Tzatziki Sauce

This Greek yoghurt based sauce is amazing with falafel!! Original recipe from Genius Kitchen.

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients

3 cups vegan greek style yoghurt (I use Kite Hill)
3 tablespoons lemon juice (or juice of one lemon)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large English cucumber, diced (the long, skinny ones)
1 tablespoon salt (for salting cucumbers)
1 tablespoon fresh dill (or both, depending on preference) or 1 tablespoon of fresh mint, chopped (or both, depending on preference)
salt & freshly ground black pepper


Method

Peel cucumbers and dice.
Put them in a colander and sprinkle with the tablespoon of salt (draws water out).
Cover with a plate and sit something heavy on top.
Let sit for 30 minute Drain well and wipe dry with a paper towel.
In food processor or blender, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill and/or mint, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Process until well blended, then stir into yogurt.
Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed.
Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend.
This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.

Summer Mango Salad with Chilli Lime Dressing

Summer Mango Salad with Chilli Lime Dressing

Ingredients

1 Mango, chopped
1 can Chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 bunch Mint, chopped
1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped
1 Avocado, chopped
Sprouts
1/4-1/2 tsp Japanese Chilli powder (Shichimi Togarashi)
Juice from 1 Lime
2 Tbls Maple syrup


Method

In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, maple syrup and Shichimi Togarashi together.
Add all other ingredients together and toss to combine.
Pour over dressing and serve.

Essential Oil Living

I had been using essential oils on an off for most of my adult life and I used only essential oils in my soaps. One day I realized that besides the types of oils I mainly used I really didn't know that much about essential oils and what the benefits of other oils really were so I started to research.

Essentials oils are the oils that are pressed or steamed from different parts of plants that are extremely beneficial to natural health. (More on that here). These oils possess the best of the plant, the protective properties that the plant uses against attack and illness. Although people think of essential oil use as "hippy" or "new age" actually essential oils have been used for centuries for medicinal health & beauty purposes. Knowing which plants possess which qualities and therefore what their oils can achieve is the key. Most important of all is finding the best quality essential oil.

I started buying doTERRA oils after years and years of buying cheaper ones. I never reaped the benefits that seemed to be promised and it wasn't until I did some digging that I realized it was the quality of the oils I was buying. The ones I had been using had been obtained through chemical processes, contained lots of fillers and carrier oils (oils such as coconut used to dilute the essential oil) and were not being stored correctly (other brands are exposed to heat and light before they even get to the stores). Having the pure oils come straight to you from a quality & temperature controlled warehouse makes a big difference. As in life, you get what you pay for and I really was buying junk essential oils, it made the house smell nice but they weren't doing anything beyond that. If I wanted to be serious about having a natural approach to health, home and beauty I needed to buy the best.

Although only being around for a decade doTERRA has fast made a name for itself buy being the best essential oil company (See Why doTERRA?). By extracting oils using pressing or steam method only, using only the freshest picked plants and having the extraction done in the country of origin allowed the oils to remain pure and maintain their best medicinal qualities. There's a big difference between fresh orange juice and a diluted concentrate you buy in the supermarket. Fresh is always best.

I was on the fence for a while because doTERRA is more expensive than other brands, but due to the concentrated properties you use so much less than other brands. I can use 1-2 drops where I used to use 10-15 drops.

The power of nature is quite amazing, if you've ever seen plants regenerate after trauma or disease you can see that. And we as a part of nature we should be harnessing what the Earth has already given us instead of relying on synthetic chemicals that can cause more harm than good. Certainly modern medicine has it's place but the idea behind essential oils is help to prevent rather than need a cure, although there are plenty of essential oil cures too...naturally! Keeping the body, mind and spirit as healthy as possible really is the best way to live the best life you can, not just exist and survive.

You can use essential oils in three different ways when you buy pure; Aromatically, Topically & Internally. (More on that here). Being able to buy herbal essential oil such as basil and cilantro is a game changer in the kitchen! I no longer have to worry about not having fresh herbs for my recipes!

If you are interested in essential oil living and have any questions on where to start please feel free to contact me (contact at the bottom of the blog) or visit my essential oils page!

The best way to get started is to sign up for the wholesale prices! But of course you can always go in and pay retail if you're not sure you'll buy much.

You can sign up for wholesale prices in two ways;

1. Pay the annual membership fee of $35 and you get a free peppermint oil included so essentially you'r only paying $12 for the annual membership.

2. Choose an enrollment kit (like the Family Essentials one I got shown below) and it waves your membership fee. This is a great way to start you using the oils because it gives you many to work with plus a lovely 120 page book on all the doTERRA oils, blends and products and how to use them. My favorite part is the little stickers in the book to put on the top of your essential oils for easy locating!

Having said all that I have a lovely list of vegan doTERRA products. Obviously all the essential oils and blends are vegan but doTERRA offers a range of vitamin health, weight loss solutions, beauty products and healthy home living products that are not all vegan. Luckily the list of not vegan is quite small...

This list of non-vegan doTERRA products was put together by Ora Leaders.

The following products are NOT considered vegan: 

• The GX Assist uses a bovine gelatin. We use capsules containing an animal-based ingredient because the current technology for vegetable capsules had not allowed for oil-based products (they dissolve the capsules). We have found a new technology that will allow us to move away from these animal-based capsules, but the transition will take some time.

