Asparagus, lentil & goat's cheese salad

It is British asparagus season everyone!
Yes, eating asparagus might make your pee smell but it is also insanely good for you. It's a great source of folate, chromium, Vitamins A, C, E and K, all of which will contribute to keeping you in tip top condition.
In honour of vegetarian week, here is a protein packed, nourishing and totally delicious salad.

Ingredients for 1 (multiply as required)
1/2 cup of green lentils, cooked according to packet instructions (Green lentils come under many names, lentilles vertes and puy lentils are all the same. Many pre-prepared options are available in case you are short on time)
9 spears of British asparagus
60g of goat's cheese
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
Bring a small pan of water to the boil.
Prepare the asparagus by removing the woody ends. Slice the spears into thick rounds until a 3-4" tip remains.
Drop the sliced and asparagus tips into the boiling water, bring back to the boil and drain. Allow it to steam in a colander whilst you prepare the lentils.
Put the lentils in a bowl, mix with the olive oil, lemon juice and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Stir in the asparagus.
Put the asparagus/lentil mix onto a plate and top with the goats cheese.
 

Chia breakfast

Do you fancy a guilt-free pudding for breakfast? Chia seeds are what you are looking for.
These tiny black seeds have the ability to turn any liquid into a luscious, custard-like pudding.
As well as the transformative power of chia seeds, they are also high in fiber (this is great news for digestive health) and antioxidants.
Vegan? Chia seeds are a good vegan source of calcium, magnesium and Omega 3s.

For a grab and go breakfast, prepare them the day before. They keep well in the fridge for a couple of days.

Ingredients for 1:
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
2 teaspoons of honey
1 small banana to top
a handful of blueberries to top

Method:
Put the chia seeds, honey and almond milk into a bowl. Stir until it is well combined.
Leave to stand for 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes, you should come back to chia pudding. If the consistency is too thick, just add some more almond milk & stir again.
Top with banana and blueberries before devouring it.

A pineapple smoothie for better digestion

Pineapple has long been used as digestive aid in folk remedies.
Whilst some folk remedies are questionable, it turns out they were right in this case.
Pineapples are a great source of the enzyme bromelain which helps to break down proteins. This is great news if you have overindulged on meat this weekend.

For this smoothie, I have combined pineapple & lemon since both may boost digestion.
Why should you be bothered about better digestion? Well, you have no other way of absorbing nutrients from food so getting this part right is crucial.

Ingredients for 2:
1/2 small pineapple, skin removed, cubed
1 lemon, peeled
2 dates
a cup of greens (I used spinach)
1 cup of almond milk (or a handful of almonds and a cup of water) 
3 ice cubes

Blend until smooth.
Pour into awesome glasses.
Enjoy.

A BBQ in the sun

With the sunshine finally making an appearance, what better way to spend the weekends than BBQ-ing?
Grilled meat, salads and a well-crafted piece of bread make a satisfying yet healthy meal.
Of course, there are a couple of things to consider: don't burn the meat and pay attention to sauces.
Aside from not tasting that great, burning meat creates toxic chemicals. This isn't something you want to be consuming much of.
Sauces are concentrated sources of added sugar. We all know added sugar isn't great for us so why not try an alternative such as putting together a home made salsa? By chopping together a few ingredients, you will create a nourishing topping, so good, that you won't bother with the sugar-laden sauce.

Here are a couple of recipes for a healthier BBQ: marinated chicken, home made beef burgers and a pineapple salsa.

Home made beef burgers
Makes 2 burgers, multiply the recipe as required.
250g organic beef mince
1/2 red onion, very finely chopped
a small handful of parsley, finely chopped
a pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and combine well by kneading. Form into 2 burgers.
Grill on a BBQ and enjoy.

Marinated chicken breast
4 small chicken breasts
a handful of fresh herbs, finely chopped, I used thyme and basil but you can use any combination
1 clove of garlic, crushed
a generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper
juice of half a lemon
Flatten the chicken breasts by putting them between 2 sheets of cling film and bashing them with a rolling pin. You want them to be roughly 1" thick which will ensure that they cook more evenly & without drying out.
Put the chicken and the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and marinate for half an hour.
Grill on a BBQ until thoroughly cooked.

Pineapple salsa
1/2 small pineapple, skin and core removed, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 red chilli, finely chopped
5 mint leaves, finely chopped
juice of half a lemon
a pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir well to combine.
Use the salsa to top your burger or serve it alongside the chicken for a punch of flavour.
 

Cauliflower steak, seeds and lemon kale

Like any good carnivore, I was sceptical about making cauliflower steaks.
Luckily, a lonely cauliflower inspired me to make something out of the ordinary. And it was... The cumin, garlic and thyme coated cauliflower is insanely delicious, balanced nicely with some lemon kale and brought together by mild chilli seeds.
Give this recipe a go. You may be pleasantly surprised about just how good it is.

Ingredients for 2:
1 pack of chilli Munchy Seeds
1 medium cauliflower
3 stems of curly kale or 4x handfuls of chopped kale
8 cherry tomatoes on the vine
1 small clove of garlic
1 sprig of thyme
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
juice of half a lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Butter or rapeseed oil to cook

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
To make the cauliflower steaks, remove the leaves, sit the cauliflower on a chopping board (stem down) and cut off both sides until you are left with an 8cm wide, central piece. Cut this piece in half to form two 4cm steaks.
Heat the butter or oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
Squash the garlic by pressing down on it, there is no need to peel it. Put the garlic and thyme into the hot oil, stir, then add your cauliflower steaks. 
Season the steaks with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and cumin and cook for 2 minutes without moving.
Flip the steaks over carefully, add a little more oil or butter if required, season with salt, pepper and cumin again and cook for another 2 minutes.
Remove the steaks from the pan, put them on a roasting tray with the tomatoes and roast for 15 minutes.
Whilst the cauliflower steaks are roasting, make the lemon kale. Remove the leaves of kale from the stem and tear them into 2-3" pieces.
Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon, season well with sea salt and black pepper and massage the kale until the leaves are bruised and reduced in volume to about half the original amount.
To serve, divide the kale between two plates, top with a cauliflower steak, put the roasted tomatoes on the side and sprinkle liberally with chilli seeds.