Tennis Elbow & Not a Racket in Sight

I've suffered with Tennis Elbow for nearly three years and within that time I have had about 3 months respite when I was given a steroid injection. During those three months I was a new woman! Living with pain is hard, I'm normally an upbeat person who is always smiling and rarely down. Don't get me wrong like most of us, I do have down days but it doesn't take much to shift my mood. After those wonderful three months the pain came back, it had intensified and no ice pack was going to alleviate the pain. So, with a heavy heart, I went back to the doctors and had another steroid injection. This time it didn't work!


I was in more pain than ever I couldn't believe it. I was prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, rest (like, how can I rest my right arm when I'm right handed), ice packs and pain relievers. The pain was dulled but it never went away, I was becoming irritable, I was down in the dumps and my smile had disappeared. Typing, lifting anything, walking Marco, gardening were all things that I wanted/needed to do but made the pain worse. I wake up every morning with stiffness in my elbow joint and I can't fully extend my forearm. Typing this has taken me ages and I have done it in short bursts. I nearly didn't publish it but if anyone else out there is suffering I want them to know they are not alone and we can work through the pain and get our lives back on track.

I didn't think the pain could get any worse, but I had no idea what was round the corner. I tolerated the pain in my elbow, and I found ways of doing daily tasks differently, I was pleased with myself, I was coping. As I type that it sounds ridiculous but it was true I was coping, that's not living is it? But I had found ways to carry on doing the things I loved doing, like my allotment. That's where my smile came back I was in my allotment oasis away from the daily grind of work and suffering. It was my little piece of heaven, where I could escape, I carried on gardening and even found ways of digging without causing more pain to my elbow! I can even write with my left hand now, OK it's not neat but you can read it! I was back in control and I shoved two fingers up to pain!

It was during those fabulous days down the allotment that I started to suffer with back pain too, I put it down to the digging on my allotment. I wasn't doing much at all just a little bit here and there and probably no longer than 10-15 minutes at a time. I was lucky as it was harvest time so most of my time was collecting the produce I had grown, which did involve stretching to reach the tops of my bean poles!

The back pain worsened and I suffered with sciatica, it was excruciating but I soldiered on telling myself that there were plenty of people far worse off than me and I was one of the lucky ones. I was constantly going to the doctors and he sent me for an MRI scan. I wasn't expecting it to show anything I just thought I was going through a painful patch! It showed that I had a prolapsed disc and that my nerve was being trapped which was causing the sciatica. No more digging!

To make matters worse I was suffering with some side effects of the drugs I had been prescribed. Enough was enough I stopped taking the drugs and decided I was going to take matters into my own hands. The side effects slowly disappeared as the drugs left my system but the pain was heightened. I can't go on coping like this I had to do something. I want my life back, yes, I'm not suffering as much as others are, I'm luckier than a lot but I wasn't living I was coping.

My aromatherapy is helping a little, I'm using avocado oil with a few drops of essential oils, black pepper, peppermint and rosemary and massaging it into the effected area. I also use a peppermint spray to 'cool' down the area. Even though I am a great believer in aromatherapy I knew I had to do more.

I have been doing a lot of research and I have bought a lot of books, which I'm working my way through. I believe that by making changes in my diet I can help myself more. Now, don't panic I'm still vegan, nothing will change that! I've decided to cut out all refined sugar, yes, all of it! Yes, it's hard extremely hard especially when you're knackered and in pain but I know it WILL be worth it! Sugar is the number one inflammatory food so it makes sense to remove refined sugar from my diet.

I'm only eating whole foods or clean foods so all that processed vegan food is a no no, but I will allow myself it occasionally, everything in moderation. I need to be extremely organised to stay on track. Every Sunday I prepare for the week ahead, yes, it takes time but its definitely worth the effort when you come home after a busy day at work and haven't the energy or are in too much pain to cook from scratch.

Most days I start with a smoothie packed full of anti-inflammatory foods, for lunch I have a whole grain with roasted veggies or salad and a dip or pate to keep it interesting, normally my beloved houmous with added turmeric. To finish the day off I have another wholegrain made into something delicious. Today I am going to share with you my favourite smoothie recipe at the moment.

Ingredients 

100-150ml coconut water,
depending on how thick you
like your smoothies
1 Orange freshly squeezed
1/5th of a fresh pineapple
1 Banana
1 Medjool date, stone removed
Handful of spinach/Kale*
Handful of frozen raspberries*
Handful of frozen blueberries*
1 Tbsp Chia/Flax/Hemp seeds

*Grown by me!

