Vegan Archives - Page 3 of 47 - Coconut and Berries

Roasted Red Pepper, Cauliflower & Walnut Buckwheat Salad

Another super easy and hearty salad for you today!

I love this salad for lunch with some spicy rocket leaves and a dollop of hummus, as a side-dish or all on its own. It’s an array of textures and flavours so really doesn’t need any adornment.

Who’s on team roasted cauliflower?! I absolutely adore it and am (almost) certain that even self-proclaimed cauliflower haters will love it too. I’m not particularly keen on plain ole steamed cauliflower, even less so when it’s steamed to death and sulphur smelling…raw or roasted is the way to go.

I could eat a whole head of it roasted in olive oil with salt and pepper and call it lunch but this salad is more of a balanced meal and even more delicious.

I paired the roasted cauli with beautifully sweet roasted red pepper - Another vegetable that benefits from a stint in the oven, it gets ultra sweet and takes on a slightly smoky taste if you leave it in long enough to pick up a bit of a char.

You might remember the Buckwheat Risotto with Mushrooms & Hazelnut Cream I shared last year? One of my favourite recipes on the blog to date.

Buckwheat works magically there in place of rice with its lovely toothsome texture and nutty flavour. It’s a (pseudo) grain I use a lot in both sweet and savoury recipes and it’s just as good in this salad.

All you need to finish things off are a handful of toasted walnuts for some crunch and parsley, lemon & shallots/red onion for a bit of freshness and zing.

Roasted Red Pepper, Cauliflower & Walnut Buckwheat Salad

Yield: 2-3 Servings

Roasted Red Pepper, Cauliflower & Walnut Buckwheat Salad

Ingredients

1 Small cauliflower, broken into florets
1 Red pepper
2 Tbsp Olive oil (divided)
1/2 C Buckwheat
1/4 C Roughly chopped walnuts
1/3 C Roughly chopped parsley
1/2 Shallot OR 1/4 Red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
Salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 190C/400F. Toss the cauliflower florets with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on a baking sheet. Add the whole red pepper to the baking sheet. Roast the vegetables for 20-30 minutes until the cauliflower is brown and crisp at the edges and the pepper is charred and soft (You may need to remove the cauliflower from the baking sheet and cook the pepper an extra 5 or so minutes).
Chop the red pepper into pieces, removing most of the papery skin. It should come off easily.
Meanwhile, cook the buckwheat. Rinse well then place in a saucepan with 1C water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and leave to simmer, covered for approx 15 minutes. Once all the water is absorbed, turn off the heat and leave to sit, covered, while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Toast the walnuts in a small pan over medium-high heat or on a small baking tray in the oven for approx 5 minutes.
Stir together all the ingredients, including the remaining Tbsp of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2015/05/01/roasted-red-pepper-cauliflower-walnut-buckwheat-salad/

It’s a “Bank Holiday” weekend here in the UK so an extra day of free time for playing in the kitchen! Especially as it’s supposed to be rainy…

What are you planning on making? Long weekend or not.

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Crunchy Tropical Granola

As I mentioned last time, breakfasts have been all about the smoothies lately. But you can have too much of a good thing and I don’t want to get in a rut so I’m mixing things up with a new granola recipe.

Not sure where the inspiration for this came from - possibly the vaguely tropical weather we’ve been enjoying in London lately! Or maybe just the tasty selection of dried fruit in my kitchen cupboards…

You’ll probably find that most packets of dried fruit have preservatives, sugar and/or oils added to them. Urban Fruit is a little different and prove that you don’t need any of those things to get an amazing product.

They do loads of different dried fruit - apples & pears, cherries, mango, banana, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries & blackcurrants - none of which contain anything but fruit!

I used their “Tremendously Tropical” mix for this Crunchy Tropical Granola which contains some of my favourites: pineapple, coconut, MANGO (my very favourite!) and banana. Topped up with a few extras from my cupboard this made for a seriously fruity granola.

I kept everything else nice and simple with just oats, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Coated in a touch of coconut oil and maple syrup and baked you get a really crunchy base. Don’t forget a generous pinch of salt! I promise it won’t taste salty but as you’ve probably heard people say before it simply “brings out the flavours” of everything else.

In keeping with the tropical theme, I like this granola best served with tangy coconut yogurt and sliced banana. Add a drizzle of maple syrup or coconut nectar if you like a little extra sweetness.

Another option, especially if you’re a smoothie person like me, is to try pouring your smoothie into a bowl, topping with a handful of this granola and then eating it with a spoon instead of slurping with a straw.

