Kimchi Fried Rice (VG, GF)

Fluffy rice, spicy & tangy kimchi, creamy potato & crunchy veg.  ❤️  ❤️  ❤️

Vegan, gluten free, allium free and oil free.

The rice will soak up all the flavours of the kimchi juice. So if you LOVE the spiciness and tanginess of kimchi, this is a recipe for you!

I used homemade vegan kimchi for this dish. I always prefer to make my own as it’s cheaper + I can make it to my own tastebud’s liking.

But if you don’t have the ingredients or time to make your own vegan kimchi, feel free to buy it! Just make sure it doesn’t contain any animal products – please watch out for fish sauce and minced shrimp!

Fried rice is actually one of the first dishes I ever learnt to make at school (we had Food Tech/Hospitality classes in Year 7). Rice + veggies + soy sauce + salt = ultra basic fried rice. You can’t really stuff up fried rice (unless you overcook the rice in the first place I guess ahahaha). If 12 year old can do it, you can too!

For rice, you can use leftover rice or fresh – white or brown – As long as it isn’t too overcooked or under. ‘Crunchy’ or ‘stodgy’ rice is very unpleasant. You want fluffy and tender defined grains of rice.

You can use whatever vegetables you want/have in your fridge/can afford. My favourites include potato, carrot, capsicum, green beans, broccoli and chinese cabbage. But I’ve even used frozen mixed veg before!

Kimchi fried rice is also absolutely perf for this chilly weather. But whatever season you have fried rice, it’s always soooo satisying steeeeeaming hot!

Simplicity: 3.5/5     Deliciousness: 3.5/5     Nutrition: 3/5

Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup of rice (I like to use basmati)
• 1 cup of vegan kimchi
• 1/3 cup kimchi juice
• 1 cup diced potato
• 3/4 cup diced carrot
• 3/4 cup sliced pea pods
• 10 green beans (at least – you can obviously have more)
• 1 ½ tbsp tamari
• Himalayan pink salt
• sesame seeds

Method

1. Cook the rice. Use whatever method you are most familiar with – rice cooker or stove top. Once cooked, use a rice paddle to break up the rice.
2. Dice the green beans. Boil water in your frying pan. Place the green beans in and cook until tender (approx. 2 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Set aside.
3. In the same frying pan full of boiling water, place the diced potato in. Cook on high heat until just cooked through/tender (approx. 8-10 minutes). Drain.
4. Wipe dry your frying pan. Place it back on the stove and heat it up again. Add the diced carrot and kimchi. Stir fry on medium-high heat for approximately 3 minutes – stirring occasionally. Then add the sliced pea pods and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the potato and rice to the pan. Carefully stir fry to ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Add the kimchi juice all over the rice.
6. Add the tamari and stir.
7. Season with salt to taste.
8. Turn off the heat. Serve with green beans and sesame.
9. ENJOY!!

 

Potato & Jalapeño Waffles (VG, GF)

Piping hot, fluffy insides, crispy outside, noochy & savoury with spicy & tangy jalapeño bits…

I know I just said a bunch of adjectives hahaha. Just know that it’s DEEELICIOUS!

I’m absolutely addicted to these! They’re basically hash browns but wafflelised & spicy!

There is no saturated fat or oil used in the waffles themselves. The only oil used is unrefined coconut oil – and that’s for greasing the waffle iron.

The cooking device? I used a non-stick Belgian Waffle maker (Mine is a Cuisinart 4 Slice Belgium Waffle Maker). The deep pockets are perfect for potato waffles that are chunky/have texture!

To adjust the spiciness level, I would suggest using:

zero: 1 cup frozen peas (add these to the boiling potatoes 2 mins before they are cooked)

mild: 8 pickled jalapeños

spicy: 12 pickled jalapeños

extra spicy: 15 pickled jalapeños + 1/2 tbsp pickled jalapeño juice (I love spicy foods so this is the level the recipe is at.)

Toppings and sauce are optional but highly recommended; they will bring some variation of flavour & texture to the waffles.

I’ve used avo, hemp & coconut bacon for creaminess and crunch. I’ve also dipped waffles in a herby tomato sauce. Both super simple and delicious! Both of these options also help cut through the spiciness/tanginess of the jalapeños.

Enjoy them fresh out of the waffle iron – try not to burn your fingers!

