Browsing Tag

good-fats

Salad, Wellness + Nutrition

Sunflower Seed Spread Vegan & Paleo Friendly

29th January 2020

If you are looking for a plant based/ dairy-free spread or simply a delicious dollop of good fats and fibre to add to salads you must try this recipe.

Before I dive straight into the recipe details, here is a few more reasons to incorporate sunflower seeds int your diet; Sunflower seeds are especially high in vitamin E and selenium. These function as antioxidants to protect your body’s cells against free radical damage, which plays a role in several chronic diseases.

Additionally, sunflower seeds are a good source of beneficial plant compounds, including phenolic acids and flavonoids — which also function as antioxidants  – read more on sunflower seed’s health benefits here 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of lightly toasted sunflower seeds
  • the juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/3 cup of cold pressed olive oil, or macadamia oil
  • 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast flakes
  • a generous grinding of sea-salt

Simply add all the above ingredients to your blender and whizz until you have a smooth consistency.

Storage: it keeps in the fridge for 7 days.

 

Happy cooking & nourishment

Marlien x

Crushes + Product Reviews, Salad, Wellness + Nutrition

a sublime salad dressing Crede Pumkinseed Oil rocks!

3rd October 2019

It feels like Summer is here, and I have given myself an intermittent fasting challenge to shed some of my winter padding, and more importantly give my body the opportunity to run in a low-grade ketosis state which is optimal to brain and gut health. This means skipping breakfast and then having lots and lots of vegetables of all different colours for lunch/ brunch with a little good protein and lots of good fats for fuel.

Needless yo say the carbs have to be cut, but I find that when the weather gets warmer its much easier to stick to big salads for lunch. Supper is a little more tricky as I have two young children to consider…but that’s a whole other post….

Today’s lunch was so good and effortless, I felt compelled to share it – and you can add any raw veggies as this recipe is really about the dressing (the combination of veg I used has certainly been featured here before), but the addition of roasted peanuts is new which added crunch, protein and some extra good fats.

My salad combination was:

  • 1 x grated organic carrot
  • lots of spinach – as much as you can eat
  • 1/2 a baby red cabbage (shredded)
  • 1/2 a cup of crushed roasted peanuts (you can replace peanuts of any nut of your choice of course)

And now for the lovely dressing:

  • 1/4 cup of Crede Pumpkin Seed oil
  • 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (I use Tabu Food which is naturally fermented & unpasteurised)
  • the juice of one small lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon of coconut sugar
  • Cayenne pepper to taste
  • Sea-salt to taste
  • Shake it up in a jar and pour over this but of heaven ver literary any salad, you won’t regret it and eating your vegetables will not be a hardship with this one.

In dedication to your radiant health,

Marlien x

 

Lunch + Dinner Recipes

Buddha Bowl Crushes & a Sexy Turmeric Dressing Sexy Yoga Kitchen Lunch Box Ideas

7th December 2016

I am currently finding Buddha Bowls so sexy. Their ingredients can be prepared over a lazy Sunday, stored in the fridge and then leisurely packed into your lunch box….sure to cause immense envy among co-workers and friends.

Here are a few Buddha Bowl staples in my kitchen that will hopefully inspire you to start creating your own.

  • Hummus
  • Roasted Veggies (red onions, red pepper, fennel, cubed or wedges of butternut, courgettes, roasted cauliflower etc)
  • Micro- leaves (much higher in nutrients and so gorgeous too)
  • Thai Slaw (Shred some red & white cabbage & carrots ahead, dressing them just before serving)
  • Cultured Veggies (no fridge is complete with out some sauerkraut or kimchi)
  • Corn Chips (Natures Choice does a lovely NON GMO version)
  • Quinoa (Cook ahead and freeze in small portions)
  • Mexican Black Bean Salad
  • Boiled Eggs (the ultimate & complete retro packed lunch-food)
  • Roasted Sweet Potato Medallions (I use the Jewel variety and leave the skin on – slicing them into 6mm thick medallions)
  • Avocados (obviously)

Preparing some super-food sauces ahead like my Turmeric & Tahini dressing makes throwing these Buddha Bowls together even more effortless:

Turmeric & Tahini Dressing

  • 1 tablespoon of ground turmeric
  • 3 tablespoons of tahini paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of pink salt
  • 1 clove of garlic, freshly crushed
  • 50 ml of filtered water

Add all the above to a jar, seal tightly with it’s lid and simply shake until you have smooth emulsion. You end up with this gorgeous bright yellow (happy colour) creamy dressing that has huge health benefits.

 Happy trowing pre-prepping and showing off your fabulous bowls.

