Tag: Recipe

Blueberry & Walnut Protein Smoothie

 

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This punily thin-looking smoothie is deceptively strong in terms of antioxidants, electrolytes, healthy fats, B vitamins, protein and fibre.

Walnuts contain a significant amount of the heart-healthy alpha-linolenic acid or Omega 3 fatty acid. They are rich in antioxidants and contain manganese, copper, vitamin E and the B vitamin, biotin.

Quinoa is a gluten-free alternative wholegrain packed with protein and fibre.

All ingredients are organic except the coconut water, which is unflavoured, unsweetened and contains no additives.

Ingredients

1 Small Ripe Banana

1 Handful of Blueberries

1 Handful of Walnut pieces (1)

1 Dsp Chia Seeds *

1 Tbsp Quinoa Flakes (1)

1 heaped Tbsp CoYo Plain Yogurt 

1 Small Glass Coconut Water

Blend, add ice if desired.

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Today’s music believe it or not is the first time I have ever listened to One Direction! It was this or Cher on the theme of Strong (get it?), I went with the boys 😊

*The Raw Chocolate Company

1. Buy Wholefoods Online

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Warm Rice Salad with Ginger, Dulse & Sprouted Mung Beans

imageRice salad, whether warm or cold, has long been a favourite in our house. It is quick – essential here! – nutritious and versatile: you can vary the spices or herbs as well as the vegetables.  If you keep until next day, heat it through thoroughly.

We use organic basmati rice. Brown rice contains B vitamins, protein and fibre. We always soak it for an hour and then rinse, to remove any arsenic (yes, most rice, even organic, contains a small amount of arsenic from the groundwater it was grown in – more or less, depending on where it was grown). Cook it according to your usual method, but don’t overcook it. It wants to be whole and nutty, not splitting or wet and mushy. If you overcook rice, it acts like sugar in the body and you lose many of the benefits of using wholegrain rice.

Dulse is a sea vegetable. These contain all 56 minerals and trace elements required by the human body for optimal functioning, as well as B6, B12, Iron, Calcium and are an important source of Iodine for a healthy thyroid.

Sprouted Mung Beans add protein, fibre, B vitamins and several minerals, as well as Vitamins C and K.

Ginger is anti-inflammatory and spring onions are prebiotics – they provide the nourishment that probiotics feed on to maintain a healthy gut.

Ingredients

1 Cup Basmati Rice, soaked and rinsed, then cooked in 1 and 1/2 Cups Boiling Water, about 25 minutes. Have a hot dish ready to serve it in so that any moisture disappears and fluff it up lightly with a fork.

1 Tsp Coconut Organic, Raw Coconut Oil

A couple of thin slices of Ginger, finely chopped

A few Spring Onions, depending on their size

2 decent-sized Mushrooms, whatever type you favour, or a few if small, chopped

A few Sugar Snap Peas or Mangetout, trimmed and chopped

A stick of Celery, with leaves, chopped – reserve half for the green salad

About Half a Small Courgette (Zucchini), chopped

Ground Black Pepper

A few splashes of Tamari – not too much because the Dulce is salty

Some Dulse, snipped into small pieces and soaked for a couple of minutes

A couple of handfuls of Sprouted Mung Beans

Method

  Very lightly stirfry all the ingredients adding them in the order listed, only adding the Dulse and Mung Beans when the rice is cooked and you’re ready to serve.

It takes only 5 – 10 minutes. Try not to overcook, you want some bite to the vegetables and you want to retain as many nutrients as possible.

Mix together lightly with the rice in a hot dish with a fork.

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Serve wth a green salad and a dressing of your choice, with humous, spicy cashew cheese or guacamole.

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Zoats: Mark 2 (I like this one better!)

imageWell, only one person had any enthusiasm for the original savoury porridge or Zoats (zucchini or courgette oats), so here is my second try and I liked this much better. I left out the cacao and made it with tiger nut milk which is sweet and creamy (recipe here), but you can use nut milk or soy or rice milk – though the latter will give you a thinner porridge and doesn’t have the same nutritional value. I also used raisins instead of dates to sweeten it, which is what I would normally put in straightforward, everyday porridge.

