Bo's Kitchen

Plant based recipes made with love

vegan

Onion Bhaji with a lime and coriander dip

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onion bhaji gluten free dairy free

I’m craving comfort foods right now. Comfort food to me is usually something Indian inspired. A big hug in a bowl daal, a fluffy naan bread, a spice laden pot of potato curry or a heaping mountain of steaming hot, fragrant rice. Basically anything with spice and carbs or vegetables and I’m there. All over it. …

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Cranberry and pistachio energy bars

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cranberry and pistachio energy bars

These cranberry and pistachio energy bars have been a firm favourite in my house this month. They’re so quick to prepare and compared to traditional energy bars, which in my experience tend to be dry, flavourless and tough, these are moist, sweet and incredibly moreish. The best bit is you can easily swap the ingredients around depending on what you have in your pantry- I love flexible recipes. The perfect way to use up all of those leftover bags of dried fruits and nuts from Christmas. Pistachio and cranberry is a wonderful combination though, so I’d recommend grabbing these if you can. They freeze really well too, so I’ve been making a big batch on a Sunday to enjoy through the week.

Feel free to add in your favourite superfoods, nut butters, dried fruits, coconut shreds, whatever you fancy really, just keep the proportions of wet to dry ingredients the same and you’ll struggle to go wrong.

I’ve worked all through the Christmas period and now I’m off for three whole days and I can’t wait to cook and shoot again, I really miss it if I can’t take pictures every day. I’m going to be rustling up some turmeric lemonade today, after spotting this beautiful recipe on my friend Janine’s blog. Take a peek here to check it out, the photography is stunning and her blog is a joy to visit. If you’d like to follow her on Instagram, you can find her at @nutsandblueberries.

Hope you’re staying warm, my sweet peas! Wishing you a very happy New Year, roll on 2017!!!

Cranberry and pistachio energy bars

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
  • 1/ 4 cup chia seeds
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup almond butter
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup shelled and roughly chopped pistachios
  • 1/4 tsp pink himalayan salt
  1. Preheat oven to 190•c. Pour oats, almonds, walnuts and seeds onto a baking tray and spread out evenly. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes, until slightly golden.
  2. Add dates and 1/2 cup of hot water to a food processor and blitz until a date caramel has formed. Add date mixture and toasted oat mix into a large bowl.
  3. In a small pan, gently melt maple syrup, coconut oil and almond butter. Once combined, add to the large mixing bowl with the date caramel and oats. Stir well until everything is coated. Now mix through the cranberries, pistachios and salt, leaving a few pistachios and cranberries for the top.
  4. Line a small square baking tin (mine was 8×8 inches) with parchment paper- leave a little hanging over the sides so it’s easy to remove later. Flatten the mixture down with your hands or the back of a spoon. Now add your remaining pistachios and cranberries to the top.
  5. Set in the freezer for 30 minutes, or an hour in the fridge. Cut into 12 bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Clementine sesame raw cookies

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Clementine and sesame raw cookies

Hey babes! I’m sorry for being away a lot lately, life has been pretty hectic this month and the days are so short my time for photography is very limited (I should probably get an artificial light but I’m too stubborn). I’m back with this wonderfully easy raw cookie recipe though- full of festive ingredients to get you in the Christmas spirit. There’s something about cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger that makes my heart happy, they smell truly magical together.

Sweet, citrusy, delicately spiced and full of vitamins, they’ll help to keep you snacking healthy this Christmas. They’re vegan, refined sugar free and no bake- meaning less washing up and minimal prep time (less than 10 minutes). They’d be a great cookie to make with little ones too.

I can’t believe this year is almost over. What a year it has been. I could never have predicted just quite how unpredictable it could be. It’s been a rollercoaster in every way possible but thankfully I’m ending it on a huge high and I’m so grateful to the universe for everything it has thrown my way.

I’ve learnt that sometimes bad things need to happen so you can see things as they really are. And it’s far better to have your eyes wide open than be blinded to the truth, however painful it may be. I’m ending the year on a massive high with somebody I truly love and everything feels like it is going to plan for the first time in my life!

