Tag: vegetarian

Braised Red Cabbage and Apple

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Red cabbage

Sorry, not the best picture, and a quick post because I’m in a rush but I wanted to share this gorgeous, yummy and healthy dish with you so you can use it as a side dish with dinner tonight! Red cabbages are in season and have so many nutrients, give it a go!

Ingredients

Half a red cabbage, cut into smallish pieces, lengthways
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled and cored
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp coconut palm sugar (or demerara if you don’t have coconut palm)
4 tbsp red or white wine vinegar, whichever you have available!
Himalayan salt and ground black pepper

Method

Put all your ingredients in a large saucepan, turn the heat on medium and stir it around for a bit until you can feel it’s getting hot, then turn down the heat to low, put on the lid, and let simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve straight away or heat gently in the oven.

Easy!

Love,
Lauren

Leek & Zucchini Fritters

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IMG_0282

I had a bunch of beautiful organic leeks and zucchini so I whipped this up for dinner yesterday. It was quick, easy and healthy! No wheat, gluten, dairy or other nasties, and I even baked them instead of frying. I served them with a big salad of corn, watercress, spring onion and tomatoes, simply dressed with extra virgin olive oil and fresh lime juice. A perfect meal for baby and you!

Ingredients

250g leeks
1 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 chilli, finely chopped (optional but highly recommended!)
300g zucchini (courgette), grated
a handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
a handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp himalayan salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour

Method

Slice the leeks down the length, leaving the root end intact. Rinse them under running water. I find this the easiest way to get rid of the dirt which is stuck between the layers of the leek. Dry them and then slice finely.

Fry the leeks in the coconut oil until they start to caramelise. Add the garlic and spices and fry for a few more minutes. Stir in the grated zucchini and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and add the herbs and salt. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.
Whisk together the eggs and water. Stir into the leek and zucchini mixture. Add the remaining ingredients. On a roasting tray lined with baking paper or silicon mats, spread a heaped tablespoon of the batter into a neat circle. Repeat until all the batter is used up. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Lauren & Raine

Beetroot & Horseradish Mash

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Beetroot Horseradish Mash

This recipe was created a year and a half ago but I’m updating it now as it’s a great one to add to the baby food section. Babies and toddlers will love this because the colour is so vibrant and it tastes gorgeous as well. You can reduce the amount of horseradish if you think it will be too strong for your baby…

There is a chance there might be none of this left by the time my husband gets home for dinner… it’s just so ridiculously delicious! I think it’s one of my favourite creations to date! And I didn’t even edit the picture one tiny bit as I wanted you to see the amazing colour – it really is this exact colour in real life!

You can see how much I love beetroot from my Beetroot Juice post last week. It’s just so good for you and it’s so important for us to get all our nutrients from plant-based sources. I’m also a huge fan of eating locally grown, seasonal produce. For example, not eating strawberries in January because they will be genetically modified. I buy all my fruit and veg from Abel and Cole because they are a genuine source for real organic food. So much so that you can’t even order strawberries or blueberries at the wrong time of year if you tried – they give you what is naturally grown at the right time of year. So as you can imagine, right now, beetroot are abundant in my home! Juice them, mash them, steam them, use them in salads, sandwiches, and, my next venture, to make Valentine’s pancakes out of them 🙂 in the meantime, enjoy this recipe…

Ingredients

5 raw beetroot
6 Maris Piper or Desiree potatoes
2 tbsp grated horseradish root
1 tbsp vegan margarine
Quarter cup almond milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Start by peeling your beetroot (just chop off the skins with a knife), cutting them into small cubes, then steaming them for around twenty minutes. I usually make a big batch and keep some aside in the fridge for salads and other recipes.

While this is on the go, peel, chop and boil your potatoes.

Once the beetroot are ready, add them to the food processor with a few drops of the almond milk and puree until smooth.

When your potatoes are ready, mash them until smooth, then add in the pureed beetroot, margarine, almond milk, salt and pepper, then add in the grated horseradish and mix well.

Taste a little bit, it may need more horseradish or salt, or if you like it creamier, more almond milk or margarine, depending on your preference.

