Categories
Favourites Snacks & Sides

Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Pesto

Looking for an easy way to make delicious pesto – tomato or basil? You are in the right place, follow along, and make it yourself!

Hi Everyone,

Welcome back to my blog!!

Today I am going to make a couple of delicious pestos: sun-dried tomato & basil pesto.

You can use these for various things as: pasta, spreads, dips, salads; and it keeps for about 5 days if properly stored (airtight container – refrigerated).

SUNDRIED TOMATO PESTO recipe

INGREDIENTS:
– 150g of sundried tomatoes (drained from oil)
– 50g of quinoa (cooked)
– 50ml of olive oil
– 50ml of water
– 1 tbsp of maple syrup
– 1 tbsp of lemon juice
– 1,5 tsp of salt
– 2 tsp of pepper
– a pinch of chili flakes
– a bunch of chives
– 5-6 garlic cloves (roasted)
– 25g of walnuts

PREPARATION:
Cook the quinoa in cold water, once up to boil, lower the heat, and cook for 15 minutes.
Roast the garlic cloves (skin on) in the oven for 18-22 minutes on 180°C (360°F) FAN option.
Drain the tomatoes from their oil – you can keep the oil for cooking or salads (great umami taste!).
Once the garlic is roasted, clean it and also drain, and then wash the quinoa in cold water.

Now, it’s time to blend it together, add all the ingredients except for the quinoa, and give it a good blend. Stop halfway to scrape the sides of the blender using a spatula.
At the very end, go ahead and add the cooked quinoa to the pesto, and give it just a quick blend!

One pesto down, one more to go 😉

BASIL PESTO recipe

INGREDIENTS:
– 4 cups of fresh basil
– 1-1,5 tsp of salt
– 1,5 tsp of pepper
– 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast
– 1/3 cup of olive oil
– 1 tbsp of lemon juice
– 50g of roasted pine nuts
– 2 cleaned garlic cloves

PREPARATION:
First, roast the pine nuts in a pan with NO oil!
Your next step is only to put all the ingredients into a blender and to nicely blend it all together!

Enjoy and don’t forget to check out the upcoming video this weekend, where we will be using these pestos to make a filling for homemade arancini.

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Vito

For a video tutorial, check the link below:

Categories
Lunch & Dinner

Noodles

Need to make lunch but have very little time?!? You are at the right place, check out our SUPER SIMPLE stir fry noodles recipe!!!

Hi Everyone,

Welcome back to my blog!

In this post I am keeping it very simple – stir fry noodles – for those busy days! It will take you no more than 20 minutes to prepare this yummy recipe filled with crispy vegetables.

INGREDIENTS:
– 200g of noodles (I used Ramen)
– 3 scallions
– 1 carrot
– 1/2 sweet pepper
– a handful of mange tout
– g of broccolini
– a few baby corns
– 1/3 of a pointed cabbage
– 2 tbsp of sesame oil
– 2 tbsp of soy sauce
– 2 tsp of salt

PREPARATION:
Go ahead and cut all the vegetables into strips/slices and cook the noodles. Now, preheat a stir fry pan on max and add 100ml of cooking oil and all the vegetables except the cabbage to it, add the salt, and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the noodles and cook for another minute – turn off the hob and add the cabbage to it, mix it and you are ready to serve it!

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Vito

For a video tutorial, check the link below:

Categories
Lunch & Dinner

Vegetable Lasagna

Looking for an easy to follow plant-based lasagne recipe?? You are at the right place, check out our new recipe and follow along!!!

Hi Everyone,

Welcome back for another portion of veg!

As I have seen a lot of requests for vegan lasagna, I decided to make a delicious recipe and it will take you about 75 minutes to prepare it – and it can easily feed 5 hungry mouths 🙂

We will start with the ‘meat’ base and you will need the following ingredients:
– 100g of black beluga lentils
– 100g of red lentils (or 200g of any lentils that you have)
– 100g of soy mince
– 3 medium-sized onions
– 2 medium-sized carrots
– 1 can of chopped tomatoes
– 3 tsp of salt
– 2,5 tsp of pepper
– 2 tsp of chili flakes
– 2,5 tbsp of nutritional yeast
– 1 tbsp of maple syrup
– 1 tbsp of dried paprika
– 5 tbsp of milled chia seeds

Start off with cooking the lentils in cold water on medium heat – once boiling, cook for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, you can chop the onions and carrots in small pieces – also soak the soy mince for 5 minutes in some water and then try to squeeze as much water as possible out of it.

Preheat a pan on high heat with some oil and then saute the onions and carrots for 6-7 minutes.

Now, lower the heat to medium and add all the ingredients to it – stir it well and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

You are done with the base!

You will need the following vegetables:
– 250g of mushrooms
– 1 zucchini
– 1 eggplant
– 1 sweet pepper
– 3 medium-sized tomatoes

Chop all the vegetables: mushrooms & tomatoes in slices and the rest in little cubes. Keep the tomatoes on one side (as you will need them for the lasagna topping) and place the rest of the vegetables into a bowl, sprinkle with some salt, and mix it together.

Before you start off with putting the lasagna together you still need bechamel, and you will need the following for it:
– 100 ml of sunflower oil
– 125g of regular flour
– 700 ml of soy milk (or any other plant-based milk)
– 2 tsp of salt
– 2 tsp of pepper
– 2/3 tsp of nutmeg

Preheat the pan on high heat and add the oil first and then the flour – stir until combined and then lower down the heat to low and add the rest of the ingredients – it’s very important to stir continuously for about 4-5 minutes.

It’s time to get excited, as it’s time to put it all together!!

You will still need:
– 1 pack of lasagna sheets
– 1 pack of shredded vegan cheese

To start off, spread some bechamel on the bottom of the baking tray, and then you can lay down your first layer of lasagna sheets (so they won’t move).
Follow up with another layer of bechamel, then spread some vegetables and follow up with a layer (half of the mixture) of the ‘meat’ base.
Now you can fill up the sides of the lasagna with lasagna sheets and then put a new layer of sheets on top.
The second layer will consist of bechamel, cheese, vegetables, and then the rest of the ‘meat’ base.
Finish off with another layer of lasagna sheets, bechamel, cheese, and tomatoes on top!

Preheat the oven on FAN 180°C (360°F) – and then bake the lasagna for 45-50 minutes.

Once done, you are ready to serve it!

Cheers,

Vito

For a video tutorial, check the link below: