Walnut-Pecan Pesto

Ingredients:

  • Heaping ¼ cup walnuts
  • Heaping ¼ pecans
  • 1 cup fresh basil (loosely packed)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • The juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp Himalayan salt
  • ½ cup Balsamic Dressing (preferably homemade: garlic, EVOO, balsamic, lemon juice, salt & pepper)

Process:

  1. In a food processor pulse the walnuts and pecans until they are finely crumbed
  2. Finely chop basil and then add to food processor.
  3. Add all of the other ingredients and blend. 
  4. That’s it! 

Awesome Sesame Slaw

Sesame Slaw

Sesame Slaw 2


This slaw is super healthy and addictive!  The recipe is simple to make and only takes a few minutes!  Unlike other salads,  it lasts in the fridge for a few days.  It goes really well on Pulled Jackfruit and Portobello Tacos (recipe coming soon!) and is amazing to eat by itself.  You can easily customize the recipe to suit your dietary needs.  If you are Keto, Paleo, Soy-free, Nut-free, etc. all you have to do is swap one or two ingredients.


Ingredients:
  • 1 medium head of Savoy Cabbage
  • Himalayan Salt (to taste)
  • 2-3 cloves of Minced Garlic
  • 1-2 tsp Hot Sauce (I have used kimchi hot sauce which was delicious or Valentina’s which is always a favourite on anything)
  • 2 tbsp Coconut Aminos
  • 2 tbsp Tamari (if soy-free or Paleo you can use more Coconut Aminos)
  • 1.5 tbsp ACV
  • 1 tbsp Sesame Oil (if you are strict Paleo you could use MCT Oil or Liquid Coconut oil although the distinct flavour comes from the Sesame Oil)
  • 1 Spring Onion (mid-section minced)
  • 1 cup raw nuts & seeds – I use 1/3 Macadamia, 1/3 Sunflower Seeds & 1/3 Cashews (if Keto use all Macadamia and if nut-free use all seeds)
  • Onion Powder and Garlic Powder to taste
  • Few spoonfuls of raw Sesame Seeds (for garnish)
Note: 
You will need a Food Processor, NutriBullet, etc. to crumb the nuts and seeds. If you don’t have any of these you could just use whole sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. If you have a Mandolin it makes shredding the cabbage much easier, otherwise, you can just use a big knife.

Method
  1. Shred the cabbage. I put my mandolin on the smallest thickness and shred the cabbage in different directions.  I generally try to avoid the really thick core as it tends to have a slightly bitter taste.  Place in a large bowl and lightly salt with Himalayan salt.
  2. Add all of the ingredients except the nuts, seeds, onion powder and garlic powder. Mix well!
  3. Season with onion powder and garlic powder (to taste).
  4. Pulse nuts and seeds in a food processor (or equivalent) until they are crumbed. Add the nuts and seeds.  Taste and add any other seasoning you think is missing.  If the slaw tastes a bit tart or bitter I add a bit more coconut aminos.  For salt, you can add Himalayan salt or tamari.
  5. Garnish with a few more sesame seeds.
  6. Enjoy!

Roasted Red Dip

This has become one of my favourite go-to dips.  It is super quick and easy to make and is super versatile.  I’ve layered it with leftover spinach & artichoke dip to make lasagne and also baked it in portobello caps as an easy dinner main.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Cashews (raw)
  • 1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds (raw)
  • 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds (dry roasted unsalted if possible, otherwise raw)
  • 1 Cup Roasted Mixed Coloured Peppers
  • 1/2 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes (packed in oil) + 1 Tbsp of the oil
  • 1 Clove Garlic (crushed)
  • 1/2 Tsp Himalayan Salt (plus more to taste)
  • 4-6 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
  • 1/2 Cup Water (added 2 tbsp at a time)
  • Dash of Smoked Paprika
  • 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tbsp Onion Powder

Method:

