Thrive Banana & Coconut Pie (Raw)

April 17, 2013April 22, 2013 / Frankie Mouche / 1 Comment

This is something that Mykey made me whilst I tidied the house. It made enough for me and him to have it as a post workout protein cake for a week. I apologise for American measurements. He kind of made it up as he went along and it came out great.

Crust:

1 cup hemp protein powder
1 cup dates
1/2 cup coconut, shredded
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh ginger

Filling:

2 bananas
1 pear
1tbsp fresh ginger
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup macadamias, soaked
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 tsp salt

Procedure

Make crust by putting all ingredients into food processor and processing until dough like. Remove and spread out onto a pie plate, pack down. Put all filling ingredients into food processor and process until creamy. Fill pie crust by evenly spreading out filling. Put in the freezer for about 60 minutes.

Don’t forget that because this is basically a raw dish, it’s very nutrient dense whilst lower in calories. Eat raw food and clean whole foods often to obtain maximum level of health.

Let’s talk about fats baby! Let’s talk about you & me!

April 9, 2013 / Frankie Mouche / 1 Comment

Fat gets a really bad rep in the media. Low fat this and low fat that. A healthy vegan diet is naturally low in fat. We must strive to remember however that fats help in the transportation of certain vitamins around the body, improve skin and hair, insulate and protect your internal organs and especially the fatty acids, help with nervous function and therefore brain power.

If you eat junk food that is laden with fat and do very little exercise, of course you’re going to put on weight. You can also be at risk of heart disease and cancer. However if you eat a small amount of healthy fat each day, you can improve your health, lose/maintain weight and look great.

So what are the fats to avoid?

Chinese takeways or any takeaways for that matter are often deep fried in vegetable oils or lard. An average takeaway can have up to 20 grams of fat. That’s a woman’s entirely RDA. Having a takeaway isn’t forbidden, but it’s probably better to make it more of a rare thing than a regular thing.

100 grams of crisps (a couple of bags) contains over 30 grams of fat. Don’t even think about going for the low fat versions either. Cut them out altogether. They are nutritionally void, especially if you’re trying to lose weight or stay fit.

Fast food burgers and chips are again absolutely full of fat and especially trans and saturated fat which are really bad for your heart and circulatory system.

Cakes and sweets are also loaded with unnecessary fat that you don’t need.

junk-food-sm

What are good sources of fat then?

Linseed and flaxseed. I put half a teaspoon in a smoothie or on porridge everyday and it doesn’t taste of anything.

Now this might surprise you, but leafy green vegetables. They don’t provide huge amounts, but they do have enough Omega 3’s to keep you going. I love kale and spinach and I’ll eat it for both lunch and dinner if I can.

Avocados are quite calorific and that’s because they are full of good fats. As long as you don’t eat like 5 a day, you’ll be fine. I generally have about 3 a week and normally in salad, although I do like making guacamole out of them.

Nuts and especially almonds and hazelnuts. They are at their best when they are unsalted and eaten as a snack instead of a bag of crisps. images

Good luck guys and make healthy choices.

Saf – Kensington

April 9, 2013April 9, 2013 / Frankie Mouche / Leave a comment

Mykey and I do occasionally like to splash out on an exquisite meal and our visit to Saf in Kensington ticked all of the boxes. Now situated on the first floor of Wholefoods on Kensington High Street, it’s about 200 metres from the tube station.

For an aperitif we had a bourbon cocktail which is described in there menu like this:

Kentucky On My Mind
For those who love to try something different. A very delicate taste of Heaven Hill bourbon mixed with triple sec, fresh apple juice, fresh lemon juice and orange bitters. Served with a slice of dehydrated apple

It was absolutely delicious and bourbon was of a very high quality and this is coming from someone who normally refuses to drink it because they are a total whiskey snob. (That’ll be me!)

We also had some raw guacamole and crackers whilst we waited for our starters.

Raw Nachos with Guacamole

Hand cut raw potato and courgette nachos served with freshly made guacamole

The guacamole had a very bold feel. You could taste all the individual ingredients. Smooth avocado, crisp lime and a hint of chilli. The nachos were also delicious and they were available to buy from Saf in boxes.

When our starters came we also ordered two large glasses of red wine. It was thick and juicy, just how a red should be.

Malbec, Tizac

Catamarca, Argentina
Cigar box fruit, blackberries with just the right level of tannins are what to expect here.

Mykey had some gyoza and I had some dolmades. (Quite funny seeing as my favourite food is Japanese and his is Italian.)

Spinach & Sorrel Gyoza

Grilled rice pastry dumplings filled with spinach, sorrel and courgettes served with a tamari-sesame vinaigrette

Cheese & Cauliflower Dolmades

£6

Vine leaves stuffed with our signature tarragon cashew cheese, cauliflower rice and fresh herbs, served with lemon-aioli dip and herb oil

The cashew cheese was to die for. I really need to learn how to make it because they were the best dolmades I have ever eaten. Mykey’s gyozas were smothered in a spiced vinaigrette which gave them a great kick. (Of course I stole a bite. Who wouldn’t?)

