Vegan / Plant based

Roasted butternut squash & Bulgar Salad – 120 calories

flidfit Recipes, Salads, Salads, Vegan / Plant based

This is another go-to recipe that I make often, and it always goes down well when I serve it for lunch with friends. It’s also ideal for preparing in advance, as it transports easily and keeps well in the fridge for several days in a sealed container.

The flavours in this dish work really well together. I can’t actually remember how I first came up with the combination, but like many of my recipes, it has gradually evolved over time through experimenting with different ingredients and quantities. I’ve also added aubergine, mushrooms and green beans at different times, and they all worked really well. You can also crumble some Feta over the salad once it has cooled.

Sumac brings a distinctive sharpness and freshness — a tangy, lemony flavour that instantly brightens salads and savoury dishes. Made from dried and ground berries, it has a beautiful, deep reddish-purple colour that adds warmth and vibrancy to the finished dish.

The tamarind adds a different flavour again. It has a sweet-and-sour taste with a slight richness that works really well in dressings. It also gives the dressing a darker colour and helps coat the ingredients evenly, bringing all the flavours together nicely.

Now, at the risk of sounding like a bit of a foodie snob, I do think the quality of the tamarind paste makes a real difference here. I use a particular variety from Steenbergs, which I’ve only ever seen once in a shop and usually buy via Amazon. It is quite pricey, but a little goes a long way.

Once you’ve tried this recipe, I am sure it will become a firm favourite for you too!  A proper “rinse and repeat” in our house.

Let me know what you think!

Roasted butternut squash & Bulgar Salad – 120 calories

Preparation Time:              25 mins

Cooking Time:                    45 mins

Serves:                                   7

Calories per serving:          120

 

Ingredients

Red Onion                                                                  –    180g

Butternut Squash, Raw                                          –    800g

Red pepper                                                               –    One whole

Sumac Spice Mix                                                     –    6g

Bulgur Wheat, Dry Weight                                   –    100g

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin                                           –    12ml

Concentrated Tamarind Paste,
Concentrated, Steenbergs                                    –    3 tsps/6g

Fresh mint leaves, chopped                                 –    4 tbsps/6.4g

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.

Peel and chop the butternut squash into 1.5cm cubes.

Remove the stalk and core, and cut the red pepper into 1.5cm cubes. Peel chop the onion into chunks.

Put 15ml of the oil into a roasting dish and place in the oven to heat. After 10 minutes, add the chopped butternut. Stir until coated with the oil. Place into the centre of the oven for 15 minutes. Then add the onion and pepper, sprinkle over the sumac, and stir to ensure everything is coated in the oil. Continue roasting for 10-15 minutes.

Once the oven roasted vegetables are cooked (softened and beginning to char) remove from the oven and add the tamarind paste – stir through to combine.

Cook the bulgar wheat according to the packet instructions. I cook mine in a microwave rice steamer for around 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.  When cooked, drain thoroughly.

Once the bulgar wheat has cooled slightly, add it to the roasted vegetable mix and stir through, combining evenly.

Chop the fresh mint (place leaves in a shallow cup and chop with kitchen scissors – makes it very quick and easy!) Sprinkle onto the salad and stir through.

This can be eaten warm or cold as a salad. Filling and very tasty!

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)       120.9

Protein (g)             2.8

Carbohydrate (g)   23.1

Fat (g)                  2.2

Fibre (g)                3.6

Fruit & Veg            1.6

Carrot, apple, date, pecan and lime salad – 73 calories

flidfit Recipes, Salads, Salads, Vegan / Plant based, Vegeterian

I mentioned in my last blog post that I’d be sharing some salad ideas.  Over the coming weeks, I plan to share some of my favourite salad recipes. From quick everyday lunches to more substantial salads that make a complete meal, these are the kinds of dishes I never seem to tire of.

This first salad is a carrot, apple, date, pecan and lime salad. It’s refreshing, colourful and has a whole lot of flavour and texture going on. The natural sweetness of the carrot, combined with a small quantity of chopped dates, works beautifully, whilst the coconut and lime juice add an almost tropical flavour. The pecans add a lovely crunch to the dish.

I tend to make a batch of this and serve a small portion alongside other salad dishes I prepare, along with a regular green salad. When I say “green” salad, that usually consists of lettuce, cucumber, celery, red onion, red pepper, radish, apple, tomatoes and coriander.

