A change is in the air...

There has been a change. While I used to be woken by the dazzling golden glow of sunlight streaming in to the bedroom, I now awake to the cold grey light of Autumn. The bedroom window is foggy when I open the blinds, and the mornings carry with them a crispness that turns your mind to scarves, warm cups of tea, and hot breakfasts. Warm breakfasts are something that I have been enjoying lately, slow, sleepy, cozy ones that entice me out of my snuggly bed cocoon on these chilly mornings.

A favourite that I have been enjoying is semolina topped with fresh fruit. I got the recipe here, from the lovely Kate over at No Meat and Three Veg. I halved the amount of sugar as I preferred it with a milder sweetness, and doubled the serving size, because I eat a lot! I just honestly can't get enough of warm semolina right now!

Another warm breakfast that I have been enjoying is porridge topped with amber agave syrup. This is a simple yet underrated breakfast. So warm, comforting, and filling, it's always a great start to my busy days.

Big cups of warm herbal teas have also been making an appearance at my breakfast table of late. I absolutely love this huge cup, its happy yellowness brings so much joy to my soul. I'm sipping from it right now as I type, and my steaming tea is enveloping me in a warm embrace from the inside out. Just what you need during these grey Autumn days.

Happy living! :)

Pink milk smoothie

If you've ever seen Charlie and Lola or read the books, you'll know that pink milk is very very special. Unlike normal pink milk though, this yummy smoothie is also very healthy.

Serves 1

1 banana

handful of fresh raspberries

1-2 handfuls of strawberries

4 tbsp coconut yoghurt (I use Coyo brand)

Amber agave syrup (to taste)

250ml soy milk

1. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

2. Take in that pink milk deliciousness.

Happy drinking :)

What I'm drinking: green juices

So recently I blogged about cooking quinoa and dried beans for the first time. It was a shockingly un-vegan admission, that I had never cooked either of these foods before (I'm sure the gasps reverberated across the world as the news spread from vegan forum to vegan forum). Well hold onto your chairs because I'm about to drop another bombshell; I had also never made a green juice or cooked with kale before!

Now don't get me wrong, I'd eaten (and drank) these things before but I'd never actually made them myself. More due to our very very small student wages than anything else. Recently though, a lot of work has flowed my way and consequently the death-grip on our food budget has relaxed slightly. This means that we are now able to buy a whole load of different fruits at once, and at the same time, our local Woolworths has recently begun to stock kale. Yay!

So finally I was able to experiment with green juices. I didn't play around with the 'green things' (just stuck to the kale for the initial flavour experiments), but hopefully in future I can explore that as well. I did vary the types of fruit and fruit juices I put in though (note to self: don't use strawberries as the redness mixing with the green-ness makes for an unappetising brown-ness), and this one is my favourite so far:

1 banana

Large handful of blueberries

Large handful of kale

Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon

A bit of water

Another thing I experimented with was adding 3-4 tablespoons of cocoa powder to this particular juice (and leaving out the lemon juice). It was really yummy and would be great to try if you have little ones with an aversion to green juices!

I think that this would also be great with a bit of ginger added. Your could even make a ginger tea by boiling some grated ginger in water, straining the ginger out, putting the tea in the fridge, and then using that instead of water. I might have to try that myself actually!

I've been having these juices for breakfast and following them up with baked beans on an English muffin. I feel that my energy levels have really improved and so has my mood, ah the wonders of fresh produce!

Happy drinking! :)

Chocolate Breakfast Milk Recipe

Now in my opinion, anything that starts with 'Chocolate Breakfast' is already a winner. Sometimes I find that I don't have time to make AND eat breakfast though, or sometimes I'm just not that hungry. That's why I love smoothies, because even when you're in a rush or not feeling very hungry, you still need to eat something for breakfast. Lately my life has been a bit hectic and I've come up with this breakfast milk recipe, it's quick, easy, and surprisingly filling.

300ml soy milk
1 1/2 tbsp rolled oats
1 tbsp cocoa powder

1. Put all ingredients into a blender and pulse for a couple of minutes until smooth and combined. Drink immediately.

Variation: try adding half a banana and/or a scoop of chia seeds for a thicker more smoothie-like drink.

Happy drinking! :)

Perfect pancakes recipe

One of life's great joys is making a batch of pancakes for breakfast on the weekend, I mean, when else is it socially acceptable to have a dessert for breakfast? This is my favourite pancake recipe, veganised from Eat Well, Stay Strong: a nunga cookbook for healthy living. It works every time and has very little sugar - though you wouldn't know it! I like them topped with strawberry jam, cinnamon and sugar, lemon and sugar or, of course, the classic maple syrup.

Makes: 2 large or 4 smaller pancakes

1 cup self raising flour (sometimes I use half white self raising and half wholemeal self raising and then tell myself that they are healthy pancakes)
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup soy milk
Egg replacer made up to the equivalent of 2 eggs (I use Orgran brand)
Vegetable oil
Nuttelex

1. In a bowl mix together the four and sugar.

2. Make a well in the centre, and then add milk and egg replacer. Whisk until batter is smooth.

3. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add a small knob of Nuttelex. When the fat is hot, spoon batter into the frying pan (I find it best to use a soup ladle).

4. Cook until bubbles form on the top (a pancake ready to flip looks a lot like a crumpet) and then flip and cook the on other side.

Happy eating! :)

Chocolate, prune and bran muffins recipe

Having trouble getting little ones to eat food that's good for them? Or maybe it's your own mouth you're wanting to trick. Either way, these chocolate muffins are yummy AND good for you! Perfect for lunch or a snack.

