Vegan is easy. Rawtill4 is easy. 100% raw vegan: that to me is the only thing not that easy. Although about 75-80% of my meals are actually raw vegan, the comfort of cooked meals is something I cannot deny. A stew on a cold winter day, a quick soup with leftover veggies, sharing a bowl of humus with family and creating super rich flavors with super cheap ingredients are highly valued things in my life. So here’s the simple recipe of my green oil free cilantro hummus. It’s nothing fancy, nothing groundbreaking, nor is it extravagant, but it sure is tasty, healthy and pure satisfaction.
Recipe
Ingredients 1 can (400 grams) of precooked chickpeas
2 tablespoons of tahini
Juice of 1 lime
1 garlic clove
A bunch of cilantro
1 teaspoon of cumin
Poppy seeds (optional)
Water for desired consistency
Method Rinse chickpeas and tip into the food processor. Add all the other ingredients, except for the poppy seeds and process. Slowly add water during processing until desired consistency. Transfer into a bowl and sprinkle poppy seeds on top.
Serve as a dipping for raw veggies, as a spread on your flax cracker or if you want to give it a Mexican twist, go ahead and serve with corn tortillas and with jalapeño peppers and salsa on top.
Spring: the season of renewal, hope and growth. New life emerges from plants and trees, baby animals are born and we feel energized with longer days and the warming sun. Easter is one of the first holidays of this season and a perfect opportunity to spend time with our loved ones, to celebrate nature and new life and to respect this life by choosing plant based Easter menus. I know that when most people think of Easter, they think of eggs, but I promise that you can create a perfect, joyous, colorful Easter menu, without the eggs, the butter, sugar and dairy. It will not only be absolutely healthy and pretty, but also guilt-free and cruelty-free.
Healthy, Colorful & High Raw Brunch Menu
Chia Parfait with plant milk and fresh fruits
Raw salad with red cabbage, blackberries and hazelnuts
Fennel Orange salad with brown rice
Spring Rolls with mango and a peanut butter dipping sauce
Bottles of Mint & Fruit infused water
Lots of herbal tea
Fresh Fruits
Recipes
Overnight Chia Parfait with plant milk and fresh fruits
– Blueberries fresh or frozen – Plant milk of choice I used rice milk – Rolled Oats
– Chia seeds
– Fresh Fruits of choice diced
Put blueberries in the bottom of a couple of jars or glasses
In a separate bowl mix rice milk, rolled oats and chia seeds
Pour into jar, on top of the blueberries
Place in the fridge overnight
Top with different kinds of fruits the next day
Raw salad with red cabbage, blackberries and hazelnuts
– Fennel sliced and lightly grilled in the oven – Orange peeled and sliced – Brown rice cooked – Pomegranate seeded
Place the cooked brown rice on a plate and arrange the other ingredients on top of it. Drizzle with a dressing of tahini, lemon juice and some raw agave syrup.
Pomegranates are still in season and since they’re considered a symbol of Christmas in Greece, I wanted to go ahead and give this beautiful fruit (or should I call it nature’s beads) a role in a Christmas Dessert.
What I really love about the plant based kitchen is that conventions about what you should and should not eat at certain moments of the day dissolve. Sometimes I eat sweet meals all day what most people would consider more appropriate as dessert. On the other hand, my desserts are not as sweet as what most people enjoy. So to be honest I couldn’t really decide if to call this rice porridge a dessert or breakfast, but I can assure you that it will look wonderful during Christmas on both your breakfast or brunch table as on your dinner menu.
This recipe is (again) easy to prepare with very few ingredients. With a hint of rose and coconut it has a very mild taste and is gentle on your stomach. Moreover it has a soft, dreamy texture, a virginal white color with Christmassy red pomegranate sprinkles and snowy coconut shred.
Watch the instruction video
Recipe
Serves: 6
Allergens: dairy-free • gluten-free • sugar-free • soy-free • no added oils
Diet: Fits within a Whole Food Plant Based diet (Starch Solution, Forks over Knives etc.)
