Month: May 2015

All-Purpose Lazy Vegan Black Bean & Sweet Potato Dish (one pan)

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There’s a reason I’ve called this dish all-purpose.  It’s hearty, warming, satisfying and goes with just about anything. If you’re making this dish for just yourself, it will last you for 5 lunches, or 4 dinners. It can be eaten in literally a multitude of ways: Lunch:  On a bed of spinach On it’s own with a dollop of soured cream With zoodles (zucchini noodles!) On toast In wholemeal pitta bread with hummus and leafy greens Watered down as a soup Dinner: On a bed of rice/spaghetti/pasta/millet In burritos As a nacho dip As a lasagna filling As a side or starter As a casserole mixture Have any other ideas? Comment below! The possibilities with this one are endless. It’s super easy to make, too. It’s all done in one pan: The two main fillings that gave this dish it’s uniqueness is the sundried tomatoes and grated sweet potato. Grating sweet potato into dishes makes the sauce extra creamy. I love it. How is this good for your mind? The first thing I can tell you about this dish is that it …

Kick-up-the-Arse Coffee

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This coffee gives you exactly what it says it will do:  a kick up the arse. A good one, to get it in gear – not a mean one. And it’s not just your average caffeinated arse-kick either, nope. This is an alcoholic, spiced caffeinated arse-kick. We’re looking at a double shot of coffee, a teaspoonful of nutmeg, half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a single shot of rum. A lot of the time, when you’re under, everything requires that extra bit of gentle-ness. I  try to live by this. I respond so much better to people when they speak slowly and calmly, and I find they respond to me better when I am calm, gentle and loving. However, sometimes, you really do need someone to tell you to blooming well get on with it. Some of the most beneficial things people have said to me were comments that booted me out of my cloud that initially made me feel almost resentful, but in hindsight, I feel nothing but gratitude. This coffee is here to do …

Waves of Calm avocado & spinach red pepper boats

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Waves of Calm – red pepper boats? Geddit?! Har di har har har… I’m pretty sure I heard a collective facepalm just then. THESE ARE AMAZING. Some foods just make you feel refreshed and healthy instantly after eating them, and these red pepper boats do just that. The filling is a mixture of 1 mushed avocado, blanched chopped almonds, chopped spinach, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Avocados are a source of tryptophan, a compound that is a precursor to serotonin, the happy chemical. You get about 4g of protein per avocado, and as the intake of protein releases dopamine, another happy chemical, you’re onto a winner here. Finally, the Omega 3 oils in here will improve your symptoms of depression. Spinach: More magnesium, yay!! Magnesium is a fantastic calmer of anxiety. You’ve got lots of vitamin A and C (free radical fighting anti-oxidants) and K (great for blood, strong bones and reducing appearance of dark circles) in here, lots of fibre for your digestive system and lots of iron for those dizzy spells and lethargy. …

Recipe Index

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This page is always being updated as my blog grows. Breakfast Anxiety Taming Smoothie Bowl Green Smoothie & Overnight Oats Breakfast Duo High Serotonin Buckwheat Parfait Lemon Balm & Blueberry Porridge for a Merry Heart Power Pancakes: Green (Spinach, Wheatgrass, Banana) Power Pancakes: Pink (Ginger, Beetroot, Banana) Lunch Avocado & Spinach Raw Stuffed Peppers Roasted Beetroot and Lentil Bounty Bowl Parsley, Walnut and Garlic Millet Bowl Seaweed Wraps with Tahini-Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce Salad Eat Rainbows – Cooling Yin Bounty Bowl Mango Salsa Wraps with Dukkah  Kale, Avocado and Blueberry Salad Dinner All-Purpose Black Bean & Sweet Potato dish Ayurvedic Spiced Butternut Stew Baked Sweet Potato, Curried Chickpeas and Mixed Leaf Salad Grounding Root Vegetables with Mint, Orange and Za’atar Mushroom, Clove and Black Bean Chili Stuffed Sweet Potato with Avocado-Garlic-Dill-Cashew Sauce Snacks Inner Sunshine Kale/Beetroot Hemp Crackers Dessert Butter Bean Disco Brownies Chai Spelt Banana Bread Smoothies Anxiety Taming Blueberry, Nutmeg and Cashew Smoothie Bowl Carob and Coffee Hangover Cure Fig, Turmeric and Banana Smoothie Drinks Hot: Holistic Hot Chocolate Homemade Inner Sunshine Tea Kick-Up-The-Arse Spiced Coffee …

