Spicy quinoa salad

This quinoa salad is actually something I just quickly threw together for lunch the other day, it wasn’t meant for the blog, but I love how it turned out so I had to share it! It is so simple and easy to make, but I think it taste absolutely amazing and you can pretty much use whatever kind of veggies and greens you have available. Another big plus is that it taste just as great cold as it does warm, so you can make a large portion and have the leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day.

Ingredients - 1 large/2 small servings:

Salad:

½ cup quinoa

1 cup water

1/ 2 small mango

1 large kale leaf

1/3 cup red bell pepper

1/ 3 cup cucumber

½ avocado

2 spring onion

Dressing:

3 tbsps. sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp. soy

The juice of 1 lemon

A little fresh flat leaf parsley or fresh cilantro (or both) – chopped finely

 

Directions:

1. Rinse the quinoa in cold water
2. Cook the quinoa for about 15 minutes and set it aside with the lid on while you prep the salad
3. Chop up the rest of the ingredients for the salad
4. Combine the ingredients for the dressing – you can use flat leaf parsley or cilantro or even both, but be careful not to use too much or it will overpower the other flavours
5. Mix the salad, quinoa and dressing
6. Enjoy!

Eat the rainbow

Green juice for beginners

I am still a newbie when it comes to green juices and to be honest I was not a big fan at first, but today I found a combo that I really like so I see lots of green juices in my future! My plan is to slowly up the greens and maybe reduce the amount of fruit once my tastebuds have adjusted, but for now I will stick with this tasty combo.

Ingredients:
2 stalks of celery
Half a cucumber
4 cups of spinach
1 apple
1 orange
1 lemon
A thumb of ginger

Directions:

1. Just run it all through a juicer – if you do not have a juicer it is possible to do this with a blender and a nut milk cloth (or cheesecloth or something similar) to strain the pulp. My juicer is not good with leafy greens so I actually blend them in -  yes it is a bit of a process, but I definitely think it is worth it. 
2. I prefer to drink right away in order to preserve all the nutrients, enjoy! 

Chia overnight oats

Most of you probably already know of chia overnight oats, but if you're unfamiliar with the concept let me give you a quick introduction. Chia overnight oats are just oats, chia seeds and milk that you combine in a jar (or whatever container you’d like) and let soak overnight in the fridge to allow it to absorb the milk - there is absolutely no cooking needed! In the morning you just stir the base, add your toppings of choice and it is ready to eat, nice and easy right?

This is the perfect breakfast for me because I’m always running late (haha I love the snooze button way too much, I’m definitely not a morning person!), but I’m also one of those people who LOVES breakfast and absolutely cannot function without it. This is why overnight oats are perfect – I can prepare them the night before and actually have the time to eat some proper breakfast in the morning - and since its in a jar I can eat it on the go if I’m really late ;)

As you can tell I’m a big fan of overnight oats and this is not just because of how convenient and delicious it is, it is also very nutritious and filling. Oats are high in fibre and protein, milk is high in calcium, protein and potassium and don’t even get me started on the chia seeds - a true superfood! Chia seeds are very high in omega 3, fibre, protein, calcium, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin B and furthermore they can absorb up to 12 times their own weight in liquid, which is great for maintaining hydration and it also makes you feel full longer (great for weight loss).

 

Another reason that I love making overnight oats is that the possibilities are pretty much endless when it comes to toppings, you can basically add whatever you have available to the base. I will share a couple of my favorite combinations, but first lets start off with the recipe for the base:

Ingredients:

½ cup oats

2 tbsps. Chia seeds

1 cup milk

Sweetener of choice (stevia, honey, agave etc.) – optional

Pure vanilla powder – optional

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients, mix well and let it soak in the fridge overnight. Remember that the chia seeds soak up a lot of liquid, so don’t worry if it’s very thin.
2. I always add some form of sweetener, but it isn’t necessary and depends on your taste and how you like your oats.  
3. There is no cooking needed, in the morning you just stir the base and if it is too thick you add some more milk - I love to mix in some yoghurt to make it more creamy - and if it’s too thin then add a little more chia seeds. 
4. When the base is just right add your toppings of choice and it is ready to eat. You can mix in the toppings with the base the night before to save time, there are however a couple of things that in my opinion do not do well being soaked overnight – like bananas for example, I always wait to add them until the morning. 

Blueberry/vanilla/banana overnight oats

Simply add half a teaspoon pure vanilla powder (I add this to the base at night), 1/3 cup blueberries and 1/2 a banana (chopped) to the base and mix it well, enjoy!

Tropical mango/coconut/passion fruit overnight oats

Add 1/2 a chopped mango (can be added the night before to save time in the morning) 1 passion fruit and raw shredded coconut to the base and mix well.

