Roasted Tomato & Cauliflower Soup

/

This soup is warming and comforting and packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support overall health. Seasonal ingredients add an extra boost, making this soup nourishing as well as delicious! Also, it's super easy to make!

Cooler days are upon us, and with them comes the perfect time for hearty, nourishing soups! This recipe is one of my favourites for this time of year, especially as tomatoes and cauliflower are still in season here in southern Portugal. These two vegetables, along with garlic, make up the main ingredients of this flavourful, nutrient-dense soup.

Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that supports heart health. Cauliflower brings an impressive dose of vitamin K, which promotes bone health, and B vitamins, which aid energy metabolism. Carrots and peppers add a pop of natural sweetness as well as vitamins. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene (which converts to vitamin A in the body), essential for eye health and immune function, and yellow bell peppers in vitamins C, A and B6. Finally, garlic offers manganese and vitamin B6 and is known for its immune-boosting properties, which is ideal for cooler weather. In addition, garlic and onion contain inulin, FOS (fructooligosaccharides), and allicin (garlic), which help stimulate the growth of probiotics or the good gut bacteria that play an essential role in digestion, immunity, and gut health, and with it, overall health. And, of course, it’s rich in fibre, supporting healthy digestion and leaving you feeling satisfied and nourished. Serve with a slice of sourdough bread, and you will have a satisfying and nutritious dinner.

Roasted Tomato & Cauliflower Soup

PREP TIME: 50 MIN
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 500 g ripe tomatoes

  • 1 small or 1/2 large cauliflower

  • 1 purple onion

  • 1 garlic bulb

  • 1 bell pepper (red or yellow)

  • 1 carrot

  • 1 celery stick

  • salt, pepper, smoked paprika

  • hot water

  • olive oil

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 220C. 

  • Cut the tomatoes, peppers, and half of the onion into wedges, the cauliflower into florets, and the carrot and celery into slices. Dice the remaining half of the onion. Cut the top of the garlic bulb.

  • Place the tomatoes, cauliflower, pepper, onion wedges, and garlic bulb on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Don’t overdo the seasoning—you can adjust it later. Place the tray in the oven and roast until golden, about 25–30 minutes.

  • While the veggies are roasting, warm some oil in a larger pan and sauté the diced onion over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the celery and sliced carrot, sauté for a few more minutes, then cover with hot water. Add a bit of salt and pepper, and let it simmer on low heat until the roasted veggies are done.

  • Add the roasted veggies to the pan, top with water and let it boil for another 5 minutes. Squeeze out the garlic from the roasted bulb and blend everything together.

  • Taste and add more seasoning if needed.

Enjoy! 

Summer peach pie

/

We brought bags of peaches from the family holiday home orchard this summer, and I decided to make a peach pie. I explored recipes for inspiration and found this one by Meera Sodha. I tweaked it a bit, and it turned out so good I made one almost every week.

I can't say this is the healthiest dessert ever, but it does contain a lot of peaches and almonds, so as far as the desserts go, this one is quite nutritious. Peaches are rich in vitamins A, C, E and B complex. They are also a rich source of beta-carotene and minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper. Apart from the healthy fats, almonds are rich in fibre, protein, magnesium, and vitamin E.

I don’t like my desserts too sweet, but if you do, add a bit more sugar.

Summer Peach Pie

PREP TIME: 1 HOUR
8 slices

Ingredients

  • 60 g vegan butter

  • 50 g coconut sugar (or muscovado)

  • 100 g ground almonds

  • Juice of 2 limes

  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

  • 1 round puff pastry (230 g)

  • 3-4 ripe peaches

  • vegan whipped cream (such as alpro) or ice cream

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 220C. 

  • Cream the butter and mix in the coconut sugar and ground almonds. Mix well and add the juice of 1 lime. Set aside. 

  • Slice the peaches into cca 1.5 cm pieces. Mix the maple syrup and the juice of 1 lime in a small bowl. Set aside. 

  • Take the puff pastry from the refrigerator and unroll onto a round baking tray. Use the tip of a knife to prick the pastry (to prevent it from puffing up when baking). 

  • Spread the butter almond paste evenly on the pastry and arrange your peaches on top. 

  • Finally, pour your maple syrup/lime juice on top. You can sprinkle it with a bit of cinnamon if you like. 

  • Bake for about 30 min or until you see the pastry is golden and the fruit looks soft. 

