Tropical Tapioca Pudding

This is my absolute favourite sago/tapioca recipe and with mangoes in season we have been thoroughly enjoying it lately. I have been meaning to post it since last summer but had no good pictures. Thank you so much for these awesome photos, Elyssa :) Such an easy and yummy desert!

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup tapioca pearls (sago), soaked in 1L soy milk for at least 1 hour

1 can crushed pineapple (the tin I had was 430g)

1 x 270g can coconut cream (I love the flavour of Ayam brand)

Seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla paste

3Tbs Rapadura sugar

Fresh mango, strawberries and cashew cream to serve

Cook soaked sago with vanilla, sugar and coconut cream over a low heat, stirring to prevent sticking.
Add crushed pineapple and stir through.
Pour into one large or several small bowels and chill in refrigerator

Serve with Cashew Sweet Cream  and fresh mango and strawberries. YUM!

Posted By: Natasha Mansour

RAWee Noodle salad

Salad

300 g medium rice noodles
1 clove garlic
2 inch piece of ginger
7 red cherry tomatoes
1/2 bunch basil
1 Tbs Rapadura sugar
3 Tbs Tamari
2 Tbs Sesame oil
Juice of 3 limes
6-8 Radishs
2 carrots, halved lengthways
1 medium fennel, quartered
1/4 wombok cabbage

TOPPINGS:

350g firm tofu
Tamari
Sesame oil
Sweet chilli sauce
peanuts/cashews
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves
1/2 bunch min, leaves torn

• Boil water and pour over the rice noodles and let to boil for a couple of minutes until cooked. Drain well and rinse with cold water.
• In a nonstick frypan, fry the tofu with the tamari, sesame oil and kaffir lime leaves until crisp. Place on the side for use later.
• In the nonstick fry pan, fry the broken peanuts/cashews in a TINY bit of oil OR dry fry. Place on the side for use later.
• Place the garlic, ginger, tomato, basil, sugar, tamari, sesame oil and lime juice into a food processor and process until smooth and consistency of dressings. 
• Place the slicing blade attachment onto your processor and cut the radishes, carrots fennel and cabbage.
• Place into a large bowl, using your hands mix through with the noodles. Place onto a large platter and top with the torn mint and tofu. Drizzle with sweet chilli sauce and serve immediately.

Enjoy with friends!!

 

Posted by Melissa Awde

Boost Me Up - Overnight Breakfast!

 

 About a month ago I went to stay with my good friend Stephanie. On Sabbath morning for breakfast she made an amazing overnight oat breakfast - it got me craving!

Serves 4

1 cup of rolled oats (I used '5 grain goodness' which is 5 different rolled grains)

4 Tbsp Black Chia Seeds

3 1/2 cups of Almond Milk (I made my own)

1 tsp Natvia (from the Stevia plant)

• Mix all ingredients together and put in the fridge overnight.

TOPPINGS:

• Walnuts - soak overnight 
• Fruit Salad - Rockmelon, Strawberries, Nashi Pear cut into small chunks and mixed through with a tin of passionfruit pulp.
• Pear Cream - 1x 800g tin pears in natural juice, 1 cups raw cashews, 1 vanilla bean seeds, juice of 1 lemon and 1 tsp Natvia. Blend altogether until smooth.

TO SERVE:

Scoop your overnight oats into a nice serving dish/glass, top with fruit salad, pear cream and then soaked walnuts. YUMMY!!

Posted by Melissa Awde

Green Quinoa with Mango and Avocado

Summer is starting, so along with that, the salad craving is starting!! This salad is amazing - exactly what I wanted it to be. Do NOT skip the mango!

Serves 4-6

1 cup Quinoa

100g baby spinach

1 bunch coriandesr

1 bunch mint

3 shallots

2 limes, juiced

2 Tbs olive oil

2 tsp Celtic salt

1 mango diced into SMALL 1cm cubes

1 avocado diced into SMALL 1cm cubes
400g tofu, chopped into 1-2 cm cubes
1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika powder

1 Tbs tamari

olive oil

• Place the quinoa and 1and 3/4 cup of hot water into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer and keep covered. Should be cooked within 12-15mins when all the water is absorbed. :Let the quinoa cool down before proceeding to the next step.
• In a food processor place the spinach, mint, coriander and shallots. Pulse/process until all chopped up.
• Combine the quinoa, green mixture, lime juice, olive oil and salt. Mix well with your hands. Spread out on a nice platter.
• Gently mix through the mango and avocado with the quinoa.
• Pour a little olive oil into a non-stick frypan, Add the tofu, tamari and sweet paprika. Let it fry until golden brown. Place the tofu on top of the salad and admire a beautiful and tasty salad!

