The Pear & The Purple Peach

Inspiring recipes for a compassionate lifestyle

Month: July, 2012

July 22, 2012

Beetroot Risotto

I have been meaning to make a beetroot risotto for a while and decided to go for it after grabbing some fresh beets from the supermarket yesterday.

If you have not had “real” beets before, I highly recommend you try them! They are waaaaayyyy nicer than the canned variety, personally I can’t stand the canned variety anymore. Real beets are not that hard to prepare but can be a bit messy so be careful to not stain anything but in my opinion well worth the effort!

You can use the leaves also in salads or juice them even sauté them much like spinach. I will be juicing mine up over the coming days with carrots and ginger. YUM!

Now the risotto part. Don’t be scared from all the fuss surrounding risotto just have everything ready at the go and make sure your stock is warm on the simmer and you will be fine!

I am so happy with this recipe It was really delicious. I can’t wait to serve it at a dinner party as the colour alone is sure to impress!

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What you need

1 Large Spanish onion, Finley diced
4 Tbs Olive oil
2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 Tsp thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 Tsp dried ground sage
300g Aborio rice, rinsed well
350g Cooked Beetroot, diced (about 2.5 medium beetroots)
125 mls white wine (red would work well adding extra richness)
1.2 litres of good vegetable stock
1/2 cup soy evaporated milk (or soy, rice or other non dairy milk)
Chopped parsley

To serve: Dry roasted almonds chopped, tofu “feta”

What you do

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add olive oil, onion, garlic & thyme some saolt and pepper and stir until cooked down and translucent. Add rice and stir to coat in the oil and it starts to turn translucent also. Add wine and allow to absorb then add in beetroot.

Stir about 150 ml of the stock into the rice. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until absorbed. Continue to add the stock a ladle at a time and cook stirring constantly, for about 20 mins until the rice is al dente and the stock has all been absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Remove the own from the heat and stir in the milk and parsley and leave to stand for about 5 mins

Spoon into serving dishes and garnish with dry roasted almonds and tofu “feta” and a sprinke of parsley and serve

Enjoy

With Compassion
Brett

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July 21, 2012

Apple Rhubarb & Strawberry Crumble

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Gratitude and inspiration for the topping from: willow from will cook for friends

It’s cold, wet and miserable outside. And something warm is in order! This crumble recipe is easy to prepare and is a real comforting yummy treat! I often make this because it is so easy but today used a different crumble that will now be a regular!

The tartness of the rhubarb and with sweetness of the apples and strawberries is perfect! top that off with a sweet crunchy topping and you have the perfect winter warmer that is sure to impress!!

I used packet custard powder made with soy milk and a vanilla bean in the microwave following packet instructions.

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what you need:

1 bunch rhubarb chopped
4 apples, cored and roughly chopped (I used Fuji)
3/4 punned of strawberries halved (tops removed)
Zest of 1 lemon or orange
1/4 cup brown sugar

Crumble Topping
note: I doubled below for mine

1/2 cup rolled oats
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup almond flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 TBSP vegan butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

What you do:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)

Combine apples, rhubarb, zest and sugar in a roasting tray and stir gently to combine. Cook until rhubarb starts to break down and apples are soft. Remove from oven and place mix into a pie dish or individual ramekins top with strawberries

Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Combine all ingredients except the butter in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter over top, and mix well until everything is well combined and crumbly. Cover rhubarb and apple mixture liberally with crumb topping, Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden and bubbly, stirring once to ensure even cooking

Remove from the oven, and serve warm with custard, ice cream or both

Enjoy

With Compassion

Brett xx

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July 8, 2012

Split Pea Soup

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If it is one thing that takes me back to growing up it is certainly Split Pea Soup! A big regular at our home in the colder months. Mum would put a big pot on in the morning an it would simmer all day long with the scent filling the house with temptation! We would all sit with our big soup mugs (I can still remember them they were blue with ducks on them) with toast and butter and relish in the goodness we all so patiently waited for!

