Rice Crispy Treats

These were always one of my favourites as a child, I used to love getting all messy making them, and sneaking tastes from the bowl when the adults weren't watching! Actually, even at 24, they are still one of my favourites, but now, I just don't have an adult frowning at me for pinching the gooey yumminess... I'm allowed to sneak tastes freely! I haven't had them for a while, I just didn't think they would be something I would be able to eat being a gluten free vegan. But, stumbling upon the gluten free rice cereal at the market got me thinking how much I missed them,  and after quite a few batches, I think I've come up with a recipe that is so yummy, you actually can't tell the difference!

Ingredients

• 8 cups gluten free rice cereal
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/2 cup gluten free vegan marshmallows
• 1 tablespoon gluten free vanilla extract

Directions

1. Line a square/rectangle cake pan with baking parchment paper.
2. Pour the rice cereal in a really large bowl, (you need enough mixing room not to spill any).
3. Over a low-medium heat, in a large saucepan, combine the almond butter & brown rice syrup, stirring constantly until melted.
4. Turn the heat down slightly, add the marshmallows, & keep stirring until melted.
5. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the vanilla extract.
6. Pour the melted marshmallow 'sauce' over the cereal & keep stirring until all the rice is coated.
7. Spoon into your lined cake pan, press the mixture down, & refridgerate for about 1 hour.
8. Cut into squares, and serve. Enjoy :)

Black Bean Hummus

I love hummus, and being a gluten free vegan it's one of the foods I know I'm okay to eat. It's such a quick, easy & (more importantly) delicious lunch/snack option, but I have been getting a bit bored with the regular store bought kind... our apartment consumes way too much of it! So I decided to experiment & came up with this recipe, using black beans. You will have to try it out yourself, but I think it tastes even nicer than using chickpeas. It's so yummy on a sandwich too!



Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups cooked black beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
• 1 tablespoon tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• sprinkling sea salt & fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 small jalapeno pepper, de-seeded & chopped
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Peel & crush the garlic cloves, place in a food processor with the cilantro, & pulse a few times.
2. Add the black beans and the lemon/lime juice to the food processor & blend until smooth.
3. Place the rest of the ingredients in with the black bean mix, and process until fully combined & mixed through.
4. It can be kept in the refrigerator for a little while in a container if needed, but it can be served straight away too. Serve with raw veggies, gluten free pitta bread, or tortilla chips.

Hot Cocoa

My room-mate has been snuggled up on our couch sick for two days, so to cheer her up I made her some of my 'not-as-naughty' vegan & gluten free Hot Cocoa. This recipe serves 1, but I doubled it so I could have some too!  This recipe is quite chocolatey, if you don't like it quite so rich, you can leave out some of the chocolate chips or use less cocoa.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons vegan chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions

1. Place the almond milk & cocoa powder in a small saucepan & warm over a low/medium heat, stirring constantly.
2. Once warm, add the chocolate chips, continuously whisking until melted.
3. Add the vanilla extract, agave nectar & optional cinnamon, stir until fully combined & the chocolate mix is steaming.
4. Pour into your favourite mug, and serve. :)

To make this yummy 'not-as-naughty' treat extra indulgent, you can serve with vegan, gluten free marshmallows & topped with coconut cream.

Eggplant Parmigiana

I love love love Italian food, & Eggplant Parmigiana is one of my favourites. Although I've found it difficult to make since needing to go gluten-free, on top of already being vegan. But this recipe is so delicious, you wont be able to tell the difference! After working away from home and on location a lot recently, I really was in need of some good ol' home cookin', & this dish was perfect.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• sea salt flakes for sprinkling
• 3/4 cup soy or almond milk
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons vegan powdered parmigiano style 'cheese'
• 1 jar gluten free vegan marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup soy or almond milk
• 3/4 cup vegan mozzarella style shreds (the brand I use is 'Daiya')

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the eggplant into 1/4inch pieces (length ways or round both work just as well), sprinkle them with the salt, & then let them sit for about 30 minutes .
3. Rinse the salt off the eggplant & pat the pieces lightly.
4. Combine the soy milk & brown rice flour in a large dish, dip the eggplant slices in the batter until coated fully both sides.
5. Line a cookie sheet with parchment, arrange the battered eggplant slices, liberally sprinkle the eggplant with the gluten free breadcrumbs on both sides.
6. Bake for around 8-10 minutes until golden and crispy, flip, and repeat.
7. While the eggplant bakes, place the mozzarella shreds & 1/3cup soy milk in a small saucepan and warm over a low heat, stirring constantly, until combined & 'melty'. (I know that's not the best word but it's difficult thinking of another word to describe the texture).
8. Cover the base of a casserole dish with a thin layer or marinara sauce, followed by a layer of the eggplant slices.
9. Thickly spoon 1/2 the 'cheese' sauce on the eggplant, & then repeat the layers. Liberally sprinkle with the remainder of the gluten free breadcrumbs.
10. Cover the casserole dish with foil & bake for 25-30mins. Uncover, & bake for another 10-15 minutes until the topping is golden brown & crispy.
11. Towards the end of baking sprinkle with the vegan parmigiano and bake until melted & crispy.
12. Serve with salad greens or Zucchini Spaghetti (steps 1& 2). The left overs are also super yummy for lunch the next day! :)

Berry French Toast

Continuing on my quest for yummy gluten free, vegan dishes for my favourite meal of the day.... breakfast/brunch! I really don't need to say much about my Berry French Toast, I'm going to let it do it's own talking. Enjoy :)

Ingredients
(serves 2)

• 4 slices of gluten free bread
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla soy or almond milk
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons gluten free vanilla extract
• maple syrup (to serve)
• 2 handfuls fresh berries (to serve) - I like raspberries or blueberries for breakfast/brunch
• tiny bit of vegan spread, I used Earth Balance

Directions

1. Add the bananas, milk, almond butter, cinnamon, & vanilla extract together in a food processor, & pulse until fully combined. If the batter is too thick, you can add more milk. 
2. Pour the batter into a large dish & soak the slices of gluten free bread.
3. Heat a large non stick skillet, & add the vegan spread.
4. When the spread has melted, carefully (gluten free bread breaks up very easily) place the soaked bread in the skillet to cook.
5. When the bottom of the bread has turned a dark golden brown (not burnt, but the darker the bread is the less likely it will fall apart), flip it using a spatula.
6. Cook the 2nd side until just turning golden.
7. Plate up the french toast, drizzle with maple syrup, sprinkle with berries and serve warm. YUM :)

Fudgey Chocolate Chocolate Banana Brownies

Because every now and then a girl just needs some chocolate, and what better way is there to indulge your sweet tooth than doing it healthily. So yummy, decadent & so chocolately it needed to be said twice :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup banana
• 2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2/3 cup medjool dates
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 1 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal/flour
• 2 teaspoons gluten free vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raw cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon gluten free baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease a square or rectangular baking pan. I used Earth Balance Spread.
2. Mash the banana, set aside. Pulse the dates in a food processor a couple of times (or chop very finely), and set aside.
3. Sift the flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking soda, xanthan gum & salt together in a large mixing bowl.
4. Melt 1 of the 3/4 cups vegan chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water. Add the agave nectar & vanilla extract, stir until fully combined.
5. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the flour, & thoroughly mix it in.
6. In a different bowl stir the mashed banana, almond butter and processed dates into the apple sauce. Fold this mixture into the brownie batter.
7. Fold in the second 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips through the brownie batter.
8. Spoon the brownie batter into the greased baking pan, and spread evenly.
9. Bake for about 35-40 minutes in the oven, turning them round half way through. The brownies are ready when a skewer dipped into the centre of the brownie mix comes out clean.
10. Let them cool at room temperature for a while then enjoy! :)

Super Green Smoothie

Hey! I'm so sorry I've not posted in a while, but I've been so super busy with work I've not really been cooking much I could post about... let alone actually having the time to blog about it! I've been having a really exciting time recently... firstly, there was my work trip to New York, and then after just a couple of days back in my own bed on the west coast, I was back out on location working my make-up magic, and enjoying the delights 'craft services' had to offer. It feels like all I've been eating for a month is take-out food & fresh juices, very healthy takeout, but still, I'm looking forward to the idea of some good old home cookin' very soon!

One thing I did manage to make for myself (usually just before running out of the door at 5.30am) were smoothies. So here's my recipe for my super-quick, super-nutrient packed, super yummy, superfood, Super Green Smoothie. Your skin will glow, your step will be springy, and your smile... huge! Enjoy :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/2 cup kale
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 tablespoon blueberries

Directions

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender, whizz up until smooth, pour, serve. It's that simple! (It's yummy too).