Ingredients

about 6 handfuls (or 250 g) of fresh spinach, cleaned
200 g cooked chickpeas
the juice and grated zest of 1 organic lemon
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 small handful of chives, cleaned and chopped
1 large tablespoon tahin
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon and a half ginger powder
whole sea salt, just enought to taste
about 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 small red chili pepper, cleaned and sliced

Makes 1 bowl. 

Directions

Blanch the spinach in lightly salted and boiling water, for around 1 minute. Drain well and set aside to cool. Save the cooking water. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice and zest, garlic and chives and blend just until mixed. Add the tahin, olive oil, spice and a little salt. For a creamy texture, pour some of the water you saved, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until the hummus reaches the smoothness you prefer.
Transfer into a bowl, let it cool in the refrigerator before finishing with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of poppy seeds and the sliced chili. Serve with your favourite accompaniment, from pitta bread to piadina (or pane carasau. Sardinian bread).

Ingredients

250 g tempeh, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons turmeric powder
1 tablespoon curry powder
Himalayan salt, just enough to taste
extra virgin olive oil, just enough to taste
1 garlic clove, peeled
150 g black Venus rice
1 bunch of fresh asparagus, cleaned and cut into pieces
sesame oil, just enough to taste
the juice of 2-3 cm fresh ginger root (peeled, minced and squeezed)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
sesame seeds, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Place the tempeh cubes in a bowl, season with turmeric, curry, salt, olive oil and garlic and toss. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. Cook the rice and drain it when it’s al dente. Set aside. Blanch the asparagus in boiling and lightly salted water for 2 minutes, drain (you might want to rinse them under cold running water) and pat dry them with kitchen paper.
After the tempeh has marinated, heat a heavy-bottomed pan and cook  the tempeh with its marinade for a few minutes, over a medium heat, stirring now and then (you can remove the garlic at this point). In another heavy-bottomed pan, or in a wok, stir-fry the rice and asparagus in the sesame oil, over a medium-high heat. add the ginger and lemon juice and keep cooking for around 2 minutes, then stir in the tempeh. Remove from the heat, toss and add the sesame seeds.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

You can serve the rice right in the wok, or transfer it into a salad bowl. It’s excellent warm, but also at room temperature and even cold.

Ingredients

200 g dark chocolate (70% cacao), preferably fairtrade
3 tablespoons cashew butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons orange jam (with no added sugar), at room temperature
1 organic orange, washed
half a teaspoon dried ginger powder (and some more to roll the truffles)
100-110 g almond meal
cocoa powder (with no added sugar), just enough to taste
powdered sugar (from brown sugar), just enough to taste

Makes about 30 truffles.

Directions

Using a large bowl, melt the chocolate in a bain marie. Grate the zest of the orange and set aside. As soon as the chocolate has melted, stir in the cashew butter, orange jam, grated orange zest and mix well. Add the ginger powder and almond meal and mix again until combined. Transfer into the fridge or freezer until set. Roll into small balls and then roll them in a cocoa powder-ginger powder mixture or in a powdered sugar-ginger powder mixture. Chill again until ready to serve.

Ingredients

2 chili peppers, cleaned and julienned
6-7 cm ginger root, peeled and juiced
the juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon agave syrup
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
1 small spring onion, cleaned and sliced
150 g thai rice
1 broccoli head, divided into florets
4-5 champignons, cleaned
2 handfuls peanuts, toasted and salted
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon rice malt syrup
1 teaspoon rice miso
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
half a teaspoon dried ginger powder

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Place the chili peppers in a jar, add the ginger juice, lemon juice, agave syrup and salt, mix and secure with the lid. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Remove form the firdge, add the spring onion, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and until almost ready to serve. Cook the rice. In the meantime, blanch the broccoli florets in boling salted water until bright green and slightly softened. Drain and set aside. Separate the chili and onion from the juice, transfer them into a bowl and set aside. Keep the juice in the jar and stir in the mirin, rice vinegar, rice malt syrup, rice miso, toasted sesame oil and ginger powder. Seal with the lid and shake to combine. Slice the champignons and drizzle with a little lemon juice. As soon as the rice is cooked al dente (it should have absorbed all the water, if not, drain it), divide it into the individual serving plates or bowls, add the broccoli, the mushrooms, the peanuts, the chili and onion and pour the lemon-ginger-miso sauce on top. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

600 g watermelon pulp (seeds removed), broken into pieces
1 medium zucchini, cleaned and cut into pieces
1 tomato, cleaned and seeds removed and cut into pieces
1 small red onion, peeled, cut into small pieces
the juice of 6 cm fresh ginger root, cleaned, grated and squeezed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
the juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon shoyu
half a teaspoon dried ginger powder
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Makes 3-4 servings.

