For the quinoa:

• 1 cup Rainbow quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp A.Vogel Herbamare
• Juice and zest of one lime
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

For the protein:

• 2 large chicken breasts or equivalent of protein of your choice.
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon Rainbow coconut oil

Optional:

• 2 pieces of thick cut bacon

For the sweet potatoes:

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and washed
• 1 tablespoon residual bacon oil or coconut oil

Other ingredients:

• 3 cups chopped lettuce
• 5 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup grated cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

Instructions

For the quinoa:

1. Pop your Rainbow quinoa, water, and A.Vogel Herbamare into a medium sized pot and bring to the boil on a medium heat. When boiling, cover and cook for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until the quinoa is soft and fluffy.
2. Set aside.
3. When your quinoa cools, stir in the lime juice, lime zest, and 1/4 cup chopped coriander. Have a little taste and add more coriander as needed.

For the chicken:

4. Season your chicken breasts with 2 teaspoons of A.Vogel Herbamare,
5. In a large pan heat 1 tablespoon of Rainbow coconut oil over a medium-high heat until the oil is hot.
6. Add the chicken breasts and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until they have a brown sear.
7. When the chicken is cooked all the way through, place it on a chopping board to cool. Once cooled, dice into sizeable chunks.
8. If you wish to add bacon to your bowl, cook as you normally would and set aside. Keep 1 tbsp of the oil for your sweet potatoes.

For the sweet potatoes:

9. Dice your prepared sweet potato into bite size chunks.
10.  Heat your saved oil from the bacon or if you aren’t using bacon, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat.
11. Once your oil is hot, add in your sweet potato cubes and sear on all sides. Flip potatoes every few minutes to ensure an even sear.
12. When the potatoes have browned, reduce the heat to medium-low temperature and cover the pan with a lid or dinner plate. Cook the sweet potatoes until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool.

To assemble your burrito bowl:

13. Once your ingredients  have cooled, it is time to build your salad! Start by adding one tablespoon of Greek yogurt to the bottom of the bowl or jar you are using.
14. Top yogurt with about 2 tablespoons of sweet potato cubes.
15. Next, add 3-4 tablespoons of your prepared quinoa.
16. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of cheese over the quinoa. If using bacon, place about half a piece on top of the cheese and then layer your chicken over the bacon.
17. Fill the remaining space with lettuce, and top with chopped coriander.
18. Enjoy immediately or pop in the fridge for a ready made lunch!

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Poached eggs can be tricky to get right, this dish removes the challenge. A combination of  poached eggs, tomato, kale and chickpeas,  this dish is wholesome and filling yet thanks to the tomatoes, nice and refreshing. We feel this poached egg bake is eggcellent and eggcourage you to try it out!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Sunita Olive Oil
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 diced onion
• ½ cup Rainbow chickpeas
• 1 can Biona chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• ½ tablespoons red pepper flakes
• One bunch of chopped kale
• 3 eggs
• Fresh basil

Method:

• Soak Rainbow chickpeas overnight in a bowl of water. Remember to allow room for the chickpeas to expand in the bowl.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
• Pour oil into oven proof skillet and allow to heat. Sauté onion and garlic for 5 minutes, then add chickpeas and sauté for up to 5 more minutes.
• Add diced tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add kale and cook until it starts to wilt slightly.
• Make 3 little holes in the tomato mix and slowly add one egg into each.
• Pop the skillet into the oven and bake until egg whites are set.
• Scatter basil over the dish and serve.

The post Poached Egg Bake appeared first on Natural Food & Healthcare - Wholefoods.

• 30oz mixed beans, drained and rinsed (We used Rainbow Cannelini and Rainbow Black Turtle beans)
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg white lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons Sunita olive oil
• Handful fresh coriander chopped
• 4 crushed garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 small onion very finely diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Toasted buns if desired

Method

1. Pop your Rainbow beans into a food processor and whizz together. When the beans appear to be mashed,  add in coriander, garlic, paprika, onion, salt and pepper and blitz again until combined.
2. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs and add in 1 tablespoon Sunita olive oil and your breadcrumbs, stirring until combined.  Combine your egg mixture with your beans in a large bowl and mix well. Don’t be afraid to use your hands! Divide your mixture into equal sections and then squash and shape to make patties.
3. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with Sunita olive oil. When the oil is hot,  add burgers and cook on each side until golden, (about 5 minutes per side).
4. If adding cheese turn off the heat and add it whilst the burger is still in the pan to allow it to melt.
5. Remove burgers and serve with desired toppings.

