Quickie Recipe: Spicy Polenta Bowl (GF Vegan)

Serves: 1 | Prep time: 2+ hours | Active time: 1 hour

1 cup yellow Cornmeal

2 1/2 cups + 1 cup Water

1/2 cup Black Beans, dry

1 can Tomato Paste (6oz)

1 try of Mushrooms, diced (50g)

1 red Capsicum, roasted & diced
3 tbs Nutritional Yeast (optional)

1 tsp Cayenne powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cumin

Rinse and soak black beans overnight, or for 2 hours minimum. Drain and add to a small pot, fill with water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour or until tender.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425F. Chop your mushrooms and set aside. Destem and deseed your pepper, then wrap in aluminum foil. Roast for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small pot, add one cup of water and your tomato paste. Whisk until smooth and add spices. Add your mushrooms and pepper; leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
In a medium pot, add 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then whisk in your cornmeal. Add nutritional yeast, if desired. Stir briskly to keep smooth and allow to thicken over 5 minutes. If you like a thinner polenta, add more water.
Drain your beans and stir them into the tomato veggie sauce. Pour polenta into a bowl and top with the mix.
Enjoy :)

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5-Star Carrot Soup (GF Vegan)

I'm not one to brag, but this soup deserves it! I made this in an attempt to recreate a restaurant experience I had and it was definitely successful.

Serves: 1-2 | Time: 1 hour

10 large Carrots (580g)
1 Sweet Potato (250g)
1 orange Capsicum (50g)
2/3 cup Coconut Meat
3/4 cup filtered Water
1 tsp Coconut Aminos
1 tsp Curry powder
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1 inch Ginger (optional)
Carrot leaves (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F.
Set water to boil in a steaming colander. Peel carrots, if not organic, and chop in half. Add to steamer basket and set a timer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, destem and deseed your pepper. Drizzle liquid aminos inside and wrap in aluminum foil. Roast in oven for 15 minutes.
Open a young thai coconut and scrape out the meat. You should have more than needed. It can be used as is, or you can simmer it for 15 minutes with 1/4 cup water.
Peel and chop your sweet potato into cubes. Add to a ceramic dish with enough water to cover the bottom. Attach lid and microwave for 4-6 minutes.
To your blender, add: water, spices, coconut meat, the sweet potato and its water, the pepper and its juices, and your steamed carrots.
Puree or blend until smooth (leave chunks if desired).
Serve with the carrot leaves (if organic) for a carrot-y kick!
Enjoy :)

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Greenery Bowl (GF Raw Vegan)

Serves: 1 | Active time: 15 minutes | Chill time: 1 hour

1 Cucumber, quartered (230g)
2 large Carrots, shredded (75g)
1 Apple, chopped (105g)
1 Avocado, whipped (102g)
7 Medjool dates, torn (100g)
Fresh Mixed Sprouts* (20g)
1/4 cup Orange Juice
1/2 Lime, juiced
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cayenne
1/2 tsp Cumin

* I used fenugreek, cabbage and alfalfa but whatever your favorites are will work

Chop all ingredients. Make sure to peel if not organic! Add to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Half and deseed your avocado, then scoop the flesh into a small bowl. Add lime juice and spices. Mash with a fork until creamy and add to salad with orange juice. Toss.
Let marinate for 1 hour. Enjoy :)

PS: I just watched a video on Youtube by Happy Healthy Vegan about food combining. Like me, they do not have any digestive issues when mixing overt fats with sweet fruits. Some people reactive negatively to this combination, usually with stomach aches and gas. Just thought I'd mention it, in case anyone's worried!

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Sharp Sweet Salad (GF Vegan, Raw Option)

Hey lovelies! I decided to make my Spicy Fruity Salad again, but added some new produce I had in the kitchen. It is sweet, spicy, refreshing, satisfying, and makes a lot. I would definitely bring this to a potluck or picnic!

Serves: 2-3 | Inactive time: 8+ hours | Active time: 45 minutes

5 cups Chickpeas, soaked and cooked (602g)
1 Jicama, peeled and diced (488g)
2 Oranges, segmented (427g)
1 Cucumber, sliced (355g)
1 red Capsicum, diced (200g)
1 Pear, diced (253g)
1 Apple, chopped (168g)
2 stalks Celery, chopped (85g)
2 large Carrots, diced (108g)
Handful Mushrooms, diced (108g)
Handful Green Beans, chopped (84g)
8 tbs Tomato Paste
Juice of 1 Lemon
4-8oz of fruit juice*
2 tsp Ginger Paste
2 tsp Curry Powder
1 tsp Cayenne
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Coriander

* I used organic cold-pressed orange mango juice

I soaked my chickpeas for 48 hours with intermittent rinses. Some of them sprouted but this is just a personal preference. A minimal soak of 8 hours is recommended and the cook time should be 30 minutes either way. If you want them raw, opt for at least 24 hours of soaking.
After I prepared the chickpeas, I let them chill in the fridge while I chopped the rest of the ingredients.
Then I made my dressing, which was tomato paste mixed with fruit juice. You can add some of the spices to this.
In a large mixing or serving bowl, add all your chopped ingredients plus chickpeas and toss. Then sprinkle with spices, drizzle on your dressing, and squeeze on the lemon juice. Toss or gently stir again.

Note: Always adjust spices to your preference. Add half the cayenne and taste test before adding the rest, for example.

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