If you don’t manage to eat all your waffles right away, I highly highly recommend toasting them! Waffles (whether sweet or savoury) so get soggy/limp quite easily. You can heat them up again in your waffle maker, BUT the absolute BEST way to get warm is to just pop them in your toaster – after 3+ minutes, they’ll be crispier than before and piping hot again!

Simplicity: 4/5     Deliciousness: 4.5/5     Nutrition: 3/5

Makes 8 medium sized Belgium waffles

Ingredients

• 4 cups medium cubed potatoes (washed)
• 1/4 tsp + 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup gluten free plain flour (If you’re fine with gluten, just use plain flour)
• 15 pickled jalapeños rings (small diced)
• 3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tbsp pickled jalapeño juice (optional)

Method

1. In a pot of boiling water, add the potatoes + 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt. Stir. Cook on high heat for 10 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat. Drain the potatoes in a colander.
3. Rinse off any foam/scum from the pot. Then place the cooked potatoes back into the pot.
4. Turn on your Belgian waffle maker to mid – high heat.
5. Add 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt, nutritional yeast, gluten free flour and diced pickled jalapeños to the pot. Mix.
6. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. The mixture should be sticky (see above photos).
7. Your Belgian waffle iron should be hot now. If you can adjust the heat, turn the heat of medium (a super hot waffle iron will just burn the bottom of your waffles). Grease your waffle iron (I used unrefined organic coconut oil + paper towel).
8. Scoop the mixture onto the waffle iron to desired size& thickness. Lightly press down and spread evenly – you do not want to see gaps in the middle! Then close the lid.
9. Cook until golden brown. Flip them when you’re happy with the colour to crisp them up a little more. Serve immediately for maximum crispiness. ENJOY!

Notes

>> The cooking time until golden brownness will differ slightly depending on the brand, type and heat level of your Belgian waffle maker.

Open the lid and check the colour of the bottom of the waffles after 5 minutes – if not, close the lid and check again every 2 minutes until you’re satisfied.

Use nonstick tongs to check! You don’t want to scratch the coating of your waffle iron.

My waffles are cold, limp and soggy 😦  What can I do?

TOAST THEM!

The absolute BEST way to get the limp waffles hot & crispy again is to pop them in your toaster. After 3+ minutes, they’ll be crispier than before and piping hot again!

Vegan Sushi Bowls (VG, GF)

Sushi Bowls = Deconstructed Sushi Rolls 🍚

Why bowls > rolls?

Well, as much as I love making round & pretty rainbow sushi rolls, sometimes I want something less fiddle-ly (even though making sushi rolls is already easy hahaha).

In other words, when you have all the ingredients for making sushi rolls but don’t have the time/can’t be bothered to actually roll them out = SUSHI BOWL. 😜 ✌🏼

I usually make sushi bowls when there’s leftover rice from the previous night’s dinner and just prep the toppings I want. But of course you can still make these bowls of goodness with freshly cooked rice (you will just need to wait for it to cool down).

Fill your bowl with a variety of colours, textures & flavours! Satisfy your body with a rainbow of nutrients! 🌈 ✨

My absolute favourite toppings are avocado, tofu and toasted sesame seeds – they’re just so so sooooooo delicious with rice!

As for sweet potato stars below, I used a mini star fondant plunger in the same way as one uses a cookie cutter (check eBay for some affordable ones). As for the avocado rose, there are plenty of helpful video tutorials already on YouTube.

Keep it simple, delicious & nutritious 💚

Simplicity: 4/5     Deliciousness: 4/5     Nutrition: 4/5

Serves 2

Ingredients

• Rice
• Sweet potato leaves
• Mini king oyster mushrooms
• 1 square of firm tofu
• 1 nori sheet
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 carrot
• 1/2 purple sweet potato
• Sesame seeds
• Tamari or soy sauce

