{RECIPE} Raw Veggie Pesto

I have a bit of a fussy eater of a toddler on my hands lately. I think it has something to do with teething but none-the-less it makes me worry when she refuses to eat veggies. Or anything. Seriously, some days she eats nothing but 2 strawberries and a whole lotta booby! I started wracking my brains of ways to get some greens into her. She loves carbs and cheese so that was a starting point for my ideas. Except I wanted to eliminate the cheese and minimize the gluten!

One of her favourite things to eat, even on a bad day, is “cheesy scrolls” – pesto and parmasen cheese on pastry, turned into little scrolls in the oven. Bought traditional pesto is full of crap, including cheese/dairy and not to mention the actual Parmesan I would sprinkle on top! And it doesn’t have any veggies in it apart from basil which is technically a herb. Thinking cap on… and ta-da! Behold the veggie-filled raw homemade pesto!

This recipe is an altered version of the Supergreens Pesto by Belle Gibson. I’ve tweaked amounts, added new ingredients, and am very happy with how this tastes! If you give it a go, take a pic and hashtag #hippiemumma on IG or leave me a comment here, I’d love to hear some feedback!

Ingredients:

1 small head of broccoli, cut into small pieces

2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves

40g basil

40g parsley

200g walnuts (try different nuts!)

2tbs savoury yeast flakes

80ml macadamia oil (olive oil will work fine too)

3 cloves of garlic

juice of 2 lemons

And its so easy to do –

Whack it all in your food processor and blend for a few minutes, scraping down the sides once or twice, until you have your desired pesto consistency.

Store the pesto in an airtight jar in the fridge, it should keep for a few weeks.

The savoury yeast is a vegan’s best friend. It has a cheesy flavour that Olivia can’t deny. She even loves it sprinkled on steamed broccoli florets, and popcorn! It is full of B Vitamins too.

You can use the pesto on almost anything but here are a few ideas:

Stirred through zoodles (raw zucchini noodles, shown below) or pasta.

As the base for some scroll bites – pastry is all you need, cheese optional!

As a spread on wraps/sandwiches.

To dip veggie sticks or crackers in.

Straight from the jar (I do this, it’s good).

Anywhere you’d use traditional pesto. 

{RECIPE} Cheats Pizza

Normally I would make a pizza base from scratch (next on the list is a cauliflower base) or at least use an actual base from the freezer department designed for pizza making. But… I’m human too. Shock horror, I know. I’ve been tired and run down lately (as my last whingey entry told) so I whipped up a cheats pizza for dinner last night.

To me, making a pizza from home is pretty basic, especially when using a prepared base. But I’m hopeful someone will find this inspiring or helpful.

Cheats Pizza

Wholegrain wraps (or spelt, white, whatever you like)

Sauce base (I used pesto. Other options are pizza/tomato sauce, BBQ, garlic sauce)

Veggies (for mine I used pumpkin, pineapple, capsicum, mushroom, red onion and pine nuts)

Quality melting cheese (I always use Bocconcini)

Preheat your oven to 180C and line a tray with baking paper.

Chop up your veggies to desired sizes and shapes. If you’re using something like pumpkin or sweet potato, pop them in the oven while you’re making the rest of your pizza.

Place your wraps on the tray and spread with whatever base you want (pesto, BBQ…).

Arrange veggies on your base. Shred or slice your cheese (try not to go overboard, most people do!) and arrange on the pizza.

Pop it all in the oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and base is crispy. Slice it up and enjoy!

Other toppings I often use: baby artichokes, pine nuts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomato, avo (after cooking), prosciutto (my favourite, but naughty!), fresh herbs, rocket (love this fresh as a topping after the oven).

The options are endless. Have fun experimenting with what flavours compliment each other. I’ve found minimal is key.

{RECIPE} Capsicum & Nut Dip

Today I’m sharing the recipe for a delicious dip I made yesterday. It’s healthy and suitable for vegans, kids… everyone! I’ve had many comments on Instagram asking what nutritional yeast is. It’s great for vegetarians and has plenty of vitamins in it such as B vitamins, folic acid, selenium, zinc, and protein. It’s low in fat and often gluten free. It has a cheesy flavour so is often a staple in a vegan’s home. Olivia has air-popped popcorn with a drizzle of good quality olive oil  and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast on it every day. It’s her favourite snack and I’m okay with that because it’s pretty healthy!

Why do I love this dip? It’s easy and quick to throw together. It took me less than 5 minutes to pop it in my Cuisinart, blitz it smooth and transfer to a glass jar. And I usually have all the ingredients in my kitchen at any notice.

 You’re going to need:

• 1 cup pine nuts 
• 1 cup cashews 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1 red capsicum 
• 1 lemon, juiced 
• ½ cup ACV 
• ½ cup nutritional yeast/savoury yeast
•  Pinch salt 
• Water for desired consistency (I use none)

Blend all ingredients in food processor or blender.

Store the dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

I usually only make half the amount which is perfect for one person over a week or two. I also do a little less ACV than listed as I find it too overpowering. You can smear it on some bread, or use it as a dip for some crackers, or veggie sticks.