  1. In a food processor add cashews, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.  Pulse until the nuts and seeds are coarsely crumbed. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
  2. Next, slice the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces and add them to the food processor.  Do the same with the roasted peppers (recipe can be found here).  Pulse a few times.
  3. Add nut and seed mix, ACV, a splash of water, salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder, crushed garlic clove and a dash of smoked paprika.
  4. Pulse to combine.  The mixture will start forming a paste. Keep adding water, ACV, a bit of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and spices until you get the right taste and consistency.   The more liquid you add and the more you blend it, the colour will change to a bright orange-y red and turn into a thick dip or sauce consistency.  Keep tasting and seasoning until you get the right flavour.
  5. Garnish with pumpkin seeds, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.  (If you want to get fancy sch-mancy – when you roast the peppers, save the awesome juice that is left on the pan – drizzle this on top with your garnish 👌)
  6. Enjoy! 😊

TIPS

  1. Because the cashews are raw they will naturally thicken the dip with a bit of time, as they soak up some of the moisture.  I have learned after making the dip a few times that if I make it to what I think is a little too runny, it thickens up to a good consistency.
  2. Keep tasting the dip and seasoning as you go.  It always takes me forever to get a recipe out of my head and into writing because I never really know exactly what goes into each recipe.  Every batch is a little different – don’t be afraid to add a little bit more of something and see how it changes the taste.
  3. ACV is the secret ingredient, – don’t be afraid of it!  The recipe says 4 tbsp and I think the last batch had 6.  Once the dip rests for a few minutes the flavours will blend a bit more.

Easy Bruschetta Mix


This Easy Bruschetta Mix is super simple, very diverse and the flavours continue to get even better with a little bit of time.

Ingredients:
  • 1kg Tomatoes
  • 2 Red Onions (small or 1 large)
  • Handful of Basil
  • Balsamic Vinegar (few splashes)
  • Olive Oil (few splashes)
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Nutritional Yeast (few spoonfuls)
Note: I made a large batch but you can really use whatever you’ve got on hand. 

Method
  1. Dice the tomatoes whatever size you like. Mine were about 1 cm.
  2. Dice red onion really small.
  3. Chop up basil fairly fine.
  4. Mix ingredients together in a bowl.  The next bit is all about taste testing.  Add a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of balsamic and season with salt and pepper.  Taste until you get a flavour that you like.  Add a bit of nutritional yeast, give it a good stir and season more.
  5. Serve as a dip, make traditional bruschetta on toast, add it to sandwiches, wraps or serve with rice.

Coconut Mango Ice Cream

I bought a massive $8 box of discount mangos and ever since I have been pondering possible recipes. I used the rest of the fresh mango for salsa (in my last recipe) and spent many days freezing the rest. Soooo I thought I’d try out a dairy-free mango ice cream 🙆🏻‍♀️. This recipe is super simple and only has 3 ingredients! Mango, coconut cream and dates. The dates add natural sweetness and they also do not fully freeze so it helps the texture.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can coconut cream
  • 1/2 cup dates
  • 2 cups frozen mango

Method:

  1. Pour coconut cream in a saucepan over medium.
  2. Chop dates into pieces and add to coconut cream. Stir and cook until bubbling then turn to low until dates are soft. Turn off and let cool for 5 minutes.
  3. Place coconut cream and dates in a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth.
  4. Add mango a little bit at a time and blend until smooth.
  5. Place into a container and freeze.  I used a small glass dish.

Note: You can enjoy right away and it will be more of a thick smoothie bowl OR you can let it freeze overnight then thaw for a few minutes, break it up and blend once more for a more ice creamy consistency. Serve plain or with toppings of your choice. I topped mine with fresh passionfruit from the neighbour’s backyard. 😋

Super Simple Mango Salsa

This salsa was super simple and was thrown together with a few leftover ingredients that needed to be used up. Use whatever ratio of ingredients you like and just taste as you go. You can really make a salsa or dip with whatever you have on hand so feel free to switch it up and get creative!

Ingredients:

  • Tomatoes 5-6
  • Mangos 3-4
  • Red chilies
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Red onion
  • Salt and pepper
  • Chipotle seasoning

Method:

  1. Dice tomatoes and mangos.
  2. Finely dice red onion and thinly slice red chilies.
  3. Place in a mixing bowl and add a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Optional: I added some Chipotle Flavor God seasoning to give it an extra kick.
  5. Enjoy fresh or store in fridge for a few days. I find the flavours get better after a day or so.