heartyspoonful

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and comes home to find it."

- George A. Moore

"I live alone, with cats, books, pictures, fresh vegetables to cook, the garden, the hens to feed."

- Jeanette Winterson

 Though I am healthy, with my diet consisting of fresh fruits, vegetables and grains, I continued to suffer from bloating. It's, I believe, one of the most uncomfortable feelings. You just feel heavy all the time and though you work out regularly and eat consciously, it still feels as if you need to lose some extra pounds. The culprit? The bounty of fruits  I have been consuming. The fibrous nature of fruits caused some havoc to my digestive tract. From some research and as adviced by my nutritionist, I am now balancing my daily intake with more vegetables and healthy fats. I have changed my diet for two weeks now and I feel better. I know this will be a journey for me as I cannot get enough fruit, but I know that it is for the best.

As a result, my daily intake has evolved. I no longer have oatmeal with a topful of fruits every single day anymore. Nor do I snack on fruits all day long and eat more after dinner. Mind you, fruits are nutritious, but as the saying goes, too much of anything is bad. When I do have oatmeal for breakfast, I add in grated courgette or carrots and top it with one kind of fruit, such as figs. I also have scrambled tofu or veggie stir-fry. My go-to on a busy morning is mashed avocado with cherry tomatoes and sriracha. I snack daily on mixed nuts and superfoods such as golden berries, goji berries and mulberries. I also make flourless desserts to satisfy a sweet craving. Not too shabby, right?

Without further ado, here's a sample of a savoury breakfast that I now enjoy.

Veggie Breakfast Mix
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 courgettes, sliced
• 1 orange/yellow/red capsicum, diced
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 can chick peas, rinsed thoroughly
• 1 cup edamame, soaked
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• Coconut oil
• 1 tsp each dried oregano, basil 
• Dash of chili/paprika, optional
• Splash of almond milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Salt & pepper, to taste

1. In a medium heavy-bottomed pan, heat coconut oil. When hot, add in diced onion. When slightly brown, add capsicum. 
2. As the pepper softens, add both the carrots and the splash of almond milk in order for the carrots to soften and to add some "creamy" flavour. 
3. Next, stir in courgette. When softened, mix in chick peas and edamame. 
4. Add in the dried herbs and apple cider vinegar. Continue to stir. 
5. When all the vegetables are cooked enough, add the spinach and stir until it's wilted. 
6. Enjoy 

Cheers
xx 

Currently: Sick and fighting watery eyes
Also, lacking any appetite.

It's the worst thing, really. You know your body needs nourishment. And you know you'd rather be out and about, making your body stronger. Probably enjoying the wonderful weather outdoors. But no, you have no energy whatsoever. You have no appetite so you down the smallest quantity of food, just enough to satiate that feeling of hunger. So what do you do? You look at old photos of your food that you'd love to taste again. With great difficult though because your allergies have made you a 20-something cry baby. Or is that just me?

So, let's reminisce, shall we? See, the last time I had these wonderful matcha pancakes were months ago, after a very satisfying 9.5 mile run out in the cold. I was a bad arse then, wasn't I? And now, here's summer with wide open arms and I stay put in bed because I can't keep my eyes open. Trust me, typing right now is executed with great difficulty. If that isn't passion right there, I don't know what is.

I probably should stop rambling and cue in the recipe, right? Okay, in 3-2-1.


Gluten-free Matcha Pancakes
(Serves 1)

 Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp matcha powder
• Pinch of salt 
• 1/2 of a banana, mashed
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup milk of choice (I refer almond or coconut milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• Coconut oil, for frying

In a small bowl, mix together all liquid ingredients (banana to vanilla essence). In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Then, add liquid to dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.

Grease a skillet with coconut oil and turn to medium heat. Once well heated, drop pancake batter, 1/4 cup at a time. Cook each side until you see bubbles on the top portion. Repeat.

Top with your favourite toppings. I used the remaining 1/2 of the banana and maple syrup, which was just sweet enough.

