CONTENTS
About this book
FAQ
The Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen Lists
Warm Tempeh and Lentil Salad
Dinner
Breakfast
Ga r lic A s p a r a g u s o n Hummus Br ea d
Basil & Cashew Stir Fry
B ean S tew with a S im ple Salad
Tofu Spinach Scramble
Spicy Vegetable Rice
Choc o l at e C h i a P ud d i ng wit h Ma n go & Ba n a n a
S pinach & C hickpea S tew with B rown R ice
The Veg Lot
Roast Vegetable Salad
Gluten Free crepes with Chocolate Berry Sauce
B raised C abbag e with Potato C risps & Tem peh thins
S moo t h i e 3 w ay s
Watermelon Skin Sauce with Mash
Maple Drizzled Crispy French Toast
Bonus Dessert
Lun c h
Bean Salad with Vegan Mayo
C hocolate & C oconut S lice
Creamy Watermelon Ice Cream
Na k e d B u r r i t o B o w l
Mushroom, Spinach and Walnut Quinoa
Cr e a m y S u m m e r S al ad in a Ja r
S a ta y T o f u W r ap
Classic Veg Burger with Vegan Mayo
Sha re t he love
C opyright
ABOUT THIS BOOK
We’d like to start by saying that we don’t have all of the answers. We
acknowledge that we have a long way to go on our cooking journey, in
fact, we’d say it’s a lifetime commitment.
Having said that, you would be hard pressed to find two people who care
more about eating a healthy plant-based diet and living mindfully at the
same time. We call this combination The Minimalist Vegan lifestyle. The
very fact that you’re reading this book, tells us that you’re interested in
this lifestyle too.
We’ve put this cookbook together because we believe in minimalist
cooking. What does this mean exactly? It means that we create recipes with
ingredients that are likely to already be in your fridge or pantry. Or if you
can’t find the exact ingredient, we will teach you to find substitutes and
think on your feat. That’s what minimalist cooking is about!
We’re also quite conscious of health, so you will find that most of the
ingredients that we use are organic, gluten-free and sugar-free. We
should also mention that we don’t use a microwave.
This book is for everyone who is curious about simple vegan cooking and is
willing to try this lifestyle for a week. Our hope is that you incorporate a few,
if not all of the recipes, into your weekly rotation. That would be awesome!
FAQ
Before we dive into the recipes, we thought it would be useful to
answer some common questions about a healthy vegan lifestyle. These
may also help you to understand what we’re about.
If you have any more questions about what you should be taking, we
recommend that you consult with a naturopath or health care
professional.
Where do you get your protein from?
This is probably the most common question we get about being
vegans. Here's our typical response: "A large portion of our diet is
made up of greens, nuts, seeds and legumes. All of these foods are
packed with protein and we happen to love eating them!"
We encourage you to do your own research on this topic, but more
importantly, experiment with how your body responds. For example,
Masha recently had a blood test to check her nutritional levels.
Interestingly enough, her protein levels we right where they needed to
be. Make sure to get tested so you can see how your body is absorbing
different nutrients. Your own body is your only evidence :)
What does it mean to be a minimalist?
Our definition of minimalism is to figure out what's important in your
life and getting rid of the rest. Simple right? It's actually a lot harder
than it sounds. If you're interested in learning more, check out this
post.
Do you need to take lots of vitamins and supplements?
Almost all of the vitamins and minerals you get from meat and dairy
can be found in a vegan diet. Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 would be
the only exceptions (omnivores should look into this as well). We used
to take Vitamin B12 and since our levels are fine now, we don’t really
need it anymore. Vitamin B12 takes a long time to decrease in your
system, it’s not something that happens overnight. We also get out in
the sun as much as we can so to soak up Vitamin D. Best way to do it
is to expose as much of your skin for 10 minutes a day without
sunscreen.
How do you get calcium if you don't drink cow’s milk?
This is another very common question. We honestly think the milk
industry is really good at marketing, like extremely good. You'll find
more calcium in broccoli, kale, grains, and soy, than your average cup
of cow's milk. Even chia seeds have seven times more calcium than
milk! So make sure to get in your greens, and you'll be strong like
Popeye. Sorry, we're obviously not as good at marketing as the milk
industry :)
Are all vegans actually healthy?