As always, with love, and in dedication to your best health,

Marlien xx

Salad

Rainbow Coleslaw vegan, gluten-free-red-cabage-coleslaw

19th November 2014

Red cabbage has so many amazing health benefits, in fact many more so than green cabbage due to the purple colour that contains powerful phyto-nutrients.

Red cabbage is also very high in vitamin C, A and K, and it belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family, which in a nutshell means it is a excellent cancer fighter. So if you are going to make a coleslaw, why not make it a beautiful red cabage “rainbow” coleslaw.

This salad is super healthy, packed with fiber, vitamins, good fats and is grain, gluten and mayonnaise free, making it the perfect vegan, food combining meal. I love having it with either baked potatoes, or sweet potatoes for lunch.

Ingredients:

  1. 1/2 medium sized red cabbage, finely shredded (use the rest in a veggie stir-fry)
  2.  Three large carrots, shredded
  3. Handful of cashew nuts, raw, roasted or honey glazed cashews
  4. One avocado

Dressing:

  1. One tablespoon of honey
  2. Four heaped tablespoons of Tahini (I use Health Connection’s Tahini available from Checkers)
  3. Two tablespoons of cold pressed olive oil
  4.  Juice of one medium lime
  5. one tablespoon of fresh minced garlic
  6.  1/2 teaspoon of pink salt
  7. Two tablespoons of Tamari sauce (I use the Health Connection  Tamari Sauce avail. from health food stores, or Checkers)
  8. Black sesame seeds to sprinkle over before serving

Method:

It is so easy to make, combine the shredded cabbage & carrot in a big bowl, then in a smaller bowl mix all your dressing ingredients and toss it together with your slaw, before serving top with cashews, slices of avo and sesame seeds and it’s ready to eat.

Happy cooking & eating, with ♡ from the yoga kitchen

 

 

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Wellness + Nutrition

My Yoga Kitchen Pantry vegan-vegetarian-pantry-essentials

14th November 2014

Living on a farm means that sometimes you have to create, or shall I say improvise, a meal from what’s left in your pantry as it’s just too far to go into town for a couple of things you need for your supper or lunch. Which makes it important to have a well stocked one. This is my day to day yoga kitchen pantry/ store cupboard essentials. Some are real “cheats” that can be life savers. I hope you find some inspiration in it.

Grains, legumes, seeds & nuts:

Herbs & Spices and stocks:

  • Mixed dried herbs
  • Thyme
  • Rosemary
  • Dill
  • Ground spices:
  • Coriander
  • Cumin
  • Turmeric
  • Paprika
  • Ground ginger
  • Cayene pepper
  • Mustard powder
  • Robertson’s Mixed Spice
  • Robertson’s mild curry masala
  • Pink Himalayen salt  from Nature’s Choice
  • Whole spices:
  • Cumin seeds
  • Pepper corns
  • Mustard seeds
  • Cloves
  • Bay leaves
  • Curry leaves
  • Green cardamon
  • Star anise
  • Chilli flakes
  • Fresh ginger and Garlic
  • Pink himalayen salt – I use Natures Choice
  • Veggie & Chicken stock – I use Health Connection for veggie stock, it’s yeast and gluten free, & Ina Paarman for chicken stock
  • Brewers Yeast Powder – I use it for soups & sauces, or to sprinkle over popcorn, its a great source of B vitamins. I use Natures Choice Brewers Yeast.

Oil’s & vinegar’s, sauces and paste’s:

  • Cold pressed coconut oil for frying
  • Cold pressed olive oil for salads & for dressing pasta’s right before serving
  • Cold pressed Toasted Sesame oil for dressing Asian dishes right before serving
  • Balsamic vinegar for salads & sauces
  • Red wine vinegar for salads/ sauces
  • Tahini paste
  • Thai red curry paste
  • Raw apple cider vinegar for salads (I use Natures Choice Raw ACV …full of enzymes and if it is raw it has tons of other benefits)
  • Smooth peanut butter
  • Teriaki sauce
  • Tamari sauce

Other:

  • Coconut milk or coconut cream
  • Longlife almond, cow or rice milk
  • Cornflour / Mezina
  • Eureka unbleached bread and cake flour
  • Bicarb / baking soda
  • Tinned tomatoes & bottled pasata
  • Penne, linguine & spagetti dried pasta (glutenfree or ordinary)
  • Smash (don’t judge me), or dehydrated potato flour.
  • Chickpea flour, from Nature’s Choice

With the above essentials you can easily throw a few meals together without a visit to the supermarket, a dahl, simple tomato and / or herb pasta, or perhaps a asian rice dish with whatever veggies you have available…actually the possibilities are endless…and lots of baking projects to keep the kids busy on a rainy afternoon.

Happy cooking, with ♡ from the yoga kitchen