vegan – Page 9 – Bit of the Good Stuff

Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta Dish with Mojo Sauce

Published on March 10, 2018 by Sharon9 Comments

In today’s post, I’m sharing a recipe for a pasta dish that features colourful roasted veggies and chunks of sausage, coated in a delicious red pepper sauce. It’s easy to prepare and makes a great weeknight meal.

The mojo sauce really is the star of this dish, and takes it to a whole new level of deliciousness. I first discovered this sauce in a supermarket in La Palma, and it was just perfect for brightening up our simple home-cooked veggie meals. Back home, I’d been dreaming about this sauce and finally, nearly a year later, I set to re-creating it. Continue reading “Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta Dish with Mojo Sauce” →

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Maple-Glazed Chickpeas

Published on February 16, 2018May 28, 2024 by Sharon7 Comments

In today’s post, I’m sharing a recipe for the perfect Winter warmer – Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Maple-Glazed Chickpeas 💛 With its delicious, sweet flavour and golden orange hue, this soup is so bright and cheery that it’s bound to put a smile on your face. It also happens to be packed full of immune-boosting nutrients to help keep those pesky Winter bugs at bay.

Butternut squash is a fantastic immunity-booster. Of all the winter squashes, it contains the highest amount of vitamin C. It’s also packed with the vitamin A antioxidants alphacarotene and betacarotene. Just one cup of cooked squash provides 52% of the recommended daily amount (RDA) of vitamin C and 457% of the vitamin A RDA! (Source)

Continue reading →

Maple-Glazed Chickpeas with Oregano

Published on February 9, 2018May 20, 2024 by Sharon5 Comments

In today’s post, I’m sharing the recipe for one of my favourite sweet ‘n’ savoury snacks… Maple-Glazed Chickpeas with Oregano ❤️ I’d been hoping to include this recipe in my cookbook, but sadly run out of space, so I’m delighted to be able to share it with you today. These pan-fried chickpeas not only make a great snack, but they are also perfect for topping soups and pasta dishes. They’re really simple to make and ready in less than ten minutes!

I absolutely love chickpeas and eat them most days in some shape of form. The fact that they’re packed full of nutritional goodness makes me love them even more. They’re a great source of protein, dietary fibre, B vitamins and a whole array of minerals, such as manganese and iron. Chickpeas also contain an abundance of antioxidant phytonutrients, including flavonoids and phenolic acids, which boost the immune system.

Continue reading →

Quinoa Winter Bowl with Roasted Vegetables, Cranberries and Balsamic Glaze

Published on November 20, 2017May 20, 2024 by Sharon5 Comments

In today’s post, I’m sharing a recipe for a delicious quinoa bowl that’s just perfect for serving this time of year. It features roasted veggies, dried cranberries and crunchy pumpkin seeds, topped with a sweet balsamic glaze. We’ve been enjoying it as a light evening meal, with leftovers served for lunches later in the week. It can even be served cold, and Lucien’s been taking it to school in his lunchbox.

I must admit that I never used to be a fan of quinoa. I found the texture and flavour of plain quinoa quite strange and not particularly appealing. However, I discovered a couple of key steps that make it much more palatable…

Continue reading →

Lemon Berry Crumble Slice (Dairy-free / Egg-free / Vegan)

Published on September 17, 2017 by Sharon6 Comments

In today’s post, I’m sharing a recipe for a delicious baked treat – Lemon Berry Crumble Slices. These slices consist of a fluffy lemon sponge, studded with juicy berries and topped with crumble. They use basic pantry ingredients and are simple to make, yet they’re bound to impress your family and friends!

Continue reading “Lemon Berry Crumble Slice (Dairy-free / Egg-free / Vegan)” →

Wagamama-Inspired Yasai Cha Han Donburi (Brown Rice Bowl with Stir-Fried Veggies and Tofu)

Published on August 14, 2017May 20, 2024 by Sharon4 Comments

In early Summer, my family were eagerly anticipating a trip to Wagamamas. On the way there, we psyched each other up, talking about how much we were looking forward to tucking into our favourite Wagamama dish – the Yasai Cha Han Donburi. Upon arrival, the waiter showed us to our seats and handed us the menu. Our eyes immediately moved to the spot where the dish is usually listed, but it wasn’t there. We scanned both sides of the menu but it was nowhere to be seen. We called over the waiter and he explained that they had a new summer menu. Sadly, the Yasai Cha Han Donburi hadn’t made the cut.

Has that ever happened to you? Where you’re looking forward to tucking into your favourite dish at a restaurant, or you specifically go to that restaurant because you’re craving a dish… only to find that it’s been taken off the menu. It’s happened to my family a few times and it’s always such a bummer.

Well this time, I decided to look on the bright side. I’d been meaning to try my hand at making the Yasai Cha Han Donburi at home for a while, and now was the perfect opportunity. I could still remember what the bowl tasted like and its main components, so I set to work re-creating it.

One of my favourite parts of the bowl is the flavouring added to the rice, so I really wanted to nail this part. I chose to use two of my favourite pantry staples as the basis of the dressing – Clearspring Organic Tamari Sauce and Meridian Organic Toasted Sesame Oil. The tamari provides the ‘umami’ flavour, while the toasted sesame oil add a touch of smokiness. I then added a tablespoon each of maple syrup and rice vinegar for some ‘sweet ’n’ sour’ flavour, and finished it off with a sprinkling of garlic granules. I was extremely happy with the way the dressing turned out. For me, it’s the perfect compliment to a Japanese-inspired rice bowl.

Continue reading →