Maria at Clorofila: For the Love of Veggies

Maria at Clorofila: For the Love of Veggies

Maria at Clorofila knows what she’s doing when it comes to the kitchen! She may not be a vegetarian but she loves to make vegan and vegetarian dishes full of spice and flavour to show everyone that, just because there’s no meat in a dish it can still be delicious and healthy!  She loves her veggies and want to show people how incredible and versatile cooking with them can be.

Maria has a very relaxed, go with the flow style of cooking.  She uses local sustainable vegetables and a lot of instinctual and spontaneous recipes.  Measurements are slightly unsystematic, a casual pinch of salt here, pepper to taste there, nothing too fancy, just plain old delicious!

Here are a few of her dishes for you to get an idea of what goes into her dish, or even try as you like!  All the dishes have the basics down so feel free to add more of less of the seasoning/ ingredients that you love (or dislike) to accommodate the meal to your own tastes.

• Sweet Potato, Onion & Rosemary Cream Soup
• Eggplant Ceviche
• Broccoli Salad
• Honey Glazed Carrot Sticks

Sweet Potato, Onion & Rosemary Cream Soup 

1 sweet potato per person
½ onion per person
salt, pepper, turmeric, rosemary, garlic

Dice the sweet potatoes (finely)
Chop onion into small slices
Diced mushrooms (finely)

In a large pot heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil, add onions and turmeric and sauté for a few minutes (until onions become translucent).  Add garlic and rosemary to the mixture, stir and wait 30 seconds, then add sweet potatoes.  Pour in enough water to cover the mixture, ½ inch above the sweet potatoes. Let the pot boil, reduce to simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft.  Remove from the stove, blend and add finely diced mushrooms (you can always add before you blend if you don’t want the chunks), and a pinch of salt & pepper to taste and enjoy!

Some variations on the soup ~
– use coconut water or coconut milk instead of water;
– exchange the rosemary for lemongrass and ginger;
– add miso or blue cheese and parmesan at the end.

Eggplant Ceviche 

½ eggplant per person
1 roma tomato per person
basil, parsley, honey, apple cider vinegar, oil, salt and pepper
Finely slice eggplant

Chop parsley and basil
Cube tomatoes

Mix eggplant with the basil and parsley in a large bowl (you can also add cilantro, dill or mint).

Blend tomatoes, lots of honey, garlic, curry, a little apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper together and pour the sauce over the eggplant mixture.  Leave marinating for 30 minutes before serving!

Broccoli Salad

1 head of broccoli serves 3 people
½ purple cabbage per person
lettuce, carrot, bok choy, sesame seeds, sesame oil, honey, chili, salt, pepper, lemon juice

Finally chop cabbage and broccoli, grate carrots and cut lettuce and bok choy, put all the veggies in a bowl.  Toast sesame seeds and add them to the vegetables, drizzle sesame oil and honey over everything.  Add chili, salt, pepper and lemon juice and mix it all together.

Some variations on the salad ~
– use any type of cabbage instead of purple cabbage
– use cauliflower instead of broccoli
– add apple or pear
– use any seeds/nuts you want

Honey Glazed Carrot Sticks

Carrots

honey, lime/lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper, olive oil

Cut carrots into thin sticks and heat olive oil in a frying pan.  Fry the carrots for a few minutes, add honey, lime/lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper into the pan and cook until carrots are softened.

Some variations for the carrot sticks ~
– use apple cider vinegar instead of lime/lemon juice
– substitute oregano instead of thyme
– try maple syrup instead of honey
– use pumpkin or beetroot instead of carrots