Easy yogurt pasta sauce

So at first I thought that this sounded a bit gross, I usually associate yogurt to desserts or breakfast, but I was really craving some sort of creamy mushroom-y pasta dish tonight and thought I'd give this recipe I found online a go! Boy was this a success! It turned out to be so creamy and moreish and Tom even asked for more, yum yum!! If you want to make this slightly naughtier you could always add in some cheese, do try it without first though!

CREAMY MUSHROOM PASTA YOGURT SAUCE
For about 2 servings

• 1 tsp butter/ olive oil
• A couple of sliced mushrooms
• 4-5 tbsp yogurt
• About 2 handfuls of cooked pasta
• 0.5-1 tsp of crushed garlic
• Salt & pepper

1. In a hot pan, warm up the butter or oil, add in the garlic and stir fry the mushrooms for a minute or so.
2. Add in the yogurt and stir around for a couple of seconds, add in the cooked pasta, season, taste and add more yogurt/ seasoning if necessary. Yes, it really is that easy!!!

 

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Refreshing vermicelli salad

This was inspired from a crab angel-hair salad dish we had at Ambre hotel.

I think that this is a nice change from the plain old lettuce based salad, the Thai dressing gives this a zesty and refreshing kick, perfect for this warm weather. Really easy to make, you can stick to the basic vermicelli noodles, veggies and dressing or decide to add in any extra meat,bamboo shoot etc.

REFRESHING VERMICELLI SALAD: Serves 2

Basic salad:

• About 100 g vermicelli noodles (soak until soft-5 minutes)
• 1 carrot (finely cut into stripes)
• Half a cucumber (deseeded and finely cut into stripes)
• Lots of coriander & mint (finely chopped)

Optional add ins:

• Any type of cooked meat/ seafood (I used a few pan fried scallops)
• Some finely chopped lemon grass
• Dried Chinese fungi (Soaked until soft, chop and boil for 3-4 minutes until cooked)
• Beansprouts
• Fresh chilli

Dressing:

• 4 tsp light soya sauce
• 2 tsp honey
• 4 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 3 tsp sesame oil (or olive)
• Half a tsp crushed garlic

1. In a saucepan of boiling water, Blanch the softened vermicelli for about a minute, leave aside to drain and cool.
2. In a large bowl, mix in all the dressing ingredients, the finely chopped vegetables and herbs, finally adding in the cooled vermicelli noodles.
3. Add in any extras, leave the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes so that the dressing is nicely soaked up.
4. Serve on a bed of leafy greens and enjoy with a glass of homemade lemongrass iced tea!:)

I served the salad on a bed of our homegrown lettuce with slices of lemon and topped with pan fried scallops. Above is also part of our breakfast at the hotel. I never realised that the 'toukmaria' seeds served in our famous Alouda drink were known as sweet basil seeds. They look just like chia seeds and when I 'googled' their health benefits, found out that these yummy seeds are used to help relieve constipation, diabetes and lowering high cholesterol levels. Therefore I'm sure that these seeds, so readily available in Mauritius could be used as a substitute for any recipe containing chia seeds due to their similarities.

Also, anyone with a smart phone, download the 'blogilates' app, it's amazing! Exercise videos, clean eats videos, forums etc on the go:)!

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Chewy chocolate & coconut bites

So its been awhile since my last post! Went for a little getaway with my buddies at Ambre hotel which was awesome! Then been out and about around the island enjoying my last few days here!
 

If you enjoy coconut, you'll love these! They sort of remind me of coconut macaroons, but with a lovely dark chocolate touch, these are crisp on the outside and slightly chewy and moist inside.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE & COCONUT BITES

Makes about 18 mini bites

• 80 g desiccated coconut
• 20 g cocoa
• 35 g honey (or more if you have a sweet tooth)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

1. Mix everything together until it forms a uniform dough.
2. Form mini balls from the dough, press down on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

 

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Adzuki beans

So I've heard about these beans for a while now! Oprah classes these as a super-food, loads of celebrities go on about the fact that they are the beans with the lowest number of calories and highest protein content and I always remember lovely Carol talking about these beans when I was living in the Lake district. Turns out that I had a big bag of these sitting in my cupboard of goodies! Bought these ages ago in Super U, classed as 'Red beans', but I'm sure that these must be readily available in Chinatown and other supermarkets. There are so many great recipes online using these beans, but I thought that I would first stick to their traditional use, in Asian desserts. I made Japanese dorayakis and 2 variations of Chinese red bean soup.