Method

1. Fill 2 bowls with the cooked rice to your liking.
2. Prepare the vegetables according to your preferences; I like blanching my asian greens, then the sliced mushrooms & carrots and then finally boiling the purple sweet potato. Steaming is another great way to cook the veggies without added salt while preserving their nutrients.
3. Heat up a non-stick pan. Add a couple tablespoons of sesame seeds into the pan and turn the heat to low (you want to lightly toasting the seeds not burn then). Stir them around to ensure even toasting. After 30 seconds, they should be done (white sesame seeds will have a light golden colour). Remove from the pan into a bowl and set aside.
4. Slice the firm tofu into uniform rectangular pieces. Place the tofu pieces in the hot pan (that was just used for toasting the sesame) and lightly press them down.
5. When one side of the tofu has been seared, flip them and brown the other side. Then, splash some tamari or soy sauce all over the tofu pieces and shake the pan – don’t pour in too much as the more you add, the saltier the tofu will become. The tofu will soak up all the salty liquid while the hot pan will help caramelise their exterior.  When all the tamari or soy sauce has evaporated, remove the tofu from the pan.
6. Pit, peel and prepare the avocado to your liking (slice, dice or make a pretty rose).
7. Place all your ingredients on top of your bowls of rice. Finish your sushi bowls off with splash of tamari or soy sauce + a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.
8. ENJOY!

Garden Veg Spaghetti (VG)

Pasta is one of those dishes that people avoid because it’s ‘high-carb’, ‘unhealthy’ or ‘will make me fat’.

. . . . . PSHAW!! Please.

The reality is that carbohydrates do not make you fat/unhealthy; the extra oil, salt & animal based products (like meat, cream, cheese e.t.c.) do.

Of course you should eat pasta in moderation (just like how you should eat everything & anything in moderation). Instead of counting calories/carbs/protein/whatever, focus on the vitamins & minerals. Eat wholesome, plant based, nutrient-dense foods.

Now Garden Veg Spaghetti? Not your typical spaghetti with tomato sauce!

It’s a simple spaghetti dish made wholesome & nutritious thanks to the fresh vegetables. Not it mention, it’s also cheap, quick & tasty.

>> Vegan & allium free (no onion, garlic, leek, chives or shallots).

Imagine slurping up the spaghetti + juicy tomatoes + fresh, crunchy veg + nutty, cheesy ‘parmesan’ = 😋 🍝 🌱 🍅

Of course this recipe is totally customisable >> Use vegetables that are most affordable to you (like carrots, peas, capsicum, baby spinach, silverbeet e.t.c.). If you prefer a ‘healthier’ dish, use whole wheat spaghetti. If you can’t consume gluten, use a rice, buckwheat or corn pasta.

Whatever you choose to use, just don’t overcook it (It’s a cardinal sin guys).

Simplicity: 4/5     Deliciousness: 4/5     Nutrition: 3.5/5

Garden Veg Spaghetti

Serves 2 (or 1 if you’re REALLY hungry haha)

Ingredients

• 200g spaghetti
• 6 asparagus stalks (diagonally sliced)
• 4 large tomatoes
• 2 button mushrooms (sliced)
• 6 oakleaf lettuce leaves (halved)
• 1/2 a zucchini (sliced)
• a large handful of fresh basil

Method

1. Place the spaghetti in a pot of boiling water – slightly undercook the spaghetti as it will be cooked in the sauce again later.
2. As the spaghetti boils, chop 2 tomatoes into large chunks, blend the other two & slice the remaining vegetables (except the basil).
3. Drain & rinse the spaghetti in cold water.
4. Heat up a large non-stick frying pan. Add the asparagus and stir. After 1 minute, add a splash of water and cook until tender.
5. Add the chopped tomato chunks, 1 tbsp olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Stir and cover the pan with a lid. Cook on low heat.
6. After 2 minutes, add the blended tomatoes + 1/3 cup water + 1/2 tsp salt & a couple rounds of cracked pepper. Stir and cover with a lid for 3 minutes.
7. Add the spaghetti and all the remaining veg (lettuce . Mix to combine. Lid again.
8. After 2 minutes, season with salt to taste. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle with ‘parmesan’ crumb.
9. ENJOY!

 

Vegan Parmesan Crumb

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup raw walnuts
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in a high speed processor/blender
2. Blitz until well combined into a fine crumb
3. Store covered in the refrigerator or serve immediately

Berrylicious Vegan Blueberry Oat Pancakes (VG, GF)

Berrylicious pancakes that are dairy free, gluten free, oil free & refined sugar free (don’t worry they’re not going to taste like cardboard ahahaha).

Basically I used my classic oat pancake recipe and added fresh blueberries ahahahaha (why change a classic?) 😜

Note that you need to use FRESH BLUEBERRIES; big & juicy ones for the best texture & flavour!

Since the fresh blueberries are warmed up during the cooking process, their juices BURST as you bite into the warm pancake MHMMMM!! 👅 💦

Enjoy with a generous serving of pure maple syrup/rice malt syrup/agave syrup (oh gosh I’m salivating again…😆 ).