The post 2 Bean Burgers appeared first on Natural Food & Healthcare - Wholefoods.

Caesar salad is a classic dish worldwide and generally a well received favourite if you are entertaining. Sometimes it can be tricky to cater for different dietary requirements, luckily with this twist on the classic Caesar salad you can cater for coeliacs, vegans and everyone in between. All hail the vegan Caesar!

Ingredients:

• Chickpea Croutons
• 1 can Biona chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon Sunita olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 glove crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon cajun powder

• Caesar Dressing:
• 1/2 cup soaked Rainbow cashew nuts
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons Sunita olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Sunita lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons capers
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon Biona Dijon Mustard

“Parmesan Cheese”

• 1/3 cup Rainbow cashew nuts
• 2 tablespoons Nua Naturals hulled hemp seeds
• 1 small crushed garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon Sunita olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon Doves Farm Yeast
• 1 tablespoon Rainbow sunflower seeds

The Green Scene:

• Choose your favourite greens and add in chopped kale for some extra goodness. The amount you need depends on the number of hungry mouths you have to account for!

Method:

1. Soak Rainbow cashew nuts for at least a few hours or overnight if possible.
2.  Pop the Biona chickpeas in a colander to drain and then run under the tap. Mix the chickpeas with the cajun powder, Sunita olive oil, garlic and salt until they are nicely coated. Toss the mix out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop into a 400°F preheated oven.  After 20 minutes, give the tray a shake and let them bake for 15 more minutes at least.
3. To make the dressing, pop all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until the mixture is smooth. Don’t be afraid to add some water to get the blending started and play around with your seasoning to suit your taste.
4. Blitz the cashews and garlic together in a food processor until the mix is nice and crumbly. Stop the processor and add in the remaining ingredients.
5. Wash your greens, shred them and throw them in a bowl.
6. Add the dressing, “cheese” and “chickpeas to your leaves and mix it all up.
7. Dig in!

The post Vegan Friendly Caesar Salad appeared first on Natural Food & Healthcare - Wholefoods.

Ingredients for Chocolate:

½ cup of Iswari Cacao Powder.

½ cup of Optima Coconut Oil.

¼ cup Shady Farm Maple Syrup

Filling:

½ Cup Keen Almond Butter

1tsp of Teapigs matcha powder

Nua Naturals Tangy berry mix to garnish (optional)

Method. Makes 8.

1. Melt the coconut oil and mix with the cacao powder and maple syrup until smooth half fill the silicon cupcake moulds and pop into the freezer until frozen.
2. Add the almond butter and matcha powder to bowl and mix until combined. Add to silicon mould and freeze for approx. 1 hour.
3. When solid add the remainder of the chocolate to the mould and freeze until firm.
4. Add the tangy berry mix as a topping and sprinkle with more matcha powder.

The post Cacao Matcha Almond Cups appeared first on Natural Food & Healthcare - Wholefoods.

Mystery Box Five Contents:

• Meridian light tahini
• Biona chickpeas
• Biona chilli beans
• Sunita lemon juice
• Chia bia chia seeds

Sweet potatoes have become such a popular staple for many that we were delighted to include it in our fritter today.

Recipe:

• 2-3 tsp Meridian tahini
• 2 x cans Biona chickpeas
• 1 x can Biona chilli beans
• 3 teaspoons Sunita lemon juice
• ½ tsp Chia bia chia seeds soaked in 2 tbsp. filtered water
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 finely diced small onion
• 1 small bunch of fresh coriander
• Salt, pepper, seasoning to taste
• ½ cup flour sieved
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• Salad to dress as desired

Method:

1. Peel sweet potatoes and bake in oven at 170°C until tender. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of potato pieces.
2. Remove cooked potato from the oven when ready and add to a bowl with Biona chickpeas, Biona chilli beans and finely diced onion. When mixture is well combined, add in soaked Chia bia chia mix, Meridian garlic, sieved flour and seasoning to taste and mash once more.
3. Shape your mixture by hand into desired size fritters.
4. Heat coconut oil in a pan until hot and place fritters on top until crispy.
5. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes until hot the whole way through.
6. Serve to taste!