Fortunately my new man has taken to this whole vegan malarky like a fish to water, so I have an excuse to make loads of food again. The whole raw cookie thing was completely unchartered territory for him, so I knew I had to create something extra sweet and delicious to make a good first impression (the green smoothies are still too ‘funky’ for him at the mo hehe). These babies hit the spot for sure, although he didn’t get to enjoy that many as I wolfed them down in less than two days. I’d love to know if you try these, either leave a comment below or please take a pic and tag me on Instagram – @bos.kitchen, it would make my day!

Stay warm and nourished, sending you a big hug and an even bigger bag of cookies.

xx

 

Clementine sesame raw cookies (makes about 16 small cookies, or 12 big ones)

  • 1 cup oats
  • 1 cup cashews
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup agave/maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup melted cacao butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 clementine, juice and rind
  • 1/4 cup dairy free choc chips
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries/sour cherries other dried fruit
  1. Add oats, cashews, walnuts and 1/4 cup of the sesame seeds to a food processor and grind to a flour.
  2. Add salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg to the blender and pulse briefly to combine.
  3. Tip dry ingredients into a bowl and stir through the clementine juice, agave syrup, melted cacao butter and vanilla until the dough comes together. It should be very moist and smell awesome (feel free to taste test at this point)!
  4. Now stir through the choc chips,  1/4 cup sesame seeds and cranberries. Shape into little balls and flatten into a cookie shape. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and clementine rind. Eat right away, or pop them in the fridge to firm up. Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Pear bliss balls

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pear bliss balls

I do love a bliss ball, a healthy, refined sugar free morsel of energy can keep you going when you’re trying to hold out until tea time. I adore pears, sweet, juicy and delicately flavoured, they are such a pretty fruit. I decided to combine my two loves this month and the pear bliss ball was formed!

These are almost raw, apart from the pear puree- but they’re still refined sugar free and thanks to the puree you’re getting a fair bit of fruit in each bite too.

These little cuties are packed with all the good stuff – nuts, fruit, oats and chlorella. This superfood has the highest chlorophyll of any plant and is a whopping 56% protein. It alkalises the body, improves digestion (I can vouch for this) and increases energy, it’s powerful stuff! You can’t even taste it in these balls, so these would be great for little ones too. If you don’t have chlorella you can try using wheatgrass, matcha or spirulina instead.

Pear bliss balls  – Makes around 16

  • 4 pears, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp all spice
  • 1-2 tsp chlorella (I always use Organic Burst)
  • 1/2 cup pitted dates
  • Cacao nibs, mint leaves and cacao powder for decoration
  1. Make your pear puree by adding pears, water, coconut sugar and lemon juice to a small pan. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for about 20-30 minutes, until sweet and thick. Set aside to cool.
  2. Add almonds and pecans to a food processor and pulse until small, crumbly pieces. Add in oats, cinnamon, all spice and chlorella and pulse again until combined. Add dates and 3/4 cup of pear puree and pulse until a dough is formed. If it’s too sticky, add a few more oats, tbsp at a time. If it’s too dry, add a little water until the mixture comes together.
  3. Shape mix into little pear shapes. The best way to do this is to make a ball, then start rolling the top half of the ball flat on a board with your finger, to make a little pear shape. Add a little cacao nib for the stem and mint for the leaves and dust lightly with cacao powder. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Green Goddess dip

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20161016-img_7488I’m so excited to share this with you – my Green Goddess dip. If there was a bowl of self-love, this would be it.

This dip is gonna get you glowin’ girrrrl…or boy, if you’re cool enough to be reading this.

It’s my quick fix when I need a bit of a detox. I had this for a snack after breakfast today and I’ve only just remembered I need to eat dinner. It’s kept me full and energised all day! That is no mean feat. Healthy dips like this are incredibly easy to whip up and you can also use it on pasta, tortillas, burritos, sandwiches, rice cakes, baked potatoes… you get my drift. I just love having something like this in the fridge for those random savoury hunger pangs I often get in the evening.

I’ve loaded this with beautiful, powerful ingredients to help nourish and detox. First up- my favourite superfood, spirulina- packed with chlorophyll that removes toxins from the blood. It’s also loaded with iron, essential for all cell renewal in the body.

