Easy Chicken Rice Vegetable Dinner

Easy Chicken Rice Veg Dish

Easy, throw-it-together dinners that don’t take too long. We’re all looking for more of these aren’t we? Who has time mid-week to stand in the kitchen for hours making a gourmet meal? Certainly not us! I saw a TV chef making something similar once so I decided to put my own healthy stance on it and create a new version for Two Kitchens.

Of course it goes without saying (because this is our entire ethos at Two Kitchens) that any meat used in our recipes must be organic, free-range from trusted sources. Everything we use in our recipes is organic, but it is especially important when it comes to meat as with vegetables, you ‘only’ have the worry of pesticides and insecticides, with non-organic meat, you have the grass the animals eat which will have the pesticides on it to begin with, then they are also injected with steroids, growth hormones and antibiotics, all of which we consume and absorb when we eat this meat.

Boring stuff aside, this is delicious!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts cut into strips
Coconut oil for frying
Pinch salt and pepper (I used Himalayan salt)
1 tbsp organic honey
2 large onions, chopped
1 red pepper
3 cloves garlic
200g mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp mild chilli powder
1 tbsp curry power
1 tsp turmeric
1 mug brown rice
1 mug frozen peas
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 egg for each person dining

Method

Firstly, make the rice and boil the peas (separately but at the same time). Once ready, mix the two together and leave to cool.

Fry the chicken in coconut oil. Coat with honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Fry the onions, garlic, pepper and mushrooms then add chilli powder, curry powder and turmeric.

Once ready add the rice (must be cooled) and mix, then add the chicken and mix it all through. If the rice isn’t cool first it will go stodgy.

If you like it, fry an egg and when you dish the food onto a plate, put the egg on top.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Tropical Baobab Smoothie

Tropical Baobab Smoothie

I’m really trying to make the most out of the summer fruits before they disappear until next summer! I can’t get enough of them and really miss them during the winter months. As our main food belief is based on chemical free, organic food, we only eat what’s in season. If you eat strawberries in February, the likelihood is they’ve come from a country far away and have had to be packed full of preservatives to keep them fresh until they arrive in the UK so as I said, trying to get my fix while I can.

My iron levels have dropped as I approach the end of my pregnancy so I have increased my intake of Baobab to help increase my iron and boost my immune system. This smoothie is seriously delicious…

Ingredients

200ml almond milk
2 ice cubes
6 strawberries
Large handful blueberries
Quarter pineapple
1 tsp baobab
1 tsp ground flax seeds

Method

Simply put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Carrot & Coriander Soup

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Autumn is now upon us in London, and I’m feeling the drop in temperature instantly. I tend to make heaps of soups during the winter months. They are great for lunch as they fill you up but are super nutritious also, if you use the right ingredients. Carrots are a great source of fibre and are also high in vitamins C & K, and once again, here I am trying to increase my vitamin K levels in the lead up to my birth. They are also a good natural source of iron and folate, important not just during pregnancy.

Ingredients

Drizzle of coconut oil
About 8 large carrots
2 potatoes
1 onion
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp organic vegetable stock in 1.5 Litres boiling water
Salt & Pepper
Large handful fresh coriander

Method

Peel and chop all the veg then heat the oil in a large saucepan. Once hot, add the onion and cook for a minute, then add the potato, cook for a further minute, stirring a lot. Finally add the carrots, followed by the ground coriander, then add your stock and mix well.

Add a little pepper, wait until it just starts to boil then turn down, put the lid on and leave it to simmer for about half an hour.

Once all the veg is soft, either use a handheld blender if you have one, or put it all in a food processor, along with the fresh coriander, and blend. Taste to see if it needs any salt and as add required.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Lunchtime Quinoa Salad (in preparation for the week)

Quinoa salad

Stuck on what to make as a healthy lunch? I also find quinoa salad to be such a good, easy and healthy option and today I made a HUGE batch of it which means it will last me until at least Wednesday. Cooking healthy food does take time and preparation, but this took me ten minutes to make and I’ve now got lunch for a few days. You can add homemade tahini with it or have it with other hot, steamed veg on top, on its own, or with any meat or fish-based protein if you like, although quinoa is a complete protein so you don’t actually need it if you don’t want it.

I always use whatever vegetables I have to hand so just use whatever you have in the fridge!

Ingredients

1 cup organic quinoa
1 red or orange pepper
1 red onion
1 fennel
7 chestnut mushrooms
1 tin organic sweetcorn
1 courgette (zucchini), spiralized
1 lemon
Himalayan salt and black pepper

Method

Make the quinoa as per the packet instructions.