RED BEAN DORAYAKI
Dorayaki is a very famous Japanese dessert.Traditionally it consists of two light pancakes wrapped around a sweet adzuki bean filling. Variations to this traditional dessert are often seen in Western cafes serving simple flavours such as egg custards to more unusual bacon and cheese dorayakis.

The bean filling known as 'anko' was surprisingly easy to make! I remember making this with my uncle as a little girl (using lentils instead, perhaps adzuki beans weren't easily available back in the day) and taking almost half a day preparing this creamy filling. Not only did it take a long time, but was also full of sugar, butter and oil! So I decided to make a healthy version with just as tasty results!

To cook the beans: it is definitely worth soaking your beans a couple of hours/overnight before using them! Then boil them up in lots of water until they are very soft and turn into a puree when squeezed between two fingers.
To make about 6 heaped tablespoons of bean paste

• 2 large ladles of cooked & drained adzuki beans
• 4 tsp honey (add more if necessary)
• 1 heaped tsp of coconut oil

1. Using a blender or the back of a fork, mash up the beans until you obtain a smooth paste and fold in the honey.
2. In a hot frying pan, heat up the coconut oil and add in the bean paste. Fry the paste for a couple of minute, continuously pushing the mixture against the pan with the back of the spoon. Do so for about 5 minutes.

To make the pancakes- Makes about 10 individual pancakes= 5 dorayakis

• 1 egg
• 40 g self raising flour
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp honey

1. Whisk the egg and honey for a couple of minutes until frothy. 
2. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold. You may need to add a few drops of water if necessary, you are looking for a pour-able batter which is slightly thicker than a crepe batter, to make fluffy dorayakis.
3. On a hot and well greased pan, pour on about half a tablespoon of batter and shape into a circle with the back of your spoon. Leave to bubble and flip. 

You should obtain a smooth and evenly brown side, which will be the exterior of the pancake parcel.

To stuff these, simply place a ball of the filling in the centre of one pancake, press the filling down to flatten it in order to leave a heaped/ raised centre, place on the other pancake and seal with a tight push all around.

  

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Chinese red bean(adzuki) soup

This is a super easy and quick dessert, perfect after a rich Chinese meal or just as a refreshing and light dessert. (Don't forget to check out the health benefits linked to adzuki beans!)

When my dad tried this he had a cheeky smile on his face! He said that it reminded him of growing up as a kid in Port Louis, an old Chinese man used to sell this dessert in the streets of Chinatown in the middle of the night. There are lots of variations to this simple dessert. You could simply serve the cooked beans as is, or add in several ingredients such as coconut milk, peanuts, lotus seeds, orange peel, tapioca pearls, glutinuous rice balls, Ice cream etc...

Soak the adzuki beans for a couple of hours/overnight. Rinse, cover with water and boil until the beans soften and turn into a puree when squeezed between two fingers. Once the beans are cooked, you can add in whatever you desire!

KEEPING IT SIMPLE
In my first version, I used half of the beans and some of the cooking liquor, added in enough honey to sweeten and some cooked tapioca balls/sagoo (Simply soak for 5 minutes, boil for about 5 minutes until soft, topping with water as needed). Leave to chill.

MILKY/ CREAMIER VERSION
I used the other half of the beans (drained, without cooking liquor), added in some coconut milk, water, honey and tapioca pearls. Leave to chill. As the mixture cools, the beans turn the coconut milk into this gorgeous light pink/ purple colour!

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Chocolate orange pancakes

Hola! I woke up this morning realising that it's been such a long time since I've made some breakfast pancakes, so you know what that meant, chocolate orange pancakes for mum! I wanted a banana-free pancake, something a bit more filling and indulgent and 'chocolate orange' because this flavour combination is just amazing!

These pancakes were super easy to make, I used 100% whole wheat flour, but if you want a lighter and flufflier pancake, it would be best to mix a lighter flour in, such as rice, cassava etc. To make these more indulgent, add in some dark chocolate chips, as you cut into the pancakes, you'll come across melted chocolate goodness, mmm!
If you have a very sweet tooth, add some honey to the batter.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE PANCAKES

• 60 g whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• Juice of half an orange made up to 60 ml (+ milk)
• 1 egg
• A few dark chocolate chips (optional)
• 1-2 tsp honey (optional)

1. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, zest and salt together. Break in the egg and slowly beat it all together (it will get quite dry at this stage).
2. Whilst continuously stirring, pour in your orange juice/milk mixture and mix until you obtain a thick and smooth batter, fold in the chocolate chips if using.
3. On medium heat, heat up your pan, grease with a little oil and spoon on a few dollops of the batter, once it bubbles up, flip and cook for a couple more minutes et voila, pancakes are ready!

