No-Bake Date and Almond Brownies

The last few weeks we have been going through some chaos here at the homestead. Bathroom renovations are still going on, the house is covered in a layer of dust, the hallway is off limits for the boys, we've been going out and about EVERYDAY to stay out of the way of the tradies, and to top it all off, our oven stopped working. Luckily the grill and fan still work, so we've had to cook a lot with a curve and my bread and baking have all been on hold until we can get it fixed.

Ugh.

I was able to make a variation of some date bars that I posted on FB this week though.

No-Bake Date and Almond Brownies!

Way too easy, super yummy, everyone loves them! Like eeeeeveryone. Grown ups and kiddos alike.

It's as easy as putting all of the ingredients into the food processor and letting it work it's magic for about 5 minutes.

 

Pour it out into a baking tin lined with parchment.

Let it set in the fridge for 30 minutes or so and cut it up.

Make sure you keep it in fridge to the freezer, it keeps it nicely set.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups pitted dates
• 3/4 cup natural almonds
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• A pinch of salt

Method :

1. Place all the ingredients into the food processor.
2. Blitz for at least five minutes. It will be a bumpy ride at first but once that's done, let the machine do it's thing.
3. Once it starts to look like nice wet potting soil, empty into a parchment lined smallish baking tray.
4. Spread it out and press it firmly down with the back of a spoon and smooth it out as you go.
5. Place in the fridge for a least 30 minutes.
6. Take it out of the fridge and slice.
7. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Enjoy and love the peanut buttery goodness!

 

Vegan Corn Chowder - Meatless Monday

This weather! Rain, rain and more rain! If this is the start to winter, I'm not sure I'm looking forward to it anymore. Everything is damp, laundry is taking forever to dry, everything smells musty. At least it's not cold... Yet!

Last week, I made this super hearty soup with a heap of leftover corn on the cob that I completely spaced serving at our latest family cook-off. Yeah. It happens. Nobody went home hungry. The corn was not missed. So score for us!

Vegan Corn Chowder

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients :

• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 potato, peeled and diced
• 1 kumara, peeled and diced
• 5 corn cobs, already cooked, kernels removed
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• freshly ground pepper

Method :

1. Saute the onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes in a large saucepan.
2. Add the celery, carrots, potato and kumara and saute for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the corn kernels and stock to the veggies. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Puree with a soup wand or in a blender.
5. Serve up with some freshly ground pepper and done!

I served this with some roasted cabbage and it was amazingly filling! All three boys devoured it! And the leftovers were popped into the freezer.

Enjoy!

x

Meatfree Monday - Mushroom & Silverbeet Lasagne

I love a good, hearty lasagne. And to get that heartiness in a vegetarian dish - always add mushrooms! I found this recipe and thought it was a good basic idea. A great starting point for an easy lasagne. Also, as I try to budget more and more (it's amazing how much those boys can eat!!) I switched up a bit of the original ingredients for more of a budget conscious mind.

This is what you need...

Leftover Makeover - Risotto Balls

Sheesh! Balls!

Right. Mind back in the right.... Leftovers.

We've been lucky the boys are ok with leftovers, but I feel bad making them eat things for lunch they may have had for dinner the night before. Not to mention, I get bored of eating the same things as well.

One of the MANY dishes that Jacob is amazing at, is his risotto. Amazing. Did I mention amazing? He's got the technique. And the free for all of the garden and the fridge. Maybe.... MAYBE... Someday, he'll write his own risotto post/recipe. Maybe.

Anywho, to get the boys to finish off this super tasty dish...

Protein, veggie style!

I saw this recently somewhere on Facebook, and thought it was pretty brilliant. I do try to use most of these as often as I can, but didn't realise that many of them were good sources of protein! I'd be keen to try out chia and hemp seeds.

If anyone has some yummy recipes for them they would like to share, please do!

X

 

Kid friendly Curry? Yes! Score!

A couple of years ago now, I worked as a nanny and looked after two lovely little hobbits! Cooking for them was pretty easy with the exception of the curry dilemma! They weren't really keen on anything curry. Not even butter chicken! It was something that I was hoping wouldn't happen with the boys. As soon as they were old enough, it's been all about variety.

A recipe for a veggie korma was sent to my inbox from the Vegetarian Times. I made it with really no intention of giving it to the boys, but when Jacob and I had it for dinner, I thought the boys might actually like it. The next day, I warmed up the leftovers, curious to what would happen, ready in the wings were a couple sandwiches, just in case.

Let's just say, I had the sandwiches for lunch, the boys devoured the korma! It was a triumph for me! I am amazed everyday at what they enjoy eating. Things that are basic and bland seem to get thrown on the floor lately while the garlicky and spicy get eaten straight away. Hendrik will lick Vegemite off of crackers and leave the crackers.

Anywho, this reasonably mild korma still has incredible flavour and Jacob who is renowned for his hot sauce consumption, didn't use any. It's loved by everyone in our clan! 

Sorry for the lack of photos!

So here is our version...

Crispy Tofu Teriyaki - Meatless Monday and Naptime Cooking!

A couple years ago, I came across this recipe from the lovely Pip @ Meet Me at Mike's. The first time I made it, it was love. It's still in regular rotation on the menu planner, but has gone through so many incarnations.

This is our latest version! With crispy tofu and udon noodles! Super yummy! As per usual, making a stir fry in our house means whatever veggies are in the fridge and garden are fair game! And of course, a lot of the recipe can be done when the kiddos are napping. Chop the veggies, cook the tofu, whisk up the sauce.. This makes actually cooking dinner with two little men under your feet quite a bit easier.

First things first. Crispy tofu. I've been trying to get this right for years! When I was vegan, back in my early 20's, my best friend and I would have this amazing crispy tofu and broccoli take away from our favourite Chinese restaurant at least once a week. The tofu was the perfect amount of crispy and still soft in the middle... *droooool* anyway! this is the closest I've got to that! and it's only taken 15 years!

So anyway... To make this lovely (boy-loved) dish...