CHOC BANANA POPSICLES / ICE CREAM

I've tweaked this recipe several times over the past few weeks and feel that the below ingredient list is at its best. Half an avocado is a necessity, as it makes the mixture creamy and smooth. A frozen banana (or 2 small) is almost a must for creating the ice cream consistency. I like to use 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk and 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk for a delicious flavour, however any almond milk would do. My fiancee and I love these choc banana popsicles, as they taste like a guilt-free ice cream and have been cooling us down over the past few steamy days! 

Ingredients

• 1 large frozen banana or 2 small frozen bananas
• 2 heaped tablespoons cacao powder
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 a medium avocado 
• 1 tablespoon organic maple syrup
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup water 
• 6 ice block / popsicle moulds

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in a good blender. Blend on a high setting until smooth and all ingredients are well combined. You may need to add more water if the mixture is too thick. 

2. Pour the mixture evenly into 6 ice block/ popsicle moulds and place in the freezer for a minimum of 3 hours. 

To eat- run the mould under hot water for a few seconds to loosen the popsicle. 

Makes / 6 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes 

Total Freezing time / minimum of 3 hours 

x Emily 

SIMPLE PORK & SILVERBEET on BROWN RICE

Silver beet or swiss chard as it is also called, is all around at the moment and is selling at an uber cheap price. Silver beet has an earthy flavour and is a great source of fibre, folate and vitamins A and C. This vegetable tastes delicious with garlic, herbs, chilli and/or lemon. This is my go-to dish whenever I want to make a no-fuss dinner for myself and Chris. Chris added a splash of soy sauce to his dish (what is it with men and adding sauce to things?) however I think it is delicious with just the garlic, chilli flakes, spring onions and pepper. Just a quick note; the amount of rice per serving is meant to be small, so don't worry if it looks tiny, as the silver beet & pork will fill you up. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice 
• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 500g extra lean or organic pork mince 
• 1 bunch of silver beet, white stalks removed, leaves washed & shredded 
• Optional- 1 spring onion, roughly chopped & a sprinkle of chilli flakes

Cooking 

1. Place the rice and 2 cups of water in a small to medium saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Once boiled, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. 

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir well for 1 minute, then add the pork mince. Cook the pork mince for 5 minutes or until it is just cooked, breaking up all the lumps. 

3. Add the shredded silver beet to the pork and cover with a lid. Leave the silver beet for 2-3 minutes or until it has just wilted, then remove the lid and stir well to combine. Sprinkle with a generous dash of ground black pepper. 

Divide the rice into 4 servings, then add the silver beet & pork and  sprinkle spring onions and chilli flakes on top, if desired. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30-35 minutes 

x Emily 

ACTIVATED OATS

There is a new craze sweeping the health food industry: Activated Oats. You may wonder why plain old oats are not considered good enough to eat anymore. The reason: grains and therefore raw oats contain phytic acid, which is difficult for our digestive systems to break down. As many people around the world have sensitive digestive systems, consuming grains or nuts, beans or seeds without first soaking (or activating them) can cause digestive distress. And we all know that our overall health begins and ends with our gut health. Simply cooking your oats will reduce the amount of phytic acid to some degree, however soaking/activating the oats in warm water and an acidic ingredient is a much more effective way to break down and negate this acid. Soaking raw oats between 8-24 hours is advised to improve their health benefits. 

Ingredients


Activated oats

• 3 cups raw oats
• 9 cups warm water (or enough to cover the oats with room for the oats to swell)
• 3 tablespoons acidic medium (white or apple cider vinegar, yogurt, lemon juice)
• pinch of sea salt 

Toppings

• 2 heaped teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/3 cups unsweetened almond milk
• fresh or dried fruit such as sultanas or apple 

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Cover tightly with glad wrap and soak for 8-24 hours (the longer you can soak the oats for the better!). 

