Quick and Easy Vegetable Pasta (GF+Vegan)

This pasta dish is one of the quickest and easiest things to make. It's perfect for those nights when I get in late and can't really be bothered to cook. Sometimes even, it's just something I fancy. Probably because pasta is a bit of a comfort food and this is a very wholesome meal which is also pretty healthy! Feel free to change the vegetables I have used for what you have on hand. It's great way of using things up - mushrooms are an especially nice addition to this recipe.

Serves 2

You will need:
130g Pasta (I used brown rice pasta, but use any of your choice)
1 tbsp of Olive Oil
½ Onion
½ Red Pepper
½ Courgette
1 Clove of Garlic
1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
1 tbsp Tomato Puree
A large pinch of Oregano
3 Chunks/Pieces of Frozen Spinach 

Method:

1.  Start by heating the oil in a saucepan to a medium heat. Dice the onion and add to the pan. Then cut the red pepper and courgette into chunks and add them to the pan also. Cook for a few minutes, or until the onions have softened.
2. Crush or finely chop the garlic and add to the pan, cooking for a further 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and oregano. Stir everything to mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Halfway through the cooking time, cook you pasta according to the packet instructions and add the frozen spinach to the sauce. 
4. Once the pasta has been drained, add to the sauce. Stir through to mix and serve immediately.

Banana, Pecan and Maple Porridge

This has been my go to indulgent but healthy breakfast recently. I often have this at the weekend when I fancy something a little sweeter than my usual choices. The flavours go really well together and overall have an almost caramel like taste. The maple syrup in this recipe is completely optional. It is a natural sweetener, but if you are not feeling so indulgent simply leave it out and it will still taste great. Please note that I like quite small portions for my meals and this recipe is exactly as I make it for myself; feel free to increase the quantities (keeping the oats and milk in proportion).

Serves 1

You will need:

160ml Almond Milk (or your milk of choice)
25g Rolled Oats
Half a Banana
 ½ tsp Cinnamon
A Small Handful of Pecan Nuts
Maple Syrup to taste

Method:

1.  Start by slicing up the banana. (I like to cut the slices in half, usually using my spatula while the porridge is cooking in the pan.)
2. Add the milk, oats, banana and cinnamon to a small saucepan. Over a medium heat, cook the porridge until it thickens stirring occasionally. This usually takes about 5 minutes.
3. While the porridge is cooking, pre-heat a frying pan to a medium heat. Chop the pecan halves into about 2 or 3 pieces and add to the pan to toast for a couple of minutes. 
4. Pour the porridge into a bowl, top with the pecan nuts, pour on the maple syrup and enjoy! (I usually go for 1 or 2 tsp of maple syrup.)

Optional: I sometimes add in a dessert spoonful of ground flaxseed while the porridge is cooking for extra nutrients!

Amazing Guacamole!

Up until recently I thought guacamole was a safe choice when looking for a healthy snack food at the supermarket. Little did I know that most shop brought guacamole's contain double cream. Not only is double cream high in saturated fats, but when trying to cut dairy out of my diet it was one of the least suspected places to find it. Using the recipe out of Deliciously Ella's new book as a guide, also on her blog here, I made my own guacamole for the first time. I was amazed at how simple, easy and, most importantly, delicious it was! I didn't have any fresh coriander on hand, so feel free to add some if you do.

To serve 1

You will need:
1 Ripe Avocado
3 Small Tomatoes 
1 Lime
1 Small Clove of Garlic
½ A Small Jalapeno Pepper
A little Salt

Method: 
1. Scoop out the flesh of the avocado into a bowl, removing the stone. Mash the avocado using a fork until only small chunks remain. Squeeze the juice from the lime into the bowl and mix in.
2. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cut into small pieces. Do the same with the jalapeno pepper and crush the garlic clove. Add these to the bowl, along with a pinch of salt and mix everything together. 
Enjoy!