Ooh yes, I’ve mentioned before how blessed I am to be in love with a man who can whip up an incredible risotto at a moment’s notice and I figured Vegan Mofo was the perfect time for him to show us what he’s got!

Don’t believe the rumours.  Risotto is not difficult or scary to make, and if you love root vegetables like I do, you’ll love my lovebug’s recipe.  The earthiness of the beets combined with the freshness of the basil and the sweetness of the potato make for a killer combo and an impressive dish any day of the week.  Meal Planner and pretty pens optional.  xx

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Beet, Basil & Sweet Potato Risotto

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
• 2 pinches sea salt
• 1 cup peeled & diced beetroot
• 1 1/2 cups peeled & diced sweet potato
• 1/3 cup arborio rice
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups vegetable broth/stock
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, dried oregano & thyme, sea salt & cracked pepper and sauté until onions are soft.
• Add beetroot and sweet potato and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
• Reduce heat, add rice, and stir through for 2 minutes.
• Add 1/3 cup of stock at a time, stirring through each time until well absorbed before adding more.
• When the rice is almost cooked, add fresh basil, then continue stirring until rice is cooked, adding more stock if dish becomes too dry (you want it to remain quite saucy).
• Serve hot, topped with fresh basil.

The post Beetroot, Basil & Sweet Potato Risotto appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Happy Vegan MoFo, everyone!
 

 
It’s so exciting to be back at the party again this year!  A lot can happen in 12 11 months.  My vegan journey and passion for nutrition led me to The Institute for Integrative Nutrition earlier this year where I began studies as a Holistic Health Coach.  So it’s probably no surprise that I chose the ‘Healthy’ Category for this shindig.  * Cue sparkles! *

And what better way to kick this party off than the way I love to kick every day off – with a nourishing green juice!

I’m a big fan of Celery, Apple, Lemon & Ginger Green Juice  but figured we needed something just a little more special to celebrate Vegan MoFo coinciding with the first day of Spring in Australia.

Pineapple packs a powerful nutrient punch with high levels of Vitamin C, Manganese and enzymes beneficial to digestion.

Mint boasts high levels of Vitamins A & C, Iron, Manganese, and is often used to help soothe IBS and of course, to promote fresh breath.

Baby Spinach is no wussy either, packing high levels of Vitamin A & K, Folate and Manganese.

Is there any better way to celebrate the start of your day? xx

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Pineapple & Mint Green Juice

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 1 small pineapple skin removed
• 1 cup tightly packed baby spinach
• 1 cup tightly packed mint leaves

Instructions

• Juice that baby up!

The post Pineapple & Mint Green Juice appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Hummus gives a lovely earthy texture and flavour whilst tofu and cheeze balance it out with fluffy creaminess.  Pesto joins the party with a fresh herb flavour and chilli adds little sparks of interest throughout.

On top of all that, these snazzy guys are a cinch to make and you could even pre-make and refrigerate and then just pop them into the oven when your friends arrive for your fabulous dinner party.  Or even a brunch party!

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Vegan MoFo Cheezy Broccoli Stuffed Mushrooms

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2 -7

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 7 portobello mushrooms stems removed
• 150 g hummus
• 150 g firm tofu chopped
• Half a broccoli head of florets chopped
• 1 cup cheeze chopped (I love Vegusto or Notzarella)
• 1/2 a small red chilli chopped
• Pesto see below
• 2 spring onions sliced

Pesto

• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• Combine all pesto ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.
• In a large bowl, mix pesto with hummus, tofu, broccoli, cheeze and chilli. Season with sea salt and cracked pepper.
• Place mushrooms top down on a lined baking tray and fill with mixture.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheeze looks melted.
• Remove from oven and served topped with sliced spring onion.

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I rounded up two of mine on Sunday. After a crazy fun catch up, we treated ourselves to Gold Class cinema tickets and settled in to watch ‘Mental’ – a crazy Australian movie that is essentially about loving and believing in yourself, even if you don’t fit in. Or even if your friends think you’re weird for bringing fluffy socks to wear in the cinema (my feet get cold!).

Fun, zany, and totally kooky, this flick really is mental.
 
http://youtu.be/VnQPnXbj-RY
 
Amidst our popcorn, bubbles and giggles, we got to reminiscing about the magical night when one of their hubbies cooked us all an amazing Thai feast.  I still think about my favourite dish from that night – Pumpkin Red Curry.  It was superb and incredible and I’m sure he spent hours selecting the right ingredients and making everything from scratch.

Naturally after we talked about it I wanted it BIG TIME but I was in the mood for a much faster version…

Lighter than a traditional Thai curry & rice but with just as much pizzaz, I give you: Thai Pumpkin & Chickpea Wraps!

Fast, fresh, tasty and oh so easy to make.

Go Mental.