The short answer is no. Just like omnivores, vegans still have access to
processed foods, sugar and fat. Sure you can get by with eating pasta
and tomato sauce everyday, but we recommend eating organic, fresh
and whole foods as much as possible.
FAQ Cont.
Where do you get all of this information?
It doesn't matter whether you're a vegan, vegetarian or an omnivore.
The important thing is to do your own research (don't go too nuts with
it as it can sometimes confuse you) and listen to your body. We suggest
you take a food journal to see how you feel after each meal. That way
you can make adjustments and personalise your diet accordingly. No
body is the same. One person’s food could be another person’s poison.
We've created a list of resources that have helped us on our journey.
We recommend that you start here if you want to improve your
general knowledge.
Why do you buy organic?
We buy organic food, well because that it what real food is. Grown
without any chemicals and a toxic environment, we want only the
foods that give our bodies the best chance of thriving everyday. We
would rather spend more money on food now and enjoy it, than later
on medical bills that caused the illnesses from the chemicals that were
in our food.
We are big believers in organic and sustainable farming. We only buy
fruits and vegetables from local farmers markets where we go once a
week. There’s nothing quite like knowing the farmer that has grown
the food that you eat and you trust them 100% that they love what
they do. That energy comes through in the food that you eat. You can
really taste the difference!
What are GMO’s?
GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. This pretty much
means that the food has been engineered for resistance to pathogens
and herbicides. As this alters the genetics of the crop and withstands
other forms of life that normally feast on it, what would this kind of
food be doing to our bodies? This is why we avoid GMO foods
altogether. The five most genetically modified crops in the world are:
• Corn
• Canola
• Cotton
• Soy
• Rice
Try and always buy these five crops organic or biodynamic where
possible. This is something that we don’t compromise on.
A few notes about the ingredients:
• We recommend that you buy local organic or biodynamic produce
wherever possible.
• The salt that we use is pink himalayan salt. If you can’t get your
hands on that then use sea salt. Table salt is full of chemicals and is
extremely processed.
• If you need to buy canned food (which we have used in some of our
recipes), make sure that you always buy food in BPA free cans. The
lining of non labelled cans have a toxic lining that has been reported
to cause serious health problems.
5
The Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen Lists
Dirty Dozen List
(Buy these ingredients organic/biodynamic)
Clean Fifteen
(Lowest is pesticides, they are ok to buy not organic
when you are on a budget)
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Capsicum (Sweet Bell Peppers)
4. Peaches
5. Strawberries
6. Nectarines
7. Grapes
8. Spinach
9. Lettuce
10. Cucumbers
11. Blueberries
12. Potatoes
1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn (non GMO)
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Cabbage
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Mangoes
9. Eggplant
10. Kiwi
11. Rock melon (Cantaloupe)
12. Sweet Potatoes
13. Grapefruit
14. Watermelon
15. Mushrooms
Breakfast
Serves 2
Total time 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
Hummus • 1 can chickpeas - rinsed well
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp tahini (unhulled preferably)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Water as needed
• Salt and pepper to season
The rest • 2 tbsp brown rice bran oil
• 2 bunches of asparagus, snap off around 2 inches from the bottom.*
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• Salt and pepper to season
• 2 thick slices of rye sourdough or any other handmade bread
• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling, optional
Instructions:
1. For the hummus, place all ingredients besides the water in a food
processor or blender and blend for about 1 minute until smooth. You
may need to stir a couple of times to push all the ingredients around to
get the right consistency. If there is not enough liquid in there, add a
little bit of water. You want it to be creamy.
2. When the hummus is done, spread it nice and thick onto the the bread.
3. In a frying pan on medium-low heat, add the oil and asparagus. Fry for
about 1 minute.
4. Then add in the garlic and season. Turn and toss all ingredients in frying
pan until the asparagus starts to lightly brown and soften. You do
however still want it slightly crunchy.
5. Place the asparagus on top of the bread and hummus.
6. Add a drizzle of olive oil if you like.
*The way that I prepare my asparagus is by testing how far down the
asparagus I can go by folding it slightly and waiting for it to snap.
