Spinach & Tofu Burgers

For anybody that has been over to my house in the last two years, you have probably already eaten one of our 'famous' spinach and tofu burgers. We probably make them more than any other meal...why?? Because they THE tastiest burgers I have ever eaten!*

*You do not have to agree with this statement as it is a personal opinion; mine!

The wonderful thing about these burgers is that not only are they easy to make but they a) are a good source of iron which is a must for me and b) they are great for getting in your protein which is an important factor for veggies' especially those that spend a lot of time in the gym :)


The Tofu gives them a really creamy texture as well; you can fry them or bake them and if you make to much mixture simply pop them between two sheets of grease proof paper / cling film and stick them in the freezer!



Ingredients
3 large handfuls/half a bag of baby spinach leaves
3 spring onions - sliced
3 cloves of garlic
1 block of firm tofu; squeezed dry
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method
1.Cook spinach for 1 minute until wilted in a saucepan; chop finely and put into a large bowl
2. Put the spring onions and garlic into a food processor until minced and add to the bowl

3. Crumble half the tofu with your hands into the bowl. Place the other half of the tofu into the food processor and process until smooth.
4. Add the smooth tofu to the bowl with the remaining ingredients
5. Combine the ingredients until evenly distributed
6. Use your hands of a burger press to form evenly sized patties (we normally get about 5 burgers out of it)
7. Fry or bake dependent on your preference (frying seals them better but baking is healthier)
8. Serve in buns, pittas or by themselves with salad!

Lentil Moussaka

This week (May 20th to May 24th) is National Vegetarian Week. So, with that in mind each day I will be sharing with you some of my favourite vegetarian dishes for you to try at home. 

National Vegetarian Week is a great opportunity for you to get out of that food rut; experiment with new dishes and ingredients.Although there are a lot of people nowadays that do think outside of the 'meat-and-two-veg box' it is astonishing how many people still can not even imagine a meal without meat in it and, when they find out I'm a vegetarian, still respond with "but what do you eat?"

The following recipe is one of my favourite comfort foods; it's high in protein and you can make it healthier with a less cheesy sauce but that is also one of guilty pleasures! Unfortunately I wasn't able to make this in time for the blog so don't have any pictures; but will try and get some for you at a later date.

Lentil Moussaka

Ingredients
1 Aubergine
1 Sweet Potato
1 large white onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 can of lentils
Sea Salt
Olive Oil
Milk
Cheddar Cheese
Flour
Parmesan
Butter

Method
1. Thinly slice the aubergine & let rest for 20mins in order for the sour juices to escape
2. Thinly slice the sweet potato & parboil for 5mins
3. Fry the chopped onions & garlic until golden then add the lentils and chopped tomatoes
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan & add the milk and flour; stir until smooth
5. Add the grated cheese, take off the heat & stir until smooth
6. Layer the lentils in a lasagne dish, alternating with the sweet potato & aubergine, finishing with a layer of lentils
7. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes
8. Pour the cheese sauce over the vegetables and bake for 20 minutes
9. Serve, Share and Enjoy!

Avocado Advocate

Oh Avocado, how   I love thee...let me count the ways! Yes you have guessed it, my Tuesday food is the luscious, fresh green avocado :)

Avocados are truly amazing as they contain in excess of 25 nutrients! These include vitamin A, B, C, E, & K, copper, iron, phosporus, magnesium, and potassium. They are also a great source of fibre and protein as well as containing  beneficial phytochemicals which may protect against various disease and illness.

Below are just a few of the health benefits associated with avocados;

1. Lower Cholesterol
2. Control blood pressure & maintain a healthy heart
3. Fights free radicals
4. Anti-ageing properties - avocados are rich in antioxidants  
5. Cure bad breath (always helpful!)
6. Nourishes your skin and makes you glow!

The wonderful thing about avo's is that they are soooo versatile, you can eat them in so many ways! I love mine in sandwiches with salad, parmesan and egg-free mayo, salads, on toast with tomatoes, on ryvita with vegemite and as you will see below in shakes!

I have a big weakness when it comes to my diet, and that is chocolate milk. I just can't help it. So instead of denying myself I searched for a home made recipe that was healthy and clean; avocados, who knew? 

Chocolate Avocado Milkshake

Ingredients
1/2 ripe avocado
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1-3 tsp agave nectar/maple syrup (alternatively you can use 1 tbsp of brown sugar)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup of almond milk

Method
1. all the ingredients together until smooth and serve over ice
2. Enjoy!

You can add a scoop of protein powder if you want an extra protein hit or to thicken could add a banana. Avocado's are great in smoothies with spinach and kale as well. There are loads of different options all over the net so get inspired!

Go Nuts!

Hope you've all had a great Monday? A lot of people seem to hate Mondays; waking up early again for work, going to work, 5 days left to the weekend... But they have it all wrong! Mondays are the start of a fresh new week; you can make it what ever you want it to be; it's all about perspective. Mondays for me feel like a spring morning, or the first page of new diary; yet to be written.

