This is the easiest, grandest recipea you've ever even heard of.

Essentially it's just all the freshest ingredients of summer thrown into a bowl and served up on a great cracker or toasty bread.

It's the perfect snack, light lunch, or appetizer and is insanely easy to make.

Get to it people. Deliciousness awaits. This is summer in a bite.

Recipea:
Serves 3, roughly 10-15 crackers/small toasts
Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
1 large avocado, chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (about 10-15)
1/2 cup chopped cucumber (about half of a cucumber)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 of a lemon

Fresh ground salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Toss all the chopped ingredients in a bowl, add salt and fresh ground pepper, top with a squeeze of lemon, and dish up. It's literally that easy.

Ya'll. These meatballs are super good. All the yum noises.

They're satisfying, full of flavour, and are packed with protein. Plus, they're not too complicated to make and contain ingredients you probably have lying around in your pantry anyway.

I'm telling you, you so won't be sorry you made these. Plus, they're just good old fashioned comfort food. I mean, hearty Italian meatballs with homemade marinara... What more do you want in life!?

Recipea:
Makes 6-8 large meatballs
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients 

Meatballs:
1 red onion, minced
3 cloves garlic
1 can brown or green lentils
1 flaxegg (1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds, 3 tablespoons of water, leave to set for 5 minutes)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons oregano
1/2 tablespoon herbs de provence
Ground salt to taste
Ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 cup ground nuts and seeds (I only used 3/4 cup) - use whatever you have around the house - I used sesame seed, pumpkin seed, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, brazil nuts, cashews
2 tablespoons olive oil

Tomato sauce
1 can chopped tomatoes
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon herbs de provence
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Ground salt & pepper
1 big handful of fresh basil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C. 

Saute onion and garlic over medium-high heat in a medium pan. Make flaxegg and leave to set. Add lentils and cook thoroughly. Stir with a wooden or silicon spoon and once the lentils are tender, try to mash them down a bit while stirring so that they form a slightly sticky, loose paste. Take the pan off the heat, add flax egg and stir to combine. Add soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, herbs de provence, salt and pepper, and nutritional yeast and stir to combine.

Added bonus of making lentil meatballs rather than actual meatballs: You can taste it as you go so that you can see if you need/want a bit more of any of the spices. Do that.

Add the nuts and seeds in 1/4 cup increments to see how much you need. Depending on the type of lentil you use and how long you have them cooking, you could have more or less liquid to be soaked up by the nuts. The nuts should act as a binder to help make the meatballs stick together and be firm... but they should be crumbling apart or dry from too much of the ground nuts. Remember you can always add more, but its harder to take away.

Stick them on a greased baking tray and brush them with the olive oil before placing them in the oven for 10 minutes.

While that's baking, make your pasta and tomato sauce.

Boil some water and get your pasta going. I'm going to trust you to know how to make pasta. You got this.

While that's going, toss the canned and fresh tomatoes and dried herbs and spices into a medium saucepan (or let's be real, you can just use the same pan you used for the meatballs - less cleanup!). Simmer covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 10 minutes - or when the meatballs have browned a bit, give them a turn and bake for 10 more minutes until both sides are nicely browned.

Add the chopped fresh basil and the baked meatballs in and give them a turn to coat. Arrange over the pasta and bask in the glow of your own homemade vegan meatballs.

You, my friend, are a winner.

My dad (the BBQ king) stumbled across a few recipes for vegan burgers a few weeks back and sent them across to me. Having never made my own, I thought - no time like the present! I've taken inspo from the recipes he sent me to create my own concoction. For a first timer, I think I've absolutely nailed it. Let me know what you think!

These puppies can be made indoors in the oven, but can also handle a BBQ without falling apart. They've got a perfect smoky flavour, and are packed with protein and fiber to keep you full and nourished. Plus, guac. Need I say more?

Enjoy!


