Chia Seed Breakfast

This is a vegan recipe and very simple to prepare. I usually have it for breakfast but you could eat it any time of the day.

Ingredients: (servings 3-5)

2 cups of coconut milk (you can you any dairy alternative)

1/2 cup of chia seeds

Pomegrante seeds

Coconut flakes

Method:

In a large mixing bowl add the coconut milk and chia seeds and mix. Use a fork or a whisk to mix and stir the mixture so that the seeds don’t lump together, too much.

Let it sit for approx 10-15 mins, then give it another whisk, cover and put in a the fridge. I usually do this overnight to have it for breakfast the next day.

Give it a good mix before you serve. Sometimes the consistency is too thin in which case you add some more chia seeds to thicken it. Alternatively if it is too thick, just add some more milk to bring it to a consistency you like.

Scoop out a desired portion and add your favourite toppings. This can be fruit, nuts, seeds, honey – whatever you like. My favourite toppings are pomegranate seeds and coconut flakes!

Quick Lunchbox idea

Preparing quick and easy meals for lunch is not only healthy but will stop you from snacking on bad foods and save you money in the process. Follow this quick recipe which can be made even quicker if you use Tilda’s ready made rice pouch! Rice is filling, gluten free and paired with peas & cumin adds flavour and nutrition to your lunch!

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati rice

2 cups water

1/2 cup frozen green peas (I use Bird’s Eye Petit Pois)

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric

season with rock salt

Method:

Boil the rice in water until cooked. Wash the frozen peas in water to remove the ice.

In a frying pan heat oil and cumin seeds until they colour and crackle slightly.

Add the peas and cook for approximately 2 mins; add turmeric, season with salt to taste and mix well. Remove from the heat.

Once your rice is cooked and the water is drained – I use a steel colander for this – then add the peas to your rice and using a fork mix it well through the rice. The rice will get infused with the yellow colour from the turmeric. Enjoy with a blob of low fat Greek style or homemade yoghurt and a nice green salad.

The Magic of Cucumber 🥒 🥒

Cucumber is my favourite vegetable! I am a fiend when it comes to cucumber – I just can’t get enough of it!

Cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

Cucumber has enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients in the body to avoid headaches.

Cucumber has been used for centuries as a beauty product, it lightens, brightens, hydrates and tones the skin too!

Get eating more of this vegetable in your diet!

Savoury Lentil Cake (hanndvo)

This savoury, lentil cake is made with rice and different lentils. It is has a crisp outer shell and is soft on the inside. This is quite easy to make but preparation is key as is using the exact measures. This is an old family recipe; I have grown up eating this and it always reminds me of my mother. Enjoy x

Recipe will serve 6

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

1/4 cup toor dahl

1/4 cup urad dahl split with skin

1/4 cup chana dahl

1.5 tspn turmeric

1 inch ginger chopped

1 green chili

1.5 tspn salt

2 tspn sugar

1/4 tspn asafoetida

1/2 cup yogurt

2 tbspns oil

1 cup butternut squash shredded

generous squeeze of half lemon

1 tspn Eno fruit salt

For Seasoning

1 tbspn oil

1 tspn mustard seeds

1/4 tspn asafoetida

1 tbspn sesame seeds

Also need

oil to grease the baking pan

8×8 baking pan

Method

Wash and soak rice and all the lentils in water for at least 4.5 hours.

After soaking, blend rice, lentils, ginger, green chili to a lightly coarse texture, (drain water beforehand). I use my food processor for this. Then add yoghurt, turmeric, salt, sugar and asafetida. Blend mixture again. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and let it ferment for about 11 hours.

Add the butternut squash, 2 tbspns of oil and lemon juice to the fermented lentil mix. Mix well. To make the savoury cake mix light and fluffy, we now add the Eno.

Grease the baking pan with oil and pour the fermented mix, spreading it evenly.

Sprinkle sesame seeds over the batter and set aside.

In a pan heat some oil and then add the mustard seeds. Once these begin to crack add the asafoetida, turn off the heat. Pour this seasoning over the sesame seed topped batter mix.

Cover the baking pan with foil and place it on the middle oven rack; bake at 200c, preheated oven for 20 mins.

Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 mins until top of the savoury cake is light golden brown.

Let the cake cool off for about 20 minutes. Cut them into desired pieces and serve with chutneys and a fresh green salad.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

850g ripe tomatoes (halved or quartered depending on the size)

1 large red onion (cut into chunky slices)

3 red peppers (deseeded and cut into chunky pieces)

8 cloves garlic (left whole in their skins)

Generous coating of virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

500ml vegetable stock

Chilli infused olive oil

Basil leaves

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 220C In a baking tray add the tomatoes, red peppers, onion and garlic; generously coat olive oil. Season it well with sea salt and black pepper. Mix it all around with your hands so that it is evenly coated.

Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until the vegetables are roasted and look slightly charred.

Pick out the garlic from the roasted vegetables and squeeze the juicy garlic flesh out of the skin and discard skin.

Boil the stock and add some chilli infused oil to it, and then add the vegetables and garlic

Puree with a hand blender to your preferred texture

Serve in bowl with a dash of chilli oil, basil to garnish.

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Spicy Chickpeas

Protein for Veggies

Are you a vegetarian? Or maybe thinking about becoming a vegetarian and worried about how you will get protein into your diet without meat? After all protein is essential for our health.

Well fear not!

Believe it or not, there is plenty of non-meat foods that can introduce protein into your vegetarian diet so that you are not lacking in nutritional needs.

Vegetarians should always have as wide a variety of foods as possible to ensure they get enough protein in their diet. Here is a brief list of vegetarian foods that are a good source of protein:

Tofu

Quorn

Nuts

Lentils

Soy beans

baked beans

Red kidney beans

Haricot beans

Chickpeas

Dairy products also contain protein. Here’s a short list of how you can get your daily dose of protein with dairy:

Cheese

Milk

Yogurt

Eggs (I don’t eat eggs but if you do then they are a great source of protein)

Dairy products are higher in calories than the vegan (non dairy) sources of protein so they should be eaten in moderation, particularly if you are trying to lose weight (or keep the same weight!). You can of course buy low fat varieties of cheese and drink semi-skimmed or even skimmed milk, low fat yogurts and spreads.