Vegan Oatmeal Banana & Craisin Muffins With Applesauce

I've been experimenting way too much with baking and muffins seem to be my new thing. They're easy to make so I have snacks enough to last me for the week at uni. You could easily freeze these too :) What really surprised me was the fact that these held together without any eggs!

These ones were even better than the sweet potato muffins I made last time! Which in comparison, had waaaay too much stevia... I should probably fix that recipe haha. The applesauce keeps these muffins moist and the banana gives it that tiny bit of banana flavour reminiscent of banana bread :) And cinnamon pairs so well with apples so I couldn't resist sprinkling some in. I love me a bit of spice! And the great news is they really don't need any added sugar. The riper your bananas, the sweeter your muffins will be - naturally! Well, the craisins have a fair bit of sugar but I took that into account when adding in stevia. I do love the sweet bursts from the craisins though. The best thing about these muffins are they are so easy to take on the go - just nuke them in the microwave for 20 seconds so that they are warm (and don't stick to the paper!) and you have yourself a yummy breakfast :)

Oatmeal Banana & Craisin Muffins With Applesauce
Makes 12

Ingredients

Dry
1 1/2 cups (200g) spelt flour (If you want to use whole wheat flour instead of spelt, remember 200g of spelt = 1 1/3 cup wheat flour)
3/4 cup (70g) rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp chia seeds

Wet
1/3 cup (90g) mashed very very ripe banana (the more spots the better!)
2/3 cup (190g) applesauce (I used Three Threes apple sauce which is sweetened)
1 tsp coconut oil
2 packets (4g) Natvia stevia
3/4 cup (200mL) oat milk (I used oat milk because of its thicker in consistency than normal milk. You could possibly use greek yogurt or maybe even skim/almond/soy milk but I can't vouch for the results)
2/3 cup craisins (or raisins, or any other fruit you like!)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190C or 375F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with liners and coat the inside of them with cooking spray or oil.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and chia seeds - leave it aside.

3. In a medium bowl combine mashed banana, applesauce, melted coconut oil, stevia, and oat milk. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix! The batter will be slightly lumpy, and that’s okay! Gently fold in the craisins.

4. Bake muffins for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Muffins are best served warm. Pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds before eating for a tasty snack!

Super Healthy Spelt Banana Pancakes

Sometimes I feel like nothing but pancakes for breakfast. But often, there's quite a bit of sugar and butter that goes into it. But not these pancakes! This version is dairy, egg and wheat free! Generally, I do try to eat lactose, wheat, peanut, soy, and egg-white free as I am intolerant to these things and my body flares up when I eat too much of these along with processed foods. I definitely should not be only trying to avoid these, but eliminate them from my diet, however I think I am in love with a lot of these things just a little too much so I just try to minimise excess amounts in my diet.

These pancakes albeit are a bit a little bit dense and doughy like banana bread and they taste exactly like it after the maple syrup is poured on top! The pancakes themselves have no sugar added to them as we're using fantastic, 100% maple syrup, so what is the point of adding sugar to the batter? And not to mention the addition of sweet ripened banana as well! If you do like your actual pancakes a little bit sweeter, or if you don't like using any syrup afterwards, by all means add sugar to your batter to taste. But I'm telling you the maple syrup will make them awesome!

The only oil used in this recipe is when you grease the pan to prevent sticking so there really is no excuse to make these pancakes. Healthy pancakes for breakfast anyone?

Spelt Banana Pancakes
Serves 1 (6 pancakes)

Ingredients

Dry
3/4 cup (100g) spelt flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon chia seeds

Wet
1 medium, very ripe banana, peeled
1/2 cup oat milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Extra banana slices and maple syrup to serve

Method
1. Sift all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well incorporated

2. In a separate bowl, mash the banana with a fork until almost smooth. Add oat milk and vanilla extract and still with the fork until mixture is blended.

3. Pour the wet banana mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix gently with a rubber spatula until the batter is just incorporated. Do not overmix! Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes so that the chia seeds will bind the mixture together and the baking powder has time to develop.

