Tag: Vegan

Drink

Super Energy Boost Green Smoothie

This smoothie is packed full of energy boosting ingredients and makes a great breakfast. It only has one piece of fruit in so won’t cause your blood sugar to spike. It’s super versatile so you can swap or remove any ingredients you’re not keen on.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large handfuls of spinach or kale
  • 1 apple
  • Small piece of fresh ginger root
  • 2” piece of cucumber
  • 1 avocado
  • 10 raw almonds
  • 1” piece of lemon
  • Water (the amount will depend on the consistency you like your juice to be)

Method:

  1. Remove the skin and pip from the avocado
  2. Simply put all of the ingredients into a blender and bend until combined
Snack

Easy Bean Dip – Vegan and Gluten-free

This dip is super quick and easy to make and will be sure to impress your friends with it’s taste.

Cannellini beans are a great part of a healthy diet as they are high in both protein and fibre. Beans such as cannellinni are frequently used in weight loss as they can help to maintain healthy, normal blood sugar levels in the body. Beans not only help you to feel full but they are also low in calories so they can be used to help achieve a calorie controlled diet. Along with the high fibre content this also makes them a great food for diabetics.

Ingredients:

  • 1x 400g tin cannellini beans
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic (peeled and chopped)
  • 1 heaped tbsp. sesame seeds
  • A pinch ground cinnamon
  • Large handful flat leaf parsley
  • 1 lemon juiced

Method:

  1. Whizz all ingredients, except 1 tbsp lemon juice, in a hand blender until smooth and creamy, taste and add more lemon juice if required
  2. Serve with pitta bread, bread sticks or crackers
Snack

Raw Carrot Cake Bites (Nut Free and Vegan)

This recipe came about as I needed a snack that was nut-free and all of my date ball recipes contain nuts.  I love carrot cake so I thought why not create a healthy snack based on these flavours.

Carrots are a fantastic source of beta carotene. Beta carotene is converted into Vitamin A which has many fantastic benefits to eye health hence the saying that eating carrots help you see in the dark!

Vitamin A acts as a antioxidant to cell damage, some studies suggest that it can slow down the ageing of cells whilst protecting the skin from sun damage.

This recipe is quick and easy to make, for a gluten-free version simply replace the oats with gluten-free oats.

Ingredients:

Makes 30 (depending on size)

  • 1 large carrot, grated
  • 2 tbsp apple sauce (1 small apple, stewed)
  • 4 dried apricots
  • 1 heaped tbsp date paste or 50g Medjool dates
  • 1tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 100g jumbo oats (or gluten-free oats)
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp mixed spice
  • The juice of 1 orange

Method:

  1. In a food blender, blitz the dates and apricot until they are chopped.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz until well combined
  3. Roll the dough into small balls and place in an airtight container
  4. Store in the fridge, or they can be frozen.
Lunch

Spelt Bread – Vegan

I try to avoid eating too much wheat as it makes me very bloated, however, I find that I cope a lot better with spelt flour. Spelt flour has a different structure to wheat and it is high in fibre making it easier to digest.

Spelt has a number of nutritional properties including: high levels of protein, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, selenum, Vitamin B6 and folic acid. Therefore spelt can help with digestive health, lowering cholesterol, circulation, hormone regulation, bone health and the immune system.

Wholemeal spelt flour can be purchased in most large supermarkets and can be used for a variety of baking recipes. I love how simple this bread is to make. It only takes about 10 minutes of work the rest of the time is spent proving the dough, so you can get on with something else.

Ingredients:

  • 450g of wholemeal spelt flour
  • 7g dried yeast
  • 1tsp Himalayan Salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 325ml tepid water
  • 75g pumpkin seeds

Method:

  1. Place the spelt flour, yeast and salt in a bowl and stir well
  2. Add the olive oil and water and mix well using your hands
  3. Turn the dough out on to the side or place in a mixer with a dough hook and knead for approx 5 minutes
  4. Proof the dough by placing the dough into a bowl and covering with a tea towel before placing in a warm place for about an hour, until it has doubled in size
  5. When it has doubled in size, place the dough on the work surface and sprinkle on the seeds then knock the air out of it a little bit before kneading for a few more minutes
  6. Shape the dough and place it into the tins you are going to use, cover with a tea towel and leave to proof in a warm place for a further 30 minutes
  7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 30 minutes (depending if you have made one big loaf or 2 smaller ones)
Drink

Vegan Healthy Hot Chocolate

Yes you did hear correctly ‘healthy’ and ‘hot chocolate’ and ‘vegan’ in the same sentence!

At this time of year there is nothing more comforting than a warm hot chocolate, however some coffee shop brands having a whopping 24g of sugar in a medium cup! So I decided to play around and create a healthier version that you can enjoy at home.

This vegan healthy hot chocolate is great to help you wind down in the evening but I would suggest having it early in the evening as sugar close to bedtime can prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep.

Almond milk is a source of calcium and tryptophan which help the brain to produce melatonin which is important for sleep regulation. Both cashews and almonds contain magnesium which acts as a natural sedative and help to relax your muscles. Whilst cacao also contains tryptophan helping to balance the body’s serotonin levels

I have not specified how much maple syrup to add to this hot chocolate as ideally you want to make it to your taste. However, be aware that maple syrup is still recognised by your body as a form of sugar, and so your body will respond to it as sugar so use as little as possible. For a more chocolaty taste you can add more cacao but it is bitter so the more you add the more maple syrup you are likely to need.

Vegan Healthy Hot Chocolate Ingredients:

  • 300ml almond milk
  • 1 tsp cashew nut butter
  • 1- 1.5 tsp Cacao powder (to taste)
  • Drizzle of maple syrup (to taste)

Method:

  1. Heat the milk and cashew butter in a pan
  2. When it is hot place into a blender with the remaining ingredients and blend until frothy
  3. Serve in a mug and enjoy

A great variation to this recipe is to add a drop or two of peppermint oil to give you a delicious mint hot chocolate!

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe then why not email me for a consultation to find out more about natural ways to help you sleep