Ingredients
1 cup white risotto rice Rinsed 1 liter water
1 liter plant milk of choice (I used ¾ rice milk and ¼ coconutmilk)
2 tablespoons rice starch
1 tablespoon natural rosewater
Topping
Pomegranate seeds
Coconut shreds
Method:
Cook rinsed rice in 1 liter water;
Once the water is almost completely evaporated (the rice has now already a porridge-like texture) add 1 liter of cold plant milk. Bring to boil;
Mix a couple of tablespoons of the cooking milk with the rice starch;
Add the rice starch and the rosewater to the pan, stir well;
Simmer and cook for about 15 min, until porridge-like texture (the cooking time may vary from stove to stove, so keep an eye on it);
Transfer the porridge in glasses or little bowls, let cool down and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight;
I don’t use any sugar in this recipe because the rice milk has a slight sweet taste and because I don’t think it needs to be sweet, but if you’re not used to sugar free desserts you can add in some sugar the moment you add the milk to the porridge.
This Rose & Coconut Porridge Dessert can easily be made the day or night before, which takes away the pressure off of Christmas preparations.
This meal happened because of the weather. The temperatures are (finally) dropping to seasonal averages, which for me is way too cold already. Although I eat raw foods most of the time (I can have smoothiebowls for dinner days in a row and never get bored), I’m definitely not strict about it. I do love cooked starches like potatoes, rice and root vegetables on my plate as well, especially on colder days. Personally I don’t eat legumes too often because of my digestive issues, but when cooked right legumes like lentils can be a wonderful source of nutrients. By soaking dried lentils first, rinsing them thoroughly and by cooking it long and slow, digestive issues can be prevented. So I went ahead and gave this Turkish family recipe of the classic ‘lentil-vermicelli soup’ a serious twist and came up with something different, a lentil stew with starchy veggies that still has mum’s signature: full of flavor, comforting, soft, filling and warming. Perfect.
Recipe Serves: 2
Allergens: dairy-free / gluten-free / soy-free / no added oils
Diet: Fits within a Whole Food Plant Based diet (Starch Solution, Forks over Knives etc.)
Ingredients
1 cup dried green lentils
1 carrot diced 1 onion diced 1 stalk celery chopped 1 big or 2 small potatoes diced 1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp Turkish sweet salça*
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp masala
1 liter vegetable broth or water
* Salça is a Turkish sun dried red pepper paste, made from sweet peppers or spicy peppers. A jar of ‘biber salçasi’ can be found at any Turkish market, just be aware that there is a sweet and spicy version. If salça is not available to you, you can use paprika powder instead.
Method:
Step 1
Soak lentils overnight in a bowl of warm water with a couple of tablespoons vinegar. Soaking lentils is not necessary, but this step will help break down indigestible starches and thus will make the dish more kind to your stomach.
Step 2
– Stew onion, carrots and celery in a bit of water until the onion turns translucent and the water has evaporated.
– Add the paprika paste and the tomato puree, add the spices, stir.
– Give the lentils a good rinse and add them to the pan.
– Stir for 1 or 2 minutes, until everything is mixed well.
– Add 1 liter vegetable broth or 1 liter hot water to the pan.
– Bring it to a boil.
– Simmer, add potatoes and let cook slowly for 1 hour with lid on.
– Turn of heat (season with salt and pepper if desired) and let it rest for 30 minutes before serving it.
This dish will taste even better the day after, so making a bigger batch will not only save you time the next day, but will also extra give that little extra on the taste buds.
Although I am always cold and Summer is the only time I actually feel physically comfortable, Autumn is still my favorite season. Autumn is that time of nature’s warm colors, cozy and fuzzy clothes and soul-warming dishes. It’s the time of longer nights, candlelight and approaching holiday season. Autumn to me evokes feelings of melancholy and nostalgia. It is that time of wanting to spend more time my the kitchen and at my favorite coffee shop. The advent of autumn means feasting on beautiful deep colored fruits like persimmons and pomegranates, the childish joy of collecting and roasting chestnuts, trying all different kinds of mushrooms and creating family meals with starchy veggies like yams and squashes.
I am kind of excited to create recipes with all of these ingredients over the next few weeks and to share them with you. My first recipe of the season is a Mexican stuffed, baked sweet potato. I guess it’s more of a ‘Summer into Fall’ recipe, since the main ingredient is sweet potato and it’s a very comforting meal, but it still has that sunny look and Latin kick to it. It is, as always, a whole, plant based, gluten-free meal made from scratch with no added oils. It’s nutrient dense, heart-healthy, easy to prepare and with its carb to protein ratio and anti-inflammatory properties, it also serve as an excellent meal to replenish your body after a day of hard physical exertion or strenuous workout.
Watch the instruction video & subscribe to my YouTube channel for more cooking videos. The intro (first 56 sec.) is in Dutch. Skip if you want to get to the instruction part directly.
