Zingy Avocado Humous

Humous, what so many of us love, is so simple to put together, yet for some reason we don't find the time to do it. We've got to do something about that! Here's a zingy version, packed with good fats and proteins, and boy does it taste good too!

Zingy Avocado Humous
(Serves 4, about 135 calories each)

300g tin chickpeas (180g drained)
1 fat garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 ripe medium-sized avocado, a 175g flesh, roughtly chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & black pepper to taste

- Simply prepare all your ingredients and toss them into a tall bowl or measuring jug.

- Use a stick blender to whizz smooth until it has the texture you prefer. Season to taste and serve with whatever you want! I had run out of pita bread, and so I added it to my steak dinner!

Don't forget to pop the avocado stone back into the humous! That will prevent the avocado from going that brownish colour!


Original source:
Delicious Low-Fat Recipes, p. 21

- Jules

Cocoa Power Marbles

Good morning!
T'is a new week and a fresh start! So why not roll up these little balls of deliciousness? I was really happy when I took a bite to find - that they were really good! Packed full of protein and it takes only five minutes to make! They're definitely worth it, and I can see me making these again in the very near future :D

Cocoa Power Marbles
(Makes 6, about 33 calories each)

30g chocolate protein powder
15g coconut flour
2-3 drops stevia (I used vanilla creme - optional)
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
4-5 tsp almond milk (can use normal milk)

To decorate: Icing sugar, almonds, melted chocolate, dessicated coconut - it's up to you!

- Start by mixing all the dry ingredients in a sall bowl.

- Make a well in the middle and add 4 tsp almond milk and the stevia drops. Mix with a spoon first, and then start mixing it with your hands once it starts getting incorporated. If the mix is still a little too dry (depends on the protein powder), add another teaspoon of milk.

- Roll the dough into a small sausage between your hands, and divide into six. Roll them into little balls, decorate if you want, and put them on a plate, refrigerate for an hour or two, or eat straight away!

I use a protein powder called Instant Whey (Native Whey) by Reflex, and I thiiiink they don't used artificial sweeteners, correct me if I'm wrong though! It is actually one of the best protein powders I've had so far. A little sweet, but hey! It's chocolate after all, right?

For the "decorating", I used sukrin icing sugar, almonds aaaand then I left two "eu natural" - SO good!

Oh, and on a super good note - After having been stuck with a stupid inflamed ankle for almost a month now, I think it is getting better. What I would give to get to run again! Perhaps soon, fingers crossed *sneaky smile*


Original Source:
Sjokoladeproteinkuler

- Jules

The Liebster Blog Award

The Liebster Blog Award

RDelicious Kitchen nominated me for the Liebster Award! I am really excited about this, and so thankful I got to take part - so thanks!

The Liebster Award encourages bloggers to spread the word, share the love, and appreciate everyone’s blogs.

The Rules:

Each nominee must link back to the person that nominated them.
Answer the 10 questions which are given to you by the nominator.
Nominate 10 other bloggers you like and who have less than 200 followers.
Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
Let them know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.

My Questions/Answers:
1. What is your favorite fruit?
That is a tough one! Usually it depends on what sort of mood I'm in... All these fruits popped into my head, but you know what? I think I am going to go with nect...ba...grapefruit! It's that kind of day today!

2. Do you have any hidden talents?
I don't think I have any hidden talents as such, but I do love being creative - drawing, making cards and wristbands. Oh and my perhaps less known interest is that I write poems from time to time!

3. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
It used to be Australia, now... I have jokingly said that I would love to go to Peru! Not because I think it's a silly idea, but because I don't know much about the country. The thought of going to one of those less common places for a holiday just intrigues me, and hey! Who wouldn't want to visit South America?!

4. What do you like to do on the weekends?
Because I work full time and have the weekends off, I like to make the most of them! I love hanging out with friends, go out on adventures, love love looove to go out to local gigs, or rattle up something extra nice for dinner in the evenings and take it easy watching some shows and movies. Doing creative things is also something I enjoy, but unfortunately I've not had the chance to do much of that over the last year, that'll change!

5. How many siblings do you have?
I only have one, but she's a good one for sure! My sister Camilla, who is seven years younger than me. I reckon she sometimes is the most adult of the two of us though, pretty girl *smiles*

6. What’s your favorite dessert?
My favourite dessert, hmmm I do like my cakes! My grandmother's nut-base cakes always hit the spot! That crunchy base topped with some light cream, sometimes with melted chocolate folded through and more chocolate sprinkles on top? Yes please!

7. What do you like to eat for brunch?
If I am out eating, I usually like to try different things that I haven't had before! I went with some colleagues to a vegetarian bar called Stereo not long ago and had a BBQ Jackfruit Pita bread, and it was delicious! I still am not entirely sure what jackfruit is though, and that's AFTER I've googled it, haha!

