Tag: Easy

Coffee, Banana and Vanilla Smoothie

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We’re in the middle of a heatwave, and you’d be forgiven for thinking I had lost the plot as it may sound like a weird combination, but honestly you have to try it before you judge. I also think the secret is the perfect pairing is with the use of Alpro Soya Vanilla drink. Completely unendorsed, I fell in love with this product many moons ago whilst at university studying for my undergraduate nutrition degree and stumbled upon this. The combination of flavours which worked so well it became my signature drink of choice. Perfect as both breakfast on the go, or as a mid-morning snack along side a coffee pick me up when packaged away in a thermos flask to keep it nicely chilled.

It’s the perfect smoothie for a heatwave where you would love a coffee but don’t want a hot drink. Also great for preventing any banana wastage as once they start turning spotty brown simply peel and freeze in chunks ready to make this drink.

Each serving provides you with:

  • 1 of you 5 a day
  • 35% of your daily calcium requirements
  • 18% of your potassium requirements
  • Source of fluids for hydration

Serves 1

Ingredients

  • 1 banana, frozen overnight
  • 50ml coffee of choice
  • 200ml Alpro Soya Vanilla drink

Method

  • Place all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender till smooth.
  • Pour into a glass, or into a thermos flask to save for later.
Coffee, Banana & Vanilla Smoothie

Hot Cross Bun French Toast

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Leftover hot cross buns? Fancy an alternative breakfast this Easter weekend? Here is a delicious way to enjoy your hot cross buns. You can use shop-bought, or try my delicious Best of Both Apple & Cinnamon, or my vegan St. Clement recipes.

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 hot cross buns
  • 1 egg
  • 50ml milk of choice
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • 5g butter or cooking oil

To serve

  • Yoghurt
  • Berries

Method

  • In a flat-bottomed container, mix the egg, milk, and cinnamon.
  • Slice the hot cross buns in half and soak in the mixture for 5 minutes.
  • Heat a pan over a medium heat, and add the butter or oil.
  • Cook the soaked buns in the pan for 2-3 minutes per side till golden brown.
  • Serve hot with yoghurt and berries

Roasted Tofu and Mediterranean Vegetables

Posted in Light Bites & Snacks, Main Meals, Recipes, SidesTagged , , , , 1 Comment

I love this simple combination. It’s a great base for so many different dishes, and it’s perfect for Veganuary. Tofu is a good source of vegan protein, while also being a source of calcium if it’s been set with either calcium sulfate or calcium phosphate.

Other vegetables that work really well in this include:

  • Marrow
  • Squashes
  • Pumpkins
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Onions
  • Garlic (roast in their skins)
  • Fennel
  • Leeks

No tofu? Here are your protein alternatives:

  • Chickpeas, either roasted or stirred in at the end
  • Tempeh
  • Halloumi (making the dish vegetarian)
  • Serve with hummus in a sandwich, salad or with cous cous

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 aubgerines
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 large, or 2 small courgettes
  • 2 peppers
  • 1 block of firm tofu

Method

  • Preheat an oven to 180°C fan/200°C convection.
  • Add the oil to a large roasting tray.
  • Slice the aubergine into chunks and immediately toss in the oil.
  • Chop the remaining ingredients, add to the tray and mix together, seasoning with pepper.
  • Roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes, stirring halfway through, till the edges of the vegetables and tofu go golden.
  • Serve with your choice of carbohydrates such as lemon and herb cous cous or kale pesto pasta – swap the parmesan for nutritional yeast to make it vegan
Delicious served with lemon and herb cous cous, or pesto pasta

Store any leftovers in a sealed tupperware for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Sundried Tomato and Herb Bulgar Wheat

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This is a staple in my house. I almost always have the store cupboard goods, and I grow chives in the garden so have them for most of the year, so all I really need to make sure I have bought is flat leaf parsley. And if you don’t have flat leaf parsley, you can substitute any green leaves in place, such as lettuce, rocket or even spinach.

I frequently have this as an easy lunch. I prepare it in a big batch and it will last 4 days in the fridge easily. Then I serve with with some salad vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumber and avocado, and a source of protein. Usually I’d opt for tinned beans or cheeses such as goat’s cheese or halloumi, but fish, even tinned fish, also work well as do left over cuts of cold meat.

Ingredients

  • 100g bulgar wheat
  • 10g stock powder
  • 15g chives, finely chopped
  • 30g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 35g sun-dried tomatoes, finely sliced
  • Chilli, to taste, finely chopped

Method

  • Bring 120ml water to the boil. Add the stock powder and bulgar wheat, remove from the heat and cover. Leave to cook for 5-8 minutes.
  • Once cooked, fluff with a fork and add all the remaining ingredients.

Per serving: 144kcal/ 1.4g fat/ 0.4g saturated fat/ 27.8g carbohydrates/ 8.9g fibre/ 7.0g protein