Enjoy!

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

Traditional Israeli Shakshuka

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Shakshuka

Growing up in an Israeli family, shakshuka was always a big part of our lives… tomatoes, parsley, coriander, cumin and paprika are the flavours of my childhood and today I just fancied shakshuka so I decided it make it for lunch as my sister-in-law was coming over and I know she loves it.

The flavours are so aromatic it just fills up the whole kitchen. Traditionally you serve this with bread and Israeli salad. I used Biona organic linseed and rye bread, toasted, and I made a traditional Israeli salad and cut up and seasoned some fennel too.

Ingredients

2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
6 organic free-range eggs
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 onion
1 red pepper
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp coriander
Himalayan salt and black pepper
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan. Once hot, add the onion and cook for one minute. Then add the pepper and cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Now add both tins of tomatoes and the puree and stir well and cook on a medium heat for one minute. Then add the cumin, paprika and some salt and black pepper. Mix well and turn down heat to low and let the tomatoes thicken, this should take around 20 minutes. While this is cooking, turn on the oven and prepare a tray that the pan can rest on.

Once ready, gently crack the eggs onto the tomatoes, season the eggs with salt and pepper then place the pan in the oven to bake the eggs for around 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the parsley and coriander over the top and serve with bread of choice and Israeli salad. (Israeli salad is made up of cucumbers, tomatoes, red or spring onion, red pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper – all cut up very finely).

Hope you enjoy it as much as me and my sister-in-law did!

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

Cream of Mushroom and Thyme Soup

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Mushroom Thyme Soup

These flavours go so well together I just had to do it! I got a load of mushrooms in my Abel & Cole delivery this week so soup it is! I love making a soup at the beginning of the week that will last me for the whole week… great for lunch alongside a salad or on its own with some Biona organic Rye bread 🙂

Ingredients

A box of mushrooms – about 10-12 – chopped
1 onion – peeled and chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 can coconut milk
1 cup organic vegetable stock
About 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, without branches (add more if you like)
Salt & pepper to taste
Half tsp coconut oil

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Once hot, add onion and cook for 1 minute, then add the mushrooms and cook for a further minute. Add the potato until coated in the oil then add the stock, and then the coconut milk.

Leave to heat for around two minutes then add the thyme, salt and pepper. Stir well, turn down heat, add lid and leave to simmer for an hour.

Once ready, blend fully (in a blender or with a handheld) and serve.

Enjoy!
Love,
Lauren

Vegan Lunch Sandwich

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Vegan Sandwich 1

This isn’t going to be a long post, it is simply here to remind you that being vegetarian or vegan isn’t as hard as you think, so we want to give you as much inspiration as possible for easy, healthy meals to convince you that you can do it!

Ingredients

Sliced cucumber
Sliced tomato
Sliced avocado
A handful of alfalfa sprouts
Granary bread or Biona organic rye

Optional spreads:
Hummus
Vegan mayonnaise
Tahini
Cottage cheese (if you don’t need it vegan)

Easy peasy yummy lunch!

Vegan Sandwich 2

Lauren x

Beautiful Beetroot Juice

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Beetroot Juice

It’s funny how nature helps us know what we need. When you juice beetroot it looks like blood and it just so happens that the primary benefit that beetroot has on our health, is for our blood. It helps normalise blood pressure and increases the flow of blood to the brain – great for concentration and creativity! Beetroot also has a detox effect on the liver so if you’re carrying a lot of toxins, having more than one raw beetroot at a time may make you feel a little queezy. If you’ve never had raw beets before, go slow. The more you have over time, the more your liver will be used to it and you’ll find it will help you to detox.

I got my Abel & Cole box of organic fruit and veg delivered today (as I do every Monday) and there was a huge bunch of beets in there so I decided to juice some, save some more for juicing over the week, and I lightly steamed some to have ready to use in salads for lunches.

I added some other veg to this, ones I think go particularly well…

Ingredients

2 raw beetroot
3 sticks celery
4 large carrots
1 handful spinach

Method

Juice in a juicer (in a blender you’ll need less)…

Love,
Lauren