Posted by Melissa Awde

Beans in a Garlic Cream Sauce served on Brown Basmati

WE ARE BACK!! The last 6 months has been VERY busy for our families, with lots of travel for us all. But now we are back, and slowly getting into the swing of things again. We are looking forward to sharing more yummy recipes again.

This dish was a real treat to eat and very gourmet - especially after eating so much bread on our travels.


Serves 6

Ingredients:
1-2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, diced finely
1 large red capsicum, diced
2 tsp celtic salt
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups cannellini beans (or another bean of your choice)
1 batch of Garlic Cream Sauce

 'Garlic Cream Sauce'
1 cup raw cashews
2 cups water
2 tsp celtic salt
3 tsp stock powder
1 small onion
1 Tbs yeast flakes
2 large cloves garlic (or more)
2 Tbs cornflour (starch)
1 1/2 cups water, extra

• Fry the onion, capsicum and salt in the olive oil until the capsicum and onion softens. Then add the green peas and cannellini beans until cooked through.
• For the sauce: Place all the ingredients into a blender, except the extra 1 1/2 cups water and blend on high for up to 2 minutes until no particles are felt. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups water and blend to combine. Pour into a saucepan and heat, stiring constantly until the mixture thickens (few minutes).
• Add the sauce to the vegetables and stir well to combine.
• Serve on brown basmati rice with a side salad. Enjoy!

Posted by Melissa Awde

Kids in the Kitchen!!

Children love to be in the kitchen - even boys! Make cooking enjoyable and fun: it's an art that can be learnt by all.

The other day Marco (5 years old) said to me, "I can't wait to be a big man, build all day and then go home and cook for myself". Bless him!!

As you can see, this is rather simple. All you need is:

Carrot, peeled and cut in circles and then cut to make the flower bud

Cucumber, peeled and cut into circles and halved. Cutting in to make the petals.

And TOOTHPICKS!

Loads of fun + fine motor skill training!

Creamed Rice

I needed to come up with a yummy, quick hot breakfast the other day and this turned out to be quite popular. You could also serve it as a desert. Happy cooking :)

INGREDIENTS

I cup medium/short grain brown rice

2 cups Soy Milk

1 cup water

1 x 270ml can coconut cream

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/4 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste 

• Place rice, water, salt, vanilla and 1 cup milk into saucepan. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook for about 30-40 minutes, until liquid is almost absorbed.
• Add all remaining ingredients and continue to simmer, stirring regularly for a further 20 minutes or until rice is soft.
• Serve with fresh fruit and enjoy.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Posted by: Natasha Mansour

Chickpea Delish Patties

 

I have never been much of a fan of 'patties', but today I have changed my mind. These patties are so tasty with a BANG of lemon and herb flavour and did I mention GLUTEN FREE?! These didn't even make it onto a sandwich or roll, as I enjoyed them as they were with my salad.

Make approximately 25 patties.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked chickpeas

1/2 cup torn parsley leaves, packed

3/4 cup coriander, roughly chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3-4 Tbs lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp celtic salt

1/2 cup besan/millet flour

1/2 cup besan millet flour with a little salt to coat your patties

Oil for frying

• In a food processor combine the chickpeas, pasley, coriander, onion, lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, coriander, cumin and salt. Process until well combined, scraping down the sides of the processor bowl as needed. Add the 1/2 cup flour and process through until combined. You may place the mixture in the fridge for about 30 minutes or if the mixture if firm enough to handle you can proceed to the next step.
• With moist hands, take spoonfuls of mixture (1-2 Tbs), roll it into a ball and coat with the flour, lightly pressing it down to form a shape of a patty.
• Lightly oil a non-stick pan and let it heat up before cooking your patties. Cook each patty on each side for approximately 5 minutes or until golden brown.
• Enjoy - and try not to eat them before they get to the table :o)

"Cast all you cares upon Him, for He careth for YOU!"

Posted by Melissa Awde

Caesar Salad

 

This would have to be our all time favourite salad - really!! Tash and I are currently without our husbands as they are on an overseas work trip so we could think of no other way to cheer ourselves up then making this scrumptious salad and sitting outside in the sun. All that was missing was the sound of waves!

Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

1 Cos lettuce sliced thickly

4 handfuls Rocket leaves

1 block of Tofu, cut into rectangular shaped pieces

•  In a non-stick frypan, pour a little olive oil and let it heat up. Add the Tofu cubes, a little salt, Tamari and garlic/onion powder and let it fry until lightly browned on both sides. Remove and let cool

6 slices Sourdough Bread cut into rectangles for croutons

•  Line 2 trays with baking paper and place the cubes of bread on to it. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle a little salt and onion/garlic powder if you like. Put in a oven on 180 degrees celsius for about 5 or more minutes. You want to take them out when they are JUST starting to golden, NOT go brown. They will dry up and harden as they cool down.

1 recipe of 'All Purpose Tahini Sauce'

In a blender put:

1 small onion

2 cloves Garlic

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 Tbs Tamari

1/3 cup Hulled Tahini

1 Tbs Honey

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup water

Blend all together until smooth.

All you need to do now is mix the lettuce and rocket together. Put some tofu and croutons on top and drizzle the dressing all over. Mmmmm.... enjoy!!

 

Fried Potato with Sumac and Coriander

Recently Imad (my husband) has been talking about a dish his mother use to make for him in Lebanon whilst growing up. So for dinner last night we made it and the boys just LOVED it. Super easy and quick for something on the side.

Ingredients:
(Essential - Non Stick Frypan)
 
4 medium potatos, diced into 1cm cubes
2-3 tsp Sumac ( In your local supermarket these days. If not, try your local deli or Arabic store)
2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup fresh chopped Coriander, chopped finely including the stems
Splash of Olive Oil

• Heat up the olive oil in your non-stick fry pan and then add the salt and let cook on medium-high heat. Do not stir often as you want it to brown and crisp as much as possible on each side. This may take a little while, approx 10-15 minutes.
• When the potato are soft and have started to brown add the Sumac. Continue to fry for a few minutes more.
• Add the chopped Coriander just before serving and stir and heat through.
• Serve with love and your have a beautiful dish!

Posted by Melissa Awde

Garden Vegetables on Polenta

When I was a little girl, you would often find me sitting in a fruit tree or in the midst of the cucumber patch having a feast. When we had another family come we would take great delight in visiting with other children and leading them through the garden sharing with them as we went. I have many a memory of the look of utter shock when we arrived back to the adults and parents saw their children chewing on a leaf of kale or parsley! “They would never eat that at home!” they would exclaim. Wow, they had really been missing out. I had the pleasure of eating it every day! So now although our garden is much smaller than the one my dear Mother kept, I still just LOVE eating from our garden! At present, we still have eggplant and loads of basil and the choko vine is going wild! So here is our breakfast from this morning…

THE VEGETABLES

1 large onion, diced

1 medium eggplant, or 4-6 finger eggplants, chopped

1 large choko/zucchini, cut into small pieces (I normally use Zucchini but I have a surplus of choko at the moment and it worked really well)

1 red capsicum (bell pepper), diced

1 large bunch fresh basil, chopped

2 tsp celtic sea salt

4-6 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

1, 400g tin diced tomatoes (I use fresh ones when I have excess)

Olive oil for frying

Fry onion and vegetables in olive oil until soft, then add tinned tomato and leave to simmer while polenta cooks or for about 5-10 minutes.

Finally, add salt, fresh basil and crushed garlic and stir through and simmer for a further 2 minutes

FOR THE POLENTA

2 cups polenta

8 cups water

3 tsp herb salt

1 Tbs onion powder

Dash of olive oil

Bring water to the boil. Add olive oil and seasonings. Slowly pour in polenta, while stirring. Lower heat, cover and leave to simmer, stirring occasionally until cooked. The polenta should be thick and feel soft when squashed between your fingers. Once cooked add about 2Tbs olive oil and stir through for a nicer flavour.

Serve and Enjoy!

 

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

(Genesis 2:15)

 Posted By: Natasha Mansour

RAW Fudge Brownie

Ahhhh-mazing!! To think that this is raw?! I was first introduced to this type of slice at a friends baby shower, and to say the least, you couldn't remove me from the food table after my first taste! 