Enjoy!

xx

I think any food that reminds you of your happy childhood days are bound to be yummy. There's something about being nostalgic that makes food even more delicious. Maybe it's the cheerful and light thoughts and feelings we associate with them. For example, I don't have fries often now, but BBQ-flavoured curly fries will forever remind me of our random outings as a family when I was a wee 4-year-old. Good thing that curly fries aren't so popular now. Then there's fresh coconut sherbet, randomly eaten as a snack after school as the summer months approached. My mum and I would actually travel far for a cup. Of course, we'll get a cup each. A slice of Black Forest cake always takes me back to my childhood. My mum used to buy us this cake when we did super well in school or if she was particularly satisfied with our behaviour. What can I say? I was a pretty good kid growing up. I didn't care for the cream bit though, natural aversion because I'm lactose intolerant. But you'll be sure to find me looking for all the cherries and dark chocolate shavings... This reminds me, maybe I need to look into a recipe for a vegan version!

With my aunts currently visiting, it's not hard not to fall into childhood nostalgia. This morning, I decided to make a banana ice cream version of this delectable dessert, which just so happens to be both cooling and much forgiving to the waste line. Oh yea, bring it on, summer!




Black Forest 'Nana Ice Cream*
(Serves 1)

Ingredients
Cherry Portion:

• 1.5 frozen bananas, in chunks
• A handful of cherries, pitted and sliced (I added about 10 fresh cherries - you can use frozen too)
• Splash of coconut milk from a carton
• 1 tsp maca powder, optional

Chocolate Portion:

• 1.5 frozen bananas, in chunks
• 1-2 tsp raw carob powder**
• Splash of coconut milk from a carton
• Carob chips, for topping

In a small food processor, blend all the ingredient for the cherry portion. Once done, transfer in a bowl and freeze whilst you blend the chocolate portion. Transfer both in a bowl and freeze before serving. Top with cherries and chocolate. Enjoy!

* : These measurements are approximations. Long story short, I usually "eye" out the ingredients until I reach my desired consistency.
** : You can also use cocoa powder of choice. Carob powder is a lot stronger in taste so use sparingly.

xx

• Rice paper wraps
• Beets, grated
• Carrots, grated
• English cucumbers, cut lengthwise
• Lettuce
• Avocado
• Zucchini, cut lengthwise

Cooked version - Add:

• Baked or steamed sweet potatoes
• Grilled tofu
• Asparagus
• Corn

In a shallow dish, pour warm water. Then in a separate platter, prep your rice papers. Soak the rice paper for a few seconds in warm water. Place the rice paper after on a platter and begin to assemble the filling. Start with the lettuce and then top with cucumbers, avocado, zucchini. Add shreds of beets and carrots. Make sure not to add too much as you'll end up having difficulty rolling the rice paper properly.  To roll, start with top fold and then the both sides. Then roll with the last end.

Miso-Tahini Dipping Sauce

• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup miso (white)
• 1/3-1/2 cup water
• Ginger, to taste

In a bowl, whisk together all ingredient until smooth.

Hope you like these as much as I do!

xx

"I wish I had a mango tree in my backyard with you standing next to me."

- Angus & Julia Stone

• 1-2 frozen bananas (sliced)
• 1 mango, sliced and frozen
• 1-2 tbsp of nut milk of choice*
• 1 tsp maca powder, optional 

Toppings:

• Strawberries
• Fresh mangoes
• Coconut shavings
• Strawberry "slush" (Recipe below) 

 In a small food processor, add in all the ingredients and process until smooth. Pour into a bowl and freeze for a few minutes, depending on the consistency that you like. Serve & enjoy! 

Strawberry "Slush"

Ingredients:

• 1/2 frozen bananas (sliced)
• A handful of fresh strawberries, diced
• 1 tbsp of milk of choice

Blend all together unti liquidy. Pour on over to your nana ice cream.

* : I love using coconut milk because it's creamier that way, but you can absolutely use any.

xx

Vegan Avocado Brownies 
Recipe adapted from The Veggielogues

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour*
• 1 cup organic white sugar**
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder***
• 1/2 baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup ripe avocado, pureed (I use 1 avocado)
• 1/4 cup plain soy milk****
• 2 tbsp water****
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use dark chocolate chips from Enjoy Life)