Method
Place the ingredients in your blender in the order above and whiz until you have a thick and glorious smoothie. My vitamix is fabulous for this as frozen fruit is no problem. Don't panic you won't even taste the spinach and it doesn't really change the colour of the smoothie either it just makes it more an intense colour.

Background to the ingredients used

Tennis elbow occurs as a result of tiny tears in the surrounding tendon and muscle coverings. Once the initial injuries heal, the tears repeat. These injuries leak out a protein called collagen, which in turn leads to inflammation.

Pineapples, Oranges and raspberries are all high in vitamin C, which contributes to cell growth and repair. They are also high in vitamin A which helps build collagen with tendons and other connective tissue. Pineapples also have an enzyme called bromelain, which is great to reduce swelling. Raspberries, blueberries and spinach also have anti-inflammatory benefits.

Bananas will help keep you fuller for longer as they help control your blood sugars, so no need to reach for the vegan biscuit tin mid morning! They also have high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin, which helps to elevate your mood.

Increasing your intake of food that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids is also advised which will also help reduce the inflammation and provide pain relief. Chia seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds are all fantastic vegan foods which are high in omega 3's.

Put all these ingredients together and you have a fabulous tasting smoothie which is helping you to heal!

Jasmine x

Black Bean and Spinach Chilli

On the way home tonight I popped into Tesco and I arrived just at the right time, the knocked down veg was being put out and price stamped! I couldn't believe it, I picked up a bag of spinach for 10 pence, bargain or what! I also picked up a few other vegetables and salad items for knock down prices too. Talk about being somewhere at the right time! :o)

On the bus home I was thinking of what I could cook up with my spinach bargain, the bus was cold tonight and I was craving some warmth, curry? chilli? fajitas? I settled with chilli and my mouth was watering thinking about it!

I soon knocked this up when I got in and I savoured every mouthful, the chilli worked its magic and warmed me up from the inside out.

Ingredients - serves 3-4
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely diced
1 Green pepper, finely diced
3 Cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Tin black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tsp Smoked garlic
1 Tsp Hot chilli powder
½ Tsp Dried cumin
200g Spinach, chopped
1 Tin chopped tomatoes
½ Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Tomato purée

Method
Sauté the onion and green pepper in the olive oil for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, being careful not to let the garlic burn.

Add the black beans and stir through. Add the smoked garlic powder, hot chilli powder and dried cumin and stir again. Sauté for another minute, stirring all the time.

Add the spinach to the pan and stir through before adding the chopped tomatoes and stirring again. Leave to simmer for 8 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the salt, balsamic vinegar and tomato purée and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Serve with wholegrain rice.

 Jasmine x

Corn & Spinach Fritters

Today is my Dad's birthday, so its a true celebratory day for our family. I'm looking forward to going out for a meal later today with the folks and my sister & her fiancee and of course hubby! Roll on the good times, but until then.........................

Happy Birthday Dad

But did you also know that it is "Corn Fritters Day" & "Fresh Spinach Day" so what other recipe could I share with you all but Sweetcorn & Spinach fritters?

Ingredients

100g Plain flour
1 Tsp Baking powder
20g Polenta
150ml Water
200g Fresh sweetcorn kernels
40g Spinash, shredded
3 Tbsp Olive oil


Method 

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.

Add the polenta and mix to combine.

Slowly add the water stirring continuously until you have a thick paste.

Add the fresh corn kernels and shredded spinach and give everything a really good mix, so the batter coats the vegetables.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and once hot add a heaped tablespoon of the batter, fry for 3 minutes then turn over and fry for 2 minutes or until both sides are golden brown. You won't be able to cook all the fritters in one go so you'll need to do them in batches.

Once fried, remove the fritters with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen towel to soak up the excess oil. keep warm in a low oven until you have cooked all the fritters.

Serve with a dip of your choice, mango & chilli was the dip of my choice!

Picnic for Two

Hands up who knew it was International Picnic Day today?

What a gorgeous sunny day it was too! Perfect for a picnic, unless of course you've been stuck in meetings all day like I have! 

Weather reports are forecasting a glorious weekend so why not make my picnic recipes and head out into the great outdoors? The picnic recipes were supposed to be for two, but when I made them I was feeding four people. All you need to do is halve the recipes if you just want a picnic for two and of course double them if you're feeding 8!