I layered these pancakes with sliced oranges, honey and topped with some dark melted chocolate.

Here are  few pictures from our weekend away 'glamping', it was good fun! We went kayaking to the waterfalls, took a little boat over to Ile aux cerfs and just chilled by the river!

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Chocolate avocado cakey cookies

Recently, I can't seem to get enough of avocados! They are so versatile- desserts, salads, spreads etc..., so creamy and so good for you! So I decided it was time to make some baked goodies with this amazing green fleshed fruit. (Well, also my avocado was getting to that sort of overly ripe gooey stage, so it was time to use it up! :p)

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP AVOCADO COOKIES

• About 3 tbsp avocado (half an avocado)
• 3-4 tbsp honey
• 2.5 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 20 g cocoa powder
• 120 g flour (I used 60 self raising, 60 whole wheat)
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• Good pinch of salt
• 50 ml milk
• Couple of chocolate chips, optional (I chopped up 5 squares of dark chocolate)

1. Sift together all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cocoa &salt.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the avocado, honey and coconut together until you obtain a smooth and creamy mixture.Fold in the vanilla extract.
3. In the creamy mixture, mix in half of the dry ingredients. Mix in the milk followed by the rest of the dry ingredients.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips if using. Place spoonfuls of the dough onto a non-stick baking sheet and press them down with the back of your spoon. Bake for about 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, until the edges start to crack.  
   
   These aren't proper full fat melt in your mouth cookies, they are slightly more cakey, but are the perfect healthy treat for those with a sweet tooth and fond of dark chocolate!
   
   
   Every time I'm in Port Louis, I'm always tempted to go around the market, I always seem to find new and interesting spots to take pictures and nothing seems to beat the whole array of brightly coloured veggies and fruits. 
   
   On another note, I had a really fun photo shoot yesterday! Given the nature of this blog, it was pretty ironical and funny that the ad was for KFC!
   Off to Otentik, an eco-friendly lodge type place today- pretty excited!
   Have a lovely weekend everyone!!
   
   Xx

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Healthy English (sort of) breakfast toast!

Just a quick post for a super quick and filling sort of English breakfast: healthy-fied. We needed something really filling today as we had an early start, headed off to Ile aux cerfs to play golf which went on until about 3 pm!

I used this really nice bread from the Lemon Tree cafe, not too sure what it's called, some omega packed whole-wheat bread. 
This bread is really wholesome and quite dense so will keep you going for quite a while :). I used mashed up avocado (seasoned with lemon, salt & pepper) on my toasted bread instead of butter- so creamy and good for you!
Instead of the usual greasy bacon, I used these really handy pre-cooked & smoked (super) thin slices of bacon/ham thingys and grilled them for about a minute, they could fool any bacon lover I assure you!
I added in some slices of tomato and mushroom that i quickly grilled on a non-stick pan. And there you have it! No need for any added bad fats, add in some delicious creaminess from the avocado and top it off with a runny egg, oh man, nothing beats a good egg!!!

Food aside, the sea was soooo clear and beautiful today! Sadly, spent a bit too much time in it though = sunburnt red body, not a good look.

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Chinese Daikon cake (Law bock Gow)

Daikon, also known as mooli, white radish or rav is a mild flavoured Asian radish. I often see this vegetable being sold on the streets and markets in Mauritius, but have never been quite sure as to how it is used. When procrastinating in Port Louis one day, I found this old Chinese magazine in the pagoda with a recipe for turnip cake, then realised from the picture that 'turnip cake' is one of my favourite dim-sum dishes back in Manchester!