2. Drain the oats in a colander and rinse very well with cold water. 

3. Combine the oats with the cinnamon and milk and stir well to combine. Keep in the fridge and serve chilled with fresh or dried fruit. 

Makes / enough for 5 servings of 3/4 cup

x Emily 

NOODLES with SESAME SWEET POTATO & SWEET SOY SAUCE

I've made this recipe a few times, using slightly different ingredients each time. You may notice this as the photo above does not exactly match the recipe (no red cabbage is in the picture above and I used soba noodles instead of vermicelli). The point of this was to show you how versatile the recipes featured on Soulful Sandwiches can be. I want you to use the recipes here as a base and then work with what is in your fridge / freezer / pantry. I love brown rice vermicelli or soba noodles in this dish. I adore tofu with noodles but if its not in your fridge don't stress: you could use red cabbage or broccoli to pump up the dish. I love sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) and it goes wonderful with the slightly sticky sesame sweet potato. And lastly, get your hands on some black sesame seeds: they are the bomb! 

Ingredients

Noodles 

• 200g brown rice vermicelli noodles OR 270g soba noodles 
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 heaped teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed 
• 1 large sweet potato (450-500g), peeled & chopped into thin even slices
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce 
• 2 cups red cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 generous handfuls of baby spinach 
• 200g firm tofu, sliced into 1cm thin slices 
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped, plus extra to serve 
• Optional: a handful of fresh coriander leaves 

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons gluten-free kecap manis
• 1 tablespoon soy suace
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• a splash or 2 of water to thin 

Cooking 

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Add the noodles (whichever type you are using) and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the noodles, until just tender. Remove from heat and drain under cold water in a colander. Set aside. 

2. Meanwhile, heat and swirl the sesame oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the ginger, chilli and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the sweet potato slices to the wok along with the soy sauce and stir well to coat the potato. Place a lid over the sweet potato and leave covered for 2 minutes at a time. Remove the lid every 2 minutes and toss the sweet potato. After 6 minutes, add the red cabbage to the wok and cover for 2-3 minutes or until the cabbage is just tender. 

3. Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients and stirring well. Add more water if you would like the consistency of the sauce to be thinner. 

4. Add the baby spinach to the wok, toss and cover for 1 minute or until wilted. Add the cooked noodles, the tofu, sesame seeds and spring onions and toss well to combine for a few minutes or until the tofu is just cooked. Remove from heat. 

Divide into four bowls, pouring the sauce on top and stirring it in. Garnish with coriander leaves and extra chopped spring onions, if desired. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15-20 minutes 

x Emily 

BLUEBERRY & MILK ICE BLOCKS

Since spring hit Brisbane, I have been experimenting with creating homemade ice blocks. Theres something about an ice block that makes me think 'treat'. This recipe initially had 2 layers; the first layer was the blueberry & almond milk and the 2nd layer frozen banana, ice cubes and vanilla extract. I actually found that the blueberry flavour was nicer and more refreshing than the banana, hence why I settled on pure blueberry. I highly recommend that you invest in some ice block moulds (they usually come in a package of 6) for summer, as there are infinite ice block and ice cream flavours you can make! I have personally tried my hand at banana, mango, watermelon and now blueberry. Watch this space for more healthy ice block / ice cream recipes...I feel a raspberry ice cream coming soon! 

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 3/4 cup reduced fat cow's milk (or lactose-free, soy or unsweetened almond milk if dairy intolerant) 
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup 

Method

1. Place the ingredients in a blender and blend until the mixture is soft and combined. Carefully pour the mixture into 6 ice block moulds, filling each mould to the top. 

2. Place in the freezer for a minimum of 45 minutes- to 1 hour to freeze. Remove from the freezer a few minutes prior to eating them or run the ice block moulds until hot water to loosen them from their moulds. 

