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Happy Monday all! This weekend has been a big cooking weekend so another recipe to start the week!

Before I start just wanted to let you know that have a couple of awesome workouts which I will be uploading over couple of  weeks. So watch this space!

Anyway, for today’s post I have the most delicious, quick and easy spelt soda bread recipe to share with you. It literally takes 10 minutes to prepare (if that!) and only 35 minutes to cook.  I was utterly shocked that making bread could be this easy! It tastes awesome and my version is 100% spelt and seeds, no white wheat flour whatsoever meaning that it wont send your blood sugar levels soaring.  

Incase you are not familiar with the Spelt grain it is an ancient variety of wheat that has a higher  protein content and also higher B vitamins, potassium and iron content than other types of wheat. Bread made with this flour plus the addition of seeds has a lower GI than most other types of bread. If you can’t find spelt you could always substitute for stone-ground wholemeal flour instead and if you can’t find the seeds I used below you can always experiement with different varieties.

Seriously Seeded Spelt Soda Bread

3 3/4 cup of Wholemeal Spelt Flour (you could subsitute for stone-ground wholemeal)

3 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds

3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds

3 tablespoons of chia seeds

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 teaspoons of baking soda

Optional: 2 tablespoons fennel seeds (if you do decide to use fennel seeds just a warning that it does flavour the bread quite strongly)

1 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cup of buttermilk

A bit of extra buttermilk

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 200 c. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix together. Add in most of the seeds (leave around 2 tablespoons). Make a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Stir the dough until it just comes together, if it is a little too dry then add a splash more buttermilk.  Tip the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead for about a minute or until the mixture comes together in loose ball. Don’t knead for too long.

Working quickly place the ball onto a lightly floured baking sheet and cut a deep cross in the top (around 2/3 of the way through). Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with the remaining seeds.

Bake for around 35 minutes on the middle shelf, it the top doesn’t have enough colour then move up a shelf for the last 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Adapted from River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnley- Whittingsall, published by Bloomsbury

PS  To try and decrease the sodium content of this loaf I will probably try and cut down on the teaspoon of salt next time

Can you relate to this? You get back from work late and realise that yet again you have forgotten to take the evenings dinner out of the freezer! What to do?

You don’t want to waste money on an expensive greasy takeaway but you don’t exactly feel inspired to pop out to the shops to create a last minute gourmet meal either. This is where this quick and easy little dish from Bill Granger works wonders!

Created from left overs that are lying around in the fridge, it literally takes almost no time to cook. It’s packed full of protein and veges and is relatively light, especially if you are eating later than you would like. 

The recipe below serves 4 and it’s yummy cold so the hubby and I usually take a portion to work the next day…

Bill Grangers ‘Open-Faced Feta and Leek Omelette’

2 x leeks, washed and sliced (The recipe says white part only but I used all of it)

3 small zucchini (courgettes), finely sliced

A couple of handfuls of Broccoli, chopped very small (Bills recipe doesn’t include this)

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons, chopped fresh mint

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

6 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water

A little salt and pepper

115 g feta cheese, drained

Heat the grill to its highest setting. Place a 9 inch frying pan (with a heatproof handle) over a medium to high heat. Add the olive oil, leek, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes stirring continuously. Add the broccoli and zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the herbs and pour the eggs over the top. Crumble the feta over the omelette and cook for 5 minutes. Finish under the grill for another approx 5 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

And there you have it…Too easy!!

This weeks post is an extremely simple and easy old favourite that I am sure most of you know how to cook already.

Each and every time I cook this particular recipe I remember in one mouthful why I love it so much! I honestly think this recipe actually tastes of goodness and I know it sounds insane but to me it is almost like you can actually feel the vitamins and other good stuff travelling down back of your throat (ok perhaps I am slightly weird!!)

Anyway, the recipe I am talking about is Ratatouille which is basically a tomato and aubergine (sorry egg plant for you aussies!) based dish. It is great as both a main meal feature – in addition to sufficient portion of protein of course and also an accompaniment to a main dish.

I tend make more of a feature of it, usually crumbling feta cheese on the top…along with my usual concoction of pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds. I also like to stir in a can of tuna  for extra protein.

Anyway enough of my garbling… I am sure there are a million recipes out there for Ratatouille but this is mine!

Ratatouille that tastes of goodness:

2 x onions – chopped

3 x sticks of celery – chopped

2 x courgettes/zucchini – chopped

2 x aubergines/egg plants (cut into chunks and blanched in boiling water for a couple of minutes)

1 x large red pepper – chopped

2 x 400g cans of tomatoes

8 x sundried tomatoes

1 x tbsp tomato paste

1 x handful of chopped fresh basil

Some chopped oregano

Pinch of salt and pepper

Feta/Goats/Sheep’s cheese crumbled on the top

Pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds sprinkled on the top

Method:

Fry the onions in a little olive oil for a couple of minutes, then add the peppers, courgette and celery and sun-dried tomatoes. After about 4-5 mins add the aubergine (that has been blanched in hot water) and after a couple of minutes again the cans of tomatoes, herbs and seasoning. Simmer gently for around 20 -30 mins and serve.

Serves: 

Around 4-6 – My hubby and I got two lunches each and an evening meal accompaniment out of it. We find it’s actually better the next day!