So, I decided to try my hand at this with great results! Definitely a favourite family recipe from now on!:)

MOOLI CAKE (LAW BOCK GOW)
Makes about 25 square cakes

• 3 lbs Daikon
• 250 g plain rice flour (not the glutinous type)
• About 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• About 2 tbsps dried shrimps
• Half a cup of water
• 1-2 tbsp oil
• 2 tsps salt
• 0.75 tsp sugar
• 1-2 Chinese sausage (OPTIONAL)

1. Leave your mushrooms to soak for a couple of hours, or if in a rush, for at least 30 minutes in hot water until they are soft, pat dry, remove and discard the stems. Finely dice and leave aside.
2. If using Chinese sausage, cover them in a large bowl of boiling hot water. Leave them to blanch for about 5 minutes (for easier chopping), pat dry and finely dice, leave aside.
3. For the dried shrimps, soak in cold water for about 15 minutes, pat dry, finely chop and set aside along with the diced mushrooms and sausage.
4. Peel the daikon and grate. Squeeze the grated daikon to remove excess water, making sure to keep this liquid for cooking afterwards.
5. In a large pan, heat up half of the oil and fry the diced shrimps, sausage and mushrooms. Stir fry for a couple of minutes until the mixture becomes golden brown and aromatic. (Put the extractor on if possible, this does have an overpowering smell!). Once cooked, set aside in a dish.
6. Using the same pan, heat up the rest of the oil and pour in your grated (squeezed) daikon, keep on medium heat. Cook for about 5-10 minutes stirring constantly. Add in the daikon juice and water and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside for about 10 minutes until the mixture is lukewarm.
7. Meanwhile, set up whatever you will be using to steam this dish, I just used a massive pot with a metal stand to hold up the steaming dish, bring the water to the boil.
8. Back to the daikon mixture, stir in the fried aromatic mixture, salt and sugar. Slowly fold in the rice flour. Once incorporated & mix well, taste some of the mixture and add more seasoning if required.
9. Your mixture is now ready!! Pour into a well greased dish and steam for about 60 minutes, checking half way if you need to add more water etc. To check if it ready, poke a toothpick in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, it is done! Don't worry if it is slightly wobbly, it firms up as it cools.
   

You can either eat these Daikon cakes warm straight out of the steamer with some chilli oil, or cut into squares and pan fry just before eating (I prefer it this way!). The cold cakes last for 1-2 weeks in the fridge.

Don't let the number of steps put you off! This is well worth the effort! Easiest (and probably tastiest!) dim-sum I've made to date.

On another note, yesterday was 'Rakhi', an Hindu festival celebrated in India, Mauritius and Nepal. The tradition symbolizes 'eternal bond between a brother and a sister'. The festival has historical associations whereby Rajput queens used to send Rakhi threads to neighbouring rulers as a token of brotherhood. I'd say great day to get a friendship bracelet too :)
Now off to quad biking in the South of the island, woohoo!
Xx

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Banana breakfast smoothie

This is a very basic recipe! Basically just showing how simple it is to make a really thick and refreshing smoothie, the trick is to use frozen sliced bananas. I always have a bag of banana slices in my freezer for whenever a smoothie is needed or to make instant banana ice cream.You can really play around with this and come up with your own combination of flavours, kiwis, pineapple, coconut water, you name it!

Bananas are full of potassium but also have so many other benefits, Bananas really are such a versatile fruit! I use bananas in most of my recipes as an oil substitute and as a natural sweetener.

BANANA SMOOTHIE

I made a basic strawberry, banana & ginger smoothie for my mum, the ginger adds a kick and makes a really refreshing drink! I also added a few oats just to make this a bit more filling and to add some fibre.  Makes 1 smoothie.

• 2 sliced bananas, frozen
• Couple of tbsp of milk
• 4 heaped tsp of yogurt
• A small chunk of ginger
• 2 tsp oats
• About 4 strawberries

1. Blend it all together until you obtain an evenly smooth & thick smoothie, enjoy!

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Fish eggs!

Ok so I've always been intrigued by fish eggs, I'm not talking about the well known fish roe, tiny eggs usually served on sushi pieces, but a massive fish egg which can measure up to about 30 cm long! Apparently, only certain fish have this type of fish egg, they are known as ovoviviparous fish, whereby the egg grows inside the stomach, hatches and then a little fish should pop out!
I've read a lot about fish eggs on many Paleo websites that I follow. They are highly recommended and are known for their nutrient dense properties, so I decided to have a go at cooking one of these massive eggs!

SIMPLY PAN FRIED FISH EGG
So apparently, if you just fry or cook the egg directly, it will tend to crumbly and break apart. My dad taught me that the trick is to first boil it followed by whatever cooking method you choose. I find that pan-frying gives the egg a lovely crunchy finish. :)

• Fish egg
• boiling water
• Tiny bit of olive oil

1. In a big pot of boiling water, immerse in your whole fish egg and let it boil for 5-10 minutes until it turns opaque and leave to cool, the ends will shrivel up and look a bit scary!
2. Once cool enough to handle, slice the egg and pan fry for a couple of minutes until golden brown. You do not really need any seasoning, the egg is naturally quite rich and salty.