Our thoughts: Can anyone really say no to a Friday Fritter…. We served ours with grilled aubergine and a lightly dressed tossed rocket, radish and tomato salad for a little refreshing kick. Absolutely spot on dish! Admittedly we have loved all our dishes so there is a chance that we are just very easy to please…..

The post Sweet Potato and Chickpea Fritter appeared first on Natural Food & Healthcare - Wholefoods.

Mystery Box Three Contents:

• Rainbow Quinoa
• Biona Chilli Beans & Biona Red Kidney Beans
• Sunita lemon juice
• Meridian Light Tahini
• Herbamare Spicy Seasoning Salt from A.Vogel

In past attempts of bean burger creations, we have ended up with bean crumble instead as the burgers never held their shape. So this was a little bit more challenging for us than you might think!

Recipe:

• 1 cup Rainbow Quinoa
• 1 tin Biona Chilli Beans and 1 tin Biona Red Kidney Beans
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp. Sunita lemon juice
• ¼ cup Meridian light tahini paste
• 2 tbsp. Sunita olive oil
• 2tsp Herbamare Spicy Seasoning Salt from A.Vogel
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• Burger buns, salad and cheese to dress if desired
• 1 small onion

Method:

1. Add 2 cups of water to a saucepan and stir in Rainbow quinoa. Bring to a boil, cover and allow to simmer on a reduced heat for roughly 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
2. When your quinoa has cooled, add to a food processor with drained Biona beans, onion, tomato, garlic and Herbamare Spicy Seasoning Salt to taste.
3. Blitz the mixture until it is fairly well combined.
4. Remove mixture and shape into patties. Ideally allow to chill in the fridge for an hour or two, to help the mixture hold its shape.
5. Preheat oven to 210°C and brush Sunita olive oil onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake again for 10 minutes. Cooking times may vary depending on the size of your patties so keep an eye on your burgers!
6. For the dressing, mix Sunita lemon juice, Sunita olive oil and Meridian light tahini pace together. Season with Herbamare Spicy Seasoning Salt from A.Vogel.
7. Apply sauce to buns and dress burger as desired.

Our thoughts: To be honest we were just so relieved our burgers held their shape! They turned out very nicely and weren’t overly filling, and our independent board of samplers agreed they would be worth making again. When it comes to the dressing our advice is to taste as you go and tailor the quantities of each addition to your own taste. The dressing would also be a lovely addition to bring a salad together.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring with mystery box number 4!

The post Spicy bean and quinoa burger appeared first on Natural Food & Healthcare - Wholefoods.

Mystery Box Two Contents:

• Keen smooth almond nut butter
• Biona organic tofu
• Sunita olive oil
• Chia Bia chia Seeds
• Herbamare Spicy Seasoning Salt from A.Vogel

To incorporate the nutty deliciousness of Keen nut butter we made an almond and ginger dipping sauce which really complimented the crunchy, golden tofu. Herbamare Spicy Seasoning Salt gave the crust a lovely little kick, but if spice is not your thing use Herbamare  Herb Seasoning Salt, this way you don’t have to compromise on flavour.

Recipe:

• 3 tbsp. Keen smooth almond nut butter
• 200g Biona organic tofu
• 2 tbsp. Sunita olive oil
• 3tbsp Chia bia chia seeds
• 2tsp Herbamare Spicy Seasoning Salt from A.Vogel
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2/3 tsp ginger
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. honey

Method:

1. Remove Biona tofu from jar, place on a plate sandwiched between
   paper towels. Put a heavy object on top to squeeze out excessive moisture. Leave for at least four hours as you want your tofu to be nice and firm.
2. Mix Chia bia chia seeds, Herbamare and garlic together in a bowl.
3. When tofu is ready, cut into desired sized pieces and brush with Sunita olive oil.
4. Place brushed tofu into your chia mix and press down firmly so that the tofu becomes coated.
5. Heat Sunita olive oil in a pan and gently place your coated tofu on top.
6. Fry until crispy on each side (approximately 5 minutes for each side).
7. Spoon Keen smooth almond butter, soy sauce and honey into microwave dish and heat for 30 seconds. Remove and stir until blended. Heat for a further ten seconds if necessary. Dipping sauce should we hot when serving.

