Buddha Bowl: Winter Veg Style

After learning about buddha bowls for the first time from Deliciously Ella's cookbooks last year I have been hooked ever since. I love the idea of throwing a few different veggies together to create a nourishing bowl of goodness. I made the below dish after being inspired by Ella (again) following a mouth-watering Snapchat of her lunch; it had all of my favourite things in it - sweet potato, tahini, garlic, kale... The list goes on.

I tried to recreate it but instead of having purely sweet potato mash I created a combination of mashed sweet potato, swede and parsnip. The result was a delicious wintery-veg mash which worked perfectly with a generous serving of tahini and the other ingredients in the bowl.

Ingredients (serves 2)
Medium sweet potato
1/2 large swede
2 parsnips
2 cups brown rice
2 cups kale
400g black beans
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cayenne chili pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper

Method
1. Put the rice on to boil; this should take 20-30 minutes.
2. Chop the sweet potato, swede and parsnips and boil them for 20 minutes or until tender.
3. Whilst the rice and veg is cooking, wash the kale and pan fry it in the coconut oil until it starts to wilt. Throw the black beans in and saute for 1 minute.
4. Once the veg is tender, drain it and mash it. I tend to add a little coconut oil to the mash but that is up to you. Stir in in the turmeric, cayenne chili pepper, cumin and black pepper.
5. Drain the rice once it is cooked and arrange everything in a bowl as per above or however you like it.
6. Chop the garlic and sprinkle it on top along with the tahini. Feel free to add more according to your preferences.

This is another quick meal so if you're looking for an easy weekday dinner and want something to warm you from the inside out then this is the dish for you. All hail the buddha bowl!

- Anna

Vegan Thousand Island Dip

When I spent a year studying abroad in America I got very accustomed to the delicious food offerings on campus. Italian, Chinese, Mexican food... I devoured it all, and once I moved into my sorority house for a semester the good food kept on coming. One thing that was always available with our meals was thousand island sauce, something I had not come across before. Thousand island is, in my opinion, the tastiest dip out there. It works well with so many different foods; pizza used to be my go-to pairing, however now that my conventional food days are behind me I need to be more creative!

I have recently been into roasting some sweet potato or swede wedges as a snack and felt like I was really missing something that I could dip them into. I sometimes use hummus but, believe it or not, you can overdo it on the hummus. I decided to have a go at making my own dip so threw together a few different ingredients and I before I knew it I had made my very own version of the thousand island dip. It tastes exactly the same and even has the same spicy kick, but without all of the nasty artificial ingredients, flavourings and sugar that you get in the store-bought or restaurant versions.

If you want to make something that tastes a lot naughtier than it is then make this dip. It has got loads of different uses too; as well as using it as a dip I have used it as a pasta sauce and would definitely use it in a sandwich or to drizzle on top of a buddha bowl.

Ingredients (makes one portion of dip)
4 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp miso paste
Water

Method
1. Mix all ingredients, except the water, together in a mug until a paste forms.
2. Add 1-2tsps of water to the paste so that it thins into a sauce. If you want to use it as a dip then keep the sauce fairly thick; however if you want to use it as a pasta sauce, for example, add more water until it is thin enough to mix in well with the pasta.

Every time I taste this dip I am transported back to my year abroad and reminded of how much I ate whilst I was there (whether that's a good thing or not is up for debate). Nevertheless, it is nice to reminisce and to know you can recreate things such as this dip without the guilt and added nasties; despite my lifestyle change and not really being able to eat conventional store-bought products anymore, I can still indulge in my favourite things - I just have to get creative and hope for the best.

- Anna

Vegan 'Cheesy' Pasta Bake

This dish is a vegan/ veggie's paradise. It is jam-packed with delicious vegetables and tastes so cheesy that it leaves you thinking you've eaten something really naughty when you haven't. It contains no dairy, cheese or anything animal-related; it's also gluten-free and completely made from scratch. Again, this one is super easy to make and you can have it ready to go within half an hour. It's also a perfect dish to serve if you've got guests.