I had two slices (you really don't need much, it's so rich!) with gros pois:), yummmmmy!!!

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Tropical banana & coconut milk eggless muffins

These are really light and healthy tropical muffins. I'd definitely add in some pineapple next time, I'm thinking Pina colada style. "Yes I like Pina coladaaaaaass...."

 If you do use a gluten free flour such as rice or cassava, always mix it up with another type, if not just go for 100% whole wheat flour.

TROPICAL BANANA & COCONUT MILK EGGLESS MUFFINS

• 3 bananas
• small can of coconut milk (165ml) 
• 3 tbsp honey
• vanilla extract (I used a pod as well)
• 120 g flour ( you can play around with a mix, I used 50 g oat flour, 50 g cassava and 20 g rice flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 baking soda

1. Mash up the bananas, add in the coconut milk, honey and vanilla and stir until well combined.
2. Fold in the dry ingredients until you obtain a smooth batter, making sure not to over mix.
3. Pour into muffin cases and bake for 15- 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius.

 

Xx

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Chocolate beetroot cake

Friday night was lovely, I met lots of my high school friends, we stayed on for drinks at Suffren which turned out to be an interesting night! With about 4 hours sleep, I then went on a beautiful hike up Mt Piton, the picture really does not do justice to how beautiful the view really was!

 This makes a lovely light and spongy cake, with a mild beetroot taste. This gluten free dark chocolate cake with earthy undertones is perfect along side a big glass of milk or some frozen yogurt! To make it more indulgent, I would definitely cover this in melted chocolate or chocolate ganache, which will also compliment the earthy tones, nom nom nom!!

CHOCOLATE BEETROOT CAKE

• 60 g dark chocolate
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 150 g beetroot purée
• 4 tbsp of honey (or more according to your liking- try the batter)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp cocoa, sifted
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 60 g ground almond
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp baking soda

1. Melt the chocolate and olive oil either in a microwave (on high for 30 seconds, stir, and melt for another 20-30 seconds. Make sure not to burn the chocolate!) or on a bain-marie.
2. Mix the purée with the honey, beat in the eggs,cocoa, salt and vanilla until well combined. Combine in the cooled chocolate mixture.
3. Fold in the almond powder, baking powder and baking soda.
4. Pour into a well greased and floured baking tin and bake at 180 degrees (preheated oven) for 30 minutes. If you are making a larger cake, after about 30 minutes poke a toothpick at the centre of the cake and if it doesn't come out clean, leave in for a couple more minutes.

 

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Body realignment session

Ahhh I'm so sore and achy everywhere! Feels like I'm going through a sort of detox phase, however my lower back and neck pains that I've been suffering from for quite awhile have all dissapeared.
I had a body realignment session at the School of Movement this morning, the session is based on the Feldenkrais method, which is a somatic educational system which focuses on body movements and functioning. Apart from the physical improvements, I'm baffled at how Natasha (the practitioner), could tell so much about me as a person and my personality by only touching my head, pretty scary stuff!

So basically, after the session, I was told that my muscles and joints are unusually elastic, also known as 'hyperlaxity'. Most people's are made up of about 50% elastic capacity and 50% tonus, however mine are at about 70% elasticity and 30 % tonus, thus explaining why although I was doing a proper full on weight lifting routine 6 days a week I've hardly been seeing any results :(. Boohoo I'm pretty bummed about not being able to weight lift as much anymore, but I guess it does depend on the person's body type and functioning as to what exercises he/she is best suited to.

Due to very low pancreatic enzymes, which help break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates, normal digestion cannot occur which also means that I am deficient in quite a few of the essential nutrients. I have now been prescribed a few natural supplements to take as well as exercises for a 6 week time frame.

Pretty excited to see the results after this 6 week period, but also a bit frustrated at all the time 'wasted' weight lifting etc. Bring on the pilates, yoga, swimming etc!
Anyways, we'll see how it goes:)

Xx

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Beetroot burgers

Don't let the sound of these put you off- they are D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S!! Not only are they of a beautiful ruby colour (I really want to organise a Barbie theme party for some little kids with all this hot pink coloured food!) , but they taste really meaty and are super filling! My maid couldn't believe that there was no meat involved!

