Tag: recipe

Recipes

Mini Quick Bread (Low Carb)

Miranda

Mini Quick Bread (Low Carb)

  • Servings: 1
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Rating: ★★★★★
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I recently came across this quick bread recipe and was tempted by how little effort it required (it really is quick & easy!). Wasn't sure how it would turn out - or if I would like it (since, you know, I love bread!) - but it ended up being a pleasantly tasty surprise. It's easy to make fresh from scratch and you can experiment with different nut, seed or grain flours to suit your preference. Go on - give it a try!


Tips: You can swap out the sunflower flour with other nut or seed flours such as almond or coconut. Instead of buckwheat flour you can use rice flour or any other grain flour that you like. To make this recipe keto-friendly skip the rice or buckwheat flour and use ground flaxseeds (or 100% sunflower flour) instead. This quick recipe can also be made in the microwave – cook on high for about 90 seconds & be careful not to get burned!

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp sunflower flour
  • 1 tbsp buckwheat flour
  • 1 tbsp oil of your choice, liquid
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • dash of salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C).
  2. In a small bowl, add egg, flours, baking powder and oil. Mix well.
  3. Line a 4 1/2-inch (12cm) ramekin with baking paper and oil.
  4. Pour mixture in ramekin and bake for 12-15 minutes.
  5. When the top is firm, but spongy take out the bread and let cool on a rack. Enjoy!

Nutrition


Per Mini Bread: 250 calories; 19.3g fat; 8.2g carbohydrates; 11.1g protein; 1.2g Fibre; 51% DV for vitamin E; 43% DV for selenium; 29% DV for vitamin B1; 22% DV for calcium; 22% DV for vitamin D.

Recipes

Protein Bean Brownies

Miranda

Protein Bean Brownies

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Rating: ★★★★★
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I discovered this yummy recipe when I was looking for ideas to use up a pack of beans that was about to expire. The beans are an excellent source of fibre and together with the cocoa powder make a perfect meal for our gut microbes. Other than being beneficial for our microbiome, this recipe is also mineral and protein packed - both from the beans and eggs as well as the protein powder. Oh, and those gooey melted chocolate chunks are just heavenly delicious!



Tips: These brownies can actually freeze pretty well! Just cut them into individual servings and pop into a freezer bag. Using canned beans which are softer will make the batter more smooth & consistent.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups black beans (canned or pre-cooked)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp chocolate pea protein powder
  • 2 tbsp vanilla protein powder (I used Dr. Amy Myers beef protein)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks (dairy-free)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Blend black beans in food processor into a rough paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add eggs and melted coconut oil. Mix well.
  2. Mixing well after each ingredient add cocoa, protein powders, baking powder and salt one by one into the mixing bowl. Then stir in chocolate chunks (you can just crush 1/3 of a dark chocolate bar).
  3. Using extra coconut oil, grease a 25x10cm loaf tin, then line with baking paper. Pour in batter and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the edges are visibly cooked and the center doesn’t jiggle much when you shake the tin (if using the a toothpick test, it may still come out a little wet and that’s ok – we want these brownies moist!).
  4. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool before cutting into individual brownies.

Nutrition


Per Serving: 175 calories; 10g fat; 8.5g carbohydrates; 13g protein; 5g Fibre; 24% DV for copper; 17% DV for iron; 18% DV for manganese; 16% DV for phosphorus.

Recipes

Salmon fishcakes

Miranda

Salmon fishcakes

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Rating: ★★★★
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These salmon patties are great for entertaining family and friends. They are gluten-free and dairy-free, and work wonderfully well as a healthy main dish with a side of steamed or roasted veggies. I love that they can be batch-cooked and frozen, making meal prep deliciously easy!


Tips: You can save time by using canned or pre-cooked salmon, pre-boiled potatoes and pre-diced frozen onions, carrots, garlic and parsley. Swap white potatoes with sweet potatoes for a lower glycemic index.