While it’s cooking, chop all your veg up into small pieces.

Once the quinoa is ready, let it cool a bit before adding it to the bowl of veg, mix well with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

TIP: if you want more flavour add a tsp Bouillon to the quinoa while it’s cooking.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Nutella Cake with Banana Caramel Frosting

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I needed to bring a cake to a dinner party that was gluten free – for a gluten free person, dairy free – for a kosher person, sugar free – for a diabetic and egg free, but of course I still wanted it to be yummy! Here is what I came up with… And I called it a Nutella cake because it is chocolate and hazelnut… (BTW someone got confused when we use the term ‘cups’ to measure things. It really is as simple as using a cup to measure. A normal size mug is usually the best way to measure a cup.)

Ingredients

3 cups buckwheat flour
Half tsp baking powder
3 large bananas
1 and half cups almond or hazelnut milk
Just under a cup of maple syrup
3 tbsp coconut palm sugar
1 cup hazelnuts
Half cup vegan chocolate chips

Frosting:
1 banana
Half cup maple
4 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp almond butter

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 / gas mark 6.

Measure out the buckwheat flour and baking powder and put it in a large mixing bowl then set this aside.

Add the bananas, almond milk, maple syrup and coco palm sugar to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour this mix into the flour and mix well.

Add the hazelnuts to the blender and blend until they form a flour, then add this into the bowl and mix well.

Lastly, add the chocolate chips and mix evenly.

Get two springform cake tins of the same size and cut baking paper in a circle the same size as the bottom of the cake tins and put one in each, then grease with coconut oil.

Distribute the mixture evenly between the two tins and bake in the oven for around 25 minutes. You want it to be moist but not undercooked.

You can make the frosting while it is baking by putting all the ingredients in the blender and letting it blend non-stop for at least 2-3 minutes, if not more, until a caramel-like consistency forms.

Once the cakes are ready, leave to cool fully. Once cooled add half the frosting to one cake, then place the other one on top and top with the rest of the frosting. You can serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Fruit & Nut Loaf

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Once again my appetite has increased. Apparently this happens at the 23 week mark as the baby goes through a big growth spurt. I’m wanting to snack all the time so I’m needing to make healthy snacks that are filling and nutritious and this is honestly one of the best things I’ve made!

Ingredients

2 apples
1 tbsp coconut palm sugar
1/4 cup water
1 and 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1/3 cup pecans
8 medjool dates
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon

For the glaze:
2 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp almond milk
Pinch Himalayan salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 / gas mark 6 and prepare a silicone loaf tin by cutting enough baking paper to cover just the bottom then grease the whole thing with vegan margarine.

Prepare homemade applesauce by putting the apples with the water and sugar in a saucepan and cook until soft. When soft, mash the apples into a puree and add to a large bowl. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Chop the dates into small pieces and add these to the bowl, then put the pecans into a pestle and mortar and bash until chopped but not crushed into a meal, add to the bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly.

Once mixed, pour into the loaf tin and bake for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven. It should come out the oven as soon as the fork comes out of the cake clean, you don’t want to over bake it.

Leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate.

Make the glaze by mixing all the ingredients then spreading it over the top, If there is any left you can use this to spread on each slice as a spread.

Serve hot out the oven or once cooled.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Mousse Mini Pies

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These are a bit of a strange invention, I have to say! But they’re pretty decadent and yummy and I was totally happy with the outcome 🙂

You will need to prepare the day before by soaking the cashews overnight, putting the top layer of peanut butter in the fridge and putting the coconut cream in the fridge to chill. Read the recipe thoroughly before starting…

Ingredients

Chocolate Mousse layer bottom layer:
1 cup cashews (soaked overnight)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp organic maple syrup
1/3 cup ground almonds
5 tbsp almond milk.

Peanut butter cream middle layer:
The cream from the top of two tins of coconut milk or 1 can of coconut cream
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1 tsp maple syrup

Peanut butter pies 1

Top layer:
Spoon about 10 tbsp peanut butter into a bowl and keep in the fridge overnight.

Method

Start by adding all the bottom layer ingredients to the blender and blend well. If it is too dry add some more almond milk. It will either go like a crumble or like a mousse depending on your blender, each is fine. Add more milk depending on your preference.

