Raw pomegranate and mint salad... with a pea dip!

I made this salad a few weeks back, took the photos... then promptly forgot about it! 

Even just looking at it now makes me feel light and refreshed.... I've had a heavy few days with sweet recipe experiments so this is a welcome change. I'm even very tempted to pop to the shop and buy a pomegranate right now.

I used my favourite bean and pea dip as the 'sauce' but if you didn't want to whip that up (though it only take minutes, is very versatile and stores well in the fridge), you could try using simple hummus or guacamole.

To make it a little more substantial you could add some quinoa, cous-cous, tortilla wedges or some salad potatoes maybe.

It's a perfect quick light summer lunch as it is or double up the recipe to serve as a side dish at a BBQ maybe? 

I still haven't perfected an un-mesy way to bash out the seeds from the pomegranate hence the messy dressed dish. Ha ha though I think it looks pretty ;-)

Recipe: Pomegranate salad 

Serves 2

 Ingredients:

• 1 large courgette
• 1 small red onion
• 1 cup bean and pea dip (using this recipe)
• 2-3 handfuls of watercress
• handful fresh mint leaves- roughly chopped
• seeds from 1 pomegranate 

Method: 

Spiralise the courgette (or use a julienne peeler) and slice the red onion very finely. Mix the courgette and onion with the dip to create a sauce.  

Pile the a watercress to the serving plate and dollop the courgette mixture on top. Generously sprinkle the pomegranate seeds as garnish. 

My daily boost... revealed!

This is a recipe post that's a little bit different from the norm in part because it's all shot through my iPhone, not my usual slick pics of the finished product! Also because I realised that this is something I do nearly everyday yet haven't told you about before!

I realised that sometimes I forget to tell you about the little simple things I do every day, the things that make a big difference to me yet are so simple and barely a 'recipe'... however that's probably all the more reason I should!

I don't really talk much about supplements and 'superfood' powders and I will clarify here that I do not think that either are absolutely necessary or a replacement for a heathy plant based whole food diet BUT I do think they can have a important place and I want to share with you my thoughts and how I get a boost of goodness in one easy, tasty hit!

It's not going to be a lengthy post all about supplements, I just want to mention quickly what I do you take and why. B12 (not available in non-animal products) and Vitamin D (pretty essential for climates such as the UK with little sun especially in winter!) 

I also aim to take a probiotic every day, alongside drinking kombucha and eating homemade sauerkraut when possible (great for digestion and good bacteria).  I hate pills and capsules as I just can't swallow them.... BUT top tip here! Just empty the probiotic capsules into a smoothie or the energy pudding as shown below and it's so much easier as you cant taste them and they blend right in! This was a game changer for me when I started doing this abut a year ago.

On to the 'energy pudding'. I have been buying various powders as listed below and blending my own mix made from equal amounts and storing this in a tub kept in the fridge (all powders should be kept cool for optimum freshness- fridge or freeze.) I also usually add the probiotics when I make the pudding up and I then also add a tiny bit of sweetnesss (unless I used banana to mix) often by way of 1/2 tsp sugar free jam.

I either eat this as it is for a mini snack, or if I want something more substantial I add a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds and a little extra liquid and let sit to firm up for a few minutes. 

For me it's a total winner when I want a little boost in the morning but not a full on breakfast (I don't often like eating much before late morning or if i'm training first thing), or the chia pudding serves me well as a post work out snack. Or make a bigger portion and have a spoonful here of there throughout the day. Options.... options!

You can add your own powders and mix-ins of choice but I have listed my favourites below (the ones I use most often are in bold). To make life even easier, Real Food Source have just started selling a new 'Energise' blend which pre-mixes many of these powders to save you buying your own individually. I now use this as a base and add my other favourites to it.

BASE: approx. 1/3 cup soy yoghurt, coconut yogurt, one mashed banana or chia pudding

POWDER OPTIONS I LIKE:

• acai powder
• beetroot powder
• raw cacao powder
• baobab powder
• goji powder (or whole berries)
• maca powder
• lucuma powder
• greens powders (add a little at a time as this is likely to have most flavour impact)

SWEETENER: (a tiny touch to taste): fruit juice, banana, sugar-free jam, stevia, maple syrup.

TOPPINGS: if you want extra indulgence or just want to change things up a bit you can add nuts, granola, chopped fruit, or as I do my Wholeplus Toppers as a sprinkle on top!

I created a FREE recipe book for Real Food Source using their energy powder blend. Great for inspiration for using various powders as an addition to my super simple daily boost! Their blend contains: white chia, raw caca, baobab, maca and coconut milk powder for a creamy finish.