Ingredients

  • 500g white potatoes
  • 2 fresh salmon fillets (450g)
  • 5-6 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 1 small carrot, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup sunflower or almond flour
  • 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Fill a large saucepan half-way with water, add a pinch of salt and bring to boil. Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Once the water is boiling, add the potatoes, bring to boil, and then cook on medium heat for 10 mins (until cooked through). Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool off.
  2. As the potatoes boil, preheat oven to 220°C. Place salmon on unbleached baking paper and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 10-13 mins (until cooked through).
  3. Meanwhile, dice and chop vegetables. Once the salmon is cooked, place it in the fridge for 5-10 mins to cool off.
  4. In a large pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, onion, garlic and peas; cook on medium heat for 6-8 mins. Remove from the heat and let cool.
  5. Mash the cooled potatoes with a masher, add olive oil if necessary.
  6. In a large bowl flake the salmon (without the skin) and add the cooked onion, garlic and peas, as well as the potato mash, fresh herbs, flour and eggs. Mix well with a wooden spoon or with your hand.
  7. Make small patties from the mixture and place on a plate. In the same large pan used earlier, heat the rest of the olive oil on medium heat. Add the salmon patties and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
  8. When removing the patties from the pan, place them on a plate with a few paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
  9. Serve them warm or cold – your choice!

Nutrition

Per Serving: 218 calories; 13g fat; 10g carbohydrates; 13g protein; 1g Omega-3s; 68% DV for vitamin D; 49% DV for vitamin B12; 36% DV for vitamin A; 37% DV for selenium.

Nutrition

Recipe: Tuna Fish Patties

Miranda

By Adrianna McDonald

This recipe is one of my favourite as I  always have the necessary ingredients. My  whole family loves it. The patties are incredibly easy and quick to make, and they’re budget friendly too. More so they taste fantastic!

Ingredients

  • 1 tin of tuna
  • 3tbsp of sweetcorn (organic)
  • 1/2 cup oats or breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives, green onions, or shallots Salt and freshly ground black pepper or any other seasoning of your liking
  • 1 raw egg
  • 2 Tbsp coconut or olive oil for cooking

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Cooking method  

  1. Mix all the ingredients together in the big b0wl.
  2. Cover with foil and chill in the fridge for an hour)
  3. Divide the mixture into 4 parts or 8 smaller.
  4. With each part, form into a ball and then flatten into a patty.
  5. Heat the oil in a cast iron or stick‐free skillet on medium high.
  6. Gently place the patties in the pan, and cook until nicely browned, 3‐4 minutes on  each side.
  7. You can cover them in breadcrumbs if you like them crispy and don’t mind the extra carbs 🙂

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Nutrition

Recipe: Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Miranda

By Adrianna McDonald

Cocoa is one of nature’s many miracles. It is in fact a great super-food and to get the full benefit of its goodness it is best eaten raw. Today’s recipe is full of antioxidants, good fats (avocado and coconut oil) and ingredients rich in nutrients (honey and goji berries).

 

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What’s even better is that it’s delicious, rich, smooth, creamy, chocolaty… Simply heavenly!

What you need:

  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1/3 cup of honey
  • 1/3 cup of cacao powder
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed

Mix all the ingredients together using a blender until smooth. Place in the fridge for 30 min. Add cacao powder and goji berries on top and serve.

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Nutrition

Recipe: Veg Spaghetti Bolognese

Miranda

By Adrianna McDonald

I was looking for an alternative to pasta for a while as I absolutely love Bolognese and one day I found a solution. To be honest one of my favourite bistro bars were serving vegetable pasta and I stole the idea. One day I went on the hunt to find a spiralizer and since then my life is fulfilled 😂😂😂

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The recipe is very easy and straightforward, what you need is:

  • 500g ground beef (or turkey or chicken mince)
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 chopped celery stick (optional)
  • 1 jar tomato puree or ready-made sauce Bolognese
  • Herbs and spices
  • 1-2 each of zucchini, yellow and green carrots, parsnips (shaved on your spiralizer)

The amounts will always depend on how many people you will be cooking for but this was enough for 2 adults and 2 kids.

