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Green pesto casserole (and foolproof blueprint for vegetarian/vegan casseroles)
I was gone from here for almost a year and I have nothing for my defence. It seems only fair to come back with a really, really good recipe. And by a good recipe, I mean something easy, customisable to every taste and (relatively) healthy. I thought it would be fun to give you something that is more just one thing, but more of a blueprint you can use to build your own versions of a meal. So what are we making today? Casserole. I don’t want to sound too much like 50’s housewife – but I make it so often because it’s one of my husband’s favourite meals. We…
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Beetroot-lemon-rocket-walnut salad with buckwheat and smoked tofu (aka the prettiest vegan salad ever)
Sometimes I start developing recipes with a certain taste blend in mind, but this time the start was purely visual. I wanted the pretty beetroot colour contrasted with something green. The rest came together quickly, and the result is a quick, complex and very impressive salad that can be ready in 15 minutes. All of the major flavours are present: the sweetness of the beetroot, crisp sourness of lemon in the dressing, a bit of bitter spiciness from rocket and pepper, nuttiness from buckwheat and walnuts, and finally the smoky salty bits of smoked tofu. I don’t think it can be successfully substituted by regular tofu, but you can experiment…
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Millet falafels (vegan and gluten free)
I hate chickpeas, except when in falafel. My husband hates millet, except in those millet falafels. Which leads me to a conclusion that in our household anything will pass as edible if stuffed with enough mint, parsley and spices and served in a wrap. When I moved to the Netherlands it was quite a shock to find out that millet is not very popular and therefore, easy to find in shops. How this could be possible when millet is so good and versatile? With milder taste than quinoa, it can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. Millet is basically a magic grain that can turn into a fake…
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Lemon risotto with vegetable crumble (fast but fancy)
Sometimes you don’t have much time but still want to eat something nicer. Or you are simply lazy, like me. Maybe there are unexpected guests coming and you feel like impressing them… in 30 minutes. This recipe is made for such moments. Probably it’s not the proper way of making risotto, but who cares. It’s a tasty, quick, impressively looking dish. Perfect when you want to make a statement in your kitchen without too much hassle. Oh, and it’s vegan and gluten free. You’re welcome. The citrus blends nicely with the creamyness of the risotto, so the end result is neither bland not too heavy. For me, the “wow” factor…
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Easy cinnamon cookies (gf & vegan option)
I’m on some kind of cookie baking spree – and I keep using as a starting point my basic cookie dough recipe. These cinnamon ones turned out especially tasty, so without further ado: cookies you can make on a weeknight, in 30 minutes. Cinnamon cookies 150g white flour (or gf flour mix)70g ground almonds1 tsp baking powder (or gf baking powder)50g neutral oil (canola or rice)2 tablespoons flax seeds, ground + 4 tablespoons hot water, or 1 egg60g dark brown sugar20g white sugar1 tsp vanilla extract1,5 tsp ground cinnamonCold waterPinch of salt Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. For a vegan option, mix flax seeds with hot water, set aside…
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Beyond burger review (yes, it’s good, but there are but’s)
Beyond Burger finally arrived in the Netherlands last week. This product is probably the most hyped meat replacement ever, and I swear I’ve seen it mentioned hundreds of times (both in a positive and negative context). I bet if you are vegan you probably are pretty excited about it. But I think omnivores, especially those trying to reduce meat in their diet (like me) should be even more thrilled. Why? Because it actually is a good meat replacement*. Ingredients and nutritional value The burger is based on pea protein, which makes the least gross fake meat and protein powders in my opinion (heard that pea milk and yoghurt are nasty…
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Lasagna with an eastern twist (and a lot of hidden vegetables)
Can you even imagine being tired of classic lasagna? It’s pretty hard for me, but maybe some of you want something different. Or you like Middle Eastern flavours like cumin, cinnamon, tahini and mint, but you don’t feel like cooking an entirely new dish. Maybe your family is picky and they will only eat food that is at least similar in form to something well known. Who am I kidding, the recipe is just perfect for everybody. A nice, rich filling with strong taste from all the spices, creamy yoghurt tahini sauce and fresh mint on top. And the best thing about it? Over 300g of vegetables per portion. If…
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Quick vegan chocolate milk (aka the magic of transforming sweet potato into a drink)
Any fans of chocolate milk here? I’m surely addicted to it – especially the Oatly one! Despite its deliciousness, store-bought chocolate milk is not even remotely healthy enough to make drinking it a sustainable habit. And there is also the issue of packaging: to my knowledge, all chocolate milk brands sell their products in tetra paks, which are hard to recycle. So here I present you a relatively guilt-free and easy way of making your own chocolate milk: creamy, sweet (but low in sugar) and containing fiber. You may be sceptical about the sweet potatoes, but trust me: you will forget they are there. For me, this particular vegetable is…
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Basic vegan cookie dough and ice cream sandwiches (gf option, safe-to-eat-raw option)
I’m addicted to Ben&Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream and their cookie dough ice cream sandwiches. The availability of those products in the Netherlands was seriously one of the points I considered a pro when I decided to move here. But the fact that they are milk-based was really something that bothered me a lot as I started to move in more plant-based direction with my diet, and well, their ingredients list is not very appealing in general. This frustration made me test over and over cookie dough recipes that could serve as a basis for vegan alternative. I wanted to make this recipe as versatile as possible. First, it can…
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Sweet/sour/spicy tofu in pineapple-sriracha sauce
Asian cuisine is one of my favourites to massacre in the kitchen (with Italian being the close second). Probably there is no single dish that I can make properly, yet I really enjoy cooking in this improvised, Europe-ised and chaotic way. I also have never been to Asia, so my whole idea about the food from this part of the world is based on restaurants located in Europe, which presents a variation far, far from the original. A staple in those places – the sweet and sour chicken – is something that has made it to the collective memory of everybody who ever stepped into one of those pseudo-Asian bars:…
