I don't think I've crossed paths with a single person who doesn't love hummus... if I do in the near future, I am simply not interested in getting to know them. Jokes, I'll befriend them anyway and they'll come to grow a love for hummus through our friendship .. that's actually not a joke. Right, being serious for a second. This Middle-East Origin dip is my all time favourite and for those who are unaware it's primarily made from sesame seed paste which is normally blended together with chickpeas and lemon juice along with other ingredients. Once blended, this becomes a thick and creamy mixture which is suitable to compliment with many different food groups, it is also common to be incorporated into salads and  the base of wraps but for the majority it is mutually known to be the best for snacking during or in between meals. Most of us all seem to subtract a category from our diets nowadays, whether we're meat-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free .. let me tell you - fortunately I can guarantee that this mixture is NOT taste-free; and it's the dish which suits ALL diets. Yes,  so go ahead and spread that shit  everywhere!

I simply get nostalgic every time I eat hummus, it takes me back to my first year of university when I was living at campus for the simple fact that it used to be my staple dinner. You know how the first year goes you are settling in, doing freshers week which we all know lasts longer than just the first week, whilst also adjusting to your schedule, we don't always find the time to cook and well I'm not kidding when I say at least once a week (if not twice) I would make homemade hummus by just adding everything in a food mixer and  toast 2-3 pittas and presto, basta my din dins was done in under five minutes. I'd hop right into bed, after a long day and cuddle up in my quilt in the warmth on a cold winters night. I'd put on Family Guy or South Park on a loop which was the norm for me back then and just tuck into this big bowl of hummus with veggie crudités along with my warm toasted pittas. Hands down it made one of my best university moments to date, I used to love the small weekly rituals I arranged for myself. Food really does bring you some of the happiest moments.

It is seriously so tasty which I'm not going to emphasise on as I am sure that the majority of you can vouch that for yourselves however, what I can assert is that it is also so nutritious for the body. It's naturally a plant-based food which is high in protein and fibre, has the right amount of healthy fats due to the sesame paste which will allow to keep you fuller for longer. Hummus is also known to balance the hormones as it contains oestrogen due to the chickpeas and is also considered to be anti-inflammatory which can be beneficial to many. You don't have to be a  non - meat eater to enjoy this.. You need a quick pick me up? You're set! Look no further.

To make the scrambled tofu yellow in colour to represent real eggs - this is done by adding turmeric. This form of 'food colouring' is a healthy variation as incorporating this super food into your meals is very important and has various benefits towards our health. I specify more in detail about the beneficial properties in my turmeric blog post which you can view here. 

YOU WILL NEED:

Serves one

- x 1/4 block of firm tofu

- x 1 white flour wrap  

(opt for a gluten free wrap if you wish)

- x 1tsp of turmeric powder

- x 1tsp of ground cumin 

- x 1tsp of dairy free butter

 (or coconut oil)

- x 4 cherry tomatoes 

(or x1 whole diced tomato)

- x 1/2 ripe avocado

- x 1 bunch of spinach leaves

 (I used lettuce as I ran out of spinach)

- x 1 dash of hot sauce of your choice 

(optional but recommended)

- Salt and pepper to taste

-

HOW TO:

Make sure to take the tofu block and crumble it into small pieces with your hands similar to the above photo. This is to give the scrambled egg effect. Once that's done,  mix your turmeric and cumin spices until they are coated evenly. 

Add a dash of butter to cook the tofu slightly and add the tomatoes into the mix. This will only cook for about 3 minutes just to slightly warm up and cook the 'eggs'. Once that's done set it aside until you prepare your burrito.

Start by throwing one tortilla on an open fire on the stove. This is not for long and just until it warms up and burns slightly. Alternatively, for a safe option get a large frying pan and add your wrap in the pan to burn that way. Burning the wrap slightly really makes a big difference in taste and I will never skip out this step.

TIP: Place a tinfoil sheet before stacking your burrito, so that it's easier to roll once you're done.

Add your greens as a base, I usually always use spinach leaves however, I didn't have on me and frozen spinach wouldn't exactly have done the trick so I went with second best which is lettuce. Lettuce is equally as delicious and gives that needed crunch but the reason I wanted spinach was for the added benefits from the leaves as, lettuce has zero calories or nutrients for that matter. 

Add your avocado next, I have a tendency to smash it deep into the wrap so when I come to eat it pieces won't fall out which has happened in the past and can make the experience quite infuriating to eat. 