Simple raspberry overnight oats

Add 1/2 cup of raspberries to the base (can be added the night before), mix well and enjoy :)

 

Berry love

Spicy falafels

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup oats

2 cloves garlic

Packed ½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley - remove the stems

Packed 1/3 fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped scallions

Juice from ½ lemon

1 tblsp. ground cumin

1 tblsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tblsp. Sea salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1-2 tblsp. water - optional

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees c / 400 degress f
2. Place all the ingredients (except the water) in a food processor (or blender, it might be a bit challenging, but I made it work) and pulse until the ingredients are properly mixed - scrape down the sides if necessary, when making this in a blender you need to do this a couple of times – but do not over blend it, in my opinion they turn out better if it still has some texture. If the mixture is too dry, add the water.
3. Cover a baking tray with baking paper and use your hands to roll the mixture into balls and place them on the tray
4. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes to allow them to bake on both sides.
5. Enjoy!

I served the falafels with a big salad and homemade beet hummus - find the recipe here!

Carrot juice

Ingredients:

8 carrots
2 oranges
1/2 grapefruit 
A little ginger

Directions:

1. Just run it all through a juicer – if you do not have a juicer it is possible to do this with a blender and a nut milk cloth (or cheesecloth or something similar) to strain the pulp.
2. I prefer to drink right away in order to preserve all the nutrients, enjoy! :)

Feed your eyes

Fruit art smoothie bowl: blend blueberries, banana, water, oats and pure vanilla powder. Topped with banana, passion fruit, 

muesli, blueberries, pomegranate, kiwi and strawberries. 

Spicy sweet potato fries

Ingredients – 2 servings:

4 small/medium sweet potatoes

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon paprika

1/2 tablespoon chilli powder

Half a teaspoon ground cumin

Sea salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch - optional

Directions:

Let me start by saying that getting sweet potato fries to be all nice and crispy can be somewhat of a challenge, but I have two tips for you that should do the trick.

• The first thing you can do is to let the potatoes soak in a bowl of cold water for an hour or two after you have cut them. This should remove some of the starch from the potatoes and help them get crispy in the oven. After soaking, quickly rinse with water and dry them with a towel. 
•  If you do not have the time to soak the potatoes you can use another tip that I haven’t actually tried myself yet, but it should work very well. All you need is a tablespoon of cornstarch to lightly coat your sweet potatoes in – I will explain how in step 5.
• You can also use both the tips to make sure your fries will get crispy – sweet potatoes are a bit tricky!

1. Now, start with pre-heating your oven to 220 degrees c / 430 degrees f
2. Peel and cut your sweet potatoes into desired size, the thicker you make them the longer they need to bake
3. Get a plastic bag – skip this step if you do not wish to use the cornstarch tip - and add about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, you only want the fries to be lightly coated or else they will taste of cornstarch so be careful. Add the potato fries to the bag and shake it vigorously to make sure all the potatoes are coated with the cornstarch.
4. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil (I usually use 1 tablespoon olive oil, but pretty much any oil should do) and shake the bag again
5. Add all the spices to the bag and shake some more until the fries are coated
6. Take a baking tray and cover it with baking paper, place the fries on the tray and make sure that they are well separated - there needs to be some space between the fries allowing them to bake properly
7. Bake the fries for about 20-35 minutes depending on the thickness of your fries – make sure to flip them over a couple of times allowing them to bake on all sides
8. Enjoy!

Tropical fruit salad

Hi lovelies! I'm just stopping by with a quick tip to what could either be an idea for breakfast or a healthy dessert, either way it will be the perfect taste of summer in this depressing wintertime (I'm not a fan of all this cold and darkness;)). I absolutely love this tropical fruit salad inspired by the amazing Loni Jane (IG: @lonijane) and I've already made it several times since it popped up on my instagram feed - I know it is so simple, but it taste absolutely amazing - enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 chopped bananas
1 chopped mango
2 passionfruits
A handfull raw shredded coconut

Beet hummus

Ingredients:

3 beets 

2 tblsp. tahini

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 - 1 tblsp. ground cumin

Garlic powder to taste or about 1/2 - 1 clove of garlic

A pinch or two of sea salt

Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) - go easy on the seasoning at first, you can always add more later
2. Pulse until smooth
3. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
4. Enjoy! I like to use the hummus as a substitute for dressings, as a dipping for veggie sticks etc. 

Three layer berry smoothie

Happy Valentine's Day lovelies! Here the recipe for my very pink three layer berry smoothie - perfect for Valentines right? 

Ingredients:

Frozen blackberries (or blueberries)

Frozen raspberries

Bananas

Organic pure vanilla powder

Milk

Directions:

1. The first things to keep in mind when making layered smoothies is that the bottom layer always have to be the thickest and then you gradually make the upper layers thinner (in texture) or else the upper layers will just mix with the lower layers.
2. Now for this smoothie I do not have the exact measurements as I kept adjusting the amounts to get the colours I wanted, but here is the ingredients used for the different layers:
3. First layer: Blend blackberries, banana and vanilla powder
4. Second layer: Blackberries, raspberries, banana, vanilla powder and milk
5. Third layer: Raspberries, banana, vanilla powder and milk (add enough milk to make this layer thinner than the second layer)
6. Enjoy!

