Month: November 2017

Recipe: Vegan Burrito Lunch Bowl (Prepare Ahead)

Carol Healthy Eating, Lifestyle, Recipes, Wellbeing 0 Comment
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Vegan Burrito Lunch Bowl (Prepare Ahead)

Vegan Burrito Lunch Bowl (Prepare Ahead)

Ingredients

  • Salsa:
  • Half a bunch of spring onions, roughly chopped
  • Half a bunch of coriander, including stems
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • Juice of 2 limes (or bottled lime juice)
  • 1 x 400g can of peeled plum tomatoes
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 2 Tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 Tsp. sugar ( to counter the bitterness of the tomato seeds – optional)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Crema Verde:
  • 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
  • 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
  • Half a packet of coriander, stalks included
  • 2 Tsp. garlic powder
  • Juice of a lime (or bottled, as above)
  • Guacamole:
  • 2 ripe avocados, peeled and de-stoned
  • Juice of a lime (see above)
  • 1 Tsp. dried chilli flakes
  • Salad:
  • A head of Romaine lettuce, leaves separated
  • 1 x 400g can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 x 356g can of sweetcorn, drained
  • Half a bunch of spring onions, sliced
  • To Serve:
  • Cooked long-grain rice

Instructions

  1. Salsa:
  2. Place the coriander, garlic and spring onions into a mini-processor (I use the attachment on a hand-held blender), blend until finely chopped.
  3. Pour the rest of the salsa ingredients into a jug, blend (again, I just used a hand held blender).
  4. Crema Verde:
  5. Place the ingredients into the mini-processor (no need to clean between processing), blend until smooth
  6. Guacamole:
  7. Mash the flesh of the avocados with the other guacamole ingredients
  8. Salad:
  9. Assemble the ingredients and rice.

Notes

Either assemble the whole burrito bowl and eat immediately OR place the crema verde and salsa into mini containers and the rest of the ingredients into larger containers and take for lunches. To eat then pour the dressings over the salad ingredients and enjoy with tortilla chips. I made beetroot tortilla crisps from Tesco's beetroot wraps by cutting into triangles, lightly drizzled with cold-pressed rapeseed oil and baked until crisp.

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http://www.thisisnotadiet.uk/2017/11/26/recipe-vegan-burrito-lunch-bowl-prepare-ahead/

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Recipe: Vegan Banana Loaf

Carol Healthy Eating, Recipes, Wellbeing 0 Comment
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Vegan Banana Loaf

Vegan Banana Loaf

Ingredients

  • 225g Plain flour (or use Self-raising flour and reduce the Baking powder to 2 heaped Tsp.)
  • 3 heaped Tsp. Baking powder
  • 70g Coconut sugar
  • 3 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp. Mixed spice
  • 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
  • 75g Vegetable or Sunflower oil
  • 50g Dried fruit or nuts (optional) I used leftover fruit mix from a mince pie vodka I had made last Christmas!!

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 200c/180c Fan/Gas 5
  2. Mash the peeled bananas with a fork
  3. Mix together with the oil and sugar.
  4. Add the flour, baking powder and spices, and combine well.
  5. Add any additional ingredients
  6. Baked in a greased and lined 2lb loaf tin for 20 minutes, before checking
  7. Cover with foil, if the loaf cake is browning
  8. Bake for another 40 minutes (approximately)
  9. Allow to cool a little before slicing
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http://www.thisisnotadiet.uk/2017/11/20/recipe-vegan-banana-loaf/

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Recipe: Broccoli with Creamy Cauliflower ‘Cheese’ Sauce

Carol Healthy Eating, Recipes, Wellbeing 3 Comments
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Broccoli with Creamy Cauliflower 'Cheese' Sauce

Yield: 4

Broccoli with Creamy Cauliflower 'Cheese' Sauce

Ingredients

  • Sauce:
  • 1 cauliflower, broken into florets
  • 1.5 Tbsp.dairy free butter (I used Vitalite)
  • 250ml almond milk
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • I pkt fresh flat leaf parsley, leaves picked
  • 3 Tsp. nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 Tsp. onion salt
  • 1/2 Tsp. salt
  • 1/2 Tsp. pepper
  • 3 Heads of broccoli, cut into florets

