Warm Hummus Bowl

Yes, warm hummus as a base for meals is a thing and yes it is super tasty.
Here is why I utterly adore this recipe:
- The warm hummus base provides a good dose of plant-based protein
- You can use up any veggies that are past their best for the topping. Just roast them up.
- It’s a bowl of goodness that’s utterly brimming with nutrients. A friend once described it as ‘you can feel the goodness filling up your body with every mouthful’.
- The price per portion is definitely on the very affordable end of the scale. Aka it is very cheap to make.

Feel free to use shop-bought hummus if you are short on time but I do think it’s worth making the fresh version featured here. The spices used give the homemade version a little something extra.

Ingredients for 2 portions:

For the hummus
1 tin of chickpeas, drained but the water reserved
2 teaspoons of tahini
2 tablespoons of oil (i.e. olive oil, rapeseed oil or sunflower oil)
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 a teaspoon of cumin seeds
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt & pepper

For the topping
This part is entirely your choice, here is what I went with:
Any vegetables for roasting: I used a mix of red onion, butternut squash and cauliflower
Potatoes - simply cube and boil these then pan fry them using some garlic, paprika, smoked paprika, sea salt and black pepper
Salad veggies: I went with lettuce, parsley & cucumber dressed with olive oil and lemon juice but anything goes
Pickles if they are your thing: I went with some pickled rose petals but only because I was testing this recipe for a retreat and it needed to have something fancy. Pickled beetroot or pickled gherkins will do the trick just as well.
The toppings aim to bring elements of sweetness (roasted veggies & potatoes) and elements of sour (the lemon juice on the salad and the pickles) as well as working with different textures (think crunchy salad and soft potatoes). Aiming for this variety makes everything taste good.

Method:
Roast your veggies & boil some potatoes.
Chop up the salad vegetables.
To make the hummus, put a small saucepan on a medium heat.
Add the oil and sliced garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the cumin seeds and coriander and cook for a further minute. The oil should be very fragrant.
Set the oil aside to cool slightly.
Put the chickpeas, 1/3 of the chickpea water, tahini and lemon juice in a blender.
Season with two very good pinches of sea salt and a generous amount of black pepper.
Pour in the warm oil and spices.
Blend the hummus until it is smooth, adding a bit more of the chickpea water if needed.
Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if required.
Transfer the hummus to a saucepan and gently warm through. You don’t want it to boil, merely to take on some of the heat.
Divide the hummus between two bowls and top it with the roasted veggies, salad and potatoes.
Enjoy!

Berry cheesecake semifreddo(ish)

I have an amazing treat for you.
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of desserts and I’m especially fond of them if they are full of goodness.
This berry cheesecake semifreddo(ish) dessert is just that.
A higher protein treat full of nourishing berries and a base made of oats and seeds. It’s technically healthy enough for breakfast because if we think about it, it’s actually just berries, yogurt and granola. 🤫
In case you aren’t familiar with semifreddo, it’s basically melting ice cream. Semifreddo = half frozen.
Here is how to make it:

Ingredients for 4 generous portions

For the oat base:
25g pumpkin seeds
50g oats
70g Medjool dates, pitted (4-5 dates approximately)
50g of butter or 2 tbsp coconut oil

For the berry yoghurt layer:
250g of full-fat Greek yoghurt or equivalent plant-based yoghurt
150g of berries - I used a mix of frozen strawberries & raspberries
3 tbsp of agave, maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp of lemon juice
I also added a tablespoon of rose syrup but this is entirely optional

Method:
Line a small loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
To make the base, blitz the oats, dates and seeds in a food processor or blender until they resemble crumbs. Transfer to a bowl.
Melt the butter or coconut oil.
Stir the butter or coconut oil into the oaty mix.
Transfer to the lined loaf tin and press it all down to form a base.
To make the berry yoghurt layer, blend all of the ingredients until smooth.
Pour the yoghurt layer over the base and freeze for at least 4 hours.
When you are ready to eat it, remove it from the freezer and allow it to defrost slightly for around 20 minutes before serving.
Slice into generous portions and serve with a few extra fresh berries if desired.

Skin-boosting smoothie bowl

The skin is super good at showing us when we are low on nutrients or have just experienced a lovely (irony) bout of stress.
Like many other organs of the body, the skin needs a lot of nutrients to remain in tip-top condition.
Here are some of the nutrients that are especially important:

Vitamin C & Zinc - these both help to repair the skin and assist in growing new healthy skin cells
Vitamin A - this one helps to protect the skin and also plays a role in skin repair
Healthy fats - yes, the skin needs fats, fats keep the moisture in and play a protective role
Protein - this forms the main structure of the skin

There are others but as far as making smoothies/ smoothie bowls goes, these 5 are a great starting point.
Here is how to make this skin-boosting smoothie bowl.

Ingredients for 1

1/2 mug of frozen cherries - for Vitamin C
1/2 mug of frozen blueberries - for Vit c & skin supporting antioxidants
A handful of kale - for Vitamin A
1/2 an avocado - it’s full of healthy fats & skin supporting Vitamin E
3 tablespoons of hemps seeds - for zinc & skin healthy Omega 3 fats - check Good Hemp for hemp seed hearts
1 heaped tablespoon of collagen (optional) - collagen is the main structural protein in the skin, some studies show a benefit to skin health with supplementation, others state it’s increased intakes of protein on the whole that benefit skin health. If you don’t have any collagen powder handy then use a protein powder instead.
1 heaped tablespoon of kefir - I used a coconut kefir by the Coconut Collaborative. Kefir plays a role in gut health which is indirectly linked with skin health.
1-2 dates if you like a sweeter smoothie bowl
3/4s of a mug of milk or milk alternative

Method:
Blend everything using a high-speed blender.
Transfer to a bowl and top with toppings of your choice.

