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Recipe: Sweet potato, chickpea and haloumi bowl
Wondering how you can eat more vegetables? Try this gluten-free vegetarian sweet potato, chickpea and haloumi bowl for breakfast or brunch. If you are short on time, you can streamline this recipe using any or all of the suggestions below: This recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian. It can be made lactose-free by using a lactose-free cheese. It can be made vegan by omitting the eggs and the haloumi (or using a non-dairy cheese). If you are vegan, I recommend you use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of (or in addition to) the pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar. This will enhance the absorption of the iron present in the baby spinach…
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Recipe: Mexican baked beans with eggs
These Mexican baked beans with eggs are an easy and affordable breakfast, brunch or anytime vegetarian meal. Using canned tomatoes and beans make this recipe quick, convenient and affordable. If you don’t have pinto beans you can substitute black or red kidney beans. Speaking of convenience, I use a ready-made spice mix (Mexican spice mix from Spice and Co) but you can use another brand, just look for Mexican or taco seasoning. If you can’t find any or prefer to make your own, the ingredients in the spice mix I use are: paprika, chipotle chilli, chillies, cumin, coriander, oregano, onion, garlic, cinnamon, sea salt and pepper. This recipe has a…
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Recipe: Grilled vegetable and pesto frittata
This grilled vegetable and pesto frittata highlights the versatility of the mighty frittata when it comes to ingredients, eating occasion and cooking technique. I made the entire recipe in a Weber gas BBQ and a BBQ pan, but you can use an oven and oven-safe pan or baking dish instead. While this frittata takes more time to make than the ones that use uncooked or pre-cooked vegetables, the result is definitely worth it, in particular if you enjoy Mediterranean flavours. Having said that, you can cook the vegetables in advance or use leftover vegetables from another meal. You can also use store-bought pesto but I have not found any that…
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How to add more protein to your breakfast
As we’ve seen before, eating adequate protein at breakfast is a great strategy for improving body composition and maintaining muscle mass. In this article we explore how to add more protein to your breakfast. Protein for breakfast As discussed in a previous article, higher protein breakfasts can help with satiety and weight management. Moreover, sports nutrition science points at an ideal dose of 0.25-0.30g of protein per kg of body weight per meal (including breakfast!) for building muscle. High protein breakfasts Breakfasts that can be naturally high in protein include: Leftovers from dinner Egg-based breakfasts (boiled/poached/fried/scrambled eggs, omelette, frittata) Smoothie with milk, yoghurt and/or protein powder However, if your breakfast…
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Should you eat breakfast?
Should you eat breakfast? This continues to be a controversial topic when it comes to health and nutrition. Although every person’s biology is different, it seems that the majority of people would benefit from not skipping the first meal of the day. Breakfast: the most important meal of the day? Conspiracy theorists and skeptics tend to be of the opinion that breakfast was proclaimed “the most important meal of the day” as a marketing strategy to increase the food industry’s profits. However, there has been some scientific evidence to suggest that breakfast is indeed associated with weight loss and improved body composition (1). Benefits of eating breakfast Satiety and hunger…
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Recipe: Low carb silverbeet and ricotta pie
This low carb silverbeet and ricotta pie is a spin on “pastel de acelga” (a.k.a. “torta Pascualina” in Argentina and Uruguay). It’s great for brunch or any other time of the day. In Perú, “pastel de acelga” is commonly found in bakeries and cafes, from the humblest to the fanciest. The filling commonly features bread, milk and Parmesan cheese. I prefer to use ricotta for better texture and flavour. I used an almond meal crust to make it both low-carb and gluten-free but you can use your favourite savoury pie crust recipe or pre-made pie crust.
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Recipe: Green shakshuka
Green shakshuka is a tasty variation to the traditional tomato-based Middle Eastern breakfast dish. It is a great way to get a few serves of vegetables during the first half of the day. The beauty of green shakshuka is that you can use any green vegetables and herbs you have in hand. In that sense, it’s a lot more customisable than the original version, in my opinion. This recipe is gluten-free and low-carb. It can be made dairy free by omitting the cheese or using a plant-based one. Serve it with your choice of bread. I used some outstanding gluten-free pita from Nonie’s Food.
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Recipe: Lazy eggs benny
Lazy eggs benny is one of my go-to favourite brunches. It’s the no-fuss quick and easy version of proper eggs Benedict, hence the name “lazy”. Below are my guidelines to make eggs benny lazy: use soft-boiled eggs instead of poached ones use smoked salmon or ham, which don’t need to be cooked, instead of bacon use mayonnaise instead of hollandaise (it’s easier to make and keeps longer in the fridge) use whatever bread you have in hand, no need to go out of your way to buy English muffins while spinach is the most common vegetable used in eggs Benedict, you can use whatever greens or other vegetables you have…
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Recipe: Pan con chicharrón (Peruvian pork roll)
Pan con chicharrón is one of the most iconic sandwiches of my home country. This is the Peruvian version of pork roll commonly eaten for breakfast or lonche (afternoon tea). Chicharrón commonly refers to fried pork in many former Spanish colonies. In Peru, however, you can also find chicharrón de pollo (chicken), pescado (fish), mariscos (seafood), etc. But back to pork! Peruvian chicharrón is cooked similarly to Mexican carnitas: boiled until the water is evaporated and then fried, traditionally in lard but these days usually in oil. Then it’s served in a French-style bread roll with slices of camote frito (fried sweet potato) and salsa criolla (lime-marinated onions). My version…
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Product review: Uncle Toby’s Super Blends
Uncle Toby’s Super Blends are a tasty upgrade to plain breakfast porridge. They are a convenient and fibre-rich way of starting your day. Uncle Toby’s Super Blends The current flavours are Prebiotic Fibre, Protein Almond and Protein Cranberry. They come in boxes containing 8 individual serve pouches. They can be made by simply mixing with 2/3 cup milk (don’t worry if you don’t have a measuring cup, you can fill the empty sachet up to a line) and microwaving for a couple of minutes. You can also use them in a variety of recipes that you can get on the website. They recommend using skim milk but any milk (or…