I have been thinking today about the different subjects I want to cover in this blog; it has been mostly food orientated so far I know, don't worry fitness week is coming up! But diet is a massive part of being healthy; and it is a cause close to my heart as I see so many people putting junk into their body on a daily basis. It has been said that having a healthy body is 30% exercise and 70% diet, now I know that differs dependent on your goals but it is a massive difference to take into consideration.

With this in mind on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week I'm going to let you know about some of my favourite foods; the health benefits of these and some of my favourite recipes! Today, as you may have guessed from my title, is all about nuts!

For a vegetarian, nuts are a great source of protein they also provide us with lots of energy and are rich in vitamins and minerals. Often people can be a bit cautious when it comes to eating nuts due to the high fat content, however these fats are mainly unsaturated fats; particularly mono-unsaturated fat. These fats actually help to maintain healthy levels of cholesterol! Studies also sow that a diet rich in nuts can help prevent the risk of type 2 diabetes and lower the risk of heart attacks.

I use almonds all the time; you will see all my baking has almond butter in and I LOVE almond milk. Almonds contain magnesium and calcium for strong bones, vitamin E and interestingly  compounds called phytochemicals which are believed to protect against cardiovascular diseases and even cancer! Plus!

Walnuts are another of my favourites; I add them to salads as well as incorporate them into a range of hot meals from gnocchi to a good old fashioned nut roast! Walnuts contain vitamin A, potassium and magnesium. Studies have shown that walnuts added to a diet resulted in a decrease in cholesterol. 

If I'm honest, I only enjoy brazil nuts if they are covered in chocolate! But with 17% protein they are a winner. They are also very high in selenium and contain potassium, phosphorous, calcium and vitamin B.

Below is a quick and easy recipe that has the added benefit of being amazingly delicious! 

Creamy Leek and Mushroom Medley!

Ingredients
2 leeks - sliced
5 chestnut mushrooms - roughly diced
1 red onion - diced
2 cloves of garlic - diced
Handful of baby leaf spinach
Handful of pine nuts
Handful of cashew nuts
Handful of walnuts
2-3 tbsp of cream cheese
1-2 tsp of green pesto
5 halved cherry tomatoes

Method
1. In olive oil; begin to fry the garlic an red onions; when soft add the leeks and mushrooms
2. When almost done, add the spinach and cherry tomatoes
3. Once the spinach has begun to wilt, add the nuts, cream cheese and pesto
4. Stir until the cream cheese has melted into a creamy sauce and all the ingredients are well and truly mixed together
5. Serve and enjoy! :)

Cabin Fever

Hellooo! So I have been bed bound for the last few days with flu (proper influenza not some misdiagnosed hypochondrial man flu!) and as a result Ive not had the strength to do any cooking or exercising to tell you of.

Gutted because tonight is usually muay thai night and I am missing out! It was going to be the subject for this weeks blog but hopefully I'll feel well enough by sunday to take the morning session.

So when Im sick I tend to lose my appetite; in the past that has meant surving of lemongrass tea. But this time with the help of the love of my life (my juicer) Ive been able to get a little more in the way of vitamins :-)

A great juice for when your feeling poorly is orange, carrot, lemon and ginger. Don't go easy with the lemon an ginger either whack a thick slice of each in; double what you normally would so you give your body the kick it requires.

I can also be a little aneamic so its especially important for me to get my iron when Im under the weather. My answer? Go green! Apple, kiwi and celery through the juicer then blended with a big handful of spinach, hey if it works for popeye right?

Anyway today I finally managed to eat something solid and I was craving a fresh, juicy tomato salad. I just love big fat beef tomatos marinated in olive oil and lashings of balsamic - mmmmm! Then top with some mozarella and pesto with a sprinkling of cashews ahhhh love :-):-):-)

Due to my illness I missed out on making my man his valentines dinner of delicious homemade canneloni so I'm going to make that over the weekend and will post the recipe.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoy the weekend, looks like the sun is coming out!

Getting Started!

Hello there! Welcome to my first blog :)

So I guess I'm a bit late of the mark beginning a health and fitness blog on the last day of January rather than the 1st... but hey, I like to keep 'em guessing!

Health and fitness have been major interests of mine for years; I love being outside and enjoy running and climbing as well as doing a good old fashioned weights sesh in the gym! All my life I have been a pescetarian however my fella is a complete vegetarian so even fish is now a rarity...I enjoy playing with recipe and food ideas that are vegan and recently invested in a juicer - the best thing ever! We are now completely obsessed with juicing anything and everything!

I'm originally from Cornwall so living in London now has taken a lot of getting used to and adjusting to exercising in the city involves coming up with fun and adventurous ways to get fit...from kickboxing, indoor climbing, parkour, capoeira and all sorts of dance classes :)

So to keep things extra specially interesting I thought; why not tell you guys all about these various extra-curricular activities; what works best, a fun ranking as well as a fitness ranking and all the little things that make a good exercising experience a great one.

My partner is into weight lifting in a BIG way so nutrition is massive part of our lives as I am always researching and experimenting with high protein, low fat, vegetarian and vegan recipes. So far we have come across some amazingly tasty dishes and I absolutely love to share them!

Well that's my introduction, watch this space for postings health, fitness and inspiring recipes!