Ingredients (serves 3)

1 and a half cups of buckwheat penne 

1 cup kale

1 400g box of black beans

1/2 cup peas

2 sticks of celery

1 red onion

1 shallot

1 clove garlic

1 tsp coconut oil

For the sauce:
1/2 cup almond milk/ other nut milk

1/3 cup brown rice flour/ other gluten-free flour

4 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne paper

1 tsp coconut oil

Pinch of sea salt

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.

2. Put the buckwheat penne on to boil.

3. Fry the shallot, red onion and celery in 1 tsp of coconut oil until they start to brown. Throw in the kale and black beans, taking the pan off the heat once the kale wilts.

4. Prepare the sauce by heating the coconut oil in a pan, adding the flour once it heats up. Stir the oil and flour until it becomes a paste, then add the almond milk. Stir until they mix completely. 

5. Lower the heat of the pan and add the nutritional yeast, turmeric, pepper and cayenne pepper to the pan and stir, keeping the pan on a low heat. Here you can test the sauce; if it is too watery, add some more flour; if it isn't cheesy enough, add some more nutritional yeast. I play around with it every time until I get the consistency and flavour I'm happy with.

6. Drain the pasta once it is cooked and add the pan-fried vegetables as well as the peas and pasta sauce, stirring everything together until evenly coated in the sauce.

7. Line a loaf pan with  coconut oil and pour in the pasta. Sprinkle a few sea salt flakes on top.

8. Cook the pasta bake for 10-15 minutes in the oven, checking on it regularly to avoid the top pasta pieces from burning.

9. Serve up alongside some gluten-free bread (I recommend this one from Naturally Sassy) and enjoy!

I am sure you will not be disappointed with this dish. It really is one of those 'I can't believe it's not butter' moments and I love it!

- Anna

The Perfect Salad

I'm sure I'm not the only one who, upon hearing the word salad, imagines drab lettuce leaves and tomatoes, something that leaves a lot to be desired. However, thanks to the health and wellness revolution that is sweeping the world, the traditional meaning of the salad is changing as people are coming to realise how much you can experiment with and put in a salad. For instance, when I make a salad, I leave out lettuce completely and focus on creating a mix of grains, fibrous greens and a delicious dressing to bring it all to life. My focus is on eating foods that nourish me and keep me full until my next meal, which I personally don't feel can be achieved through lettuce leaves, no matter how many you eat.

I created this salad with only half an hour to spare so I needed it to be easy to make but didn't want to compromise on flavour. The result was a wholesome, satisfying bowl of goodness that I could eat over and over again.

Ingredients

1/3 cup of quinoa

2 big handfuls of kale

2 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp tamari

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp of coconut oil

Himalayan sea salt (or regular sea salt)

Small handful of pumpkin seeds

Method

1. Put the quinoa on to boil. It should be cooked in around 20-25 minutes.

2. Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan and, once hot, throw in the kale. Cook the kale until it wilts, turning a dark green colour. Take it off the heat a couple of minutes after it wilts.

3. Prepare the dressing for the salad; pour the tahini, tamari and apple cider vinegar into a mug and stir well until they are mixed up. If the mixture becomes to stodgy or thick, add in some water to thin it out.

3. Once the quinoa is cooked, drain it and put it in a bowl along with the kale. Add the dressing and stir it until it evenly coats the quinoa and kale.

4. Top the salad with the pumpkin seeds and sea salt.

5. Enjoy!

I love the creaminess of the dressing; it tastes a lot more indulgent than it actually is and really fills you up along with the kale and quinoa, not to mention being really good for you:

• Tahini is a great source of vitamin E and several B vitamins - click here to read more about its benefits
• Apple cider vinegar has a whole host of health benefits - read about them here
• Tamari is a great alternative to soy sauce as it is gluten free and a good source of vitamin B3, protein, manganese, and tryptophan - click here for more information
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If you suffer from endometriosis like me, a good supply of B vitamins in your diet is extremely important to keep the liver in tip top condition, something which is essential for removing excess oestrogen and fighting endometriosis growth. It's also important to note that the body cannot store B vitamins on a long-term basis, therefore a daily supply is essential. So, as well as taking a daily dose of B vitamins, I ensure that I include B vitamin-rich ingredients, like tahini, to boost my store of B vitamins even more. Learn more about this and natural food sources that are rich in B vitamins on the Peace With Endo website.

Happy cooking!

- Anna