Recipea:
Makes 4 burgers
Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Burgers:
4 burger buns or rolls
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups baby portabello mushrooms, chopped or sliced
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 can black beans
1 tablespoon chopped jarred jalapeno + 1 1/2 tablespoon of the jalapeno juice
3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
One vine ripe tomato, sliced
1 cup spinach
4 teaspoons vegan mayo

Guac:
1 avocado
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped tomato
1 big pinch of cilantro chopped
1 teaspoon jalapeno chopped
Squeeze of lime
Fresh ground salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F or preheat your BBQ to a medium high heat.

In a medium pan over medium heat, saute 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic and onions until the onions are tender.
Add mushrooms and cook for 5 mins or until tender. Add 1 tablespoon of water at the beginning if they need a little support cooking down. Once they're just tender, add the liquid smoke and continue cooking until the mushrooms have become a dark brown. Then add the black beans and cook for 5 more minutes until the beans are heated through. Add the mixture to a blender or food processor along with the jalapeno and jalapeno juice. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time depending on how strong your blender is (if it's weak like mine, you'll definitely need some water to get the ingredients moving around, but if you've got a super blender or processor, you may not need any at all). You want the mix to be sticky and the beans to be chopped but you don't want to make a paste. Keep some of the texture of the beans and shrooms.

Place this into a medium bowl and add the panko bread crumbs, cumin, salt, and pepper. Form into burger patty shapes and place on a greased baking sheet. Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and either place into the oven or onto a BBQ grill. Cook for 10 minutes, then flip and cook for the remaining 10 minutes.

While the patties are cooking, make your guac by throwing all the ingredients I listed in the guac section and mashing them all together (teamwork makes the dream work).

Slice your tomato into thin slices.

Assemble your burgers by adding a thin layer of mayo to the bottom, then a few leaves of spinach, then the tomato, then the burger patty, then a big ol' spoonful of guac, and the top bun.

Bask in the glory of a quick, delicious homemade burger that would turn even the head of those dreaded non-vegans (that's a joke people, stop being so sensitive).

When I was a little kid, I used to be OBSESSED with pound cake. And I mean, what's not to like? It's moist, sweet, and a perfect little snack when you get home from school.

That said, since I turned vegan, for some reason I just never thought to make it. This underrated delicious dessert get's elbowed out of the way by the others far too often, so today I place pound cake back in its rightful spot as the perfect snack, dessert, and "bread" as I used to call it.

So pound cake, we celebrate you. And today we lift you high. And to satisfy my 7 year old self, I have made her all time favourite, marble.

Enjoy, beauties!

Recipea:
Makes 1 loaf (12 slices)
Prep time: 15 mins |  Baking time: 60 mins

Ingredients:

Cake:
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vegan buttermilk (1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 cup almond milk)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon almond milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper so it's easy to lift out once it's cooled.

In a small bowl make the buttermilk by mixing together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 mins.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Mix in the vanilla extract. Next sift in the flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk and mix together until well combined.

Pour in half of the mixture into the loaf pan.

In the remaining half, sift in the cocoa powder and mix to combine.

In the loaf pan, cover the vanilla batter with the chocolate batter.

Take a thin knife or skewer and swirl it around the batter in the loaf pan several times to create a marbled effect (be sure to reach the bottom).

Bake for 40 minutes, then add foil in a tent shape over the top (so it doesn't touch the actual cake) to keep from browning too much. Then bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Do the toothpick or knife check to be sure it comes out clean - that's when you'll know it's ready.

Sit the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.

Mix the powdered sugar and almond milk together with a small whisk or fork and pour over the top once the cake is cooled.

Cut and enjoy the simple deliciousness that is a beautifully baked piece of marble pound cake.

My inner 7 year old exploded with glee - I think yours will too :]

Tonight I wanted something creamy and easy. And I manifested my own destiny with this glorious quick weeknight dinner.

Literally 5 minutes to whizz everything together in a blender, and only one pot. Gotta love it.

Also loving that there's an awesome amount of filling protein and healthy fats in here to give me some fuel that will last me all the way till the mornin'!

Give it a whirl! You won't be sorry!

Recipea:

Prep time: 10 mins (if you don't have cashews already soaked, then 30) | Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves two

Ingredients:
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup soaked cashews
1/2 small avocado
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups fresh basil + 1/2 cup for garnish
4 tablespoons water (if you need it)

Wholewheat pasta
2 cups fresh asparagus
5 cherry tomatoes

Directions:

Pour boiling water over 1/4 cup cashews and let sit for 20-30 mins or until relatively soft.

