Monthly Archives: March 2015

Nutribullet Banana & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

Every now and then I’ll have an urge for an ice cream. A cold, refreshing, sweet indulgence. However as I’m reducing my dairy intake most ice creams are off the menu. I have tried some dairy free options and some are more satisfying than others. This soft serve banana ice cream Is total yumminess and guilt free. It literally contains bananas and dark chocolate! Nothing else, well a splash of water goes in too! With this ice cream you need to always have a batch of sliced bananas in the freezer waiting for you so you can then whizz it together in minutes. 

Portions- 1-2

Prep time – 3 minutes 

Freezing time – 6 hours approx

Ingredients 

  •  2 ripe/ overripe bananas 
  • Dark chocolate broken up or raw cacao nibs
  • Splash of water  

Method

Peel and slice your bananas . Place in a freezer bag and into your freezer for 6 hours or overnight. 

Remove from the freezer and allow to rest for a couple of minutes. 

Place into your small nutribullet container with a splash of water and pulse on/ off for a couple of seconds at a time until you have a delicious soft serve creamy Ice cream. 

Transfer into a bowl or glass and scatter the broken chocolate over. 


Stuffed peppers.

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are a delicious way to increase your vegetable intake for the day. If you don’t have peppers to hand you can easily substitute with courgettes, beef tomatoes or portobello mushrooms. Whatever takes your fancy. I’ve used mozzarella cheese to layer on top of this rice dish but if you’re not taking dairy my guacamole or chopped avocado works really well. 

Portion 1

Prep 10 minutes 

Cooking 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 peppers
  • 100g brown rice, cooked as per instructions
  • 5 sundried tomatoes, cut Into quarters  
  • 3 fresh tomatoes, cubed
  • 1/8 small red onion, diced into small pieces.
  • 1/2 Mozerella ball, sliced
  • Small handful of pine nuts 
  • Plenty of seasoning,  salt and pepper galore!

Method

Cook the rice according to the instructions. Then place in a bowl. Add the sundried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes and red onion. Mix to combine. Add generous amounts of salt and pepper to taste. 

Switch on the fan oven to 180.

Slice the peppers just enough to keep whole. Remove interior seeds and pit. Wash. Place in the oven for 10 minutes approx until slightly soft.

Fill each pepper with the rice mixture and top with mozerella slices. 

Sprinkle with pine nuts and grill for 8-10 minutes mins until the cheese is melted and the pine nuts are toasted. 

Here’s the juicy bit . . . 

Salt is essential for life. Sodium chloride, (salt), regulates the water content of our body. Too much salt and our cells dehydrate but too little and our cells become over flooded with water and can’t function. Generally speaking, most people nowadays are concerned about their salt or sodium intake in their diet. Excess salt has become a health concern and a lot is due to our  tendency to reach for processed foods. From bread to baked beans, cereals to cookies, pre prepared meals to party food,  so much of the food we eat is processed and laced with salt. 80% of our salt intake comes from processed  foods while only 20% from the salt we add to our meals. Our tendency to eat a lot of processed food is reflective our our busy lifestyles and a move away from the kitchen and home cooking. Since i began cooking the majority of our family meals from scratch,  ( I’m no angel though,  I still purchase processed foods, some with 2017 expiry dates!!! ) I find I need to add salt to meals as I’m not getting enough through a plant based fresh diet! Using good quality, unprocessed salt like pink himalayan salt, retains all the valuable nourishing minerals that our body utilises for various functions. 

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