Courgettes contain heart-healthy potassium, folate (necessary for cell-division), anti-oxidants, B vitamins, iron and zinc.

Have a go, it won’t do you any harm and it might very well do you some good!

Vegan and Gluten-Free if you use gluten-free oats.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Oats

1/2 Cup Tiger Nut Milk or Horchata

1/4 Cup Water

1/2 Courgette/Zucchini, grated

1/4 Cup Raisins

1 Dsp Shelled Hemp Seeds*

1 Dsp Lucuma Powder* (mild, malted flavour)

1 Tsp Wheatgrass Powder (for extra nutrients – optional)

Goji Berries* and Raw Chocolate Mulberry Chips* to serve.

….

Method

As before, add oats, milk, water and courgette to pan and warm imagethrough until it starts to cook, stirring well. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add raisins and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add hemp seeds, lucuma powder and wheatgrass powder, of used. Mix well.

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Transfer to a bowl and add goji berries and raw chocolate mulberry chips, and a little more milk of desired.

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*

I loved this version! Of course, this is only a template, add whatever flavouring and fruit you like and happen to have.

This is such a satisfying breakfast and starts you off with 1 of your minimum 5 a Day veg and fruit.

We buy our tiger nuts from http://www.thetigernutcompany.co.uk/

* http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com/

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Eat Your Greens! Light Summer Lunch

imageI usually have a juice or smoothie for lunch, but the shopping order had just been delivered and all this fresh salad was calling to me from the confines of the fridge: ‘Let me out, let me out!’ Well, it was a fine day for once even though the sun was still being a bit lazy, and I decided to let them out to play. It’s simple, light and tasty and may look like rabbit food, but it’s full of nutrients, including protein (even in the romaine lettuce!). I’ll be having this today having finished my 7 day juice challenge.

Ingredients

(All organic except the Tamari which is wheatfree)

1 large Romaine Leaf

on which lay

A Large Handful or 2 of Babyleaf & Rocket Salad Leaves

Sliced Ridge Cucumber

1 Thin Stalk of Celery + Leaves (chopped)

3 or 4 Sugar Snap Peas, sliced lengthways

4 Green Olives, pitted & sliced

Lightly Toasted Sunflower, Pumpkin & Sesame seeds splashed with Tamari

Clive’s Organic Humous with lemon*

Black Pepper

*

Arrange to suit your artistic bent – digestion begins with the eyes – and eat at leisure, sitting down at the table. The more relaxed you are, the longer you sit, the more you chew, the more you will digest and absorb. Oh, and switch off the tablet and phone! (Yes, mum!)

*http://www.clivespies.com/

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Tarty Purple Plum Smoothie with Açaí & Chia

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I am doing the free Juice Master 7 Day Guided Juice Challenge* this week, but here is a lovely tasty purple smoothie for the rest of you!

This is a refreshing, but quite tart, thin smoothie that is high in resveratrol, a substance present in purple fruits and veg which is believed to be anti-aging. The quinoa flakes provide protein and minerals as do the chia seeds.

Our plums weren’t ripe but I quite like tarty fruit, however if you prefer a sweeter flavour try adding a medjool date or a little dark maple syrup.

Açaí is a South American fruit that has recently joined the list of superfoods in Western diets. It has a mixed blackberry/cacao flavour. It is full of anti-oxidants.

If your grapes are not organic, be sure to give them a thorough rinse, they are one of the most chemical-sprayed fruits available.

It is best if you pre-soak the Chia Seeds, Quinoa Flakes and Açaí Powder in the Coconut Water in the blender for 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

2 Plums, chopped

Handful of seedless Purple Grapes

1 Rounded Tbsp Chia Seeds*

1 Small Glass unsweetened Coconut Water

1 Tbsp Quinoa Flakes

1 Rounded Tbsp Plain CoYo Coconut Yogurt

1 Tbsp Açaí Powder *

Blend and add ice for a refreshing summer energy boost.