  • Serve with vegan whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream

Enjoy! 

Homemade vegan pesto

/

I am a big Pesto fan. It's so rich in taste, nutritious and diverse. It can be red or green. It can be made with cashews, pine nuts, and pumpkin seeds. Spread it on (homemade) sourdough bread or use it as a pasta or gnocchi sauce. Perfect options for a quick summer lunch.

Basil exploded in my garden this summer, so I made a few batches of green pesto. Since we moved from a house abundant in pine trees and don't harvest our own, I rarely use pine nuts, so this recipe is made with toasted pumpkin seeds. Pine nuts are pricy but also quite calorie-dense due to the significant fat content - 100 grams of pine nuts have 673 calories, while pumpkin seeds have only 446. Fat content is 68 grams (pine nuts) vs. 19 grams in pumpkin seeds. The fat in pine nuts is good fat though, so don't cross them off your shopping list yet. They only have 5 g of saturated fat (in 100 g). Still, I prefer to sprinkle them on salads or risotto and enjoy a more guilt-free pesto.

Pumpkin seeds have a high content of protein (almost 30 g in 100 g), and are rich in minerals such as manganese, copper, potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron. They are also high in antioxidants, which can reduce inflammation in the body and help cells fight free radicals. Basil is also rich in micronutrients and can help lower blood pressure and help lower cholesterol due to its essential oils. Other ingredients add to this list of health benefits. So, plenty of reasons to add green pesto to your diet.
Parsley gives this pesto an extra taste layer, don’t omit it as it won’t be the same without it!

King Oyster salad

PREP TIME: 15 MIN
1 JAR OF PESTO

Ingredients

  • 100 g sweet basil

  • 10 g rucola

  • 10 g parsley

  • 90 g lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

  • 2 medium garlic cloves

  • 4-5 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 tbsp water (more if needed)

  • 1/2 lemon (juice)

  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

  • Salt, pepper

Method

Place all the ingredients except for the nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper in a high-speed blender and blend. Add more water if too thick. Start adding the salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast. Blend, taste, and add more until you are happy with the taste. You can also add a bit more lemon if you prefer. Sometimes I start with less garlic too, some garlic cloves can be powerful so it’s better to add than be overwhelmed with fresh garlic. Refrigerate and use within 10 days.
Enjoy!

King Oyster salad

/

I just love King Oysters; they are a staple in my kitchen. Also known as the king trumpet and eryngii, they have a dense, meaty texture and mild earthy, umami flavour. These amazing mushrooms are so versatile you can really get creative with them. They can be cooked or eaten raw. Today I wanted to share a super simple salad using raw King Oyster mushroom.

This salad is a vegan, guilt-free version of an octopus salad. Octopuses are such wonderful beings (did you watch My friend octopus?? I cried so much!) and belong in the sea, not our plates. Thankfully, the amazing King Oyster mushroom does a great job of imitating the octopus part; the texture and chewiness are so similar that you won't ever need to use anything else, even if not vegan. It is also packed with micronutrients. It contains riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium, copper, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, iron, magnesium, zinc and manganese. And, of course, it's very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. In Croatia, we would use parsley for this type of salad, but I had to go with the Portuguese and use fresh coriander. So, without further ado... 

King Oyster salad

PREP TIME: 15 MIN
SERVES 2

Ingredients

  • 1 King Oyster mushroom

  • 1/2 red onion

  • 1 small (or 1/2 large) red pepper

  • Fresh coriander (or parsley)

  • Olive oil (about 3 tbsp)

  • Vinegar (to taste)

  • Salt, pepper

Method

Dice the mushroom, onion and pepper, chop the coriander (or parsley). Mix it all together and season with good virgin olive oil and good quality vinegar (I use red wine vinegar or apple cider). Salt and pepper to taste. Leave it covered and refrigerated for an hour or so to marinate before serving.

Chocolate peanut butter mousse

/

This easy and quick vegan chocolate mousse is packed with protein (13 g per serving!), and relatively low in calories (for a rich, creamy dessert;). It's a decadent but guilt-free pleasure.

I don't make desserts often; if I do, it's for a special occasion. Still, I try to make them as healthy as possible. Before I would use coconut milk for chocolate mousse, but it's not a great base ingredient since it's packed with calories and saturated fat, so now I use silken tofu, which works really well. Instead of the peanut butter you can use hazelnut, cashew or almond. Hazelnut and peanut butter are a bit stronger in taste.