Sweet potatoes and stuffing – 2 sweet potatoes
– 200 grams canned black beans Rinsed – 1 onion Diced – 2 cloves garlic Chopped – 1 or 2 green peppers use Jalapeno for hot, Green Chili for medium, Green Bell Pepper for Sweet – 1 tsp cumin
– 1 tsp dried coriander
– Red chili powder to taste
– salt & pepper if desired
– 300 ml water or vegetable broth
Topping Basically this part is up to you, here are the ingredients I used, but please feel free to adjust according to your own liking.
– coriander (cilantro)
– avocado
– cherry tomatoes
– lime
– lime cress & garlic cress
Guacamole – 1 avocado
– juice of ½ a lime
– fresh coriander (cilantro)
– red chili pepper
– salt & pepper if desired
Method
Baked potatoes – Pierce potatoes al over with a fork.
– Place a baking sheet over the bottom of the oven for any syrup that may drip from the potatoes.
– Place potatoes in the oven at 200C (400F), directly on the rack and bake till tender, about 40 min. (You don’t need to preheat the oven. The baking time may vary depending on the size of the potatoes, so check with a fork to see if they’re completely soft inside).
– Turn off the oven and let the potatoes rest for a minimum of 10 minutes for optimal taste and softening.
Stuffing – Meanwhile stew, onion, garlic, green pepper and the spices with 300 ml water or vegetable broth for 20 min on low heat.
– After 20 min the onions will be softened and most of the water will be evaporated. Add black beans and stew for another 10/15 minutes, until the water is completely evaporated.
Guacamole Mix guacamole ingredients in a bowl.
Serve – Cut potatoes open
– Load on the bean stuffing, top with toppings and serve with guacamole on the side.
When you’re looking for a snack that is nutritious, cruelty-free, low fat, gluten-free and easy on the go, then look no further. Summer rolls make a perfect on the go snack. I like to bring them with me while travelling (usually along with a bunch of bananas), but summer rolls are also an excellent choice at the pool, beach or park or in your kids’ lunch boxes. Aside from the incredible taste, they are easy to digest and easy to eat, with the promise of no sticky fingers or dirty mess.
Rice paper & imagination is what you need to prepare these tasty snacks. Yes, imagination, because the filling can be anything really. Traditionally a base of rice noodles is used, which I like very much and use in this recipe, but you could also substitute for quinoa, lentils, or just veggies. Anything is fine, but in order to put the summer in the roll, you’ll need fruit, sweet fruit to be precise. Ripe juicy mango is an excellent choice if you ask me, but how about getting off the beaten track a little and use pineapple, cantaloupe or sweet peaches?
The rice noodles and rice paper wraps are naturally gluten-free, making them a great choice if you’re avoiding gluten. The (low fat) carbs fit perfectly into a HCLF, rawtill4 or starchbased lifestyle. The carbohydrates are also great if you want to refuel after endurance training. Using peanut dipping sauce can be a good addition if you want to replenish after serious workout, but if you want to keep it low fat, there are many other options such as soy-garlic dipping or hoi sin sauce (just avoid anything that includes fish sauce to keep it 100% plant based).
Recipe
Ingredients: – Rice paper
– Rice noodles
– Bean sprouts
– Cucumbers Cut into strips – Spring onions Cut into small rings – Coriander Stems removes – Mango Cut into strips
– Avocado (optional) Cut into strips
Directions: – Have all the ingredients cleaned, cut and set out before you start (prepare rice noodles as described on the package).
– Fill a large bowl with water, dip one rice paper wrapper for a couple of seconds to soften (read package for exact dipping time), then lay wrapper flat on a work surface, preferably on a clean cloth.
– On one edge, lay al the ingredients, all to taste but don’t overstuff.
– Then the rolling part: fold sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with filling.
– If you use large rolls and you’re serving a bigger group, you can cut the rolls in two and sprinkle some black sesame seeds on top, just to make it look a little more dressed. If you have small rolls, or are using the rolls on the go then leave them as they are.
– Enjoy with or without dipping sauce.
Just because it’s Summer, it doesn’t mean soup should be off the menu. If you are one of those people who have reservations about serving soup on hot days, I would like you to give this recipe a try. The Caribbean flavors make this soup perfect to enjoy in a hammock or at a family dinner in the garden during breezy Summer evenings. Originally this recipe has a chicken base and is served with boiled eggs. So I was not sure if I would be able to alter it without ending up with something that would be closer to ‘dull liquid peanut butter’ rather than a beautiful rich Caribbean specialty. The challenge is even greater when your in-laws are originally from that region and you know they will give their blunt opinion if you ask them if this vegan version is any good. So honestly, yes, I was nervous, but luckily everything turned out fine. The result is reviewed and approved by a team of experts and therefore here to share with you.