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Vegan MoFo Thai Pumpkin & Chickpea Wraps

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp Thai red curry paste check ingredients to ensure it's vegan
• 400 g pumpkin chopped into 2cm pieces
• 1 tin chickpeas drained
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 6 large green leaves silverbeet/collard/spinach, etc, washed
• 1 handful fresh coriander leaves chopped
• 1 lime juiced

Instructions

• In a large pot or pan over medium heat, stir pumpkin and curry paste for a couple of minutes until aromatic.
• Add coconut milk and simmer for ten minutes or until pumpkin is soft.
• Add chickpeas and lime juice and simmer for two more minutes.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Line lettuce leaves with pumpkin mixture. Top with coriander and roll into wraps.
• Enjoy!

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I know what you’re thinking.  ‘Good grief!  Somebody just buy this woman a flight to Mexico, already!’

And I would like you to know that I am totally open to all forms of bribery, corruption and gifts in any shape or form.  No questions asked.  (I’m kidding, Big Brother, just relax).

I’ve been to Bali more times than I care to admit but I’ve never been to Mexico.  Ooh, is it just me or does that line sound like it would make the basis of a great song?  Anywho…  the grilled corn sold by Balinese street vendors was my absolute favourite treat (besides cocktails, of course).  Freshly grilled over hot coals and smothered with satay sauce, it was pretty hard to beat.

Balinese Street Corn
photo credit: rickyqi via photopin cc

Beautiful grilled corn  memories coupled with the fact that I am alllll about Mexican food right now made me curious about trying a vegan version of Elote – the traditional Mexican street corn.

I used Macadamia nuts as the sauce base just because they’re a little less sweet than raw cashews and provide a more ‘mayonnaise flavour’.  My extensive research (ahem, thank you Wiki) has led me to believe that traditional street corn often features cheese, and you can definitely add a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast to this sauce if you fancy a cheesy flavour.

As for me, I was just blissfully happy with a spicy, creamy, tangy, nut-mayo sauce and daydreams of Mexico…

photo credit: Stewf via photopin cc

Elote

• 4 corn cobs, husks removed
• 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp turmeric (optional – for colour mainly)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 lime, juiced
• Sea salt and cracked pepper
• Smokey ground paprika
• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped

1. Combine sauce ingredients – nuts, water, vinegar, cayenne, turmeric, garlic, and lime – in a blender and allow to soak for an hour (or as long as possible).
2. Blend sauce ingredients on high speed until smooth and creamy.
3. Grill corn cobs on a hot plate or BBQ until just char-grilled (using a little oil or vegan margarine if you like).
4. Remove cobs from heat and brush with sauce.
5. Season with salt & pepper and sprinkle with paprika and coriander leaves.
6. Enjoy!

The post Vegan MoFo Elote (Mexican Street Corn) appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Happy Meat-Free Monday, everyone!

I kept the Tex-Mex theme going this week because, well…  why wouldn’t you?  It’s so easy to make and so much fun it makes every night feel like a fiesta.  Big and small kids alike love building their own tacos at the dinner table and when delicious fillings ooze from broken taco shells, it’s guaranteed grins all round.  Crunchy, messy fun.

Serves 4 hungry amigos
 

Cashew Sour Cream

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Splash of apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Add all ingredients to blender and allow to soak for an hour (or as long as possible while you are making the other dishes).
2. Blend on high-speed until smooth and creamy.

 
 
Spicy Bean Chilli

• 2 x 400g cans Mexi Beans
• 1 400g can diced tomatoes
• 2 red chillis, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 8 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 corn cob
• 1 handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped

1. Slice corn from the cob and toss all ingredients (except coriander) into a large pot over medium heat.
2. Allow to simmer for ten minutes or so.
3. Remove from heat and stir coriander leaves through.

Spicy Rice

• 2 cups brown rice
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tsp turmeric

1. Cook rice as per packet instructions, adding spices to the rice as it cooks.

Guacamole

• 2 avocados, peeled and chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped (or continental parsley if you can’t find coriander)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• Corn from 1 cob
• Jalapeños, chopped

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a fork.

Tacos

1. Warm taco shells slightly in a moderate oven (optional) and serve with a tray of salad (sliced lettuce, cucumber and cherry tomatoes) and bowls of bean chilli, spicy rice, sour cream and guacamole.  Oh and napkins!  These things can get messy.
2.  Chillax and enjoy a taco fiesta with your favourite amigos.

The post Vegan MoFo Spicy Bean Chilli & Rice Tacos with Guacamole & Cashew Sour Cream appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Were you SO excited to make Antipasto Tarts for your favourite people yesterday that you ran out and bought wayyy too much antipasto and now have heaps left over?

Never fear!  If it’s the weekend, you could transform it into a piping hot Antipasto Pizza.

If it’s a weekday, you’re trying to keep it healthy, right?

This Antipasto Salad is perfect for a midweek dinner.  Fast, fresh and simple, it’ll be on its way into your belly before you can say ‘Oooh, I feel so sparkly!’.  True story.
 