My favourite item in the picnic hamper without a doubt was the porcini and sweetcorn tofu quiche which my sister couldn't get enough of. As you can see from below the filling can either be used in a quiche or as a filling for a pasty, both taste so good.

With all that pastry I had to balance it out with some spinach rolls which were equally as delicious and make a great change to sandwiches.

Picnic for Four
Porcini & Sweetcorn Quiche/Pasty

Ingredients 
110g Jus Roll Puff Pastry or make your own
80g drained & pressed tofu
50ml Unsweetened almond milk
100g Sweetcorn
1 Tsp Porcini powder
1 Tsp Garlic granules
Pink Himalayan Salt
Black pepper

Method
Roll out the pastry if you haven't already bought pre-rolled to fit the size of a small pastry dish. Press the pastry into the dish and blind cook for 10 minutes in a moderate oven. The pastry will shrink a little, but don't worry about this.

While the pastry is baking blend the tofu and milk in a food processor until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Add the porcini powder, garlic granules, salt & pepper and mix to combine thoroughly. Add the sweetcorn and give the mixture another stir.

Remove the pastry case from the oven and pour in the tofu mixture, bake in a moderate oven for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is fully cooked and the tofu mixture has 'set'.

Broccoli & Tofu Tart

Ingredients 

210g Jus Roll Puff Pastry or make your own
2 Tsp Vegan Pesto
½ Yellow pepper, diced
100g Basil Tofu, diced
50g Broccoli, cut in to small florets
5g Nutritional yeast
5g Ground almonds

Method
Roll out the pastry if you haven't already bought pre-rolled and score a border about 2cm in from the edge all the way round.

Spread the pesto over the pastry up to the border you have just scored. Top the pesto with the yellow pepper, broccoli and basil tofu.

Put the nutritional yeast into a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder. Add the ground almonds and mix to combine. Sprinkle this over the top of the vegetables as you would Parmesan cheese. Back for 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

Spinach Rolls

Ingredients 

½ Orange pepper, finely diced
1 Celery stick, finely diced
½ Onion, finely diced
100g Basil Tofu, grated
1½ Tbsp Vegan mayonnaise
Salt & Black pepper
8 Large spinach leaves

Method
Transfer all ingredients except the spinach leaves to a large bowl and thoroughly mix, you are looking for the consistency of a 'sandwich type filling'.

Place a spoonful of the mixture onto each spinach leaf, fold in the sides and roll up like a tortilla.

Summer Pasta Salad

Ingredients 

60g Small pasta shapes
½ Yellow pepper
50g Sweetcorn
2 Tsp Vegan pesto
1 Tbsp Vegan mayonnaise

Method
Cook the pasta shapes as per the packet instructions, drain and rinse with cold water to cool and stop the cooking process and drain again.

While the pasta is cooking/draining, finely dice the yellow pepper. 

Add the vegan mayonnaise and pesto to a bowl and mix. Add the yellow pepper and sweetcorn and mix again. Add the drained and cooled pasta shapes and give everything a good mix to combine. If the pasta salad is a too dry for your liking add more mayonnaise and pesto.

Vegetable Crudites & Harrisa Dip

Ingredients 
½ Orange pepper
¼ Cucumber
2 Stick celery
4 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise
2 Tsp harrissa paste

Method
Cut the vegetables into crudites, you can use any vegetables you fancy really, why not try carrot sticks, babycorn or mange tout instead.

Mix the vegan mayonnaise with the Harrisa paste, add more Harrisa if you like a bit of heat and transfer to a dipping tray. Arrange the crudites around the dip and serve.

To finish off my picnic hamper I also made a green salad and sliced up ½ a watermelon for afters. 

Pack up the food and venture outside, find a lovely spot and enjoy! Marco had his eyes firmly on the cucumber sticks AND the watermelon!

Vegan Lasagne

Lasagne is a classic Italian dish which is based on meat, eggs and cheese, which is made by stacking layers of pasta, sauce and a meaty filling, so how do you create a vegan version? Easy! This recipe uses tofu and cashew nuts to substitute a ricotta cheese and then added to spinach, which provides a vegan version of a vegetarian spinach and ricotta lasagne.

You could use a ready made tomato sauce, which will cut down on your cooking time but a homemade sauce will taste better and you can control exactly what goes in it. You most probably have your own way of making a tomato sauce but I've included my recipe in case you want to try it.

