Silverbeet is more than Spinach's dorky cousin!

Almost vegan...Silverbeet and Potato Pie

It's difficult changing up your diet in such a dramatic way but friends and family have been amazing (although dubious at times) at accepting my new found vegan experimentation. Recently I was handed a gigantic pile of silverbeet. A vegetable I have never really had too much to do with. It always seemed to me like spinach's dorky cousin but I took the challenge of cooking something palatable head on! I wasn't aiming for a giant success, just something that could make it down the gullet, but I was VERY pleasantly surprised with this recipe.


Ingredients:
200 g young silverbeet or rainbow chard
Sea Salt
150 g Potatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 finely chopped Onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped Parsley
1 cup roughly chopped Walnuts (OR for a non vegan version you might like to add your favorite cheese; ricotta, feta and mozzarella are all great options!)
1 tsp nutmeg
Freshly ground Pepper
1 large Egg (for a completely vegan meal use equivalent egg replacer)
Approx. 6 sheets filo pastry, thawed

Method:

1. Wash silverbeet. Separate silverbeet stems from the leaves, then roll up the leaves and slice finely. Trim stems, chop finely then cover with 1 Tbls salt and set aside in a colander. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in lightly salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender, then drain, and dice into 1cm cubes.

3. Preheat oven to 180°C and lightly oil a medium casserole or tart dish.

4. Combine silverbeet with potato, onion, parsley, walnuts and nutmeg, then add salt and pepper to taste. Note: add cheese now if using. Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon oil and add to silverbeet mixture.

5. Line baking dish with 5 sheets of filo pastry, let overhang from the dish a lot and brush every second layer with olive oil. Spoon in the filling. Fold the overhanging edges of filo pastry back over the top of the dish to cover. If it doesn't quite cover it all you may use an extra sheet or two on top, brushing with oil as you go. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

This recipe is delicious on its own or serve with a fresh tomato salad.

Fuck carrot juice, eat cake!

So since the juicing we have kilo upon kilo of carrots in the basement just piling up, ready for me to drink. But after a week of carrot juice 5 times daily, one kinda gets to realize that carrot juice is the worst thing ever known to man and that carrots should all die!! So I am looking for new and interesting ways to use carrots. I am maintaining the vegan diet (as animal protein is shown to promote cancer and disease growth) but the juices made me feel really sick and bloated so I am not sure they are the best method for me. This is a trial and error process after all and I need to fully tune in with my body and listen to what it needs...right now? It needs cake!!!


This recipe is taken from the Blossoming Lotus-Vegan World Fusion Cuisine cookbook that has been collecting dust in my shelves for years.

Cosmic Curl Girl's Carrot Cake:

Dry
3 1/4 c Spelt Flour
2c Sucanat (Abbreviation for sugar cane natural. I used maple syrup to taste. About 3/4 c.)
1 1/2 c Raisins
1 Tbls Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp Sea salt
1/4 tsp Allspice

Wet
1 3/4 c carrot juice, fresh
1/2 c filtered water
1/3 c ginger juice (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger and equivalent filtered water)
3/8 c Safflower oil
2 Tbl Apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C
2. Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients and whisk together.
4. Pour wet mix into dry and stir to combine. Pour into a well oiled 29cm spring form pan and bake for 60 min or until a toothpick comes out dry.
5. Allow to cool completely before icing if desired.

Icing: This will be awesome with your typical cream cheese icing but if you are going the whole hog with the vegan thing try this with me!

Cashew Creme Frosting

1 c cashews
2/3 c coconut milk, or more to reach desired consistency.
1/3 c dates
1/2 tsp vanilla (or the zest and rind of half a lemon for a fresher taste)

Preparation

Place cashews, dates and vanilla a food processor or blender with 1/2 c coconut milk and process until smooth, adding coconut milk as necessary until mixture is smooth and still thick.

Refrigerate for 20 mins before frosting the cake.