For our main courses I went for a raw lasagne and Mykey went for a noodle and tofu dish. Again we both tried each other’s food. The vegetables in Mykey’s dish were cooked to perfection. Not too hard and not too soft and the tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just the way it should be. The walnut, almond and sun dried tomato sauce on my lasagne totally blew me away. It really made the whole dish, but didn’t overwhelm the other flavours.

Lo Han Chai
An energizing bowl of rice noodles with tamari marinated shiitake mushroom, sautéed baby spinach, mange tout and courgettes, grilled baby corn, grilled organic Saf brand tofu and water chestnuts
Lasagna Verde
Layers of courgette, marinated spinach, walnut almond and sun-dried tomato bolognese and a cashew and yellow pepper béchamel sauce served with a green herb pesto and side salad

Dessert is quite often off of the menu for us at normal restaurants, so when we go to a vegan place we have to indulge. We shared ice cream and sorbet and also a Victoria sponge trifle. We spent the whole time we were eating the ice cream and sorbet guessing what the flavours were and we were totally wrong when we asked the server what they were. Haha! I still can’t remember what they were, but they were delicious and very unusual combinations. The Victoria sponge trifle is something that I need to go away and learn how to make. That would win Come Dine With Me it was so good. I sat there making mmmmm noises with each mouthful.

Ice Cream & Sorbet
Three scoops of our signature ice cream and sorbet served with crispy rhubarb biscuits. Please ask your server for daily specials
Victoria Sponge Trifle
Traditional and indulgent British pudding done Saf style, with raw vanilla cream, forest berry coulis, and soft sponge cake pieces

When we had finished our meal, we had to dash because we had spent too much time getting involved with our food that we were running late for our gig that evening. Luckily eating a majority raw and wholefood meal kept us full of energy the whole night and we didn’t feel sluggish at all as we often do after heavy cooked meals.

At £84 it wasn’t cheap, but we did have absolutely everything on the menu including alcohol. I’ll give Saf a 9/10 only because it was so expensive.The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. Well and truly recommended.

http://www.safrestaurant.co.uk

Red Lentil & Cauliflower Curry

April 8, 2013 / Frankie Mouche / 1 Comment

This recipe is from the glorious book, Veganomicon. If you’re vegan and you don’t have this book, GET IT! It’s amazing!

This dish makes enough for four people because both Mykey and I had it for dinner and then had it for lunch the next day.

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons of oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 chilli peppers, minced (I used jalapenos.)
1/2 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped
1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, coriander and salt
2 teaspoons of curry powder (I went for a medium spice)
2 big handfuls of red lentils, rinsed
250ml vegetable stock
3/4 of a head of cauliflower
2 tablespoons of lime juice

Method:

In a large pan heat your oil.
Saute the onion for about 4 minutes.
Add the grated ginger and chilli and stir for another minute.
Add the spices, parsnip, lentils and cauliflower and stir briskly for another minute.

Add vegetable stock and mix in.
Allow to cook on a gentle heat for 30 minutes stirring every 5 minutes or so.

Leave to cool for 10 minutes to allow for the flavors to meld.
Sprinkle with some lime juice and serve.

Chic Pea, Spinach & Red Pepper Medley

April 4, 2013April 4, 2013 / Frankie Mouche / Leave a comment

This dish is brilliant for protein, iron and calcium. I often eat this as a post workout meal You can also make it raw by sprouting the chic peas and not cooking the spinach or red pepper.

Ingredients:

Either a can or 400g of soaked chic peas.
A whole red bell pepper, chopped.
A handful of washed baby leaf spinach.
1 Tsp. olive oil.
1 Tsp of parsley, basil and sea salt.

Method:

Heat chic peas in water for 10 minutes if from a can and 20 minutes if soaked.

Fry the red pepper and baby leaf spinach in the olive oil for 5/6 minutes.

Drain the chic peas and mix in with the pepper and spinach.
Add parsley, basil and sea salt.
Serve warm or cold for lunch the next day.

Noodles!

April 3, 2013April 3, 2013 / Frankie Mouche / 1 Comment

Sometimes you just haven’t got time to make something decent, but you still want to be relatively healthy. This is where noodles come in. I often make my noodle dishes out of spiralised courgettes or carrots for a lower carb version, but this particular meal was eaten at lunchtime with a big cardio session completed in the evening.

Ingredients:

Noodles (I got these mock egg noodles from my local oriental supermarket, however rice or soba noodles will work just as well.)
A handful of peas.
One whole tomato, chopped.
Five mushrooms, sliced.
A handful of bean sprouts.
One Linda McCartney sausage, chopped. (You may have to heat it slightly to get it to do this.)
Soy sauce.
1 tsp. sesame oil.

Method:

Place some sesame oil in a wok and allow to heat.
Add chopped mushrooms, sausage and tomato and stir for roughly 3 minutes.
Then add the noodles, bean sprouts and peas and mix in for about 5 minutes.
Turn the heat right down and sprinkle with soy sauce before serving straight away.

Queer Vegan

Food, fitness and culture from a queer, vegan, metal head.

Month: April 2013

Thrive Banana & Coconut Pie (Raw)

Let’s talk about fats baby! Let’s talk about you & me!

Saf – Kensington

Red Lentil & Cauliflower Curry

Chic Pea, Spinach & Red Pepper Medley

Noodles!