Crunchy Tropical Granola

Ingredients

2 C Jumbo rolled oats
1/3 C Sunflower seeds
1/3 C Pumpkin seeds
Large pinch of salt
1 Tbsp Coconut oil
3 Tbsp Maple syrup

Approx 2C tropical dried fruit. I used:

1/3 C Dried banana coins (the chewy kind not the chips with all the sugar and oil added)
1/3 C Dried apricots, chopped
1/3 C Dried mango, chopped
1/3 C Dried pineapple, chopped
1/3 C Large coconut flakes
1/3 C Dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
Mix together the oats, seeds and salt in a large bowl.
In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil and maple syrup together. Pour over the oat mixture and stir to coat well.
Pour onto a lined baking try (one with sides is easiest) and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring half-way through baking time. Use your nose - it should smell toasty but not burnt!
Remove from oven and leave to cool fully before stirring through the dried fruit.
Serve immediately or store in a sealed jar/container for up to a couple of weeks.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2015/04/24/crunchy-tropical-granola/

I treated myself to some fresh flowers too. Homemade granola, flowers and sunshine, what more could you want to see in the morning?!

There are a few healthy granola recipes on the blog for you to choose from:

Classic granola - with almonds, raisins & coconut

Cherry-Coconut Granola - made from leftover almond pulp!

Orange-Pepita Granola - this one turns your almond milk sweet and fruity!

And for more serving suggestions, take a look at this:

Granola parfait with Yogurt & Rhubarb-Berry Compote

or these:

Granola & Coconut Yogurt Banana Pops

What have you been munching for breakfast lately?

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Vegan Gnocchi Bake with Spinach, Tomatoes & Moxarella

I’m aware this doesn’t look or sound like the most appropriate dish for spring-time - more like winter comfort food! But there is a reason behind me making it…

I’ve been on a huge smoothie kick lately (more on that to come) and more often than not have been starting my days with a blended breakfast! I like to keep a good selection of frozen fruit and ice on hand so I can whizz up whatever takes my fancy at any time, but considering my freezer is pretty teeny, it’s getting very tight in there!

I’m sure it’s a familiar story: impulse purchases thrown in the freezer only to be forgotten for months, half batches of muffins stashed away to stop me from eating them all in one go, mysterious foil-wrapped items, and of course those neat containers of homecooked beans and grains, which would have been sensible to have on hand - only if there was actually space for them…

All that to say, I’m giving my freezer a spring clean! Among the items I dug out was a nearly full package of gnocchi.

Serving it with pesto was the obvious choice but I’m a bit pesto-ed out right now. This Vegan Gnocchi Bake is nearly as easy to make and the little extra time it takes is well worth it.

I made a thick, rich tomato sauce with plenty of vegetables to generously coat those little Italian dumplings. This would be delicious eaten as is but the Moxarella took it over the top! I came across this recipe a long while back on the blog Vedged Out and was stunned at how authentic it looked.

It browns and stretches just like regular mozzarella! Mega bonus points for having just a few ingredients and for being nearly instant. It’s fantastic as a topping for this Gnocchi Bake but I also can’t wait to try it on pizza!

Vegan Gnocchi Bake with Spinach, Tomatoes & Moxarella

Yield: 3-4 Servings

Vegan Gnocchi Bake with Spinach, Tomatoes & Moxarella

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, diced
1/2 Orange or yellow pepper, diced
1 Clove of garlic, minced
1 x 400g/14oz Can of chopped tomatoes
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
1/2 C Water
1 tsp Coconut sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
400g/14oz pkg Vegan gnocchi*
50g/2oz Spinach, chopped
Handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 x recipe Vegan Moxarella*

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Add the canned tomatoes, cherry tomatoes (if using), sugar and salt and bring to a simmer. Leave to simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, or until flavoursome and quite thick.
Add the gnocchi, stir well and cover the pan. Leave to simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until gnocchi is heated through, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom. Remove from the heat, add the spinach and basil and leave covered until wilted.
Preheat the grill (broiler).
Pour the contents of the saucepan into an ovenproof dish, top with dollops of the Moxarella (you may not need/want all of it) and place under the grill for approx 5 minutes, until just beginning to brown.
Serve immediately with a big green salad.

Notes

*A lot of store-bought gnocchi is vegan but check the package to be sure as it can sometimes contain egg.

*I halved the salt in the Moxarella recipe.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2015/04/21/vegan-gnocchi-bake-with-spinach-tomatoes-moxarella/

Hope you enjoy the recipe! Stash it away for a chilly day if you’re already in salad and light meal mode.

Vegan Rhubarb & Ginger Muffins

I recently added an “All Recipes” page to the blog and putting it together gave me the opportunity to go through my archives and see what I’ve come up with in the nearly 2 years (!) I’ve been writing in this little space. The number of muffin recipes was pretty shocking - just 4 - especially for someone who’s always declared themselves more of a muffin eater than a cookie one.

The perfect opportunity to begin remedying that muffin shortage came up when I headed back to London after an Easter weekend at home, not only with a large dark chocolate egg but an armful of rhubarb from the garden!

Though there are a couple of months to wait before the garden is overflowing with vegetables again, along with the few swiss chard and spinach leaves I was excited to discover a load of rhubarb wrestling its way out of the “forcing pot” in search of sunlight. I think it’s the pinkest and prettiest rhubarb I’ve ever seen! It was just a shame I had to chop off the green leaves to get it into my bag…

I saved a little to make my favourite Stewed Rhubarb with Orange then chopped up the rest to go into some sweet, snack-size muffins - lovely with a cup of tea!