Be warned, your plate will be stained purple after you polish off these pancakes! 💙 💜

Simplicity: 4/5     Deliciousness: 4/5     Nutrition: 3.5/5

Makes 1 Serving/8 Pancakes (Approx.)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups gluten free oats
• 1 banana (fresh or frozen – it doesn’t matter)
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup plant based milk
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Method

1. Pour the oats into a blender and process until it becomes a fine powder. This is oat flour.
2. Slice the banana and add to the blender. Add the remaining ingredients too
3. Blend until well combined. The pancake batter should be smooth but slightly thick – if it is too runny, the pancakes will not be round in shape
4. Add ½ of the blueberries you have to the pancake batter and gently cover with some batter.
5. Heat up a non stick pan on low-medium heat
6. Once the pan is hot, pour your pancake batter into circular shapes – try to pour the blueberries in the centre of the pancake (avoid the edges basically) or use a spoon to do so.
7. Turn the heat to low and place a lid over your pan
8. When you see the top of the pancakes are completely or almost matte/cooked, flip them. Put the lid back on for 1 minute.
9. Remove them from the pan onto a plate.
10. Add the remaining blueberries when most of the first half have been used. Gently stir them through the batter.
11. Repeat steps 6 – 9 until all the batter is used. Remember to clean the pan (with a paper towel or tissue) after each round as there will be blueberry residue (it will burn/blacken if not cleaned!).
12. Top the pancakes with your choice of toppings/syrup/sauce.
13. ENJOY!!

 

Vegan Kimchi Fries (VG, GF)

First, homemade vegan kimchi, kimchi pancakes now kimchi fries. I’m cray cray for kimchi ahahaha 😆

So I don’t really have a solid idea of how kimchi fries are supposed to taste but to me, this is deeelish 😜  Admittedly I’ve heard of kimchi fries plenty of times before but have never had the chance to try it (because of all the animal products they use) 😓

Crispy fries + stretchy cheese + spicy & tangy kimchi + citrusy coriander + juicy green beans = foooodgasm ❤️ 💛 💚

Oh and these kimchi fries aren’t just vegan ~ They’re also gluten free, allium free, oil free and refined sugar free!! I used my Cruelty Free Kimchi (spicy & ultra tangy) for this bowl of deliciousness.

At first, these kimchi fries taste and feel like an odd combination.. but strangely it becomes more addictive & tasty as I eat! Especially the ‘cheese’ – it’s got a unique savoury taste and a ooey, gooey, stretchy texture. I was inspired by Sam’s Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese and adapted it to suit my preferences (allium free) & the ingredients available to me. ✌🏼

Understandably if you’re not a fan of nut based cheeses, the texture of tapioca or just don’t want to gather all the ingredients, feel free to buy vegan cheeses. I recommend using a vegan cheese that is meltable.

Also if you’re not a fan of potatoes that have been baked without oil, I would toss the sliced potatoes in about 2 tbsp of olive oil before baking them. Customise the recipe to your preferences and ingredients! 😏

Make of bowl of these vegan kimchi fries to share (or for yourself because #foodlife haha)  

Simplicity: 3.5/5     Deliciousness: 3.5/5     Nutrition: 2.5/5

Makes 3 servings (approx.)

Ingredients

Fries

• 6 large potatoes
• 1.5 tsp salt

Caramelised Kimchi

• 3/4 cup kimchi
• 1½ tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp tamari
• 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (optional – do not use if the kimchi is already tangy/sour enough)
• 3 green beans

Ooey Gooey Vegan Cheese

• ¼ cup raw cashews (soaked in cold water overnight)
• 1 cup hot water
• 3 tbsp tapioca starch (also known as Tapioca Flour)
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp vegan dark miso paste or 1 tsp vegan yellow miso paste
• ¼ tsp turmeric

 

Method

Fries

1. Heat up a large pot of water until almost boiling.
2. Clean and remove any eyes from the potatoes. Slice into fairly thick fries. Place in the pot. Cover pot with a lid and leave to boil on high heat for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
4. When the potatoes have boiled for 10 minutes, carefully drain them into a colander. let them dry and cool down before placing them onto the trays.
5. Lay them out uniformly on the baking trays with enough space between each slice so they aren’t touching. Season by sprinkling the salt all over.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden & crispy.

