Plant Basics

What type of content would you like to see? How can I help you with your plant-based journey?

What will you be making for brunch this weekend?

One of our favourites is ackee on wholegrain toast 😋 I sautéed red onion and mushrooms before adding ackee. No need to add oil as ackee already has a moderate level of fat content. The secret ingredient is kala namak or Himalayan black salt, which adds an egg-like flavour to food. Experiment with kala namak to add more flavour to scrambled tofu or chickpea 'egg' salad.

New study calls into question the importance of meat eating in shaping our evolution. In summary, the consumption of meat remained flat as the capacity of our brains expanded between 2.6 and 1.2 millions years ago.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220124151115.htm #:~:text=2-,New%20study%20calls%20into%20question%20the%20importance,eating%20in%20shaping%20our%20evolution&text=Summary%3A,eating%20in%20early%20human%20evolution.&text=This%20evolutionary%20transition%20towards%20human,shift%20involving%20greater%20meat%20consumption.

New study calls into question the importance of meat eating in shaping our evolution A new study calls into question the primacy of meat eating in early human evolution.

Does your lifestyle require higher protein meals? There are 52g of protein in this bowl. The secret ingredient: 100g of spaghetti made from edamame bean flour (that's it; no mystery ingredients).

The recipe for this delicious dish is on the back of the packet Explore Cuisine (see pic in the comments). I've made just a few modifications: doubled the amount of veggies and sauce.

The sauce recipe, which I made quickly using my Nutribullet:

1 tbsp of chopped ginger or 1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 minced garlic gloves or sub with 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
2tbsp of soy sauce
2tbsp of lemon juice (juice of about 1 lemon)
1tsp sesame oil, I subbed with 2 tbsp of tahini to add more protein and get a creamier consistency.

Bean chilli! 🤤 One of our favourite meals that we keep making every couple of weeks. It can contain as few or as many ingredients as you like (i.e., you can adjust the amount of fibre).

The ingredients we normally go for:
* Black beans
* Kidney beans
* Chopped tomatoes
* Red onion
* Garlic
* Carrots
* Mushroom mince
* Bell peppers
* Broccoli rice
* Spices: cumin, oregano, smoked paprika

Served with black rice, avocado-coriander sauce and sour cashew cream.

Tip: if beans are not one of your food staples, choose just one variety of beans. Also, please don't try to eat this plant-rich meal in a rush. Chew your food well. This simple step will make a huge difference in the digestion process.

The best plant-based tacos we've tried so far! Two main ingredients tofu/walnut mince and mushroom/onion/pepper mix are cooked in the oven at the same time. Once ready, add your favourite toppings. We went for salsa, avocado, arugula and lime juice 🤤

Recipe (12 tacos):

Preheat oven to 180C.

(1) Tofu (450g) & Walnut (150-180g) mix
Place in a mixing bowl:
1tsp cumin
1tsp oregano
1tsp smoked paprika
1tsp onion powder
1tsp garlic powder
1tbsp nutritional yeast
2tbsp soy sauce
2tbsp tomato paste or ketchup
1tbsp balsamic vinegar

Mash 450g tofu with a fork (I divided the tofu block in 4 parts and blitzed in our Nutribullet). Mix with spices in the bowl and set aside until you prepare the mushroom mix.

Blitz walnuts in the Nutribullet or a food processor and set aside (don't mix with tofu yet).

(2) Roasted mushroom mix:
400g mushrooms (we used a combination of oyster & king oyster)
1 red onion
1 red bell pepper
1tbsp olive oil

Cut mushrooms into stripes, chop the onion and bell pepper, brush with olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste.

(3) Place the mushroom mix and tofu in separate baking trays. Try to distribute the mix evenly.

(4) Bake for 20 minutes, then bring the trays out to stir. Mix in the walnuts with tofu, and place both trays back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

(5) Assemble tacos using your favourite toppings, e.g. salsa, avocado, coriander, lime juice.

Anyone thinking of trying a plant-based lifestyle this year?

Not a temporary detox diet, but an actual lifestyle change where you start perceiving food as more than just a source of sensory pleasure and something that stops you from feeling hungry. Around 90% of Brits are deficient in fibre, and the benefits of eating more plants include: feeling fuller longer, improving blood sugar regulation, reducing LDL cholesterol, improving blood circulation, reducing inflammation in the gut and other organs.

I am currently working on my Master’s in Public Health Nutrition and offering a FREE 1:1 consultation on how to gently transition your diet to include more nutritious and health promoting foods.

Looking for just one motivated volunteer who can commit to participating in this guided programme for a period of 4-6 weeks. The only price is to provide relevant feedback throughout the process.

Picture for attention: one of our favourite plant-based winter meals: lentil/walnut loaf with mashed potatoes 😊

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 & 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀

You often hear the advice: 'eat less processed food'. 🤔 Is all processed food bad for you?

* Did you know that the ‘processed foods’ category contains both health-promoting and harmful foods?

* Do you know a difference between processed and ultra-processed foods?

* Did you know that some ingredients deemed ‘safe’ for the general population are now suspected to be linked to bowel inflammation?

* Which ingredients should you look out for and try to eliminate from your diet?

* What else should you be aware of while trying to stay healthy in the current food environment?

As part of my Public Health Nutrition MSc, I’ve completed a 6-week research project on the health effects of food additives and ultra-processed foods and would like to share this important information with you.

The next available zoom session:

Friday, 26th November, 4:30pm https://fb.me/e/2AXEglkvQ

Don't see a time slot that works for you? Get in touch!
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