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Vegan

Açai Bowl

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A friend of mine is from brazil. And she always tells me about all the delicious acai bowls she eats when she is there. Every. Single. Time. We. Meet. This makes me so jealous! I absolutely love Açai Bowls but it is so hard to get one (and if you get one, to get a good one) in Vienna. Now I know one place that makes really delicious ones and that is Superfooddeli! But unfortunately this one place that actually has them is 1 hour away from my home with public transport 🙁 !

Since I am a really huge fan of these bowls and do not want to spend 2 hours reaching that place and coming back I decided to make my own one. I bought Açai Packets from that store and made it at home. Absolutely delicious! And so easy. I really haven´t expected it to be that easy! The clue to making a good Açai Bowl is having a good blender. If your blender is not very strong, it is going to be hard for it to blend everything up smoothly and there will remain chunks in the smoothie.

I love having such a bowl for breakfast or brunch or even as a light lunch! It is prepared so quickly and really delicious. If you are off heading somewhere you can just pour it into a Tupperware and take it on the go! I love this dish!

Isn´t it a ton of Sugar?

Although I love making smoothie bowls, an issue I have with those kind of meals is that I am usually eating tons of sugar. Bananas, berries, mangoes, acai, … whatever. They are really delicious and full of vitamins but sadly also full of sugar. If you blend all of them up, I believe that you eat more fruit pureed than you would normally eat as a whole. To still get a delicious, creamy, and sweat bowl but not consuming to much sugar I decided to add some veggies to my meals. And believe me, this was the best decision!

I could not taste the vegetables at all, I couldn´t have told that they were in there. My 2 tips to adding vegetables to your smoothies are:

1st: freeze them before adding. You not only get a creamier and thicker consistency but you will also taste them less. I do not know why, but it absolutely is worth it.

2nd: use vegetables that do not have an intense color. In this case, it doesn´t matter too much since the smoothie bowl is pretty dark anyways but when making a bright smoothie bowls, e.g. a mango one and you add a dark vegetable like spinach, the whole meal will get a darker color and will look less appealing. If you want to make a green smoothie though, this is something different, the go ahead and add all the spinach and kale. For my Açai Bowl I used celery and zucchini, which I have peeled before a froze it.           

What about toppings?

When it comes to the toppings you are absolutely free and can decide according to your desires! If you prefer fresh fruit, whatever fruit you like, something crunchy, something frozen, something creamy, the possibilities are endless! For me, I believe that toppings are the best part of any smoothie bowl!

As delicious as they are, you can easily go overboard. When adding tons of nut butters, chocolate chunks and sugar loaded granola you can easily turn a light and healthy meal into something rather heavy and dense. For my topping I like to use some more fresh fruit, like mango and berries, some homemade healthy granola, coconut chips, goji berries, hemp seeds, a spoonful of nut butter (I absolutely love almond butter with this!), some cut up banana and some edible flowers.

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Açai Bowl

A low sugar twist on our all time favorite smoothie bowl

Course Breakfast
Cuisine brazilian
Prep Time 12 Minuten
Servings 1
Calories 465 kcal

What you will need

For the smoothie

  • 100g g frozen Acai
  • 1/2 Banana frozen
  • 2 stalks Celery frozen
  • 1/2 Zucchini frozen
  • 100 g Blueberries frozen
  • 100 ml Almond milk more/ less depending on how thick you want it

For the toppings

  • 1/2 Mango
  • Blueberries
  • 2 tbsp Granola
  • 1/3 Banana
  • 1/2 tbsp Goji Berries
  • 1 tbsp coconut flakes
  • 1 tsp almond butter or any other nut butter

How to

Thats how it works:

  1. The night before making the bowl peel the zucchini and cut it up along with the celery and banana. Freeze an Açai package and the berries.

  2. Add all the ingredients for the bowl to the blender and blend it up. Start with a little nut milk and work your way up adding a little a time, depending on how thick you want your bowl to be.

  3. While you are blending the smoothie, take the mango and cut down the half. Peel it and place it with the flat side down on a cutting board. Finely slice it into really thin strips. The thinner the easier to make the rose. Once you have cut it, carefully slide them slightly apart, so it is a long strip. Take an end of the long strip and start rolling it so it will turn in itself so it turns into a rose. Cut up the banana into slices.

