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Oat, Nut and Chia Seed Energy Bars

I baked some yummy energy bars for the refreshments after last Saturday’s Yoga Nidra workshop.  Yes I surprised myself (!) and my students with my baking skills and they proved very popular.  These bars are packed with goodness.  Chia seeds are a great source of healthy omega-3 fats and fibre.  Health benefits of adding chia seeds to your diet include boosting energy, stablising blood sugar levels, adding digestion and lowering cholesterol.

As promised here is the recipe:

Makes 9 bars

Ingredients:
Oil, to grease
5 heaped tbsp condensed milk
1 heaped tbsp crunchy peanut butter
15g milled chia seeds
110g porridge oats
15g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
30g soft, pitted dates, chopped
30g soft apricots, chopped
30g raisins

Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1.  Grease an 18 x 20cm baking tray.

Gently warm the condensed milk in a saucepan.  Stir in the peanut butter, then all the other ingredients and spoon into the baking tray.  Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes, until golden, and leave to cool in the tray.

Now the challenge is what to bake for the next workshop!

 

 

 

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Chia Crazy!

Every day, I sprinkle Chia seeds onto my breakfast.  I also use them in baking, blended into smoothies and in tasty desserts.  These tiny seeds are jam packed with nutritional value and are extremely easy to add to your diet.

Chia, or Salvia hispanica L, is a member of the mint family from Mexico and South America. The Aztecs relied on chia as a staple food and revered it enough to use for religious ceremonies and medicinal purposes.

Rich in omega-3s, high in fibre, protein, magnesium and much more, it is no surprise that chia seeds are known as “the ultimate super food”.

  • Chia is gluten free
  • It is super high in dietary fibre, making it great for digestion and healing digestion issues.
  • It contains 20% Omega 3 ALA, making it a super food for the brain and heart. Chia has eight times more Omega 3 than salmon!
  • It boasts 20% protein
  • It is high in antioxidants
  • Chia contains five times more calcium than milk
  • Chia contains seven times more vitamin C than oranges
  • It contains three times more iron than spinach
  • It contains twice the potassium content of banana
  • It is food for healthy skin, hair and nails
  • It has a positive impact balancing blood glucose levels
  • Chia makes a great egg replacement. Just combine with water to form a gel, and add it to recipes that call for egg.

Here are a few simple ways to use chia seeds:

Blend into smoothies
Add a desert spoon of seeds to any smoothie and as the seeds have a “neutral” taste they mix well with any flavour combination.

Sprinkle onto breakfast cereals and yoghurt
This is my daily favourite and a great way to add nutrients to your first meal of the day.

Add to any baking recipe
Chia seeds can be easily added to any bread or baking recipe including gluten free recipes.  Adding chia seeds increases the nutritional density of the recipe whilst reducing the glycemic index due to the gelatinous outer coating found on chia seeds.  Check out this Oat, Nut and Chia Seed Energy Bar recipe.

Try sprouting with chia seeds
Perhaps something a little different but you can sprout and add to salads.

Make a ‘Chia Fresca”
Mix whole chia seeds with water or fruit juice to make a ‘Chia Fresca’ which translates as ‘fresh chia’.

A tasty (and healthy) Chia dessert
Per serving infuse ½ cup of almond milk with 1 teaspoon honey, vanilla extract and add 3 teaspoons of chia seeds.  Allow the chia seeds to expand, ideally overnight. This pudding is great eaten with fresh seasonal fruit making a tasty, healthy pudding!

Beetroot and Ginger Soup Recipe

Recipe

Seasonal food is fresher and tends to be tastier and more nutritious.  Eating seasonal food helps us to reconnect with nature’s cycles and can help us lead a more eco friendly life by reducing the airmiles of our food.

This Beetroot & Ginger Soup is a perfect winter warmer.  Beetroot is high in betacartotene and folic acid.  This root vegetable helps cleanse the liver and can assist in lowering incidences of heart disease.

Depending on the weather, you can add extra warmth to the soup by adding more ginger.  Ginger is useful if you feel a cold coming on or if you wish to warm up.  It also helps soothe digestion.

