Cauliflower Mince

I am moving away from using vegan frozen mince and introducing more whole foods into my diet. This is because whole foods are far more nutritious than any processed food, not to mention cheaper. In meals where I would usually use mince I have substituted it for cauliflower. This vegetable can become an amazingly hearty mince for dishes such as spaghetti bolognese or curry. 

You might not believe that a cauliflower can be transformed into mince but it is actually such a simple process, simply wash, chop and blend the cauliflower in a food processor. It ends up resembling bread crumbs. This can then be cooked in a sauce of your choice. 

I used it in a pasta sauce along with mushrooms and onion to create a vegan spaghetti bolognese. It is absolutely delicious and the cauliflower takes minutes to cook in the sauce. It makes the meal very filling, making it perfect for family dinners. It is also a healthy alternative to shop bought processed foods. Plus using vegetables makes the meal inexpensive, vegan food really can be cost effective. Try serving it with wholemeal pasta for a delicious, healthy and filling meal. 

Rice Dream Chocolate Milk

You can never have too much chocolate in your life. Either eating it or drinking it, the delicious taste of chocolate will never get old. This is why I love finding new products like this Rice Dream chocolate. It is Rice milk with added chocolate for a tasty drink. This is great for packed lunches or a chilled drink on a hot day. I liked the taste of it, rice milk is quite light and full of flavour. The chocolate adds a nice taste as plain rice milk doesn't have a particularly strong taste. I definitely recommend this product as a great snack. It is easy to take with you to work or school and has added calcium and is also low in fat. Bonus! 

Mallows- Vegan marshmallows

How cute is the new packaging for Freedom Mallows. These vegan marshmallows are delicious I have eaten them before but this packaging is new. I love the cute little character and packaging design. I love great illustrations on packaging and it seemed like a good enough reason to buy them, not that I needed much persuading as they are the perfect accompaniment to hot chocolate which is one of my favourite things.

They are labelled vegan and also suitable for many other diets as they are gluten free, dairy free, fat free, soy free and GMO free as well as nut free. Making them a really versatile snack for many people. This is another great vegan product. Check out more here: http://www.freedommallows.com/

Roasted Vegetables, Cous Cous Salad and Black Bean Noodles

Today's meal idea is one of my favourites. I love mixing different foods and flavours in a fusion of taste. It allows you to get many different flavours along with the combination of a variety of nutrients. 

This meal is so simple. I roasted some sweet potato which I had cubed, sprayed with fry light and added paprika to. I then roast them in the oven for half an hour or until soft. 

The couscous salad is a simple mix of wholemeal couscous cooked and them mixed with chopped spinach and any spices such as mixed herbs and basil. 

I also roasted some peppers, mushrooms and celery again sprayed with fry light and covered in mixed herbs. 

I also cooked black bean noodles (which are high in protein and a great alternative to pasta) and mixed them with some passata sauce and topped with fried red onion. 

This might seem like a lot of food but it is mainly vegetables with some healthy grains and noodles. However it is a delicious mixture and interesting combination of flavours. Most importantly it is filling, inexpensive and full of protein, vitamins and minerals. This is a great family meal as there is something for everyone and lots of choice. Each part of the meal is also quick to prepare so it is easy to get everything ready at once. 

Hopefully this meal idea will give you some ideas for your next healthy, vegan meal. 

Dairy Free Pizza at Dough

Dough, Manchester is a great place for vegans. The pizza restaurant in Manchester's Northern Quarter is great at catering for vegans. You can add vegan cheese onto any vegetarian pizza to make it vegan, they also add on a dairy free card so you can rest assured it is made with the right cheese. 

This pizza is my favourite it is a wild mushroom pizza with dairy free cheese and it tastes amazing! I don't eat out often so it is nice to go somewhere that has vegan options and delicious food. The vegan cheese is very creamy and filling so you might struggle to finish but they also do takeaways so you can take any left overs home in a box and this pizza was even nicer cold. 

Dough is definitely a place to visit if you are in Manchester. The Northern Quarter is also very vegan friendly with a lot of the places catering for different diets. Check it out if you are in the city. 

How to use Banana as a substitute for butter or eggs in baking

Bananas are a great substitute for dairy items and eggs in baking as the fruit can give the same outcome whilst making your baked good just that bit healthier. Here's how to use bananas as a substitute: 

1. To replace a whole egg in baking use 1/2 a mashed up banana for each egg needed. This works great in chewy recipes like brownies. 
2. Whatever amount of butter is needed in a recipe substitute the same amount of mashed up banana. This works well in chocolate cakes which will cover the banana taste. Or use the banana flavour to your advantage in banana muffins. 
3. Use them for flavour. Instead of syrups and flavourings which can be unnatural and full of sugar and calories use bananas to naturally sweeten cakes, biscuits and breads. Simply add some pureed bananas to your mixture, the amount will depend on how strong you want the flavour. 1 banana will be enough to flavour a cake. 

It is so easy to be healthy, even when baking. These ideas are great for making your sweet treats just that bit healthier and it is one way to increase your fruit intake if you don't like just eating bananas. Hope these ideas help you when you need a baking replacement. 

Quick, healthy meal idea Avocado and Chickpea spread on a Bagel with Couscous and Salad

I love quick and healthy foods it makes evening meals easier especially when you are in a rush. This meal idea combined lots of my favourite foods, I made it when I was home late so didn't want to spend a long time cooking but still wanted something healthy. 

I mashed together an avocado and a tin of chickpeas and added the juice of half a lemon and seasoned this with black pepper and added it to a toasted bagel. I then added chopped tomato and cucumber, fried onion and paired it with wholemeal couscous made with mushrooms and grated carrot. It took less than  30 minutes to prepare and was extremely filling and tasty, I also added tahini as a dressing. Eating healthy is easy and doesn't have to take long to prepare. Plus when you have a meal with many different foods you gain the nutrients from all the different ingredients as well as having array of flavour. I used the New York Co bagels for this meal which are vegan and high in protein making them a great part of a meal or a snack after working out. You also gain protein from the chickpeas and healthy fat from the avocado as well as nutrients from the rest of the vegetables. This meal shows that healthy food can be quick, simple and delicious.