  4. When the smoothie is blended well, pour it into a bowl. Top it with the mango rose, the banana, the granola, the berries, the goji berries, the coconut, almond butter, and edible flowers. 

  5. Serve and enjoy!

No-bake Vegan Cashew Lavender Cake

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When it comes to making vegan desserts, I am usually not the first person to be asked. Don´t get me wrong, I do like desserts, although they cannot be too sweet, and I do like vegan food but I just have so little experience with making vegan desserts. I am all into that richness and creaminess of dairy products as cream, mascarpone and cream cheese. Especially in summer, when I do not want to turn the oven on but still have a slice of cake. 

This cake has definitely changed my mind though. I do not need the rich milk products (which are not necessarily healthy) in order to make a no-bake cake. A plant based version definitely is an alternative. It still contains a richness and a lot of flavor but is healthier and vegan! I do not want to call it a vegan cheesecake as others might do, because I do not believe that it tastes like cheese and in my opinion a CHEESE cake can´t be vegan. 

I made this recipe using a sugar free syrup and only sweetened it up with a little maple syrup because I wanted to make it a healthier and refined-sugar free version but also not have it too sweet. The coconut milk and the cashews already give it some sweetness so I did not believe that it is necessary to add a lot more. If you are a sweet person, you can add as much syrup as you desire!

For the crust I decided to use few ingredients and make it simple. It uses dates, for binding and natural sweetness, almonds, for texture and healthy fats, oats for carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and lots of vitamins, a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor, and lastly some coconut oil to bind it all together. I think that this tastes like rawnola, basically like a muesli and I loooove it. If you want to you can absolutely make the recipe for the crust and eat it with some milk or yoghurt or even form it into energy balls to eat them as a snack. 

The cream layer is made with full fat coconut milk, to keep that richness but still lighten it up a little )if that makes sense), cashews, that give the cake a sweet hint, add texture and creaminess and loads of healthy fats and proteins, some coconut yoghurt for more creamy deliciousness (I think b now you can tell that this is going to be a creamy cake!), some agave to sweeten, sugar free lavender syrup to add some flavor and agar to bind it all. If you cannot find a sugar free lavender syrup or a lavender syrup at all, this recipe works very well with any other syrup as well. 

If you are allergic, or do not like almonds you can substitute them with any nuts of your desire, which is the same for the dates. They can be replaced with any dried fruit you like, as apricots or figs or else something. If you want to get a little fancier with the crust and add some seeds such as chia, hemp, or sunflower, feel free to do that but I decided to keep it simple and use few ingredients. 

I like the cake most when it is enjoyed cold, straight out of the fridge. When it is frozen it loses some of the flavor so I would not recommend doing that. This cake works perfect if you have a group of friends over and some are vegan as this is a delicious desset for anyone vegan or non-vegan. It is pretty healthy as it contains lots of healthy fats, protein, carbs, and vitamins so it is a balanced and delicious snack. 

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Vegan Cashew Lavender Cake

A really delicious vegan dessert

Course Dessert
Prep Time 30 Minuten
Soaking & Cooling time 10 Stunden
Servings 12 slices
Calories 221 kcal

What you will need

For the crust:

  • 130 g Dates about 5
  • 50 g Oats
  • 80 g Almonds
  • 1 tsp Coconut Oil

For the cream layer

  • 115 g cashews
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 150 g coconut yogurt
  • 20 g agar-agar
  • 60 ml sugar free lavender syrup can substitute for any other fruit syrup
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup

How to

  1. Put the cashews in a bowl and let them soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.

  2. Blend the dates in a food processor until it forms a paste. Add the oats, almonds, coconut oil and a pinch of salt and blend again until it becomes firm texture. Line out an 18cm springform pan with parchment paper. Add the crust into the pan and press it to the ground and all the edges. Place it in the fidge.

  3. Drain the cashews and place them in a food processor. Add the coconut yoghurt, the maple syrup, and the lavender syrup and blend until smooth.

  4. Place the coconut milk in a sauce pan along with the agrtine. Bring it so a boil and let cook for 2 minutes. Add one tablespoon of the cashew cream into the coconut milk mixture and mix well. Pour it back into the rest of the cashew cream and mix it well (by hand!). It works best with a spatula. If you prefer it sweeter, add a little more lavender or maple syrup here.