This soup sure can be served as a main dish, but because of the peanut butter, it is quite high in fat. So in order to not exceed the 80/10/10 (carb/protein/fat) ratio and to keep it within the guidelines of a High Carb Low Fat diet, I recommend a small portion as a starter or as a side dish along with rice and veggies. It also serves well after a strength workout to supplement muscle recovery.
Putting your hammock up and creating a summer playlist with Reggae, Caribbean Latin and some Calypso party classics is highly recommendable and will definitely maximize the experience.
Enjoy!
Recipe Makes 4 small portions.
Ingredients
Soup
– 1 potato cut into cubes – 1 leek white part cut into rings – ½ a chili pepper or hot sauce
– 4 tablespoons natural peanut butter avoid the kind with palm oil – 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (or kecap manis)
– 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
– 400 ml vegetable broth / bouillon
Caramelized Pisang
– 2 plantain bananas preferably ripe, black ones – 1 cup of water
– 1 tablespoon cinnamon
– 1 tablespoon raw agave
Preperation
Step 1
– Preheat oven at 175C (350F);
– Cut each of the plantain bananas in 4 equal pieces, place in oven dish;
– Mix 1 cup of water, cinnamon and agave and pour over the bananas;
– Put in oven and bake for 90 minutes.
Step 2
– Stew potato cubes, leek rings and chili pepper with a bit of water until the leeks are soft and the water has evaporated;
– Add vegetable broth, bring the soup to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes with lid tilted;
– Meanwhile (in a separate bowl) add tamarind paste and sweet soy sauce to the peanut putter, transfer a soupspoon of the liquid of the soup to the peanut butter mixture and mix well;
– After 15 minutes of simmering add the peanut butter mixture to the soup and simmer for another 10 minutes until the soup has a creamy texture.
– Pour into small cups or glasses, garnish with your favorite toppings (celery and sprouted beans for example), and serve with the caramelized plantains and/or some steamed rice.
When I found out I was lactose intolerant many years ago (back then I was only vegetarian), I was afraid to eat anything that looked creamy. Actually I carried that habit with me until recently, thinking that if it looked creamy it sure had to contain dairy (cream, milk etc.) or at least high amounts of fat (from oil, nuts, coconutbutter etc.) Then one day I was served this luscious creamy vegan Jerusalem Artichoke soup at a restaurant and was totally inspired to create a soup in my Happy Earth Kitchen that would be crazy creamy, yet 100% plant-based and at the same time super low fat. Well, it bore fruit and the result is here for all to see, try and taste.
This Mustard Soup will provide you with at least your daily requirement of veggies. Moreover, it fits within the rawtill4, HCLF, Forks Over Knives lifestyle and within the starch based / McDougal diet. If you want to serve your non-vegan guests (who secretly still think you’re living either on lettuce&carrot or on coke&chips) a vegan dinner, this rich soup is a great starter that will help put aside all preconceptions about veganism, so that everyone can relax and enjoy their evening.
Creamy Mustard Soup in the making.
Creamy Mustard Soup in the making.
Creamy Mustard Cauliflower Soup
Recipe
Serves 2 as a main dish (or 4 as a starter)
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower – stem removed 1 leek – white part cut into rings 1 onion – chopped 2 cloves garlic – chopped ½ a cup of white rice – rinsed A bunch of parsley – stem and leaves cut seperately 1 tsp cumin
½ tsp dried fennel
½ tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp (whole grain) mustard
1 liter cooked water (or vegetable broth)
salt and black pepper to taste
Method
– Stew onion and garlic with half a cup of hot water until soft, takes about 4 minutes (if you do use oil, you can also substitute some unrefined oil with the water).
– Add leek, chopped parsley stems, cumin, dried fennel and ground coriander seeds and stew a few minutes more.
– Add cauliflower, rice and water and bring to boil.
– Simmer and let cook with lid on until all the ingredients are soft (takes about 15-20 minutes).
– Puree the soup with an immersion blender, add the mustard and add salt and pepper to taste.
– Serve with some parsley leaves and a drizzle of pure coconutmilk.
