Breakfast Smoothie

I just love having smoothies for breakfast, i think breakfast is one of my favourite meals in the day actually! Anyway, having just replaced my blender after a few months without (my beautiful dog broke the old one), I have started making smoothies for breakfast again. This is a wonderfully filling smoothie with lots of fibre to keep you going throughout the day. I did find after getting used to drinking these for breakfast, if i had a busy day i often wouldn't notice feeling hungry until mid to late afternoon. Here is what i made today....

Ingredients:

1/2 cup wholegrain rolled oats

1 Tbsp chia seeds

4 almonds

3 brazil nuts

1 Tbsp date puree

3 dates

1 banana

1tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups almond milk

I soaked all ingredients overnight in the fridge (except the banana), then added the banana in the morning and blended all ingredients until smooth. Enjoy!

Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Pesto and Roast tomatoes

I experimented to zucchini pasta last year, however I never had a tool to julienne properly so my pasta wasn't very consistent in the shape or size.... Yesterday i found a fantastic cheap tool it has a billion pieces one being the julienne slicer and it worked superbly. The inspiration from this recipe came from Ella Woodwards beautiful cookbook "Deliciously Ella", which i can highly recommend to everyone.

Ingredients:
4 Zucchini julienned
smoky kelp flakes
garlic salt
olive oil
2 Avocados
juice of 2 limes
3 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup brazil nuts
few sprigs of fresh coriander
few leaves of fresh basil
Punnet of cherry tomatoes

Using a julienne tool or hand cutting if you don't have one, slice the zucchini and place on a roasting tray. Sprinkle with a little kelp, garlic salt and olive oil. Roast in the oven for 15-20minutes until warmed but not over cooked.

Live your cherry tomatoes in half and place on a roasting duh in the oven, above the zucchinis and roast for about 15 minutes until they soften and the skin starts to blister.

I used my amazing new ninja blender for the pesto. Place nuts, avocado flesh, olive oil, lime juice and fresh herbs in the blender and process until smooth.

You could also have this raw, with fresh tomatoes and raw zucchini if you like. Enjoy!!

Apricot, date and chia muffins

I can't get enough of chia seeds lately, they have so much fibre, rich in anti oxidants, omega 3 fatty acids and they're a complete protein which is perfect for those who follow a vegetarian diet. It's a shame they seem to have become so expensive though, I've noticed since i first bought a 500gm bag at my favourite organic shop the quantity has now halved and the price stayed the same!! Cheeky huh.

I've also fallen in love with dates, i had a strong aversion to them growing up. After a little Moroccan adventure a few years ago, i was lucky enough to have them reintroduced and it was love at first taste. Though its hard to get them as fresh and juicy here but alas they are wonderful and play a big part in my latest creation.

Ingredients:

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 cup rolled oats (preferably blended into a flour like consistency)

1 1/2tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp chia seeds + 1/4cup water

1 400gm tin apricots chopped

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 freshly squeezed oranges

1 tsp vanilla

1. First put chia seeds and water in a bowl and set aside for 10 - 15 minutes until it becomes a gel like consistency, stir regularly.

2. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside. Chop dates and then mix into the flour as this will separate them evenly throughout the mixture.

3. Add the freshly squeezed organge juice, maple syrup, olive oil and vanilla to the chia seed mixture. Mix if you need to separate the chia seeds as they sometimes form an almost solid.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and also the chopped tinned apricots. Mix together and if it seems a bit dry add a little more water until you achieve a batter that's not too thick.

5. Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until brown on top and a pick comes out clean.

Enjoy!