  5. Take the springform pan with the crust out of the fridge and pour the cashew cream on top. Place in the fridge for at least 5 hours to overnight to let the agartine get firm.

  6. When ready take it out of the fridge and garnish with almonds, blueberries and some fresh lavender.

    Serve and enjoy!

Creamy Vegan Summer Pasta

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This Summer Veggie Pasta is going to be your new weeknight favorite. It is so simple to prepare but yet so flavorful and nutrient dense. Seasonal summer vegetables in a light and creamy coconut sauce with our all-time favorite carb – pasta!

I was going to our local farmers market and I saw all the fresh veggies. Mushrooms, tomatoes, rhubarb, potatoes, peas, like every summer vegetable I could think of. When walking by that it just made me really want to eat all of them at once. I love going to local markets since buying products there is way more sustainable.

Later, I wasn´t sure what to make with the huge basket of vitamins, so I thought about pairing it with pasta, because with pasta you can never go wrong. Sure, this dish is not a traditional Italian pasta dish as it is made with coconut milk – but I promise you, it is at least as delicious as in Italy.

It is really simple to prepare, which is perfect after a long and hot day of work. The recipe only requires 9 ingredients, which you are very likely to have on hand anyway. For the peas you do not have to use fresh ones – you can go with frozen instead, same with the corn, you could use frozen or canned one instead of fresh one. If you do not have some of the vegetables on hand but still want to make this recipe, feel free to simply substitute one ingredient for another.

I would recommend using normal wheat or whole wheat pasta for this recipe since it brings out the flavor most. If using a rather dry pasta like chickpea pasta I would recommend using more coconut milk to not make the dish taste dry.

I think this is a great recipe if you are a vegan and want to in cooperate more veggies into your diet without giving up the good taste of pasta or even if you are not vegan or vegetarian but want to create a plant-based recipe. I hope that you will enjoy this dish and if you do so be sure to tag me on Instagram with @unptcuisiniere when sharing it!

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Creamy Vegan Summer Pasta

This is a really delicious summer pasta recipe that will safe you your weeknights. Super falvorfull, quick, simple, and vegan

Course Main Course
Prep Time 6 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 16 Minuten
Servings 2 people
Calories 763 kcal

What you will need

  • 250 g pasta
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 2 stalks spring onion
  • 100 g cherry tomatoes
  • 100 g corn cooked or canned
  • 100 g chanterelles
  • 160 ml coconut milk
  • 1 handful basil

How to

  1. Bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Add a lot of salt and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. In the meantime finely chop up the spring onions. Half the cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Then heat up the olive oil in a big pan. Once hot sweat the onions in there for about 2 minutes. Add all the other vegetables and let cook for another 4-5 minutes. If needed add some more water or oil to help cook. Once the vegetables are mostly cooked through, add the coconut milk and some water to thin out the sauce.

    Reserve one cup of pasta water and drain the rest of the pasta. Add it into the pan with the sauce along with a little of the pasta-water. Here it really matters which type of pasta you have chosen to use. If it is a ather dry pasta, I would recommend adding more water.

    Serve with some fresh basil leaves and enjoy!

Notes

if you are not vegan, a great idea is to add some crumbled feta cheese on top for more flavour and texture. If you are recreating this dish be sure to tag me on instagram with @uneptcuisiniere.

Tomato Sauce (V,SF,S)

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Tomato season – aka my favorite season – is finally here! Isn´t it the best time of the year when there is red, yellow, orange, and green balls in every size around? Every restaurant offers fresh tomato dishes and there is no excuse needed for snacking on small tomatoes all day long? Yep – it is the best time of the year.

Tomatoes are my favorite fruits (Yes, they are fruits! Berries to be exact)! have been eating them every day since I have been little. My mom used to buy baskets of small cherry tomatoes at some point in the morning, and by the time she wanted to prepare dinner they were all gone. I don´t know how often it has happened that I´ve snacked all the tomatoes away that we would have needed for dinner. Too often!