These burgers are really simple to make, I baked mine but you could also pan fry them, and also freeze them once cooked to enjoy later on. I used both lentils and chickpeas in mine, but you can just use one type or try playing around by substituting with quinoa, brown rice etc.

BEETROOT BURGERS
Makes about 12 medium burgers
These are free from eggs and meat- except for 2-3 anchovies which can be omitted. If you are using 150 g of one type of grain- try to mash half of it up, just so that it all binds together nicely.

• 75 g cooked lentils (I used red)
• 75 g lightly mashed cooked chickpeas
• Approx 180 g grated beetroot (about half of a large one)
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 heaped tsp mustard
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• A couple of celery stalks, finely chopped (optional)
• 2-3 anchovies, (optional)
• 0.5 tsp of paprika
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 40 g oat flour (grind up some oats), could substitute with whole wheat flour

1. In a saucepan, fry the onion, celery and anchovy together until the onions are cooked through. Anchovies sound a bit odd in this, but I watched this on some cooking show and they do add great depth to a lot of recipes and leave no fishy taste at all!
2. In a large bowl, combine the beetroot, pulses, chickpeas, fried onion mix and seasoning. Once nicely combined, add in the oat flour and olive oil until all of the flour is absorbed. Leave this mix in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before baking.
3. Use your hands to form burger-shaped patties. Bake the burgers for about 10 minutes on each side (total 20 mins) at 180 degrees Celsius on a non-stick sheet or pan fry on a low heat until golden brown. I had mine topped with halloumi- nom nom nom!

OMG- Obi is a proper little monster now, not going to be my cuddly lap dog for much longer :(

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Beetroot hummus

Morning:)
So it seems like I get slightly 'fixated' on a certain veggie now and then and just make as many things as I can out of it!（awwww just got this picture in my head of me squeezing the life out of this veggie, ok I probably need to get some breakfast before I go a bit hyper!).
Last week was my pumpkin obsession and this morning was the turn of the beautiful beetroot:)

BEETROOT HUMMUS
There's no fixed amounts to this, just taste as you go along and adjust to your liking!

• 90 g beetroot purée (boil and blend up)
• 190 g chickpeas, cooked/ canned & drained
• About 2 tsps tahini ( I was out of tahini so used peanut butter instead)
• Lemon juice
• Black pepper
• Garlic
• Salt
• 2 tsp olive oil 

1. Blend all of the above together to obtain a smooth paste, adjust the amounts of lemon juice and garlic to your own taste.

How gorgeous does this look! Serve with crudités, flatbreads etc...

Coming up soon: chocolate & beetroot gluten free cake and awesome beetroot veggie burgers.

As a side note, I now have beautifully pink fingers-.-, do wear gloves if possible, especially when grating beetroot!

Xx

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New & improved CRUNCHIER granola

I cannot get enough of this stuff! It's so crunchy, satisfying and moreish! Even my parents who never used to like any type of cereal or porridge are now obsessed with this granola!

This isn't much different from my original recipe, apart from substituting the wheat bran for crushed wheat, I think Bledor have a similar product known as 'Blé concassé'. So I use a basic mix of 2 cups of oats + 1 cup crushed wheat, then add in the usual seeds, nuts etc etc. Then just follow the full recipe as shown here.

 

When I say crunchy, I mean proper crunchy:p, so if you do have some issues with your teeth, you'd probs be best sticking to the original version!
Best breakfast ever: Yogurt fruit parfait

Nothing can beat homemade granola! An easy substitute to all those sugar loaded store bought breakfast cereals and as a bonus, this smells amazinggggg as it bakes!

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Fresh tuna salad

My dad bought this big chunk of tuna 'belly' back on the weekend- the type used to make sushi, which was absolutely gorgeous! But, there is only so much sushi one can eat and make(so time consuming!), so I decided to make a delicious salad with the rest of the fillet. I only lightly seared the fish on each side, even if you aren't too fond of raw fish, do not overcook this as the lemon juice will cook the fish through as well.

FRESH TUNA SALAD

• A couple of thick tuna slices, lightly seared, cubed
• 1 large lemon
• About half a cucumber, finely diced
• 1 firm tomato, finely diced
• Lots of coriander
• 0.5-1 avocado, cubed
• Olive oil
• Black pepper
• Salt

1. Mix all your ingredients together, taste as you go along and adjust your quantities of lemon juice and seasoning. You could easily add in some cooked quinoa/ couscous to make this a bit more filling.

Enjoy! Xx

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