8. If you could be on a reality TV show, which one would you pick?
I would like to say MasterChef US, BUT then I suddenly remembered how incredibly difficult that seems, hmmm, would always be fun to see what they said about the first dish I would served them though - sign me up!

9. How did you start blogging?
I got through some major life changes aaaalmost three years ago, figured that I didn't lead a healthy life style. I signed up to the gym, and sloooowly started getting into it, as well as - cooking! I found that it was almost therapeutic making my own food, not just chucking a pizza in the oven and see that as a triumph at the end of a day like I used to. I already had a blog with....twooo entries if I remember correctly? I decide to delete them and start all over again, this with a slightly more tasty outlook in mind! I also find it as a way to be creative when I otherwise wouldn't think I had time. Sharing recipes, and getting new ideas from others this way is amazing!

The 10 bloggers I am going to nominate are:

1. The Little Bean Kitchen
2. Vilblifrisk
3. The Lazy Guy's Somethings
4. Bakekona
5. Anne's Food
6. Lovely Liller
7. Scrumptious Scran
8. Mix it Up
9. Koko's Kitchen
10. My Whole Food Life

Questions for my nominees:

1. What are three words that best describe you?
2. Where were you brought up?
3. What is your favourite band or artist, and why?
4. On a rainy day - what would you get up to?
5. What is the best gift you have ever received?
6. What is you favourite dish of all time?
7. If you were to bake one cake - which one would it be?
8. Do you have a top three list of your favourite places to eat?
9. What is your favourite post on your blog, and why?
10. Where do you find inspiration?

Barley, Chickpeas & Walnuts

Finally, another vegan recipe to share!
OK, so I did a big mistake and assumed we had a food processor that worked, turns out - we didn't and so what was meant to be a pesto had to be a small handful of ingredients going into the pot along with the rest of the dish. It still came out wonderfully though, and I really enjoyed it! If you have a blender of sorts though, please take an extra couple of minutes of your time and make the pesto, I will do that next time when I make it for sure!
I decided to bulk the dish up with some mushrooms, and add some soy sauce, white wine vinegar and chilli powder to it, as I do quite enjoy my spicy food - turned out well!

One of the best things I find with the vegan diet (I'm not a vegan myself, but enjoy most vegan dishes that are put in front of me) is that it usually include a lot of nuts to get all the nutrients necessary, delicious!

Barley, Chickpeas & Walnuts
(Serves 2, about 500 calories each)

Who says vegan food is boring?! I love the crunch from the walnuts, mmm

75g dry barley
300g tin chickpeas
Salt & black pepper
1/2 tsp hot chilli powder (optional)
1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar (optional)
Two glugs of light soya sauce
200g small white mushrooms, halved

For the pesto, unless you just toss it all in the pan:
50g walnuts
1 packed cup basil
1 tbsp olive oil
A dash of cold water

- Start by cooking up your barley in about 400ml water on medium heat, this can take 20-30 minutes until they're tender. I am sure you can get fast cooking barley like stated in the original recipe though! I just haven't seen it anywhere. As it was cooking, I went and got myself freshened up!

- If making a pesto seeing as you might have a functional blender... Do this now! Chuck nuts, basil, oil and water into a blender and whizz until smooth. You can also add a bit of garlic to it if you feel like adding that little extra something to it.

- Then, drain and rinse the chickpeas before adding them in with the barley. Add salt, pepper and some soy sauce to taste, and the chilli powder and vinegar if you're using that! You want the vinegar to burn off the immediate acidity. *Smiles* You can really play around with this dish. Remember to add a little more water if it evaporates too quickly.

- Add the mushrooms and pesto, or toss all the pesto ingredients into the pot and cook for another five minutes. Season to taste aaand it's ready to serve! Garnish with basil leaves, and tuck in!

Also, I was nominated for a Liebster blog Award! This is basically a sort of blog questionaire, aaaand it will be featured here on my blog in the very near future!
I hope you are having a great Saturday! Any plans?


Original source:
http://www.eatwellwithjanel.com/barley-and-chickpeas-with-basil-walnut-pesto/

- Jules

Berry Mud Jelly

Do you prefer the less sweet desserts that has a bit of a zingyness to it? Yeeeah, I'm like that sometimes too (although sometimes I really don't mind a slice of carrot cake or chocolate cake, mmmm), it just seems to hit the spot when I want something sweet!

"Berry Mud Jelly?" I hear you ask, and yes! I decided to call it that because the berries add a slightly denser texture to the jelly, I suppose you could always use a stick blender and whizz it smooth if desired, I just felt like keeping it as natural as possible!

This is a fairly light little dessert (or snack( that is so so simple to make! I have struggled with using gelatine in the past, but you live and learn! If you make sure to mix the amount of gelatine with water + berries that add up to the amount of liquid you need, then that should do the trick! Below is what I used for this lovely little treat:

Berry Mud Jelly
(Makes 2 servings, about 100 calories each)

1 sachet gelatine
300-400ml boiling water
200-300 defrosted Summer/red berries
1 tbsp sukrin icing sugar (can use a bit of stevia instead, or normal icing sugar, or maybe agave? The last two will add to the nutritional values)
1/2 tsp vanilla sugar or a few drops of vanilla essence

- Simply boil up the water and pour into a bowl, sprinkle the gelatine into the bowl and stir for a couple of minutes until it's dissolved.

