5 MINUTE RAW JAPANESE SLAW

This is such a simple, yet delicious side dish. It involves zero cooking and provides plenty of nutrients. 

I threw this together in literally 5 minutes and it's definitely become a favourite. I'm all about quick dishes and this one is perfect if you're on a tight schedule. 

I like to make a big batch and store in the fridge throughout the week, so after a long day at work I can just cook up some protein and have a quick, nutritious dinner! 

Ingredients:

1/2 white cabbage 
1 carrot
1 green apple
4 tbsp pomegranate
4 spring onion stalks 
1/4 cup of walnuts 

Dressing:

2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp pure maple syrup 

Method:

Cut the cabbage finely into long strips and grate the carrot lengthways. Add into a large bowl.

Slice the apple and chop the spring onion, then mix in with the cabbage and carrot.

Sprinkle the pomegranate and walnuts on top.

To make the dressing, add all of the dressing ingredients into a cup and whisk together with a folk. Then drizzle over the slaw - super simple! :)

VEGAN JAPANESE STIRFRY

People often ask me how I have time to prepare healthy meals every night after a long, busy day at work but to be honest as much as I love cooking, I don't actually like spending loads of time in the kitchen. 

Food is something that needs to work around you and fit into your lifestyle. I love good, wholesome food but personally I don't enjoy spending hours and hours in the kitchen on one meal. Most the dishes I create, whether sweet or savoury, involve minimal time and effort. It's all about minimalist meals with great flavours for me. 

This is a perfect dish if you're looking to whip something up quickly. It's my go to dish when I've had a long day at work and just need something speedy and satisfying! It takes me less than 10 minutes to rustle up, involves no fuss yet provides me with plenty of goodness! 

I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

¼ white cabbage

4 spring onions

1 white onion

1/2 courgette

4 mushrooms

50g tofu

2 tbsp sesame oil

Knob of ginger

Handful chopped walnuts and almonds

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Chop the walnuts and almonds roughly and lightly roast in a pan for a couple of minutes, then set to one side.

Finely slice the onions, cabbage, courgette, mushrooms and ginger and chop the tofu into chunks.

Add 1 tbsp. sesame oil into a pan and add in the tofu. Lightly sauté for a couple of minutes, until browned and crisp.

Add in the white onion, cabbage and courgette and sauté for a further 5 minutes.

Lastly, add in the mushrooms, ginger, spring onions, 1 tbsp. sesame oil, salt and pepper. Sauté for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and plate up. Sprinkle the roasted walnuts and almonds on top, with a pinch of salt & pepper and enjoy!

PINK BARBIE BALI SMOOTHIE BOWL

I recently just got back from an incredible holiday in Bali. It was full of places offering delicious, healthy food and zen vibes so I definitely felt in my element out there.  

Every morning consisted of beautifully decorated and delicious smoothie bowls, refreshing juices and amazing coffee! Followed by more smoothies for lunch and a hearty grain bowl for dinner (not forgetting some form of raw cake for pud!). Whilst out there, I became obsessed with pink dragon fruit bowls. Not only are they so pretty and healthy but most importantly, tasted delicious.

There was one restaurant my sister and I fell in love with when visiting Gili Air, called Pachamama. We ate there every morning and evening because everything on the menu was just so delicious (more to come on other Bali restaurants in a Bali blog post). 

We tried one smoothie out there which was honestly the most delicious thing I've put in my mouth. It was called 'Nutty Dragon' and the flavours were insane. We ordered one everyday and both said we wanted to try and recreate it when we got back to the UK. To do this, I actually bought a couple of pink dragon fruits out there and brought them home with me in my suitcase. I then chopped them up and froze them.

If you can't find a pink dragon fruit in the UK / online, you can purchase 'pitaya' powder. Pitaya is essentially pink dragon fruit made into a powder and is still full of all the same health benefits. It also creates a beautiful pink barbie bowl, just like this one.

