Guacamole.

Probably one of the easiest things to make and something that you become obsessed with after you've made it the first time.

As with most recipes, you can adapt as you like.. Take out items that you're not too fond of, experiment and add items that you think would compliment the other ingredients.

Guacamole, once made goes perfectly with all sorts. Used on nachos (heaven in a bowl!), as a sauce, or even as a delightful breakfast treat.

And here's how you make it:

Ingredients:

1 x Avocado, 

1x quarter of red onion (chopped), 

a few sprigs of fresh coriander,

half a red chilli (chopped)

1x crushed clove of garlic,

juice of half a lemon,

paprika to sprinkle,

salt salt

and

pepper.

Method:

De-stone the avocado and scoop out the contents into a bowl. Using a fork, blend the avocado down into a paste like consistency.

Combine the chopped onion, coriander, lemon juice, chilli, and garlic with the avocado.

Flavour with salt and pepper to your taste.

Serve.

Hummus.

Hummus.. I adore it. 

I could happily eat bowlfuls of it on a daily basis.

Having bought so many different pots of this amazing dip, I thought I would attempt to create it myself and was quite shocked by how easy it actually is.

Once you've mastered the basic recipe, you can get a little creative. 

I like to add olives to my batch of hummus, as it gives a lovely salty taste. If I want it to be a touch sweeter, I'll occasionally add red pepper. This can either be thrown into the mixer or small pieces stirred into the finished batch to add a little crunch.

Ingredients:

1x 400g tin of chick peas, 

4x table spoons of virgin oil, 

4x tablespoons of tahini,

Juice of half a lemon, 

1x clove of chopped garlic.

Optional extras:

Handful of coriander, 

Paprika, 

Olives, 

Red pepper.

Method:

1. Drain the chickpeas from the tin, reserving a little of the water that the chickpeas are contained in. Rinse the chickpeas throughly. I find if i'm rinsing anything, it's easiest to place the item in a sieve and run the water over them.

2. Put the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and chopped garlic into a blender. At this stage, if i'm going to add anything extra then I will, such as olives and coriander.

3. Pulse the mixture until smooth. Using the left over water from the chickpeas tin, add a little at a time until you reach the consistency that you desire.

4. Serve in a dish of your preference. If you're serving this at a party or gathering, you can decorate the mixture with paprika, a few chickpeas, coriander leaves and a dash of olive oil.

If you're already a hummus fan, then you know this delightful creation can be served with pitta strips, a quinoa salad, a halloumi and spinach wrap or just simply on its own. It can pretty much be served with anything.. Happy days!

Chia pudding.

 

Any returning readers may recall a post I created a few months ago called Acai bowl, in this post I mentioned that I was on a health kick.

Now, I am still on a health kick (with occasional weeks days off) and when i'm making effort with what I eat, I always make the time to make something more nutritious than grabbing a bag of crisps.

If you follow other food bloggers then you may have heard of the chia pudding already. I heard about it, was thoroughly intrigued and wanted to make my own. 

This little bowl can be consumed as a breakfast, dessert or just a little snack when you're feeling peckish.

The key ingredient here are the chia seeds. Chia seeds are an amazing nutritious ingredient that sit in the superfood category. They can be used in almost anything, but when submerged in water they form a jelly like consistency (as you can see above).

Now, there are many different ways of creating this pudding and I have tried many. After tweaking a few recipes and a little bit of experimentation, this how I like it..

Ingredients:

4x table spoons of chia seeds (soaked in a container - leave in a fridge overnight),

1x chopped frozen banana,

250ml almond milk (or which liquid prefer),

1x table spoon maca powder, 

1x teaspoon cinnamon powder, 

1x table spoon of honey.

Place all ingredients into a a blender and blend until smooth.

For the topping I tend to use blackberries and an omega seed mix, but use whatever makes your heart content.

Please do not hesitate to let me know any other tasty or healthy recipes that I can try in the comments below!

Pearl barley risotto.

Don't you just love when you don't really know what you want to eat, but you just start cooking and what you end up creating is beyond perfection?

When this happens I definitely think i've missed my calling as a chef.. Come on.. Chef Vanessa has a delightful ring to it!

This is a lovely filling dish, of which you can create a big batch and reuse it for work lunches or reheat for a quick dinner later in the week.

You will need:

-1x cup of pearl barley,

-1x cup of salad beans,

-Stock cube (my preference is the oxo cube, but any which you like will work),

-coconut oil,

-1x quarter of a red onion,

-Small handful of frozen peas,

-4x plump chestnut mushrooms,

-2x cloves of garlic,

-A few springs of coriander,

and

-Salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. Soak the salad beans in cold water over night, these take a long time to cook, so soaking them over night is a must. If you prefer a little less hassle, then you can also use kidney beans and they work just as well.

2. If using the salad beans it is essential that these are put on to boil first, as mentioned previously, they take quite some time to cook. Boil in lightly salted water on high. Keep an eye on them throughout cooking, as they soak up the water quickly, so more water may needed to be added to the pan.

3. Melt a heaped tablespoon of coconut oil in a frying pan. 

4. After chopping the mushroom, onion and garlic, place into the melted coconut oil. Cook for 10 minutes.

5. In a separate plan, warm the stock.

6. Rinse the peal barley throughly and then place into the mushroom/onion/garlic mix. Lightly fry for 2-3 minutes.

7. Add a ladle of stock to the barley mix, stir lightly and leave the barley to absorb the liquid. Continue to repeat this process until all of the stock has been used. This should around 30/35 minutes.

8. Check that the salad beans have softened, if so, add to the barley mixture. Whilst adding the frozen peas.

9. Add coriander, leaving a small sprig to garnish.

10. Use salt and pepper to taste.

Sit back and enjoy!