Makes 12

1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 1/2 cups wheat bran (not flakes or pellets, just regular bran)
1 tbsp cocoa
1 1/2 tsp bi-carb soda
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups water
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp soy milk
1 cup prunes

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C and grease a 12 hole muffin tray with a little vegetable oil.

2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, bran, cocoa, bi-carb, and sugar until thoroughly combined.

3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the vegetable oil, vinegar, soy milk, and 1 1/2 cups of the water. Mix until just combined.

4. In a food processor, process the prunes and the remaining 1/2 cup of water until smooth. Add to the bowl and fold in.

5. Spoon mixture into muffin tray and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, but with a few crumbs still clinging to it.

6. Leave to cool in the tray for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on an airing rack.

Happy eating! :)

Overnight oats recipe

I love making overnight oats for breakfast because they are so satisfying and yet require so little effort. Just mix it all together before you go to bed, and the work is all done while you sleep, excellent. This recipe is a veganised version of one in Beverly LeBlanc's excellent cookbook, The Student Vegetarian Cookbook.

Serves 1

30-40g rolled oats
Soy milk
Salt

1. Measure the oats out into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt, then at least enough milk to cover the oats (experiment over a few days to find out what kind of texture you prefer).

2. Mix thoroughly, cover, and leave in the fridge overnight.

3. Remove from fridge, and stir in whatever toppings you want. I have used a variety of fresh and dried fruit, agave syrup, and my favourite additives: brown sugar and cinnamon, as shown below.

Happy eating! :)

Fadge recipe

I come from an English-Irish background and fadge is a traditional dish in my family. Originating from Ireland and eaten as part of a fry up, cooked breakfast, or as a tasty snack, fadge can only really be described as a 'potato pancake'. I know, it sounds really gross doesn't it? It's not though! Fadge is something that on paper sounds so wrong and yet tastes so right. It really is something you have to try and I can honestly say I have never fed it to anyone who didn't like it (picky children included). It also provides a 'choose your own adventure' ending, as you will see. Be brave and give fadge a chance I say!

Serves: not many in our family as we all want to hog it for ourselves!

Cold mashed potatoes, preferably refrigerated overnight
Plain white flour
Nuttelex

1. Using your hands, mix the flour into the mashed potato until a dough is formed. It should be soft but not too sticky.

2. On a floured work surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is around half a centimetre thick. Using a glass or something else of a similar size (my mum uses a small saucepan lid), cut the dough into round pancake shapes.

3. Cook under the grill until golden on both sides. Bubbles will appear on the surface and may turn slightly black, that's fine.

Now, here's where the cooking becomes 'choose your own adventure'! Either, you can stop at this point, pop your fadge on a plate, slather them with Nuttelex, and eat them straight away (as I do - because I'm impatient), or you can continue on to step 4 and make them the traditional way (which is also absolutely delicious but takes a few minutes more).

4. Heat a little Nuttelex in a frying pan. Fry the fadge until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel and serve hot.

Happy eating! :)

Homemade muesli recipe

I love pottering around in the kitchen on the weekend with the lovely smell of baking muesli wafting through the air and that feeling you get in your heart when you're being all crafty and self-sufficient(ish). I also love knowing what's going into my food. Most muesli is packed with sugar, coated in honey, and surprisingly lacking in fibre. Not so when you make it with this recipe! Not only is this muesli delicious but it is extremely fibrous. This is of course good for your bowels but I must warn you, it's only good for them if you drink plenty of water! So eat up, then drink up!

6 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup wheat germ
2 cups bran (NOT bran flakes or pellets, just plain wheat bran)
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup golden syrup
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup chopped dried apples
1 cup chopped dried prunes

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

2. In a large bowl, mix oats, seeds, coconut, wheat germ, and bran until well combined.

3. Stir in the oil, then the golden syrup.

4. Bake muesli in a large, deep, baking tray for 20 minutes, stirring twice. It should be golden in colour.

5. Leave to cool, then add dried fruit and stir to combine. Store in an airtight container.

Happy eating! :)

Strawberry breakfast smoothie

A nice quick breakfast for when you're just about to run out the door. It's tasty, filling, and has plenty of fibre ;) As with all smoothies, the amounts of ingredients really depend on your own tastes. I don't have a set recipe, I just add however much I want of everything. This recipe is a guide to be tweaked at your will!

1-2 handfuls of frozen strawberries
1/2 frozen banana
Handful of rolled oats
Handful pitted prunes
Generous sprinkle of chia seeds
Agave syrup or golden syrup
Soy milk

1. Put banana in blender and blend until no big lumps remain. Add stawberries, prunes, oats, chia seeds, agave or golden syrup to taste, and enough soy milk to just cover the rest of the ingredients.

2. Blend until smooth with no lumps remaining. Adjust amount of milk to suit if the smoothie is a bit thick. If it's too thin, add some more oats and blend again.

Instant(ish) porridge recipe

This is a great porridge to have on a cold morning. It only takes a few minutes to make and you don't have to worry about all the additives in packet instant porridge (why IS it so thick and creamy??). This recipe is also vegan, so you can have 'honey' porridge without honey! I use amber agave syrup, which you can buy from many health food stores, but you could always use brown sugar with extra milk, maple syrup, a little golden syrup, or treacle. Or you could just load it up with white sugar. It depends on your taste buds.

Serves 1

1/2 cup rolled oats (you could used 'quick cook oats' but I never have)
Boiling water
1 tsp white sugar
Soy milk
Amber agave syrup to taste

1. Place the oats and sugar in a bowl and add boiling water until oats are just covered. Give it a stir and then allow to sit for around 3 minutes.

2. Stir the oats and then add a little milk, stirring, until the mixture is creamy.

3. Stir in some agave syrup (or other sweetener) to taste and then eat it up and be warmed and comforted.

Happy eating! :)