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Hello, my friends

as you might know I have decided to start avoiding  refined wheat as much as possible and replacing it with other goodies. The main reason for that is that every time I had some in the last few weeks I noticed I was getting a runny nose, so my intuition led me to the realization , that may be its the wheat and more specifically the refined one.

So today I have made my first spelt bread and its amazingly tasty as well as I didn’t get any discomfort whatsoever. The boys loved it as well which is my ultimate reward and I will be making it again for sure.

Spelt is wonderfully nutritious ancient grain.Its a  gentle food for the whole digestive tract and a powerful agent to strengthen your immune system and your nerves. Spelt contains 62% carbohydrates, 8.8% fibre, 2.7% fat and 12% protein. However, the differences are in the quality of the elements. In traces, spelt protein contains the full spectrum of all essential fatty acids. Spelt is rich in silicate, which has a positive effect on concentration and mental power and also on the health of your skin and hair. Spelt contains more minerals and vitamins than the best wheat.Compare to wheat spelt is approximately 30% higher in Thiamin (Vitamin B1), 25% higher in Vitamin B6 , 45% higher in Vitamin E.

I used a whole grain spelt flour from the Doves Farm and considering the bread’s taste and quality is fantastic. Here is an simple and easy recipe to make the bread.

Vegan Spelt Bread (yeast free) 

This recipe makes a small loaf

• 2 cups of spelt flour
• 1 cup of plant based milk (i used hazelnut milk today)
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tea spoon of baking soda
• a squeeze of lemon juice
  

  just out of the oven

Preheat the oven on 180C. Its so simple -anybody can do it. In a large bowl mix the flour with the salt and baking soda. In a smaller bowl mix the milk with the lemon juice and whisk as fast as you can to create a foam. Then combine the two and form the bread. Place into the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes. The bread is ready when you insert a wooden stick in it and it comes out dry.

Serve and Enjoy!

Thank you so  much for all your support and love.

I would love to hear from you, please leave your comments in the box below.

Los of Love

Ivelina

Hello, my friends

I love salads. I can’t imagine a day without one and going vegan has turned some of my salads into a complete meals. Today was one of those days . The salad I made has nearly all the colours of the rainbow, apart from blue, but next time I might add a few blueberries to complete the picture.

Eating a colourful salad is one of the best ways to ensure you are getting the variety of nutrients, that your body needs and as we all know variety is the spice of life.Here is some information on why eating all he colours are so beneficial for you!(Source  Delisious magazine)

Red Fruits and Vegetables
Contain nutrients such as lycopene, ellagic acid, Quercetin, and Hesperidin.These nutrients reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce tumor growth and LDL cholesterol levels, scavenge harmful free-radicals, and support join tissue in arthritis cases.

Orange and Yellow fruits and vegetables
Contain beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C. These nutrients reduce age-related degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight harmful free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones.

Green vegetables and Fruit
Green vegetables contain chlorophyll, fiber, lutein, zeaxanthin, calcium, folate, vitamin C, calcium, and Beta-carotene. The nutrients found in these vegetables reduce cancer risks, lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, normalize digestion time, support retinal health and vision, fight harmful free-radicals, and boost immune system activity.

Blue and purple fruits and vegetables
Contain nutrients which include lutein, zeaxanthin, resveratrol, vitamin C, fiber, flavonoids, ellagic acid, and quercetin. Similar to the previous nutrients, these nutrients support retinal health, lower LDL cholesterol, boost immune system activity, support healthy digestion, improve calcium and other mineral absorption, fight inflammation, reduce tumor growth, act as an anticarcinogens in the digestive tract, and limit the activity of cancer cells.

White fruits and vegetables
Contain nutrients such as beta-glucans,and lignans that provide powerful immune boosting activity. These nutrients also activate natural killer B and T cells, reduce the risk of colon, breast, and prostate cancers, and balance hormone levels, reducing the risk of hormone-related cancers.

Here is an idea of a combination of fruits and vegetables, that tasted so good and its also incredibly nourishing.

Here is what you need

2 leafes of swiss chard with the stems and all

1/2 lettuce

2 tomatoes

1 small beetroot

1/2 white onion(optional)

1 large baked potato

1/2 cucumber

The most important part of making a salad is always to pick ingredients , that you like and make your own salad dressing. When it comes to dressing I can’t find anything better, than lemon /olive oil and oregano or basil /lime and olive oil . Yesterday I also made some raw tahini, which with added some water turns into this luxuriuos rich sauce.

All you do is simply chop everything  and grate the beetroot.Then  season to taste with your dressing. Serve and Enjoy!

Thank you very much for your support and love.

Share in the comments below your favourate salad, I would love to hear from you!

