vegan Archives - Sugar et al

Blueberry Banana Smoothie Bowl

23|06|2016

Half way into the year and I am quite proud to say that I have been able to stick to some of the resolutions I made at the start of the year. Health is an area that gets overlooked quite often when we list down our priorities and try to balance between a career, family, expectations and other day to day requirements.. I struggled a lot last year and woke up only when I was faced with a massive health scare.Thereafter I made a conscious effort to focus on my well being (both physical and psychological) alongside my other priorities. It took some time to get organised but the efforts paid off. I was happier, stronger and less stressed out and was naturally able to work better. On the diet front, I lured myself to the glamorous smoothie bowl. They are a treat in themselves without being complicated and addressing several health benefits. I have to admit, I enjoy eating my smoothies with a spoon way more than I used to enjoy drinking them. I had to push myself to use the blender almost everyday but aside that, the toppings are fun. Something that I really love to put together. The one thing however, I did try to maintain was to use everyday ingredients instead of superfood powders or things are not easily accessible. Because the minute it gets complicated, it defeats the whole purpose!

Bliss balls are my frequent weeekned project with the twins. We make them together because they are easy, fun and it makes the boys want to eat them. Good news for me! I store the balls in air tight containers in the fridge afterwards and add them to my smoothie bowls. They double up as lunchbox treats though the truth is that they are actually a powerhouse of nutrition. My youngest (of the twins) does not like beets but is happy to eat a beet bliss ball.

Feel free to play around with seasonal fruits, chocolate, other flavours and ideas. This is something you do for yourself and for yourself only! A little reward because you are special!

Blueberry Banana Smoothie Bowl
Serves 1

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 frozen banana (peeled, chopped and frozen for a few hours)
3/4 cup almond milk (or coconut milk)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp pure maple syrup

Place everything together in the food processor and blend till smooth. If you want your smoothie with a thinner consistency, add a little more almond milk.

Pour into a bowl and add toppings I’ve used 3 types of bliss balls( blueberry, pineapple-turmeric and beet- recipe below) fresh seasonal fruits, cocoa nibs, dried rose petals and edible flowers.

Blueberry Bliss balls
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
10 dates (pitted)
2 cups dessicated coconut
1/4 cup almonds
I tsp lemon zest
a pinch of salt

Place all the ingredients together in the food processor and process at high speed until mixture is smooth, sticky can be easily rolled into balls. Use your hands to shape into balls.
Place in the fridge to set and store.

Pineapple-Turmeric Bliss balls
1 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup dried pineapple chunks
1/2 tsp powdered turmeric (preferably organic)
1 tbsp chia seeds

Place all the ingredients together in a food processor and process until smooth and mixture is sticking together. Using the palm of your hands, roll into balls. Store in the fridge.

Beet Bliss Balls

Use this recipe

Raw Berry Cheesecake

17|05|2016

Let me tell you at the beginning that I am not vegan or following any sort of diet. I have only recently stepped into the world of raw desserts and I am hooked. If you haven’t eaten a raw dessert or new to the term, these are basically desserts made out of raw, unprocessed ingredients like nuts, fruits and dried fruits. They are mostly vegan, gluten free and do not require baking. Sugar is replaced by natural sweeteners so they are extremely healthy.Yes, you would need to arm your pantry with a few ingredients which are pretty much standard for these kind of treats but I would say they are worth it. So does a raw cheesecake (which is basically without the cream cheese) taste like a regular cheesecake? My honest answer is no! Not to me, a big fan of baked and no-bake cheesecakes. But they taste great! The use of wonderful ingredients would obviously create something delicious. I especially love the textural quality of what a handful of raw ingredients create together. These raw berry cheesecakes are pretty easy to whip up. Plus I made them in little glass jars so they made for a lovely treat on the go.

In other news, my horrid tooth is out. Hurray! A visit to the dentist had always seemed daunting to me even since I was a child. My Mum has horror stories to share with my children about how much I hated the whole experience. But this time, I obviously had no choice. I had put up with that painful wisdom tooth for a very long time and what a relief it was when the wonderful surgeon announced to me that it was gone. Gone and done away with for good! Actually he was amazing! He made me laugh during the entire procedure with his terrible jokes. This experience was like a lesson to me in believing that most of our fears are in our head. They may not even exist or seem as bad when you gather up the courage to face them. You just need to take the first few steps. The rest will follow.

You know what is the best part? I can eat raw cheesecakes and all kinds of nutty things without worry of triggering off that pain in my mouth.
My edible pansies and violas were in full bloom so I had to show them off as well. So many reasons to celebrate! Without feeling guilty:-)

Raw Berry Cheesecakes
Serves 6

For the crust
1 cup almonds
4 dates, pitted
2 tbsp coconut oil, liquified
pinch of salt

For the cheesecake filling
2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 4-6 hours (preferably overnight)
1 cup frozen mixed berries (if you do not like the seeds in raspberries or blackberries, go for only blueberries and/or strawberries)
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup coconut oil, liquified
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut cream (or milk)

For the coconut cream
1 can coconut cream
2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or as per desired sweetness)

To make the crust: process all the ingredients together until the nuts have become crumbs and the mixture sticks together when you press it. Press into the bottom of 6 serving glasses or jars and place in the fridge.

To make the cheesecake filling : Blend all he ingredients in your high speed blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Spoon the filling uniformly between the 6 serving glasses on top of the nut-date crust. Place in the refrigerator to set.

To make the whipped coconut cream, use this link. The process is explained really well.

Banana Blueberry Almond Popsicles

24|07|2014

A little box followed me back home on a recent trip to the grocer’s. I always took pride in being an ardent almond fan but here I was, intently studying the back of a carton of almond milk. Almonds in different forms adorn the shelves in my cupboard yet I had never tried out almond milk. Perhaps I thought it was a bit too ‘healthy’ for me and my blog. I did not buy it so I assumed that it was placed by mistake in my shopping bag by the people at the store.

The long list of checked boxes at the back…Gluten Free, Cholestrol Free, Lactose Free, Suitable for Vegetarians, No Cane sugar and so on caught my eye. I went back to return the carton and here’s what I did. I bought one for myself. Since the blog is not just about me but also my dear readers, I thought it was worth a try, And it had almonds in it, so it was certainly a safe bet.

You don’t mess around with a healthy ingredient and add sugar and butter to it. Or do you? Actually, we will keep that for later. Right now, sticking to the healthy philosophy, I preferred to add fruits and honey and turn it into a frozen milkshake. A popsicle, in other words. These days, things look better on a stick than in a glass. Especially to my four year olds.

So all you do is put everything together in your processor and blend. Blueberries are beautiful, they add a touch of purple to anything they are added to. Feel free to increase or decrease the quantities in the ingredients. If you are not concerned about sugar, substitute sugar for honey. Then freeze and enjoy your super healthy popsicles.

Banana Blueberry Almond Popsicles

2 cups Almond Milk
1 large banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp. honey

Place the ingredients in the bowl of your food processor and process until smooth. Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze for an hour. Insert sticks and freeze until firm (about 3 hours).

Whole Spice Roasted Cauliflower

4|07|2014

This winter seems so long. And colder than I like it. I think I say this every year and by July I am almost desperate to get to the other side of winter. I can’t wait to feel the rays of the sun on my bare skin and the daylight to linger on till it’s time to go to bed. I can’t wait for the change in scenery and the spring blooms. Having said that, there are some joys of winter that I treasure. Catching up with friends over cups of hot chocolate. Bowlfuls of steaming hot Laksa. And sharing a hearty winter roast with family.

I have roasted cauliflower florets in so many different ways before…basically experimenting with a variety of marinades. Roasting an entire cauliflower head not only sounded interesting but such an amazing dish to share on the table. Roasting not only sweetens the florets but gives it a crispy, nutty texture that is absolutely delicious. The chilli flakes provide the perfect amount of heat to balance the sweetness.The recipe involves cooking the cauliflower head in two stages. First, boiling it in a flavourful stock to tenderise it. Then finishing it in the oven to get the charred caramel brown crispy exterior.

There are many recipes that involve only the roasting method and parboiling is not necessary but I can say that the flavours are so much more intense in this two-stage recipe. The florets are crunchy yet melt-in-your mouth. The resulting dish not only looks but tastes spectacular as well. This would make a great side to go with meat or fish dishes or a delicious main for vegetarians served on its own with a light salad.

Whole Spice Roasted Cauliflower (adapted with variation From Donna Hay magazine, June edition)
Serves 4-6

1.5 litres vegetable stock
50 g unsalted butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. fennel seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large cauliflower head (approx. I kg)
fresh sprigs of thyme

Place the stock, butter, olive oil, chilli, bay leaf, fennel seeds, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, reduce the heat to medium, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the cauliflower is just tender when tested with a skewer. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid (I had about a cup left).

Preheat oven to 200 degree C. Place the cauliflower and thyme sprigs in a deep baking dish that has been lined with non-stick baking paper or aluminium foil. Pour half the reserved cooking liquid over the cauliflower and roast for 20 minutes. Pour over the remaining cooking liquid and roast for a further 20-25 minuts or until golden.