Tag Archives: thyme

cooked, raw, spreads/creams/patés

Smoked Hummus & The Vegan Burger

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This recipe was put together in one of those days when the excitement that I had for trying out a new kind of hummus led to an unexpected number of lunch orders. Yeey!

So when I started, all that I had in mind was: hummus + beets + garlic + thyme. Somewhat of a Mediterranean flavor. But as the process started to take shape, I felt like adding more than that.

One of the main ‘taste’ ingredients turned out to be the smoked paprika powder that I love so much. It almost slipped in by itself as if called by the vivid color of the beetroot 🙂

And then, the main ‘texture’ ingredient, the one that actually holds the whole thing together is the linseeds.  Always use it freshly ground and don’t add to much, or you’ll get a slightly unpleasant taste in your food. And on top of that, way too slimy! Unless it’s consumed right away, I actually dislike it in salad.

You can also add onions and parsley, but if you’re going to refrigerate the hummus, better keep it only for serving.

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And, as the title points it out, the ‘smoked hummus’ can turn into the perfect filling for those vegan burgers that you wanna prepare when your friends are coming over! Use your imagination to simply add beside nicely sliced veggies and herbs. I even used my dear chapati pan to get the real taste of the flat bread 🙂

Hope that’s something to have fun with over the weekend!

list of ingredients

  • already prepared hummus
  • fresh beetroot
  • thyme
  • garlic
  • flaxseeds
  • smoked paprika powder
  • lemon & olive oil, if necessary
  • parsley
  • onions
raw, salads

Crisp as Broccoli

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No wonder there’s so much talk around and about the nutritional benefits of broccoli. This greener sister of cauliflower is not only packed with vitamins A, C, K and folic acid but carries a great deal of minerals such as chromium, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Here you can find an exhaustive explanation of its amazing health benefits.

There’s one simple way in which you can enjoy the green crispiness of broccoli without cooking it over heat, and that’s by marinating it. You can think of accompanying it with mushrooms, either by marinating them all together in a bowl, or separately, in two bowls (due to their different consistencies, you might as well consider different marinating times). Both of the veggies should be cut in slices thin enough so that the liquid is able to permeate the pulp. If you fancy garlic or thyme, now it’s the right time to make them part of the marinade.

Oblivious of all, the broccoli will turn perfectly juicy over the night, yet crispy enough to be chewed. You can now add corn/peas, spring onions and dill and garnish it with anything from tomatoes to sesame or hemp seeds. This recipe is so easy that you can literally do it in the turning of a hand.

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list of ingredients

  • broccoli
  • mushrooms
  • corn and/or peas
  • spring onions
  • dill
  • olive oil
  • soya sauce
  • lemon juice

optional

  • garlic
  • thyme
  • tomatoes/ sesame/ hemp seeds

 

dressings, raw, salads

Pasta Delight

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Zucchini is something you either love or hate. Some people may feel extremely queasy while others simply relish its rather flabby texture. When I say this, I refer to squash or zucchini tagliatelle because this is how you can make it resemble the traditional pasta. All you need is a peeler to peel off fine layers of squash until you get to the seeds.

The result should look like this

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Now think of a nice sauce to accompany the so-called pasta.

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You can play around with tahina, mustard and olive oil or simply try out one of the vegan mayonnaises. Another equally healthy alternative is a ketchup made out of tomatoes, olive oil, dates and salt.

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Season it as you wish – garlic, basil, thyme, pepper, etc – and add some protein if needed – crushed walnuts, almonds or sunflower seeds, previously soaked and strained.

Gather a few more vegetables that keep a firm texture (pepper, red cabbage, carrots, peas, spring onions or garlic) and there you have your pasta delight!

Adding the greens (dill, rucola, parsley, etc)  or some sliced tomatoes at the very end will save them from getting completely mushed into the sauce.

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All you have left to do now is slurp, slurp!

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I prepared this dish so many times and each time it turns out a little bit different. Hope the pictures serve you well, but above all trust your imagination!

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dressings, raw, salads

Marinated Mushrooms

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Either way you take it, mushrooms are great. Some of them taste light enough to have them raw – like champignons – while others require cooking as they’re a bit heavy. Have you ever thought of saving their  natural enzymes while having the best taste? *

There’s one easy procedure to do that – it’s called marinating and it refers to the changes of taste and texture undergone by food during long hours spent in a seasoned acidic liquid. I usually use olive oil, lemon juice and soya sauce and then add dry thyme, garlic or even dates – for a sweet twist. You can think of spices such as ground turmeric, nutmeg or cumin, but just be sure you don’t get all exotic; unless you really master tastes & flavors! My new favorite seasoning for the mushroom marinade is sweet smoked paprika – it just builds up so much taste! (most probably reminiscent of bacon aroma :))

Once you start adding the composition to the mushrooms (if there’s not enough liquid, just add water) you’ll see how they turn tender and shrink.  Leave the marinade overnight in cool place or in the fridge and then add it to your favorite salad.

list of ingredients

  • olive oil
  • lemon juice
  • soya sauce
  • optional: dry thyme, crushed garlic, turmeric, nutmeg, cumin, dates

Here are a few ideas for some truly gourmet raw mushroom dishes:

Like any other respectable protein, the mushrooms get along very well with carrots 🙂 Feel free to experiment any dish with these two, along with your favorite greens. Lots of greens.