Don’t we all have those lazy TV dinner moments when all we want is a film and some good old comfort food?!

Rob and I had one of those moments last sunday evening. We had taken the dog out for a run and it had started to tip down with rain half way round. By the time we got home we were drenched and were craving something warming and comforting but also healthy, nutritious and guilt free! In other words a food that would make us feel good!

After a moments deliberation we turned to good old Delia, in my view the queen of comfort eating! We came across this awesome recipe for Lentil Soup from ‘Delia’s Complete Cookery Course’. It is extremely easy to make and a great way to use up those left overs in fridge.

The recipe includes lentils which are packed full of filling, muscle building protein plus they are full of fiber and have significant amounts of folate, iron (for energy) and magnesium (which helps keep your heart healthy). The soup is so yummy and really is a meal on its own, it honestly keeps you feeling full for HOURS afterwards!

Give it a go and let me know what you think…

Ingredients:

8 rashers smoked bacon (rind/fat removed)

175 g of Puy lentils

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 carrots chopped

2 medium onions, ch0pped

2 celery stalks, sliced

225g tin of tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

3 pints bouillon vegetable stock

225g cabbage, chopped

2 tbsp fresh parsley

salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large cooking pot and fry the bacon in it until the fat begins to run. Then stir in the prepared carrots, onion and celery and, with the heat fairly high, toss them around to brown them a little at the edges. Now stir in the washed, drained lentils plus the contents of the tin of tomatoes followed by the crushed garlic then the stock.

As soon as the soup comes to the boil, put a lid on and simmer, as gently as possible, for about 1 hour. About 15 minutes before the end add the cabbage. Taste and season. Just before serving stir in the chopped parsley

Source: http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/soups/smoked-bacon-and-lentil-soup.html

Please note: I made a few minor changes to the original version. I used organic bouillon vegetable stock instead of homemade for speed. I also used back bacon instead of streaky and a few extra slices to increase the protein content.

In my opinion (and singer Jack Johnson’s) there is nothing more scrumptious than freshly made pancakes on a Sunday morning!! Just thinking about the smell of them right now makes me salivate!  

We discovered this recipe for high protein pancakes a few months ago and we just can’t get enough of them! They are gluten-free, very high in protein so they keep you feeling satisfied for hours afterwards and so yummy they beat the unhealthy white refined kind hands down.

To make then extra nutritious we serve them with natural yogurt mixed with a touch of vanilla, some fresh strawberries and a good sprinkling of pumpkin, flax, sunflower and chia seeds.

Give them a try and let me know what you think!  Just so you know they aren’t the wafer thin crepe style variety but the puffier scotch pancakes.

The recipe makes 4 x 5 inch pancakes

1 cup almond meal

2 eggs

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup of sparkling water (the sparkling water makes them puffier!)

1 tablespoon xylitol or other sweetener

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (optional – you can add more if you want)

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and cook in a little oil like regular pancakes. Serve with natural yogurt with a few vanilla pods, fresh strawberries and a sprinkling of seeds – we like pumpkin, sunflower, flax and chia.

ENJOY!!

There is nothing I love more than a few nibbles and a really great dip! The problem is that all too often they are high in salt, sugar and full of chemicals and other cr*p. I came across this recipe a couple of months ago and although it is extremely healthy, it is very tasty indeed!

The yogurt (especially Total brand) is an excellent protein source. The avocado is high in cholesterol lowering monounsaturated fats, vitamins B, E and K and is high in fiber. 

For those watching their budgets this dip is also very cheap to make!

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped avocado (about 2)

1 cup Greek yogurt (such as Total)  You could also use low fat but I tend to avoid using low fat as often means more sugar!

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2/3 cup chopped fresh chives

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

A little salt if desired

Very simple! Put avocado, yogurt, lemon juice, vinegar, 1/3 cup chives, parsley, and salt to taste in a small food processor or blender and puree until creamy.  Stir in the remaining chives, reserving some to garnish the dip. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables such as raw or lightly steamed carrots, broccoli, peppers, snow peas etc.

For those of you who live in Singapore like us you will appreciate just how expensive Hommus can be to buy in the shops! After 2 years of spending what is probably hundreds of pounds on Hommus we finally decided that enough was enough and that we needed to start making our own! We also realised that a lot of the Hommus you can buy, however tasty, has a least one unknown chemical ingredient on the label or it is full of added salt, sugar etc.

We found this recipe and I have to say it is so easy, quick, inexpensive and very tasty! You literally just put all the ingredients in a blender and there you are!

• 400g tin of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp of cumin
• handful of fresh coriander (optional)
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy with chopped crudities (peppers, broccoli, celery or carrots)

I was given this recipe by a dietitian in the UK and I have to say they are REALLY tasty! It is actually very hard to believe how healthy they really are and they literally take a couple of minutes to prepare and 15 mins to cook. They are very high in protein because the recipe uses almonds rather than flour. This helps to keep the blood sugar levels in check and keeps you feeling fuller for longer!

180 g Ground Almonds

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon Vanilla essence

handful of raspberries

1-2 tablespoons Canola oil

4 eggs

80 mls water

60 g xylitol (sugar replacement available in health food shops)

Whisk the ingredients together and then put in a greased 12-muffin tin and bake for around 15 mins at 180 celsius.

Let me know how you get on!