Caramelised Kimchi

1. Wash the green beans and dice. Roughly chop the kimchi into bite sized pieces.
2. Heat up a non-stick pan. When the pan is hot, add the diced green beans. Stir.
3. After a minute, add about 1 tbsp of water. Cover the pan with a lid and leave to steam-fry until all the water has evaporated. Remove the green beans from the pan and set aside.
4. In the same pan, add the kimchi to the pan. Stir.
5. After a minute, add the tamari and sprinkle the coconut sugar all over the kimchi. Stir. Cook for another 3 minutes. The kimchi should now have a darker, sticky coating.
6. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Ooey Gooey Vegan Cheese

1. Drain the cashews that have been soaking since last night. Add all the ingredients into a high speed blender. Blend for at least one minute – until smooth. The mixture will be watery. If you don’t have a high speed blender, just blend & pour the mixture through a fine sieve/strainer/cheese cloth before heating. This will make sure you achieve a smooth (not grainy) texture.
2. Pour into a small non-stick pot and heat over medium heat. Stir constantly with a small spatula.
3. As you stir, the mixture will start to clump (do not panic & keep stirring – this is simply the tapioca starch starting to bind everything together). The mixture will stop being so lumpy and suddenly come together into one mass of ooey gooeyness. This will take about 5 minutes. Continue to cook & stir for an additional 2 minutes to ensure the ‘cheese’ is firm and cooked.
4. I like a softer and stretchier ‘cheese’ texture so I add about ½ tbsp of water at a time to it and stir to combine (I keep doing this until I am happy with the consistency).
5. Turn off the heat. Start compiling your kimchi fries: a layer of potatoes, dollops of ooey gooey vegan cheese, scoops of caramelised kimchi and repeat. Top with green beans, fresh coriander and sesame.
6. ENJOY!! 😊

Teddy Bear Pancakes (VG, GF)

What’s better than pancakes?

TEDDY BEAR SHAPED PANCAKES !

ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ ʕ·ᴥ· ʔ

Honestly, you could use any pancake batter to make these – however, in order for the bears to be brown, a ‘darker’ flour is needed (such as oat, buckwheat or almond).

No special equipment required to make these cuties  

The recipe for these cuties is the same as my Oat Pancakes ~ the only differences are the ‘ears’ and the toppings needed to form the ‘face’ of the teddy bears  🙂

After you pour the pancake batter in the pan, use a teaspoon to dollop two small circles. These will be the ‘ears’ of the teddy bears.

As for the toppings:

• banana coins/slices for the base of the ‘nose’
• circular pieces of cereal or fruit for the ‘eyes’ and top of the ‘nose’

To mix it up, you could also add a natural plant powders for different colours and flavours 

If you do so, do not add cinnamon (it will clash with the powder) and increase the coconut sugar by half a tablespoon (to balance out the ‘earthiness’ the powder may bring’).

Overall, you really can’t go wrong with these cuties. Even if they turn out slightly deformed, they’ll still be tasty  

Teddy Bear Pancakes ~ Cute, delicious and nutritious ♥ ♥

Simplicity: 4/5     Deliciousness: 4/5     Nutrition: 3.5/5

MAKES 1 SERVING/8 PANCAKES (APPROX.)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ cups gluten free oats
• 1 banana (fresh or frozen – it doesn’t matter)
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon (omit this if you add a superfood booster to your batter)
• 1 cup plant based milk
• 1 tbsp superfood booster – wheatgrass, matcha, cacao or beetroot powder ++ (optional)

METHOD

1. Pour the oats into a blender and process until it becomes a fine powder. This is oat flour.
2. Slice the banana and add to the blender. Add the remaining ingredients too
3. Blend until well combined. The pancake batter should be smooth but slightly thick – if it is too runny, the pancakes will not be round in shape
4. Heat up a non stick pan on low-medium heat
5. Once the pan is hot, pour your pancake batter into circular shapes. Then using a teaspoon, dollop two smaller circles to each circle. These are the ‘ears’ of the teddy bears.
6. Turn the heat to low and place a lid over your pan.
7. When you see the top of the pancakes are completely or almost matte/cooked, flip them.
8. Put the lid back on for 1 minute.
9. Remove them from the pan onto a plate.
10. Repeat steps 5 – 9 until your pancake batter is finished.
11. Top the pancakes with your choice of toppings/syrup/sauce.
12. ENJOY!!