These are pretty simple and quite similar to my Strawberry & Rhubarb Polenta Cake (also vegan & gluten-free). They’re also very adaptable and don’t have to be Rhubarb & Ginger Muffins at all! If you don’t like ginger just skip it or try a little cinnamon, and if you don’t have rhubarb to hand then you can substitute other chopped fruit or berries.

Vegan Rhubarb & Ginger Muffins

Yield: 6-8 Muffins

Vegan Rhubarb & Ginger Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 C Almond flour
1/2 C Oat flour
2 Tbsp Potato OR Tapioca Starch
1 Tbsp Ground flax
1/3 C Coconut sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking powder
3/4-1 tsp Ground ginger
1/4 C Unsweetened apple purée OR 2 Tbsp oil + 2 Tbsp apple purée
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 C (scant) Almond milk
1/2 tsp Apple cider vinegar
3/4 C (scant) Chopped rhubarb

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180C/350F and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
Whisk or sieve together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
Add wet to dry and stir until well combined.
Fold in chopped rhubarb.
Fill paper cases 3/4 of the way full and bake for approx 22 minutes.
Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin then place on a cooling rack to cool fully.

Notes

* I grind my own oat flour in my high-powered Froothie blender

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2015/04/10/vegan-rhubarb-ginger-muffins/

Is anyone growing anything this year? I don’t have my own garden in London unfortunately but I’m growing some mushrooms with this snazzy kit!

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Roasted Celeriac & Sweet Potato with Saffron Quinoa & Herby Drizzle

We’re revisiting an old, forgotten friend today – celeriac! It’s one of those vegetables that’s easy to forget about and I’ve shared just 2 celeriac recipes on the blog until now.

My Simple Celeriac Soup is a lovely, mild-tasting recipe that goes down well with everyone. My Celeriac, Pear & Rocket Salad is a little more quirky and more suited to those into bold/punchy flavours.

Today’s recipe features celeriac the way I cook it most often – roasted.

Roasting a pan of root vegetables is definitely one of my favourite ways to start a meal. I’m clearly a fan of veggies almost any which way but have found that when feeding slightly more veg-sceptical people, roasting is definitely the way forwards!

Celeriac has a nutty, sweet taste that just gets accentuated with a stint in the oven. Adding sweet potatoes to the mix softens the flavour too.

To turn my roasted celeriac & sweet potato into a complete meal, I served them over quinoa infused with saffron to give it a hint of something extra and topped it all with a good drizzle of herby dressing.

I’m pretty smitten with this herby sauce/dressing. I adore using fresh herbs in my cooking but very rarely manage to use them all up before they start to get rather sad looking. This recipe is a fantastic way to use up any of those herbs in the fridge that are on on their last legs.

I like a mix of parsley and coriander (cilantro) best – convenient as those are probably the herbs I use most. Feel free to use your favourite leafy herbs though. Dill, basil, mint and tarragon are other great options. I would advise against using woody herbs like rosemary or thyme.

Just blend up those herbs with some lime or lemon, garlic, a little spice, salt and olive oil to make a sauce that’s good on greens, grains, beans…anything which could do with a bit of jazzing up.

I finished this dish with some fresh rocket and a handful of toasted almonds. Again, it’s super versatile so use what you have to hand. If you want to bulk it up even more, how about adding some toasted chickpeas or mixing lentils in with the quinoa?

Roasted Celeriac & Sweet Potato with Saffron Quinoa & Herby Drizzle

Yield: Approx 4 Servings

Roasted Celeriac & Sweet Potato with Saffron Quinoa & Herby Drizzle

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 Large head of Celeriac, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
Salt & pepper

Saffron Quinoa:

1/2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Shallot
1 C Quinoa (well-rinsed)
2 C Vegetable broth
1/4 tsp Saffron
1/2 tsp Salt

Herby Drizzle:

1 C Loosely packed fresh herbs (I like a mix of parsley & coriander)
2 Tbsp Lime OR Lemon juice
1 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
1 Small clove of garlic
1/4 C Extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp Salt
Rocket (optional)
Toasted, flaked almonds (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
In a large roasting pan, toss the sweet potato and celeriac with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender and golden brown at the edges.
Meanwhile, cook the quinoa. In a medium-size pot, cook the shallot in the olive oil for a few minutes, until softened. Add the quinoa, vegetable broth and saffron, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Leave covered for 10 minutes then fluff with a fork.
For the herby drizzle, blend all ingredients until smooth. I love my Tribest personal blender for small amounts like this. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To serve, place a handful of rocket in each bowl, then add a scoop of quinoa. Top with roasted celeriac and sweet potato and a generous drizzle of the herby dressing/sauce.
Finish with toasted almonds if desired.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2015/04/01/roasted-celeriac-sweet-potato-with-saffron-quinoa-herby-drizzle/

This is a nice healthy one to enjoy over the next couple of days, especially if you’re predicting an indulgent Easter weekend!

I’m heading back to my family home for the next few days and looking forward to a little break from the busy-ness of London, some country air and family time. It’s my birthday on Friday too so I get to enjoy birthday and Easter celebrations all at once!

Wishing you all a lovely holiday!