This step is optional, but I do recommend this for a little kick. I always did it with normal eggs but the tofu scrambled eggs could do with it even more to make it all the more pleasant. My all time favourite hot sauce is Cholula. Which sadly I've been on a hunt here in Malta and can't seem to find it anywhere. I have to make sure to stock up the next time I go up to England (unless, anywhere wants to send it over to me! I'll be forever grateful!) i had to go with the only option that was in my kitchen cabinet : tabasco.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

I've never been a big fan of granola, for the simple reason that they have always been far too sweet for my liking with no surprise they contain a lot of unnecessary sugars and another reason being that the majority contain coconut flakes. Now here is the weird part, I am somehow allergic to coconut flesh but not coconut water or oil for that matter. Does anyone care to explain to me why that is? The only theory I can come up with is perhaps the flesh is too rich for my body handle. I basically don't digest it properly and I without a fail always break out on my face which makes eating it not appealing to me anymore. This happened often when I used to buy granola with coconut flakes in it and I never made the connection between the two. I always thought granola just never suited me in general. It's only until recently that I realised it's been the coconut all along and for these reasons, I was always more keen on oatmeal for a healthier alternative well that might have all changed once again.

Since this new smoothie bowl trend -  adding the granola I find really compliments the bowl nicely and I really do recommend to include a handful just to give it that extra bite and volume. I didn't want to stay buying store bought granola 1. so I don't have to spend a ridiculous amount such as £5 for a packet 2. it probably won't even go down right for this it's too much hassle  andjust to make it picture worthy, I am not interested. Instead I made a compromise and made oatmeal-like granola, minus the oil and sugar and just a hint of agave and water to help bind the  ingredients together to make them cluster like the real things. I was quite impressed with the outcome considering the minimal ingredients I used, not only does this make it fairly reasonably priced to make your own in a massive batch but you can make these sporadically to last you a while. This allows you to change the ingredients as you go along  -you don't always have to wait for the whole packet to be consumed before adding something new to the mix. Fancy dark choc bits or goji berries one morning for a sweet taste? Granola as you go along!

INGREDIENTS:

-x1cup rolled oats

-x1tbsp pumpkin seeds

-x1 tbsp sunflower seeds

-x1tbsp of chia seeds 

-x1tbsp agave syrup

-x1tsp of mixed crushed nuts* (optional but recommended)

*I mixed walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds and crush them in tiny chunks. The nuts you choose depends on your preference of choice the above are just my personal favourites but to each his own. 

HOW TO:

1. Combine all the ingredients except the agave syrup in a bowl. 

2. Add a 1/4 cup of water and mix well. This will allow all the ingredients to slightly stick together this is to take the place of where usually olive oil comes in. It works equally as well.

3. Once the mixture has become more clunky add your agave syrup for sweetness and for it to stick slightly more. 

4. Add on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Each oven will vary so make sure to keep an eye that it doesn't burn - you want them to golden and have that crunchy texture!  

5. That is all my friends. Add it on your smoothie bowls like I did in the above picture or pour some oat milk over them and enjoy them as cereal with blueberries for a sweeter touch they have both been tried, tested and devoured by yours truly! 

When it's scalding hot outside, eating fresh foods in the summer heat really gets you by. Not only does it freshen you down but it also keeps you active and your energy levels up whilst also keeping you hydrated from all the water we would have lost through sweat. I'm not one who usually can endure the heat but when I eat light, healthy and fresh ingredients I feel all the way better and it boosts my mood completely. 

I love nourish bowls which could also be considered as Buddha bowls. These super bowls are basically a bunch of nutrient dense foods put together to make up a tasty lunch or dinner. There isn't a specific way to make them - honestly the ingredients you choose are limitless. I kind of went with what I had left in my fridge and threw everything together from there, I did have artichoke hearts in the freezer which I knew would work fantastically for this recipe and my judgement call was spot on. 

Kalamata olives are one of my favourite things of all time. In general I'm an olive person I know it's a love or hate food but put olives on anything and I'll be content. In this case the black olives compliment the artichokes and tomatoes so nicely, to give it that Mediterranean touch which it's all about. I do recommend if you have any on hand or are considering to make a nourish bowl of your choice to include some olives - you won't be disappointed. This has just inspired me to make one of my all time favourite french dips : tapenade. so stay tuned for that!

HERE IS HOW TO MAKE YOUR NOURISH BOWL:

GRAIN: It's ideal to always have a base in this case referring to a form of grain. Start by adding some rice, quinoa, Bulgar wheat or any grain of your choice to make this meal more substantial and balanced. 

FAT: We should always incorporate fat in every meal. Here I have added 1/2 an avocado to this dish. The black olives are also considered a fat. 

VEGGIES: Fill up with as many vegetables as you want. Vegetables are so low in calories you can eat in abundance until you feel satisfied, eat the rainbow so they say add as many colour variations as you like to get in various forms of micro-nutrients. Try to stick to vegetables which are in season to guarantee it's fresh and organic as possible. 

PROTEIN: In this case the quinoa works for both  my carbs and my protein. Usually I would have added an extra boost of protein which could vary from anything such as beans, lentils, tofu, chicken, beef, tuna.. whatever is on your mind and you think will mesh well with the other ingredients.

