Friday 27 June 2014

IT'S PROPERCORN, BABY!


 Last Thursday, I had a couple of hours between the end of my shift at work and going to see The Crucible at The Old Vic, so I took the chance to walk around a bit and get moving after sitting at the desk for so long.
Little did I know I would bump into the most delicious and summery pop-up in Golden Square.
The Propercorn Summer Pop-Up!

Free Popercorn and drinks to enjoy while listening to some lovely live music, it really felt like summer and I loved every minute of it.

I had seen this brand of popcorn around London for a while, from Planet Organic, to Whole Foods to all major supermarkets but I have always had very bad experiences with pre packaged popcorn: they always ended up being kind of stale and gummy.. The complete opposite of the mouthwatering popcorn you can smell at the movies. So I have always refrained from trying new ones out. Boy was that a mistake!
This popcorn is different..It smelled delicious, tasted great and was properly crunchy!
Propercorn are the perfect option for a single portion treat, instead of gorging on a family size bag at the movies which is going to make you feel  bloated and horrible soon afterwards. I know this because I've done it in the past..

With a price that's less than £1 it's a snack that won't break the bank AND you have a clear calorie count on the front of the pack to remind you why you should not to feel guilty, only 129 calories for my current favourite Sweet and Salty and under 100 calories for the Sea Salt ones.
There are many different flavours to choose from, I tried the Sweet and Salty and took away with me Sea salt and the Fiery Worcester Sauce and Sun Dried Tomato ones for my friend who loves a bit of heat..
Well, surprise surprise, he loved Propercorn too!


Let me remind you all that this is also a gluten and wheat free snack.
So take a look at their website, chose your favourite flavour, grab a bag and enjoy it on the go or while snuggling on the sofa watching your favourite film! Happy Summer everybody!!!xxx

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Buckwheat noodles with the best fresh tomato sauce



I LOVE TOMATOES. Maybe it's because I'm Italian but beautifully ripe tomatoes are delicious and smell just like summer, they take me back to my childhood summers spent in Puglia with my family.
It's kind of hard to find some really good ones here in England but when I do, I feel really lucky and want them in my kitchen straight away!
These days, I'm trying to reduce the amount of gluten in my diet just because I always feel so much better and my tummy is nice and flat when I do that, sure, I cannot resist sourdough pizza from Franco Manca sometimes, but in general, I try to keep gluten to minimum amounts.
Lately I discovered buckwheat noodles (see a recipe for a summer buckwheat noodle salad here), and since I have been craving spaghetti this week, I  used these beauties instead of regular pasta. Together with quick fresh tomato sauce, it tasted incredible without the bloat and heavy after dinner feeling. Score!
It's a very quick dinner to prepare and you get lovely fiber and magnesium from buckwheat, plus the fresh tomato sauce provides you with lycopene which has antioxidant properties. Enjoy!x

INGREDIENTS
1 pack buckwheat noodles
1 tbsp coarse pink Hymalaian salt

For the sauce:
1 pack (4 or 5) ripe vine tomatoes thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic chopped small
2 tbsp extravirgin olive oil
a pinch of organic coconut palm sugar (you can use regular sugar if you don't have it but start thinking about                                                               substituting it, coconut palm sugar it's sweeter but doesn't upset your                                                              blood sugar levels as much due to it's low glycemic index)
a pinch of salt
some ground pepper
4 or 5 chopped fresh basil leaves



METHOD

Pop all the ingredients for the tomato sauce in a small pan, except for the basil, and let it cook over medium to low heat for about 10 minutes stirring  every now and then.
After 10 minutes add your noodles to boiling water (noodles generally take 5 minutes) and add the basil to the sauce stirring it in.
Drain noodles and add to the pan with the sauce so everything mixes in real nicely.. Time to serve!
Buon Appetito.x

Sunday 22 June 2014

Sunshine Smoothie



This smoothie is a modification of a recipe by Natasha Corrett of Honestly Healthy, which is basically my bible. You can find her original recipe in her first book
I have been practically living on this smoothie for the past month and a half, I crave it especially when sunny and warm outside, basically a day like today! Of all the smoothies I made, this is hands down my favourite.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup frozen mango
half a banana
1tsp vanilla essence
1tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 capsule probiotic powder (just the powder, not the whole thing!)
1-1/2 cups brown rice milk

METHOD
Pop all the ingredients in your blender and drink up baby!!!!x



Saturday 21 June 2014

Sophie's Ice Lollies



I'm going to write this post quickly before going out because it's going to be another warm weekend and these easy and delicious treats are so quick to make and will keep you cool!
I tested these with my gorgeous friend Sophie and she loved them so much I decided to name them after her.
You can really use any fruit you want but I love berries and the coconut yougurt cream bit is for people that need a creamy part without the dairy.