In a medium pot, boil water and throw your pasta in.

While that's brewin', drain your cashews and put them in a blender with the lemon juice, avocado, garlic, almond milk, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, pepper, and basil. Blend until smooth. If you need it, add water one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired thickness. I like mine a little thinner than hummus consistency. If you wind up making it a bit too thin, not to worry, you can always condense it down when you stir it in your pasta.

Chop the asparagus into bite sized pieces.

When your pasta is 5 mins from being al dente, throw it in the same pot and continue boiling.

Meanwhile, quarter your cherry tomatoes.

Once the pasta and asparagus is ready, drain and then return to the same pot.

Over a low heat, stir in the tomatoes and the sauce until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

Chiffonade the last bit of your basil and stir some through, leaving some to sprinkle on top of each bowl.

Fill a container to the brim with the pasta, shove it in a bag with two forks and a frisbee, walk to the park down the street, spread out a blanket, and enjoy it with someone great.
(You don't have to do this last bit, but it is highly recommended :] )



(Yes, that's the pot of my glorious basil plant, Massimo in the background. You go, Massimo!)

Let's just call it like it is. Granola is a gift from the heavens.

It has a perfect crunch, it's sweet, and it's super versatile.

But if you get granola from the grocery store, it'll have a ton of extra sugar added in.

And making your own is such a chore, right?

Wrongo!

This granola has a total of 3 ingredients (all of which you probably already have in your pantry anyway), is a snap to make, and it won't give you a sugar coma, but will still satisfy your sweet tooth.

Plus your house will smell like delicious peanut butter goodness. Who wouldn't want that?

MIRACLE OF MIRACLES, THE EASIEST PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA!

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 30 mins
Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
- 3 cups of oats (best to use old fashioned, but you could use any really)
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 180 celcius
- Place oats in a large bowl
- In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter and maple syrup. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Pour over the oats and stir until well combined (at this stage, you can keep it as is, or add whatever else you want... a little sea salt, cinnamon, dark chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, or dried fruit are all great options)
- Spread the oats evenly onto the baking sheet
- Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then bake for another 15 minutes. or until granola is slightly golden brown
- Remove (don't stir when you take it out) and let cool completely on the baking sheet
- Store in an air tight container for up to 1 month (like it'll last that long)

These are just as delicious as they are adorable.

Put a little love in your heart and your belly with these lil' cute-sters.

Plus raspberry preserves. Nothing can go wrong when you've got raspberry preserves in a recipe.

I don't care how you felt about Valentine's Day before this... now you've got a reason to love it.

Yerm!

Recipea:

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoons ground flaxseed        
3 tablespoons water
3/4 cup vegan butter
3/4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons powdered sugar
6 tablespoons raspberry preserves


Preheat oven to 180C.

In a small bowl, mix together the flax seeds and water and set aside to thicken.

In a medium bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.

In another medium bowl beat the vegan butter and sugar together until creamy.

Add the remaining wet ingredients including the flax mixture, and mix well to combine. Add the dry mixture into the wet in two batches and combine until a dough is formed.

Put the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick. Place it on a baking tray and chill for 15 mins in the freezer or 30 mins in the fridge.

Once chilled, use a heart cookie cutter to make as many heart cookies as possible. Leave half of the heart cookies whole, and use a smaller heart cookie cutter to cut out the center of the other half.

Continue until all the dough has been used up (you may need to stick it in the fridge between baking to keep the dough cold.

Lay the cookies on the parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 7 - 11 minutes, until they are just a little bit golden on the bottom.

Let the cookies cool completely. Place all of the cut-out heart cookies on a piece of parchment paper or plate. Use a fine strainer or sifter (I always use one of those clamp loose leaf tea holders - does the job perfect!) to sprinkle the powdered sugar over top.

Take the whole cookies and spread about 1 teaspoon of the jam over the top, keeping most of it in the middle of the cookie. Top with the sugar-coated cut-out cookie. Repeat with all the remaining cookies.

NOM.