The beauty of salads is that they can be prepared in advance, are easy to transport for a day out, and take quite a while to munch and crunch through, which somehow makes lunch feel like a much more leisurely occasion.

Carrot, apple, date, pecan and lime salad

Preparation Time:      10 minutes

Serves:                        8

Calories per serving:  72.3

 

Ingredients

Raw Carrots, Peeled        –  500g

Dates, Dried                     –  35g

Pecan Nuts, Halved        –  25g

Desiccated Coconut        –  15g

Lime Juice, Fresh           –  1 Lime Juiced/50ml

Eating Apple, Fresh       –  1 Apple /120g

Fresh Coriander             –  1 Bunch/20g

 

Method

Peel and coarsely grate the carrot. Core the apple, cut into bite-sized pieces.

Roughly chop the dates and pecans. Juice the lime. Chop the coriander.

Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly to ensure everything is evenly coated with lime juice.

Store in a sealed container in the fridge.  This will store for around 5 to 6 days.

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)            73

Protein (g)                  1.1

Carbohydrate (g)         9.0

Fat (g)                         3.6

Fibre (g)                      2.5

Fruit & Veg                 1.3

Leek, mushroom and nut Wellington – 590 calories

flidfit Recipes, Travel & Holidays, Vegan / Plant based, Vegeterian

My healthy Christmas dinner this year was a gorgeous nut, leek and mushroom wellington, served with sweet roasted carrots and parsnips. It’s a naturally vegetarian dish, and with a tiny tweak it becomes fully vegan too.

It looks wonderfully indulgent on the plate, but it’s surprisingly easy to pull together – especially if you prep the filling ahead. And because it all comes together in one pan, you still get that Christmas magic without the mountain of washing up.

Leek, mushroom and nut Wellington

Preparation Time:     30 mins

Cooking Time:     30 mins

Serves:     4

Calories per serving:     589.5

 

Ingredients

Ready Roll Puff Pastry                                                               –   320g

Cavolo Nero                                                                                 –   60g

Leeks, Raw, Trimmed                                                                –   200g

Garlic, Raw                                                                                   –   2 Cloves/6g

Chestnut Mushrooms                                                                 –   200g

Chestnuts, Whole, Roasted & Peeled, Vacuum Packed      –   180g

Stuffing Mix, Sage & Onion, Dry                                             –   25g

Nutritional Yeast Flakes                                                           –   1 Tbsp/15g

White Miso Paste                                                                       –   1 Tbsp/15g

Soy Sauce                                                                                     –   1 Tbsp/15g

Olive Oil                                                                                       –   10ml

Eggs, Medium (for pastry glaze)                                             –   ½ Egg/28g

Nigella Seeds                                                                               –   ½ Tsp/2.5g

Walnuts, shelled                                                                         –   25g

Pecan Nuts, shelled                                                                   –   25g

Preparation:

Remove any tough stalks from the kale and roughly slice.  Chop the leek finely and wash thoroughly.  Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves.  Wash the mushrooms and finely chop them.  Roughly chop the chestnuts, walnuts and pecans.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

 

Method:

Pour the oil into a large frying pan or wok and heat over a medium heat.

Sauté the leeks, kale and garlic in the oil for 10 mins until soft, stirring regularly to avoid burning and sticking.

Add chopped mushrooms, continue cooking, stirring regularly, until browned, and the moisture is gone.

Stir in miso paste, soy sauce, nutritional yeast and stuffing mix. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and then allow to cool.  Once cool, add in the chopped chestnuts, walnuts and pecans.

Roll out the sheet of puff pastry.

Lay the cooled mixture in the middle (lengthwise) of the pastry sheet and fold over the sides to make a long parcel (or sausage). Seal the edges well, along the long edge and the ends.  Use a little water to ensure everything is tightly sealed.

Score the top lightly in a diamond pattern (do not cut all the way through the pastry) to allow steam to escape. Brush with the whisked egg (or milk), sprinkle with nigella seeds

Bake on a lined baking tray in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and crispy.

————————

The filling can be made in advance.  The Wellington can be assembled ahead of time and stored refrigerated until required.