Cruelty Free Kimchi (VG, GF)

You’re probably wondering ‘what is cruelty free kimchi’?  It’s kimchi without the animal products! 

Kimchi usually contains shrimp, fish and loooooads of garlic. Fermented seafood + cabbage? Um no thanks.

Gluten free, oil free & allium free (no onion/garlic/leek/chives) ~

I prefer my kimchi spicy, juicy and tangy.

So the ratios I use are reflective of my preferences. If you prefer less spicy or tangy flavour, refer to the notes below!

Making homemade kimchi is not difficult! However, it does take some time and effort ~ after all, it is a fermented food. 

I have broken down the recipe and ratios for one cabbage. I always make MASSIVE batches of kimchi (big family plus I always give it out to friends).

The photos (2, 3 and 4) show the latest batch I made (I used 4 napa cabbages = 4 times the recipe). I recommend you follow the recipe and make an adjustments to your preferences the next time  

Note that the longer you ferment the kimchi, the more prominent the sour taste. 

The following ratios are for one cabbage. ♥

Simplicity: 3.5/5     Deliciousness: 4/5     Nutrition: 3.5/5

Ingredients

• 1 napa cabbage/wombok
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegan fish sauce
• 1 cup korean hot pepper flakes
• 1 large one-inch piece of ginger
• 150g Japanese daikon/white radish

 

Method

CABBAGE

1. Slice the cabbage into quarters (halve, then halve each half). Remove the bottoms (the core) of each quarter – discard or leave aside for composting
2. Roughly chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. The stems (whiter bit of the cabbage) should be about ½ size of a card while the leaves (greener bit of the cabbage) can be cut bigger.
3. Wash the cabbage to remove dirt and sand. Then pat dry the cabbage.
4. In a large bowl or your sink, place a layer of cabbage. Sprinkle a tablespoon of salt all over. Using your hands, throroughly rub the salt into the cabbage pieces – more salt should rubbed into the stems. Repeat this process for the remaining cabbage & salt.
5. Set aside for 1½ hours. When that time has elapsed, turn the pieces of cabbage over. Set aside for another 1½ hours.
6. At the this point, the volume of the cabbage will be significantly less and the texture of the pieces will be softer and more flexible. Rinse 3 times in cold water.
7. Set aside in a colander to drip dry.

 

KIMCHI PASTE

1. In a medium-sized pot, whisk the glutinous rice flour with the water. Then cook on a medium high heat, stirring slowly but continously.

2. When the mixture bubbles, add the sugar and stir. When the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool down.

3. When the mixture has cooled, pour into a blender/food processor.Add the vegan fish sauce, korean hot pepper flakes. Also roughly chop the ginger into smaller/blendable pieces and add to the mixture.

4. Process until well combined. The mixture should turn bright dark red and be rather thick. Then pour the kimchi paste into a large mixing bowl.

5. Wash the daikon to remove any dirt. Using a peeler, remove the skin of the daikon. Then chop off the top of the daikon.

6. Using a grater, shred the daikon into thin pieces (like matchsticks).

>> Because the daikon has high water content, this process will be rather wet/sloppy. Watch your fingers! When you’ve shredded as much of the daikon possible (without shredding your fingers), thinly slice the remaining piece.

7. Take a handful of the shredded daikon and squeeze as much liquid as you can out. Then add to the kimchi paste. Repeat this step for the remaining daikon. I recommend doing this next to a sink. Using a serving spoon, mix the daikon into the kimchi paste.

8. Repeat step 7 for the cabbage (squeeze, add to paste, mix). The reason for all this squeezing is to minimise the amount of liquid that will water down the kimchi paste. The daikon and cabbage pieces will continue to let out liquid during the fermentation process.

9. When the kimchi paste and cabbage is well combined (meaning each piece of cabbage is well coated in the paste), set aside for 6 hours. Note that the kimchi at this point will be rather thick and have little juice.

10. After the 6 hours have elapsed, you will the notice that the kimchi is a lot juicer than before. Transfer the kimchi into clean jars/containers.

>> I recommend using a wide-mouth funnel if you are transferring the kimchi into jars to minimise mess.

11. Do not fill the jars/containers all the way up to the brim – basically don’t do it like how I’ve done in the photos). Leave at least 5 cm of space.

>> The reason for this is that during the fermentation period, the kimchi & liquid will expand. And if you’ve filled the containers to the brim, you will end up with leaking jars + a pool of kimchi juice. Believe me – fearfully opening bubbling, leaking, pressurised, CO2 filled jars is NOT fun. Been there, done that.