Tip: you could use salted cashews instead of a pinch of salt.

Not sure who to credit with the recipe as my Mum sent it to me in a Word Document a couple years ago. Hope you enjoy it, maybe it’ll be your go-to dip to take to your next BBQ!

New Salad Love

Recently, my mum and I went halves in purchasing The Green Kitchen, a vegetarian recipe book full of beautiful photos and nutritious and easy recipes. It’s written by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl, who live in Stokholm and they have an adorable little girl called Elsa.

One of the first things I recreated from the book was the Broccoli Salad with Pomegranate and Raisins. I followed it word for word and it’s now one of my favourite salads. I’d never eaten pomegranate before (although I’d had the juice, but always mixed with something else) so wasn’t sure what to expect.

Some people struggle with eating broccoli  raw but it’s really crunchy and nice! It’s a really refreshing salad, and I can see us making it often, with the warmer summer months ahead.

So here I share the recipe with you. I recommend you purchase the book (or even have a squiz  in your local library) for more delicious recipes! And check out their blog here.

Raw Broccoli Salad with Pomegranate and Raisins

You’ll need:

• 2 heads of fresh broccoli
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• arils from 1 pomegranate\
• 1 1/4 cup raisins
• generous 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Separate the broccoli florets from the stalk and cut them into smaller bit sized pieces. The book says to slice the remaining stalk and use that as well but the hubby said no way. Place it in a serving bowl with the onion, pomegranate raisins and sunflower seeds. Toss to combine. Add the yoghurt, salt and pepper to taste, and then using your hands, mix the yoghurt through everything, making sure to coat all the broccoli florets. 

Ta-da! Dig in.

It’s a seriously different but beautiful salad.

Give it a go and tell me if you like it!

Beetroot & Ginger Juice

So, you know how I said my juicer was broken, then my wonderful hubster fixed it? It’s still broken. And we just bought some lovely fruit and veg for juicing. Of course. Anyway, I managed to juice one lot up before I gave up on the bloody thing.

I needed a decent juice. This long weekend has been pretty unhealthy for me. We celebrated O’s first birthday with a party on Saturday. I can’t even remember what happened yesterday (can you tell I’m tired?). But let me tell you, when you’re so used to eating “clean” and no sugar, dairy and minimal gluten, having a day or 2 of gorging on shit can really mess you around!

Sugar really affected me. I felt it almost instantly. And dairy affected Olivia (she is still letting some rippers go!). I was actually looking forward to eating like normal again once the party was over. And I love being able to say this is now our normal! It’s great to be able to see how crap I really felt though, it reassures me I’m definitely on the right path.

I thought I’d take a pic and share this juice with you. I know I’m always looking for new combination ideas!

This one has…

• 1 beetroot (medium size!)
• 1 carrot
• 2 small oranges
• 1 green apple
• ginger

I added the green apple after the above picture was taken, obviously. I’m smart like that. I like my ginger to give my juices a decent kick so I added a fair bit. Especially when I’m juicing things like beetroot. I hate beetroot. So why are you juicing it?! Because I know it’s good for me! Huzzah!

Juicing

Months ago my juicer broke and I’ve been using one of those old school citrus juicers and having an orange, grapefruit and lime juice every morning before breakfast. Maybe once a week I’d buy a “proper” juice when out and about with O and the hubby… but it’s hard to spent $6.50 on a juice when I know I could make double the amount for half that price at home. 

We thought about buying a new juicer but it’s low on the “thing we need to buy” list. So I just made do without. Hubby being the fixer he is, tried to soak the metal mesh basket of my juicer in vinegar and bicarb.

It was pretty clogged with “juice junk”… you could barely see through it. Perhaps that’s why my juicer wasn’t working anymore? It was worth a try.

I should add, my juicer is about 8 years old. I’m sure it’s ready to retire, and secretly I want a slow/cold press juicer anyway (xmas is coming, right? I’ve already researched the Hurom juicer!). I But today I cracked out the juicer again and gave it a whirl. And while it’s still not performing 100%, it worked! 

Now I’m excited to go juice shopping again! Meaning, fruit and veg for my juices.

Today’s juice was made from the few things I have in my fridge… we really need to do a grocery shop. Plus, I was craving something sweet.

It had 2 carrots, 2 oranges, 2 green apples and 1 lemon. I juice green apples because they are lower in sugar compared to the red varieties and help to digest carbs. Winning!

Hubby was going out for the day (apparently it’s something called work?) so I did another batch (2, 2, 2, 1) and put it in an old Loving Earth jar for him to take on the run.

It was delicious. And I have plenty of left over – it’s hard to pace myself with juices but I know it’s still full of sugars so I try my hardest to have just one big glass a day!

Tell me some of your favourite juice combos!

Raw Cheesecake Recipe

I hate cheesecake. I always have. But raw cheesecake… well I could eat that every day! It’s soooo good. And whats better is it’s actually good for you! And so easy to make even though it doesn’t look like it. I wanted to share this post now, because with the weather warming up (at least here in Oz!) it’s a great dessert to take to a backyard BBQ or to have stashed in your own freezer as a sneaky dessert at night.