Mounjaro Journey 17 weeks, 2 x 5mg

flidfit Eating Out, Eating Out, Mounjaro, Vegan / Plant based, Vegeterian

Another good week… I’m a little late posting an update as I have been celebrating my birthday (63!) and my sister and brother-in-law are staying for five days.  They live about a 3-hour drive away, so we are treating their stay as a mini-staycation and have been enjoying days out.  We were joined by my daughter and her boyfriend for two days – they travelled all the way from Leeds (about 4 hours away) to join in the birthday celebrations.

These included a boat trip along the River Thames, a lovely walk in the sunshine along the river to Caversham for lunch at Vegivores, a vegan restaurant, and a morning trip to a local museum – The Museum of English Rural Life.

Food choices have been good – I prepared all of our evening meals in advance and put them into the freezer.  A fish pie, a carrot, lentil and beef bolognese and a Moroccan spiced minced lamb with stuffed roasted peppers.

We took packed lunches (salad for me) and our vegan restaurant lunch was carefully selected – a vegan macaroni cheese and delicious tahini crunch salad – shredded rainbow veggies, tahini dressing, sesame, mint and lime.

 

Of course, there was (birthday) cake, homemade butternut squash spiced cake.  I enjoyed one slice, and the rest was eagerly consumed by everyone else over the staycation.

I took 2 x 5mg injections from my 10mg pen 5 days apart.  I could feel hunger pangs returning on day 4!

I realise the feeling-hungry sensation was a daily occurrence before Mounjaro… and I most certainly don’t miss it.

As the maximum effect of the injection occurs around 48 hours after administration, it’s helpful to time it before the food noise becomes too overwhelming and hunger pangs become too unbearable.

Weight loss this week – 600g (approximately 1.3 lb), so my current weight is 61.4kg, down 10kg from my starting weight on June 2nd.

Just 4.4kg away from my target weight.

Beetroot and carrot fritters – 56 calories each

flidfit Healthy Swaps, Vegan / Plant based, Vegeterian , , ,

I like to think I am a bit creative and adventurous when it comes to my cooking.

I had a batch of grated carrot and beetroot in the fridge that I had been eating with my salads during the week.  This needed to be used up to save it being wasted.

I searched the internet for suitable “carrot and beetroot fritter” recipes and whilst none appealed particularly, they inspired me to create my own version.  I served them alongside a surprisingly tasty yogurt dressing made from Greek yogurt, lemon juice, a teaspoon of strong horseradish sauce and a teaspoon of mint sauce.  This dressing offset the sweetness of the fritters perfectly.

Don’t judge me – I served this up with a couple of boiled eggs for added protein – and that worked well!

Preparation Time:           10 mins

Cooking Time:                  10 mins

Makes:                                7

Calories per fritter:          55.6

 

Ingredients

Beetroot, raw, peeled and grated                    165g

Carrots, raw, peeled and grated                        95g

Red Onion, raw, peeled and grated                  37g

Parsley, Fresh, chopped                                      10g

Plain Flour                                                             30g

Medium Egg                                                          1 Egg/56g

Olive oil, for frying                                               15ml

Method

Coarsely grate the carrot, beetroot and onion and combine.  Chop the parsley and add to the mixture, stir through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the flour over the grated vegetables and stir through until absorbed. Whisk the egg in a cup and then add to the vegetables and stir to combine.

Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan.

Add spoonfuls of the mixture to the pan, shaping into a round and flattening. Fry one side until golden and then carefully flip to cook the second side.

These will keep in a fridge for 2-3 days.

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)                55.6

Protein (g)                         1.9

Carbohydrate (g)             5.6

Fat (g)                                2.9

Fibre (g)                            0.9

Fruit & Veg                     0.5

Black Bean Chocolate Truffles – 40 calories each

flidfit Healthy Swaps, Sweet Treats, Vegan / Plant based, Vegeterian ,

Let’s face it, most of us have a sweet tooth and those sweet “treats” that we so love are often some of the most highly processed, refined sugar dense calories that you can find!  Very rarely can one derive any benefit from the ingredients.

Determined to allow myself to indulge in sweet treats – I’ve been on the search for tasty treats that offer some nutritional benefit.

These are amazing!  Who’d know that they contain beans!