*Still time to sign up, just visit the website:

http://www.juicemaster.com/

*http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com/

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Apricot Chia Smoothie

It’s summer fruit season at last! I had my first apricots of the season last week and am salivating whilst awaiting the peaches in my organic fruit and veg box. Sorry, not a nice image, but there you go. I’m often loth to put them in smoothies, preferring to savour them whole, but one of the apricots looked like it needed using up so in it went.

Here’s the result:

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The smoothie has lots of vitamins and minerals, protein, fibre and healthy fats. To find out the health benefits of chia seeds and other chia, recipes see Three Cheers for Chias!

(Tip: Put the oats and chia seeds to soak in the milk in the blender and leave for about 15 minutes, it will thicken the smoothie, make it easier to digest and keep you feeling fuller for longer)

Vegan and gluten-free.

Ingredients

1 Small Banana

1-2 Fresh Apricots depending on size

2 Tbsps Gluten-free Oats

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds*

1 Tbsp Peanut Butter

1 Medium Glass Almond Milk (see recipe here)

Blend and serve with a few chia seeds sprinkled on top for a bit of crunch.

Today’s video is an oldie but a goodie and will have you boppin’ away the cobwebs. The Summer of ’69… Ah, I remember it well… A Levels, Neil Armstrong, Woodstock, Crosby, Stills and Nash… Nuff sed 😎

*http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Pink Oats, Anyone?

imageThis is my second post on savoury oats and this one might throw you for a loop: people tend to either love them or hate them but beetroot should be your new veg friend.

It has been shown that regular juicing with beetroot can improve your circulation and lower your BP by dilating your blood vessels. It certainly worked for my husband. I wasn’t too sure about using beetroot when I first began juicing, but now I have it every other day. If you add lemon or pineapple, or a couple of apples along with other veg, it makes a refreshing and very healthy juice. (See post and juice recipe here).

All well and good, you might say, but adding it to porridge is going a little bit far!

I wasn’t sure either, but I had tried courgette (zucchini) oats (recipe here) and was pleasantly surprised, so in for a penny, in for a pound! Don’t forget, the benefit of having veg for breakfast is you have one of your daily portions of veg to give you a head start and it keeps you fuller for much longer.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Oats

1/2 Cup Home-made Almond Milk (see recipe)

1/2 Cup Water

1/4 to 1/2 Small Beetroot, peeled and grated

2 Medjool Dates, chopped

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds*

1 Dsp Açaí Powder*

Pinch of Pink Himalayan Salt

*

Method

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Add all ingredients except chia seeds and açaí powder to a pan and warm up stirring occasionally, then cook for 5-10 minutes, keep giving it a stir.

Add chia seeds and açaí powder.

Stir well.

Transfer to a bowl.

Top with the fruit of your choice. I had plum and banana with raw chocolate mulberry chips.*

Add a drop of milk if you like it thinner.

imageBon Appetit!

Convinced? No? My husband will make it for me but won’t go near it himself. Although he has a daily beetroot juice, he draws the line at beetroot porridge. He prefers his plain, nothing added.

Watch out for my next version of Zoats, which turned out the best I think. It really does need practice to work out the right combination for your tastebuds.

*http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com/

Copyright Chris McGowan

Juicy Sweet Potato Surprise

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Sweet Potato Surprise made in my Retro Super Juicer* and stored in my Grip and Go* glass bottle.

Many of you will know from earlier posts that I love sweet potatoes: I love them baked whole with a nut roast, or as healthy chips tossed in coconut oil or even toasted!… But best of all, I love them juiced. Sweet potatoes are good sources of Vitamin A, B vitamins, iron, potassium and fibre.