4. Put a saucepan over medium heat until hot. To test if the pan is hot enough, flick a drop of water onto it and if it evaporates almost immediate, it is ready. Pour a tablespoon of rice bran oil and make sure the surface of the pan is evenly coated.

5. Drop the batter by 2 tablespoons onto the pan, making sure there is ample space in between each pancake. Cook until a few bubbles form on top of each pancake and the underside is golden brown, about a couple of minutes. Slide your spatula underneath each pancake and flip it over. Cook for another couple of minutes so that the bottom is also golden brown.

6. Transfer the pancakes onto a serving plate, top with sliced bananas, maple syrup and serve!

Asian-style peanut noodle salad

After my workout this morning, I was feeling quite hungry and wanted to make something filling. We had a little bit of peanut butter left in the jar and I decided it'd be good to use it all up!

To make these noodles, I used Japanese konnyaku/shirataki noodles. They are made from the natural plant fibres of konjac yam plant and have close to zero calories and carbs! That's right, you heard me, ALMOST ZERO! So fantastic for those of you who want to diet yet still want meals that will fill you up. Check out the nutritional information below!

What you will notice about these noodles when you open them up is the pungent fishy smell of the solution they use to soak the noodles in (otherwise the noodles will disintegrate as they are made from natural plant fibres) so I would really recommend really rinsing these noodles out for a few minutes at least until that smell is gone or else you WILL taste it in your dish! I also let it sit in boiling water after I rinsed it to warm up the noodles and also to ensure that smell is no longer there. These noodles on their own however don't have much of a taste so it's great for using to soak up the flavours of the sauce that you will use. I really enjoy the chewy texture of these noodles as well! Personally, I absolutely love these noodles!

This recipe really is quite flexible and you can add any vegetables or meat that you like! I love the wonderful colours that sit so prettily in the bowl and makes it quite reminiscent of the Korean rice dish bibimbap. It is also really quick to prepare so who's hungry?

Asian-style peanut noodle salad
An original recipe by Crystal Noir

Dressing sauce for the vegetables
2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Chilli oil to taste (depending on how spicy you want it!)

Peanut sauce for the noodles
1 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Chilli oil to taste

Tuna and noodle salad
1 can tuna (I used springwater and can easily be subbed for mushrooms or edamame beans for you vegetarians/vegans out there! Personally though, I think some pieces of marinated chicken would taste better than tuna.)
100 grams noodles of choice
Cucumber, cut into a thin julienne
Carrots, cut into a thin julienne
Spring onion/scallions, chopped
Roasted peanuts, chopped
A GOOGY EGG WOULD ALSO BE FANTASTIC WITH THIS!

Make the dipping sauce
Whisk ingredients in a small serving bowl, making sure to dissolve the sugar. Pour equal amounts into the carrots and cucumber and let it pickle slightly for at least 15 minutes.

Make the peanut dressing
In a blender or small food processor, puree all ingredients to a smooth sauce, about the thickness of heavy cream. Pour into a serving bowl. OR you could just do what I did which was mix it all in the jar that the peanut butter came in until all incorporated!

For the noodles
Rinse under a running tap for a few minutes in a colander and then drain. Move the noodles into a separate bowl and cover with boiling water, letting it sit for about 5 minutes or so.

To serve
If you make this in larger amounts, you could just put all the vegetables in separate bowls and let everyone choose and decorate their own portion. If you're making it yourself, toss the noodles with the peanut sauce until well incorporated (don't be shy about adding a bit of extra water to help it mix better).

Add the vegetables and tuna on top of each bowl and scatter with chopped peanuts and spring onion. Serve!

Happy birthday daddy!

