Healthy

Curried Chickpeas

Uncategorized

This recipe is yet another of my hostel kitchen creations inspired by the “free food” basket. Tinned chickpeas are a staple item on my shopping list. Tinned items are a backpackers dream as they last forever, travel well on buses & need minimal preparation.

I created this recipe over the weekend and have been eating them on a near daily basis since. Apologies in advance if you get a little addicted like me!

Serves 4 as a side.

Curried Chickpeas, Delalicious

  • 1 x 400g tin chickpeas
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and place in a bowl.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well together.
  3. Taste, if you like a stronger curry flavour just add more to your desired taste. 
  4. Add to a green leafy salad or serve alongside falafel like I did for a chickpea feast!

If you enjoyed this chickpea recipe, you might like to try my Chickpea, Ginger and Chicken Curry.

Baked Oat & Berry Pots

Breakfast, Snack

Is this recipe breakfast or dessert? How about both? Now that’s how every morning should start!

Oats are my favourite way to start the day. They are such a versatile ingredient that you never get tired of oats; start with some granola, porridge, overnight oats, add to a smoothie or try these baked oat and berry pots.

A cross between a souffle and porridge may be the best way to describe these without any of the stress. Use your favourite nuts and berries and you won’t go wrong.

For more Delalicious oat recipe inspiration click here.

Serves 2.

Oat & Berry Pots, Delalicious

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp nut butter
  • 6 walnut halves, chopped
  • 4 tbsp jumbo oats
  • 2 tbsp regular oats
  • 8 tbsp milk
  • 2 tbsp frozen or fresh berries, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp yoghurt
  1. Whisk the eggs and nut butter together in a large bowl.
  2. Add the walnuts, oats and milk and continue to whisk until well combined.
  3. Pour the mixture into two ovenproof ramekin dishes.
  4. Bake in the oven at 180C for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. You can also cook in a microwave on high for 3 minutes.
  5. For the berry coulis: stir the berries and water together in a small bowl. Place in microwave for 1 minute on high or simmer in a saucepan over a low heat for a few minutes until they begin to soften.
  6. To serve: spoon the yoghurt and berry coulis over the cooked oat pots.

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Crispy Sundried Tomato & New Potato Omelette

Breakfast, Lunch

Leftovers are delicious but sometimes a bit of a challenge to revitalise into an enticing dish to eat. New potatoes are literally bursting out of the ground at this time of the year and no doubt a few too many have been boiled at dinner time.

Potato salad is a great way to use up leftover potatoes with a little mayonnaise and some fresh chives. Omelettes and frittatas are the next best answer.

For this recipe, I had some leftover vegetables from a dinner the night previous but fresh ingredients will work great too. In the case of uncooked potatoes, steaming or baking in the microwave will speed things up a little for you.

Serves 2.

Sundried Tomato & New Potato Omelette, Delalicious

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tbsp plain/ Greek yoghurt
  • 50ml milk
  • 1 tsp coconut oil, solid
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 50g cooked leftover carrots
  • 150g fresh spinach
  • 4 medium-sized new potatoes, sliced
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 5 sundried tomatoes, sliced
  1. Whisk the garlic, eggs, yoghurt and milk together in a measuring jug until well combined.
  2. Preheat a grill oven.
  3. Melt the coconut oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat.
  4. Add the tomatoes and lightly get for a few minutes until the tomatoes soften. Roughly test the spinach with your hands and add to the tomatoes.
  5. Once the spinach begins to wilt, add the carrots, potatoes and rosemary. Stir to combine.
  6. Increase the heat to high and pour over the egg mixture. Sprinkle over the sundried tomatoes. Cook until the edges begin to harden and transfer to the grill oven. If the frying pan handle is plastic, wrap it in tinfoil to prevent it melting!!
  7. Allow the omelette to cook through under the grill for 5 minutes or until golden.

Do you have any great leftover recipe ideas? I would love to hear them, get in touch on social media.

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Dark Chocolate & Apricot Oat Balls

Snack

Oat balls are perfect for a healthy snack on the go, they are made for outdoor adventures or lunchbox treats.

These balls are a no bake version so you never have to worry about them falling apart or sticking to the baking tray, so a real winner in my eyes.

Dark chocolate gives you an antioxidant boost whilst the dried apricot adds an all important sugar kick. I have used almond butter in this recipe but your nut butter of preference would be perfect.

I love to have these as a snack on the way to training and matches or as a sweet treat in the late evenings.

The inspiration came for these from one of my favourite food bloggers Gina Matsoukas who blogs at Running To The Kitchen so be sure to check out her site.

Makes 12.IMG_7451 (1)-01.jpeg

  • 30g dried apricots
  • 20g raisins
  • 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
  • zest of 1/2 small orange
  • 2 tbsp coconut chips
  • 3 tbsp milled linseed
  • 100g jumbo oats
  • 50g dark chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 75g almond butter
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

  1. Roughly chop the apricots and place in a bowl with the raisins, orange juice and zest. Mix together and allow the apricots soak up the juice.
  2. Place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add the apricots and raisins.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond butter, honey and vanilla essence until smooth.
  4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry either with your hands or a fork until well coated.
  5. Dampen your hands and roll 1 tablespoon at a time of the mixture into ball shapes. Place on a tray lined with parchment. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
  6. Place the tray flat in a freezer for at least 20 minutes to set. Once set, you can transfer to a resealable box or bag and store in your freezer or fridge.
  7. When eating them from your freezer, allow them to defrost for 5 minutes before eating.