You can grab the book here!

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No-Bake Choc Berry Beet Balls!

I am in love with beetroot power! Aside from the fact it looks super cool with it's bright red colour, it imparts a sweetness to recipes and well as a nutritional boost. Beetroot juice is known to be great for our blood, athletes love it as a pre-work out.

In relation to other so called 'superfoods' beetroot power is actually pretty economically priced, another winner in my view. I mix it into smoothies and porridge but here I have used it as a coating for these chocolate berry balls (you could make other flavours such as choc orange).

I thought they were quite halloweeny or even Christmassy... even though I am trying to resist thinking about Christmas- I imagine they would look awesome in a bowl alongside some spiralling covered chocolate balls! ha ha

What are you plans for Halloween... will you be celebrating?

Recipe: Choc Berry Beet Balls

Makes approx 15 balls

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup packed dates
• ½ cup dried cranberries or cherries
• 1 cup cashews or almonds
• ¼ cup cocoa
• ¼ cup beet powder (plus extra to coat)
• ½ tsp cherry extract (or sub for orange extract is that’s more your thing)

Method:

Blend all ingredients together in food processor until you have a slightly sticky well blended mix.

Roll into walnut sized balls with your and dust in the beet powder. Allow to chill in the fridge to firm.

Nutty keto crackers... pack in the protein!

When it comes to following a vegan ketogenic diet, I have found one of the easier way to keep on top of things without having to specifically track every macro to the last detail is to focus on packing in the veggies in my main meals and make up most of my protein needs through snacks in between. The hemp porridge is a great boost in this respect but handfuls of nuts and seeds (and spoonfuls of nut butter!!) also factor in pretty heavily.

These crackers are virtually the same as eating a handful of nuts and seeds but a lot more interesting with the flavours and texture. I would serve these up alongside a big salad, or just nibble on their own with a slather of PB or almond butter. The pictures show hummus which isn't really so keto friendly :-)

I use a dehydrator for maximum nutrition (no heat destroying nutrients) but you could use an oven on the lowest hear setting- just keep an eye on the timings as I haven't tried it that way.I always soak the nuts when I make crackers, this makes the nutrients much more bio-available to the body as in the nature nuts have enzyme inhibitors which make them harder to digest- soaking them breaks this down. You don't need to soak the hemp seeds. 

I haven't added any extra spices to the recipe below as you can leave plain or add your own... I love chipotle pepper sauce, or soy sauce instead of salt. Italian herbs would work well too.

These crackers freeze well so I tend to make a double (or triple) batch, and sometimes divide the mixture before mixing in different spices.

Recipe: Nutty keto crackers

Makes approx. 15-20 crackers

Ingredients:

• ½ cup each 3 types soaked nuts/seeds (I used shelled hemp, almonds* and sunflower seeds)

• 1 small tomato (or 2-3 cherry tomatoes)

• ½ an onion

• 2 tbs flax seed

• scant 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Method:

Process all ingredients together until you have a sticky, lightly chunky mix.

Spread the mixture on to a lined dehydrator tray and smooth to approx 3mm thick as evenly as possible.

Dehydrate for 2 hours at 50C then 6 hours at 40C. Flip the sheet carefully and finish with 1 hour at 40C. Or try oven baking on the lowest temperature for approx 1 hour (maybe more?) To keep the temperature low you could leave the door open a crack.

Slice to serve. The crackers may be a little crumbly depending on how finely you've ground the nuts.

* walnuts are also especially good too.... but for this recipe version I was looking for the highest protein and lowest carb option so opted for almonds. Sunflower seeds could be swapped for pumpkin or another lower carb option, but I happened to have sunflower to hand at time time!

These were some similar crackers using almond, sunflower, sesame and chia.

Why not sign up for my newsletter in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers plus my FREE ebook. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus. 

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The most versatile vegan quiche... four ways!

Wow... I owe you a recipe!!  Yeah this was once a recipe blog ;-)

I have so many recipes I want to share, and even more than I want to test out... but I have so many other things I ask want to share and only so many hours in the day to do it all!  Plus Wholeplus to manage on top of all that!

I hope this makes up for it! It was one of my favourites versatile creations during December. A spin off from this recipe that I knew at the time held so much more potential, and so it is that 'potential' I want to share with you today. I also featured festive variation using parsnip instead of cauliflower in my column in Definition Magazine in the November issue last year... yummy!

