As last weekend was Mother’s Day, I thought I would take the opportunity to share what I got up to with my Mum and family. We celebrated Mother’s Day by putting on an epic brunch spread at home and enjoyed a relaxed afternoon together. My sisters and I (and mum as she couldn’t resist) all made some dishes to share and what in the end, turned out to be a table full of delicious foods (however, not all plant based as I am the only one who chooses to eat plant based in my family).
Spending time in the kitchen is something I love doing. Whether its re-creating a recipe I’ve seen somewhere or creating something of my own, I could quite happily spend my days pottering around the kitchen experimenting. I put a lot of work into what I made to share for our Mother’s Day celebration and from the comments and thank you’s I received, I think it’s fair to say that my Mum and family were very impressed! One of my sisters responded with an ‘mmm’ after her first bite of cake and even went in for a second piece of cake because she enjoyed it so much!
So, let’s get into the recipes!
SUPER SEED CRACKERS:
Crackers aren’t usually something people think of to make themselves as it’s very easy to purchase a packet from the shops. But what’s great about making them yourself is that you can add in whatever seeds (or grains) you wish and can adjust the flavours to your liking. Seeds are packed full of protein, essential fats and fibre with slow releasing energy to help keep you feeling fuller for longer. They’re also full of B vitamins which support energy metabolism and brain function, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and manganese for bone health, and folate, zinc and iron for increased immunity! These crackers take a little bit of time to create, but they’re well worth it and can easily be made in a dehydrator instead of an oven if you have access to one.
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup flax seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup chia seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice or ACV
1 tsp turmeric
METHOD:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and soak overnight.
Preheat oven to 50degC. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the seed mix into a thin even layer.
Use a knife to score mixture into squares.
Bake for 3 hours, then turn over and bake for another 3 hours or until dry and crisp.
Once dry, remove from the oven and break into crackers along the scored lines.
Store in an airtight container.
These crackers paired beautifully with Julie Piatts roast cashew, apple and spinach spread from her amazing book “This Cheese is Nuts".
SMASHED CHICKPEA-PESTO SANDWICHES:
INGREDIENTS:
1 can no added salt chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
3-4 tbsp basil pea pesto
Juice of ¼ lemon
Pepper
Wholemeal grain bread
Tomato slices
METHOD:
Place rinsed chickpeas in a bowl and begin to roughly mash with a fork or potato masher.
Add pesto, lemon juice and pepper and continue to mash until all combined.
Spread onto wholemeal sandwich bread and add any other salad ingredients you like – I kept it simple and only added tomato!
LEMON AND BLUEBERRY CAKE:
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of wholemeal self-raising flour.
1 tsp baking soda.
1 tsp baking powder.
½ cup coconut sugar.
1 vegan egg (I used the YesYouCan vegan egg).
1 tsp vanilla essence.
2/3 cup plant milk.
1 tsp apple cider vinegar.
Juice of one lemon.
Rind of half a lemon.
1 cup frozen blueberries.
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180degC.
In a small bowl, make the vegan egg by following the directions on the packet.
In another small bowl, combine the plant milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and lemon just. Stir well and let sit for 5 mins.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the coconut sugar and lemon rind and stir well to combine.
Pour the wet mixture and vegan egg into the dry mix and combine.
Add the frozen blueberries and gently fold into the batter mixture.
Line a cake tin with baking paper and add the cake batter.
Bake at 180degC for 40-45mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
I hope you all have a wonderful Mothers Day, celebrating with your Mum or any other important women in your life.
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