Directions

In a blender, puree all the ingredients until you reach te desired texture. Transfer into a bowl and refirgerate for at least 1 hour, taste again for seasoning then divide the soup among serving bowls. Serve chilled.

Ingredients

350 g plain seitan, thinly sliced
the juice of 1 lemon
the juice of 1 orange
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
a handful of fresh coriander, cleaned and chopped
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
3 cm fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
freshly grond white pepper, to taste

Makes 3-4 servings.

Directions

Put the sliced seitan in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil,  chopped fresh coriander, salt, garlic, fresh ginger and powdered ginger. Pour the vinaigrette over the seitan, transfer into the fridge and  let marinate for 18-20 hours, mixing now and then. Serve cold or at room temperature with vegetables such as zucchini and tomatoes.

Ingredients

200 g cleaned cherries
300 g cleaned strawberries, cut into quarters
the juice of half a lemon
the juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon naturale vanilla extract
2 tablespoons molasses (from whole cane sugar)
the juice of 2 cm cleaned and grated fresh ginger root
4-5 fresh mint leaves, cleaned and chopped
1/4 teaspoon of powdered cloves

Makes 2-3 servings.

Directions

Stone the cherries and cut them into halves or quarters then place them in a salad bowl with the strawberries. Add the lemon juice and orange juice, vanilla extract, molasses and ginger juice and stir. Stir in the mint and cloves and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Ingredients

1 carrot, cleaned and grated
2 tablespoons powdered (finely ground) golden flax seeds
130 g almonds, peeled and coarsely ground
a handful of raisins, soaked in filtered water for about 10 minutes then drained
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
half a teaspoon grated nutmeg
half a teaspoon cardamom
a few pinches of vanilla powder
3 teaspoons raw almond butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
15 g coconut butter, softened
60 g agave syrup

Makes 15 treats.

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. When you have a homogeneous mixture, wet your hands, form into shaped cookies and dehydrate 10-12 hours or until the desired dryness is reached. This is a moist dough and it might take a while to dehydrate (dehydrating times also depend on the thickness of the dough). If you like these treats to be a little moist, you can certainly reduce the dehydrating time and store them in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

250 g peeled potatoes
1 large zucchini, cleaned and cut into pieces
1 clove of garlic, peeled and cut into halves
2-3 cm fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons shoyu
a pinch of Himalayan salt
freshly ground white pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
200 ml unsweetened and unflavoured oat milk
150 g plain tofu
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
3 teaspoons mild curry powder
a handful of fresh basil, cleaned
a few fresh thyme sprigs, cleaned
4 teaspoons agar agar powder mixed with 100 ml unsweetened and unflavoured oat milk
50-60 g vegan ham, chopped

Makes 4 servings (or a 25 cm long terrine).

Directions

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water. In the meantime, sauté the zucchini with the garlic and ginger in the olive oil and shoyu over medium heat. Season with the salt and pepper, stir and keep cooking until the zucchini are almost soft. Remove from heat and set aside. When the potatoes are ready, drain them and transfer into the bowl of a blender. Stir the vegetable stock powder into the (200 ml) oat milk and pour the mixture over the potatoes. Add the tofu, nutritional yeast and curry powder and blend until smooth. Throw in the basil and thyme, blend again for a little while and transfer the mixture into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Simmer over low heat for around 5 minutes then add the agar agar mixture, keep cooking for another 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, add the zucchini and vegan ham, stir well and transfer into a terrine mold and let cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours. You can transfer then the terrine into the fridge until serving time or serve, sliced, at room temperature.