GARLIC ASPARAGUS ON
HUMMUS BREAD
TOFU SPINACH
SCRAMBLE
Serves 2
Total time: 20-25 minutes (recipe tastes best when marinated for a
minimum of 30 minutes)
Ingredients:
• 350 grams of firm tofu
• Half a medium sized brown onion, cut in thin slices lengthways
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 handful of either kale, english or baby spinach - (as much as you
like really) roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp of Tamari sauce
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (or less if you don’t like spicy food)
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
Instructions:
1. Crumble the tofu into small chunks and into a container.
2. Add all ingredients to the crumbled tofu and mix well.
3. Put the lid on the container and do a little shaking dance for about
20-30 seconds until all the ingredients are combined.
4. Set aside in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes for it to
marinate.
5. Put a frying pan on low to medium heat and wait for it to warm up
6. Add the mixture to the pan and fry until the tofu starts lightly
browning on the outside. This normally takes around 7-8 minutes.
Make sure you keep stirring it.
7. Serve immediately with bread or on its own.
Serves 2-4
Total time: 15 minutes + overnight soaking or for a minimum of 2 hrs
Ingredients:
• ¾ cup chia seeds
• 2 tbsp cacao powder
• 1 cup coconut milk (or low fat coconut cream)
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut (optional)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1.5 cups almond milk or any other non dairy milk
• 1 mango
• 1 banana
Instructions:
1. Mix chia seeds with cacao powder and desiccated coconut in a bowl.
2. Add in the liquid ingredients (coconut milk, maple syrup and almond
milk), and mix through for about 2-3 minutes until you reach an even
consistency.
3. Set aside in the fridge overnight.
4. In the morning, stir through the chia pudding to make sure that the
consistency is still even as the chia seeds have expanded overnight
and may have bunched together a little. Add more milk if it’s too
firm.
5. Layer your pudding with chopped banana and mango.
Note: You can use any fruit for this recipe. We also like to use berries
and even nuts to add some crunch through the pudding. Layering it is
key to get a mix of different textures and flavours.
CHOCOLATE CHIA
PUDDING WITH MANGO
& BANANA
Serves 2.
Total time: 20 minutes
THE VEG LOT
Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp brown rice bran or any other high heat cooking oil
• One small onion chopped thinly lengthways
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 2 medium zucchini (grey zucchini optional) cut lengthways
• 8-10 mushrooms chopped lengthways
• 1 tomato cut into wedges of 8 pieces
• 2 handfuls of greens (we used english spinach) roughly chopped
• A handful of basil leaves roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in your frying pan on low to medium heat for about 1
minute.
2. Add the onion and sauté till it starts turning translucent and slightly
brown.
3. Add in the chopped garlic and zucchini and sauté for about 2
minutes.
4. Then add the mushrooms and sauté for another 2 minutes.
5. Add in the rest of the veggies and let cook for about 5-7 minutes.
6. Once they have all softened up and browned, season to taste and
remove from heat.
7. Serve with a nice multigrain bun, slices of bread or gluten free bread.
Note: We do a mix of different vegetables in this recipe. Normally we
have a look at what we have in the fridge and just use that. We do find
that this combination is our favourite.
Makes 10-12 small crepes.
Total time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients:
Crepes • 2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour (we use this one)
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp chia seeds mixed with 4-5 tbsp of water and leave it aside for 5
minutes - this will make a chia egg
• 2 cups nut milk
• Coconut oil for frying
Sauce • 3/4 cup frozen or fresh blackberries and/or raspberries (any berries
really)
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tbsp cacao powder
• Water if needed
Instructions:
Crepes
1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, coconut sugar and salt)
2. In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients (chia egg and milk)
3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and gradually combine
them while whisking.
4. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop
the batter onto the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe.
5. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface
evenly.
6. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown.
Loosen with a spatula or by moving the pan back and forth, turn and
cook the other side.
7. When each one is done, keep stacking them up on a plate.
Berry and chocolate sauce
1. Combine the berries, coconut sugar, and cacao powder in a saucepan
over low to medium heat. Stir until the cacao powder and coconut
sugar have dissolved. If the berries are fresh, you will need a little bit of
water in there to create the sauce.
2. Cook for around 5 minutes stirring every minute or until the berries
have softened but are still together. Serve poured over the crepe stack.
GLUTEN FREE CREPES
WITH CHOCOLATE
BERRY SAUCE
Each smoothie serves 2-3 and takes around 5-7 minutes to make.
