Sweet potato falafel with raw cashew-tahini dressing

The idea for the falafel using sweet potatoes came from this recipe:

http://thelittlegreenhouse.net/sweet-potato-falafels-with-tahini-sauce/

I found it very interesting to use sweet potatoes in falafel, so i have experimented a bit, modified the recipe and also made up a cashew-tahini dressing. In my opinion the dressing fits perfectly to the sweet-spicy taste of the falafels :) Try it and let me know how you liked this combination :)
This dish is perfect for lunch or dinner, served on a bed of salad. You can as well serve it with rice or flatbread. It is completely gluten- free and tastes really delicious. I love sweet potatoes in every form, but together with the Indian spices it's a perfect harmony of tastes:)

What will you need:
For the falafel: 
- 2 medium sweet potatoes

- 1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas

- 1/4 tsp coriander

- 1 tsp turmeric

- 2 tsp cumin

- 1/4 tsp hot Hungarian paprika (or cayenne pepper)

- 1/2 tsp white pepper

- 1 1/2 tsp salt (according to type of salt)

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 handful of fresh parsley

- 2 tbsp chickpea flour

- juice of 1/2 lemon

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

For the Raw cashew tahini dressing:

- 1 cup of cashew nuts, soaked overnight

- 2 tsp Tahini

- juice of 1/2 lemon 

- 1/2 tsp paprika (or cayenne pepper)

- 1/2 cup and a bit more water 

- black pepper

- salt, according to taste

Preparation:

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight. Next day rinse them and cook in pressure cooker or in a cooking pan, according to instructions on the package.
2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
3. Start with steaming the sweet potatoes with the skin on for 20-25 minutes. Make a fork test to see, if they are soft in the middle too. When ready, peel the skin off and place the potatoes to the food processor. 
4. Place all other ingredients to the food processor as well and process until a the mixture is a bit chunky. 
5. Make smaller balls from the chickpea-sweet potato mix (around 4-5 cm diameter) and place them on a baking paper. Slightly press the top. When your hands become too sticky, just use a bit of water to form the balls.  
6. Bake for 35 minutes in 180 degrees. When done, leave the falafels for 10-15 minutes on the baking paper, so the they don't stick to it:) 
7. To make the raw cashew-tahini dressing, first rinse the soaked cashew nuts and wash them. Place all ingredients to a high speed blender (or food processor) and blend until very smooth and creamy. Adjust salt and pepper. 
8. Serve with flatbread, rice or simply on a bed of salad:)

Enjoyy:))

Raw breakfast buckwheat porridge

Did you know that buckwheat is not a cereal grain? It is actually a fruit seed :) Despite of it's name, it has nothing to do with wheat and it's completely gluten-free. I like sprouted buckwheat (by soaking it overnight in filtered water), so I can enjoy the full nutritional benefits for breakfast. It is alkaline forming in digestion, so really a great way to kick off your day :D Sprouted buckwheat is also a great post workout snack, because it contains both carbs and all 8 essential amino acids, which are necessary to refuel our body and muscles.  
Buckwheat is on of the most nutritious foods out there, it is low on glycemic index (helps  diabetes), yet high in fiber (helps controlling appetite and shred extra weight). It is rich in manganese, phosphorus, copper, magnesium and antioxidants. It helps lowering blood pressure and high cholesterol.

What will you need: 
For 2 portions:
- appr. 1 cup of buckwheat groats, soaked overnight
- 1 cup of plant based milk (I used home made almond milk)
- 2 bananas

- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp flaxseed, grounded
- 1 tbps almond butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- additional maple syrup, banana and almond butter for topping, according to taste

Place buckwheat groats, oat milk and vanilla in food processor or blender. Process until blended. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Scoop into two bowls. Top with the sliced banana, almond butter and maple syrup. 

Enjoy :)

Summer veggie Quiche

 
Hi all:) This time I have an awesome veggie quiche recipe for you. Actually, this is not my creation..all the credit goes to my partner, who has surprised me with this wonderful dish after my weekend trip with the girls :D I know...he is a sweetheart :))
As usual, this this is an easy dish, however needs a bit of preparation and setting time for the dough. This dish serves 5-6 people. 
So let's see how to make it:

What will you need: 
For the crust:

- 350 gram spelt flour

- 150 gram of vegan margarine (not processed)

- 80 ml water

- 1/2 tsp salt 

For the filling:

- 250 grams smoked tofu

- 3 big onions

- 1 smaller yellow zucchini

- 1 small red bell pepper

- 1/2 of a medium cauliflower

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp turmeric

- pinch of nutmeg

- 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, cut to small pieces

- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh chives, cut to small pieces
- 1 medium tomato for the top, sliced 