Ingredients

1 handful of fresh parsley, cleaned and chopped
a 3 cm piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
a 1-2 cm piece of a fresh chilli, cleaned and chopped
1 handful hazelnuts, shelled and chopped
a 2-3 cm piece of a fresh spring onion, cleaned and chopped
1 tablespoon nori flakes
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon shoyu
1 tablespoon lemon juice
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 tablespoon filtered water
1 white beet, cleaned and cut into thin slices
raw hazelnut oil, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

In a bowl, mix very well all ingredients except the beet slices and hazelnut oil. Arrange the beet on a plate, garnish with the hazelnut mixture and drizzle with the hazelnut oil before serving.

Ingredients

6 sweet, organic oranges, cleaned
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
a 6 cm piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
400 g rice malt syrup
250 g muscovado sugar

Makes 4 small jars.

Directions

Prepare the oranges by peeling them and discarding the white bitter skin. Save the peel. Chop the orange pulp -removing any seeds-, chop the peel and place the prepared oranges in a heavy steel saucepan. Add the vanilla powder, the ginger and toss. Stir in the rice malt syrup and muscovado sugar and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Change heat to low and simmer for around 40 minutes, or until the jam is rather thick. Stir constantly to keep the jam from sticking to the saucepan. When the jam has reached setting point, remove from the heat and fill the sterilized jars. Use a damp cloth to wipe the jar rims, let cool and seal with sterilized lids. Store the jam in the refrigerator or in another cool place.

Ingredients

For the crust

15 g coconut butter
20-25 g cacao butter
40 g vegan sugarfree cookies, processed into very fine crumbs
a 2-3 cm piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated or finely chopped
a pinch of whole sea salt

For the creamy filling

120 g labneh/creamy yogurt vegan/veggie cheese (let drain for 20-24 hours about 400 of unflavoured and unsweetened soy yogurt with a few pinches of whole sea salt, all wrapped in a cheesecloth over a strainer)
1 teaspoon ginger juice
50 g cacao butter, to be melted
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
a few pinches of vanilla powder

For the sauce

the juice of 1 pomegranate
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons cold filtered water

To complete

pomegranate kernels
dark chocolate (preferably fairtrade) flakes or curls
powdered brown sugar

Makes 2 mini cakes.

Directions

Let the coconut butter and cacao butter soften at room temperature. Mix crumbs, coconut butter, cacao butter, ginger and salt together and press into ramekins, mini cake or muffin molds. Freeze for 30-40 minutes.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine vegan/veggie cheese, ginger juice, melted cacao butter, rice malt syrup and vanilla powder and process until smooth. Take the molds out of the freezer, fill them with the mixture and put them back in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

To make the pomegranate sauce, pour the juice and rice malt syrup in a saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil. Keep cooking until the rice malt syrup has melted. Add the cornstarch and cook until the sauce has thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, first at room temperature then in the fridge.

You can take the cakes out of the freezer 45-50 minutes before serving, or you can transfer them into the fridge until serving time. When you’re ready to serve the mini cakes, spread the pomegranate sauce (which should be completely cold) on top of the cakes. Complete with a few pomegranate kernels, the chocolate flakes and the powdered sugar and serve.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

The mini cakes can be either unmolded and placed on individual serving plates before spreading the sauce on top of them or they can be served (and garnished) in the ramekins/molds.

Ingredients

2 kg extra ripe purple plums (I used the Italian variety), cleaned
1 cup (250 ml) filtered water
the juice of 1 lemon
100 g muscovado sugar
300 g rice malt syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
2-3 cm long fresh ginger root, peeled and grated

Makes about 4 jars, 300 g each.

Directions

Divide each plum in half, taking the stones out. Transfer the fruit in a large heavy-based saucepan. Pour the water and the lemon juice, add the sugar, rice malt syrup, vanilla and ginger and toss. Let the fruit stand there for a couple of hours, then start cooking over medium heat, stirring now and then. When the plums start to soften, change heat to low and simmer for around 40 minutes, or until the jam has thickened. Stir constantly to keep the jam from sticking to the saucepan. When the jam has reached setting point, pour it into individual, clean sterilized jars. Let cool before covering each jar with a tight-fitting (and sterilized) lid. Store in a very cool and dark place (you can keep it in the fridge).