INGREDIENTS: ((makes four lollies)
2 cups fresh mixed berries ( I used blueberries and strawberries)
1 date (soaked in water for a few minutes to make it nice and plump)

for the optional coconut yogurt creamy half:

1 tub plain coyo coconut yogurt,
1 tsp honey (add more to taste)
1 tsp vanilla essence



METHOD:

Just blend berries and date with a little water and put to the side. Clean blender and blend the rest of the ingredients. Add both flavours in layers to ice lollies moulds. Leave in freezer for 3-4 hours and they'll be ready for you when you get back from sunbathing in the park!


Wednesday 18 June 2014

Rainbow Buckwheat Noodle Salad



I made this a few days ago for the first time and it's so delicious,  fresh, filling and good for you that I had to pass it on! I looked at a few different recipes than made my own.
Buckwheat noodles will be a staple in my house this summer, gluten free and with a beautifully earthy flavour.They can be eaten hot or cold.
This salad is very quick to assemble and the dressing takes 10 minutes if you make your almond butter yourself like I did (just pop a cup of raw almonds in the food processor and let it go for 10 minutes and you got butter!!!), otherwise you can just buy the almond butter (preferably raw as to keep its nutrients intact) and add the rest of the ingredients.
The vegetables I used are my favourites but you can use anything  you like.
Next time I'm thinking of adding some crunch and probably sprinkle around some cashews, pecans or pumpkin seeds...Yum!
So here is what I used:

INGREDIENTS:
1 red bell pepper (chopped small)
Half a large cucumber (chopped small)
4 carrots (you can chop them small or if you're lazy like me just shred them in the food processor)
3 small spring onions finely chopped
a big handful of chopped coriander
1 pack of buckwheat noodles or 4 small bunches (this made enough for three meals!!!)

FOR THE DRESSING:
3/4 cup raw almond butter
1 tbsp tamari
juice of 1 lime (plus a few wedges to use if need extra)
2 tsp honey or rice syrup or maple syrup (I only had honey in the house so that's what I used)

METHOD

Boil the noodles following instructions, mine were 5 minutes.  A good trick is to prepare the dressing in the bowl first so then all you have to do is add the veggie and noodle and mix, that way you only have that bowl to wash up afterwards! BONUS!!!
So add all together, mix it up and sprinkle some more coriander and lime juice on top. Ready to go.
PS: leftovers can be kept in the fridge and used for lunch on the following day.

Sunday 8 June 2014

Purple Smoothie Delight



School is out and summer is in baby!
I finally did my physiology exam yesterday, preparing for it has been hard and it drained me both mentally and physically even though I loved everything I was learning. So now it's time to recharge my batteries, gain some of the weight I lost from too much uni stress and just relax and focus on myself and everything I love!!!
So let's start with the prettiest purple smoothie recipe. Purple is my favourite colour but this is not the only reason why I love this smoothie...It's really tasty, it's fresh and has proteins, antioxidants and good fats. It's a great way to start your day! Most of all, it's very quick to make which is key for me and why I love smoothies so much, you just pop all the ingredients in your blender (best money I ever spent) and in one minute you're ready to go.

INGREDIENTS
1 handful almonds
1 cup brown rice milk or soy milk ( make sure they are unsweetened, I use Rude Health Brown Rice Milk)
1 cup frozen berries (mine was a mix of blueberries and strawberries)
1 probiotic capsule (open it up and pour the powder in )
1tsp vanilla extract
1tbsp chia seeds
1tbsp coconut oil ( I use Lucy Bee)
1 date ( put in hot water while you prepare the other ingredients, this way it'll be softer and plumper, remember to remove the seed!)
OPTIONAL: add 1 handful of spinach or kale for extra calcium and magnesium.

As I said before, all you have to do is add the ingredients to the blender and whizz for a minute. Enjoy!

Summer Salad



We've had a few hot days lately here in London and when the weather is so summery, my body screams for fresh foods. I wanted to make a quick salad  to satisfy my cravings but I also needed to pack it with gorgeous ingredients that were delicious and really good for me!
And so my summer salad was born.
It has some of my favourite things in it such as sweet potatoes and red and yellow peppers.
I also added some cannellini beans for protein and chopped one small avocado to add healthy fats.
On top of everything, this salad ended up being so colourful, it made happy just looking at it!

Here we go: serves 1
1 bag of organic mixed salad
1 small avocado chopped
1 sweet potato chopped (with added paprika, cinnamon and dried herbs OPTIONAL)
1/2 red pepper sliced
1/2 yellow pepper sliced
1/2 can cannellini beans (rinsed)
1 handful of pumpkin seeds

DRESSING
Extrvirgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to your taste and a sprinkle of Pink Himalayan salt (or sea salt)

I used one oven tray lined with baking paper for both sweet potato and peppers, just place them on opposite sides. Just pop the pepper slices on the tray (make sure you washed the peppers first!). as for the sweet potato, once you chopped it, sprinkle some paprika, cinnamon and mediterranean herbs with a little salt (at least that's what I do, but you can just keep it simple and add some salt,pepper and a little bit of dried herbs if you prefer), add 1tbsp of extravirgin olive oil and add to the tray. Bake at 180C for about 30 min.
That was the hard part, now you just put all the ingredients together and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds!
Buon Appetito.xxx