- Add the berries, sweetner and vanilla to the mix and stir well, making sure it's properly combined, before pouring into the bowl of choice, or wine glasses, mugs - use your fantasy!

- Place in the fridge until set, preferably over night, but after about 4-5 hours mine had set.

You can serve this with a little whipped cream, yogurt (I imagine vanilla yogurt would be heavenly!) or a little custard on top, or just tuck in and enjoy every zingy mouthful!

Oh! And one more thing - Remember the Lego figures I posted? Well, last weekend my friend and I went back to the Lego shop and made new ones! Last time I was there I noticed they'd added tails as an optional "accessory", although I wouldn't consider them an accessory... Anyways! So I made a new improved Julie - tail attached!

Recipe by yours truly - ever experimenting with this ingredient that is gelatine!

- Jules

Fruity Quinoa Salad

A slightly different way of using quinoa! It is usually added to savoury dishes, but here's an exception, using it as part of a fruit salad.
I thought that the original recipe was a little too dry, and so I added a bit more lemon juice and also agave syrup, and it worked a treat! It was a little too minty for me though, and so I will maybe opt out on that next time and maybe add another little something to it instead! I can also imagine this would be lovely if you serve it topped with some yogurt and additional agave syrup or honey, mmmm!

Fruity Quinoa Salad
(Serves 4, about 235 calories each)

100g dry quinoa
Peaches, apricots and/or nectarines, I used to apricots and a plum, diced
50g toasted hazelnuts, whole or roughly chopped
A handful of fresh mint (If you're into it that is!)
1 tbsp olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1-2 tsp agave syrup

- Boil up a large cup of water and have it in a medium sized pot along with the quinoa (or follow instructions on the packet). Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes and adding a little bit more water should there not be enough.

- Once cooked, turn off the heat and let it sit for ten minutes, before cooling completely. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and zest and the syrup and set aside.

- Chop up the fruit and add it to the quinoa along with the mint (if using), pour over the ziny dressing and toss well before serving!

What's your absolute favourite quinoa recipe?


Original source:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipe/summer-fruit-quinoa-salad

- Jules

Green Lentil Soup

Hey! It's been a few days, but I have been out and about, and last night I was so lucky to catch the first game of the ice hockey season, and our team won! I had only been to it once before, but it's great fun! Totally different from watching any other sports as far as I know. Before that, I had a lovely lunch with one of my friends, at this lovely quaint place called The Left Bank here in Glasgow, mmmm!
Before that though, I decided to make a batch of hearty soup, and ended up with this lovely vegan dish:

Green Lentil Soup
(Serves 4 about 260 calories each)

1 tbsp extra virging olive oil
250g green lentils, soaked in hot water for about an hour
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled, and left whole (the original recipe used an entire garlic, but I had friends to see...)
1/2 pointed red pepper, or a tomato - chopped, I used the red pepper and it worked out a treat!
1 1/2 litre vegetable stock
Salt, pepper
Rosemary, thyme and 1/2 tsp mustard seeds if you have some

- Start by boiling up water for the soup, in the meantime - heat the oil in a large pot and soften the garlic and onion for about five minutes.

- Add the pepper and lentils, and stir for a few minutes along with seasoning and let all the flavours merge together. I would add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of the other herbs. Then, pour over the stock, cover and cook for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are nice and tender.

Serve up - and enjoy!

Winter isn't coming just yet, but it's amazing how good a bowl of homemade soup can be in the evening anyway *smiles*

Speaking of food, I have recently discovered something pretty neat - wheat germ! It's the kernel of the wheat which holds a lot of key nutrients that your body needs.

It has a slight nutty flavour, and I love to top natural yogurt with some "Sukrin Gold" (which I think is almost like a caramely xylitol that is a natural sweetner) and a bit tablespoon of wheat germ, almost like a little instant yogurt crumble! You can also sneak the wheat germ into soups, stews, and top your cereal with it! The important thing is to store it cold, either in the fridge or freezer, as it can go bad if you don't use it within a few months, but I doubt that'll be any problem to be honest! Have you ever used wheat germ in your cooking, or snacking before? What do you think?

Also, for weeks I was searching for a new shoulder bag, without any success - clothes shops, bag shops, charity shops - zilch! But then, I spent my lunch break in the office and went on ebay....oh, how was I to know they would have all sorts of lovely bags?! It took two days to arrive, whatcha think?

I hope you all have had a great weekend!


Original Source:
Friske Vegetariske Oppskrifter Basert på Salgssuksessen "Frisk av Mat", p. 223

- Jules