Kale actually activates detoxifying enzymes in the liver and is rich in antioxidants – hello gorgeous skin! Garlic improves circulation and boosts the immune system, which is a good job because I eat garlic every damn day. Avocado clears and nourishes the skin and is full of vitamins A, B, C, E and K- I’ll take all of them today please!

I hope you have a hot minute to make this dip. You may just be rewarded with energy, good health and the glow of a Goddess.

Green Goddess dip

  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 large handfuls kale, roughly chopped (include the stems)
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 5 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 medium sized avocados
  • 2tsp organic spirulina (I use Organic Burst)
  • 1 tin cannellini/white beans, drained and rinsed
  • Handful of parsley
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Black pepper, to taste

 

  1. Add garlic to the food processor and pulse briefly to chop.
  2. Add all other ingredients, pulsing until smoothy and creamy. Taste, season and adjust as needed.

 

Coconut waffles with raw chocolate sauce

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20160930-img_7270Oh hello there! I can’t believe it’s October already! Time is really flying this year and last month was the most hectic month yet. I now have two new kittens (Harry and Sushi) in my life and they are just about the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Have you ever tried to be in a bad mood with two tiny balls of fluff laying in your arms kissing each other? Well I have and it’s impossible. They definitely keep me on my toes. All I need to do now is train Sushi to stop climbing me like a tree when I’m about to feed her and we’ll be in crazy cat lady heaven. Life admin has taken over this month and I’ve been a bit behind with posts and photography but I’m ready to go again now, so expect some weekly updates for the rest of the year. I have a whole backlog of recipes I need to publish!

I am a true coconut lover, I think I have five jars of coconut oil at the moment, shredded coconut, coconut chips, coconut butter and coconut sugar. I also have coconut scented toiletries too, it never ends! It seemed only natural that I should indulge my coconut fantasies in the form of waffles. They didn’t disappoint. These coconut waffles are light and crispy and the raw chocolate sauce turns these beauties into something pretty special. You can keep the waffle batter for up to four days in the fridge, so this is a great recipe to make in advance for a lazy weekend. I added spirulina to the chocolate sauce, just to sneak some of my fave superfoods in. The recipe makes a lot of sauce, so you can make some raw chocolate with the rest (just pour it into a tray and set in the freezer), or just continue making waffles and chocolate sauce the whole week, which sounds like a great idea to me.

Coconut waffles

  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax seed mixed with 3 tbsp water)
  • 1 cup plain flour (can sub plain gluten free flour)
  • 3 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Raw chocolate sauce

  • 1/2 cup organic cacao powder
  • 1/2 cup organic coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp Organic Burst spirulina (optional)
  1. Make your flax egg by mixing ground flax seed with water. Stir well and leave to rest to form a gel while you make the rest of the waffle batter.
  2. Add all waffle ingredients to a food processor and blend until combined. Add flax egg and pulse again. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add a little more water if you need to. Chill batter in the fridge while you make chocolate sauce.
  3. Add cacao powder, coconut oil and maple syrup to a small pan and heat very gently until the coconut oil has melted. Take off the heat and stir through spirulina, if using.
  4. Turn on your waffle maker and pour in chilled batter. Cook until golden on both sides, then top with raw chocolate sauce, toasted coconut chips and fruit.

 

Chia and fennel green pizza

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chia and fennel seed pizza crust

I’ve just realised that this is my third pizza recipe. I must really love pizza! I think what entices me the most is how adaptable it is, you don’t really need to have much in the cupboards to whip up a pizza. I always end  up chopping up more veggies than I need for toppings.

I had a craving for a green pizza this week, a herby, summery, savoury affair but with a crisp base that tastes like the real deal. This is honestly so delicious I will be making more houmous at the weekend just so I can have it again next week for lunch. The fennel seeds work really well with the garlic infused pesto. Pesto houmous is also my new favourite thing- SO GOOD.  I thoroughly recommend using marinated artichokes on top, because they are just the most delicious vegetable in the world and every pizza tastes better with more artichokes. A good thing about being vegan and asking for a pizza with no cheese when I eat out is that I get to ask for more artichokes instead. I’m all about the artichokes.

