Recipes

RECIPES!

* Means vegan (so far, everything is vegan :)

Breakfasts:

Breakfast parfaits- berry and mango*
Vegan pretzels- FAVOURITE*
Breakfast Trio Cupcakes*
Banana mango ice cream smoothie*
The Breakfast Pizza*
Apple pie oatmeal*
Chocolate oatmeal bowl* 
Oats in a jar* 
Blueberry Microwave Muffin *
Bright pink barley 'oatmeal'* 
Mini pumpkin doughnuts! * 
Apple oatmeal balls* 
Breakfast Trio Pancakes 
Dough Boy Smoothie* 
Chewy breakfast cookies*
Choc/ Raspberry Waffles* 

Breakfast ice-cream* 
Creamy Green Smoothie* 
Chocolate banana bread doughnuts* 
Baked pancake- carrot cake/apple crumble* 
Breakfast Sundae*
Not just a bowl of cereal* 
Brekky mugs* 
Glazed pumpkin cinnamon scrolls* 
Fudgy weet-bix truffles* 
Oatmeal pizza* 
Chocolate pancakes with berry ice-cream* 
Lemon blueberry doughnuts* 
Breakfast Pumpkin Soup*
Creamy green ice-cream* 
Overnight oats ice cream* 
Tuity Fruity Breakfast Smoothie* 
Muesli Pancakes*
Thick chocolate green monster smoothie*
Banana bread microwave muffin*
Vanilla pancakes*
Grapefruit smoothie* 
Jam filled pumpkin bars*
muesli cookies with chocolate milkshake* 
Chocolate banana waffles*
Apple ringed muesli pancakes*
Best.Oatmeal.Ever!* 
PB+J oatmeal* 
Baked chocolate oatmeal with coconut glaze* 
banana yogurt ice creams
Chocolate chip banana pancakes* 
Baked rhubarb oatmeal* 
Rhubarb crumble*
Chocolate cheesecake ice cream*
Cinnamon cake in a mug*
Vanilla cheesecake smoothie 
Berry dough boy smoothie*
Orange and poppy seed oat bran* 
 Main Meals:

Pumpkin base stuffed crust pizza*

Quinoa polenta flatbread*
Pumpkin baked beans*
Pumpkin Quinoa Sushi Rolls*
NACHOS!- dairy, wheat, sugar free*
The ultimate veggie burger! *
Stuffed capsicum and tomatoes* 
Meatless ball toasted sandwich* 
Colurful Pizza Parcels* 
Lunch Ideas* 
Veggie-filled pasta*
Sandwich ideas* 
Veggie pizza bun sandwich* 
Veggie-filled pasta!!*
Beetroot stuffed crust pizza*
Grilled veggie sandwich* 
Middle Eastern cous cous bowl* 
black bean burger* 
Caramelized onion, time, semi-dried tomato bean balls* 
Quinoa,roast veggie and curried cauliflower salad* 
Mexican stuffed spaghetti squash*
Dips, Sauces, Spreads:
Vegan cheese*
Ridiculously easy pasta sauce* 
No added sugar jam!- super simple*

Breakfast for Kings!

Today's breakfast was an all time favourite that I could eat any day of the week, that is just... delicious:

A banana and nut butter toasted sandwich with a glass of soy milk (creating a balanced meal- carbohydrates, fruit, protein, and calcium.. and deliciousness!) The nut butter melts slightly and the banana goes all gooey.. it is just divine! Who says you can't have dessert for breakfast. Not me!
Which brings me to the breakfasts I actually planned on sharing with you today:

The breakfast I made for my sister... (above)
The breakfast I made for me... (below)

I guess it was a kind of parfait day yesterday!
Both brekkies were vegan, sweetened only with fruit.
We both had little oat ball things- made by making a batch of porridge (I used a fruity muesli) shaping into balls and cooking in the oven for about half an hour.
The berry parfaits layers included:
Oat balls (they really need a better name)
banana
blueberries
mixed raw nuts
with a berry yogurt type thing made with blended frozen berries and soy milk
My brekky included:
Oat balls
blueberries and grapes
mixed raw nuts
banana and mango 'ice cream'  (made by blending a frozen banana and mango in a food processor until it gets to ice cream consistency) ...Your taste buds would be surprised this doesn't contain dairy!

So there you have it lucky duckies- three delicious brekkies for you to try or adapt to create your own perfect filling breakfast!

Pumkin base stuffed crust pizza!

Yeah. That's right.
Yesterday my family and I went out to lunch, where I had the biggest salad known to man:

Delicious! However after that ginormous salad, I thought dinner could feature my all time favourite fast food. PIZZA! Steph style...
PUMPKIN BASE STUFFED CRUST PIZZA: (dairy, wheat, egg, meat free)
Ingredients:
100g pumpkin- cut into cubes
150g flour (really any kind will do. I used wheat free bread mix and brown rice flour)
Pinch of oregano and basil
1/2 teaspoon dried instant yeast
1/4 cup luke warm water
2 teaspoon olive oil
Toppings of choice and crust stuffing of choice (I used mixed four beans and tofu)
Vegan cheese:
1 tablespoon hommus
1teaspoon tahini
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
water to thin

These are the flours I used:

Method:
1.Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Steam/ boil the pumpkin until very soft ( around 20 minutes)
2. Meanwhile, stir the yeast into the water and sit for about 5 mins.
3. Combine the flour and herbs in a mixing bowl, create a well.
4. Pour in the yeast mixture oil and cooled mashed pumpkin. Mix until combine (don't be afraid to use your hands) , then turn out onto a floured surface
5. knead for 10 mins and place in an bowl coated in oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in a warm area (i put mine in the oven... turned off!) for 45 mins
6. Punch the dough down, knead lightly on a floured surface and roll out to desired size.

