Green Smoothie Recipe #5 – Kiwi & Peach

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] Savoy Cabbage is one of the stronger flavoured leafy greens out there so I recommend saving it until you have a bit of green smoothie practice under your belt, you’ll notice that in the recipe below I have replaced my usual creamy ingredient (banana) with avocado, this reduces the sweetness of the smoothie but adds a wonderful creamy texture.

Savoy, Kiwi & Peach Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 handfuls of savoy cabbage leaves
1 avocado, peeled and seed removed
1 kiwi fruit, peeled
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 peach, pit removed
1 tbs agave nectar (or other sweetener)
1 tbs chia seeds (optional)
1/2 cup frozen berries (optional)

Method:

1. Place your fruit in the blender, add water and blend until smooth, add your ‘greens’ and blend again until smooth. Add your chia seeds and blend until they are mixed through. Serve.

Amounts above will be enough for 2 smoothies.

NOTE: The amount of water you use will depend on how thick you like your smoothie, I just use enough to get the blender going nice and fast, if you like your mixture to be less thick, add more water.

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Oven-Baked Falafel

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] Before today I’ve always been the felafel-in-a-box kind of girl, but one of the things about living 50kms away from the nearest supermarket is that you either have to get very good at foretelling your cravings, or you have to improvise when they appear. Apparently my craving radar was off this week because I wasn’t prepared but I’m pretty happy with the results of this recipe. I’ve always preferred oven-baked felafel to deep fried ones and my mini muffin tray was the perfect way to cook them that way. The falafel were especially delicious wrapped up in mountain bread with avocado, sweet chili sauce and salad. The recipe makes 12.

Felafel Wraps

Ingredients

1 cup canned chick peas
1 cup canned lentils
1 medium leek finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh coriander
1/2 tbs cumin
1/2 tbs dried chili flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbs water
Salt & Pepper to taste

For the wraps:
3 sheets of mountain bread (or other wrap)
1 avocado, mashed
1 tomato, sliced
1 cup lettuce leaves, shredded
1/2 cucumber, sliced
2 tbs sweet chili sauce

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. In a blender combine the chick peas, lentils, leek, garlic, parsley, coriander, cumin, chili flakes, breadcrumbs and water. Blend until combined – the results will be a thick paste. Mixture needs to be solid enough to form a ball, you may need to add more water or breadcrumbs to get the perfect consistency.

2. Roll the mixture into 12 balls and place on an oven tray, bake for 40 minutes, turning the balls over after 20 minutes.

3. Assemble your wrap with mashed avocado, lettuce, cucumber & tomato, top with your cooked felafels and cover with sweet chili sauce. Wrap and Eat!

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Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls (vegan)

We have had this recipe a few times. In my old meat eating life I used to really love Japanese food, so sushi is one of the things I really get a hankering for now and then. This recipe is the first in the Veganomicon cookbook and we originally made it as part of a vegan yum cha feast, these days we have it on its own, it is the perfect Sunday lunch!

Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls
(Veganomicon)

Ingredients:

For the sushi rice:
1 cup sushi rice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (this is not the same as regular vinegar)
1 teaspoon sugar

For the spicy tempeh filling:
1/2 package tempeh
2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon hot chile sesame oil
4 sheets nori seaweed
1 teapsoon wasabi (optional)
1 scallion, sliced lengthways in narrow strips
1 avocado, peeled and sliced into thin strips
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

Wasabi and Soy sauce to serve

Method:
In a heavy bottomed pot, combine the rice and 1 1/4 cups cold water. Turn the heat to high, bring the water to the boil and stir the rice just once. Lowe the heat to low, cover the pot and steam the rice for 20 – 22 minutes. Empty the hot rice into a large glass or plastic bowl. Sprinkle with the rice vinegar an sugar, folding the rice gently with a spoon. The rice should be moist and have a very mild vinegar flavour. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool for 10 – 15 minutes. When rice is slightly warmer than room temperature, it’s ready to work with.

While the rice is cooling, prepare the filling by steaming the tempeh. Allow the tempeh to cool for 10 minutes, chop into small cubes, and place in a medium sized bowl. Add the mayonnaise and chile sesame oil and mash until chunky.

Fill a shallow cup with about 1/3 cup of water and a tablespoon of rice vinegar, and keep near your sushi workstation. Follow these steps to the perfect nori roll:

1.   Place the nori sheet on the bamboo mat. With wet hands, take a snowball shaped handful of rice, about a cups worth. Gently pat onto the bottom two thirds of your nori sheet. The layer of rice should be less than 1/3 inch thick

2.   Place a small amount of filling across the centre of your rice. Lay them horizontally in a straight line. The less filling the easier the sushi will be to roll. Aim for about 1 1/2 teaspoons of tempeh and 3 strips of avocado.

3.   Using the mat, rently roll up that sushi starting from the rice topped end; try to keep your grip relatively tight for a firm roll. When you’ve reached the seaweed only end, pat gently with a little bit of vinegar water to seal the roll.

4.   Slice your roll into 1 inch pieces with a sharp serrated knife.

We serve with soy sauce and wasabi (and actually we also spread a thin layer of wasabi on the rice before we add the tempeh! We like it hot!