Our thoughts: This dish was so easy to make we are still a little bit shocked! Tasty and perfect for so many occasions, we will for sure be using this again during the lovely summer evenings.

We’re so ready for mystery box number 3!

The post Crunchy Spicy Chia Coated Tofu. appeared first on Natural Food & Healthcare - Wholefoods.

Mystery Box One Contents:

• Keen smooth almond nut butter                          
• Biona organic tofu
• Teapigs mathca on-the-go
• Clearspring Agar flakes
• Provamel Almond Milk

After an intensive brainstorming session, we decided to try and make a Matcha tea and vanilla Tofu cheesecake on an almond butter base with these ingredients. We were slightly apprehensive for a few reasons as to how this would turn out but we were not disappointed! Creamy and light this cheesecake is refreshing and super easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. Keen smooth almond nut butter
• 200g Biona organic tofu
• 2 sachets of Teapigs mathca on-the-go
• 15g Clearspring Agar flakes
• 60g Provamel Almond Milk
• 70g water
• 100g biscuits of choice
• 250g cream cheese
• 200g natural yoghurt
• 100g icing sugar
• 1tsp Vanilla essence.

Method:

1. Prepare your cake tin by lining and greasing. Smash up your biscuits, stir the Keen nut butter into the melted butter and mix with biscuits. Push down into the tin and allow base to chill in fridge for a few hours.
2. Remove Biona Tofu from jar, place on a plate sandwiched between paper towels. Put a heavy object on top to squeeze out excessive moisture. We only left it for 20/25 minutes as it did not need to be overly firm for this dish.
3. Add Clearspring Agar flakes to boiling water so that they are just covered. Allow to simmer for ten minutes and cool.
4. Add five tbsp. boiling water to Teapigs on-the-go matcha tea sachets and stir.
5. Pop Biona tofu, cream cheese, yoghurt, icing sugar and vanilla essence into a blender and blitz until nice and smooth.
6. Pour in Clearspring Agar mixture and blend again until it is nicely mixed.
7. Half the mixture and stir Teapigs matcha on-the-go into one batch of the mixture.
8. Scoop alternate spoons of the mixtures on top of the biscuit base to create contrast. Swirl a skewer through the top of the mixture to create a pattern if desired.
9. Allow to set in the fridge overnight.
10. Pop the kettle on and enjoy a slice!

Our thoughts: We will definitely be making this dish again! Generally when people think of tofu, they tend to have more savoury visions so we are delighted with the success of this dish and to see that these  ingredients can be used to make such a tasty dessert.

Bring on mystery box number 2!

The post Matcha Tofu Cheesecake-National Vegetarian Week-Day 1! appeared first on Natural Food & Healthcare - Wholefoods.

Paleo Pancakes:

Ingredients:

½ cup Keen almond butter

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix until a smooth batter is created.

Grease a small pan with coconut oil and pour the batter in allowing to cook on both sides. Flip as needed.

Protein Pancakes:

Ingredients:

1 scoop Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Vanilla protein

2 egg whites

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon Keen almond butter

1 teaspoon Biona Agave sugar

2 tablespoon Biona Agave Maple syrup

Directions:

Mix ingredients in a bowl. If needed add more water.

Cook over medium heat in a small pan.

Plate and spread almond butter on top of the pancakes.

Sprinkle with agave sugar and drizzle with maple syrup.

Coconut, Almond Butter & Blueberries pancakes:

Ingredients:

¼ cup Biona coconut flour

¼ teaspoon Doves baking soda

2 tablespoons Keen almond butter

2 eggs, slightly beaten

½ tablespoon Biona agave maple syrup

¼ cup almond milk

2/3 cups blueberries

½ cup maple syrup

In a large bowl whisk together coconut flour and baking soda, set aside.

In a separate bowl beat nut butter, eggs, agave maple syrup and almond milk together until smooth and well combined. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and mix together. Add more milk if necessary.

Melt coconut oil in a medium pan and fry the batter on both sides.

To make the syrup, place maple syrup and blueberries in a sauce pan over medium heat. Wait until mixture begins to simmer and boil, and stir every few minutes. Once mixture begins to breakdown and blueberries cook down about 5 minutes, remove from heat and serve warm over pancakes immediately.

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