HAPPY #FRUITSANDVEGGIESMONDAY ღ ღ ღ I hope you all enjoyed the weekend and a ready for a new week ahead. Since we close our bakery on Monday and Tuesday, we just started our weekend! It's been 4 weeks now and business is still going well. Even with the tropical rains people still come out to buy our yummies.

Though we are still planning on making a coffee shop and food health cafe, other ideas and opportunities are coming to mind. We have a few people interested in joining our game. One Italian (I already can smell the coffee) and a Spanish (hmmm tapas), in both Kep and Kampot.

Furthermore, we don't want to turn this in a foreigner only business and Khmer people are loving our products so we decided to go for a food truck, TUK-TUK type of bakery in the coming 2-3 weeks.

Exciting new times. That's for sure. What are you guys up to? Looking forward to the summer holidays?

We are getting ready for the influx of tourists.

But let's talk #fruitsandveggiesmonday! Made this love- and veggie-packed dish yesterday and we absolutely loved it.

TOMATO VEGGIE SAUCE RECIPE

Every time I make a tomato or marinara sauce I always make a big batch to freeze leftovers for later. As said before with the bakery my time in the kitchen is reduced so I have to be clever. Pre-prepping this sauce will save me so much time later this week.

INGREDIENTS

5-6 pounds (2.5-3 kg) tomatoes
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1-1.5 cup celery, chopped
1-1.5 cup carrot, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp maple syrup
Dried oregano and rosemary to taste
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Freshly chopped parsley, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Optional step to remove tomato skins: Blanche the whole tomatoes in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Then cool under cold running water. You will see that the peel will loosen up. Peel the tomatoes.
Heat cooking oil over medium heat. Saute the onion for a few minutes before adding the garlic. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, stirring regularly.
Then add carrots and celery and cook for a few minutes more. Sir regularly.
Add the peeled tomatoes, dried herbs, pepper, and salt. Stir well, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add freshly chopped parsley and maple syrup to taste. Blend half of the mixture and mix into the remaining tomato sauce. Or mix everything for a smooth marinara-style tomato sauce. I like little chunks in mine so I blended only half.
Reserve about 2 cups for the vegan spaghetti meatballs and divide the rest of the sauce in portions to freeze for later.

LENTIL QUINOA VEGAN MEATBALLS WITH SPIRALIZED SWEET POTATO

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2)

About 2 cups of the marinara sauce (see above)
2 big sweet potatoes, spiralized

FYI: CLICK HERE for ;ore info on how to spiralize veggies.

For the meatballs

½ cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked lentils
½ cup rolled oats
3 T nutritional yeast
1 T flaxseed, grounded
1 t dried oregano
1 t chili powder
1 T water
½ T smoked paprika
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the sunflower Parmesan cheese

1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
2-3 tbsp Nutritional yeast
Sea salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Combine all meatball ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse about 6 to 8 times. Do not overprocess as you want to keep so;e texture in the mixture.
Use a tablespoon to scoop out the bean mixture and mold them into little balls.
You can either fry these little ones in coconut oil or bake them in the oven. If you want to fry them, add about 1 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil to a skillet and heat it over medium heat until the oil sizzles immediately on contact. Add the meatballs and cook, turning over every 30 seconds until they’re golden and heated through. If you want to bake them in the oven (like I did), preheat oven to 400°F or 200°C. Place meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet (or use a silicone mat instead) and bake them for about 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, make the sunflower parmesan cheese and cook the sweet potato noodles.
Add all parmesan ingredients to a blender and process until small grain-like substance. Something that resembles grated parmesan.
Then cook the sweet potato noodles. In a skillet, heat cooking oil over medium heat. Toss in the noodles and cook until al dente or still a little crisp. Add marinara sauce and cook until heated through.
Divide over plates or bowl and top with vegan meatballs and sunflower Parmesan.