Shopping list: essentials for your kitchen

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Here I have compiled a list of foods that will allow you to create plant based staples, breakfasts, desserts, lunches, drinks, snacks and everything inbetween! This post is by no means a list that you should follow step-by-step – it is simply a list of the foods I use most often in order to create dishes that are good for my mind and body. You could choose to print this list off to take shopping with you. You will find that you will need to duck i and out of shops in order to find all of these: for fruit and vegetables, always support your independent fruit and veg stores. For everything else, support your local health/whole foods store! Always try to buy fair trade, organic or biodynamic where you can and if you can afford to. * check for seasonal produce here:(http://eatseasonably.co.uk/what-to-eat-now/calendar/) Vegetables:  Broccoli Sweet potato Carrots Tomatoes Butternut squash Courgettes Onions/red/green onions Beetroot Kale Spinach Celery Peppers: red/green/yellow Fruit: Lemons Limes Apples Pears Bananas Avocado Pineapple Mango Nectarines Peaches Raspberries (optional: frozen) Blueberries (optional: frozen) …

Inner Sunshine crackers: two ways (vegan, refined sugar free, gluten free)

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I have named these ‘Inner Sunshine crackers’ as not only do they look so utterly bright, summery and beautiful, I feel refreshed, bright and content after eating them, and as if I’m doing myself a favor in doing so. I’ve only recently learnt that the way food looks has an effect on how I feel whilst I’m eating it.  I have always been a bit of a “it doesn’t matter what it looks like, it’s still going to taste good” person. Whilst this is true, I certainly feel a bigger sense of accomplishment when I’m digging into something pretty. I used to scroll through Pinterest and Instagram, blanching at how much effort the pictures of food seemingly required in order to make them all look so badass, yet when I began to try it myself, I found that it was a simple tweak here and there, a few additions of toppings, or simply the way I layer it onto the plate. Take an extra 1-2 minutes a day to make your food look instagram-worthy: I promise that even …

Disco brownies! Vegan, gluten and refined sugar free

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I’m here to talk to you about butter bean disco brownies. I know what you’re thinking: Butter beans in brownies?! She’s lost it. Well, unfortunately for all of you, I lost it a while ago. But as Groucho Marx said, “blessed are the cracked, as they let in the light”. And let me tell you: these brownies are the light. You would not believe how many tries it took me to get to this level of epic brownie win. Making brownies vegan + GF + sugar free and tasty at the same time is HARD. Seriously – I’m talking people actually going “oh god, no more” and giving the brownies back to me. I tried making them with all sorts of different flours. Red lentil flour, almond flour, even chickpea flour. My advice? DON’T EVER USE CHICKPEA FLOUR. My mum spat them out and said “it tastes like a chocolate falafel”. Charming. Anyway, about 1 month into my severely self-confidence diminishing epicly failing vegan + GF brownie journey, I had a lightbulb moment: butter beans. Butter beans! I …

Start your day with a breakfast high in serotonin

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Do you like the sound of a breakfast that’s healthy, filling, full of serotonin-inducing chemicals and tastes like coco pops? I do. Most mornings. This is a maca, cacao, banana, milk and buckwheat breakfast ‘parfait’. It’s filled with all of the good stuff: food that is full of tryptophan, flavanoids, lecithin and a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. I always recommend bananas as a happy food for those with a hangover, illness, anxiety or low mood. Whilst it doesn’t directly affect brain chemistry, the high levels of potassium, b6 and tryptophan helps to boost natural serotonin production, the happy chemical. Winner! In small doses, cacao is a natural aphrodisiac, heightening the feelings of euphoria and pleasure and reducing the stress hormone in your body. Maca root powder is a stimulant and has been widely used to treat anxiety and depression (however it is recommended only using maca up to 3x a week). Buckwheat may sound like a grain, but it is actually derived from rhubarb! it is ideal for those wanting to go gluten free as …

Pimp your bed

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Simple but powerful: making your bed every morning. I think I’m getting at a life hack in general here: things feel 10x more do-able when you replace the word ‘tidy’ with ‘pimp’. And when you’re entering a room with a freshly pimped bed – well. Reasons to pimp your bed: – Even if your room is completely cluttered, when your bed is made it makes everything seem more together. – It’s a small, but noticeable bit of control over your environment that takes barely any energy and time. – It gives you a positive, calm, relaxed state of mind as you get into bed. – It gives you a questioningly strong sense of accomplishment. – You’re decluttering a part of your space, and a decluttered space lowers stress, even if it’s just a little bit. – It’s a ‘gateway habit’ – once you begin to reap the benefits of your badass pimped bed, you’ll look for other things to pimp everyday too. Ooooh yeah. Straighten your duvet, tuck it in at the corners, throw your favourite blanket over the …