This recipe is also perfect for this time of year. Comforting yet light and tummy friendly, and perfect for a lunch or dinner. Packed with protein but without weighing you down... Winner!

When it comes to recipes, you surely know how high ease and versatility rate on my scale of importance by now! This does not disappoint... I promise! (even though the method looks longer than usual... it is really simple!!

I've called it a quiche, thought I guess it's not really in that it doesn't have a crust or use eggs, it's also lighter than a quiche with the chickpea/cauli infusion going on. It's definitely not a pie or fritatta either...so what else would I call it? Quiche is definitely the closest.

I've provided the base recipe below and all the addition options beneath. These are my flavours...but try experimenting with whatever takes your fancy or you happen to have to hand. You'll see in these photos I made single serve size quiches in jumbo muffin cups. They worked really well. You could make a big batch to freeze!

Recipe: The most versatile vegan quiche

Make 1 x 8” pie dish or 3-4 single serve jumbo muffin sized

Basic ingredients:

• 1 cup chickpea flour

• 1 tbs flax

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp general mixed seasoning

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• half a head of a small-med cauliflower (equal to 1 cup grated)

• ½ a onion sliced thinly

• 1 cup water

Options- add one of these (or more than one if making mini quiches):

• 1/2 cup black beans (I teamed this with a smoky chipotle sauce and nutritional yeast)

• 1/2 cup corn and sliced red onion (I used frozen corn and added paprika)

• 1/2 cup sliced red pepper and sun dried tomatoes (I teamed this with fresh basil)

• 1/2 cup chopped spinach (I teamed this with garlic)

• 1/2 cup sliced courgette (I teamed this with dried italian herbs and fresh rosemary)

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.  Chop the onion finely and grate/process the cauliflower (to a rice like consistency) and add both to the dry mix, then add the water and mix through well.

If you are making mini quiches, separate the batter now.

Stir through your chosen additions (add flavours at the same time as the other ingredients in previous steps if more appropriate to do so) 

The mixture should be thick and clumpy but easy to spoon into a tin. I used an 8” silicone cake tin, but you could also use a metal one with removable bottom, or large silicone muffin cups.

Press the mixture firmly into the pan but leave the top quite rough for some nice texture. Bake at 180C for approx 30 mins until the tops is nice and golden, or around 20 minutes for mini quiches (keep an eye on the colour).

Serve either hot or cold. This ‘quiche’ holds together really well when cold so would also be great for picnics/lunchboxes. It also freezes well and can be reheated in the oven.

Why not sign up for my newsletter in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers plus my FREE ebook. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus. 

Day to day you can always find me hanging out in these places:

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I've entered this recipe into the Health Bay Recipe Challenge because I reckon this hits the spot for both health and taste!  What do you think?

Double tomato courgetti spaghetti

Do you have more courgettes?

Well, if so here is another one for you as we hang onto the last of the summer with warm September days but with a little coziness thrown in the for the cooler evenings as the night draws in that little bit quicker.

I actually made this recipe in the height of summer but hadn't written it up on my computer. I happened to be going though some old notes and I found it, definitely one worth sharing with you today. The sundried tomatoes (or dehydrator in my case) really boost the flavour so if you don't want to make your own you can buy some to add.

I made this recipe when my spiralizer was still a novelty (actually it is still novelty!), but use a julienne peeler if you don't have a spiralizer to get nice thin strips of courgette. There would be no reason why a wheat, rice or bean based spaghetti would not be a great alternative. I actually have an awesome bean pasta recipe I want to share with you.... soon!

Tell me, what are your favourite summer to Autumn transition meals?

Recipe: Double tomato courgetti spaghetti

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes (or 4 large parboiled cooked chopped tomatoes)

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 small onion- sliced

• 2 medium courgettes

• 1 can red kidney beans

• few leaves fresh chopped basil

• handful of sundried tomatoes*

Method

Pan fry the onion and garlic in a splash of oil for a few minutes until softened. Add the red kidney beans and the tomatoes and simmer for 5-7 minutes to warm through or make sure the tomatoes are broken down and pulpy if using fresh. Add a small handful of chopped dehydrated tomatoes for extra flavour, reserving a couple for the top.

Meanwhile spiralise the courgettes (or use a julienne peeler) and boil/steam for a few minutes until just tender, or serve raw if desired.

Chop some fresh basil leaves.

Serve the tomato mix over the courgetti and sprinkle the remaining dehydrated tomatoes and basil over the top.

