Sticky Date Porridge (VE)

06-11-2017 Local Black Bookbreakfast, dairy-free, date, gluten-free, healthy, porridge, recipe, sticky date pudding, veganLeave a comment

Forget about date night – it’s all about the date morning nowadays. The sticky date porridge mornings, that is!

My love for cake-inspired porridge is really no secret (see here, here and here).

But what can I say… If it tastes like pudding whilst actually having the nutritious values of the breakfast of champions, I just can’t resist it!

The perfect crossing between the traditional British pudding and the most comforting of all breakfasts, this sticky date porridge is the ultimate cold-weather breakfast.

Warm, comforting and utterly satisfying!

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So what do you say? Breakfast date?

More seasonal recipes

The best squash soup (VE)

Apple & black pudding sausage rolls

Spicy pork dumplings

Polenta plum cobbler (V)

Classic Panzanella Salad (Vegan)

02-08-2017 Local Black Bookdairy-free, italian, panzanella, recipe, salad, tomato, vegan, vegetarianLeave a comment

When I was a child, I would basically live on tomatoes alone for the entire summer.

Both my parents and my grand-parents grow a vegetable garden, with tomatoes having place of pride, which means there would be a tomato glut from early July until late September.

I might not be partial but they’re the best tomatoes I’ve ever tasted and I would have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Much like an apple, still in my pyjamas and the first shoes I’d find for the former, simply drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a pinch of fleur de sel the rest of the time.

Truth be told, the classic panzanella salad is basically a fancy-name, glorified version of that simple salad.

One that also doubles as a delicious, clever way to use up bread that’s a bit past its best.

a.k.a. the dream for little bread-loving, waste-loathing Frenchie me.

Panzanella is lovely served on its own with a glass of chilled rosé as a simple summer supper, but also works wonders as part of a picnic or BBQ spread.

You really can’t go wrong with it… Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do…

… from my head to-ma-toes!

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More Summer recipes:

Satay Chicken Salad (GF, Dairy Free)

Best Ever Guacamole (Vegan, GF)

Pineapple Fizz Mocktail (Vegan)

Melon & Prosciutto Salad (GF)

Blackcurrant & Apple Bircher Muesli (Vegan)

26-07-2017 Local Black Bookbreakfast, dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy, muesli, oats, recipe, vegan, vegetarian4 Comments

I am not a morning person.

No matter how early I go to bed, or how long I sleep, leaving my bed is always a challenge and I’m the kind to hit the snooze button several times in a row, every single morning.

Needless to say that, the ol’ ‘sleeping a few more minutes vs breakfast’ dilemna isn’t really a thing in my house.

It’s sleeping all the way.

Until the very last minute.

Then running around like a headless chicken trying to get showered/dressed/tooth-brushed.

And -if I’ve been organised enough- grabbing a jar of homemade bircher muesli from the fridge before running out of the door to make it to the office on time.

As far as I’m concerned, bircher muesli is a bit of a life (and growling belly come 10am) saver.

It takes minutes to make (and you can do it while watching TV and then there’s nothing left to do in the morning!).

Plus it’s super healthy (hello, protein, complex carb, good fat and vitamin powerhouse!) and SOOOO satisfying.

Quite honestly the berry best on-the-go breakfast around!

Blackcurrant & Apple Bircher Muesli (Vegan, Dairy Free) • Recipe • Cake + Whisky [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:23]

More make-ahead breakfast recipes

Paleo Granola (V, GF)

Lemon Drizzle Porridge (Vegan, dairy free, GF)

Cranberry Oatmeal Cake (V)

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

20-07-2017 Local Black Bookchocolate, chocolate mousse, dairy-free, gluten-free, recipe, veganLeave a comment

As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one way to make chocolate mousse.

No whipped cream, no butter, no nothing. Very fresh eggs and really good quality chocolate and that’s it.

Unless of course you’re making vegan chocolate mousse.

Which you really should because:

It’s a fantastic way to use aquafaba (aka. the thick-ish, yellow-ish liquid your pour down the drain whenever you use canned chickpeas). Take that, food waste!
It’s delicious. And no, it doesn’t taste like hummus.
It’s so simple (only 3 ingredients!) yet as indulgent as the real deal!
You won’t believe it works until you’ve tried it anyway, will you?

But once you’ve seen the magic of turning bean brine into fluffy goodness and turned that into amazing vegan chocolate mousse, I can garantee you’ll wonder where such a genius concept had bean hidding!