 

Black Bean Chocolate Truffles – 90 calories per bite

 

Preparation Time:                    5 mins

Cooking Time:                          N/A

Serves:                                       20

Calories per serving:               40 per truffle

 

Ingredients

Oat Flour                                                 30g

Dates, Soft, Pitted                                 125g

Peanut Butter Powder, PB Fit            25g

White Miso Paste                                  1 Tsp/5g

Vanilla Extract                                      1 Tsp/5ml

Cacao Powder                                        25g

Black Beans, Tinned, in Water          1 Can/240g

Method

Drain and rinse the black beans.

Place everything into a food processor and blitz until a nice doughy ball has formed. If your dates are too firm, microwave for 10-15 seconds until softened.

Roll into walnut sized truffles and optionally roll them in cacao powder for that tempting truffle look!

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)                           39.9

Protein (g)                                    1.8

Carbohydrate (g)                        5.6

Fat (g)                                           0.4

Fibre (g)                                       3.2

Fruit & Veg                                 0.4

 

Creamy Alfredo Pasta Sauce (Vegan) – 152 calories per portion

flidfit Vegan / Plant based

Who doesn’t like a creamy cheese sauce – poured over pasta or topping a dish full of vegetables.  This creamy vegan version of Alfredo sauce is nutritious and versatile – plus full of fibre, thanks to the chickpeas, cashew nuts and cauliflower.  Virtually no cooking involved apart from steaming the cauliflower – everything is whizzed up in a food blender.

Try it – you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

A regular Alfredo sauce has butter, double cream and lots of parmesan, so is probably three times as many calories.

I’ve used mine here to make a pasta bake, adding cooked fusilli, a couple of slices of ham, shredded.  Then topped with grated parmesan, Cheddar and panko breadcrumbs, heated in the oven for 30 minutes until golden and crispy.

Now I’ve tried this, it’ll be appearing in recipes more often.

Creamy Alfredo Pasta Sauce (Vegan) – 152 calories per portion

Preparation Time:         20 mins

Cooking Time:              N/A

Serves:                            4

Calories per serving:    152.0

 

Ingredients

Cauliflower, Steamed                           300g

Cannellini Beans, tinned, drained     110g

Cashew Nuts, Plain                               40g

Yeast, Flakes, Nutritional, Engevita   4 Tbsps/40g

Juice, Lemon, Fresh                              2 Tbsps/30ml

Garlic Puree                                            8g

Water, Mineral Or Tap                        150ml

Onions granules                                   ½ Tsp/2.5g

 

Method

Boil or steam your cauliflower until soft.

When the cauliflower is soft, place into a food processor, add the remaining sauce ingredients and blend on high until nice and smooth.

Use as a pasta sauce or to top dishes in place of a cheese sauce.

 

Nutrition Information

Calories (kcal)      152.0

Protein (g)               9.3

Carbohydrate (g)    10.7

Fat (g)                     7.0

Fibre (g)                  5.9

Fruit & Veg              1.5

Creamy avocado and lime dressing (Keto)

flidfit Healthy Swaps, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegan / Plant based

Studying the list of ingredients on shop-bought salad dressings can be quite revealing and even shocking – especially when it comes to the sugar  content and all of those preservatives.  So many contain a lot of water too…

So have embarked on finding some healthy dressing recipes.  Here’s the first.

Avocado, Flesh Only, Average – 170g

Juice, Lime, Fresh, Average – 40ml

Oil, Olive, Average – 30ml

Water, Mineral Or Tap – 30ml

Garlic, Raw, Average – 1 Clove / 3g

Coriander, Leaves, Fresh, Average – 15g

Cumin, Ground, Average – 0.25 Tsp / 1g

Pepper, Black, Freshly Ground, Average – 0.25 Tsp / 1g

Salt, Rock, Average – 0.25 Tsp / 1g

Method

Place all the ingredients In a food processor or blender.  I used a stick blender with a deep and narrow blending container.

Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides a few times. Thin the salad dressing out with about the water (give or take) until it reaches a desired consistency.

Keep in an airtight container or jar for 1-2 weeks.

It’s been difficult to work out the nutrition for this, but it’s about 244 calories per 100g / 37 calories per 15g tablespoon.  But given that this dressing is so thick and creamy and full of “good” fats, it’s likely to satiate.  And from a health point of view, very nutritional…

Please do get in touch if there are any dressing recipes you’ve come across that are Keto friendly!