Vegan Yogurt Recipe

I haven't had traditional yogurt in such a long time and I never really took to the vegan varieties out there. They are packaged in plastic and always laden with sugar. I also didn't want other iffy ingredients in my yogurt such as modified maize starch, stabilisers, colourings and flavourings. I think this cashew yogurt is a good and natural way to get that creamy, yogurt-like fix and you can control what goes into it, from the flavour to the sweetness.

Here's the recipe for the lemon yogurt I featured in yesterday's post. You can tweak it to suit your taste buds. Add more water for a thinner yogurt and play around with the amount and type of natural sweeteners.

Lemon Cashew Yogurt

• 1 cup of organic cashews (soaked in water for approximately 3-6 hours)
• 1/4 cup of filtered water
• Juice of one small lemon

To sweeten (add either of the following)

• 2 finely chopped organic dates + 1 t agave (or honey)
  
• 1 T agave

Optional extras

• Lemon zest
• Seeds from vanilla bean

Instructions
Drain the soaked cashews and tip into a blender. Blend them without any water first so they are ground as much as possible. Add 1/4 cup of filtered water, juice of one small lemon and natural sweeteners (either 2 chopped dates with agave or just agave). Blend until the mixture is smooth and a consistency you like. I use a normal blender and occasionally need to stir the mixture from the sides with a spoon in between blending.

Store the yogurt in a sealed container in the fridge. My yogurt keeps well for 3-5 days. I think it would be fine to store in the freezer also.

This yogurt is creamy and really complements granola and stewed fruits for breakfast. As it is mainly cashews, you don't need too much. A little goes a long way. I've only tried this lemon flavour so far but I'm looking forward to trying some others. Perhaps rhubarb, apricot or berries.

Granola Side Note
I mentioned that this yogurt was great served with homemade granola. Since posting yesterday, I've read a little bit about the need to soak your oats before using them. In order to lock in their goodness and digest oats better (and any whole grains) it is apparently best to soak them in water and an acidic ingredient such as lemons or apple cider vinegar.

I wanted to test this out and have a cup of oats soaking in two cups of water and 2 T lemon juice as I type. I believe it needs to soak 24 hours. I'm going to try and strain them and proceed with the usual granola recipe I make but hope they will not be too mushy or wet. Has anyone else ever tried making a soaked granola recipe? Quite frankly my oats and I are a little nervous! I'll let you know if it works out.

My New Favourite Breakfast

I've been like Goldilocks these past few weeks, searching for the perfect breakfast. I used to start the day with a bowl of organic weet-bix and organic oat milk thinking I was all healthy and you know, organic but I wasn't really. My cereal was processed and wrapped in plastic. I knew there had to be something better.

The breakfast search was on. I tried some sweet things such as quinoa with banana, walnuts and maple syrup (not for me). I tried some savoury things such as basic, homemade vegetable soup (a little odd first thing in the morning but not so bad. Still not right for me). Then I returned to the homemade granola recipe I used to make but had neglected to use because I could never find a decent vegan yogurt to go with it. Until now!

Now I've discovered how to make my own vegan yogurt using cashews and it's sublime. I've been making a lemon version and combining it with some seasonal stewed fruits and granola. The 'yogurt' is tart yet creamy, the stewed plums are only cooked with a splash of water and no sugar and still come out delightfully sweet and the granola is completely moreish. It's the perfect little breakfast trinity of flavours and nutrients. I'm such a fan of it. Even my non-vegetarian mum loves it and has been eating it for the past two weeks. It's a keeper!

I will post the 'yogurt' recipe tomorrow in case anyone would like to try it too. Hopefully, it will give you a new and healthy idea for breakfast in case you are also craving a different and delicious way to start your day.

Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes for Winter

Warm Winter Fruit with Chestnuts
- Mary Cadogan
I would substitute the muscovado sugar for honey / organic fruit juice and instead of mascarpone, I'd dollop the fruits with a cashew cream (or a scoop of 'Keep Smiling Vanilla M'Gorilla' Booja Booja vegan ice cream for dessert).
View recipe at BBC Good Food

Warm Barley Cereal with Dried Cherries
- Body + Soul
If you want to start your day with something nutritious and delicious, this winter wonder is for you. Enjoy spoonfuls of almond milk, barley and flax meal along with seasonal fruit and perhaps honey or a natural sweetener in lieu of the brown sugar.
View recipe at Whole Living

Moby's Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
- Moby (photo by Zoe Singer)
Musician and vegan, Moby shares his recipe on Epicurious for delicious vegan pancakes. Perfect for those lazy weekend brunches when you want a sweet treat!
View recipe at Epicurious

Multigrain Hot Cereal with Cranberries and Oranges
- Martha Stewart Living
This winter warming breakfast contains all the festive ingredients for your taste buds along with toasted hazelnuts, buckwheat kasha and apple juice.
View recipe at Martha Stewart

Polenta "French Toast"
- Martha Stewart Living
It's french toast but not as we know it! There are no eggs or bread here just polenta and lovely, Christmassy ingredients. The only vegan swap needed for this recipe is the milk.
View recipe at Whole Living

Pumpkin Bread
- Sara Quessenberry and Rori Trovato (photo by Sang An)
What bread could be better than this during winter? A warm slice of this in the morning with a cup of organic tea would be heavenly! Again, I would substitute the sugar for honey, agave or Sweet Freedom. I would also use real pumpkin puree to keep the recipe nice and healthy!
View recipe at Real Simple

Honey Bread
- Marcus Samuelsson (photo by Gediyon Kifle)
According to Epicurious, this Ethiopian bread is often served at breakfast time with 'shiro, a chickpea spread.' Very unique but very tasty, I'm sure.
View recipe at Epicurious

11 Healthy Vegetarian Quinoa Recipes

Quinoa, Herb & Pomegranate Salad - BBC Good Food

QUINOA ESSENTIAL INFO
How to pronounce Quinoa: Keen-wah
What is it? Seed from the herb plant, goosefoot but cooked as a grain
Similar to: Cous Cous, Rice and Amaranth
Nutritional Value: Great source of protein, 'containing all eight of the essential amino acids' and 'packed with dietary fibre, phosphorus, magnesium and iron.' (BBC Good Food).
How to cook: Boil in 'water, stock or fruit juice' for '12-15 minutes'. You'll know it is done 'when the rings around the centre of the grain detach themselves'. (UKTV Good Food).


RECIPES
Quinoa, Herb & Pomegranate Salad (image above)
- Olive Magazine
This is a simple dish to prepare but looks so stunning with the gem-like pomegranate seeds sprinkled throughout the salad with pine nuts and mint.
View recipe at BBC Good Food

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
- Recipe and image from eating / sf
If you're over mundane breakfast cereals, then you must try this gorgeous looking quinoa breakfast idea from 'eating s/f'. They have used milk, but I'm sure vegans could substitute that for their preferred non-dairy milk and then carry on with the suggested berries and nuts. This looks so divine, I think I will have to make this tomorrow morning.
View recipe at eating s/f

Quinoa Sushi
- Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat
How perfect would this sushi be to take to work or school for lunch? Made with avocado, tahini and crispy vegetables, it makes a healthy and welcome change to lunchtime sandwiches.
View recipe at Nine MSN

Fresh Beet and Quinoa Salad
- Recipe and Image from She Simmers Blog
Imagine making this pretty salad for friends at your next dinner or lunch bash. They'll definitely be impressed! I found this recipe at 'She Simmers' and it appears super easy to pull together with only five ingredients required.
View recipe at She Simmers

Zesty Quinoa with Broccoli and Cashews
- Whole Foods Market
Zestiness from lemon juice and crunch from broccoli and cashews makes for a tasty quinoa dish.
View recipe at Whole Foods Market

Butternut Squash Chilli with Quinoa
- Olive Magazine
For those cold days when you crave a healthy and heart-warming meal, try this unique Chilli made with red kidney beans and tomatoes.
View recipe at BBC Good Food

Papaya Lime Quinoa - Waitrose
You only need six ingredients to create this summer-scented dish which is light, fragrant and flavourful.
View recipe at Waitrose

