Great as a dessert, even better as breakfast, my simple coconut & raspberry pudding, which is dairy free and vegan friendly.
You will need;
1 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon agar agar
2 cups raspberries
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
Check out my YouTube video, on how to make this simple pudding. You can make it in advance and it will keep well covered in the fridge for a few days.
I am inspired by all the fresh produce at my local market in Tavira. Today I picked up a large punnet of fresh raspberries and couldn’t wait to get home to make this delicious dessert. I divided the mix into three, 2 desserts for today, and 1 breakfast is ready for me tomorrow. I will add a little bit of home made granola to create a delicious and filling plant based breakfast.
Let me know if you try this recipe. I don’t add extra sugar to the milk mixture, but you may like to add a teaspoon of sugar if you have a sweet tooth.
It’s very hot here today, too hot for cooking, but this simple dish is perfect chilled to enjoy under the shade of a carob tree. The dogs are shuffling around the kitchen to keep cool, so it’s Ginger and Bird my Hungarian Vizsla you may be able to hear in the background.
I don’t use exact measurements, use a tea cup if you don’t have a proper cup measurement – its the same thing!
Asian style breakfast? Italian style lunch? yes please! Here’s what I eat in a day. Lots of you enjoyed seeing what I eat in a day. I really prefer savoury food rather than sweet. Today I made some crispy tofu with Thai rice, veggies and sauce for breakfast and an Italian inspired pasta and bean dish with lots of fresh tomatoes.
Thank you for the lovely feedback on my videos. I like to keep trying different styles, so today there’s no talking, just the sounds of my small kitchen, in my cottage, in the middle of an orange grove in Algarve, Portugal. Listen out for Mr Blackbird singing along outside my window.
Asian style breakfast.
Breakfast was; Steamed Thai rice, crispy tofu (see my previous recipe for KCF style tofu) cucumber, raw carrot, fried spring onions/scallions, sesame seeds, fresh chopped coriander and a sauce made with;1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, 1 or 2 teaspoons of maple syrup.
asian style breakfast, Italian style lunch
Italian style lunch.
For lunch I fried red onion and garlic, added 4 large chopped red tomatoes and simmered until tender, and liquid reduced. I added 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon Moscatel (it’s a sweet wine). I added 1 cup large butter beans and 1 cup small pasta. Cook until pasta is al dente. In a separate pan fry mushrooms with crushed whole garlic as much as you like) and vegan butter. I am using Veganbloc. When cooked, remove the mushrooms and use the leftover butter and garlic to wilt the spinach in the hot pan.
Drizzle over pesto (I’m using homemade vegan – without cheese) and sprinkle over sunflower seeds and a few fresh herbs. Serve with baked sliced bread.
Let me know what you think about this style of video. It’s good for when I don’t want to be on camera and can really enjoy cooking rather than talking. I lost 32lbs eating this way. I eat between 8am and 2pm, then fast until 8am the next day. It really suits my body and lifestyle.
My home made dairy free, gluten free, vegan friendly version of Nutella couldn’t be easier! You will be shocked how much sugar is contained in the store bought original Nutella and similar products. I will show you how much sugar the store bought contains, versus my simple home made version using a high grade dark chocolate.
Join me in my tiny kitchen, in a little rented cottage in the middle of an orange grove, close to Tavira, Algarve, Portugal. I really enjoy making all my food from scratch, based on what I find at the market each day. Sometimes I fancy something sweet, rich and chocolatey. This spread is great to use in baking to make vegan delicious French Pain au chocolate. Or straight out of the jar, by the spoonful!
Here’s my simple vegan nutella recipe:
410g hazelnuts (3 cups)
100g dark chocolate (half to 3 quarters of a cup)
1 pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Bake the hazelnuts in the air fryer (highest setting) for 3-4 minutes. They burn very quickly so be careful. You could toast them in a fry frying pan instead. Melt the chocolate and add the salt and vanilla extract. Add all the ingredients to the blender and run at full power until smooth. Pour into a container and allow to set.
Enjoy! Let me know if you like this vegan Nutella recipe, I’m happy to answer any questions.
Thanks for stopping by, have a beautiful day. #veganeats #vegannutella #dairyfree #wholefood #plantbased
This is my burrito with a twist. I am a huge fan of Lizzo on TikTok, and I’m always jealous when she orders in Mexican or TexMex food. We have avocados growing all around us here, but it’s still Russian roulette whether the avocado will go straight in the bin, or be perfect to mash.
Bonus trip to the market.
I thought I’d add a quick trip in to the market, and show you what I bought. I love to see what other people buy at the market. I guess I am just nosey, but it’s wonderful to see what’s in season all around the world. I go to the market almost every day to see what’s on offer. Cherries and figs are incredible at the moment, I will be stuffing my face with fruit for the next few months whilst prices are low and stocks are high.
I like to play around with flavours, using what I have on hand rather than sticking to a recipe. You won’t find any authentic recipes on my page, everything is off the cuff, based on my knowledge of flavours. I used a small corn tortilla today for my burrito, I am sure you will think it’s tiny compared to a store bought one in the USA, but I prefer to have two small ones, rather than one big one. My husband is quite a fussy eater, so I have to work around him. I didn’t add onion in the salsa as that’s a big no-no for him.