Serves 12 (or 1)

Base:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 cup soaked dates, pitted (make sure that the dates are very soft after sitting in the water for about an hour)
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼  cup carob powder
sea salt

• Process walnuts and almonds in a food processor until roughly chopped.
• Add the dates, vanilla, carob powder and sea salt.  Process again until combined. If the mix is a little dry, add a little water or orange juice (1-2 tablespoons) then process again.  The mix should come together when pressed with your fingers
• Line a small rectangle tray with baking paper and press the brownie mix into it evenly. It should be between 1 - 1.5 cm thick.

Frosting:
½ cup macadamia nut butter / whizzed up macadamias and water to make up 1/2 a cup of paste
½ cup soaked dates
1 tsp vanilla extract 
Pinch of sea salt

• Combine macadamia nut butter, dates, vanilla and sea salt. Process until combined. 
• Spread the frosting evenly over the brownie.
• Place in a fridge for at least 1 hour before serving as it's delish if cold.

ENJOY!!

Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  

1 Peter 4:9, 10
 

Posted by Melissa Awde

RAW Creamy Caulflower Salad

 

I have fond memories of this salad from my raw days, so I thought I would experiment a little for dinner and 'WULLAH', out came this delicious dish. Well it must of been kind of yummy because Imad my dear husband went out and bought 6 cauliflowers!!! If the garlic and lemon is too much for your liking, use a little less.

Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

1 Small Cauliflower, cut into small florets (roughly between 4-5 cups)

1 cup raw cashews

1 tsp celtic salt

4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup + 1 Tbs lemon juice

1/2 red capsicum, sliced thinly

1/2 cup mint leaves, sliced thinly

• In a high speed blender, blend the cashews until broken up into crumbs.
• Add the salt, garlic and water. Blend well until smooth.
• While the blender is still on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
• Continue to slowly drizzle in the lemon juice with the blender still on
• In a bowl, combine the cauliflower, red capsicum, mint and cashew sauce. Stir together carefully and enjoy!

"For His merciful kindness is great toward us."    Psalm 117:2 

Posted by Melissa Awde

RAW Chia and Coconut Pudding

A couple of years ago I had a few small health issues so I decided to take the plunge and go RAW. I thought I would only do it for a month, but that month became almost 12!! Besides feeling great, my skin was glowing and I had a heap of energy.

So after baby number 3 (feeling tired, no comments of my skin glowing, and a few kgs to lose), I have decided it's time for us all to do a little more RAW. This was our first raw breakfast into our journey - it was DELISH!! Super easy and quick too :o)


Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 young coconut (the ones which are white and look like a type of pyramid)
1/3 cup raw cashews
1/2 mango
1 ripe pear
1/3 cup raw agave
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste from bean
3 Tbs chia seeds

• Crack open the coconut and pour the coconut juice into a blender. Scoop out the flesh and place that in the blender too. Whiz on high until smooth.
• Add the cashews to the coconut and blend on high until smooth.
• Add the mango, pear, agave and vanilla and blend together.
• Lastly, add the chia seeds and blend for a about 10 seconds until well blended through. Let the pudding sit for about 10 minutes and serve with fresh fruit and Cashew Cream.

Enjoy eating a LIVING breakfast - yummy!!

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised."     Psalm 48:1

Posted by Melissa Awde

Quinoa Summer Salad with Sundried tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Corn and Rocket.

This has been a favourite salad in the warm summer months. With all the fresh summer produce available, this summer salad is a real treat to make at the moment. How I wish summer would continue a little longer. Oh, by the way, did I mention that quinoa has the highest amount of protein of all the grains; so eat up!

Ingredients:

2c                    Quinoa, uncooked

4c                    Boiling Water

2t                     Salt

1/3 cup            Olive Oil

1/3 cup            Lemon juice

1 Tbs              Tamari / soy sauce

2/3 cup            Sundried tomatoes, diced

2/3 cup            Kalamata olives, diced

1 x 400g tin    Corn Kernels

1 cup               Red Capsicum, diced

1 cup               Mint leaves, chopped finely

Bunch of Rocket leaves, chopped

  

•  Add the water and salt to the quinoa in a saucepan and bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and let cook for 15 minutes. Take off the stove and let cool for a few minutes.
• Add the olive oil, lemon juice and tamari to the quinoa and fold through gently.
• Add the sundried tomatoes, olives, corn and capsicum and fold through gently.
• Finally add the mint leaves and rocket! Mmmmmm…

Note: I often like to put other greens such as chard, spinach, kale, etc, through the salad with a little cayenne pepper. Substitute ingredients to your taste.

Posted by Melissa Awde

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers:"         Psalm 1:1