Sweet Potato and Black Bean Fritter Cakes

I had some mashed sweet potato left over in my fridge from dinner last night so I thought I should find a good way to use it! The result was this recipe and these fritter cakes are the perfect accompaniment to any summer salad or served with courgette noodles for a light but filling meal!

Ingredients (makes 4)
1 sweet potato
1 tin of black beans
1 tbsp of tomato puree
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of ginger
1 tsp of oregano

Firstly, you need to prepare the sweet potato. Peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks. Steam until soft then set aside to cool.
Once the potatoes have cooled, place them in a food processor with the beans and tomato puree and mix until a smooth mixture forms.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and season as necessary.
Using kitchen towel, evenly spread a couple of drops of olive oil to lightly coat a frying pan and warm on a low heat. It is important to keep the temperature down to avoid burning the outsides!
Spoon the mixture into the frying pan, lightly pressing down to make circular fritters.
Once they start to brown on one side, flip them over and allow to brown on the other side.
Serve warm or cold!

Creamy Avocado Protein Smoothie

This smoothie is amazing post-workout. It is so incredibly creamy and packed with good fats, protein and carbohydrates to help you to stabilise your blood sugar and support the repair of your muscles! We tend to be so scared of fats and carbs but they really are essential and if you are getting the right types they can actually help with fat loss when combined with exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

To make this extra refreshing, cut the banana into small chunks and put in the freezer for at least 4 hours first. I tend to do this on a regular basis, buying bananas, letting them brown slightly so they are nice and spotty (this makes them easier to digest) then cutting them up and keeping in the freezer so I have them at hand for smoothies, ice creams or delicious bite-sized snacks!

I like to make this fresh when I get in from the gym but if you are on the go it can be made in advance. Just make sure you give it a good shake before drinking and try to keep it cool for the best taste.

Ingredients

1 avocado
1/2 banana
2 tbsp of nut butter (I use almond butter)
1 tbsp of maca powder
200ml of almond milk
20g of protein powder (hemp is my favourite)

Optional: Add some oats for added energy or to change this into an amazing breakfast smoothie! Or throw in a date or two if you fancy something sweeter.

Blend until smooth and creamy. 

Pineapple and Banana Smoothie

This smoothie is so refreshing and this smoothie is best enjoyed in the summer sunshine! The pineapple adds a delicious sweetness, while the frozen banana keeps it nice and creamy! I always keep a supply of frozen banana in the fridge as it is the perfect thing to snack on or add to smoothies. Wait until the bananas begin to brown before chopping them up into 1/2 inch or so chunks and popping in the freezer.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 bananas (frozen in advance)
1/2 of a pineapple
500 ml of almond milk (add more or less to suit preferred consistency)

Whizz these all up, stopping the blender and moving the banana to the bottom when necessary. Once everything has blended into a deliciously creamy smoothie, top with chia seeds, desiccated coconut and fresh berries for an extra summery feeling!

Quinoa Bean Bowl

This is a really simple recipe - perfect for lunch or dinner! This dish is packed with protein from the beans, peas and quinoa and can be eaten hot or cold! The sauce can be made separately and served with a jacket sweet potato to make a comforting meal or kept in the fridge and served with salad for a warm weather alternative!

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

4 large handfuls of frozen peas
1/2 courgette
1 red onion
1 can of tomatoes
1/2 tin of kidney beans
1/2 tin of cannelloni beans
1/2 tin of sweetcorn
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of ginger paprika
2 tsp of dried mixed herbs (I used rosemary, thyme and basil)

100g of quinoa

Cook the quinoa according to instructions. While that is cooking, finely chop the onion and courgettes and place in a frying pan on a low heat with a few drops of olive oil. Once these start to soften, put the tomato into a saucepan with the cinnamon, herbs and ginger.

When the tomato begins to bubble, add the rest of the ingredients, including the onion and courgette from the pan. Allow the ingredients to heat through (especially the peas). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the quinoa and mix it into the sauce before serving.

Cacao Protein Smoothie (Vegan, GF, DF)

Pre and post workout nutrition is just as important as the exercise you actually do. Not only does it give you the energy to push yourself but it also provides all the goodness that you need to help your body recover properly. In my quest to find some easy post-workout solutions, I produced the most creamy and delicious smoothie I think I have ever tasted - and trust me it tastes much better than it looks!