12. Top the jars/containers with clean, dry lids.

>> {optional} For jars, I cut out squares of baking paper (like pictured) and place them over the mouth before sealing. For containers, I use cling wrap.

13. Place in a clean, dry space at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Leave to ferment for at least 36 hours. Each day it ferments, open and press down with a clean, dry spoon to release the building pressure and to ensure the kimchi is immersed in liquid. A sign of good fermentation are the bubbles you will see when you press down.

>> Note that the longer you ferment the kimchi, the more intense and tangier flavour you will obtain. I like a strong tangy/sour flavour, so I choose to ferment the kimchi for at least 48 hours.

14. After fermenting the kimchi at room temperature for at least 36 hours, transfer to the refrigerator.

15. ENJOY! Homemade cruelty free kimchi in sushi rolls, in fried rice, in noodle soup, as a pancake or even just as a side dish. 

Notes

• For a less spicy kimchi, use ½ cup or ¾ cup of korean hot pepper flakes to one napa cabbage/wombok
• For a less tangy/sour kimchi, ferment the kimchi for only the minimum time (36 hours)

Ultra Fudgy Vegan Bean Brownies (VG, GF)

BEANS + BROWNIES = ULTRA FUDGY BROWNIE BLISS ❤ ❤

If you like DENSE, CHEWY, MOIST, FUDGY brownies, this recipe is for you 

And when I say fudgy, I mean FUDGY 😛

Seriously, these will not disappoint. I do not have a sweet tooth but I have tested these thrice and am happily suffering from brownie belly – yes that is a thing ahahaha!

oh and these brownies are also vegan, gluten free, nut free, refined sugar free and oil free   🙂 🙂

The ingredients I used are easily accessible (your local supermarket or health food store should stock them) + there is no special equipment needed (measuring cups/spoons,  a 9×9 nonstick square pan, a blender and a mini spatula) and the process itself is super simple (measure, blend, spread, bake, slice).

The moistness of these brownies also keep really well for a couple of days. The third image is actually a photo of the brownies on the 3rd day since they were first baked!

I baked a batch on a Monday, stored them in an airtight container and delighted in their ultra fudgy texture everyday til Friday!

♥ A brownie a day keeps your chocolate cravings away!

Simplicity: 4/5     Deliciousness: 4/5     Nutrition: 3/5

Makes 16

Brownies

Ingredients

• 1½ cup canned white cannellini beans
• 1 ½  cup pure maple syrup
• 8 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp himalayan pink salt
• 2 cups oat flour (basically gluten free oats blended into a fine powder)
• 1 cup raw cacao powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 176 degrees celcius
2. Open the can of white cannellini beans, pour them out into a strainer ans rinse thoroughly to remove the residue. Then pat them dry and measure out the amount needed.
3. In a blender/food processor, add the beans, maple syrup, apple sauce, baking powder, vanilla and salt – process the ingredients together until well combined.
4. Add and stir the oat flour through the mixture (this will help combine the wet & dry). Then blend until well combined.
5. Add and stir the cacao powder through the mixture. Blend until well combined. The final mixture should be smooth and slightly thick.
6. Pour the mixture into your pan. Use a spatula to even spread the mixture and to scrape all that brownie batter goodness out of your blender/food processor.
7. Firmly tap your pan on the counter several times to remove any air bubbles.
8. Bake for 25 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and allow the brownies to cool for 15 mins. Then remove the slab from the pan and allow to cool for another 15 minutes on a cooling rack. Allowing the brownies to cool gives them time to firm up and not cutting into them straight away prevents them from drying out.
10. Slice and decorate with toppings of choice (I used coconut flakes, cacao nibs and a vegan chocolate drizzle).
11. Store refrigerated in an air tight container or serve immediately.
12. ENJOY!!

 

Vegan Chocolate Drizzle

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1/2 tbsp liquid sweetener (pure maple syrup or agave syrup)
• tiny pinch himalayan pink salt

Method

1. In a small pot, melt the coconut oil on the stove on low heat
2. When the coconut oil has liquified, add the cacao and whisk well
3. When the cacao is well incorporated, add the sweetener & salt and whisk well
4. Remove the pot from the stove and turn off the heat
5. Allow mixture to cool for 3 minutes (it will thicken slightly) before drizzling