Fruit & Nut Yoghurt Bowl

Breakfast, Snack

I don’t know about you but I love waking up just to have breakfast. It really is my favourite meal if the day! 

Breakfast needn’t take forever to prepare and this is one of the quickest recipes to ensure you get plenty of your 5-a-day in terms of fruit in whilst the yoghurt, nuts and seeds provide protein and all important essential minerals.

Serves 1.

Fruit, Nut, Yoghurt, Breakfast, Delalicious

  • 1/2 large apple
  • 1 kiwi, peeled
  • 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower or as you like)
  • 2 tbsp chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews or as you like)
  1. Chop the fruit into chunks and place in a bowl.
  2. Spoon over the yoghurt.
  3. Sprinkle the seeds and nuts on top.

Avocado & Tomato Loaded Garlic Bread

Lunch, Snack

This recipe takes only minutes to make and is a great option for brunch, lunch, as a starter or an easy snack option at any time of the day. The quality of bread used will make a huge difference so try to use homemade or locally produced where possible and wholemeal or sourdough would be my preference. This recipe was made whilst staying in Cabo Polonio, Uruguay where I stayed in a Rancho – basically a hut shared with it’s owners and other guests amongst the sand dunes hence the rustic and possibly sandy looking backgrounds.

Serves 2.

  • 4 slices of bread
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 medium-sized tomato, sliced
  1. Mix together the garlic, oil and herbs in a small bowl. Spread the oil mix over one side of the bread.20170126_154215.jpg
  2. Place a frying pan over a medium heat and once heated, place two bread slices oil side down on the pan. Grill for 5 minutes until the garlic crisps. Remove from pan and set aside. Repeat with remaining bread.wp-image-1660133219jpg.jpg
  3. Top the bread with the sliced avocado and tomato.

Grated Carrot, Courgette & Pumpkin Slaw

Salad

If you haven’t figured it out already, I love salads!! It’s not just because they are healthy but I love the texture of salads, the crunch of cabbage, the burst of flavour that fresh herbs add and the juicy sweetness of sun-ripened tomatoes. This recipe is a very colourful slaw that combines lots of vegetables, seeds and a simple vinagerette that will add a serious burst of colour to your plate.

  • 200g  red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
  • 1/2 medium courgette, coarsely grated
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin and sunflower seeds
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley or coriander, roughly chopped

Dressing:

  • 2 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp water
  1. Place all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the seeds and combine well.
  3. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until well combined.
  4. Combine the dressing, lemon juice and freshly chopped herbs to the vegetables and stir together until well coated using a fork.

Stewed Apple & Poached Plum Quinoa Porridge

Breakfast, Snack

It’s so tough getting up these winter mornings, from the darkness that your body still thinks it’s nighttime to the frosty chill the minute you put a toe outside the covers. That’s why you need something warm and filling to get your warmed up quick whilst also keeping your energy levels maintained for the day ahead. Stewed apples are pure comfort food to me, they are perfect at any time of the day as a quick dessert with a scoop of yoghurt or ice-cream. Likewise the poached plums are great topped with some granola and yoghurt as a simple dessert or breakfast option. Both can be prepared well in advance and will keep fresh in your fridge for at least one week or can be frozen. Stewing and poaching fruit is also a great way to use up fruit a little past it’s best, just remove the gone off bits and you’ll still be left be plenty of fruit to work with.

Serves 4.

  • 5 small apples, peeled, de-cored, quartered
  • 4 plums, halved, de-stoned
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 4 x portions of Quinoa Porridge
  • 4 tsp nut butter
  1. Place the apples and plums in two separate saucepans.
  2. Add the vanilla essence to the plums.
  3. Cover both the apples and plums with just enough water, you don’t want them fully submerged.
  4. Bring the saucepans to the boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer with the lid on.
  5. Continue to cook until the apples are fully broken down into a nice stew. Keep an eye on the plums as you want them cooked through but still to retain their shape.
  6. Remove from the heat and if your using immediately add to whatever dish you like otherwise allow to cool in the saucepan.
  7. Once fully cool, transfer to a resealable container and store in the fridge or freezer.
  8. Prepare the Quinoa Porridge, divide amongst four bowls, top with 2 tablespoons of stewed apple and 1 plum, drizzle over some of the plum syrup and finish with a teaspoon of nut butter.

How to Stay Healthy with JUST EAT

Reviews

JUST EAT have asked me to find the healthy side of takeaways. I will be letting you all in on my discoveries over the next six months so lots of eating on my part and lots of places for you to add to your list of favourite takeaways.justeat_apptile-logo-1As you all know my food blog Delalicious focuses on providing you with healthy, wholesome and easy recipes to make at home. As a sportswoman and Physiotherapist, I’m keen to stay healthy and in shape to ensure I work and play to my potential. Some people might think I never eat out or allow a chip pass my mouth, they do and especially after winning a big football match but it’s not my everyday food choice!! Healthy and takeaway aren’t two words that usually go hand in hand but I’ve discovered that they can; so read on to see how I managed to eat healthily using the JUST EAT app for one week.

