A Little Bit About Us

Our goal is to make affordable, delicious, healthy food that nourishes our souls as well as our bodies. We love new flavors as well as old favorites. It's important, for us, not to place too many restrictions and be as free and simple as we can when it comes to our food. We have no fancy equipment or expensive gadgets (although when we're wrestling with our dinosaur blender/smoothie maker we have both thought how nice it'd be to have a functioning one.. lol). We love each other more than anything and making food together is rewarding on every level.

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Urban Herbin’ near Sydney :)

We were out and about and decided to do some urban foraging!  I (Kasey) go running a few times a day, and I always see wild edibles :)   Today we found mulberries, aloe, rosemary, lavender, oranges, lemons, limes, dandelion greens, and aloe.  The mulberries are going into a dessert.  The fresh rosemary is going to flavor some raw vegan crackers perhaps.  We already ate the orange lol.  The lime will be used in our tabouli.  We use lemon in our water and as flavoring in our dishes.  The aloe and dandelion greens can be transformed into a medicinal green smoothie!!  The lavender can be made into a tea or used in a bubble bath.




http://www.care2.com/greenliving/safe-foraging-11-tips-precautions.html#comment-4966456

Three Dips and Italian Seasoned Chips (raw vegan)


We love having something healthy and convenient around when we feel like snacking :)   These chips and dips are perfect!  Hummus, Salsa, and Walnut Cilantro dip matched with our Italian Seasoned Chips are a yummy combo.  All of our dips are raw vegan.  Our chips can be made in the oven or dehydrator.  We are flexible.  Our dishes and methods change depending on what equipment and ingredients we have on hand.
Salsa (Probably more like a Pico de Gallo:)
Ingredients:
4-5 Roma Tomatoes (I prefer these but any tomato will do), chopped small
Handful or so of Coriander (Cilantro), chopped
1/4 Red Onion, chopped small
1/3 Jalepeno (This can be omitted, but we LOVE the spicy bite!)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lime/Lemon juice, optional
This is so easy.  Just mix all of the chopped ingredients in a bowl.  I prefer this over any salsa I’ve ever eaten, in fact I could eat this every day and be a happy girl.  Enjoy in salads or with the buckwheat crackers below.
Walnut Cilantro Dip

The Walnut Cilantro dip works great as a salad dressing too!  This will make 4 cups
Ingredients:
1.5 cups walnuts
1 cup packed cilantro
1 orange
1/2 small zucchini
sea salt to taste
Blend until smooth and creamy... YUM!

Chickpea Hummus
I had some left over chickpeas so I decided to sprout them and make some delicious hummus!
Ingredients:
1.5 cups sprouted chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup spring water or filtered water
4 cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons of sunflower seeds
2 Tablespoons of tahini
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of paprika, cumin and sea salt
Italian Seasoned Chips/Crackers/Croutons

(This recipe makes three full oven trays) Ingredients:
3 cups dry raw buckwheat (soak overnight).  You can choose to sprout for longer if you like.  We have two different sprouting jars.  We soak two cups in the larger one and one cup in the smaller jar.  Currently we have some pumpkin seeds soaking in the smaller jar :)
Buckwheat can be hard to clear off all residue when you rinse, so I rinse it off three or four times.  When the water runs clear we know it’s good to go!
1 cup of flax seed.  It doesn’t matter to me too much if we use whole seeds or ground seeds, but we have read many times that ground flax is best to use because our bodies can digest the nutrients easier.
The rest of the ingredients are going to go straight into the blender:
10 grapes
1/2 lemon
2 Roma Tomatoes
1 cup of packed fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh rosemary
1 cup packed fresh oregano
1 TBS dried Marjoram, Sage, Parsley, Thyme
4 cloves of garlic (We LOVE garlic, so we sometimes use up to 8 cloves lol)
1/4 cup onion
1 celery stick
Sea salt to taste
Blend everything except for the sprouted buckwheat and flax.  Once you get a nice mixture going, add in the buckwheat.  We usually pour in half and then blend, and then pour in the last of the buckwheat and blend.  Your mixture should be very thick at this point.  Taste it and add any seasoning if you like.  Once everything is blended in, pour in a big mixing bowl and stir in flax.  I find it is easier doing it this way than putting the flax in the blender.  We are using a very old blender though.  Lol it doesn’t even have a lid.  So it might be easier for you to blend in the flax together with the rest in the blender, but it is easier for us to stir it in by hand in a mixing bowl.  After it is all mixed together spread it onto dehydrator trays and set the temp at 115 degrees Fahrenheit and be prepared for it to take 12 to 20 hours, depending on how thick it is.
We have been using our oven since we don’t have a dehydrator at the moment.  We set the temp at the lowest setting, (100 degrees Celsius–metric system since we are in Australia:) and after about one hour we flip them over.  I cut them in half and place the middle part of the chips on the outside so the chips heat evenly.  I then set the timer for another hour and check frequently.  When the chips are light in color and crispy I remove them and place them in an air tight container.  I also like to freeze half of them.  These chips are great as croutons too!  Enjoy!



