by Monika | May 10, 2020 | Blog, Lunch, Recipes
I love aubergine and I love this plant-based recipe. The sharpness of jerk spices against sweetness and freshness of mango and cucumbers is brilliant. I also love the dressing for this salsa. Adding sesame seeds is a great addition to help your digestion. Sesame seeds have so many health benefits from lowering cholesterol to keeping your digestive tract free of worms. Adding them to dressing or simply even roasting and sprinkle them on salads adds not only flavour but health benefits as well.
Enjoy
Jerk Spiced Aubergine with Mango & Cucumber Salsa
Lovely spiced aubergine with fresh mango and cucmaber slasa; good for digestion and easy on stomach; dressing has sesame seeds which have amazing digestive properties. It helps lower cholesterol, has ability to relieve constipation and remove worms from the intestinal tract
- 1 Aubergine cut in half, vertically
- 1 tbsp allspice powder
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 spring onions sliced
- 1 red chilli finely chopped
- 1 tbsp cane sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp tamari sauce
Mango and Cucumber Salsa
- 1 mango, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1/2 red oninon, diced
- 1/2 bunch, coriander (cliantro)
- Few spring onions, thinely sliced
- 1/2 lime, juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp seasame seeds
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
Blend everything except for the aubergine in the Nutri blender to form a paste
Cut the aubergine in half, lengthways and score the inside in a criss-cross pattern
Pour the jerk spiced marinade over the aubergine and allow to sit for 20 minutes
Preheat the oven to 200 ̊c/180 ̊c fan and bake the aubergine until lightly
brown on top and fully cooked through – approximately 40-45 minutes
Serve with the salsa
Mango and Cucumber Salsa
Cut all vegetables and mixed in the bowl
Prepare dressing, season to taste and add to the bowl and mix
Use tomatoes if Mango isn’t in season
by Monika | Apr 20, 2020 | Blog, Lunch, Recipes
I used to love sushi, so now I have to be inventive with new recipes. The variations are endless and actually I love them. You can use soaked walnuts with spices for mock tuna, you use black rice and plenty of freh raw veggies and avocado. Perfect raw food to have these spring and summer days. I also love dipping sauce. Shop bought have plenty of sugar but making your own is easy.
I also use Doterra essential oils. They are powerful and add beautiful flavour to your food. If you want to know more how to use Dottera essential oils for cooking – book this webinar on my Events page.
Mock Tuna vegan sushi rolls and dipping sauce
Perfect version of regular suhi. This vegan one is great finger food. For variation instead of using Nori Sheets use shaved strips of courgettes, cucamber, mooli or Daikon radish; instead of mock tuna use black rice; you will need sushi mats and piping bag
- 150 g walnuts , soaked for 4 hours, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice add more if you like to
- 1 1/2 tbsp virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp Tamari sauce
- 1/2 medium carrot, chopped
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 slice of fresh ginger (with skin), 3mm thickness
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh basil
- 1/4 onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Dipping sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp fresh orange zest
- 1 dsp (deep spoon) tamari sauce
- 1 dsp sesame oil
- 1 dsp maple syrup (optional)
- 1 dsp chopped ginger
- 1 dsp sesame seeds
- 1 drop Doterra essential oil (ginger, lemongrass and lemon) - optional but tastes amazing
Raw Nori sheets
- 2-3 Nori sheets
- 1/4 of head of white or red cabbage or butter lettuce
- 1/2 cucamber, cut julienne
- 1/2 red pepper, cut julienne
- 1 cup black rice cooked (use instead of mock tuna)
- 1/2 avocado , cut into thin strips
Place all ingredients (walnuts to ginger) except the herbs, onion and sesame seeds in a food processor and process into a paste add water in very small increments if it needs binding. Spoon into a mixing bowl.
Stir in the herbs, onion and sesame seeds.
Cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 days
Assembly sushi using mat and nori sheets. Check my videos on Facebook or You Tube. Aim for fun not perfection. In order to bind the sheets at the end use a bit of dipping sauce or miso paste so it sticks. Enjoy!