Lots of Love,

Ivelina

Hello, my friends

I have come to a conclusion, that cooking and making food makes me feel very productive and very happy. After a long day of doing what has to be done I was so happy to be at home with all of my favourite people making dinner. Once I had all the veggies on the work top and  everything decided for the dinner I felt so in the mood for cooking . Food is our intimate connection with Nature and when you cook vegan is very special, or at least for me it is.

So once I am in the mood for cooking I like to get a lot of things going. This evening we are having veggie kebabs again , which have turned to be a favourite dish in our household in the last few weeks . They are incredibly easy to make and very satisfying. You can see the recipe for them here.

Today I want to give a few ideas what are the perfect compliments to those kebabs and how easy to make them it is. First is a recipe for a raw tahini. This is a very rich and satisfying dressing and its full with all of the goodness of the sesame seed.

Raw Tahini 

Here is what you need:

1 cup of sesame seeds (soaked in water for approx.4 hours)

1 cup of water

juice from 1 lemon

4-5 spoonfuls of olive oil

pinch of salt

1-2 cloves of garlic (optional)

All you do is put them all in the Vitamix and blend for about a minute or so. Simply pour in a cup and enjoy. Its very tasty and creamy and light. If you want you can add more water to have as a salad dressing or less if you want to use it as a dip. Overall is amazing flavour and you get all the goodness of the sesame seeds.

I also made some tomato salad . There is nothing like a sweet juicy tomato salad to add some fresh sweetness in your dinner. Here is what you need .

tomatoes

red pepper

1/2 onion

oregano

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

All you do is simply cut the tomato and season with salt and pepper. a quick tip is to season just the tomatoes with salt and pepper and then add everything else as this gives the salad the oomph, that takes it to another level. After you add the chopped onion and red pepper simply sprinkle with olive oil and oregano and enjoy!

To complete our dinner I also made some cucumber and garlic dip, using a bit of the tahini dressing and I also added some vegan mayonnaise and water cress. The texture and the richness is amazing and the cucumber really adds extra richness to the kebabs.

I am loving this blogging challenge , the only thing is , that Its getting late again . have to make a point to post the recipe before dinner or at least before sunset.

Thank you very much for your kind love and support,

I would love to hear from you , leave your comments in the box below.

lots of love

Ivelina

Hello, my friends

I am sitting in the office here sipping of this amazing raspberry smoothie, which tastes like a refreshing yogurt drink. Our relationship with food starts from a very early age and how and what we eat is very deeply rooted in your minds and bodies. Those are habits, that are for some people hard and nearly impossible to change.99.99% of the people , that are vegan now were brought up meat and dairy eaters, like myself . We all have made the decision to exclude all animal products and stop using any animal products in every possible and practical way.  Nothing has changed my life more, apart from becoming mother, than going vegan. I am loving the journey.

Here is the simple recipe for the smoothie

Raspberry Smoothie with Chia seeds 

Here is what you need .

1 litre of plant milk ( I used hazelnut)

500 gr. of frozen raspberries

1/2 cup of chia seeds gel(soaked chia seeds overnight in the fridge)

5 dates

spoonful of maca root powder (optional)

juice from 1/2 lemon

Blend all of the above in the Vitamix for about a minute or so. Serve and enjoy!

Thank you once again for all your love and support!

Lots of Love,

Ivelina

Hello, my friends,

the easy vegan recipes blogging challenge is going from strength to strength I am very happy to announce, that we have decided to extend it for another 30 days, so the challenge will complete on the 28th of June.I would love you to join us. Remember that you don’t have to be vegan to join as long as you are interested in vegan cooking you are very welcome.  I absolutely love the exchange of ideas and cooking inspiration. Vegan cooking is so easy and incredibly rewarding.

For today’s recipe I have chosen some of my most favourite flavours.

Mediterranean Potatoes with Vegetables 

Here is what you need :

• 12 potatoes
• 2 white onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 7 mushrooms
• 2 carrots
• 1 courgette (zucchini)
• 500 gr tomato pasata
• basil
• bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• some olive oil
• 1/2 cup of white wine (optional)

Just out of the oven!

First peel and chop the potatoes in small boats. Then chop the onions and crush the garlic and the rest of the vegetables.Put all of them in the roasting tray and season with the olive oil , salt and pepper , basil and place in the oven on 180C for a fan oven for about 30 minutes . Mix occasionally to make sure it does not stick to the tray. Once the potatoes are a bit soft add the tomatoes and let it cook for another 30 minutes or so. About 5 minutes before serving I added some white wine , which gave it a nice oomph, but it tasted just as good before the wine. 