Ingredients

half a teaspoon powdered saffron
400 ml coconut milk
6-7 tablespoons rice malt syrup
3 tablespoons cashew butter
a pinch of whole sea salt
a few pinches of dried ginger powder

Makes 4 servings. 

Directions

Dissolve the saffron in the coconut milk, stirring. Combine all the ingredients in a mixer, processing until smooth. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before pouring it into your ice cream maker. Process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 40 minutes should be enough to reach a creamy, thick texture. At the end of the cycle, remove the ice cream from the machine and divide it into bowls. Eat the ice cream right away or keep it in the freezer until serving time.

Ingredients

For the apricots

700-750 g fresh and ripe apricots, cleaned, pitted and cut into thin slices
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
the juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
half a teaspoon dried ginger powder
half a teaspoon cardamom powder

For the crumble

300 g almond meal
5-6 tablespoons muscovado sugar
a few pinches of cinnamon powder
1 large tablespoon cocoa powder
a pinch of whole sea salt
70 g pure cocoa butter, melted
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon almond butter

Makes 4-6 servings.

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the apricots, rice malt syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, ginger and cardamom powder. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, muscovado, cinnamon, cocoa powder and salt. Add the cocoa butter, olive oil and almond butter and rub ingredients together using your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

Remove the apricots from the fridge, arrange the crumble randomly on top of the fruit and serve cool.

Ingredients

70-80 g semi-whole long grain rice
70-80 black venere rice
juice of half a lemon
4-5 handfuls of fresh peas (out of pod), cooked in boiling and slightly salted water for 5-7 minutes, drained, rinsed under cold running water and set aside to cool
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 zucchini, cleaned and diced
2 small handfuls of pumpkin seeds
pickled ginger (sushi ginger), chopped, to taste
sesame oil, to taste
a pinch of whole sea salt
nori flakes, to taste
fresh chives, cleaned and chopped, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Cook the long grain rice in plenty of boiling, slightly salted water. Cook the black venere rice the same way in a separate pan. Make sure the rice is still al dente when you drain it. Rinse it under cold running water and transfer it into a salad bowl. Add the lemon juice and some sesame oil and refrigerate until it’s completely cold. To assemble your rice salad, take out the rice from the fridge and add all the vegetables, the ginger, some more sesame oil, the  salt, the nori flakes and toss. Top with the chives and serve cool.

Ingredients

half a small head of cooked Romanesco broccoli (which should be about 180-200 g)
215 g cooked whole Baldo rice (which is about 150-170 g uncooked), preferably al dente
1-2 tablespoons raw sesame oil
1 tablespoons tahin
half a teaspoon powdered coriander seeds
half a teaspoon powdered cumin
half a teaspoon dried ginger powder
freshly ground black pepper, just enough to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
a small handful of parsley leaves, preferably fresh, cleaned and finely chopped
1 teaspoon cleaned and chopped chives, preferably fresh
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons ground white sesame seeds (you can grind them yourself in a spice or coffee grinder)

To complete

3 handfuls of peeled almonds
1 tablespoon flakes of nutritional yeast

Makes 16-18 balls.

Directions

Using a potato masher or fork, mash the broccoli until no large pieces remain. Transfer the broccoli mash into a large bowl, add the cooked rice, sesame oil, tahin, spices, salt, parsley, chives and sesame seeds (whole and ground) and stir well to combine all ingredients. To shape the balls, wet your hands with a little water to prevent the mixture from sticking. They should be slightly smaller than a golf ball. Set the balls aside on a sheet of parchment paper or a tray. In a coffee grinder, finely grind the almonds with the nutritional yeast. Roll the rice balls in the almond-yeast powder and serve at room temperature.