Quinoa and Apple Salad with Curry Dressing
- Martha Stewart Living
If you have a spare organic apple in the kitchen, why not pop it into this salad along with some almonds, dried currants and mint for a truly delectable salad.
View recipe at Martha Stewart

Avocado, Quinoa and Broad Bean Salad - Waitrose
This creamy and crunchy salad is also sprinkled with radishes, purple basil and chilli flakes. Delicious and nutritious!
View recipe at Waitrose

Roasted Bell Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa
- Whole Foods Market
Lift the lid off these vibrantly coloured peppers to reveal a delightful filling of quinoa, mushrooms, carrots, spinach and cashews.
View recipe at Whole Foods Market

Agave-Sweetened Almond Quinoa Muffins
- Recipe and images from That's One Tough Cookie Blog
I love searching around for delicious vegan muffin recipes so I was a little giddy when I found this quinoa muffin recipe at 'That's One Tough Cookie'. This blog also suggests slathering a coating of hazelnut butter on top of the muffins! Time to start baking!
View recipe at That's One Tough Cookie

Five Great Vegetarian Couscous Recipes

Breakfast Couscous (Mixing Bowl Kids)

A big thank you to Jan from the site, Mixing Bowl Kids for sharing this delightful recipe and image. I'd never thought of couscous for breakfast but now I've seen the beauty of fresh fruits, nuts and spices tossed, chopped and sprinkled through a bowl of couscous, I can't wait to try this myself!
View recipe at Mixing Bowl Kids

Spiced Vegetable Couscous
(Olive Magazine)
With carrots, red pepper, chickpeas and fresh coriander and harissa, this couscous is overflowing with healthy goodness.
View recipe at BBC Good Food

Couscous with Spiced Red Sauce, Chickpeas and Almonds
(Martha Stewart)
This tasty dish features a homemade tomato sauce with cumin, almonds and ground black pepper to kick it up a notch.
View recipe at Martha Stewart

Israeli Couscous with Butternut Squash & Preserved Lemon
(Gourmet, image: Melanie Acevedo)
This beautiful and flavourful couscous contains cinnamon, raisins and pine nuts along with the main ingredients. Definitely a dish to master as it will taste great and impress anyone you make it for.
View recipe at Epicurious

Sweet Couscous with Stewed Fruit
(Suzanne Gibbs, photo: Tanya Zouev)
Another sweet and unique twist on couscous. This recipe calls for the lushest of dried and fresh fruits, orange juice and cinnamon.
View recipe at Recipe Finder

Homemade Organic Granola Recipe

There is something very satisfying and comforting about having a homemade breakfast cereal in the house. Once you whip up a batch of this delicious and healthy granola, you'll probably never opt for the store bought stuff again. Enjoy this granola with either dairy free milk or yogurt and sprinkle lavishly with ruby red and luscious blue seasonal berries. Oats are great too for releasing energy slowly and they will keep you going until lunch without needing to snack. But if you do get the munchies later on in the day, this makes a great nutritious snack that will stave off any hunger pangs. It's so tasty and has just the right amount of sweetness, nuttiness and fruitiness. I think I need to go and grab another bowl now!

Ingredients

• 500g bag of organic jumbo oats
• 1/2 cup of organic shredded coconut
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 cup of your favourite organic dried fruits (cranberries, apricots, figs)
• 1/2 cup of organic nuts such as almonds, pecans and walnuts
• Organic sunflower oil
• Organic honey

How to make

• Spread the rolled oats into a roasting dish, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and the coconut and mix together.
• Combine the sunflower oil and honey in a cup to measure just less than 1/2 cup. Pour this over the oats and use a fork to ensure all the oats are well covered.
• Place in a 200 degree (celsius) oven until golden brown (approximately 20 minutes). Be sure to watch the oats carefully and stir them often as they can cook fairly quickly.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool while you prepare the dried fruit and nuts in a separate bowl.
• Use some kitchen scissors to easily cut the dried fruit into smaller pieces. Add the fruit and nuts to the oats and mix well.
• I store my granola in an airtight glass jar and the mixture keeps well for 3 weeks or longer.

Enjoy!