SAUCE: This goes down to the finishing touches which will make your nourish bowls almost come to life. Having that added flavour always compliments a dish. I decided to just squeeze half a lime on mine just to keep it as minimal as possible but there have been other days where I added hot sauce for an extra kick. A tahini dressing could work so nicely also. Again experiment with what you like and just go with it!

INGREDIENTS: 

-x4 Nori Sheets 

- x1/2 cup of White sushi rice 

-x1/2 cup of White quinoa

-x1tbsp of White rice vinegar 

-x1 Whole ripe avocado

-x1 Snowpeas (optional) *

-x1/4 Firm tofu (optional) *

YOU WILL NEED: 

-x1 bamboo mat 

(If you don't have one, you can easily substitute this for cling film which equally works great and forming perfect sushi rolls + less to clean up as you can simply throw the film away right after)

I swear I'm not the first person to say this and I won't be the last..  cutting into an Avocado and it appearing to be perfectly ripe is like hitting the jackpot seriously. It's not often you get this lucky where it's visually appealing. Good thing it happened on a day I was photographing this recipe.. I bet it somehow knew and wanted to look good...

HOW TO:

For one cup of rice I added two cups of water which is the standard way measurement for cooking grains. I however found that it absorbed rather quickly and had to add an extra 1/2 cup of water. So monitor your rice and wing it to see how much water it needs, start out with small amounts and add gradually you don't want to fill the pan all the way to the top as you want the water to absorb!

Once you've cooked your rice, which should naturally absorb all the water on it's own, you can add your tbsp of rice white vinegar, this is what makes the sushi and will give it the proper taste to the rice. 

Make sure to use a flat spatula like mine in the above or something to help you flatten the rice mixture properly. You could perhaps use the back of a spoon but might not be as convenient. 

Make sure to flatten it like so and to just leave space on the top and bottom edges similar to when putting marinara sauce on a pizza base. This is where the two ends will meet once you roll and seal the whole thing. 

Starting by adding your toppings. You don't want to over pack your rolls as it won't be as easy to roll and you'll find the fillings to pop out once cutting them.

TIP: with avocado squash your slices slightly to make them fairly mashed so that you won't have them popping out of the sushi rolls once you come to cut them later. trust me you'll come to thank me later.

Make sure to roll the sheet firmly, you pick up the bamboo sheet and start rolling and every time make sure you are pressing tight and pushing the roll back, keep repeating this process until you get to the top. Make sure to keep pressing and backwards as this helps it stay to a normal sized shape roll. I swear it's not a complex method. once you make the two ends meet ad a bit of water on the outer edge to get the two sides to stick more effectively.

Today is basically a post about what I ate today. I always love seeing these on Instagram and youtube as they always inspire me with new ideas and recipes and decided to share my own daily food intake. Been working a little rough hours as of late, so diet wise hasn't been the best having today as a day off has really helped to get back on track with starting to go buy groceries and fill up my fridge with yummy ingredients!

For breakfast it was my personal favourite you can find the recipe here, I don't always get the chance to make smoothie bowls but when I do they make my day! I decided to make a banana rich bowl for breakfast it's so fast and so good it's the perfect start.

I love when I get a chance just to enjoy my food outside in the fresh air, I am the first to admit that most of the time I eat whilst with technology on be it the TV or going through social media on my phone which I have to realise for myself that it is so bad because we don't fully acknowledge the food that we intake, but also distracts us from knowing when our brain is giving us the signal of being full which in turn will make us eat more than we need too and put on more unnecessary weight which I quite frankly don't want.

This is such a comfort dish and suprisingly good for the health despite being good for the soul. Tom came home early today so we had the pleasure of cooking together. We decided to make a sweet jacket potato with cauliflower rice which hit the spot quite nicely -- you can find the recipe here

I usually would have snacked throughout the afternoon but lunch kept us going  - which was amazing! for dinner I was thinking of making something quite low key. Scrambled eggs in a tortilla w/ Spinach & Avocado! Simple yet still delicious -- Add some Cholula ontop and it's a date!

I decided to make cauliflower rice for lunch, I love regular rice but I decided to go for a lighter option today and with no surprise it is equally as good! I can guarantee that this dish will start to become a staple for a fast dish which is filled with nutrients which is gluten free and can easily turn into a vegan dish if you just opt out from the feta!

Ingredients:

x1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

         x1 handful of kale 

               x1/2 cup of button mushrooms

x1/2 cup of mushrooms

x1 cup of Cauliflower Rice 

x1 splash (10/20ml) of white wine 

x1tbsp of rosemary

x2tbsp of crumbled feta cheese (optional)

x1tsp of spring onion

x2 sweet potatoes 

(if you decide to make a sweet jacket potato with this dish) 

salt & pepper to taste