Chocolate peanut butter mousse

PREP TIME: 70 MIN (before serving)
SERVES 4

Ingredients

  • 20 g cacao butter

  • 40 g raw cacao powder

  • 300 g silken tofu (such as Clearspring)

  • 1 dcl maple syrup (or a bit more if you prefer sweeter)

  • 1 tsp agar agar

  • 1.5 dcl water

  • Bourbon vanilla extract

  • 4 tbsp peanut butter (bottom of the glass)

  • Crushed peanuts (topping)

  • Dark chocolate shavings (topping)

Method

Add a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter to the bottom of four coupe champagne glasses (or any other you prefer) and refrigerate.

Add the tofu, maple syrup, and cacao powder in a high-power blender and blend together. Melt the cacao butter and add to the mix. Taste and add more maple syrup if you prefer. Add a few drops of bourbon vanilla extract and set aside.

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce the heat and add the agar agar. Stir and cook for a minute or until you see that agar agar is turning into gel. Pour into the mix and blend shortly.

Pour the mix into the serving glasses right away (about 1.5 dcl each) and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. Top with the chocolate shavings and crushed peanuts. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Nutrition

This guilt-free dessert is packed with protein and dietary fibre. It’s low in sugar and calories (for a dessert) and rich in iron.

Mushroom and Kale vegan pancake

/

This salty pancake is so yum, and so easy to make. It is also packed with protein. This simple and healthy lunch contains half of my daily protein needs.

I saw a recipe on Instagram and then lost track of it, but it was easy to recreate. I was worried that the pancake would stick to the pan or break, but it didn't; it has a great consistency if you don't make it too thick. It should be just a bit thicker than a crepe. It's packed with protein and dietary fibre. Avocado adds a refreshing balance to the earthiness of chickpea flour and mushrooms. Serve with salad for a perfect lunch or dinner.

Mushroom and Kale vegan pancake

PREP TIME: 20 minutes
SERVES: 2

Ingredients

PANCAKE

  • 150 g silken tofu

  • 2 dcl almond or cashew milk (homemade if possible)

  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour

  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

  • 1 tsp turmeric

  • 1 tsp dijon mustard

  • salt, pepper

  • 1 tsp olive oil

FILLING

  • 2 cups kale chopped

  • 2 cups Cremini mushrooms sliced

  • 1 small onion diced

  • 2 garlic cloves minced

  • 1 dcl white wine

  • 1 tsp olive oil

  • salt, pepper

  • 1 ripe avocado

Method

  • Blend the tofu and milk

  • Add chickpea flour and blend

  • Add the remaining ingredients, blend and set aside

  • Sauté the onion for a few minutes, and add the garlic and mushrooms

  • Deglaze with the white wine

  • Add the kale and cook until done

  • Use the pancake mix and fry on a bit of oil until golden brown on each side

  • Add the mushroom/kale mix on one side, and 1/2 avocado on the other and fold

  • Serve with a fresh, green salad

Nutrition

Note: the sugar in the nutrition facts comes from store brought milk. I use sugar-free homemade milk, but the recipe nutrition creator I use doesn’t have that option. Vitamin D and extra sodium possibly comes from the same source (store bought milks are often fortified with vitamins, but also contain salt and sugar).

Super(food) overnight oats

/

It’s hard to say this is a recipe - it’s just a simple overnight breakfast oats, but with the twist - due to added superfoods, it’s bursting with nutrients. Read on to find out the surprising benefits of this simple breakfast and what each ingredient is rich in.

I practice 14-10 intermittent fasting (I eat during a 10-hour period and fast for the remaining 14 hours), so my breakfast is usually later in the morning and after exercise. If post-exercise, I try to make it protein-rich and micronutrient dense. This super(food) overnight oats is a great example. It contains almost 20 grams of protein, nearly half of my daily needs. It is also rich in dietary fibre, good fats, and good carbs, which convert into glucose - the essential fuel for the brain and body. 

When it comes to micronutrients, this breakfast is a bomb. It covers 54% of Iron RI, which stands for Reference Intake (or RDI Reference Daily Intake in the US and Canada) and 33% of calcium. It covers my omega-3 fatty acid daily needs (important for vegans), and it's filled with antioxidants. Let's look at the ingredients separately:

  • Goji berries - 1 tablespoon provides 100% RI of Vitamin A plus vitamin C (6% RI). 