Ingredients:

1/2 pink dragon fruit or 2 tbsp. pitaya powder
2 medjool dates
1  banana
1 heaped tbsp. of peanut butter
100ml almond milk
pinch of salt

Topping:

Granola - for my homemade granola recipe click here.

Method:

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Transfer into a bowl or glass and sprinkle granola and / or fruit on top.

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

These little treats came about after craving something really chocolately on a Sunday afternoon. I didn’t have the typical brownie ingredients at home, so I tried to get a little inventive. I literally threw whatever I had in the cupboard that could potentially resemble a brownie, into a bowl and hoped for the best! To my surprise, they turned out really well, so I'm sharing them with you all!

I've used extra virgin olive oil in this recipe because in all honestly, it's all I had at the time! It probably wouldn't have been my first choice on ingredient when baking brownies as I find it has a really strong taste which can be difficult to mask. However, it turned out really well and once all of the ingredients have been mixed together and baked, you can't taste it at all. It also helps keeps them moist and not forgetting, it is full of wonderful health benefits.

Here just a few benefits of incorporating Extra Virgin Olive Oil into your diet;

1. It helps strengthen your immune system

Ex v olive oil is loaded with antioxidants, which is essential for protecting and strengthening your immune system. Adding olive oil into your diet can help fight off unwanted viral infections and keep a healthy functioning immune system.

2. It can promote weight loss and maintenance

It's well known by now that a balanced amount of good fats included in your diet does not make you fat. In fact, introducing healthy fats into your diet gives you a greater chance of promoting and maintaining weight loss, than those leading a low fat diet. Good fats (such as nuts, seeds and olive oil) help reduce hunger, cravings and overeating.

3. It can help relieve depression and control mental illness

The healthy fats in olive oil has anti-inflammatory effects that help to balance hormones. Balanced hormones can ultimately reduce moods and cognitive disorders such as depression.

4. Contributes to healthy skin

Olive oil helps to hydrate skin, balance hormones and fight infections as well as repairing skin damage. Adding a little bit to your diet each day will help your skin glow all day long!

Ingredients:

2 large organic eggs
½ cup of ex v olive oil
½ cup of brown rice flour
¼ cup of almond meal / flour (ground almonds)
¼ cup of cacao / coco powder
¼ pure maple syrup – add more or less depending on taste
1/2 cup of walnuts - chopped
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips - optional
1 tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. 

Crack and beat the eggs in a mug with a folk and add them into a large bowl.

Add in the maple syrup, olive oil, baking powder, cacao powder and salt and mix well.

Fold in the brown rice flour and almond flour and mix well, until a running chocolate batter forms. Then sprinkle in the walnuts and chocolate chips (if using them).

Pour the batter into a small baking tray and bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing, to help them set.

HOMEMADE GLUTEN FREE GRANOLA

I'm back from my travels and back to baking in the kitchen! The first thing I wanted to whip up was a big batch of crunchy granola. It's my go to breakfast, not only because it's super delicious but it's also easy to pop in pot and take to work with me. 

I love it sprinkled over some coconut or greek yogurt in the morning, or mixed in a bowl with almond milk.


There are so many different types of granola's out on the market these days but I find lots of them are loaded with sugar and preservatives and the ones that do contain healthier ingredients are always so expensive! 

I prefer making my own as it's so easy, a lot cheaper and I know exactly what goes into it. Once you've bought the initial ingredients below, you can make multiple batches that last for ages! 

Feel free to get creative with the ingredients, adding in different types of nuts and fruit will also work! 

Ingredients:

2 cups of gf jumbo oats
1/4 cup of almonds
1/4 cup of cashews 
1/4 cup of pumpkin and sunflower seeds (mixed)
1/4 cup of raisins 
1 tbsp cinnamon 
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp ex v olive oil
3 tbsp honey or maple syrup - add more or less depending on taste
Pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Add all of the ingredients, apart from the raisins, into a large bowl and mix well.

Spread the granola out on a lined baking tray or in an oven proof dish and bake for 25 minutes. Keep checking to ensure it doesn't burn and stir a couple of times.

Allow to cool and transfer into a jar or airtight container.