• IQ Mega and xEO Mega both contain fish oils - however they do make vegan versions of these products

• The Slim & Sassy Trim Shakes contain milk and egg proteins - however they do make vegan versions of these products

• The Hydrating Cream contains milk proteins 

• The a2z chewable supplements contain honey

• Lip balm contains beeswax

• Microplex VMz Food Nutrient Complex now comes in a vegan version too. In fact the Lifelong Vitality Pack now comes in a vegan version!

doTERRA have some great blends that save you the trouble of researching all the oil properties. These blends have been found by doTERRA to offer the best combination to promote health in each area. I use a lot of the blends over single oils because I feel like I get more use out of them - they are an easy go to, especially the roll-on  form that I can carry with me.
Here are some of my favourites...

Slim & Sassy - for weight management

Deep Blue - for sore, tire muscles and relaxation

Breathe - for nights when illness or allergies are preventing sleep

Clary Calm - to keep my female hormones in check during PMS and give me an all round sense of wellbeing

Past Tense - for tension & headaches is the ones doTERRA product I had already being using for years for my migraines

On Guard - for a boost to the immune system and helping keep the house free of illness this range is one of my most used in the house. I love having the beadlets in my purse all the time.

Citrus Bliss - I love to add to household cleaner and to refresh a room using a diffuser

Serenity - for calming and a relaxation. The Lavender & Vetiver ensure a great night's sleep

Purify - I use in my homemade deodorant

Immortelle - amazing for skin look & preservation, the immortelle or Helichrysum flower is known in France as "the flower that never dies" 

In Tune - great for helping my daughter with ADHD to concentrate on the task at hand

TerraShield  - is great for outdoor activities to keep the bugs at bay. I love that it now comes in a spray bottle too!

FDA disclaimer: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.”

A list of products from doTerra that are NOT vegan;

a2z Chewables Anti-Aging Eye Cream Body Butter Natural Deodorant Diaper Rash Cream Essential Skin Care Tightening Serum GX Assist HD Clear Facial Lotion Hydrating Cream (Pre-convention 2017 formula) IQ Mega Lip Balms Peppermint Softgels Nutritionals Protein (chocolate and vanilla) xEO Mega Bone Nutrient Essential Complex

Red-Cooked Eggplant (Hongshao Qiezi)

This Chinese dish has been adapted from one of Adrian's recipes on Good Chef Bad Chef. It's very important to the recipe that you used fresh Japanese eggplants. It was so delicious! I served with brown rice and steamed bok choy. If you want less spicy just omit the fresh chilli.

Red-Cooked Eggplant (Hongshao Qiezi)

Ingredients

3 oriental eggplant, quartered lengthwise
1 cup olive oil
1 long red chilli, sliced
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1" fresh ginger (I used a touch of ground because I didn't have fresh)
½ red onion chopped
2 tbsp brown sugar (I used palm sugar because I didn't have brown)
1 tbsp vegan fish sauce
2 tbsp chilli bean paste (I used Sambal Olak because I didn't have the paste)
2 star anise
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable or vegan beef stock
Bunch Garlic chives (I didn't not use this)
½ bunch coriander, chopped

Method

Submerge eggplant in a bowl filled with ice water for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a 14″ flat-bottomed wok over medium-high heat.
Drain eggplant, dry thoroughly with paper towels, and add all to the oil. Cook until just soft and golden, about 3 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggplant to a bowl lined with paper towel and set aside.

Discard all but ¼ cup oil in wok; return to medium heat.
Add garlic, red onion, ginger and chilli.
Season with salt and pepper and fry for one to two minutes or until onion just begins to soften.
Stir through sugar.
Add fish sauce, bean paste, tomato paste, star anise, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and stock. Bring to the boil.
Transfer eggplant back to the wok. Stir through garlic chives and coriander.

Transfer to a plate and serve.

DIY Lash Serum

I had read a few different recipes online about DIY lash serums. All the commercial ones that seem to work are not vegan. So I decided to combine a few recipes and create my own. The key seems to be the castor oil which helps with hair regrowth and strength, as does certain essential oils such as lavender and cedar wood. Vitamin E & Coconut Oil are for conditioning.   The I bought an empty mascara wand online (which took forever to ship!) but you can just as easily use an oil brush or dropper and apply with your fingers or a cotton bud. Honestly I think that';s better anyway as you only need to get your lash line,not your whole lash. It is oily so feels a bit weird the first few times you use it and I recommend using a pillow case you don't care about. I spoke to a friend who did it just with castor oil and she said it definitely works (her lashes are amazing) but that it can take 6 months of doing it every day to start seeing results...so don't give up!! I promise to post results once I see them!

DIY Lash Serum

Ingredients

2 tsp Coconut Oil (melted)
2 Tbls Castor Oil
2 tsp Vitamin E
8-10 drops Lavender (and/or cedar wood) essential oil


Method

Add all ingredients into small bowl and mix well.
Drop slowly into a glass dropper or mascara container.
Apply to base of eyelashes and eyebrows at night.

Hungarian "Sausage" and Potatoes

This is a dish my grandmother made as a side dish and I loved it so much. Thanks to Beyond Meat Sausages I can now recreate it as best as I can!

Hungarian "Sausage" and Potatoes

Ingredients

2 vegan Sausages
2-4 potatoes, peeled
1 tsp paprika
oil for frying (a few Tbls)


Method

Boil the potatoes whole until they are soft enough to cut then remove, drain and allow to cool slightly.
Fry the sausages in a little oil till firm then remove from oil and allow to cool slightly.
Slice potatoes into slices or chunks and add to the pan with oil that had the sausages.
Add a little water and paprika and allow to fry slightly, letting the water evaporate.
Slice the sausages and add back to frying pan with potatoes.
Allow the sliced parts of the sausage and the potatoes to brown slightly.
Serve.