Whole baked cauliflower, roasted red pepper sauce, chimichurri, hazelnut dukkah

Our food isn’t merely a bunch of macronutrients, vitamins and minerals, it is way more complex than this.
Bioactive compounds present in plants form a small proportion of the food we eat.
These are not vitamins or minerals but they are very good for us. If you see a health claim on a particular food, it is almost always likely to be because of the bioactive compound.
Curcumin in turmeric is an example.
Bioactive compounds are especially high in herbs and spices and in different coloured vegetables.
This recipe capitalises on some of the best bioactive compound-containing ingredients to create an incredibly tasty (& fancy looking) dish.

In case you are not a fan, cauliflower is easily replaced with a baked sweet potato or a chunk of any roasted veg.

Ingredients for 2:
1 small cauliflower (1 large cauliflower will serve 4)
rapeseed oil
sea salt & black pepper
150g dry weight quinoa (or 1 ready-cooked quinoa pouch)

For the roasted red pepper sauce
1/4 of a tin of chopped tomatoes
2 peppers
1/2 jar of sun-dried tomatoes (75g drained weight)

For the chimichurri
1 bunch of parsley
1/2 bunch of oregano
1-2 shallots (dependant on size)
1 clove of garlic
1 red chilli, optional
1 lemon
Italian olive oil 

For the hazelnut dukkah
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
50g hazelnut (ideally blanched hazelnuts)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Put the cauliflower in an ovenproof dish with a lid and drizzle with oil or wrap it in tin foil.
Bake for 1 hour, until the cauliflower is soft and fully cooked through.
Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions and season well with sea salt and black pepper.

To make the dukkah, put all of the ingredients on a small ovenproof roasting tray and roast for 10 minutes. The spices should become fragrant and the hazelnut golden in colour.
Allow it to cool completely then pulse in a blender to roughly break the ingredients up.

To make chimichurri, finely chop all of the ingredients aside from the lemon and transfer them to a bowl.
Add the juice of 1/2 lemon, a pinch of sea salt and stir in enough olive oil to give it the consistency of pesto.
Taste and add more lemon if needed.

To make the roasted red pepper sauce, cut the sides of the pepper off and lay them on a roasting tray, skin side up. You should have 4 flat pieces per pepper.
Put the pepper slices under a hot grill and grill them until the skin blackens and blisters.
Take them out and allow them to cool.
Once they are cool enough to handle, peel off the blackened skin and transfer the pepper pieces to a blender.
Add 1/2 jar of drained sundried tomatoes and a 1/4 of a tin (100ml) of chopped tomato.
Blend until completely smooth.

To serve, put 2 tablespoons of the roasted red pepper sauce on a plate and swirl to form a circle.
Add 3-4 tablespoons of quinoa, a 1/4 or 1/2 of the roasted cauliflower.
Top with a couple of tablespoons of chimichurri and a tablespoon of the hazelnut dukkah.

Chinese-style beef noodles, sesame cucumber, 7-minute egg & sprinkles

Oriental cooking isn’t my forte.
But I was researching tasty things to make with beef mince and came across a tasty looking beef noodle recipe. It used a lot of pre-made sauces like hoisin and oyster sauce but in the name of research, I decided to give it a go and see what happens.
The recipe wasn’t terrible but it left me feeling really lethargic, super thirsty and just a bit meh.
I knew I could do better and above all, I knew I could create a bowl of food that will leave you nourished and full of energy.
I took out the sugary sauces, added tonnes of flavour with 5 spice, ginger and garlic and topped the bowl with pretty greens and an egg for extra goodness.

This delicious bowl of food will give you 5 of your 10-a-day (hiya vitamins & minerals), lots of protein and lots of feel-good vibes (because it’s so comforting). 

Plus it’s super tasty, so make it.

Fyi - it’s pretty easy to make this with veggie mince too

Ingredients & method to feed 4:
320g of organic beef mince
1 pack of medium egg noodles cooked to packet instructions

1 red onion, sliced
1 teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice 

2 carrots, chopped into matchsticks 

1/2 head of broccoli, chopped into matchsticks

A large handful of beansprouts
4x Clarence Court eggs, boiled for 7 minutes then peeled

Pop a large frying pan (or wok) on a medium-high heat.
Fry the mince and onion until browned.
Season well with salt & pepper.
Add the carrots, broccoli and 5 spice, cook for a further minute. Season everything again with salt & pepper.

In the meantime, make the flavour paste. 


For the flavour paste:

1 thumb-sizes piece of ginger, peeled

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled

1/2 stock cube (veg, chicken or beef)

2 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari (I used Kikkomanuk tamari)
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
100ml of water

Blitz everything in a blender until smooth.
Pour over the beef & veg.
Swirl a splash of water in the blender to remove any “stuck” flavour paste and pour this over the beef too.
Add the noodles & beansprouts and cook for a further minute. 


For the cucumber

1 cucumber, made into ribbons with a peeler

Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon agave or maple syrup
2 tbsp sesame oil
Pinch of sea salt & black pepper
1 tsp sesame seeds
Combine everything and set it aside to marinade whilst you make the rest of the dish.

To sprinkle on top:
3 spring onions, sliced 

1 bunch of fresh coriander

Divide the beef noodles between bowls.
Top with an egg, a handful of fresh coriander, some spring onion slices and a large tablespoon of cucumber.