Makes / 6 
Total Preparation time / 5 minutes, plus freezing time 

x Emily 

VEGETABLE, TOFU & COCONUT CURRY

I love curries and am a little sad that the warm weather is upon us, as I feel that I did not make enough curries throughout winter. I had so many vegetables in the fridge this afternoon that I decided to whip up a purely vegetable curry. I didn't use any rice as I will be eating this meal late at night after work and am trying to limit my complex carbs after lunch. If you want more flavour, feel free to add chilli flakes, chilli powder, ground coriander and/or other spices in step 1 of cooking. The Indian spice blend garam masala is a great way to pack lots of spices in to a dish without adding numerous individual spices, as it often contains a combination of turmeric, black & white peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and ground cumin. Garam masala can be found in all major supermarkets. (This recipe has been loosely based on a Michelle Bridges recipe). 

Ingredients

• 1 heaped teaspoon coconut oil / rice bran oil 
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
• 1 large sweet potato (450g), chopped into even 2-3cm pieces 
• 2 medium carrots (175g), chopped into even 2-3cm pieces
• Optional - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• water
• 1 x 400ml light or full fat coconut milk
• 2 heads of broccoli (400g), stalks and florets chopped
• 1 large zucchini (230g), chopped into even 3cm pieces
• 250g firm tofu, sliced into even small pieces
• Optional- 2 finely chopped green onions, to garnish and / or fresh coriander leaves. 

Cooking 

1. Heat the oil in a large deep saucepan over low-medium heat and swirl to coat the pan. Add the curry powder, garam masala and garlic and stir constantly until it makes a runny paste. 

2. Add the sweet potato, carrots and thyme if using to the pan and stir well to coat with the paste. Pour in half of the coconut milk (200ml) and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, covered, then reduce the heat to low and cook for around 8-10 minutes or until the potato and carrot is just tender. 

3. Add the broccoli and zucchini to the pan and stir well. Add the rest of the coconut milk and more water if you like. Cover and cook for 3 minutes or until the broccoli and zucchini is just tender. 

4. Add the tofu to the pan and stir well to combine, seasoning with sea salt and ground black pepper. Remove from heat and divide into four bowls. Top with chopped green onions and/or fresh coriander leaves, if desired. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / approximately 20 minutes 

x Emily 

CORN & ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

I love eating corn fritters whenever I am out for breakfast. Whenever I spy them on a menu, I cannot be persuaded to order anything else. After eating a delightful lunch of corn & zucchini fritters at a restaurant in Kirra last Friday inspiration struck me on Sunday to create my own. I have made my fritters gluten and dairy free, however you could use dairy milk and flour that is not gluten free. If you do not like corn you could use chickpeas or more zucchini and/or carrot as a filler. The herbs below are just a suggestion as is the ground coriander. I would recommend using a spice or two when you make corn fritters or you do run the risk of them tasting a little bland. 

Ingredients

• 300g zucchini, grated
• 260g fresh corn or 1 x 400g canned corn 
• Optional: 100g carrot, grated
• 2 free-range eggs, lighten beaten
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or other milk
• 1/2 cup gluten-free plain flour
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, coriander and/or chives 
• rice bran oil 
• Optional toppings: diced avocado, baby spinach, extra herbs, diced tomato or combine all these toppings into a side salad 

Cooking 

1. Wrap the grated zucchini in a thin tea towel or muslin cloth and squeeze out the excess moisture into a bowl or sink. 

2. Place the zucchini, corn, carrot (if using), eggs, milk, flour, ground coriander, herbs and ground black pepper in a large bowl and mix well to combine. 

3. Heat 1 teaspoon rice bran oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and swirl to coat. Use a 1/4 cup as a measurement for each fritter. Place the mixture in the pan and pat down with a spatula. Make sure not to crowd the fritters. Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Remove from heat and repeat until all the fritters are cooked, only adding more oil if needed. Serve warm with any or all of the toppings listed above in the Ingredients section. 

Makes / 12  
Serves / 4 / 3 fritters each 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes

Total Cooking time / around 20 minutes 

x Emily