Its easy to make and will serve 4 people with a large green salad and maybe some homemade garlic bread.

Ingredients - tomato sauce 

1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Tin of chopped tomatoes
150ml Vegan Red wine
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Garlic powder
1 Tsp Porcini powder
1 Tsp Dried oregano
½ Tsp Dried thyme
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
½ Tsp Sugar
½ Tsp Dried chilli flakes
1 Tbsp Tomato puree
2 Tbsp Fresh basil
Salt & Pepper

Ingredients - lasagne
1 Packet tofu (396g), drained & pressed
30g Cashew nuts, soaked in water for at least 4 hours
100ml Soy Cream
3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 Tsp Lemon juice
100g Spinach
Salt & Pepper
6 Lasagne sheets
40g Vegan cheese, grated (optional)

Method - tomato sauce
Saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent, add the garlic and saute for another minute.
Add the tinned tomatoes to the pan and stir. Next pour in the wine and give everything another stir. Bring the mixture slowly to a simmer and add the next eight ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly then add the tomato puree and fresh basil. Season to taste and turn off the heat.

Method - lasagne
Add the tofu, cashew nuts and soy cream to a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt & pepper and shredded spinach and blend again. 

Pour a third of the tomato sauce into the bottom of an oven dish then top with 3 lasagne sheets. Spread half the tofu mixture on top and repeat so you have two layers of everything. Pour the remaining sauce on top and add the grated vegan cheese, if using.

Bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes

Specials Board: Spinach & Mushroom Pie

Are you new to Nutritional yeast? Before transferring to a vegan lifestyle I had never heard of it, but now, I can't be without it, which reminds me I must add it to my shopping list as I'm running low.

If you've never tried Nutritional Yeast before, you must give it a go. It's lovingly known as "Nooch" and it adds a savoury almost 'cheesey' taste to dishes. I use it in soups, pasta sauces, houmous and pies, it's extremely versatile and can be added to anything.

The brand I use is Engevita Marigold Yeast Flakes with Vitamin B12 and most health shops will sell it or order it in for you. Of course there are plenty of online stores too.

Today's special is Spinach and Mushroom Pie which has a creamy filling topped with mashed potatoes, perfect for Sunday lunch.

Ingredients - Serves 2

1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely diced
1 Clove of garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
260g Mixed mushrooms, diced
150g Spinach, roughly shredded
1 Tbsp Flour
200ml Almond milk, unsweetened
3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast (Nooch)
300g Mashed potatoes*
1 Tsp Wholegrain mustard

* I already had some left over mash which I used for this recipe, which weighed 300g. You could top your pies with more mash if you prefer. I always make mine with a little Vitalite, salt and pepper and a splash of unsweetened almond milk.

Method

Fry the onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes or until translucent, add the garlic and fry for another minute, be careful not to burn it.

Add the diced mushrooms to the pan along with the soy sauce and for another 5 minutes, adding a little water if things start to stick.

Add the spinach and cook until it has wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the spinach and mushroom mixture and stir to combine.

Gradually add the almond milk stirring continuously and cook over a low heat until the mixture thickens. Add the nutritional yeast and stir until it has dissolved into the mixture. Transfer to a baking dish or two individual portion dishes.

Add the wholegrain mustard to the mashed potatoes and stir through so that the mustard is evenly distributed. Spoon the mash on top of the spinach and mushroom filling and bake in a moderate oven for 20-30 minutes.

Specials Board: Spinach Pasta Topped Mushrooms

This is the first recipe that I'm sharing from the 'daily/weekly' specials menu, more to follow throughout the month.

When it comes to pasta I either make a tomato based sauce, sometimes with other vegetables such as aubergine and courgette or a 'cheese' type sauce. Tonight I wanted something different, something vibrant, something green.

After making my soup course for my Valentines menu I had some spinach left over, (ooh another little hint at whats in store). I used frozen spinach for my soup recipe and as I haven't got my freezer sorted (yet) it needed using up. So I set to and made a spinach sauce.

I was really pleased with the outcome and I've tried it with two types of pasta, Penne and Spaghetti, both were good, although in my opinion you can be a little more creative with how you serve spaghetti.