My father dearest turns 49 today! One year away from being half a century old ;) Despite my plans to serve courses, my dad had a craving for soy braised fish and was adamant on cooking some Chinese vegetable stirfries. He also thought that I should take it slow and not be too ambitious when cooking for a large number of people for the first time. Well, he did have a point there... We had invited my grandparents and uncle over as well because they have been cooking dinner for us very often lately! And it was about time they got to relax. Out of the dishes that I did cook, I'm definitely the proudest of my ratatouille and my spaghetti with a ragout of oriental mushrooms.

I did particular love this Pixar film. What's not to love about an adorable rat who can cook? Though in real life, I don't think any rat could be adorable. Even if it could cook. Ah how cartoons can make even the most ugliest of animals cute in some way. Anyway, I digress.

This dish is actually quite easy to make and the vegetables become so soft from the long braising process in the oven. For a dish so simple, I found it extremely delicious and satisfying. The hardest part was probably the layering but once I got going, I got into the rhythm of things and found myself in a state of nirvana almost ;)

Thomas Keller's original recipe for the movie is more complicated than mine and you can find it here. But I thought I'd go with something more simple before attempting his version. Instead, I adapted a recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen.

Ratatouille
an original recipe by Crystal Noir

Ingredients

2 VERY small onions (probably half a normal sized onion), sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tomato puree (I used a mix of tomato puree and tomato sauce)
1 zucchini
2 roma tomatos
2 baby eggplants
1 yellow bell pepper
Lemon juice
Balsamic vinegar (I used about 2-3 tablespoons)
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius. While oven is heating, pour tomato puree into the bottom of an oval baking dish (or whatever shape you want really) and scatter the minced garlic and sliced onion on top of the sauce. Season sauce generously with salt and pepper.

2. I'd recommend that all us non-Iron chefs use a mandoline slicer for the process of cutting the vegetables to make our lives easier - unless of course you are a ninja slicer and have mad samurai sword skills. Trim off the edges of the vegetables and slice the zucchini and tomatoes on the mandoline to about 2mm in thickness. I found that cutting the bell pepper by hand was easier.
TIP: Slice the eggplants last as they oxidise quickly! Squeeze some lemon juice on them to prevent this from happening.

3. Arrange the sliced vegetables on top of the tomato sauce so that they are overlapping each other and about 1/2 centimetre is exposed, alternating between dark and light colours for the most contrast. For example, zucchini (dark), tomato (light), eggplant (dark), pepper (light). Season generously with salt and pepper, and add a splash of balsamic vinegar. You can also sprinkle over some fresh herbs (oregano, parsley, thyme, etc) if you like.

4. Wrap baking dish in foil and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes - 1 hour. You want the vegetables to retain their shape and not be completely limp but clearly cooked through.

5. Serve with bread, couscous, or anything that takes your fancy really!

Holy moly guacamole

Does the phrase sound familiar? Probably because it is. I remember Billy from Masterchef 2011 exclaiming this while I couldn't stop laughing. What a phrase it is!

I am finally dwindling down to the last few avocados from the large box my dad bought, and surprisingly enough, I am not sick of them! Actually, I think I will be quite sad as I eat the last one. I've been eating avocados on toast with salt and pepper for quite a while now and decided to change it up a bit with some guacamole! The original recipe calls for lime, but I only had lemons in the house so a little bit of improvisation was worked into my guacamole. When I was tasting the guacamole plain, I thought it was a bit too strong in lemon. However, after I put it in my sandwich with some turkey and added some spices, it was delicious and not too tangy at all. One of the best sandwiches I've had for a while now.

I really do urge everyone to make some guacamole - lots of healthy fats from avocados, YUM!

Guacamole

Ingredients
1 ripe avocado
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tomato, deseeded and chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, minced
red onion, chopped finely
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch paprika
salt and pepper to taste
(I would also recommend adding in some chilli flakes or chilli oil for that extra bit of heat! I didn't have any unfortunately)

Method
1. Toast garlic and onion on a pan until caramelised (optional).
2. Remove the seed, scoop out avocado flesh with a spoon and mash it with a fork.
3. Add chopped tomato, garlic, onion and lemon juice. Mix until combined.
4. Season with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Eat! With tortilla chips, in a sandwich, lettuce cup - options are endless!