Serves 4

Prep: 15 mins / Cooking: 45 mins

Ingredients

3 tbsp oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 green chilli, roughly chopped
3 gloves of garlic chopped
2cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated (add more ginger if you wish to give the soup an extra warmth & kick)
500g beetroot, scrubbed and grated or finely chopped
1 small potato (about 100g), peeled and grated
750mls vegetable stock
Salt, to taste
Plain yoghurt or non-dairy yoghurt (for garnish)
Crusty bread

Method:

  1. Heat the oil in a large thick bottomed saucepan, add the chopped onion and fry for 10 minutes over a gentle heat until softened. Add the chilli, garlic and ginger and fry for a further 3 minutes.
  2. Add the beetroot and potato, stir the ingredients.  Add the stock to the pan and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. Leave the soup to cool slightly, blend until smooth and add salt to taste.
  4. Serve the soup with a topping of natural or non-dairy yoghurt and crusty bread.
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Aloha Yoga ~ Chickpea and Leek Soup

Here’s another recipe from our Bala Brook Aloha Yoga Retreat 2014.  Christine is a dedicated foodie and gets her inspiration from many sources including professional chefs.  This recipe is one of Jamie Oliver’s.

Minutes to prepare: 20
Minutes to cook:  30
Number of servings: 4

Ingredients:
12 oz chickpeas, soaked overnight in water
1 medium potato, peeled
6 leek, finely, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
knob of butter
2 cloves of garlic, finely, sliced
salt
freshly ground pepper
850 ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 handful parmesan cheese, grated
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

  1. Rinse the soaked chickpeas, cover with water, and cook with the potato until tender.
  2. Remove the outer skin of the leeks, slice lengthways from the root up, wash carefully and slice finely.
  3. Warm a thick-bottomed pan, and add the tablespoon of oil and the knob of butter. Add the leeks and garhc to the pan, and sweat gently with a good pinch of salt until tender and sweet.
  4. Add the drained chickpeas and potato and cook for 1 minute. Add about two-thirds of the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Purée half the soup in a food processor and leave the other half chunky this gives a lovely smooth comforting feel but also keeps a bit of texture.
  6. Now add enough of the remaining stock to achieve the consistency you like. Check for seasoning, and add Parmesan to taste to round off the flavours.

Source: jamieoliver.com

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Aloha Yoga ~ Asian Cashew Quinoa Salad

We are all BIG fans of our Aloha Yoga Retreat cook, Christine.  She creates our retreat menus, sources local ingredients and lovingly prepares our retreat meals.  Her food gives us inspiration and fresh ideas for dishes to make at home.

By popular request here is one of her lunchtime dishes.  A tasty salad which is vegan and gluten-free.  You can swap the cashews and cashew butter for peanuts and peanut butter.

And yes Christine will be with us for the Bala Brook 2015 Aloha Yoga Retreat!

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups finely cut purple cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper (capsicum), diced
2 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
½ cup chopped fresh coriander
½ cup cashews (or peanuts)

Dressing
¼ cup cashew butter (or peanut/almond butter)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried ginger)
3 tbsp tamari (light soy sauce)
2 tbsp agave (or maple syrup)
2 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp crushed red chili pepper (or 1 tsp Sriracha sauce)

Instructions

  1. Place the quinoa along with 2 cups salted water in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest heat setting. Simmer until water is completely absorbed and quinoa is fluffy, about 20 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together.
  3. Add the quinoa to the dressing and mix well to combine.
  4. Add the veggies, onions, cilantro and cashews.

Original source for this recipe:
Author: Angela @ Vegangela.com
Image credit vegangela.com
Adapted from http://www.juliehasson.com/2012/10/peanut-sesame-noodles

Warm Salad Recipe: Roasted Vegetables, Butter Beans and Feta

This is a super simple nutritious recipe that you can adapt dependant on the ingredients available to you.  I like to add a variety of beans such as butter beans and kidney beans.  So much taste for so little effort!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 red peppers, seeded and sliced
2 yellow peppers, seeded and sliced
2 red onions, sliced
2 medium courgettes, cut into chunks
4 tbsp olive oil
500g cooked butter beans
400g cherry tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar
200g feta cheese, roughly cubed
A handful of pine nuts (optional)
Rocket salad or mixed baby leaf salad to serve
Salt & black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas mark 4.
  2. Put all the prepared vegetables into a large roasting tin, add the olive oil and gently toss the vegetables to coat.
  3. Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are nearly tender, then give them a gentle stir and add the butter beans, whole cherry tomatoes, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, feta cheese, pine nuts and some seasoning.
  4. Return the vegetables to the oven for about 10 minutes.
  5. Serve with the salad leaves on top.