Ingredients

For the cake

200 g semi-whole wheat flour
80 g wholemeal flour
120 g almond flour
40 g unsweetened cacao powder, sifted
50 g muscovado sugar
half a teaspoon vanilla powder
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
a pinch of whole sea salt
180 g barley malt syrup
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
200 ml almond milk, unsweetened and unflavoured
100 ml almond cream (or other vegetable cream, GMO-free)

For the chocolate sauce

300 ml almond milk, unsweetened
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
2 teaspoons ginger juice
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 teaspoon dried ginger powder
a pinch of whole sea salt
3 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder, sifted
half a teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon filtered cold water

For the chocolate ganache

150 g dark chocolate (70% cacao), broken into pieces
200 g rice malt syrup
50 ml almond cream (or other vegetable cream, GMO-free)
half a teaspoon fine ground Himalayan salt

To complete

chopped candied ginger (candied with dark brown sugar), to taste
dark chocolate curls (made with a vegetable peeler dragged down one side of the chocolate block from top to bottom), to taste

Makes 16-20 squares.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180° C, lightly oil and flour a 20 cm square (stainless steel) cake pan, or alternatively, lay down a sheet of parchment paper on your cake pan. In a large bowl, sift together the semi-whole wheat flour, wholemeal flour, almond flour, cacao powder, muscovado, vanilla, cream of tartar, cornstarch and salt. Mix well.
Place the barley malt syrup, extra virgin olive oil, almond milk and almond cream in a bowl and stir well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is blended. Make sure everything is well combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes. The centre of the cake should be firm but still a little moist (use a wooden stick to check donness). Let cool before removing the cake from the pan.

To make the chocolate sauce, place the almond milk, rice malt syrup, ginger juice, vanilla extract, ginger powder and salt in a saucepan and start cooking over low heat. Add the cacao powder while you keep stirring. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then add the cornstarch and cook for another minute or until the sauce is slightly thick (don’t stop stirring while it thickens). Let cool for a few minutes but not too long as the sauce will thicken a bit further as it cools.

When the cake has cooled, remove it from the pan and cut into squares. Poke a few holes in the squares, using a fork or stick. Pour some chocolate sauce over them little by little and let it soak in. Set aside for a while, to let cool again and let the sauce make everything moist. In the meantime you can make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a saucepan together with the rice malt syrup, almond cream and Himalayan salt and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate has completely melted and everything is combined. Let cool for a bit then pour the ganache over the top of  the cake squares and garnish with the candied ginger and chocolate curls.

Ingredients

For the marinated tempeh

400 g tempeh, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons shoyu
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon ginger juice (from 2-3 cm fresh ginger root, peeled, grated and squeezed)
1 garlic clove (sprout removed), cut in quarters
filtered water

To cook the tempeh

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon shoyu
2 tablespoons filtered water
2-3 handfuls of raisins, soaked in filtered water for 5 minutes then drained and pat dried with kitchen paper
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, flakes or powder

For the cabbage

half a red cabbage, cleaned and cored, finely sliced into strips
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
apple vinegar, to taste
a pich of whole sea salt

Makes 2-4 servings.

Directions

In a bowl, combine the tempeh cubes, shoyu, rice vinegar and garlic. Add some filtered water, just enough to cover the tempeh. Cover with a lid or kitchen foil or cling film and place in the fridge. Leave to marinate for 8-12 hours.

When the tempeh is ready to be cooked, remove the cubes from the marinade (which can be used once more to marinate some extra tempeh). Heat a frying pan or wok over a high heat and add the olive oil, shoyu and water. Stir in the tempeh cubes and sauté for a couple of minutes or until the oil, shoyu and water have been absorbed. Add the raisins and the rosemary, toss and remove from the heat. Let cool slightly (I’d say 2-3 minutes). In the meantime, place the red cabbage strips in a salad bowl, add the olive oil, the apple vinegar and the salt and toss. Add the rosemary-raisin-tempeh cubes, toss again and serve.

Ingredients

For the dressing

5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon apple vinegar
2 teaspoons agave syrup
1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice
a quarter of a teaspoon dried, powdered ginger
a quarter of a teaspoon powdered vanilla
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
white pepper, just enough to taste

For the salad

1 large bunch of kale, cleaned, stems and tough ribs removed
1 large and very firm pear, cleaned, quartered lengthwise, cored and finely sliced (you can use a potato peeler to make really thin slices)
2 handfuls of shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped

Makes 2-4 servings.

Directions

Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar, secure with a lid and shake until perfectly combined. Set aside.

Break the kale leaves into slightly larger than bite-size pieces and put them into a large salad bowl, add the pear slices and the walnuts and toss. Serve with the dressing on the side, or drizzle lightly and serve.