Place muffin cases in a cupcake baking tray and scoop out about a tablespoon and a half per muffin case. Once they’re all filled and the mixture is all finished up, place in the freezer for about 45 minutes or until fairly hard.

Once they’re in the freezer you can take the coconut cream out the fridge and whip it with an electric whisk until stiff, then mix in the peanut butter and maple. Put it in a bowl and place in the fridge until your bottom layers are ready to come out the freezer.

Once the mousse mixtures are ready, take them out the freezer and spoon a heaped tbsp of the peanut butter cream mixture on top of each one then put back in the freezer for an hour.

Once ready, wash your hands thoroughly then spread a bit of the peanut butter that has been in the fridge overnight over each of the pies.

Remove them from the cupcake tray and place them in a large container in the fridge. They will be too hard if you leave them in the freezer but the fridge will give them a mousse-like consistency.

Peanut butter pies 3

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Banana Crunch Smoothie Bowl

Banana Smoothie Bowl

Breakfasts don’t need to be just cereal or toast! I love making up new smoothie ideas for a yummy, filling and nutritious breakfast. Check out our other smoothie bowls on our breakfast page.

Ingredients

1 and a half frozen bananas (slice and freeze the day before)
1 tbsp almond butter
2 medjool dates
Splash of almond milk
Tsp chia seeds
Homemade granola or organic store bought
Some puffed brown rice

Method

Put all the ingredients except the granola and puffed rice into the blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into a bowl and top with the granola and and puffed rice (or puffed quinoa) and enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Chocolate Chai Baobab Smoothie Bowl

Chocolate Chai Baobab Smoothie Bowl

You all know how much I love a smoothie bowl, but up until now I hadn’t posted a chocolate one and let’s face it, everyone loves chocolate for breakfast! This way you don’t even have to feel guilty. The raw cacao is a sensational way of getting plant-based protein. I wanted to add some chai flavouring as I just love the taste and thought it would go well with this and it really did… The best ingredient in here is the Baobab. I’m a big fan of superfoods and have a cupboard where I keep spirulina, acai berries, maca, lucuma, cacao and now baobab. Read up on Raine’s explanation of Baobab here

Ingredients

1 frozen banana
Quarter cup boiling water
1 chai tea bag
Quarter cup almond milk
1 tbsp almond butter
2 dates
1 tbsp raw cacao
1 tsp baobab

 

Method

Before starting, boil the kettle and pour a quarter cup boiling water into a mug and let the chai tea bag steep in it for ten minutes. Put it next to a window so it cools down.

In the meantime, put the rest of the ingredients into a blender. Once the tea is cool, add this to the mix and blend well.

Pour into a bowl and add toppings of choice.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Cauliflower & Tahini Soup

Cauliflower & Tahina Soup

I love cauliflower, especially as a purée, because of the beautiful smooth texture it blends into. This soup makes use of that, and the addition of tahini makes it even creamier!

Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, which has been shown to kill cancer stem cells, thereby slowing tumor growth. Researchers believe that eliminating cancer stem cells may be the answer to fighting cancer. It is also packed full of anti-oxidants and phytonutrients, is good for your heart and your brain, and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Sesame seeds (the main ingredient of tahini) are high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. Need any more reasons to make this soup tonight? It’s simple to make and takes no time at all!

Ingredients (serves 4)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
6 big cloves of garlic
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 whole star anise
a head of cauliflower (about 500g) cut into florets
one potato (about 200g) peeled and cut up
1 litre water
1 tbsp organic vegetable stock paste or powder
3 bay leaves
the juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp himalayan salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/3 cup organic tahini
pomegranate concentrate (optional)

Method

Fry the onion in the olive oil until it caramelizes. The more colour you get on the onions, the more flavour you’ll be putting into the soup. You want them to look something like this:

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The trick is to keep it on a medium heat and stir every now and then. If you feel that they may start to burn, add a few drops of water and continue. You could brown them even more than I’ve done here, I was just in a rush to make supper!

Add the garlic, cumin and star anise. Fry for a few more minutes. Add the cauliflower, potato, water, stock and bay leaves. Simmer until the cauliflower and potato are tender. The smaller (and more evenly-sized) your pieces of cauliflower and potato, the faster they will cook.

Remove the bay leaves and star anise, then pour everything into your blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until completely, 100% smooth. The measurements I’ve given for lemon, salt and pepper are just a guideline – use your taste!

I’ve served it with a drizzle of pomegranate concentrate – the sweet tartness balances the soup beautifully.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine