Nobody Has to Die

[nobodyhastodie]

14 Nov Blow nose bubble in a cafe taken by Aunty Elva

[nobodyhastodie]

Vegan Potato Salad

Creamy, melt-in-your-mouth-potatoes with a bit of a crunch from the celery, and a touch of tanginess, everything you are looking for in a potato salad, and better! I made a big batch because I know it won’t last too long.

Ingredients: 6 medium potatoes (skin on, preferably organic) steamed until soft, 1 large celery stalk chopped to small bite sizes, 1 stalk of green onion and a handful of parsley finely chopped, ½ cup of plain coconut yogurt, 3 table spoons of coconut sugar, 2 table spoons of water (or potato cooking liquid) juice of a lemon, and salt to your liking.

Toss everything together and mix well. Add a touch of lemon juice or even vinegar if you prefer it more tangy, or reduce the sugar if you prefer less sweet. This is my first time using the coconut yogurt, which is the main component of making it creamy. I imagine coconut milk will work too, but you may wish to reduce the portion and add a splash more lemon juice. Hope you like this, we surely did!

[nobodyhastodie]

Beet Hummus Pasta

I tried this a couple months ago, and it tastes so good and so quick to make, now becomes a regular on our dining table. This is also a low fat hummus which I can eat as much as I want without worry about too much fat intake. I used corn pasta here, I think the hint of corn flavour compliments the beetroot really well, but you can substitute regular pasta since the star of the show is the hummus.

Beet Hummus ingredients are: 1 cup of cooked chickpea (or can), 1 minced garlic, juice and zest of a small lemon, 1 table spoon of coconut sugar,1 table spoon of tahini, salt to taste, and 250g of cooked plain beetroot. (I used precooked vacuum packed from local shop, you can boil or bake your own. I think canned ones will work just as well, just watch out for the flavouring and salt content and adjust your salt/sugar addition accordingly.

Toss them all in a food processor, pulse until you get a smooth texture. Service over your pasta with some parsley! Enjoy!

(This hummus keeps up to 3-4 days in the fridge. So you can make a big batch and use for salad, dipping later too.)

[nobodyhastodie]

Easy Homemade Curry

It’s vegan, it’s oil free, it’s made from scratch, and the hardest part is chopping or perhaps find those spices from the pantry.

1 Onions, a nob of ginger, 1 head of broccoli, 1 capsicum, 1 stalk of celery, 1 zucchini, half a red chilly, a handful of split red lentils, and 8 pieces of sun-dried tomatoes or fresh ones are even better. Spices are just lots of cumin powder, a teaspoon of garam masala and a couple pinches of sumac if you have any. Cover with water or vegetable stock and boil until the lentils are softened and the curry has thickened. Salt, pepper, and sugar to your liking. Serve with coriander and lemon juice to brighten the flavours.

Add more water to make into a soup or let it boil down to serve with brown rice. Enjoy!

[nobodyhastodie]

Persimmon Oatmeal Cookie

1 persimmon blended til smooth, a pinch of cinnamon, and combine with rolled oats (2 cups I think?) to form a wet cookie dough. Scoop and flatten on tray to bake for 20 min under 185°C depend on your oven. 

I topped with some dark chocolate as it’s not very sweet, will try to add some coconut sugar next time! Since there’s no oil, it’s more of a chewy cookie good for nibbling! Happy weekend everyone!

[nobodyhastodie]

Three-Colour Donburi (Sanshoku Vegan Style)

Inspired by a traditional Japanese dish usually composed of scrambled eggs and chicken mince. To make up the similar colour profile I used sweet corn quickly boiled in a miso broth, scrambled firm tofu with soy sauce, sugar, and minced ginger, and boiled baby green peas. All served over a bed of rice.

The simplicity of the dish showcases the beautiful produce and really make you appreciate the delicate aroma of tofu,ginger, and soy sauce. Let along how easy it i s to make!

[nobodyhastodie]

Morning Fruit Snack

We can only get imported pineapples in New Zealand. Although they may not have the freshest taste or organic options, but at least we can buy these golden babies all year round. It’s the perfect way to boost charge your body with vitamins and fructose. 

I usually cut up a whole pineapple, save the bottom half to eat fresh (as they are sweeter in the bottom) and freeze the rest in a ziplock bag (sliced of course) for morning smoothies. 

[nobodyhastodie]

Banana Raspberry Smoothie

Simply add 5 peeled ripe bananas, a handful of raspberry, a squeeze of lemon juice and water, then blend! Such a simple and satisfying breakfast!