I put mine in a sandwich with turkey slices and cheese and toasted it. Delicious!!

Healthy baked sweet potato fries!

Who likes fries? I DO! But as fantastic as potato fries are, the deep fried oiliness cannot be good for your health. Since I am going through a change to improve my eating lifestyle, potato fries are a no no. As of last week, I am trying to cut out processed foods and eat as much raw foods as possible! And these sweet potato fries? Delicious!! And so so easy to make.

Before they went into the oven! I kept the skin on for added nutritional goodness!

Healthy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients
1 medium sweet potato
Canola, vegetable or olive oil (perfectly fine if you want to omit this)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste (I added a couple of pinches of each)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 210 degrees Celcius and line a baking tray with aluminium foil.
2. Cut up sweet potato so the pieces are all around the same size.
3. Pour the oil and sweet potato into one bowl, throw in the cut sweet potato slices, and mix until they are all coated.
4. Add in all the spices and toss until evenly coated.
5. Bake in oven for around 30 minutes or until nice and crunchy on the outside.
6. Eat!

Yummm, sweet and spicy!

Another thing I bought recently is unsweetened almond milk. I noticed normal milk has quite a lot of sugar in it and I'm trying to tone down my sugar (SO HARD). The almond milk might take a little getting used to to be honest, BUT it has 38% of your daily Calcium needs! And I really needed to up my Calcium levels because they are at an all time low...

Weekend is coming up! Have to spend it studying for my exam next week, so I hope everyone else's will be much more enjoyable!

mini coconut key lime pies

The other day, my dad came home from Flemington with a massive box of avocados and he said "I bought this whole box for $4! Alright guys, these are quite ripe so lets eat as much as we can over the next few days!" Of course, I've been trying to find different ways to eat them: on top of wholemeal toast with a poached egg and pepper, in sandwiches with ham, cheese and tomato, in salads... And I noticed that all the foods I used them in were savoury. So I thought, why can't I try use them in something sweet like a dessert? Upon looking through the internet, I found lots of vegan dessert recipes using avocados and this one in particular caught my eye. Though I changed the recipe a bit due to lots of things I could not be bothered doing... Haha lazy old me. And not to mention I am short on time (I have a presentation tomorrow eek! Yet I am still playing around with food...). The end result? I loved these! I thought it could definitely benefit from the coconut milk in the filling as I had gone without, but it wasn't too big of a deal. I thought the crust was much too sweet when I was making it and gave it a taste test, but the tartness of the lime balanced out the sweetness of the crust perfectly. My brother and sister said that the crust tasted like Kellog's Crunchy Nut haha. They were scrumptious but healthy and good for you ;) So to the dessert lovers, why not give these a go? I promise you they will be tasty.

Mini Coconut Key Lime Pies
Makes 3 muffin-sized pies

Crust
12 tablespoons unsweetened powdered coconut (or you could grind up some dessicated coconut)
2 tablespoons honey

Filling
1 medium avocado
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lime
Stevia extract to taste (I used about 2g which is equal to about 2 teaspoons of sugar if you'd rather use sugar)
1 teaspoon of dessicated coconut (OPTIONAL. I used some to mix in, some to sprinkle on top after. I'd recommend using the coconut milk instead to make a smoother mixture though if you decide not to, it still turns out fine! And saves some calories haha)

METHOD
Combine powdered coconut and honey in a bowl and mix until a dough forms (I found that a stabbing sort of motion combines the honey and coconut better). Line muffin tray with muffin cases and press in the dough so that you have three pie shells. Toast in the oven at 180 degrees Celcius for around 5-10 minutes or until lightly brown.

While the crust is baking, combine all the filling ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. After the crusts are done, spoon the filling into the crusts and chill in fridge until set. Take out of muffin cases and sprinkle with toasted coconut to serve.

Enjoy your healthy treat to satisfy your sweet cravings!