite.

We then pile in a mixture of steamed and raw vegetables that add vibrancy and tons of different textures (yep, I’m really into texture at the moment).

Then we mix it all up with a super simple vinaigrette and serve (I like it with massaged kale and a lot of coriander)!

Buckwheat salad vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Serves 2

This salad is made from a variety of different vegetables and buckwheat, which allows for a heartier salad. The vegetables are of course interchangeable – I’m sure some beetroot would work wonderfully as well as grilled or roasted vegetables like peppers, zucchini and aubergines. I’ve made a simple vinaigrette to dress it with but pesto also works wonderfully and it works especially well if you tear in some basil leaves instead of coriander and add some sun-dried tomatoes and olives.

1 cup cooked buckwheat
Handful of green beans
Around 5 broccoli florets
1/2 zucchini (you can use cucumber)
2 handfuls edamame
Handful of coriander (including stalks), chopped finely and reserving a few leaves to serve
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste

Steam the broccoli, green beans and edamame for around 4 minutes, until they are bright green.

Julienne zucchini then cut into small cubes.

Mix the vegetables and buckwheat, adding the chopped coriander at this point.

Top with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper and mix.

When serving, sprinkle with remaining coriander and a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavours.

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Winter Vegetable Stir Fry

Wow ok so I know I’ve been gone for legit forever. I mean I can’t actually even remember the last time I blogged? Eeeek… bad blogger! Don’t get me wrong though, I have been rustling up delicious food (read chickpea flatbread, lentil mushroom burger, rostis) but this winter lighting is not doing me any favours, it gets dark at like 3!

So I’m here to actually write that I’m going to make an effort. 2016 HERE I COME! More blog posts (I mean like two a week, but ya know, still more than the however-many-month hiatus I seemed to have posting nothing) and more fun!

So onto the post, I can’t even get my head around the fact that it’s Christmas day in 3 DAYS. And the new year is like a week away!! SAY WHAT!!! To get into the mood, I’ve been eating so many seasonal vegetables which I’ve been digging. Red cabbage is so good and can’t believe I haven’t really cooked with it before!

This stir fry is perfect post or pre Christmas when you’re looking for something a bit lighter yet still full of flavour, texture and goodness. Filled with the king of greens, kale, red cabbage and crunchy and sweet carrot as well as the kick from ginger. It’s great on its own as a side but also delicious on a bowl of steaming brown rice for the ultimate bowl of nourishment!

Winter Vegetable Stir Fry vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Serves 2

Stir fries are the ultimate quick meal, prepped and cooked in under 15 minutes, yet full of flavour and texture. Feel free to add other vegetables like brussels sprouts or even spiralised/ julienned parsnips which I’m sure would make a fantastic addition! Make sure to get toasted sesame oil as it has a fantastic deep aroma that really makes this dish.

1/4 cabbage, sliced thinly
2 large handfuls kale
3 carrots, julienned
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon ginger, grated or cubed
1 tablespoon flavourless oil (rapeseed works well)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or 1/2 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

To serve: brown rice or rice noodles, sesame seeds, quick pickled cabbage

Heat oil in a medium heat pan and add onions.

Sauté onions for about 2 minutes until starting to brown then add ginger and sauté until fragrant.

Add carrots, cabbage and kale and sauté and season with salt and pepper for about 4 minutes, until all vegetables are cooked.

In the last few second of cooking, add acid of choice and toasted sesame oil to coat the vegetables and add flavour.

Serve atop freshly cooked brown rice or add rice noodles and sauté.

The Nourish Bowl

This bowl is exactly what I want when the weathers getting cold yet I want something super nourishing and will make me feel full of energy yet not bloated!

I have a serious obsession with sweet potatoes, but after my oven broke, I had a bit of a break as I didn’t quite know what to do with them. I recently tried steaming them and they were wondefully soft and creamy – not as caramelised and sweet as roasted sweet potatoes, but they’re good enough for me!
Sweet potatoes are a superfood: packed with vitamin A and slow releasing carbohydrates to keep your energy levels up.

Make sure you use the best ingredients you can get your hands on for this salad as it’s so simple and you want to really let the flavours of the vegetables shine!
Also, feel free to change up the ingredients – I love adding quinoa or lentils for a nice protein boost and if I have fresh herbs on hand I’ll chuck them in too.

The Nourish Bowl vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Serves 1

A few large handfuls of leaves (I like spinach, red leaf lettuce, massaged kale)
1 sweet potato, cubed
Handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Handful of cucumbers, cut
1/2 avocado, cubed
1  tbsp hemp seeds
Freshly cracked pepper and sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon

The first thing you want to do is steam the sweet potato.
Boil some water in a pan and put the sweet potatoes in a steamer basket and steam for about 15 minutes or until tender.

*For the roasting option: Heat and oven to 180ºC and throw cubed sweet potatoes in a pan with some olive oil or coconut oil and pinch of salt. Cook for 35-40 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Once the sweet potatoes are done, put the leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and sweet potato in the bowl.

Top with a good sprinkling of hemp seeds (natures confetti!), lemon juice, pepper and sea salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.