What I found the hardest thing about this blog post was actually stopping myself from taking a portion of my curries, fish pies or stews out of the freezer the night before and giving my chopping board and knife a rest for the week….I know how sad but I do love to cook! But I also love to eat so this post was very easy to complete.

Monday: I had a light training session this evening so I decided to try out Chopped. Everybody raves about the place and I can see why, they have a wide array of salad combinations with DIY options and choices specific to meet your training needs. I opted for the Pulled Pork Salad with the Soup of the Day which was Mushroom – not my favourite but it is pot luck. Smoothies are also on the menu – I would highly recommend the Peanut Butter smoothie (it hit the spot after training)!! The best bit was that I when I went to collect my food after ordering online via the app, there was a queue of people a mile long to order but I got to jump straight to the top….waiting would not of been the ideal when your starving after work!!

Tuesday: After a gym session, I was ravenous and needed something fast. A great little place called Jolin’s Vietnamese Coffee House has popped up near my house and I got some gorgeous Vietnamese Beef Salad and Prawn Fresh Summer Rolls which had me nearly booking a flight to Vietnam they were so good. Jolin took such care in my order, as she cooked the beef right in front of me to ensure maximum freshness and taste.

Wednesday: I was racing around all day between work, football and blog stuff. Green Beards was my saviour as I was passing through Donnybrook and they have such tasty salads, smoothies and protein balls to choose from; I was in heaven! As you know salads can so easily go soggy but Green Beards have mastered this by using glass jars and layering the ingredients ensuring the delicate greens are on top away from any liquids. I opted for their Quinoa, Chickpea, Aubergine & Pomegranate Salad, a Honey Badger smoothie for after training and I picked up a few protein balls too. All their packaging is reusable, which earned them extra brownie points from my inner eco-warrior.

Thursday: Had a half day from work and decided something light and filling was needed to keep my energy levels going. Tolteca was the answer, I literally ordered on the app just as I left work and the delivery guy arrived as I pulled into my house. I opted for their Barbacoa Burrito Bowl with extra guacamole…. you can never have enough!!

Friday: The weekend had finally arrived and Aoki Sushi was my choice. They have a really big selection of all kinds of sushi, sashimi, noodles, ramen, teriyaki…the list goes on but I opted for a chefs special Sushi and Sashimi selection (it’s massive so I had plenty for lunch the next day) and a Teriyaki Salmon with extra vegetables instead of rice. Everything was light, fresh and really filled me up!

Saturday: Brunch is the only answer for Saturdays and Póg answered the sirens from my hungry belly. The Póg breakfast menu has tons of choice so it was tough to whittle down my decision. In the end I went for the Breakfast Parfait (with frozen yoghurt!) and the Nut Butter Toast Breakfast all from the comfort of my bed. The toast is deliciously good, I was there trying to savour each bite of the slice when I discovered a second layer with another slice…let’s just say I was a very happy girl!

Sunday: After a tough match, comfort food was on my mind and Camden Rotisserie answered the call as they know how to create the perfect succulent roast chicken. They have a wide choice of sides, protein only options and salads to choose from. I went for the Butterflied Chicken with a Goats Cheese Salad. All the food was cooked to perfection and full of flavour …. if you haven’t already, you need to experience the chicken! The portions are massive for one person so I had plenty of leftovers for my lunch in work the next day.

So, as you can see there are plenty of healthy options available on JUST EAT; so get ordering! If I’ve left your favourite healthy takeaway option out let me know in the comments below and I’ll try squeezing it into my next review.

Keep an eye out for my next post in December or follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for some more healthy eating inspiration!

Beetroot, Feta & Kale Salad

Lunch, Salad

I have a serious obsession with beetroot, simply can’t get enough of it. About three years ago, I wouldn’t of touched one with a barge pole but at the moment it seems to end up on most of my plates or lunchboxes. Beetroot and a strong flavour like goat’s cheese or Feta are a great tasting combination. If you are bringing this for lunch to work, I’d recommend you bring the dressing separate in a little jar and mix through just before eating.

Serves 2 as a starter or side-salad.

  • 2 handfuls kale
  • 1 handful rocket leaves
  • 1/5 of cucumber
  • 1 medium freshly cooked or vacuum packed cooked beetroot
  • 1/2 pear
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin & sunflower seeds
  • 1 tbsp crumbled Feta cheese

Dressing:

  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  1. Roughly tear the kale into bite size pieces.
  2. Cut the cucumber in half length-ways, spoon out the soft center and thinly slice into half moons.
  3. Finely grate or Julienne the pear.
  4. Place the pear and vegetables in a bowl.
  5. Mix together all the dressing ingredients and stir through the salad ingredients.
  6. Transfer to a serving plate and spoon over the seeds and cheese.