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 200° to top and bottom heating. Lightly grease a quiche or pie pan.
2. For the crust: mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl with your hands until there are no more chunks of margarine and everything sticks nicely together. You can add the water gradually, until the crust has a cookie-dough like consistency.
3. Form a ball from the dough, cover with folie and place it to the fridge for 30 minutes. While waiting for the dough, you can start to make the filling (see steps 6 to 9).
4. After 30 minutes take the dough out from the fridge and place it evenly over the base of the quiche pan (or pie dish). Starting from the center of the pan, press the mixture evenly into the pan, working your way outward and up the sides of the pan. Poke a few fork holes in the dough so air can escape.
5. Bake the crust for for 10 minutes on 200°.
6. To prepare the filling: wash and cut up all the veggies and the tofu.
7. Place the tofu, onions, olive oil, salt, turmeric, nutmeg, black pepper and rosemary to the food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Mix in the chives and set aside.
8. In a skillet, add olive oil and fry the bell pepper, zucchini and cauliflower over high heat for about 5 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and stir in the tofu mix until well combined. Adjust seasoning to taste if desired. Pour mixture into baked crust and smooth out with until even. Place slices of tomato on top.
10. Bake quiche in oven, uncovered, for another 20minutes on 200°. Lower the heat to 175° and bake for more 10 minutes.

Enjoyy ;))

Parsley pesto with zucchini spaghetti

Making a pesto from fresh herbs is really the easiest and fasted thing what you can prepare for lunch or dinner.  This time I got lots of parsley from a friend of mine, so I made a parsley pesto :)
Parsley can be planted anywhere, even in a small pot on your balcony. From the nutritional side this plant is high in:

• potassium
• very high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Also contains Vitamin B6
• rich in minerals, such as Iron, Calcium and Magnesium

Using zucchini spaghetti will make this recipe a raw dish, but you can use any pasta you like. If you can, use whole wheat, spelt or gluten-free pasta and try to avoid the highly processed white pasta, which has minimum nutritional benefits. 

All you will need for this recipe is a food processor and a spiralizer, if you go for the zucchini spaghetti. The preparation time is about 10-15 minutes :D


What will you need:
For the pesto:
- 2 handful of fresh parsley

- 100 grams of cashew nuts, soaked for 3-4 hours

- 4-5 tbsp olive oil

- Salt, according to taste

- 1 heaping tbsp nutritional yeast

- 1 clove of garlic (optional)

For the zucchini pasta:
- 1-2 medium zucchinis
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- a bit of salt

To prepare the pesto, start with rinsing the cashew nuts and adding them to the food processor. Process until a sandy texture is formed. Wash the parsley and add to the cashew nuts. Start pulsing and gradually add the olive oil. Add the garlic and salt. Process until a smooth paste is formed. Add the nutritional yeast and pulse the pesto a couple of times.
To prepare the zucchini noodles, wash the zucchini and run it through the spiralizer. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Mix it well.
Add the pesto on the top of the zucchini spaghetti and drizzle with more nutritional yeast and parsley. 

Enjoy  :)

Super druper spirulina smoothie

This smoothie is great after a strength training workout, as it is packed with complex carbohydrates and pure plant based protein. No chemical stuff in there baby:). 
Did you know that the pea protein powder has 85.5% of protein content? Holy moly :D Adding the 60% protein content from the spirulna will build muscles like a peace of cake :P
Spirulina, this "blue-green" algae, is one of the superfoods which is becoming very popular lately. No wonder why: it is one of the most nutritious and concentrated food sources on the planet (Source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/17/spirulina-one-of-natures-nearperfect-foods.aspx):

• it consists of 60% complete protein, containing all the essential amino acids (essential means, that our body can not create them). These proteins are highly digestible
• rich in vitamins, such as Vitamin A, B (B1, B2, B5, B6, B9 (folate)), Choline, Vitamin C, E, K
• rich in trace minerals, including calcium (12%), Iron (219%!), Magnesium (55%), Manganese (90%), Phosphorus (17%), Potassium (29%), Sodium (70%), Zinc (21%).

This magical plant has an abundance of nutritional benefits. It helps treating/healing: 

• Type 2 Diabetes, 
• cardiovascular disease, 
• damaged liver from heavy metal exposure, 
• iron deficiency and anemia, vitamin A deficiency
• provides protection from viruses, reduced allergy symptoms   
• helps with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
• provides cancer and radiation proteciton
• strengthens immune system
• and many more...

What will you need: 
- 300 ml filtered water

- handful of spinach
- 1/2 of a cucumber

- 1 frozen banana

- 1 tbsp pea vanilla protein powder

- 1 tsp of spirulina powder
- 1/4 of a lemon (pealed)

Place all ingredients to a high speed blender...blend baby blend ... and voalalalalla you can enjoy this green goodness:)