Ingredients - Serves 4
500g Frozen spinach
1 Clove of garlic
90g Vegan 'cream cheese', I used Tesco Free From Cheddar Style Spread
Black pepper
150ml Almond milk, unsweetened
2 Tbs Nutritional yeast
200g Spaghetti or pasta of choice

Method
First, defrost the spinach, I used a microwave to speed up the process. Drain the spinach through a sieve pressing down to remove most of the water. Transfer to a blender. Roughly chop up the garlic clove and add to the blender with the spinach.

Add the vegan 'cream cheese', almond milk, nutritional yeast and a (very) generous grind of black pepper. Process until you have a thick sauce, if your blender is not that powerful you made need to add a little more milk. Transfer to a saucepan and warm through, be careful not to boil.

Add the spaghetti to a pan of boiling water and cook as per packet instructions, you won't need much longer than 8-10 minutes.

Drain the spaghetti, reserving a little of the cooking water in a jug and tip the spaghetti into the pan. Tip the sauce over the pasta with a little of the reserved cooking water and stir through. 

Serve at once, I served mine a top two grilled field mushrooms which sat on a spinach and mixed leaf salad with cherry tomatoes and cucumber. The mushrooms paired beautifully with the spinach.

Or serve with a hunk of homemade garlic bread. It's so easy to make, finely chop 3 cloves of garlic on a chopping board with a little salt, this helps to make the garlic more into a paste. Add a good glug of extra virgin olive oil and mix on the board. Slice length ways a hunk of bread and mop up the garlic, salt and olive oil with the cut sides. Wrap the bread cut sides together in silver foil and bake in an oven for 10 minutes. Caution: It's extremely garlicky, just the way I like it!

Superwoman to the Rescue

Who else out there thinks there Mum is Superwoman? My Mum is the superwoman of all superwomen, she should wear a cape! Once again she came to our rescue, hubby and I are still poorly and haven't been shopping for almost two weeks. She arrived on our doorstep with a shepherds pie for hubby and a portion of my lentil and vegetable loaf, which I'd been storing in her freezer, for me. (No, we don't have a freezer, which is something I need to sort out, it would help so much in preparing and storing vegan meals for those nights when all you want is something quick and easy.

Instead of serving the lentil and vegetable loaf with Mediterranean vegetables or a salad (none of which we had) I served it with mashed potatoes using just vitalite (remember I don't have any non-dairy milk), carrots, peas and cauliflower. I did add a little marmite gravy but I forgot to take another picture, in fact it looked far too tasty to stop and take another photo! I wanted to dive straight in.

So Mum Superwoman came to the rescue once again! What makes your Mum superwoman?

Cold Sore Busting Smoothie 2

I used all of my remaining strawberries yesterday so I had to use something else in my cold sore busting smoothie today. After doing a little more research I found that pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. It is also a good source of vitamin B1, vitamin B6, folate, copper and dietary fiber.

So I replaced the strawberries and apple with half a pineapple, the result; it looked the same but tasted a little sweeter and I preferred it.

A quick recap, the smoothie needed to contain Lysine, Zinc, Vitamin C and Bioflavonoids to combat the cold sore outbreak and nourish my skin with essential nutrients:

Beetroot - Lysine
Spinach - Bioflavonoids
Tofu - Zinc
Pineapple - Vitamin C

Not that long ago I would have cringed at the thought of including vegetables and tofu in my smoothies, but its amazing how your taste buds change over time. I don't bat an eyelid these days.

Cold sores; the good, the bad and the ugly!

Yep cold sores are all those things bar 'the good'! 

It seems my run of bad luck in the health department is ongoing, I now have a bottom lip full of cold sores! Yep it hurts to talk, eat and drink and I'm really starting to feel very sorry for myself now!

I've been googling what foods I should be eating to combat cold sores and it appears that foods high in arginine should be a no no and foods high in lysine are recommended. So what foods contain these two amino acids:

Arginine

• Chocolate
• Nuts including peanut butter
• Oats including porridge
• Seeds
• Grains

Lysine

• Milk
• Yoghurt
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Brewers yeast
• Sardines
• Cod
• Chicken
• Beef lamb

As you can see from the two lists above, my first research into what foods to eat wasn't looking too promising as none of them were vegan! Even worse the foods I should be avoiding were regulars in my diet. But I carried on with my research and I did find that most vegetables are also high in Lysine, especially:

Vegan Lysine

• Apple
• Apricot
• Avocado
• Beetroot
• Fig
• Mango
• Papaya
• Pear
• Tomato

My research also informed me that I should also be nourishing my skin with essential nutrients to help ward off the cold sores. It is recommended that you ensure you are getting plenty of zinc, vitamin C and bioflavonoids. These will help you protect, nourish and strengthen your skin. 