Let it sit for a few minutes and prepare some fresh green salad. It goes really well with it. The salad I made contains spinach, lettuce, celery and cucumber. Chop everything and season with oregano and lemon dressing. I served the potatoes on a bed of spring onion rice. Delicious, crunchy and very rich combination. Enjoy!

Thank you once again for all your love and support,

Please leave me a comment in the box below, I love hearing from you.

Lots of love,

Ivelina

Hello my friends ,

so happy to be doing this Vegan Blogging Challenge.As I said I am constantly thinking in recipes , instead of simply grabbing food and eating it. It has been really good so far and one my vegan friends suggested to extend the challenge and do another 30 days. I would love to push myself and seal the habit of blogging my vegan recipes and sharing them  with you all.

For today’s recipe I would like to share with you a quick vegan lunch idea. Normally I would simply grab a few veggies and fruits and just eat them , but here is idea to present them .It does make a difference when you present food beautifully. Sometimes we have to remember, that we “eat ” with our eyes first!

So here is what you need:

a bap or any other bread , that you like

1/2 white onion (cut into small chunks)

3 mushrooms

1/2 courgette (grated)

1 carrot (grated )

1/2 avocado

salt to taste

black pepper and paprika

This recipe involves very little cooking. Simply chop the onions and the mushrooms and put some oil, salt to taste and paprika and put them in the grill for about 5 minutes. While they are cooking you can prepare the other vegetables.Simply grate them and season to taste.

Its as easy as it looks. Simply put the raw vegetables first. Then put the mushrooms and the onions and decorate with the avocado.

Ready in less than 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Thank you once again for all your love and support.

I am off to a little movie evening with the family .

Talk with you tomorrow,

Lots of Love,

Ivelina

Hello my friends ,
so glad its Saturday evening. Nice and relaxing day it was. I am writing to you from our office and I can see the rain has stopped already and I am hoping for a sunny day tomorrow as the weather app showed.
Today I made some yummy food and the recipe I want to share with you is

Kidney Bean Burgers with lemon potatoes and raw beetroot dressing

Here is what you need for the burgers

• 1 cup of red kidney beans (cooked)
• 2 slices of wholemeal bread
• 2 onions (chopped)
• 1 cm of ginger
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 tea spoon of ground cumin
• 1/2 tea spoon of turmeric
• 1/2 tea spoon of black pepper
• salt to taste
  

  This is the mix

First step is to cook the onions with the garlic and ginger and all the spices.Chop the onions or use a food processor together with the garlic and ginger. Then fry in a bit of olive oil with all the spices. Pour a bit of water and let it simmer until the onions are soft and cooked. While they are cooking you can empty the cup of red kidney beans in the food processor and blend it for a 30 seconds or so. Then put it in a bowl. Them wet the 2 slices of bread and blend them in the food processor as well. Add them in the bowl and then add the cooked onions. Mix well and shape the burgers.
That’s them ready to go in the oven .
To make the lemon potatoes all you need is some potatoes, juice from 1 lemon, oregano salt and pepper and olive oil. Simply cut into chunks and put into the oven in 180 degrees for about 30 minutes , mixing occasionally . You can pour some white wine once they are half cooked or water if you prefer.
To make your raw beetroot dressing in a Vitamix here is what you need .
1 medium size beetroot
juice from 1/2 lemon
salt to taste
1/2 cup of water

Love Beetroot

All you do is peel the beetroot and then blend it for about a minute, minute and a half until you get the smooth texture of ketchup. It heats up a bit so cool in the fridge for about an hour.

This is a quick serving idea. Kidney bean burger on a bed of spinach , lettuce and carrot salad with lemon potatoes and raw beetroot dressing.

Thank you once again fro all your love and support. I would love to hear from you in the comments box below .

Lots of Love ,

Ivelina

As you might know I grew up in Bulgaria and lived there until I was 21. Apart from lots and lots of sunshine I  hold dear memories of flavours and aromas. One of them was a morning breakfast with couscous and feta cheese. I loved it and I can almost smell the one I used to eat every time I make couscous at home.

Sunny afternoon

Going vegan to me meant in a sense going back to a lot of foods, that I used to eat as a child-simple , delicious whole food dishes made at home with love.My style of cooking is largely influenced by that so now I make Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Food and occasionally “travel” further east.

In my post tonight I want to share with you an easy vegan recipe of a couscous salad which really tastes like spring to me and its green .

   Green Couscous Salad 

Here is what you need

• 50 gr of couscous
• 1/2 cup of peas
• 12 green olives
• a good bunch of fresh spinach

for the dressing

• a pinch of salt
• juice from 1/2 lime
• some basil

Green couscous salad

Once you make the couscous simply chop the spinach and the olives. Then add the peas. In a bowl mix the lime juice with a pinch of salt and the basil , mix and pour over the salad. Mix and enjoy !