Instructions

  1. Boil or steam the cauliflower florets for 10-12 minutes
  2. Drain the florets and put them in a food processor
  3. Put the broccoli on to boil or steam
  4. Add all the rest of the ‘sauce’ ingredients and blend until creamy
  5. Pour the 'cream' over the (freshly) cooked broccoli

Notes

This can also be served with wholewheat spaghetti to add carbs but I like it with green olive and tapenade flatbreads

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http://www.thisisnotadiet.uk/2017/11/16/recipe-broccoli-with-creamy-cauliflower-cheese-sauce/

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A Thigh Gap Sigh

Carol Body Positivity, Lifestyle, Wellbeing 0 Comment
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I read a comment on a social media picture the other day complimenting a woman upon her thigh gap. The thigh gap, if you don’t know, is the area of space between your thighs. Yes, that area of completely empty space about your person is something that other people (women) covet. Apparently.

Wikipedia cite it as “A thigh gap is a space between the inner thighs of some women when standing upright with knees touching. A thigh gap has become an aspect of physical attractiveness that has been associated with fragility and femininity”

I’d give a more reputable definition except, of course, for most people – this really isn’t ‘a thing’ but for some people it is ‘the thing’ But here’s ‘my thing’… I’ve always had a ‘thigh gap’ here it is…

How entirely unremarkable I hear you say. I agree. Thing is, I’m really squeezing here to get my knees together because, for most of my life this ‘thigh gap’ which is recently desirable has always been known as rather ‘bandy legs’ et voila…

The fresh air between my legs through which daylight can shine has been an object of both derision and admiration. Let me say that again – the FRESH AIR BETWEEN MY LEGS…

When we start celebrating gaps in our being, our reduced size, our lack of physical presence aren’t we effectively rubbing ourselves out? Diminishing our very beings and desiring to appear less and less substantial? And isn’t that jolly damaging? I’d say it is most entirely damaging. Thinspo (thin inspiration) posts abound about how to get said thigh gap (and mine does go all the way up but I was wearing a dress and decorum dictates that I don’t reveal my gusset to the World). The stark fact is that most women will never have one – they’re not made that way. Back in the day – they’d have probably been glad about it ‘cos being bandy-legged wasn’t at all desirable.  Being healthy and fit and strong should surely be a goal but aiming for a thigh gap or congratulating a woman for having one is nonsensical.

And finally, I take issue with being seen as fragile because of my thigh gap. Those legs are damn strong and muscular. There’s precious little fragility about them. They’ve carried me through marathon walks, up mountains, trotted through many a bog and squatted to within an inch of their life. They’ve been ripped, torn, scratched, bruised, cut and often ache with fatigue at the end of a long day. There’s nothing fragile about them – or me. I just happen to have rather bandy legs and I like them that way. And if yours carry you through life – you should like yours too – because that is exactly what they are for, not for others to judge.

 

Be More – Never Less.

 

 

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Recipe: Mexican Rice Tacos

Carol Healthy Eating, Lifestyle, Recipes, Wellbeing 0 Comment
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Recipe: Mexican Rice Tacos

Recipe: Mexican Rice Tacos

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Onion, finely sliced
  • 1 Red chilli, finely sliced
  • I Red Pepper, deseeded and sliced
  • I packet of vegan Quorn 'chicken'
  • 1 pack Tilda Mexican Chilli & Bean Steamed Basmati Rice
  • 1 400g can of kidney beans, drained
  • Small bunch of coriander, chopped
  • 1 pack Taco Shells (12 per pack)
  • 1 Avocado, sliced
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Bunch of chives, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and chili for 3-5 minutes
  2. Add the pepper and continue cooking for 3 minutes
  3. Add the Quorn chicken and fry on a high heat for a few moments until browned
  4. Heat the Basmati Rice in the microwave and add to the chicken mix with the kidney beans and coriander
  5. Heat through thoroughly and season to taste
  6. Coat the avocado slices with the lime juice to prevent browning
  7. Serve in warmed Taco shells topped with the avocado and lime mix and sprinkled with chives
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http://www.thisisnotadiet.uk/2017/11/02/recipe-mexican-rice-tacos/

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