What I eat in a day – series.
I’m attempting to film as many meals as I can throughout this month, as I’m asked daily what I eat as a 100% plant based 55 year old vegan, intermittent fasting for weight maintenance. I used tempeh today, you could use vegan fake meats but I prefer tempeh seasoned with smoked paprika, cinnamon, thyme, garlic, and a little brown sugar for sweetness – similar to bacon seasoning.
What do I eat in a day, with no dairy, meat, eggs or fish?
Lots of women ask me what I eat in a day 100% plant based vegan food. I’m including everything I eat and drink except water, tea and coffee. I really enjoy watching videos like this, and it’s fascinating to see what people eat, and how much – portion size varies so much!
I buy all my produce from the local farmer’s market and tofu and tempeh from the health food store. I don’t visit the supermarket very often, because I like supporting small businesses. I avoid all processed fake vegan food as much as possible, additives and preservatives, I don’t use a microwave to avoid any damage to the nutrients in the food.
Head over to YouTube and please give me a follow!
Essential supplies
My store cupboard is full of herbs, spices, and varied ingredients from all over the world, to make humble veg into something spectacular. I do use a small amount of seed oils, which I agree are not a healthy choice, however, it’s a compromise I am willing to make to ensure I eat lots of lovely plants rich in fibre.
I am always shocked how much ready made food people eat in their ‘what I eat in a day’ videos on YouTube, as I like to make all my food from scratch.
Intermittent fasting changed my life. Two meals per day keeps my weight stable and provides me with enough energy to complete a strenuous workout, plus another activity later in the day such as paddle boarding or mountain biking.
Please support my page.
Give me a follow, or a share as I really need some support to keep posting. I love creating meals from fresh fruit and veggies and I want to share my passion of eating good, fresh, wholesome food. I will attempt to film at least 5 days per week for this month. If there’s enough interest I will keep going!
I am 55, soon to be 56 and I’ve never felt better. I will film some of my workouts too, so you can see how I build muscle and keep in shape.
A rainy day in Algarve, so lets make a dahl. You can hear the rain in the background, my feet were soaked as I filmed next to the open door for optimum natural light.
For my dahl, I like to cook the veggies separately in the airfryer because they require less oil and they can be roasting on a high heat (check regularly) whilst I get on with the rest of the dish.
I also cook the split yellow peas separately, as I cook extra to use in other recipes. Once cooked, I keep surplus peas in the freezer in a bag.
Slice onion and butternut squash, drizzle over mustard oil, and roast on baking paper in airfryer for 20minutes on 200°C
Dahl ingredients
1 large red onion – sliced
4 garlic cloves – crushed
1 thumb ginger – grated
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black onion seeds
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 cinnamon stick
1 small butternut squash – cubed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon veg stock powder or stock cube
1 tablespoon mustard or coconut oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon tomato puree.
2 cups cooked yellow split peas
4 plum tomatoes chopped
1 can coconut milk
Pinch sea salt
To decorate
1 diced mango
Coriander or chives
In a pan, put black onion seeds, grated ginger, crushed garlic, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, garam masala with a teaspoon of oil. Warm gently to release the flavours, it’s important not to burn the spices or the garlic. Add the tomatoes, turmeric, tomato paste, garlic powder, veg stock and salt. Cook for a few minutes before adding a cup of water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the cooked yellow peas, roasted veg and the can of coconut milk. Gently heat again to simmer then its ready!
Leek and pear soup is simple, quick and exceptionally tasty. I’ve used asian flavours, which go perfectly for this sweet and sour soup.
The only way you can ruin this leek and pear soup is by adding too much salt or soy, or by burning the veg so avoid adding too much extra salt, and ensure veg is gently fried on a medium heat. It needs to be soft so that the pear is very soft and coating the veg. The sweetness from the pear balances the salt from the soy, stock cube and salt. . Note that you should add the sesame oil at the end when serving, as this oil is best for flavour, not for cooking. Add the vinegar at the end too, because we don’t want it to evaporate.
Leek and pear soup ingredients
1 teaspoon Hatcho miso (any miso will do)
1 veg stock cube
1 bay leaf
1 or 2 star anise
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 grated or crushed garlic clove
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
Black & white pepper – at least a pinch
1 small leek
1 pear
1 stick celery
4 scallions/spring onions
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Pinch of Piri Piri salt – or standard sea salt
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Chives or coriander/cilantro
Soup base – stock
Grate the ginger (I keep the root in my freezer) and the garlic. Put the garlic, ginger, veg stock cube, bay leaf, miso, soy sauce, black & white pepper, star anise in a saucepan with roughly 3 cups of boiling water. Leave to simmer whilst prepping the veg.
Leek and pear prep
Chop the leek, pear, celery & spring onions/scallions. Gently fry with 1 teaspoon coconut oil and a pinch of chilli or normal sea salt flakes. Cook until soft. Pour the stock onto the softened (not browned) veg & pear mixture. Add rice vinegar and sesame oil. Serve with fresh herbs or your choice.
