Broccoli Soup & Amazing Wheat-free Bread

 I made this meal over the weekend and I decided to post the two recipes together as they really complement each other. The broccoli soup is light and tasty with a slightly creamy texture, and the wheat-free bread makes a wonderful filling accompaniment. If you like Burgen's soy and linseed bread, you will love this one, except it's even better!

The broccoli soup is my own recipe and the original bread formula can be found here.

All completely vegan, dairy free and wheat free, but trust me it's very satisfying and filling. The leftover bread also makes amazing toast.

Note: the bread dough should be prepared the day before if possible as it needs time to "rest" before baking.

 Broccoli Soup

Ingredients
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1.5 litres vegetable stock
3 TBS white vinegar
1 can cannellini beans, drained
200ml soy milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method
In a large soup pot, sauté the leek and garlic in a little olive oil.

Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a low-medium heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Blend in batches until smooth.

Amazing Wheat-free Bread

Ingredients
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1.5 cups rolled oats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
4 tablespoons psyllium husks
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and liquid
1.5 cups warm water

Method
In one bowl, combine the nuts, seeds, rolled oats, psyllium husks and salt. In another bowl, combine the melted oil, maple syrup and water.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together to form a dough. Allow to sit for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Press the dough into a silicone loaf pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the bread from the loaf pan and place directly onto the oven rack, and bake a further 30-40 minutes. The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.

Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Raw Anzac Truffle Balls

I wanted to make something healthy for Anzac Day and I came across a recipe for these yummy raw treats. These are super easy to make and they taste amazing! Seriously you won't be able to stop eating them, they're coconut-y and caramel-y and delicious.

They're not gluten free, as oats do contain gluten, however they are wheat free which is much healthier than normal Anzac biscuits. They are vegan and dairy free.

You can use honey or maple syrup for a truer "raw" status however I went with the golden syrup for a traditional Anzac flavour.

This recipe will make around 20 truffle balls.

Ingredients
1 cup cashews
2/3 cup sesame seeds
2/3 cup desiccated coconut + extra for rolling
1 1/3 cup rolled oats
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup golden syrup
4 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 tablespoon water

Method
Put the cashews, sesame seeds, coconut, rolled oats and salt into a blender or food processor and blend. The consistency should resemble breadcrumbs (a few large pieces of nuts or oats here and there are ok).

Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl, and add the golden syrup, vanilla essence and water. Combine well.

Roll into balls, roll in coconut and put in an airtight container in the fridge to set.

Enjoy! x

Gluten-free Choc Mint Brownies

These brownies not only taste amazing, they are good for you as well! Packed full of healthy ingredients, you can finally feel guilt-free about eating brownies. They're vegan and gluten-free too. I got the original recipe here but made some small tweaks to accommodate for readily available ingredients here in Australia.

Brownies:
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon apple sauce
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/2 cup blueberries
1 whole (2 halves) canned pear
400g tin of red kidney beans
1 tablespoon canola oil
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons gluten free flour (I use Orgran's)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Mint Filling:
1/4 cup soft, ripe avocado
1 tablespoon coconut cream
1/2 cup natvia powder
1/4 teaspoon peppermint essential oil
1 drop green food colouring
2 tablespoons gluten free flour

Chocolate Layer:
150g dark chocolate
1 teaspoon canola oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a slice pan (mine was around 24cm x 30cm) and set aside.

Combine the flaxseed, apple sauce and almond milk together in a small bowl, mix and set aside to thicken. In a blender, combine the blueberries, pear, kidney beans, vanilla extract and oil, and blend until smooth. Pour the contents of the blender into a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flaxseed mixture, then the coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and mix. Add the flour and chocolate chips, and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into your slice pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely - put them in the fridge for half an hour to speed up the process if you want to. While they are cooling you can prepare the mint filling.

In a small bowl, combine the avocado and coconut milk and beat with a whisk until smooth. Add the natvia powder and mix in well. Add the green food colouring and peppermint oil, mix in well. Once the mixture is creamy and smooth, add the flour and stir until just combined. Spread the mixture over the cooled brownies and refrigerate for 10 minutes to let it set.

Next melt the chocolate. Add the oil and mix until well combined. Drizzle over the brownies and use a spoon or spatula to spread it evenly. Refrigerate for a further 10-15 minutes until set, then slice into pieces with a knife. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Enjoy! xx