Friday, 23 May 2014

Tart bursting with flavour and nutrition! MUST TRY!

I have the PERFECT recipe for you. This is it, look no further. I have found the holy grail of flour less quiche and boy is it delicious ( thanks to Honestly Healthy!!) Not only delicious but can easily be altered to be completely vegan, gluten free and paleo. Um hello! Winning. So after a long time I have decided to share this secret with you. It is perfect if you want to impress someone, have people over or make for a picnic! Just do it! the best part of it is that it is sooooo super easy. Stupidly simple. 

Enjoy this recipe and please please please feel free to share the love!

Incredible, Delicious, Mouthwatering Summer Tart!

Ingredients

Crust: 

200 g ground almonds (raw)
Handful basil
4 Tbs Sunflower Oil
1/2 tsp Caraway seeds
Himalayan Salt ( to taste )
1 Tbs Water
100 g pumpkin seeds (raw)
50 g Sunflower Seeds (raw)

Marinade:
2 cloves garlic
4 Tbs Sunflower or Rapeseed Oil
1 Tbs fresh Thyme sprigs
Himalayan Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
2 Tbs Vinegar (balsamic or if completely gluten free use apple cider vinegar)

Filling 
400 g Spinach
500 g Tomatoes (I used a mixture of cherry tomatoes and whole large tomatoes)
75 g hard goats cheese (eliminate if vegan.)

Method

Pre heat your oven to 175 C. Line a tart tray/tin with baking parchment. In a blender ( I always use my trusted old vitamix but any other one will do!) add the almonds, basil, sunflower oil, caraway seeds, water and half of the pumpkin seeds. Pulse the mixture till it becomes smooth. Simply turn it on and off till it is all combined. Add the rest of the seeds and gently pulse for a few time just so you keep the texture of the nuts a little rougher. 

Press the mixture into the baking parchment in the tin. This will make the crust. Make sure it is evenly pressed and comes up the edges properly. Use your fingers and be as precise as you can. Place in the oven for 25 -35 mins or until it becomes golden!

In the meantime quarter your four large tomatoes and halve the cherry tomatoes. make sure you use premium tomatoes! The sweeter and juicier they are the better the tart will be!!Chop the garlic finely. In a big bowl combine the ingredients for the marinade and place the tomatoes in the marinade. Place the dressed tomatoes and marinade in the oven and roast the tomatoes for 10 mins in the oven. 

While the tomatoes are in the oven, take the spinach and place it in a cauldron. Bring a kettle to boil and pour over the spinach and let drain off. pour cold water after and then squeeze out the remaining moisture using your hands or paper towels. Chop the spinach finely and drizzle gently with olive oil. 

Remove the crust from the oven and press the spinach at the base of the tart and add the tomatoes on the top. Sprinkle with grated goats cheese (tofu if vegan or nothing at all) and garnish with thyme or basil! 

Place in the oven for 20 mins and serve immediately or let cool and have later! Either way its absolutely amazing!

Enjoy!




Wednesday, 21 May 2014

Raspberry chia coconut porridge

This morning I found some frozen raspberries in my freezer. Yum I thought and perhaps I shall warm them up with yoghurt, for an indulgent post run & yoga morning workout. Then I remembered  I have a super busy day running around London for work and then finish my shift late today and thought perhaps no. I need some thing more. So I made this amazing new recipe I choose to share with you all. I call it the Raspberry Chia Porridge (no oats though), Its full of fibre and coconut to sustain you for many hours on the run. Delicious hot or cold! :)

Raspberry Chia Porridge

Ingredients

1/ 2 Cup frozen raspberries
1/2 Cup coconut milk (I used Eco Mill unsweetened)
1/3 Cup desiccated coconut
3 Tbs Chia seeds

Method

Gently defrost the raspberries in the coconut milk on low heat. Let absorb and simmer for 5 mins. Add the chia and coconut and let simmer for another 5 mins. Stirring occasionally. When all the milk is absorbed and the chia are swelling remove from heat and let sit for another 5 -10 mins. 

Serve with banana, or kiwi and a dash of coconut yoghurt or greek yoghurt. Add homemade granola for added crunch or flaked almonds and goji berries. 

Enjoy!


Wednesday, 7 May 2014

Green Monster Smoothie

Good morning! 

After a long day yesterday I felt my body needed a huge health boost. Where I work we make the most delicious protein shakes, however I am a lover of clean smoothies. So I warmed up the Vitamix and plugged in my favorite things. It turned out to be rather delicous.

My best advice when it comes to smoothies is be very aware of your ingredients and how much! My rule of thumb is always, if I can't eat all the ingredients as they are in the amounts I use, then I don't add them. How many times have we ordered a freshly squeezed orange juice and loved it, unknowing it can take up to 7 oranges to make that little glass. Too much. 

So my best advice is be careful with everything being juiced, pressed or blended. Have a think, and always question what is in there. 

The Green Monster Smoothie 

For 1 person

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 handful rinsed kale 
4 cubes pineapple
5 leaves basil
2 cm banana
1 Tsp hemp powder
1/2 green ph alkaline super blend ( I use terra nova) but use any other blend of super greens.
1/2 avocado

Place all ingredients in a powerful blender and blend for 20 sec. Don't over blend, or under blend. Simply turn off when a smooth consistency is formed. 

Alternatively, add more avo to make it thicker, then transfer it to a bowl and top with bee pollen, gluten free oats or hemp seeds to make a smoothie bowl. 

I hope you like it! 

Enjoy 





Monday, 5 May 2014

Clean Mango Salsa

Seeing as it is bbq season creeping up upon us here in Europe with the warmer weather finally arriving I thought I would share one of my favourite salsas. This is super simple, yet delicate and delicious. If you have something spicy then this is perfect to balance the spice out. I paired it with BBQ Cajun Spiced chicken thighs and homemade guacamole and steamed corn on the cob. Perfectly filling and nutritious!

Clean Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango
1 small red onion
5 springs curly parsley (or coriander)
3 large tomatoes, seeds removed
1 Tbs Sunflower Oil
1/2 Tbs Vinegar, Apple Cider
2 Pinches Himalayan Salt (High in Minerals and excellent to use!)

Method

Simply chop the mango, tomatoes, and red onion into small pieces. The finer the better. Make sure they are all roughly the same. Combine and add the oil, vinegar and salt. Chop the herbs and stir in gently. Let sit aside for roughly an hour and serve with choice of mains. 

This is fantastic with anything spicy. Specially spicy seared tuna! Yum!


Enjoy 


Clean Mango Salsa

Serving suggestion. Grilled Cajun Chicken, Steamed Corn with Himalayan Salt, Guacamole