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Recipe: dehydrated tomatoes

Approx. approx 3 cups worth

Ingredients

• Approx, 10 large tomatoes

• 2 tsp salt

• 2 tsp mixed Italian herbs

Method

Cut the tomatoes into quarters and scrape the seeds and pulpy bit out. (reserve for the sauce above if you wish)

Lay on lined dehydrator trays (or lined oven trays) and sprinkled with herbs and salt.

Dehydrate for 2 hours at 60C and then for a further 10-12 hours at 40C until preferred texture achieved.

If over baking, set oven to lowest temperature and bake for approx 2 hours- checking after an hour.

 Why not sign up for my newsletter in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers plus my FREE ebook. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus.  

Day to day you can always find me hanging out in these places:

• Instagram

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Cosy up with...pear carrot and ginger oatmeal

Just checking in with you all!

It's been ages since i've posted new recipe.... i've barely had time to experiment. My life has been consumed with website updates, Wholeplus production, coaching studies, book writing and seminar prep. I've barely ventured into the kitchen and smoothies and quick veg soups and stirfrys have pretty much been the norm for my meals of late.

I couldn't stay out of the kitchen any longer (maybe that's procrastination trying to drag me away from 'scary stuff') so today I made two things- two super simple things!!

One I have for you today and the other hopefully early next week (thought you'll have seen it on my Instagram feed earlier today!)

After a hardcore spin session at the gym this morning I fancied something pretty substantial and full of texture instead of a smoothie. Oatmeal bumped up with veggies and fresh ginger for the anti-inflammatory kick. I often add a grated apple to my porridge but since I had a delivery of pears in the veg box this week the pear-carrot-ginger combo was born.  It was delicious, more so than I expected considering the amount of carrot I added for a single serve.

Add a drizzle of syrup to sweeten if you fancy- I used a tiny drizzle of approx 1 tsp of maple syrup for good measure. I also added maca powder as I like to add a little boost to breakfast or a smoothie during the day but again this is optional.

Back to website update! Hopefully they'll go live later tonight.... please let me know what you think, i'm feeling really nervous about this for some reason. Kind of like i'm putting myself out there before i'm ready. Though sometimes you never feel ready for the 'big stuff'.... you just have to get out there are start making your difference in the world and tweak as you grow, tweak as you grow...

...practice makes perfect!

Hope you are having an amazing weekend, whatever you get up to (I hope it includes eating this oat bowl!)

Recipe: Pear carrot and ginger oatmeal

serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup porridge oats

• 1 cup light coconut milk (or other non dairy milk of choice)

• 1 medium carrot- grated

• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger

• 1 pear- chopped

• sweetener- optional

• 1 tsp maca powder- optional for an extra boost

Method:

Add the oats, milk, ginger and carrot to a small pan on the stove. Simmer for 5 minutes  and then add the pear chunks, cook for a further few minutes until he carrot has softened and the oats have cooked, the pear should have also softened a little.

Remove from the heat and stir through the maca if using and serve immediately with a little drizzle of syrup if extra sweetness is desired.

Raw red pepper ranch dressing

As part of the IIN coaching course we are encouraged to be experimental with our dietary choices as we learn more and more about the different options and influences open to us. The majority of module covered so far have focused heavily on whole foods and in particular veggies... so obviously that's right up my street!

A few weeks back we listened to a lecture by David Wolfe on raw foods. It was clear he has such great passion for raw foods and his energy and inspiration revved everyone up to give raw foods a try. I'd been meaning to include more raw foods in my diet anyway and so this was a great incentive to do so, though to be honest, as we transition deeper into the winter months I'm not sure it's something I'll be able to maintain as much as I would like.... I love hot soups and stews so much!!

I did a little bit of googling to search for a alternative raw version to my favourite dips. My PB lentil dip and bean & pea dip are my go to dips and spreads for raw veggies but they require cooking. I came across this recipe on the DAMY Health website and was intrigued to give it a try. I actually changed very little- other than the type of mustard (because I couldn't find the type she'd used!)

This raw salad dressing is a fabulous way to dabble with the raw food philosophy. Use it as a dip or for dressing a huge salad and you're good to go. 

So quick and versatile...this recipe is definitely a keeper!

Recipe: Raw red pepper ranch dressing

Ingredients

• 2 tbs raw almond butter

• 1 tbs lemon juice

• 1 heaped tbs wholegrain mustard

• 1 red pepper- cut into chunks

• 2 cloves garlic

• 3 tbs nutritional yeast

• 2 tsp soy sauce

• black pepper to taste

Method

Blend everything together until quite smooth. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week and use as a dip or salad dressing.