Vegan Chocolate Mousse (Vegan, GF, dairy free) • Recipe • Cake + Whisky

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More vegan pudding recipes

Sticky Toffee Porridge (Vegan, GF)

Pink Fruit Salad (Vegan, GF, paleo)

Strawberries & (Coconut) Cream (Vegan, GF, paleo)

Satay Chicken Salad (GF)

05-07-2017 Local Black BookAsian, chicken, dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy, lunch, peanut, recipe, salad, SatayLeave a comment

My obsession with everything peanut isn’t anything new.

To be honest, it sort of runs in the family. My parents are the kind of people buying roasted peanuts by the kilo and eating handfuls of the stuff as a snack.

Though I’m not that into roasted peanuts, one thing I definitely am VERY into is Satay chicken.

There rarely is a week without some sort of Satay-ish chicken concoction in my house.

In winter, it’s usually some variation on Rosie’s skinny Satay recipe, atop vegetable stir-fry or with some actual noodles added in if I’m especially peckish.

But in summer, I’m all about this Satay chicken salad.

High in protein, big on flavour, super fresh and just SO DAMN SATISFYING, it’s an absolute winner of a chicken dinner!

Or lunch, because once you try it, you won’t be able to satay away!

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More super-satisfying salad recipes

Vegan Buddha bowl with Green Tahini (Vegan, GF)

Spring Potato Salad (Vegan, GF)

Kale & Rice Salad with Avocado & Salmon (GF)

Vegan Buddha Bowl with Green Tahini

13-06-2017 Local Black Bookbuddha bowl, dairy-free, gluten-free, lunch, quinoa, recipe, salad, sweet potato, tahini, vegan2 Comments

Defined as ‘a bowl which is packed so full that it has a rounded “belly” appearance on the top, much like the belly of a buddha’, buddha bowls might sound like just another food fad.

Sweet Potato & Quinoa Vegan Buddha Bowl with Green Tahini • Recipe • Cake + Whisky

But not at all. Because if the term is new, the concept (a random bunch of delicious veggies, thrown together in a bowl and topped with all sorts of creamy n’ crunchy treats) really isn’t.

Packed full of nutrients, buddha bowls make for super satisfying, healthy meals.

They’re super easy to adapt to any diet (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy-free) without feeling like you have to compromise. And they only take a few minutes to put together.

As a result, they’re my packed lunch of choice.

I’ve tried quite a few variations of the ol’ grain + greens + veg + sauce combo, and this quinoa & sweet potato vegan buddha bowl is simply the best (yes, even better than this bad boy!).

As it just so happen, this baby is good for you, nutritious, vegan and gluten-free.

But because it’s packed full of colours, flavours and textures and soooooo satisfying, you won’t even notice it!

Just my kind of superbowl!

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More healthy lunch recipes:

Spring Potato Salad (Vegan, GF)

Best Ever Guacamole (Vegan, GF)

Tomato & Coconut Pasta (Vegan)

Spring Buddha Bowl • Vegan, GF

11-04-2017 Local Black Bookbuddha bowl, dairy-free, gluten-free, green beans, lunch, plant based, quinoa, radish, recipe, salad, Spring, vegan, vegetarianLeave a comment

Sooooo… My diet over the last month has been 80% deep-fried takeaway food and 110% carbs. #sohealthy #not

But now that the flat’s finally starting to feel like home, it’s about time for me to go back into the kitchen and onto the (mainly*) healthy eating bandwagon.

*because there really isn’t any point in me pretending I’m going to quit chips and bread, is there?

Buddha bowls – colourful combinations of vegetables, grains and protein, all piled up in a bowl – are one of this year’s top food trends.

And that’s really no wonder seing that a buddha bowl is:

The best when it comes to healthy yet satisfying meals
A genius way to use up leftovers and reduce food waste (any- and everything pretty much goes!)
Packed with fibers, vitamins, high-quality proteins and antioxydants
My new go-to lunch for all the above reasons!

My current favourite is this Spring-inspired little number.

Green beans, quinoa, radishes, pistachios, olives and a zesty, lemony dressing… Spring lunch perfection!

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Looking for more healthy, plant-based lunch-spiration?

Spring cauliflower salad

Best ever guacamole

Vegetarian Caesar salad

Coconut Curry Roasted Cashews

22-11-2016 Local Black Bookcashew, cashews, coconut, curry, dairy-free, edible gift, healthy, healthy eating, healthy living, nuts, recipe, roasted nuts, snack, vegan, vegetarian1 Comment

‘Tis -almost- the season.

Sorry for all the Scrooge out there, but it’s true!

And though tradition plays an important role in end-of-the-year celebrations, this year, I’ve decided to go slightly off track, break with convention and try something new.

Not too new though. As I recently explained, the whole idea is to take traditional ingredients and combine them in a creative way to achieve a fresh take on the traditional holiday dinner.

A sort of Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinner 2.0 if you will.