TIME TO GET CREATIVE!
7. Create a ring with whatever it is you want to stuff your crust with (I chose mixed beans and tofu other ideas include; cheese, vegies etc.)

8. Then, fold over the edges and press down on the rest of the dough to seal.(I brushed the folded edges with some vegan cheese *recipe above* to make sure it stuck)

9. Add any toppings you love!

Mine included: salsa, (as my sauce) spinach, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, capsicum, sweet potato and parsnip. With a drizzle of the vegan cheese (recipe above)
10. Place in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
11. ENJOY!
My finished product:

Bye, for now. Happy pizza making!

Grains Part 1

Howdy folks!
Seeing as this is a food blog... about food, i figured i should mention some recipes. But, like everything else in life you have to start with the basics.
GRAINS! 
About 2 years ago, I think I truly believed the only grain in the world was wheat and rice. Well that changed and ever since I have collected my fair share of them:

Grains (mainly whole grains) are definitely part of a healthy diet, which is why I thought I might share my ways of cooking some of my favorites. :)
First up- Pearled Barley

Most commonly used in soups or stews (I like it plain on its own...) because you can't really over cook it.
A serving size is 100g (so the packet tells me) which is the same as 1/2 a cup. Place your required amount in a saucepan and the ratio of barley to water is 1 part barley 5 parts water. *I just put the barley in a saucepan and pretty much fill with water.* Then bring water to the boil and let simmer for around 45 minutes. YUM!

Now another favorite of mine- Cous Cous

Cooking cous cous is ridiculously easy, but heaps of people are a bit weary, well have no fear.. Steph is here! 
Step 1. Measure out cous cous into a bowl(1 serving is about1/4 cup)
Step 2. Add the same amount of boiling water to the bowl
Step 3. stir a little and then cover (I just use a plate)
Step 4. Wait 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork and eat!
Yes, the ratio of cous cous to water is 1:1
So this is part one of how to cook different grains. Stay tuned for part 2!

First Post!

Well, hello! This is my first official post and I am pretty excited.
I've been putting off the idea of starting a blog for a while now, I read a lot of great blogs and felt, at my age, there was no way I could compare. As the long summer holidays rolled round, I was running out of excuses not to start one.
The idea first appeared when I was in the health food section of Woolworths. A lady was searching the shelves looking a bit lost, when she slowly turned towards me and said 'You wouldn't, by any chance know where to find quinoa?'
I smiled and pointed to the shelf that held the grain and got back to whatever it was I was doing at the time (something very important I'm sure!).
She stood there, staring at the packet. 'You wouldn't by any chance know how to cook it?'
I smiled again and told her the method and my sneaky tricks of the trade.
When I finished fascinating her with my terrific quinoa cooking method, she thanked me and told me I should start a blog.
Then I thought to myself, 'I should start a blog.' and also 'Woolies should pay me for customer service.'  but the first thought seemed a bit more realistic.
So any way here I am, with my blog and because I don't want to bore you all to death I might just wrap it up there. But wait, you need some food pics don't you? :)
A little photo story of my lunch: A beautiful roast veggie stack, atop a homemade veggie burger

It was a bit hard to eat, so this was after my first bite :) I still think it's beautiful

All gone!

HELLO :)

Hi There,
My name is Steph, an ordinary 16 year old, with an extraordinary passion for food. Yes, eating food is great, but especially the cooking, creating and imagining that comes with it.

 Inspiration, helpfulness, sharing is caring... bored-ness and a mission to take over the world, are all reasons I decided to start this blog. Probably the last two more than anything (just kidding). 

 I'm a vegetarian, who also steers clear of dairy and sugar, but doesn't let that affect my life at all- if I want ice-cream, I shall have it! (with a few alterations:))
My diet for the first year of my vego life included the major food groups:
pasta, beans, cheese and frozen soy products. Tasty.

I was only 12, but really that's no excuse. The wake up call came when I went to a dietician and she told me to take a break from dairy, wheat and sugar. my first response, similar to my friends and family, was 'what do I eat now?'
today, pretty much a year after that question bubbled up in my brain, my biggest question is 'How am I going to decide what to have today... too much choice!'

Over the past year or so, I've also found my love for endurance running... which also adds to my already hangry being. :)

 My voyage into this Healthy Living Community (that I have seriously grown to love!) has had a huge impact on my life and my health and even steered me into the direction to study nutrition at university... which means working hard in my final years at school- which does not mean hours of sitting down, oh no!

I have this thing with sitting... so instead I stand :)

If you do come across my blog (as I'm guessing you are if you are reading this ;), feel free to leave a comment, say hi... and I hope you join me on my journey to creating the most delicious food ever. Not most delicious vegetarian food. Delicious food full stop!

Feel free to contact me with any questions, thoughts or ideas at pipzy3@gmail.com. You can also find From Steph to Chef on Instagram; @steph2chef

Well that's it for now! Bye :)