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And this is how the pretty forest mushrooms in the above picture turned out: a dish with shredded cauliflower & carrot, red peppers, turmeric and salvia leaves.

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A sample of the smoked paprika marinade, mixed with whole grain brown rice and served with green onions.

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And another sample of a different marinade, made out of soya sauce, dates (crushed or paste) and only a bit of lemon. This is how red onions look like after spending some time in this thick liquid.

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* special warning

if your mushrooms are picked up from the forest, be sure to check if they require to be cooked over heat. some of them might be poisonous when raw!

raw, salads

Seasoned Lentils & Carrot Salad

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This salad is perfect when you expect more-than-just-veggies in your healthy bowl. Power to the carbs!

The main trick is not to overboil the green lentils as you would do it in a cooked dish. Test them with a fork – if they get easily squashed after being put off the fire, you’d better turn it into a soup 🙂 or try them: they shouldn’t taste like raw beans, but still keep a firm ‘al dente’ texture.

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Until the lentils get cold, you can prepare the dressing by mixing in a bowl cold pressed sunflower oil, soya sauce, lemon, grated ginger and thyme. If you love spices as much as I do, then this is the time to add some cardamom or cinnamon powder and some raisins.

The only thing left to do is to bring all ingredients together in your salad bowl. I usually use more carrots than lentils, but it goes different with each taste. I also prefer adding the onions at the very end so they don’t become too dominant.

If you’re not having the salad right away, don’t forget to check before serving how much dressing it still has – both lentils and carrots are great ‘suckers’. And to sprinkle with grated orange peel and sesame seeds!

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list of ingredients

  • green lentils – soaked overnight & lightly boiled
  • carrots
  • grated ginger
  • lemon juice
  • soya sauce
  • cold pressed sunflower oil
  • thyme (dry or fresh)
  • red or green onions
  • optional: cardamom, cinnamon, grated orange peel, raisins (or similar dried fruits), sesame seeds, sunflower sprouts

 

 

dressings, raw

Summer Salad

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IMG_8497Summer is the best season for tomatoes. Actually, the only one! I’ve always preferred to avoid the out of season tomatoes, as I never know what kind of fake substitutes I’ll get in the supermarkets. I wait instead for the rich tasty ones of august and the crooked sunburnt ones of late september (grown directly in the fields). So delicious!

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I usually chop it directly into any kind of salad, but I do enjoy a lot to prepare a tomato based dressing – some might call it a soup 🙂 I mix it in the blender with some of the following: olive oil, mustard, tahina, garlic, fresh basil, thyme or melissa. You can even incorporate hydrated nuts (sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, etc). The result is a rich dense dressing ready to be poured over a fresh greens salad or to be scooped with cucumber, squash or carrot sticks.

 

 

 

Here the beet root surprised me with its heart shaped stems 🙂

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You can add zatar or grated orange peel into the greens salad for an even more fresh taste.

 

list of ingredients

  • ‘real’ tomatoes
  • olive oil
  • mustard / tahina
  • fresh basil, thyme or melissa
  • nuts (sunflower, walnut, almonds, etc) – previously soaked overnight

 

dressings, raw, salads

Go Red with Beets!

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Beets are just amazing! I remember that during my childhood it was the only vegetable I use to consider it rather awkward. Maybe because most of the times we were having it roasted and served with grated horse radish?

Anyhow, since I’ve discovered beets are to be consumed raw, it doesn’t seem I’ll get bored of them anytime soon. I love to turn it into spirals and marinate it in soya sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and thyme, like Cynthia taught me to do it at the beginning of my path. Adding sesame or hemp seeds at the end creates a pretty nice effect!

 

You can leave the beets to marinate overnight.

One of the things you should have in mind when preparing beets is that there’s no way back from red! Once you add another vegetable – either in the marinade or in the mixing – it will sooner or later become red. So instead of throwing everything into the beets salad, better leave the rest of the vegetables or greens for a side dish. Or, if you want to create a reddish coloring, choose something like cauliflower or sprouts and mix it right before serving .

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list of ingredients

  • beetroot (grated or spiraled)
  • olive oil
  • soya sauce
  • lemon juice
  • dry thyme
  • crushed garlic
  • sesame/ hemp seeds