Tag: protein

Original Arab Israeli Hummus

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Original Hummus

Firstly, please excuse the poor quality of the picture; my husband took my camera to work so I’m using my phone and it’s a bit ‘shadowy’. Anyway, onto the important part! HUMMUS! I’ve already posted on here my Turmeric Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus recipes, but I thought I’d do plain, original hummus.

There is a place in Jaffa (Israel) where I go to every time I’m there. It’s run by Arab Israelis and if you didn’t know about it, you’d never go in because it looks like a dive! It’s one small room with wooden tables, plastic chairs and the only thing they serve is hummus and drinks! They make the hummus in the morning, early,  and they close when it runs out. You go in (no later than midday otherwise there’s none left) sit down, they ask what you want to drink and then bring you a plate of hummus and some pitta bread and you just sit there dipping away. It’s seriously the most amazing tasting hummus in the world and I’m trying to replicate it myself and this is the closes I have come…

Ingredients

2 tins organic chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
Quarter cup purified water
2 tbsp tahini paste
5 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp olive oil
Half tsp Himalayan salt
4 cloves garlic, minced

Method

Simply blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender until completely smooth – it really is as easy as that! Enjoy with gluten free bread, crackers, rice or quinoa cakes or veggies.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Spirulina Smoothie

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Green Spirulina Smoothie

I felt like I needed to be super-duper healthy today, so I picked up the greenest vegetables I could find in my fridge and stuck them in the juicer. Once I was done juicing them, I added them to the blender with a spoonful of spirulina and voila! Spirulina is so thick and icky if you don’t blend it – it can really put you off so make sure you blend it!

Read these amazing facts on spirulina, provided by the amazing Organic Burst where I buy all my superfoods:

  • Supports the immune system. Vitamin B6 and iron in our spirulina powder supports the immune system.
  • Healthy brain and cognitive function. Organic Burst Spirulina powder is rich in Vitamin B6 and contains iron that are known to support healthy cognitive function, in other words your brain power!
  • Weight management. Taken one hour before meals, Organic Burst Spirulina powder can naturally promote the feeling of fullness and prevent over-eating.
  • Healthy heart. Thiamine in Organic Burst Spirulina contributes to the normal function of the heart.
  • Rich, complete and digestible protein source. Spirulina powder is very rich in protein (60-70%), containing 18 amino acids including all essential amino acids. According to studies, spirulina has a very high protein efficiency ratio (PER). Protein in spirulina is four times more absorbable than protein in beef.

Ingredients

Big handful kale
Big handful spring greens
2 celery sticks
Half a cucumber
1 inch fresh ginger
1 lime
1 tsp spirulina

Method

Put all ingredients apart from spirulina and lime in the juicer. Once juiced, add to blender with the juice of one lime and the spirulina and blend on high for a minute with 4 ice cubes,

You are now positively buzzing and vibrating with healthy, clean cells!

Lauren 🙂

Chocolate Chai Baobab Smoothie Bowl

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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

Pan-fried Kingklip with Exotic Mushrooms, Spinach and Canihua

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Pan fried Kingklip with Mushrooms, Spinach & Canihua

As I don’t eat meat often, I try to eat fish once a week. Whether you eat meat or are vegan or vegetarian, it’s very important to be aware of your protein intake, especially if you train regularly. While it’s perfectly possible to get enough protein on a vegan diet, you have to be much more aware of it and put in more effort. It won’t happen by accident! That said, fish is a great clean source of protein for those of us who are not vegan.

Kingklip is a deep sea fish widely found in the coastal waters of southern Africa. It is low in fat and as well as being high in protein, also contains calcium, iodine and iron. If you cannot get kingklip you can use another solid white fish for this recipe.

Canihua is a close relative of quinoa and is native to the Andes. It is gluten-free and scores higher than quinoa in levels of protein, iron, magnesium and calcium. It has a similar flavour to quinoa, but the grains are much smaller.

Ingredients (serves 2)

150g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
150g shimeji mushrooms, separated
6 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil for frying
2 big handfuls spinach, sliced into ribbons
2 tbsp organic tamari
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp raw honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp raw sesame seeds
1/2 cup canihua (or quinoa)
400g fresh kingklip (2 fillets), skinned

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Place the canihua in a small pot with 1 cup of water and 1/4 tsp himalayan salt. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and cover with a lid. Simmer until all the water has been absorbed and the grains are cooked, about 20 – 25 minutes.

Slowly fry the mushrooms in some olive oil until they start to brown. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the spinach and stir. Add the tamari and lemon juice and quickly put the lid on so that the steam will cook the spinach. After a couple of minutes remove from the heat. Add the honey, sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and place the kingklip down. Fry until golden and crispy then turn and do the same on the other side. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and roast for about 5 – 7 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. The flesh should be opaque and starting to flake, but not dry.

To plate, put the canihua on the bottom, then the mushrooms and spinach, and top with the fish. Squeeze some lemon over the top and enjoy.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Vegan Dinner Plate

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Veggie Plate

Just look how yummy life can be as a vegan! I’m not going to write a long post here, it doesn’t need it! Just going to get straight on to the recipes…

For the sweet potato mash:
Peel a sweet potato and boil. Once ready, mash it in a bowl with some almond milk, salt, pepper and sprinkle with paprika

For the brown rice:
Add half a cup of brown rice to boiling water. Once it starts bubbling, turn down the heat to low, give it a stir, and put the lid on. It will take a good half an hour to cook properly. You can also add a tsp of Bouillon or other organic vegetable stock for taste.