There’s lots of raw cheesecake recipes floating around lately. I’ve adapted this one from here. Because who doesn’t love berries? You can easily leave the berries out if you want though.

Raw Cheesecake

For the base:

• 3 cups macadamia nuts or peacans (I’ve tried both with happy results)
• 1 1/2 cups medjool dates, pitted

In a springform pan lightly spray some coconut oil on the base and then sprinkle a layer of desiccated coconut over it. This will prevent the crust from sticking.

In your food processor, combine the base ingredients well. You may need to add an extra date or two. 

Press the mixture down firmly into your tin and then pop it in the freezer.

For the filling:

• 3 cups cashews, soaked for 2-3 hours in filtered water
• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup raw honey or agave
• 3/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Combine all the ingredients in your food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust to taste (I often put some more lemon juice in). Pour half or 3/4 of the mixture over the top of your base and tap the pan on the bench to remove air bubbles. 

Place some frozen raspberries in the mixture… just gently press them in with your finger.

Add a handful of frozen berries to the remaining filling in your food processor and blend until the berries are combined. Pour this over the top of the plain filling and then place the cheesecake into your freezer carefully.

Leave it in your freezer until it’s firm… at least 4 hours. You can remove it from the pan once it’s frozen and slice it. I keep mine in the freezer and take a piece out onto the bench top 30 minutes before eating it. If you had this for a party, I’d recommend taking it from the freezer to your fridge about 3 hours before you want to eat it!

You could also make a raspberry sauce up to drizzle over it before serving by blending some dates and berries together. I usually just top it with some berries and maybe a drizzle of agave. Options for this cake are endless!

It’s not the cheapest of cakes to make but it does last quite a while, as it’s kept frozen, and it’s large!

I want to take this cake to someones house and see if they notice that it’s not a “real” cheesecake… that would be fun 😉

Raw Apricot Bliss Balls

One day I really felt like apricots. But in a delicious snack form, preferably with coconut. I put my thinking cap on and this recipe came about. Hubby has declared them the best ever bliss balls I’ve made (and I’ve got quite a few in my recipe folder!).

 

You will need:

• 1 cup of almonds (I’ve also used macadamias with success)
• 1 cup of shredded coconut
• 10-12 medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond essence
• 2 tbs water
• 1 tbs coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup (or more!) of dried apricots

Then do this:

Process the nuts and coconut in your food processor until reasonably fine but still a little crumbly.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the last ingredient. Process until a dough forms. Start with 10 dates but add more if the consistency isn’t doughy enough.

Add the apricots and pulse until combined. If you over-process it you won’t have chunks of apricot in your bliss balls and it’s just not the same 😉

Roll into balls with your hands. I get about 20-30 balls but it depends on the size you make them. 

I then roll them through desiccated coconut. Crushed nuts would be nice instead. This step is entirely optional though.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours before consuming, and keep stored in the fridge in an air tight container.

Yum!

Raw Caramel Slice

This slice is to die for! I posted it on Instagram and Facebook and got a lot of requests for the recipe so I just had to share. It’s so easy to make, and is actually healthy for you, even though you feel a little bit naughty when eating it. I was pleasantly surprised by how fudgey and, well.. caramel-y the caramel layer was. It turned out perfectly! The best thing is the tiniest piece is so rich and sweet (but not an over-whelming type sweet) that you really don’t need much and it lasts forever!

Raw Caramel Slice

For the base:

• 2 cups dessicated coconut
• 12 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tsp water

Put all ingredients in a food processor and whizz until combined. It will take a few minutes to come together, don’t despair! Start with 10 dates and add a couple extra if needed. I ended up using 12 and a half this time, as 10 wasn’t enough to make the mixture sticky.

Once combined well, press firmly into a slice tin lined with baking paper. I used a 7″ x 7″ pan. One of my favourite tricks is to use another piece of baking paper to press the mixture down. That way it won’t stick to your hands or be lifted by a spatula/spoon.

Pop the tray into your freezer.

For the caramel:

• 1 cup macadamia nuts
• 1 cup tightly packed medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp water

Pulse the macadamias briefly. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Be patient – it WILL become smooth! Remove the base from the freezer and spread it evenly on top. You can use a spatula, your fingers or another piece of baking paper to get an even coverage. Put it back in the freezer.

For the chocolate:

• 1/3 cup raw honey (maple syrup, rice malt syrup and agave should work fine too)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, not melted
• 2 tbs raw cacao powder

Place all ingredients in your processor and whizz it until it’s smooth. Pour evenly over the top of your caramel layer and again put it back in your freezer. After an hour or so, it should be set enough to slice up.

You can keep this in the fridge or freezer but I leave mine in the freezer and take a piece out a couple minutes before eating – the consistency is just right! 

You could use cocoa instead of cacao but remember cacao is so much better for you! You could even add a tablespoon of it to the base if you like things chocolaty. Using a liquid sweetener such as agave instead of honey will make this dessert vegan. 

Leave me a comment if you give this recipe a go, I’d love to hear your feedback!