Ginger & lemongrass rice noodle stir-fry

Stir-fries are a great way to increase nutrient density in your diet. Add a tasty sauce and you have the perfect base for a comforting yet healthy supper in less than 10 minutes.
This stir-fry recipe combines ginger, lemongrass and coconut to add subtle flavour.
Use it as a base for your protein or enjoy it by itself if you are vegan/vegetarian.

Ingredients for 2:
A large heaped plateful of vegetables - I used a mix of red and hispi cabbage, broccoli and pea shoots
2" piece of ginger, peeled, thinly sliced then cut into tiny cubes
1 stalk of lemongrass, outer layer removed, grated
1 large clove of garlic, grated
20g of creamed coconut dissolved in 100ml of water (or 100ml of coconut milk)
Tablespoon of tamari (or gluten free soy sauce) plus more for drizzling
200g of pre-prepared rice noodles
Black pepper
1 red chilli and 1 spring onion to garnish
1 teaspoon of rapeseed or coconut oil for cooking

Method:
Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok over a medium/high heat.
Add the vegetables, garlic, lemongrass and ginger, season well with freshly ground black pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes. The vegetables should be part cooked and slightly reduced in volume.
Add the noodles, tamari and coconut milk and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring to combine the flavours.
Divide between two plates, sprinkle over the chopped chilli and spring onion and drizzle with a small amount of tamari before serving.

 

 

Should you put protein into your smoothie?

There are a few smoothie camps in our modern times: the vegan/ vegetarian purists, the gym going protein lovers and the “not too sure about this but it looks like a good idea” group of inbetweeners.
Irrespective of your position, putting protein into your morning smoothie could be a beneficial way of starting your day.
Here is why:

Protein is an essential building block
Protein is used for so much more than just the obvious muscle building.
It is needed for repair, to construct essential parts of the immune system, detoxification (YES PROTEIN IS NEEDED FOR DETOXIFICATION), to make certain hormones, for carriers (these are used for transport in the body i.e. to carry oxygen in blood) and for enzymes that allow us to break down our food.
As you can see, almost every essential process in our body involves protein.

Protein will keep you fuller for longer
The average smoothie of fruits and vegetables is pretty easily broken down by the digestive system. In fact, carbohydrates are digested the quickest out of any food group, followed by protein then fats.
Here is the clever part: when you add protein to your smoothie, the whole thing is broken down at a slower rate. So instead of the smoothie powering you for a matter of half an hour, it may keep you full for several hours.

BUT - not all protein sources are created equal
Protein is broken down into smaller molecules before we can use them, known as amino acids. There are 20 amino acids, 9 of which are essential (meaning they can only be obtained from food), the other 11 are conditionally non-essential or non-essential (meaning we can generally manufacture them in the body dependant on the state of your health).
Protein derived from plants rarely contain all of the essential amino acids. One exception to this is sprouted rice protein which contains all essential amino acids, albeit some in only small quantities.
To get the full amino acid range at the correct level, animal sources are the most optimum i.e. whey protein.

Word of warning
Whilst there is a benefit to adding protein to your morning smoothie, do pay attention to what else is in your protein product.
A good natural organic whey or rice protein may be great but if it is mixed with a bunch of chemicals you cannot pronounce then you may as well avoid it. Sugar is also commonly mixed into protein powders and we all know that's not such a healthy ingredient.
The moral of the story is: don't buy cheap protein, go with an organic source and check the list of ingredients.

My favourite proteins*:
I'm a longstanding fan of The Organic Protein Co's Organic Whey. It is affordable, pure and contains no added ingredients.
For a flavoured whey protein, Nutristrength's Vanilla Whey has been a recent discovery. This option is more costly but you are paying for quality. As an added bonus it turns your morning smoothie into what tastes like dessert and who wouldn't want to start their day with pudding.

*please note I am not affiliated with either of these companies. Having tried a few proteins in my time, I am listing these as genuine options and have not been bribed by these guys.

Check out the next post for a delicious raspberry protein smoothie recipe.




 

 

Sumac and cumin spiced lamb

This is the kind of simple, meat and potatoes dish that I tend to revisit whenever I need a fuss free yet fulfilling supper. It can easily be altered according to what vegetables you may have hanging around in your fridge and needs little attention in terms of cooking.
Aside from the sumac, which can be purchased from most supermarkets or middle Eastern stores, the recipe uses standard spices. The fresh coriander can be substituted with parsley if coriander isn't to your taste.

Ingredients to feed 2:
300g lamb or mutton mince
350g new potatoes, large pieces cut into quarters
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
a large handful of leafy greens such as spinach, swiss chard or kale
1 carrot, shaved with a peeler or very finely chopped
A small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked and stalks finely chopped
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of sumac plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
sea salt & black pepper
Creme fraiche to serve
 

Method:
Cover the potatoes with enough water to top them by an inch. Bring it to boil and cook for 20 mins until tender. Drain and set aside.
Chop the vegetables whilst the potatoes are cooking.
Put a frying pan on a medium heat and brown the lamb mince with the onions (5 mins approximately). There is no need for oil as the lamb has plenty of fat in it.
To remove some of the fat, take the frying pan off the heat once the meat is cooked, tilt the pan and push the meat to the top of it. The fat will drain to the bottom and you can spoon it off. This part is optional, although I do tend to remove around 1-2 tablespoons of the fat.
Put the frying pan back on the medium heat, add the garlic, cumin, coriander stalks, sumac, chilli, turmeric and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add your vegetables and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the potatoes, stir well and cook for another minute or two. Check the seasoning and season to your taste.
Divide the lamb & potatoes between two plates, sprinkle some sumac and fresh coriander leaves and put a dollop of creme fraiche on top.