Homemade raw heart chocolates

Here we go, a recipe for homemade heart shaped chocolates just in time for Valentine´s Day! I'm single (whatever, who needs men when you have chocolate;)) so I will be sharing these with my girlfriends, but if you're spending Valentines with a special someone this could be a good idea for a healthy dessert/treat.

Ingredients:

For the chocolate

100 g. raw cacao butter

7 tblsp. raw cacao powder

1 tblsp. coconut oil

A little sea salt - optional

Sweetener of choice, agave, honey, coconut sugar etc.

Ideas for the filling - optional :

Hazelnuts

Almonds

Goji berries

Dates
Chia seeds

Shredded coconut

Directions:

1. First of remember that all utensils must be dry or the chocolate will separate.
2. On very low heat, place the cacao butter and coconut oil in a bowl over a pan of hot water and melt slowly. 

3. Once melted, add raw cacao powder (the chocolate should be runny and easy to pour, so add the cacao slowly to make sure it doesn’t get too thick) and sea salt and mix well – I’ve found that using a metal whisk gives the best result. 
4. Add the sweetener of choice, taste, and add more if you prefer a sweeter taste.
5. When the mixture suits your taste, add your fillings of choice into the silicone mould (can be left out) and pour the chocolate into the mould using a spoon and place in the fridge or freezer for 1 hour or so.
6. Enjoy! 

Store the chocolate in the fridge; it will melt a bit if you store it at room temperature 

Juice time!

Green juice:

3 cups of spinach

Half a cucumber

A handful green grapes

1 orange

1 apple

1/2 lemon

Small piece of ginger

Red juice:

1 beet

5 carrots

1 apple

1 orange

1/2 grapefruit

Small piece of ginger

Super antioxidant smoothie

Hi lovelies! I wanted to share the recipe for the berry smoothie bowl I made for breakfast this morning with you - not only does it taste amazing (haha I feel stupid writing that since I’m the one who made it), but it is also loaded with antioxidants and other goodies. Antioxidants have so many health benefits, they are anti-inflammatory, boosts the immune system and are even believed to lower the risk of cancer as they block the activity of free radicals, which have the potential to cause damage to cells, including such damage that may lead to cancer.

Another benefit of antioxidants are their anti-aging effects, and I do not just talk about anti-aging as in wrinkles and such related to appearance, studies have shown that the consumption of antioxidants may help prevent or even reverse memory loss.

Antioxidants furthermore works as a natural protection for your skin as antioxidants can help to protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun. Antioxidants can help protect your skin from the inside out by guarding your cells from damage, but this doesn’t mean that they can replace sunscreen though ;)

Ingredients:

2 bananas

¼ cup goji berries

½ cup blueberries

¼ cup pomegranate

5 strawberries

1 tbsp. acai powder

½ cup water

Pure vanilla powder & stevia to taste - optional

Directions:

Just blend it all together and enjoy! You can either drink it like a regular smoothie or make a smoothie bowl like the one pictured, I topped it with raw shredded coconut, strawberries, pomegranate, goji berries, blueberries and chia seed.

Healthy treat - dark chocolate, medjool dates and banana boats topped with berry mash

A little inspiration for a healthy treat; the banana bites are topped with raspberries mashed with a little honey, chia seeds and pomegranate. I have a major sweet tooth and snacks like this really helps me kick the cravings, so I don't binge on things full of processed sugar and chemicals - haha it doesn't always work though ;)

Homemade muesli sweetened with apple juice

Ingredients:

2 cups of oats

½ cup hazelnuts (chopped)

½ almonds (chopped)

½ cup pumpkinseeds

½ cup sunflower seeds

½ cup raisins

¼ flaxseeds

¼ chia seeds

2 small apples, juiced (or store bought apple juice, preferably without added sugar)

Directions:

1. Heat your oven to 100'c/212'f
2. Mix the oats, hazelnuts, almonds, pumpkinseeds and sunflower seeds in a big bowl
3. Add the apple juice slowly while mixing it all together, the mixture should be moist, but not wet.
4. Line a baking tray with baking paper and add the mixture evenly across the tray.
5. Put it in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, check and stir every 5-10 minutes. It is done when it has a light golden colour and the mixture is completely dry.
6. Let it cool and then add the raisins, chia seeds and flaxseeds and store in an airtight jar, it should keep up to a month this way.
7. Now enjoy! I like to add the muesli to my smoothie bowls, acai bowls, parfaits, skyr, yoghurt etc.