One of my favourite things to make this time of the year are roasted nut.

With salt & rosemary, with soy sauce or with cinnamon, roasted nuts never fail me, and these Coconut Curry Roasted Cashews are no exception.

Vegan, dairy free AND not boring, sweet, salty, spicy and incredibly more-ish, they are both satisfying and healthy, hence make for an excellent snack and an even better edible gift.

They’re so easy & quick to put together and keep really well, so you can make a big batch & hand out small bags of them to neighbours and visitors…

Or make a big jar for yourself to snack on while writing Christmas cards/wrapping all the presents/convincing your introvert side that it’s excited for all the socializing to come…

I won’t tell if you don’t!

Coconut Curry Roasted Cashews (makes one 400ml jar)

Ingredients:

130g raw cashew nuts
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp yellow curry powder
a good pinch of sea salt
zest from 1/2 lime, finely grated

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C.

2. In a bowl, mix together the cashews and coconut oil until they’re all well coated. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until well the nuts are well coated.

3. Spread the nuts onto a baking sheet & sprinkle with a bit more salt.

4. Bake for 15 min or until golden. Leave to cool completely before transfering to an airtight container.

George’s Day Dessert – Strawberries & (Coconut) Cream

23-04-201523-04-2015 Local Black BookBodum, coconut, cooking, dairy-free, dessert, easy, fruit, george day, healthy, healthy living, strawberry and cream, vegan10 Comments

If dragon slaying is not on your agenda for today (who even has time for that nowadays?), it doesn’t mean you can celebrate St George’s Day! I was short on time, so I decided to go with a really easy re-interpretation of the great British Strawberry & Cream classic, but with a bit of an exotic twist…
You wouldn’t suspect it, but that’s actually a dairy-free, totally vegan-friendly (and fairly healthy) take on the traditional recipe thanks to the use of coconut cream. And it’s the easiest of things to make! All you have to do is whip your coconut cream until soft peaks form (pretty much like you would with regular cream), slice up your strawberries and layer it all up in pretty glasses (mine are Bodum), and tadaaah! 🍓I would highly recommend you listen to your heart when it comes to adding extra toppings; I went for fresh passionfruit and my boyfriend with maple syrup and both versions were delicious! And I’m pretty sure chocolate chips or salted caramel sauce would work wonders too!🍓 How are you celebrating the most British day of the year? Should I stick to my Pimm’s in the Garden plan or do you have any recipe I should check out? 🍓

Breakfast on the go : Chia seed pudding

19-02-201524-02-2015 Local Black Bookbreakfast, chia seeds, dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy habits, recipes, vegan, vegetarian4 Comments

I can’t quite say I’m usually one to pursue the latest food-trend (or superfood, for that matter). Proof is, I only had kale for the first time in September (and I’m pretty sure by then, it wasn’t trendy anymore!).

sndguerin-chia-pud-10 The first time I heard of chia seeds, I was absolutely sure I wouldn’t like them. Sure, they were really good for you, with all their anti-oxydants, fibers, protein, and all, but they were always described as jelly-like, which is a texture I really couldn’t care less about (unless we’re talking about panna cotta, obviously). But then they started popping up regularly on my favourite food blogs, and on Pinterest, and some of the things I was seeing were looking pretty good indeed. So I swallowed my pride (and crossed my fingers), headed to Whole Foods and got myself a box.

I’ve been in love since then, and chia seeds have since been a regular feature in my breakfasts. Mainly because chia seed pudding makes such a convenient, cheap, fast to prep and healthy on-the-go breakfast. Oh, and it’s vegan too… Ticks all the boxes for me!

Chia see pudding (serves 1)

3 tablespoons chia seeds, 9 tablespoons Alpro Coconut milk (or other liquid), Fresh fruit (I used plums here, but my favourite version is actually with blood orange), some sort of syrup (I used the syrup from my absolute favourite preserved sour cherries from Ergon*)

In a bowl or sealable container, combine the chia seeds and the “milk”.

Stir and let to rest for a few minutes.

When the mixture reaches a loose jelly-like texture, pile up fruit on top.

You can try doing it neatly…But more often than not, I end up being quite messy!

Add your syrup of choice (look at those glossy cherries!).

Add one more, you deserve it! Eat immediately or cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to eat/leave for work!

*a note on Ergon: if you’re ever looking for fantastic Greek groceries (or just those cherries!), look no further. The little store in the basement of their restaurant is any foodie’s dream (if you go, you might as well take 5 minutes to have the cardamom panna cotta from the above restaurant. You won’t regret it). And they deliver too!

See, I told you it was an easy and quick recipe! Have you tried chia seed? How do you use them?

Cake and Whisky

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