Category Archives: Lunch

Matcha Latte

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I’ve always loved green tea so it’s no wonder I’ve fallen in love with matcha! And it’s only recently that I’ve been introduced to the Matcha Latte & Bulletproof Matcha Latte and it’s safe to say they’re becoming one of my favourite hot drinks as I wouldn’t be much of a coffee drinker anyway 😀

Being a bit of a nutritional geek I had to find out for myself what exactly is matcha and here it goes… Matcha is a form of Japanese green tea which is ground into powder form which means that much more of its nutritional content is retained giving it a higher content of antioxidants and phytonutrients than standard green tea. Matcha helps to regulate neuro-hormones, boost adrenal function and offers a steady boost of energy and focus. My favourite benefit though has to be that matcha contains an amino acid called L-theanine – aka meditative brain wave food! L-theanine stimulates the production of alpha waves in the brain those found in deep mediation, and is associated with relaxation and mental alertness, as well as influencing dopamine and serotonin our feel good neurohormones… which explains why I’m always left feeling so zen after my matcha 🙂

(References ~ http://nyssaskitchen.com/bulletproof-matcha-latte/ & http://www.carolinehansennutrition.com/recipes/bulletproof-matcha-tea)

Anyway enough of me going on about how great it is! Here’s the recipe for my matcha latte that I made this morning…

Ingredients

1 tsp matcha

1 tbsp boiling water

300ml coconut milk

1 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp organic honey

cinnamon

Method

  1. Gently heat your coconut milk in a saucepan. While that is heating, in a mug mix together your matcha and boiling water until you have a paste.
  2. When your milk is hot enough, pour into a jug along with your matcha paste and coconut oil and whizz these ingredients together with a hand blender until it appears kind of frothy.
  3. Pour back into your mug, stir in your honey and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.

Enjoy the matcha goodness 🙂

Tee.X

 

Falafel Pita Pouches

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Finally got around to making falafel 😀 Can’t wait to share this recipe with you, once you try falafel you’ll never look back 😀 The main ingredient of falafel are chickpeas which are a great source of plant protein and fibre keeping you fuller for longer 🙂

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Ingredients (Makes 10-12 medium sized falafels)

  • 2 x 400g canned chickpeas
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 small onion, quartered
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4 tbsp olive oil/rapeseed oil
  • 1/2 cup tahini (for dressing) *optional
  • pita breads

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 190°C.
  2. Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a food processor with the garlic, onion, cumin, chilli powder, herb, salt, pepper, baking soda, and lemon juice. Pulse until everything is minced but not puréed. Add water tablespoon by tablespoon if necessary to help combine all the ingredients but try keep the mixture as dry as possible. (My food processor just barely minced it up so we mashed it all up afterwards – no problem 🙂 ) Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more pepper, chilli powder as needed.
  3. Grease a large baking tray with olive oil or else use baking parchment.
  4. Use your hands to shape falafel into medium sized balls (could flatten to make into patties if you like!).
  5. Brush top with olive/rapeseed oil. Bake for 15 minutes each side (30 minutes total).
  6. *Make dressing sauce by combining tahini with 1/2 cup of water and season with salt to taste.
  7. Serve with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and tahini dressing in a pita bread.

Enjoy 🙂

Tee. X

Quinoa Fruit Bowl

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A quick and nutritious breakfast or lunch idea 🙂

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 2 tbsp nut butter of choice eg. peanut, cashew, almond butter
  • toasted coconut
  • toasted ground almonds
  • fruit of choice for topping – I used bananas, strawberries and raspberries

Method

  1. In a medium saucepan bring the quinoa to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 mins.
  2. Remove from heat, drain and mix in the nut butter.
  3. Divide into bowls.
  4. Spread the fruit, coconut and ground almonds on top.

Enjoy 🙂

Tee x

Sweet Potato-Broccoli Soup

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Found this recipe for the Warming Autumn Sweet Potato-Broccoli Soup on http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11248/warming-autumn-sweet-potato-broccoli-soup.html and had to try it out! It’s so delicious and perfect for a cold rainy day like today 🙂

Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 5 cups chicken/vegetable stock
  • 1 head broccoli, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted, for serving
  • olive oil, for serving

Method

1. Melt the coconut oil in a large pot on medium heat, then add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the sweet potato and stock and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until sweet potato is almost tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Add the broccoli, and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the soup, lemon juice, turmeric and cinnamon to a high-speed blender and process on high until silky smooth. If the soup is too thick, add the coconut milk to thin it out.

5. Return the soup to the heat and warm gently. Add sea salt and black pepper, to taste. Adjust seasonings if need be.

6. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and toasted pine nuts as a garnish.

Perfect with some oat bread at the side as well.

Enjoy 🙂

Tee x

Gluten & Dairy Free Tomato Soup

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Perfect for a cold winter’s day…

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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 2 cups of chicken stock
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp of tomato paste
  • 1 cup of coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup of fresh basil chopped
  • 1 tsp dried basil

Method

  1. Heat oil on medium heat, add the onion and stir.
  2. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato paste and dried basil and bring to the boil.
  3. Reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
  5. Blend together, add the coconut milk and reheat.
  6. Add the chopped fresh basil as a topping.

Serve with a few slices of oat bread 🙂

Enjoy,

Tee x