For the salad:
Drain and rinse a tin of chickpeas and add to a bowl.
Cut up a red onion, some cucumber and some dill and add to the bowl.
Drizzle with lemon juice, olive oil, Himalayan salt and pepper.

For the sauteed mushrooms:
Chop a box of mushrooms, one onion and one clove of garlic.
Add the onion to a non-stick frying pan with some coconut oil. After a minute add the garlic, then after another minute add the mushrooms. Sautee for around 7 minutes until you can smell they are ready – you’ll know what I mean! Add some salt and pepper and you can add paprika or other spices if you like.

Add all to a plate and enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Turmeric Hummus

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Turmeric Hummus

The search for healthy snacks is never ending in my house. I don’t like big meals so I tend to eat little and often so there is nothing better for me than some homemade hummus with some carrot or celery sticks or some gluten-free crackers. Check out my roasted red pepper hummus – that one was to die for (and the picture is way better than this one!) I didn’t have too much time today, I just needed to blitz it in the blender and go. I wanted to use turmeric as it is such an amazing anti-inflammatory and I try to use it in as much food as I can.

Ingredients

2 tins organic chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
Quarter cup purified water
2 tbsp tahini paste
5 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Half tsp Himalayan salt
Half tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp turmeric

Method

Simply blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender until completely smooth – it really is as easy as that! Enjoy with gluten free bread, crackers, rice or quinoa cakes or veggies.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

 

 

Homemade Chocolate Sauce

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IMG_9598 (3)

Great for pancakes, baking and a million other recipes. Here is our chocolate sauce – dairy free and refined-sugar free.

Ingredients

1/4 cup  cacao butter
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup cacao powder
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp almond butter (optional)

Method

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and cook on a low to medium heat, stirring quite regularly. If it’s too thick, add more coconut oil, if it’s too runny, add more cacao powder, and if you like it sweeter, add more maple.

Easy as that!

Love,
Lauren

Colourful Quinoa Salad

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Quinoa salad 2

Yes yes, another quinoa salad. I can’t help it! It’s just so easy to make, delicious and is pure protein so amazing as a post-workout meal. And guess what, I didn’t even make this, my husband did! The biggest meat eater you’ll ever find, has realised how amazing quinoa is and now prefers it as his post-workout meal so he made this after the gym. You really can use whatever vegetables you like but I’ll take you through what we used here…

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1 and quarter cups water
Half tsp bouillon
Himalayan salt
Ground black pepper
2 Cooked beetroot, chopped
3 romaine lettuce leaves
2 tomatoes
Half a fennel bulb
Quarter cucumber
2 spring onions
Handful or parsley

Method

Put the quinoa in a saucepan and cover with water. Turn down heat once it starts bubbling then put the lid on. Stir every few minutes until ready, about 7 minutes. While it’s cooking, chop up your veggies.

Once ready, mix all in a bowl and season with a drizzle of lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Ready to go!

Love,
Lauren

Chocolate ‘Nice’ Cream & Overnight Oats Breakfast Parfait

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Parfait 2

Oh how I love a breakfast parfait. It’s so important to get your protein in in the morning, I’d say especially if you’re a veggie but it’s for anyone really. It’s the most important time of day to have a good protein intake so most of my breakfasts are packed with plant-based protein. I see some people doing nana ice cream parfaits in massive jars but for me it’s too much, this amount is just the right portion size for breakfast, I’d say. My protein today came from the almond butter in the oats, the almond milk in the oats (calcium also), the cacao in the ice cream, and the quinoa pops layered in the middle and sprinkled on the top. I also added maca powder to the overnight oats to give me extra strength and endurance.

Ingredients

Overnight oats layer
1 cup organic jumbo rolled oats
2 cups almond milk
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp organic natural maple

Chocolate nana ice cream layer
2 frozen bananas
1 heaped tsp raw cacao
1 tsp organic natural maple

Extras
Puffed quinoa pops

Method

The day before, combine all the ingredients for overnight oats, mix well, cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

When you’re ready to make the parfait, take the bananas out the freezer and put them in the blender with the cacao and maple and blend until smooth and creamy.

Layer a few spoonfuls of the overnight oats on the bottom, put the quinoa pops in the middle, then spoon the ice cream on the top and sprinkle with more quinoa pops.

You should have a big bowl of overnight oats left so you can have this for breakfast for the next few days in whichever variation you like…

Enjoy!
Love,
Lauren

Immune Boosting Berry & Superfood Smoothie

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Immune Boosting Smoothie

I’ve been feeling a little under the weather the last few days and the last thing I want to do is to take some nasty, over-the-counter chemical meds that will suppress the toxins. My aim is to release the toxins and let my body heal the natural way. And there are plenty of ways to do this.

I added maca – for extra strength, acai berries – hugely powerful anti-oxidants (both from Organic Burst), chia seeds – a great source of plant-based protein and added to that blueberries – more anti-oxidants (organic of course, otherwise it kind of negates their powers), strawberries and banana, because I need lots of plant-based natural sugars to keep strong.

Ingredients

250ml almond milk
1 banana (frozen or fresh, depends how creamy you like it)
5 strawberries
Handful blueberries
1 tsp maca powder
2 acai berry capsules, opened and sprinkled in
1 tsp chia seeds
4 ice cubes
2 figs, cut up in small pieces (optional)

Method

Simply put all the ingredients into your  blender (except for the figs) and blend. Pour into a cup and add the figs which are yummy to eat in chunks as you’re drinking the smoothie.

I love breakfast!
Love,
Lauren