• Quinoa
• Antipasto (I used marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, char-grilled peppers and olives)
• Avocado, sliced
• Red onion, sliced

1. Measure half a cup of quinoa per person and rinse thoroughly.
2. In a saucepan, simmer quinoa with twice as much water until quinoa absorbs all water.  Remove pan from heat.
3. On plates, top rocket/spinach leaves (I used both) with quinoa, antipasto, avocado and red onion.
4. Drizzle a little of the herb oil from the antipasto across the salad as dressing and season with salt and pepper.
5. Put your feet up and enjoy!

The post Vegan MoFo Antipasto & Quinoa Salad appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Wickedly amusing and filled with food, antics, friends and fun, it reminded me of the Italian Antipasto Tarts I made a little while ago for dinner parties for friends and family.  Both times the tarts were the most popular item on the table and both times they were gobbled up with huge, cheeky grins before I managed to snap a decent picture!

Luckily they are a cinch to make again:

• Puff pastry sheets (check the ingredients to ensure it’s vegan)
• Antipasto (I used marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, char-grilled peppers and olives)
• Red onion, chopped
• Courgette, chopped
• Cheeze (I love Notzarella)
• Fresh basil leaves

The only photo I managed to snap of the finished product!  You’ve gotta be quick (and yes, that is a bite out of it)!

Enjoy, lovebugs!  I’ve got a recipe to use up the leftover antipasto for you tomorrow! 🙂  xx
 
 

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It’s no secret that my favourite food is Tex-Mex.  I LOVE the stuff but why do so many Mexican Restaurants seem to get it so wrong?  Bland, microwaved, plastic food – yuck!  Luckily it’s a cinch to make at home.

If you fancy a tasty change to regular tomato salsa, try green!  This was my first time visiting Green Salsa Land and it definitely won’t be the last.  It added so much interest and freshness to the Mex classics.

And if you’re savvy, you’ll make two cups of salsa and feast on Mexican for two nights in a row.  SO GOOD.

Here’s how we rocked Nacho Sunday and Quesadilla Monday (also known as: “Can’t write blog post.  Too busy eating.  NOM.”):

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

• Tomatillos (I bought a large can from Fresh Provisions), chopped
• Green Chilli, chopped
• Spring Onions, chopped
• Jalapeños, chopped
• Coriander leaves
• Fresh lime juice

1.  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl – in quantities that suit your tastes.

 
Nachos

Serves 2 hungry amigos:

• 1 large packet corn chips
• 1/2 block cheeze (I love Notzarella)
• 1 cup salsa verde
• 1/2 can black beans, drained

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Now the secret to great nachos is to place your corn chips in a dish, sprinkle with cheeze and bake for a few minutes – until cheeze is just starting to melt.  This will make the base nice and crunchy so it won’t become soggy when more toppings are added.
3. Remove from oven, top with salsa verde, beans and more cheeze, and pop back into the oven to bake until cheeze melts.
4. Remove from oven and serve with guacamole (and Margaritas!).

 
Quesadillas

Serves 2 hungry amigos:

• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 cup salsa verde
• 1/2 can of black beans, drained
• 2 handfuls of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 block cheeze

1. Cook rice according to packet instructions, sprinkling with cayenne and turmeric as it cooks.
2. In a large frypan, sauté salsa verde, beans and mushrooms.
3. In another frypan over medium heat, layer a tortilla and top with small amounts of cheeze, salsa mixture and rice.  Top with another tortilla.
4. Allow to brown on one side before flipping over to brown on the other.
5. Remove from pan, cut into quarters and serve with guacamole.
6. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

 
Enjoy, glitterbugs! See you tomorrow! xx
 
 

The post Vegan MoFo Tomatillo Salsa Verde & Black Bean Nachos ♥ Quesadillas appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

It is therefore with a huge, sparkly grin that I announce that hot on the heels of the success of Mum’s Amazing Vegan Carrot Cake and Melting Moments, my gorgeous Mum is back with another delicious treat for your weekend!

Inspired by a photo she spotted on The New Me’s Summer Strawberry Cake recipe, Mum created her third vegan cooking masterpiece – Summer Strawberry & Chia Cupcakes!

See if these guys don’t just make you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.  ♥  They had us at hello.

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Vegan MoFo Summer Strawberry & Chia Cupcakes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 4 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup agave nectar/pure maple syrup
• 2 punnets strawberries washed, trimmed and halved
• 4 tbsp icing sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175C.
• In a large bowl, combine chia seeds and warm water and allow to stand until seeds become thick.
• Mix in vanilla extract, oil and agave nectar until well combined.
• Stir in flour, salt and cinnamon until a smooth batter forms.
• Dollop batter into patty pans and top with strawberries (skin side up). Mum also popped a few more strawberries on top of each cupcake about halfway through baking - optional.
• Bake for about 30 minutes.
• Allow cupcakes to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar.
• Enjoy!

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