I originally made it using an Imbibery London Cacao Mylk (recipe can be found on Instagram) but have since developed an at home version if you can't get your hands on one. I absolutely love hemp protein powder as it is really easily disguised compared to some alternatives and a 30g scoop gives 14.1g of protein. When you add that to the almond milk and peanut butter, this smoothie is a perfect protein boost to help recover from a workout and is perfect to grab and go. 

For me, this would usually be between meals but if you want to make it even more filling, try adding some oats too.

Ingredients (serves 1)

200 ml of almond milk

3 tsp of raw cacao powder

1 medjool date or 1 tbsp of a sweetener of your choice

1/2 of a ripe banana (freeze first for a more refreshing smoothie)

30g of hemp protein powder

2 tbsp of peanut butter

Simply place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Beetroot Breakfast Smoothie

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day by a million miles. Sweet and savoury are both totally acceptable so you can just go with whatever mood you are in. It is so quick and easy to whip up a delicious bowl of something so there are no excuses not to enjoy it every day!

A good, nutritious breakfast really is the best way to start the day as it levelling your blood sugars and getting a big dose of fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. Having protein at breakfast helps you stay full all morning and regulates your blood sugar so that you don't end up with that mid-morning energy crash. This recipe is packed full with protein rich ingredients to kick-start your day with a big dose of healthy.

This breakfast smoothie really is one of my absolute favourites - it looks and tastes awesome, is really filling and only takes a couple of minutes to make. Even if beetroot isn't your thing, don't be put off - You really wont know it is there! (Beetroot lovers are welcome to double the quantity!) It is also quite thick so it also works really well as a smoothie bowl which you can cover in all sorts of delicious toppings.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 bananas
1 handful of frozen berries
2 cups of almond milk (500ml) - I make my own which is the best way to avoid nasty additives
2 handfuls of spinach
1 beetroot
4 tbsp of oats
3 heaped tbsp of ground flax

For the topping

2 tbsp of chia seeds
4 tbsp of hemp seeds

Start by taking the skin off the beetroot and cutting it into smaller chunks. You can also cut up the banana to give your blender a helping hand too.

Then simply place all the ingredients (except the chia and hemp seeds) in a blender and mix until smooth. Add a little water or extra almond milk if it is too thick.

Then stir in the chia and hemp seeds and it is ready to enjoy!

Handy hint:
If your smoothie maker tends to warm your smoothie a little, freeze the bananas first or add a few ice cubes to the blender to keep it cool

Butternut Squash & Lentil Soup

There is an absolute rule at home that we do not attempt to make soup. For a family of cooking enthusiasts we are pretty terrible at it and it notoriously results in disaster - how you can go quite so wrong I do not know. So today I decided to break all the rules - call me a maverick but you don't get anywhere staying inside your comfort zones, do you? I am also limited to a relatively liquid diet (thanks to a nasty spell of mumps), had lots of leftover lentils and am currently obsessed with coconut.

As it happens, this actually turned out pretty well so I thought it was worth sharing.

This is a slightly wintery soup but the coconut gives it an exotic touch that is getting me excited for summer.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

250-300g of butternut squash (about 1 cup)
3 carrots
750ml vegetable stock (or water seasoned with herbs, salt and pepper)
1 1/2 cups of lentils
100ml of coconut milk
100g of coconut cream
1 tablespoon of ginger
a sprig of rosemary

If your lentils are not yet cooked, start by rinsing them and placing them in a pan with vegetable stock.

Peel the carrots and butternut squash and cut into chunks. Place them into the pan with ginger and a little salt and pepper. Leave to boil for about 5 minutes on a low heat before adding the coconut milk.

Once the vegetables start to soften, add the coconut cream and allow to dissolve. If your lentils are already cooked, add them to the pan too. Once the coconut cream has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and pour the contents into a food processor. Blend until a smooth, creamy liquid forms, adding a little water if it is too thick. If you are using a hand blender, make sure you let the contents cool before blending so that you don't burn yourself!

Once a smooth soup is formed, pop it back on the hob to heat up or store in a tuppaware for later. Serve with a sprig of rosemary - mainly because it looks pretty but also because it tastes good too!