[nobodyhastodie]

Banana Blueberry Pancake (Vegan!)

3 bananas mashed, 1/2 cup of blueberry (fresh or frozen), 1/2 cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, a few spoon of water to adjust the pancake consistency, and that is the batter!

All you need is a non-stick pan and cook as you would with normal pancakes. Because of the bananas, it’s naturally sweetened and it gets bit more caramelized. The taste is a bit on the soft side but still amazing!! We drizzled them with the natural maple syrup my mother in law brought back from Canada, but it is perfect just by itself! Swap wholemeal flour for healthier option!

[nobodyhastodie]

Mushroom Gravy and Mash

Inspired by Theinkedvegan, I couldn't help but make my own version of it when I spot those extra mushrooms sitting in my fridge.

Gravy - Boil half a chopped onions, 1 clove of garlic, sprig of thyme, a table spoon of soy sauce, and chopped mushroom together until all ingredients are softened. Add a dash of nutrition yeast, I mean, dash - go easy on them because the gravy may end of tasting like, um, nutritional yeast, instead of gravy. Then thicken the liquid with starch water (1 teaspoon of potato starch + 1 table spoon of water). Call me weird but I also added a tiny bit of blackstrap molasses and I feel it give just a touch of that deep red meat flavour a gravy has. Salt and pepper to finish.

Mash - steam potatoes (I also added kumara as I only have one potato left) and mesh them up with a bit of water.

[nobodyhastodie]

Watercress with Garlic

Okay, albeit all other recipes, I have to say, this is my favourite way of eating watercress, despite cooking destroys the vitamin C and enzymes...

Simply chop 3 cloves of garlic, boil in a half cup of water (or vegetable stock) till soften, then toss in the watercress and stir fry quickly, maximum 30 seconds because I want to retain that crunchiness in the stem and that peppery taste. You will need a lot of watercress to make up a dish this size, approx. 500 grams.

It’s so simple to make, fat free. I admit, this is when hubby and I fight for food...

[nobodyhastodie]

Chocolate Banana Nice-Cream

It stuns me how easy and delicious this is, especially with the cacao nibs topping adding a chocolaty  crunch to each mouthful.

As our bananas tends to be eaten before they made to the freezer, I never tried to make this at home… Until today! We managed to buy a big bag of super ripen and bruised banana for $1 so I eagerly peeled and bagged them into the freezer waiting for today to come. 

Simply add the chopped frozen bananas and cocoa power in a blender or food process. You may wish to add a little warm water just to get the machine moving. All you really need at this point is… really just patience. Depend on your blender, I don't have a Vitamix or high speed blender, so I had to pulse, then stir, then pulse, then stir… you know the drill. But just hang in there, because the result is worth it!

[nobodyhastodie]

Fresh Pawpaw (Papaya)

Saw a few very ripen pawpaws in the local vegetable shop and I know it’s time to treat myself some! So sweet, juicy, tender,and you can scoop and scoop until the very outer peel... A very happy morning.

[nobodyhastodie]

Dinner Bowl - Goodness in a bowl!!

Brown rice, grated carrots, boiled frozen sweet corns, chopped fresh kale, and tofu sponge cooked in a miso, ginger, and brown sugar sauce!! Super clean, fresh, and delicious!! 

PS. I am not sure if tofu sponges are available where you are, but you can replace with normal tofu and scramble them up in a miso, grated ginger, and brown sugar sauce until the moisture is evaporated.

[nobodyhastodie]

Your lentil rice recipe is so filling! Thanks for posting it <3

Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m glad you like it :D

[nobodyhastodie]

Chocolate Smoothie (dairy free)

We’ve been having this smoothie almost every morning for a while now. We add tonnes of bananas, frozen berries, and cocoa powder. Sometimes we add frozen pineapples, a sprig of mint, or a nob of ginger for a change, other times a little bit of frozen acai pulp for a little luxury. It’s a large jar, full of fructose, fiber, and antioxidants that energize us ready to start the day. By all means swap the cocoa powder with carob powders if you want to avoid any caffeine! Hope you like it as much as we do!

[nobodyhastodie]

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

OMG this is so easy, just put in the leftover grilled or baked vegetables and brush them over with sweet chilly sauce and the sandwich is done! Here I’ve got some zucchini, sweet potato slices, and a bit of fresh capsicum. Recommend to put in some grated carrots for some extra crunch though!