*

Juice the following ingredients:

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2 Sweet Potatoes, with skin on, scrubbed and chopped

2 Carrots, ditto

1 Apple

1 Pear

1 Kiwi, peeled

Several Romaine leaves, washed

(Did you know romaine lettuce contains protein?)

Blend with 1/4 of a ripe Avocado (for extra protein, fibre, Vitamin E – good for your skin and keeps you fuller longer).

Serve with ice, if desired.

(The Suprise? That you’ll like it!)

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*http://www.retrojuicer.com/

*http://gripandgo.co.uk

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Have You Tried Savoury Porridge Yet?

 

imageApparently, the latest health food trend is savoury porridge. Yep, that’s porridge with veg in. Weird, huh? Except that it’s not that weird. The Scots have been making their porridge with water and salt rather than milk and sugar since I don’t know when and I quite like it for a change. So when I saw Blogger of the Year Healthy and Psyched post a photo of her Zoats or Zucchini Oats, I decided to give it a go. We used her recipe as a template for the first try then we made another two recipes of my own. My husband wasn’t impressed! But he is a traditionalist and is very hard to shift when it comes to new culinary ideas. I liked them. They are extremely filling and satisfying, I didn’t need to eat again until halfway through the afternoon. Plus, you’re eating a portion of your day’s veg with your breakfast which gets your day off to a great start.

So don’t turn your nose up and click onto the next post. Give it a try at least once and stir up your breakfast routine a little! You don’t have to have it just for breakfast of course. It makes great comfort food on a chilly day. I promise you you can’t taste the courgette, it just adds a little texture and extra nutrients. It would be good for a weaning child, without all the extras of course!

Here’s the first effort:

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Oats

1/2 Cup Almond Milk (try making your own recipe here)

1/4 Cup Water

1/2 Courgette/Zucchini, grated

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds (optional)*

Optional Flavourings – Choose your own combination:

2 Medjool Dates, chopped

1 Tbsp Cacao Powder*

1 Dsp Lucuma Powder (it has a mild malted flavour)*

1 Dsp Açaí Powder*

1 Tbsp Coconut Palm Sugar*

1 Tsp Wheatgrass Powder if you want to go hardcore!

Dried coconut to sprinkle on top

Extra milk if liked

Methodimage

Warm the oats, milk, water and grated courgette in a pan, stirring

Cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften and thicken.

We then added a chopped Medjool date for sweetness, saving the other to put on the finished porridge, and cooked for a couple more minutes.

In went some chia seeds to thicken it up, for healthy fats and protein and because I like them, but you don’t need them. Add a little more milk or water if necesary.

Next was cacao powder – the original recipe uses a lot more than here, but I found it too much, especially first thing in the morning.

Pour into a bowl and top with your favourite fruit. We used Blueberries and Red Grapes.

Sprinkle with coconut and extra date, add a little more milk if liked.

….

I’ll post the next 2 recipes separately: you’ll never guess what’s in the first one!

To sweeten the pudding, here’s a classic sketch from the BBC series ‘Porridge’ with the late Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale. (If you’re reading via email, you need to click onto the blog).

*http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com/

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Quick Vegan Open Toasted Sandwich

imageThis is a quick light lunch or afternoon vegan snack that came about when we wanted to use up some slices of home-made chickpea, tiger nut and cornflour bread from the freezer.

*

All ingredients are organic.

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Lightly toast 2 slices home-made gluten-free bread, spread with tahini, top with romaine, cucumber, spring onion, organic green olives, black pepper and a drizzle of tahini/lemon dressing (which I forgot for the photo).

*

Tahini is made from sesame seeds, a good source of calcium and healthy oils. Chickpeas, too, are rich in calcium, iron and fibre. Spring onions and tiger nuts* are prebiotics, good for the gut. Romaine has protein and cucumber is hydrating, while olives have heart-healthy oil.

Overall, a very healthy snack and satisfying, too!

*http://www.thetigernutcompany.co.uk/

Organic Chickpea Flour & Cornflour from

https://www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk/

Copyright: Chris McGowan