Green Smoothie
SMOOTHIE 3 WAYS
Ingredients:
• 2 cups pineapple
• 1 mango (or orange)
• 2 cups spinach (firmly packed)
• 2 cups kale (firmly packed)
• 4 cups coconut water
Instructions:
1. Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend for 2 minutes or
until you reach a smooth consistency. Serve immediately.
Mixed Berry Smoothie
Ingredients:
• 2 cups frozen berries (or any berry)
• 3 cups almond milk (or any other nut milk)
• 8 drops vanilla extract (optional)
• 2 bananas
• ¼ cup protein powder (brown rice protein or pea protein are best)
Instructions:
1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 2 minutes or until you
reach a smooth consistency. Serve immediately.
Chocolate Mint Smoothie
Ingredients:
• 3 bananas
• ⅓ cup cacao powder
• 3 cups almond milk (or any other nut milk)
• 1 cup coconut cream
• ⅛ tspn peppermint oil or flavour
Instructions:
1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 2 minutes or until you
reach a smooth consistency. Serve immediately.
Serves 2
Total time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
• 1 cup almond milk (or any other nut milk)
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
• ⅛ tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 4-5 slices thick sourdough bread
• Coconut oil for frying
• ½ cup maple syrup (or more if you like it sweet)
Instructions:
1. Whisk all ingredients but the bread and maple syrup together.
2. In a shallow bowl, place the liquid and each slice of bread to soak
well on each side for around 30 seconds - 1 minute.
3. Once soaked well, heat coconut oil in frying pan.
4. Place soaked bread on the pan and fry on each side until golden
brown on medium-low heat.
5. Drizzle bread with maple syrup or other desired topping and serve
while warm.
MAPLE DRIZZLED
CRISPY FRENCH TOAST
Lunch
BEAN SALAD WITH
VEGAN MAYO
Serves 2
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
• 2 handfuls of green beans, head and top them and snap in half
• 1 cob grilled corn - fry off on some rice bran oil until it starts turning
a light brown colour
• 10-15 pitted kalamata olives (optional)
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach
• 1 can cannellini beans - rinsed well
• Half a small red onion, sliced thin
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of half a lime
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup vegan mayo*
Instructions:
1. Par boil the green beans for 5 minutes.
2. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. You can add the mayo on the top or mix it in.
*recipe for vegan mayo is with the Classic Veg Burger with Mayo
recipe. The quantity that you make for the burger should be enough for
this recipe as well.
Serves: 2-3
Total time: 30-40 mins
Ingredients:
• 1 cup brown rice (soaked for at least 3 hours if you have time)
• 3-4 tbsp brown rice bran oil
• 1 small eggplant cut into small cubes (no need to peel)
• 1 medium sized zucchini cut into small cubes
• 10 mushrooms cut in fours
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• ½ small red onion chopped
• 1 can black beans or 400 grams of cooked black beans - rinsed well
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
• ¾ avocado diced
• Punnet cherry tomatoes cut in half or 3 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 tspn of juice from a lime/lemon or apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil for dressing
• 10-15 pitted kalamata olives
• Salt and pepper to taste for each component of the meal
Instructions:
1. Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid. Use the ratio
of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice. Bring the rice/water to a boil
uncovered. Reduce the heat to low and let the rice simmer for 20
minutes. If your lid has a steam valve, keep it closed with the lid on
the pot.
2. While the rice is cooking, put 2 tbsp of the oil on medium heat and
add the eggplant, zucchini and mushroom. Cook for about 5-7
minutes as it softens up. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to
taste. Take off heat and transfer to a bowl.
3. In the same saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the onion. Cook
until it starts to brown a little on the edges.
4. Add the black beans and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Season with
salt. Take off heat and transfer to a bowl.
5. In the same saucepan for the last time add the 1 tbsp of oil and add
the corn. Cook for about 3 minutes. Take off heat and transfer to a
bowl.
6. Combine the tomatoes, avocado, citrus juice/vinegar, olive oil, salt
and pepper. Mix together well until the avocado softens a little.