Original recipe by CNM modified by M.Mateja 
by Monika | Mar 22, 2020 | Blog, Recipes
Every week I will be presenting three meal ideas to make your cooking life a bit easier. This post is all about lentils. why? Because they are versatile and fantastic source of protein. Easy to cook, easy to spice up and easy to use across different dishes. These are my favorite. You could freeze probably Lentil Shepard’s pie. You can make soup for a few days as well as koftas. You can serve all of them with fresh bread, salads, and sauces.
I recommend soaking dry lentils overnight, as they will cook easier, and that way you will get rid of phytic acid which keeps them in good shape when they are dry but is not good for our digestion.
Other benefits: they are a good source of protein, fiber and folic acid. They are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fibre. They not only lower cholesterol but they are of special benefit in managing blood sugar disorders as they keep sugars at bay after a meal.
I also like them in stuffed peppers (you can use the same filling as for koftas) or try in a salad with baked cubed sweet potatoes and mustard dressing. Try tossing them with buckwheat soba noodles with broccoli florets and leeks. Add some olive oil mixed with garlic and ginger. Delicious!!
Love M. – Plant-Based Chef and Coach
Lentils Shepardless Pie
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
- 1 cup green lentils (dry - soaked)
- 200 g mushrooms, chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 2 medium to large sweet potatoes (or white)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp tomato paste (optional)
- olive oil
- 2 tsp corn starch dissolved in 3 tsp of water
- 300 ml water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp soya sauce (optional)
Turn on the oven for 180 degrees
Cook lentils until soft and as per instructions
Peel and chop potatoes and cook in a pot
Cook chopped onion for 5 min in the pan with little bit of olive
Add chopped garlic and cook for 5 min
Add mushrooms and cook for 5 min
Add celery and carrots and fry for 5 min (they do not have to be soft as they will cook in the oven)
Add all the spices and lentils, mix well
Add soya sauce, tomatoe paste (if using,) salt and pepper to taste
Add water - add a bit and check , you do not want that to be too watery
Dissolve corn starch and slowly pour into the mix, cook for 5 min
Transfer to oven proof casserol dish,
Mash cooked sweet potatos and transfer them on top of the lentil mix; use fork to even it out and put in to the oven for 30 min
Enjoy with fresh green leaves salad and/or some fermented /sauerkraut
You can cook more lentils and use them for lentils koftas and lentil soup.
Tomato and Lentil soup
Delicious protein quick soup
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Servings 4 people
Calories 116 kcal
- 30 g olive oil (2 tbsp)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 200 g split red lentils (soak overnight if you can)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 800 ml vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in the pan and add oninoc and cook for 5 min
Add chopped garlic cloves and cook for 5 min
Add lentils, bay leaves, thyme, tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper then cook 30 min. Remove bay leaves before serving.
1 portion has 116 kcal, 4.2g protein, 11.3g carbohydrates, 6g fat
This soup is lovely served with humous and crusty bread.
Lentil Vegan koftas
Lovely recipe fo protein alternative . Makes 12 medium size koftas.
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
- 1 cup uncooked green lentils or puy lentils
- 400 g chickpeas, drained
- 1 oninon or leek (just white part), chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 200 g mushrooms, chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp soya sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard or mustard powder
- 1 tbsp nutritonal yeast (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- semolina or breadcrumbs to roll koftas in
- olive oil to fry
Turn on the oven 180 degrees
Cook lentils as per instructions
Heat olive oil in the pan and add onion or leek (or both), fry for 5 min and add garlic fry for another 5 min
Add chopped mushroom and fry until no water in the pan is visible
Put everything from the pan into the bowl
Add cooked lentils, chickpeas and all spices, nutrional yeast, mustard, salt and pepper - taste to see if it is well seasoned
Mix with the spoon then mix a bit with the hand blender but leave some chunks.
Form koftas and roll in the semolina or breadcrumbs and place on the baking tray
Bake in the oven for 15 min
Serve with seasonal salad, mushroom sauce or tomato sauce
Koftas are great as a protein part on your plate. I eat them hot or cold serve with salad or without. You can use the same mix and bake as a pate . Just mix well with hand held blender and put into the small loaf tin, sprinkle with some semolina or breadcrumbs and bake for 25 min - you can add some cooked beetroot as well.