  • Ground flaxseed - 1 tablespoon contains around 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acid (about 20% of RI)

  • Chia seeds - 1 tablespoon provides another 2.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acid (25% RI) plus zinc (6%), magnesium (12%), phosphorus (10%), vitamin B1 (7%), vitamin B3 (8%)

  • Hemp seeds - rich in omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, gamma-linoleic acid, which is anti-inflammatory, plus magnesium (22% RI in 1 tbsp), zinc (10% in 1 tbsp) and B1 (15% 1 tbsp).

  • Açai berries are high in omega-3, contain 19 different amino acids, and are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc.

Super(food) overnight oats

PREP TIME: soak overnight, 5 min prep in the morning
SERVES: 1

Ingredients

  • 100 g rolled oats

  • water

  • 150 ml cashew milk (or any other plant-based sugar free milk)

  • 1 tbsp goji berries

  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

  • 1 tbsp açai powder

  • 1 tbsp hemp seeds

  • 1/2 tbsp chia seeds

Method

  • Soak the oats overnight in water (enough water to cover them) on room temperature

  • Warm up the milk in the morning and pour over

  • Add the other ingredients

  • Enjoy

Notes

  • Oats can also be cooked or soaked for less time (a few hours), but soaking them overnight is best for digestion and nutrient absorption.

  • I like my porridge warm during winter, but you can use cold milk as well

  • I make my own milk, usually cashew and almond without added sweetener. Store bought milks are often sweetened, so it’s best to go with the unsweetened ones if you don’t make your own.

  • Flaxseeds are best bought whole and ground before use. If you have any ground seed leftovers, refrigerate them. Ground flaxseeds oxidate quickly, and a whole seed is not easy to digest and benefit from its nutrients.

Nutrition

Butternut squash and red lentil soup

/

Creamy, tasty and very nutritious, this vegan butternut squash and red lentil soup is a perfect winter meal.

We just returned from Lisbon, where we spent Christmas week, and I was happy to return to my kitchen and prepare a home-cooked meal. I like eating out, especially in Lisbon, since it has many great vegan restaurants, and almost all other restaurants have vegan options. Still, after a while, I miss home-cooked food with organic ingredients from my local organic farmers market. After a week of overeating, we decided to have soup and bread for dinner, and pumpkin lentil soup was a perfect choice. It is rich, nutritious, well-balanced, and perfect for winter. I made it fat free just because I felt we needed a fat- free meal.

This soup is high in protein (11 g, which is about 20% DV), high in fibre (27% DV), high in Iron, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese and low in fat. Once cup (1.5 serving) of butternut squash provides over 400% RDI (Recommended Dietary Intake) of Vitamin A, 50 % Vitamin C, and just over 10% of B1, B3, B6, B9. Red lentils are rich in Folate, Vitamin B6, Zinc, Copper, Iron etc.

Serve with a wholemeal sourdough bread.

Butternut squash and red lentil soup

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
SERVINGS: 4

Ingredients

  • 500 g butternut squash (peeled, seeded, cubed)

  • 2 medium potatoes (200 g) peeled and cubed

  • 150 g red lentils

  • 350 ml water

  • 1 tsp vegetable stock

  • salt, pepper

  • pumpkin seeds and pumpkin oil

Method

  • Bring water to boil

  • Add veg stock, salt, veggies and lentils

  • Cook until veggies and lentils are done

  • Blend and add more salt (if needed) and pepper

  • Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin oil

  • Serve with sourdough bread

Nutrition

Mushroom and Kale puff pastry swirls

/

These vegan mushroom and kale puff pastry swirls are perfect comfort food for any time of the year, especially on a cool, rainy day like today. They can also be a great addition to your Vegan Christmas table.   

Last year I made this vegan mushroom loaf for Christmas, and it was delicious. This year, I experimented with the same basic ingredients and came up with these mushroom and kale puff pastry rolls. They are simple and quick to make and can be served as a starter or main course.