Recipe

Chia and fennel seed pizza crust

  • 1 cup gram(chickpea) flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 5 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
  • Salt and pepper

Kale pesto

  • 5 large handfuls of kale
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 1 bunch of basil (large handful)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup of walnuts
  • 2 tsp Organic Burst wheatgrass (optional)
  • 1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt

Houmous

  • 1 tin of organic chickpeas
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4 cup of water/liquid from the can of chickpeas

Kale pesto –

  1. Start by blending your garlic cloves in a food processor until finely minced.
  2. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth.
  3. Store your kale pesto in a jar for up to four weeks in the fridge, covering with a thin layer of olive oil to keep it fresh.

Houmous –

  1. Blend garlic in a food processor until fine.
  2. Add all other ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy, adding more water/chickpea liquid a little at a time if you need to.
  3. If you want to make kale pesto houmous, simply mix equal parts houmous and kale pesto.

Chia and fennel seed crust-

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°c and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
  2. To make the pizza crust, mix the chia seeds with 4tbsp of water and leave to form a gel. This should take around 5 minutes.
  3. Add all dry ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl and stir to incorporate. Now add the cup of water and the chia seed gel. Mix until it’s smooth but still quite thick, you want it to slowly drop of the spoon, like a thick paste.
  4. Spread the base over your prepared baking tray and cook for 20 minutes, until firm.
  5. Allow to cool and then top with kale pesto houmous, courgette ribbons, red onion, fresh oregano, fresh basil, marinated artichokes and sesame seeds.

Chocolate marzipan truffles

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chocolate marzipan trufflesChocolate and marzipan has to be one of my favourite flavour combinations, what a treat. I always used to have marzipan from the fridge when my Mum made wedding cakes (and icing too, oops). There was often a nice big chunk in there for decorating but I couldn’t help taking a little piece now and then (basically whenever I had the opportunity). I adore those marzipan bars you can buy in some health stores too, just a generous bar of marzipan, smothered in dark chocolate. Mmmmmm. I love the smell of it, almonds are so sweet and delicious. These babies are gluten free, refined sugar free and packed with healthy protein. You can omit the amaretto if you like, it just won’t taste as marzipan-y, is that a word?!

I got the basis for this recipe from the Lazy Cat Kitchen blog and in it Ania suggests tempering your chocolate, to get the ultimate snap and sheen to your little truffles. I’d never done it before, but now definitely recommend tempering for the best results. It wasn’t tricky, but you do need a thermometer- it’s all about using it at just the right temperature.

Chocolate marzipan truffles (makes 24 truffles)

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups almonds
  • 1 cup cashews
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup almond mylk
  • 10 tsp amaretto
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 250g vegan dark chocolate, broken into medium size pieces (use a sugar free dark chocolate bar to keep totally sugar free)
  • Small handful of almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
  1. Blend almonds and cashews together in your food processor until finely ground, to a flour.
  2. Add lemon zest, maple syrup, almond mylk, amaretto, lemon zest, sea salt and vanilla to a small bowl and whisk together.
  3. Slowly add the mix, little by little, to the blender and pulse until combined. The mixture should be sticking together with your fingers. Bring dough together with your fingers and shape into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and pop in the fridge.
  4. Slowly melt 150g of your chocolate in a bain-marie (a bowl gently heated over boiling water), being careful to keep the water away from your bowl of chocolate (water is the worst thing that could happen to your melted chocolate, be careful).
  5. When the chocolate has melted, take off the heat and gently stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to get things cooling. Chocolate fully melts at 46°C, but you want to cool it down to between 31 to 33°C. Add the remaining 100g of chocolate, this will increase the rate of the cooling process. Keep checking the temperature with your thermometer every five minutes or so.
  6. While the chocolate is cooling, take your marzipan dough out the fridge and make into balls. I made a tablespoon of dough per truffle. When the chocolate has reached the magical temperature of between 31 and 33°C, you’re ready to dip! Dunk your balls into the chocolate and leave to dry on a cooling rack.
  7. Put any remaining chocolate into a piping bag, or just drizzle on top of the truffles. Garnish with toasted chopped almonds. Try not to eat them all to yourself.

 

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