Apparently zinc is not found in large amounts in plant foods, but the best, common plant sources of zinc are legumes, nuts, seeds, and oatmeal. Which if I believe the research I've undertaken so far are mainly foods to avoid because they also contain arginine. However, legumes aren't listed as an arginine food so I figured they need to make a larger appearance in my diet. 

Bioflavonoids, are also sometimes referred to as “Vitamin P,” and they are super-antioxidants found in many natural foods. Apparently bioflavonoids are found in many of the same foods that contain vitamin C, which is good news for me.

Zinc foods not containing arginine

• Tofu
• Chick peas
• Pinto & kidney beans
• Lentils
• Corn, peas and broccoli

Vitamin C

• Fresh fruit, especially, oranges, kiwis, papaya, strawberries
• Leafy vegetables; kale, spinach, mustard greens, garden cress, lettuce, bok choy
• Bell peppers and red & green chilli peppers
• Thyme and Parsely
• Broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts

Bioflavonoids

• Bell peppers
• Citrus fruits, oranges, lemon and lime
• Tropical Fruits or Exotic fruits, like mangoes and papayas
• Strawberries, peaches and nectarines
• Broccoli, spinach and brussel sprouts
• Garlic
• Black and Green Tea

So I now knew what foods I should be eating and what I should be avoiding, the dilemma was to cook something up with food I had at home as the last thing I felt like doing was going shopping! To top things off, hubby is in bed with a chest infection and cold, so he didn't feel like shopping either. Because its easy to drink through a straw at the moment I decided the first thing I would do is whip up a cold sore beating smoothie.

Ingredients

100ml Beetroot juice, I used 'beet it'

Handfull of Spinach

85g Tofu (drained weight)

1 Apple, peeled

5 Strawberries, hulled

100ml Cold water

Method

Add all ingredients to the blender in the order above and blend until smooth. Easy!

Butternut Squash and Lentil Curry

Tonight I was feeling totally different to last night and there was no way a simple salad was going to fit the bill tonight. I was craving something spicy, which wouldn't take long to cook, curry was the ideal meal. 

Unfortunately I hadn't any fresh chillis or ginger so I had to use dried, but it didn't effect the flavour at all. I've been put off in the past from not using fresh chillis and ginger in my homemade curries, I'm not sure why though. But tonight has changed my thinking and no longer will I shy away from using dried ginger in a curry rather than in just cakes!

Ingredients
1 small butternut squash or ½ a large one, diced
½ Cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Medium onions
1 Potato, cubed
5-6 Button mushrooms, diced
¼ Bag spinach, shredded
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 dried chillis, crushed
½ Tsp dried ginger
1 Tsp (heaped) curry powder
1 Tbsp (heaped) tomato puree
80g red lentils
1 Bay leaf
450ml Water
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper


Method
Thinly slice the onions and saute in a little olive oil over a low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another two minutes. Add the dried ginger, crushed dried chillis, curry powder and tomato puree and stir through the onions. Add the butternut squash, potato, mushrooms and cauliflower and coat with the onion paste. Add the lentils, bay leaf and water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are al dente then add the shredded spinach and cook for two more minutes until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve over rice.

Spinach, Red Pepper & Mushroom Tofumlette

Carrying on my theme of cooking with the top five nutritional vegetables, I decided a tofumlette was the perfect breakfast this morning. This looks a bit like an omelette but uses tofu instead of eggs, hence the name.  

I needed something substantial as hubby and I had decided, as the weather was nice we would clear out the garage. This has needed doing for some time and I'm happy to report it is done! The car is loaded to the brim with stuff to take to the tip, mainly old boxes and cardboard! Now the garage is clear, we intend to keep it that way! I wonder how long that will last.

This recipe makes three good size tofumlettes, after making one two this morning I stored the remainder of the mixture in a beaker in the fridge, ready to go for another morning.