Even though I used to make this same soup as my mum did. Our lifestyle has changed and now that we don’t eat a certain main ingredient that my Mumma used to include I sure have come up with a very comparable variation of our family favourite that now plays that same comforting role in our house in the winter.

My mother told me never to use green split peas and always yellow but that was because she hated the thought of green soup. Sorry Mumma I do use green LOL

This soup is comforting, nutritious and Tantalises those same senses as when I was a kid!

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What you need

2 large Leeks sliced
1 Large Carrot, sliced
1 Stick celery, chopped
1 Large potato, diced
500g Split peas rinsed well
2 Bay Leaves
2.5 Litres of water
3 stock cubes
1 Garlic clove minced
Smoked Paprika
Salt & Pepper

What you do

Add all ingredients to a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until split peas a tender and broken down. Approx 1 hour +

Remove from heat and purée until smooth (I use a stick blender) return to a light simmer and add garlic, season with salt & pepper and add Smoked Paprika to taste

Croutons

2 slices of dark rye bread
Garlic clove (optional)

Place bread onto rack in oven and cook until crunchy. Remove and rub with garlic clove. Let cool and cut with a knife into bite sized pieces.

Enjoy

With Compassion

Brett

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July 4, 2012

Fresh Strawberry Spelt Muffins

Yum yum yum yum yum!! I bought some yummy strawberries the other night and wanted some kind of baked good that was not super naughty so came up with this little treasure of a recipe.

These are gorgeous fluffy, moist and moorish muffins that are easy to whip up with minimal ingredients. Easy enough to whip up anytime for morning or afternoon tea. Or like me you can make them At 9:30pm and eat all of them with someone you love.

Minus the strawberries and it’s a great base recipe. Apple and cinnamon, blueberry etc etc

Did I mention these where YUM! my 1 year old niece will back me up on that one she gobbled two of them with a huge smile on her face when I tested a second batch at my parents house on the weekend! Maybe she could taste all the love and compassion in them!

What you need

1 Cup white spelt flour
1/2 cup Plain Flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
Grind of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup soy-milk or other dairy free milk
1/4 cup rice bran oil
3/4 cup diced strawberries
1 Tsp vanilla extract

What you do

Line a 12 tin muffin pan with 9 liners (you will get a more satisfying size doing 9)

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl or jug Mix in soy milk, oil and vanilla

Mix wet into dry ingredients along with strawberries and fold gently until just combined. Don’t over mix as it will cause tough muffins

Pour into prepared muffin pan and bake at 165 degrees for about 15 mins or until golden brown and spring back to the touch

Enjoy

With Compassion

Brett

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July 4, 2012

Sprouted Chickpea Hummus

Gratitude to chris from MK RAW

I am a BIG fan of hummus and can eat it anytime on toast for breakfast or a snack, for dipping veggies you name it.

I have been looking into sprouted foods. As they offer a powerhouse of goodness, natural sources of vitamins, chelated minerals, enzymes, and amino acids (protein). In simple terms there is a whole heap of energy compacted in seeds, nuts etc but laying dormant. That is until they are soaked activating that energy, left to germinate in a warm spot and BANG all that energy turns to superfood ready for the the body to absorb all that glorious goodness.

I’m not going to give you instructions on how to sprout as it really depends on how you want to do it. Check out this great link for a wealth of sprouting information. Also a great website for anyone interested in adapting a raw food vegan diet

So after I sprouted some chickpeas I searched for sprouted chickpea Hummus and came across this recipe. I will note that it’s not your standard Hummus of course this is a raw sprouted version but I really love it and you can just tell its full of super goodness!

What you need:

2 cups sprouted chickpeas, rinsed
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons raw tahini
4 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon Sea or Himalayan crystal salt
1 tablespoon water

What you do:

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend. This won’t be super smooth but will have a texture to it.

Serve up with some fresh cut veggies and enjoy a great work time snack.

With Compassion

Brett

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