7. Assemble all ingredients on a plate and enjoy.
NAKED BURRITO BOWL
Serves: 2
Total time: 20 minutes
MUSHROOM, SPINACH
AND WALNUT QUINOA
Ingredients:
• 1 cup quinoa rinsed (wash until all the foam goes away)
• 2 tbsp brown rice bran oil (or any other healthy high heat oil)
• 5-7 mushroom chopped
• 100 grams baby spinach (2-3 handfuls)
• ½ cup walnuts chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to season
Instructions:
1. Place the 1 cup of rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water on mediumhigh heat. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover and
simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to
20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. Saute the mushroom and garlic on low-medium heat on the brown
rice bran oil for a few minutes until they start browning then add in
the spinach and walnuts.
3. Simmer for about 5 minutes on low heat to let all the flavours infuse
well.
4. Season the vegetables to taste and combine quinoa with the rest. Add
the olive oil and stir through well.
5. Enjoy on its own or with a salad.
Note: This would work with vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini and
pumpkin as well.
Serves 2
Total time: 30 minutes + 3 hours soaking for the cashews
Ingredients:
• 2 cups pumpkin, cut into cubes
• 1 can chickpeas - rinsed well
• 1 cup fresh corn (or frozen corn that has been slightly pan fried)
• 1 small avocado, cut into cubes
• 2 packed cups of baby spinach
• Salt and pepper to season
Creamy basil dressing
• 1 cup cashews soaked (soaked for at least 3 hours)
• 1 packed cup of basil
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ½ cup water
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.
2. On a lined baking tray, place cubed pumpkin and season well.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until slightly browned. Make sure they are
cooked through by putting a skewer through it and it goes in
smoothly.
4. Place all dressing ingredients in blender and blend until you reach a
smooth consistency. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides
and go again. Normally takes about 2 minutes.
5. When the pumpkin has finished baking, set aside to slightly cool.
(You can do the pumpkin the night before if you want to take it for
work the next day.)
6. Assemble all the ingredients in the jar starting with the dressing and
working your way up to the softer ingredients. Finish it off by
seasoning to taste. When you place the dressing down the bottom it
keeps it from making the rest of the ingredients soggy before you are
ready to have it for lunch.
7. Tip upside down into a bowl and mix well.
Note: You can add a layer of nuts in there if you want some extra
crunch.
CREAMY SUMMER
SALAD IN A JAR
Serves 2
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
• 100 grams firm tofu, sliced 2 cm thick
• 2 tbsp Tamari sauce
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely grated
• Pinch chilli powder (optional)
• 2 tbsp brown rice bran oil
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1 small beetroot, grated
• 2 handfuls of salad greens (lettuce, baby spinach, rocket etc)
• 2-4 pieces of natural wraps
• Peanut sauce (refer to this blog post)
Instructions:
1. Marinate the tofu in tamari, ginger and chilli powder in a container
with a lid. Make sure that the tofu is completely covered then give it
a good shake with the lid on. Set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Once the tofu has had time to marinate, heat the oil in a frying pan
on medium heat. Fry the tofu on either side for around 1-2 minutes
until it starts to go brown and crispy.
3. Assemble all the ingredients in a wrap and get your wrap on!! I
normally find that using 2 pieces of the wrap overlapping helps to get
more ingredients in there. It depends how big the wrap you buy is
and what shape. Mine are a rectangular shape so it helps to have the
2 pieces for wrapping it up.
Note: Any type of salad would work well in this. Use your favourite
combination as long as it works well with peanut sauce, you should be
fine.
SATAY TOFU WRAP
Makes 2 burgers
Total time: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients:
Patty • 1 small onion, grated
• 1 small zucchini, grated
• ½ cup fresh or defrosted corn
• ½ cup all purpose gluten free flour
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• ⅛ tspn chilli powder
• ⅛ tspn salt
The rest • 1 small tomato, sliced
• 1 small avocado, sliced
• 5-6 leaves broad leaf rocket or lettuce
• 2 wholegrain buns
Mayo:
• 150 grams silken tofu
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ⅛ salt or to taste
Instructions:
1. Combine the patty ingredients with salt in a bowl and mix well.
Make sure that the mixture somewhat sticks together. If it’s too wet,
add a little more flour.
2. Form them into patties - should get about 2 large ones and fry them
on each side until golden brown.
3. For the mayo, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend
until a smooth consistency is reached.