Ingredients
1 packet tofu
1¼ Cup soy milk (unsweetened)
½ Cup gram flour
3 Tbs nutritional yeast
2 Tsp arrowroot
2 Garlic cloves, minced
½ Tsp tumeric
¼ Tsp salt
¼ Tsp ground black pepper
½ red pepper
Handful of spinach
5-6 Mushrooms
Tomato salsa

Method
First of all blend the ingredients for the tofumlette. Break up the tofu into a food processor I use, Cauldron Original Tofu and add the soy milk, gram flour, nutritional yeast, arrowroot, garlic, tumeric, salt & pepper and blend until smooth, until the mixture is thick like yoghurt. Pour into a jug or spouted bowl.

Finely chop the red pepper and mushrooms and finely shred the spinach and add to the mixture, stir to combine thoroughly. Get your frying pan really hot and add a little olive oil, I used a kitchen towel to wipe the oil over the bottom of the pan. When the pan is smoking hot add 2-3 ladles of the mixture and smooth out, so the mixture is even. Leave to cook, try hard not to prod and poke it, otherwise you will end up with scrambled tofu instead. I'm speaking from experience the first one I did ended up just like that, hence the second photograph is a different shaped tofumlette to the first! After about 3 minutes take a sneaky peak and if the edges are starting to brown and the the top looks almost set, quickly flip, patching up if needed! Squash it down with a spatula and cook for a further 2 minutes. Slide onto a plate and spread tomato salsa over the top if desired.

Pizza with Spinach

We eat too much pizza! I've just checked and its not long since we ate pizza, but tonight we were both craving it. Hubby's was loaded with leftovers from the previous two nights dinners and mine, of course was a veggie pizza. I didn't have any vegan hard "sheese" at home but figured it would still taste good without it.

All I did was spread a little herb and garlic soft "sheese" onto a vegan pizza base. Next I mixed some left over salsa, a small carton of passata, mixed herbs and vegan pesto in a bowl and spread this onto the base over the top of the soft "sheese". Add your vegetables on top, I used red pepper, onion, courgette and mushrooms. Sprinkle with more mixed herbs and bake in a moderate oven for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and pile on the spinach leaves. Dress with oils of your choice (I used chilli oil and lemon & dill oil) and stuff your face silly! This was extremely filling but so tasty I ate every last mouthful.

Lentil & Vegetable Loaf

Today I'm posting another recipe for spinach, the mother of green vegetables in my eyes. The father being Kale of course!

This loaf is full of flavoursome ingredients which are also very good for you, I haven't used salt or pepper as the loaf is packed full of herbs too. To top it all, the loaf also includes green lentils another food that's good for you, lentils are low in calories and high in nutrition. 

Since eating a vegan diet I have felt much better, friends have said I look great even though I've been going through a stressful time with S in hospital and work being mad as ever. I've lost weight without trying and I've got heaps more energy. My headaches have almost disappeared and my skin is glowing.

I'm enjoying a wider range of foods and I'm enjoying experimenting in the kitchen. OK sometimes recipes don't quite make the plate, but most of the time I'm happy with what I've created. I hope you like this power packed healthy nutritional vegetable loaf.

Ingredients
50ml Water
2 Tbs Ground flax seed
1Tbsp Rapeseed oil
1 x 400g Can of green lentils, washed and drained leaving around 260g lentils
100g Oats
1 Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
140g Courgette
100g Spinach
2 Tbsp Vegan pesto
75g Cahew nuts
1 Tsp Dried sage
1 Tsp Dried Marjoram
1 Tsp Dried Thyme

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C

Add the water to the ground flax seed and stir well to combine. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Add the cashews to a food processor and process until they are chopped very finely, careful not to over process as they may start to form a paste.

Dice the onion and garlic and saute in the rapeseed oil until translucent. Dice the courgette and add half to the onion and garlic, saute for 5 minutes. Shred the spinach leaves (including the stalks) and add to the pan with the dried herbs. Stir over a low heat until the spinach has wilted.

Add half the oats, half the green lentils and the remaining courgette to a food processor and process until chopped finely and thoroughly combined, almost to a paste.

Add the remaining lentils and oats to a large bowl and stir to combine, next add the vegetable mixture and stir again. Add the oat, lentil and courgette mixture and stir again. Add the ground cashes and vegan pesto and mix thoroughly to combine. Finely add the flax seed and water which should have formed into a sticky, gooey mixture and stir again making sure everything is well mixed. The mixture should almost be a dough like consistency, starting to hold together. 

Transfer the mixture to a lined loaf tin and press in firm using the back of a spoon, bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until golden on top.

Allow to cool before slicing, serve with Mediterranean roasted vegetables or salad.