Thank you once again fro being here and all your love and support.

If you know any other recipes with couscous I would love to hear from you , please write them in the comment box below.

Lots of love ,

Ivelina

Hello my friends ,

its time for another easy vegan recipe now. I am loving this vegan blogging challenge , as it has inspired me to “think” in recipes every day.

When you go vegan you let food take over your life every now and again ,but in most cases you realize how simple and easy is to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables , nuts and seeds, herbs and spices. The real super foods are not the ones, that you buy in a packet , that have been on an transatlantic trip , but the ones, that grow in your own back garden. I buy my vegetables from an organic farm only 4 miles away.  I trust that every vegetable brings immense nutriments to our table. I can not begin to describe my gratitude for this.

So this evening I am sharing a very easy vegan recipe of butternut squash chips .Butternut squash is a very shy fruit.It can sit in the fruit bowl for ages until one evening you notice it and once you peel that pale skin you are left with this amazingly bright orange beauty.

Bright orange and beautiful

Butternut squash has some amazing health benefits. It provides significant amounts of potassium,  and vitamin B6.It also contains folate,has more vitamin A than that in pumpkin. It also contains   adequate levels of minerals like iron, zinc, copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus.Butternut squash seeds are a good source of dietary fiber and mono-unsaturated fatty acids.In addition, they are rich in protein, minerals, and numerous health-benefiting vitamins.

With all that said here is a quick recipe on how you can enjoy

Butternut Squash Chips 

Here is what you need

• 1 butternut squash (peeled and thinly chopped)
• 5 cloves of garlic (crushed)
• thyme
• salt and pepper
• some olive oil

All you do is chop the butternut squash and place it in the baking tray and season with salt and pepper . Then in a bowl mix the crushed garlic , the thyme  and the olive oil. Mix well and pour over the squash. Mix well and bake it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes on a 180 C , until the edges get a nice darker colour .

I also baked the seeds, which are very tasty and they added an extra crunch to my dinner.

You “eat” with your eyes first

This evening I felt inspired to make the presentation a bit more special.Above you have butternut squash chips served on a bed of rice and raw spinach and lettuce  with roasted seeds and hemp oil. Looks amazing and it tastes just as good.

Hope you enjoy this recipe. Please share your thoughts with me in the comments box below,

Lots of love

Ivelina

Hello , my friends

this evening I want to share with you a very easy vegan recipe for a real comfort food -pizza. Everybody loves a bit of  comfort food. No matter what I believe we all do emotional eating , even when you eat a salad of green leafy vegetables . Food is our intimate relationship with nature, that we explore every time we sit a the table and eat . Herbs and spices play a big part here and sometimes textures. I love the taste of basil ,the flavour of salty tomato and the texture of freshly baked bread , just out of the oven.

The unity of basil , tomato and bread comes in its better version of vegan pizza.

Here is what you need to make it:

This recipe makes 12 pita pizzas:

• 12 pitas (plain or wholemeal )
• 12 mushrooms
• 1 red pepper
• 2 small  courgettes (zucchini)
• 3 carrots
• for the tomato topping
• tomato pasata 
• basil
• olive oil
• 2 medium onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• bay leaves
• cloves
• salt and pepper

 First make the tomato topping. Finely chop the onions and crush the garlic and season with salt and pepper . Then heat the oil and saute until the mix has a golden colour. Add the tomato pasata and all the herbs and spices and let it cook on a low heat for about 10 -15 minutes. 

carrots are ready

While the sauce is simmering you can prepare the vegetables . I use a brilliant vegetable slicer  from the salad master parties , that I held in the house . If you haven’t got any vegetable slicer you can simply grate the carrots and the courgettes( zucchini) . Here is how the courgettes look like .

many names for this green monster- courgette, zucchini , baby marrow

For a bit of extra richness I cooked the mushrooms as well , but if you want you can just chop them thinly and put them fresh in the oven. Also chop the pepper in thin sticks and that’s you ready to assemble your vegan pizza .

spread the tomato sauce on each pita

Then your next step is to put the carrots on top.You don’t need to season them , but do season your courgettes with a bit of salt and pepper .

here goes the carrots

Then put the courgettes and the mushrooms and the peppers . Sprinkle with basil and put in the oven on a 180 C for about 5-7 minutes .

ready for the oven

Once your pizza is ready sprinkle with some olive oil and serve. Enjoy!

Served with green leafy vegetables . Enjoy!

So there you have a very tasty and easy to make pizza. If you have any suggestions please write them in the comments box below, I love hearing from you.
Thank you once again for all your love and support ,
Lots of love
Ivelina