Simple & Healthy Raw Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream


This is all about technique and texture.  It is very simple to create a healthy chocolatey ice cream dessert!  We like to use the highest quality organic ingredients possible, for our health and the planet’s :)  
First, freeze two freckled (very ripe) bananas over night in a freezer bag or container.  When you are ready to eat some yummy dessert, let the bananas thaw for 30 minutes.  We usually just keep the bananas in the freezer bag and place somewhere safe on the kitchen counter. 
Ingredients:
2 mushy post-frozen bananas
1/2 cup raw cacao or cocoa
Optional ingredients:  pinch of sea salt, cinnamon, coconut flakes, vanilla extract, almond butter, cacao nibs (if you want a chocolate chip crunch), nutmeg…you could try any of these!
Mash all ingredients together in a medium bowl until creamy!  Enjoy :) 

Raw Vegan Chocolate Caramels


These are simple, quick, delicious and so pretty! Wow they are so yum. My sister and I made them before a dinner party and everyone was asking for more!
1. Whip up a batch of raw vegan chocolate with cinnamon and sea salt–recipe here:http://yummyvegancreations.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/quick-and-easy-raw-vegan-chocolate-with-sea-salt-and-cinnamon/
Allow the chocolate to set in molds in the freezer. My sister and I used cupcake molds. We poured the chocolate in about 1/2 inch tall. You could also cut the chocolate into squares or other method.
Now it is time to make the caramel while the chocolate is chilling in the freezer :)
This batch of caramel will make about 12 desserts.
Ingredients (we use raw and organic when possible):
3 Tablespoons of liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey*)
2 Tablespoons of raw almond butter or peanut butter (I think peanut butter tastes better)
1/3 teaspoon of sea salt
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup of pitted dates
Chop up dates and place aside. Place all ingredients except for the dates in the blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Take your chocolate out of the freezer and pour caramel topping on each chocolate. After pouring on caramel topping we placed three or so pieces of the chopped up dates on top of each chocolate caramels. Put them in the fridge until you are ready to serve! Enjoy!

 *some people agree that honey is vegan while others say it is not

Vegan Chickpea and Vegetable Curry


It’s getting colder in Sydney and when that happens we all love something warm and filling to eat. This curry fits the bill and is YUMMY. Plus, it’s vegan! (We try to stick to raw ingredients but for this we made an exception.) We used macadamia nut oil because after doing research we decided this is the safest and healthiest oil to cook with, along with coconut oil.
Vegan Chickpea Curry
2 Tablespoons macadamia nut oil or coconut oil
1 Onion, minced
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
2 Teaspoons ground ginger
6 Whole cloves
2 Teaspoons of cinnamon
2 Teaspoons ground coriander
1 Teaspoon EACH of cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper
2 cups of dry garbanzo beans, soaked overnight
Handful of fresh coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste
Heat the onion on medium heat in the oil until tender, stir constantly. We mixed all of the spices together beforehand in a separate dish, then threw all of the them in with the cooking onion until it was aromatic. Turn down the heat and stir in the chickpeas along with a cup of water. It’s really important to taste and taste, you can always add more flavor as you go. Let the curry simmer for about 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh coriander to serve.
Vegan Mixed Vegetable
1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
1 large brown onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons curry powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
5 Roma tomatoes
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 potatoes (or sweet potato), peeled, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, chopped
1 bag frozen cauliflower and broccoli
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the onion on medium heat in the oil until tender, stir constantly. Add all of the spices and garlic while the onion is cooking until aromatic. Blend the tomatoes in a blender and add to the onion and spices. Then, put in the lemon juice, potatoes and carrot and let it simmer on a low heat for about 45 minutes. When the carrots and potatoes are tender, put in the cauliflower and broccoli and let simmer for about 15 minutes more. Keep tasting as it cooks and add salt and pepper as you’d like :)
Yummy winter curry to warm up with :D

Raw Vegan Banana Cream Pie



Crust
1 cup of pitted dates
2 cups of raw hazelnuts
2 teaspoons vanilla and 3 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 tablespoon liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave nectar or honey*)
Process the dates, hazelnuts, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla in a food processor or high speed blender.  Place mixture in pan.
Filling:
Frozen bananas (I used probably 5 average sized bananas)
Place in Blender. Spread banana mixture over crust.
Optional Toppings:
Shredded unsweetened coconut
Chocolate syrup
Drizzle over top of pie.
Store in the freezer or fridge 

*some people agree that honey is vegan while others say it is not

Quick and Easy Raw Vegan Chocolate with Sea Salt and Cinnamon

My sister and I love to get creative…especially when it comes to chocolate! This is the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted. Hands down! Plus, it is made from all natural ingredients–it is loaded with antioxidants and Love :) I like using only organic when possible. It is simple to make, only taking a few minutes!!
Ingredients:
1 cup of raw cacao powder  (you can also use cocoa!)
6-7 tablespoons of coconut oil
3 tablespoons of liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey*)
cinnamon to taste
sea salt to taste
Mix the raw cacao, coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and sea salt together. Putting in enough sea salt is the trick. Play around with the chocolate until it is creamy, but not too runny. If it is to fluffy/powdery then you need to add more oil. I put it in the freezer and then after it sets I keep it in the fridge. Let me know if you try it. I would love to hear what you think!
I like using organic ingredients because they are healthier for our bodies and the planet. If you can’t afford them, just do the best you can and it will still taste great and be good for you!!In the picture we added fresh berries and coconut whipped cream 


*some people agree that honey is vegan while others say it is not