Tomatoes do not only taste ah-mazing!, but they are also super healthy. Unlike other fruits or vegetables tomatoes do not loose nutritional value when being cooked. They do loose vitamin C, but their content of their beneficial trans-lycopene increases immensely when being cooked. They offer a great spectrum of vitamins and antioxidants, are heart healthy and reduce your blood pressure. They are loaded with vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. They are super hydrating and contain about 95% water. They are also super skin-healthy and can help to prevent sunburns. I loved eating them before I knew all of those nutritional benefits but now I love it even more to in cooperate them into my diet!

This sauce recipe is pretty traditional as you would find it in Italy. It is made with celery and carrots, as done in the home country of tomato sauce, but I believe that this also is a great way to sneak in more vegetables. You cannot taste the celery or the carrot in the sauce but it still adds a nice earthy note to the sauce.

The fresh oregano and basil add a fresh flavor and the chili, which is optional, give the sauce a spicy kick. But be careful with the amount you add in, and the spiciness of the chili as you can easily go overboard with it. When I made this recipe I added a whole lot of chili flakes (which I have stupidly never tried before), and the sauce turned out sooo spicy. My family and me were sweating quite a lot when eating it hahaha, so be careful!

Some people like to add sugar into the sauce to make it sweeter but I do not think that this is necessary when using the right tomatoes. If you buy the tomatoes make sure to ask which ones are best to use for sauces as different tomatoes have different qualities. Another tip of mine when cooking with tomatoes is salt! Salt is the key to bring out the flavors in tomato sauce. Best to use is salt that is very little processed such as Himalaya salt or sea salt.

I decided to use fresh onions and garlic in this recipe as I always prefer the fresh products over the powder. I believe that the powdered spice version is a great substitute when only cooking a small amount or when wanting to spice something only a little but I personally prefer fresh vegetables. They just add more flavor and texture into the dish.

This tomato sauce could be served very well traditionally, with pasta or I do really like it with meatballs to. It can also be used to make a shakshuka or even in an Indian curry, like Tikka Masala. I like to prepare a rather big batch of it, so I can freeze it easily and just heat it up whenever I need it or am in a rush. Simply stored in the fridge it would last for about 1 ½ to 2 weeks.

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Italian Tomato Sauce (V, SF, S)

This is a very easy recipe for a traditional recipe for our loved tomato sauce. Only a few ingredients and packe with flavor to make use of the delicious red fruits that are in season right now. (Vegan, Sugarfree, Seasonal)

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Simmer Time 1 Stunde 30 Minuten
Total Time 2 Stunden
Servings 8 people
Calories 117 kcal

What you will need

  • 1,5 kg tomatoes about 4 medium to big ones
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 red onions
  • 4-5 cloves garlic
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp salt at least! Preferably sea salt
  • chili flakes as desired
  • 1/2 tbsp pepper
  • 1 handful oregano
  • 1 handful basil

How to

  1. Start by removing the green stem from the tomatoes. Then turn the tomato around so that the top side, where the stem has been is facing down. Take a sharp knife and carefully slice a small cross into the skin. This will help you later when cooking and peeling.

  2. In a pot bring water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Place the tomatoes into the pot and let them simmer for about 30-45 seconds. Flip them around and simmer for another 30-45 seconds. Take them out and transfer them into an ice bath so they cool quickly.

  3. While the tomatoes are cooling, finely peel and chop up the onion and the garlic and set them aside. Peel the carrots and chop it up along with the celery. Heat up the olive oil in a big pot. When hot add the onion and garlic and let sweat for about 2 minutes on medium heat.

  4. Take the tomtatoes out of the ice bath and you will notice that the skin has taken off a little where you have cut the tomatoes before. You can now easily peel of the skin, you wont need it anymore. Cut the tomatoes into chunks and add them to the other vegetables in the pot. Let that simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

    When the liquid has reduced and thickend pour the cooked tomato-vegetable mix into a blender. If you prefer to have some tomatoe chunks in you sauce, then reserve some of them and set them aside. Blend the rest until smooth and pour back into the pot along with the chunks if you reserved some. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, oregano, and chili.

    Let the sauce simmer at low heat for another 45 minutes at least. The longer the sauce simmers, the more the flavor will come out, this can be simmered for several hours if the time is available.

    A few minutes before chop up the basil and add into the sauce. The sauce can be served with pasta, rice, meatballs or anything you like. The sauce can be stored in the fridge for about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks. It can be kept in the fridge for several months, just thaw before using and heat it up again.

  5. I hope that you will enjoy the recipe!