4. Cut the buns in half and grill or toast on both sides.
5. Assemble the burger with the bun, patty, avocado, tomato, rocket and
mayo.
Note: You will have some leftover mayo. Pop it in the fridge and use it as
a side or dressing for other dishes. Should last you 4-5 days in the fridge.
CLASSIC VEG BURGER
WITH VEGAN MAYO
WARM TEMPEH AND
LENTIL SALAD
Serves: 3-4
Total time: 1 hour + 8 hours for soaking lentils
Ingredients:
• 1 cup lentils soaked for at least 8 hours
• 2 cups water for cooking lentils
• Salt to season
• 4 small or 2 large beetroots
• ¼ cup brown rice bran oil (to bake beetroots and for frying)
• 150 grams (half a pack) tempeh chopped into cubes
• 2 handfuls green beans, head and top them and snap in half
• 3 handfuls baby spinach
• 2-3 cloves garlic
Dressing • 1 heaped tbsp tahini (preferably unhulled)
• Juice of half a lemon
• Drizzle extra virgin olive oil
• Good pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. To cook the lentils, (once soaked for at least 6-8 hours) wash them until all
the foam has gone.
2. Add the water to the lentils in a saucepan and bring to a rapid simmer over
medium-high heat. Then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook,
uncovered, for 20-30 minutes. Add water as needed. Lentils are cooked as
soon as they are tender and no longer crunchy. Strain the lentils and wash
them. Return the lentils to the pan and stir in a good pinch of salt. Taste and
add additional salt as needed.
3. Cut the beetroot into wedges and place on a slightly greased baking tray in
the oven on 200 degrees on fan bake for 15-20 minutes.
4. While the beetroot is baking, place the green beans in a saucepan of boiling
water for 7-10 minutes. Remove from water and rinse under cold water to
stop the cooking process. Set aside.
5. In a frying pan, heat the oil, add the tempeh and fry on each side for 1-2
minutes until it starts to crisp up and brown a little.
6. Add in the garlic and baby spinach and cook for another minute. Take off
heat and set aside.
7. Add all dressing ingredients in a small container and shake well for about 30
seconds until all ingredients are well combined.
8. Combine the cooked lentils, beetroot, beans, tempeh with garlic and spinach
and dressing all in the bowl. Toss well to with dressing and serve.
Dinner
Serves 2-3
Total time: 20-25 minutes
BASIL & CASHEW STIR
FRY
Ingredients:
• 1 cup white quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 3 tbsp brown rice bran oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 large carrot, cut lengthways
• 1 small broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 zucchini, cut lengthways
• 6-7 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup basil
• ¼ cup Tamari sauce
• ¾ cup roasted cashews - you can buy them roasted or roast them
yourself on a frying pan for 1-2 minutes. I like them a little bit burnt.
Instructions:
1. Wash the quinoa in a strainer until the foam disappears.
2. Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce
heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has
been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, place a large saucepan on medium heat
adding the oil and onion.
4. Once the onion is starting to slightly brown, add the ginger and fry
for about a minute.
5. Add in the carrot and cook for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add in the broccoli and cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Next add the zucchini and mushrooms and cook altogether for about
3-4 minutes.
8. Add in the basil and tamari sauce and cook for another 5 minutes
until the carrot and broccoli start to soften.
9. Serve on the quinoa and sprinkle with roasted cashews.
Note: If you don’t have quinoa, you can use rice or buckwheat instead.
Serves: 2
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
Stew:
• 1 red onion cut lengthways
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 can adzuki beans - rinsed well
• 1 can kidney beans - rinsed well
• 1 can brown lentils - rinsed well
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• Salt to taste
Salad:
• 2 handfuls salad mix
• 2 tomatoes - chopped lengthways
• 10 leaves basil (optional)
• 5-7 olives (optional)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to season
Instructions:
Stew 1. In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic
& cayenne pepper and sauté until it starts to go a little brown.
2. Add in the kidney beans and cook for 2 minutes, add the rest of the
beans and lentils every 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and water stirring well.
4. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer partially
covered for 15-20 minutes or until beans and lentils have softened. Add
more water if needed.
5. Season to taste.
Salad 1. Combine all ingredients together and toss dressing through.