 

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Instructions:

  • Heat the pan and add coconut oil.
  • Add the onion and garlic first and cook for 2 min then add celery.
  • Next add the ground beef and cook until it’s brown (10 min) then add 2 cups of boiling water (I added vegetable stock as well) and leave it to simmer.
  • Steam or stir fry your vegetable pasta for about 2-5 min, be careful as it’s easy to overcook it. I like it crunchy so 3 min is enough.
  • I like adding some herbs, salt and pepper to my vegetables to add more flavour.
  • Lastly, check your meat – it should be soft before you add the tomato puree and herbs or the ready mad sauce Bolognese.
  • If you’re not too concerned about the calories shave some parmesan on top.

And voila! Serve and enjoy!

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Uncategorized

Unexpected Superfoods – A Quick Breakfast Recipe

Miranda

If you know me,  you would  probably know that I love bread! But you also know that I am a sucker for healthy eating and thus have had to research and come up with creative ways to have my favourite foods.

So after trying (and reading… a lot!) about all sorts of bready goodness – from gluten- and dairy-free to raw vegan types – I believe I have found the one!

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Why is Ezekiel bread one of the healthiest options?

It may not be gluten-free but it packs so much goodness that you just have to give it to Ezekiel bread. Made out of sprouted grains and pulses (typically wheat, millet, spelt, barely, soybeans and lentils) this type of bread is very high in protein and fiber which means a single slice can keep you full for a long time.

In fact, due to the unique combination of ingredients, Ezekiel bread is a complete source of protein (just like eggs and milk) which contains all nine essential amino acids! To be exact, one slice has 4 grams protein, 3 grams fiber and only 80 calories, says nutrition blogger Amy Marturana.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg! Ezekiel bread is the ultimate wholegrain bread since it contains no flour or added sugar and is made up entirely of sprouted grains and legumes (which also means it has much less gluten than other conventional breads). And here’s where the difference lies between this bread and other wholegrain varieties.

You see, sprouting grains increases their nutritional value and makes the vitamins and minerals within more readily available and easy to absorb by our digestive system.

Of course you can have bread any way you want, but today I want to share with you a slightly unusual combination which tops up the nutritional benefits of Ezekiel bread. Check out the recipe below and find out the secret health powers of the za’atar herb blend.

Ezekiel Bread Za’atar Toast

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Step 1: place bread on foil (less cleaning later)

imageStep 2: Prep your ingredients: Flax seed oil (healthier alternative to olive oil) with a dash of coconut oil

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Step 3: Mix them up!

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Step 4: Spread and bake! It needs only 5-10 mins in the oven (high heat)image

Step 5: And voila! Enjoy your crispy, herby toast with a cuppa 🙂

Easy-peasy! It’s quick, it’s yummy and it’s healthy! Who knew such things existed?

The benefits of Za’atar

If you have ever visited a Middle Eastern country you have probably come across this word. Za’atar is a savoury mix of dried herbs (thyme, oregano, sumac, marjoram, sesame seeds and salt) which is typically sprinkled over bread and other foods.

It is these specific herbs that are well known for their antioxidant properties due to the high level of flavonoids which they contain. In particular, research has shown that sumac has anti-viral, anti-fungal and cancer-fighting properties, whereas thyme and oregano have antiseptic and antimicrobial properties. There are even suggestions that za’atar herbs may have cognitive and mood-enhancing properties (i.e. they can give your brain a boost).

Did you know?

Za’atar and Ezekiel bread  have more something in common that may surprise you (and no it is not my recipe). Both have their origins linked to the Bible. The word za’atar not only refers to this aromatic blend of spices but also to a variety of wild oregano and is mentioned several times in the Bible with reference to cleansing and purification rituals.

Similarly to za’atar, Ezekiel bread also derives from Biblical passages. Of course, this one is a bit more obvious with the name coming from a specific verse (Ezekiel 4:9)  which also states the list of ingredients typically found in this bread:

Take also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils and millet, and spelt and put them in one vessel…

Ah, the amount of information you can find online….