Mushroom and Kale puff pastry swirls

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
SERVES: 4 as a starter, 2 as main

Ingredients

  • 1 rectangular Vegan puff pastry (such as Lidl Chef Select Puff Pastry)

  • 200 g cremini mushrooms

  • 6 Tuscan kale leaves

  • 1/2 yellow onion

  • 3 garlic cloves

  • 1 dcl red wine

  • 2 rosemary stems

  • olive oil

  • salt, pepper

Method

  • Dice the onion and garlic, clean and slice the mushrooms, remove the kale stems and chop the kale. 

  • Fry the onion until translucent, add the garlic, followed by mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes before adding kale, rosemary and wine. 

  • Season with salt and pepper and sauté on medium heat until the liquid has evaporated. 

  • Leave to cool (this is an important step - you don’t want the puff pastry to become sticky) and pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

  • When the filling is cool, take the puff pastry out of the refrigerator and unroll it gently. Spread the filling evenly and make a roll starting with the shorter side. Use the parchment paper underneath to help you roll it evenly. 

  • Use a sharp knife to cut 3 cm thick rolls and place them on a baking tray shaping them into circles.

  • Bake until the pastry turns golden brown (about 15 minutes). 

Nutrition

Spicy Vegan Christmas Cheesecake

/

Full of festive flavours, this Spicy Vegan Christmas Cheesecake will be an absolute hit at any Christmas table!

We are spending Christmas Eve with the family, and I decided to bring a cake. The family is not vegan, so I have to ensure the cake is delicious and everyone will love it. I experimented a bit this week and came up with a delicious recipe! Actually, 'came up with a recipe' might be a bit of an overstatement - I basically tweaked my usual vegan chocolate cheesecake recipe and used a bunch of festive flavours instead of chocolate and et violà; it turned out great.

This is a no bake and easy to make cake;). The base ingredients are cashews, silken tofu and spices, so it’s also guilt free - low calorie, healthy and nutritious. I used maple syrup as a sweetener for the cream and dates for the base. Tofu, cashews and walnuts are an excellent source of Calcium, Iron and Potassium.

If you decide to try it out, let me know how it turned out. If it turns out picture perfect and you publish it on IG, you can tag me @ninasplantbasedkitchen

Happy Christmas!

Notes

  • This was a trial version so I used a small, 18 cm diameter (900 ml) springform pan for this trial version. If you are using a large springform pan (24 cm) you will need to double the ingredients. A good way to be sure how by much is to measure the volume of your pan in ml using water.

  • This recipe uses fortified Muscat wine (Portuguese Moscatel), but it works well without it as well, especially if you are planning to serve the cake to small kids.

  • I use agar-agar powder, not flakes. You can still use flakes, but just make sure you follow the recipe. That’s why I’m using the grams and not teaspoons for measurement, teaspoon of agar flakes vs powder is very different.

  • Soak the cashews for a few hours at least. You can blanch them as well, but I find that soaked work much better.

  • If you can’t find vegan gingerbread cookies, you can use digestives or similar.

  • It’s important that you use silken tofu (I use Clearspring organic), not another kind.

  • You can play with the spices and add more of the spice you prefer, or take out something you don’t. Maybe start with half quantities and take it from there.

Spicy Vegan Christmas Cheesecake

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
SERVES: 8 slices

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 100 g vegan gingerbread cookies

  • 30 g walnuts

  • 2 Medjool dates

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

  • 1 tbsp Muscat wine (optional)

Cream:

  • 300 g silken tofu

  • 200 g soaked cashews

  • 120 ml maple syrup

  • 10 ml muscat wine (optional)

  • 2 tsp burbon vanilla extract

 

  • 2 tsp ground ginger

  • 2 tsp cinnamon

  • 1 tsp ground cardamom

  • 1 tsp allspice

  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

  • 10 ml water

  • 3 g agar-agar powder

Decoration:

  • Dark chocolate shavings

  • Orange zest

Method

  • Blend the cookies and walnuts until you get a powdery mix. Blend the dates into the mixture.

  • Cover the bottom of the pan using a spoon to even out the surface, pressing gently.

  • Sprinkle the crust with lemon juice and Muscat wine and refrigerate.

  • Blend the silken tofu, soaked cashews, Muscat wine and maple syrup until you get an even, silky mix.

  • Start adding in the spices (see notes).

  • Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once it does, add the agar-agar and stir for a minute or two (until it starts to form into a gel).

  • Pour into the cream mix and blend for 30 sec. Pour into the pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

  • Decorate and refrigerate again until serving.

Nutrition