BEAN STEW WITH A
SIMPLE SALAD
Serves: 4
Total time: 40 minutes
SPICY VEGETABLE RICE
Ingredients:
• 2 cups white basmati rice
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 onion
• ¼ cup brown rice bran oil
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 750 ml vegetable stock (dilute vegetable stock cube)
• 2 handfuls green beans, head and top them and snap in half
• 3 stalks spring onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup corn or one corn cub
Instructions:
1. Sauté the onion, garlic and chilli over low heat for 10 minutes in oil.
2. Add the tomato paste, can of diced tomato and stock and bring to
boil.
3. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Rinse rice and add it to the stew.
5. Let rice simmer for 20 minutes (low to medium heat), stirring when
needed and add water if the rice starts drying up.
6. After 10 minutes, add green beans to the rice.
7. Finally, once rice is cooked, add peas, corn and onion and mix
through.
8. Season to taste.
Note: You don’t have to follow the list of vegetables used in the recipe.
You can quite easily use carrots, corn, parsley, mushrooms, zucchini to
change things up. Have fun with it!
Serves: 2
Total time: 30 minutes + 3 hours soaking time for rice if you have time
Ingredients:
• 1 cup brown rice (soaked for 3 hours)
• 2 cups water
Stew • 1 medium sized onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• ¼ cup brown rice bran oil
• 300g of frozen organic chopped spinach
• 1 can of diced tomato
• ½ can of chickpeas - rinsed well
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
Instructions:
1. Rinse brown rice until all the foam at the top goes away. Put water in
with the rice on medium heat.
2. Once it starts boiling, reduce heat to low and semi close with the lid
and cook for 20-25 minutes. Try rice to see if its cooked and wait for
all the water to evaporate. Do not stir the rice.
3. Finely chop onion and garlic and add to a big pot on medium heat.
Add chilli powder and simmer for 8 minutes until brown.
4. Add the can of chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add spinach and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add chickpeas and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Season to taste and serve the rice and stew immediately.
SPINACH & CHICKPEA
STEW WITH BROWN
RICE
Serves: 2-3
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
• 1 medium beetroot, cut into bite sized wedges
• 2 white potatoes, sliced 1cm wide
• 1 small purple sweet potato, sliced 1cm wide
• 1 small orange sweet potato, sliced 1cm wide
• 5-6 medium sized mushrooms, cut in half
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• Enough brown rice bran oil to cover the bottom of your roasting tray
• A handful baby spinach leaves
• 1 small bunch kale removed from stalks and chopped (rub with salt till
soft)
• ½ cup fresh corn (optional)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to season both the vegetable for roasting and at the end
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees on fan bake.
2. Toss the beetroot, all potatoes, mushrooms and onion in the baking tray
with the oil and seasoning. Make sure that the vegetables are covered in
as much oil as possible.
3. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the vegetables start
to brown and the white potatoes are cooked.* I normally pull them out
every 15-20 minutes and toss them around to make sure that all the
vegetables get cooked evenly.
4. While the vegetables are baking, in a big bowl, combine the baby
spinach, rubbed kale and corn.
5. Once the vegetables have finished roasting, toss all the vegetables
together in the bowl with the olive oil and the extra seasoning if
needed.
ROAST VEGETABLE
SALAD
Note: You can pretty much roast any vegetable you like. I also use
zucchini, pumpkin, capsicum and eggplant. I normally just look at the
vegetables I have in the fridge and pantry. It’s a great way to use up your
leftover vegetables at the end of the week before you do another shop.
*White potatoes in this recipe tend to take the longest to cook, so make
sure that you check on them first. If they are done, then the rest of the
veggies will most likely be done as well.
Serves: 2-3 people
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
• 3-4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized wedges
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Half a small purple cabbage, cut into thin slices
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• ¾ cup brown rice bran oil for frying
• 150 grams tempeh, sliced thinly (around 1 cm thick)
• 2 tbsp tamari sauce
• 2 tbsp brown mustard (optional)
Instructions:
1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and fill with water just enough to
cover the potatoes. Bring to boil and cook for around 15 minutes
until potatoes have softened enough for you to put a skewer through
it quite easily but without it falling apart.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, put the olive oil and garlic in a
medium sized saucepan on a low-medium heat. Cook for around 30
seconds.