Saucepans – 1 or 2 it’s up to you.
You could cook this is one pan, however, I like the stock to have a head start for the flavours to develop whilst I am prepping the veg.
Fussy eaters
If you have fussy eaters in the house, remove the star anise and bay leaf then liquidise the soup. Works for my husband every time – he thinks he doesn’t like leeks!
Before becoming fully plant based, I had been vegetarian on and off for 30 years. I had recreated recipes from all over the world in my kitchen in Devon. To say my husband was a little bit upset at the thought of never eating my Chinese BBQ pork or beef kofta is an understatement. So here we are 8 years later, fully plant based, recreating all our favourite recipes but using only plants.
For my videos I cut and blend most things by hand so there’s no excuses of ‘oh I don’t have a food processor’. All appliances are different, so cooking times my differ.
Today I am using black beans – mainly for the colour, but you can use any beans you prefer.
For the flat bread
1 cup flour
Half teaspoon salt
Half teaspoon turmeric
Half teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coconut milk to bind into a dough.
I don’t give exact measurements for the coconut milk as it will depend on the flour you use and what your environment is like. Start with a quarter cup of coconut milk, mix and add little by little until you get a stiff dough.
Divide into 6, roll into balls and then into desired flatbread shape with a rolling pin. Heat a frying pan – NO OIL. Dry fry one side (about 1 minute) and then flip over.
Bean kofta
1 cup black beans
Half stick celery
1 scallion or chalotte or 1 teaspoon onion powder
Half a sweet pepper
Fresh herbs (I’m using lemon thyme and chives but recommend using cilantro/coriander)
1 teaspoon garlic powder or chopped fresh garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of chilli powder
Half teaspoon cinnamon
Black pepper and sea salt
Finely chop the fresh herbs and veg. Add the beans in a bowl along with all other ingredients. Use something to squish the mixture into a paste – could be a glass, jar, rolling pin.
Shape into 4 sausages/koftas and drizzle with olive oil. I also threw on some sliced onions. Place in the airfryer or oven on a high heat for 10-15 minutes. I used an airfryer on 180° for 15 minutes, turning once.
For the parsnip chips
Finely slice 2 parsnips, sprinkle on 1 teaspoon paprika, good pinch of sea salt, drizzle over olive oil. Toss the parsnips to ensure they are coated before cooking. Cook in oven/airfryer on 175°C for 10 minutes and check. How long you cook them depends on how crunchy you like them.
To serve, squish the kofta onto the flatbread, add homemade tomato sauce, fried onions, fresh herbs like mint/coriander and some scallions/chives. Tahini is essential for me, although my husband prefers mayo. I mix 1 tablespoon tahini with the juice of one lemon and pinch of sea salt.
I make my recipes up as I go, depending on what fresh ingredients and spices I have on hand. Don’t be afraid to experiment, generally, the only way you can ruin a dish is by adding too much salt or hot spice.
I roasted half of a small pumpkin in the airfryer for 20 minutes on 170°C. I then covered it and let it cool, so I could easily remove the skin.
In a blender I added the skinned pumpkin, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, pinch of sea salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Off camera (pressed the wrong button with my sticky fingers) I added a tablespoon of peanut butter, quarter cup of plant milk and quarter cup of Veganbloc butter.
*You may wish to add more syrup. I don’t like mine too sweet.
For the scones I used;
1 cup self raising flour
Quarter cup of Veganbloc butter
Half teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
Half teaspoon baking powder
Enough plant milk to make into soft dough.
Baked in airfryer for 13 minutes on 170°C turned them over for another 3 minutes.
Lots of noise going on in the background with the washing machine and airfryer whirring away next to me. I only have a tiny kitchen in this rental property. I look forward to having a proper kitchen again one day.
For lunch today, I made gnocchi with walnut sauce. I’m starting over with my food blog as I’ve been inundated with requests for recipes and meal ideas. I’ve been working on ways to encourage everyone to eat more plants and to consider trying intermittent fasting.
I post on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube in an effort to spread the word about the benefits of eating only plants.
My short videos will be linked to YouTube as it’s the best website friendly format for my blog, but you will also find my videos on the usual social media channels.
I’m playing around with video formats… what do you think of this style for vegan meal inspiration? I’ve used birdsong as a background sound, (rather than music) which I captured on one of my early morning walks in spring. I find it very calming.
For lunch today, I made gnocchi with walnut sauce. Tip: Use equal amounts flour to potato (doesn’t have to be exact).
Gnocchi: 2 potatoes boiled in their skins (Remove skins after cooking) 2 cups wheat flour Salt, black and white pepper.
Sauce: 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 crushed garlic cloves 1 cup walnuts Fresh lemon thyme 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 veggie stock cube Half cup of soya cream Black and white pepper.
Stay tuned for more detailed posts in the furture, I’m desperately trying to find a way of streamlining my content as it takes up lots of my time, and it’s only me doing everything.
I hope you enjoy my video. We both scored this meal 10/10.