3. Then add in the cabbage.
4. Stir for a couple of minutes and then place the lid on half way and
continue cooking until the cabbage becomes very soft. This should
take about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. When the potatoes are finished boiling, tip them out onto paper
towel and let them dry out a little. At this point cut them into smaller
bite sized pieces if you need to. Be careful, they will be hot! In a
frying pan, heat the rice bran oil for a minute or so on medium heat.
Place the potatoes in the pan, turning once they have browned on
one side. This should take about 2 minutes depending on your stove.
Once they are all nice and golden, place them on a plate with paper
towel and let it absorb the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Use the same pan again for the tempeh. Fry the tempeh slices for
around 2 minutes on each side or until slightly browned. Pour the
tamari over it just before serving.
7. Put all ingredients together on a plate and serve immediately with
some brown mustard on the side to dip your potatoes in.
BRAISED CABBAGE
WITH POTATO CRISPS &
TEMPEH THINS
WATERMELON SKIN
SAUCE WITH MASH
Serves 2-3
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Watermelon sauce • 3 tbsp brown rice bran oil
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 6 cups watermelon white skin cut into bite sized pieces. (Peel the
darker green layer off)*
• 1 veg stock cube
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• ⅛ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp salt
Mash • 4 medium sized potatoes, cut into fours
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼-½ cup water from the cooked potatoes
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• Season to taste
Instructions:
1. Place the cut potatoes in a saucepan and cover the potatoes with
water. Boil potatoes for 15-18 minutes or until you can put a skewer
through quite easily.
2. While potatoes are boiling, put another saucepan on medium heat
and sauté the onion on oil until they start turning brown.
3. Add the watermelon skins and vegetable stock cube and cook for 10
minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the salt and pepper and can of tomatoes. Lower the heat and
cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Once the potatoes are cooked, place them with the nutritional yeast,
garlic, ¼ water, olive oil and salt in a blender or food processor.
Blend for about 1-2 minutes on high until you get a smooth creamy
consistency. You may want to add more water if the mixture is still
too thick.
* Use the watermelon for the creamy watermelon ice cream in the
bonus dessert section.
Bonus
Dessert
CHOCOLATE &
COCONUT SLICE
Makes 12-16 generous slices
Total time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
Base • 1 cup almonds
• 1/8 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 1/8 cup cacao powder
• 1/8 cup maple syrup
Filling • 1.5 cups cashews (preferably soaked for around 3 hours)
• ¾ cup desiccated coconut
• 1/8 cup maple syrup
• 10 pitted medjool dates
• 1 cup coconut cream
Topping • 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• ¼ cup coconut milk
Instructions:
1. For the base, blend in food processor until you can pinch it and it
stays together. Line a 2L baking dish with unbleached baking paper
and press down firmly. Put in the freezer.
2. For the filling, blend all ingredients in food processor till smooth and
pour over the base and place back in the freezer. This may take
around 2 hrs to set. When checking it, touch the top and it has to be
pretty firm.
3. For the topping, combine ingredients together in a small saucepan on
low heat stirring constantly until a smooth consistency is reached.
Add more maple syrup if you like it sweet!
4. Pour over the top of the set filling and wait till it goes semi hard
before putting back in the freezer for the topping to harden (around
15-20 mins).
5. Cut and serve cold. We like it pretty much out of the freezer as it
stays really well together and is more chewy. Always store in fridge or
freezer as it will start to soften otherwise.
Serves 3-4
Total time: Minimum 3 hrs and 40 minutes
Ingredients:
• 2 cups watermelon*
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 can full fat coconut cream
• ¼ tspn vanilla extract
Instructions:
1. Blend all ingredients in a blender and transfer to a baking dish preferably lined as it is sometimes hard to get it back out again.
2. Place it in the freezer for 3 hours or until it has gone hard.
3. Snap the frozen mixture into chunks and place back in the blender.
Make sure that you break them into smaller pieces so that its easier
for your blender to catch onto them.
4. Blend until a creamy consistency is reached. Make take a few goes to
push the ingredients around.
5. Place back in a container and into the freezer to firm up for about 30
minutes.
6. If you leave it in for longer, it will firm up more so it may be a little
bit harder to scoop out.
* Use the skins for the last dinner recipe for the watermelon skin sauce
with mash recipe so they don’t go to waste.
CREAMY WATERMELON
ICE CREAM
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