Blueberry, Banana and Oat Breakfast Smoothie
| February 22, 2012 | Posted by Nada under Recipes |
Very rarely do I think up, make and blog a recipe all in the same day.
But this, frankly, just could not wait.
Of late, green smoothies have been my go-to post-run breakfasts. They’re quick, easy and provide me with the perfect pick me up I need to start off the rest of the day. Ideal, since I’m usually starving by the time I’ve showered and changed (I refuse to eat and then shower – it just feels wrong).
While I was out for this morning’s run however, I found myself craving something a little less green and a little more hearty. A quick mental review my fridge’s contents resulted in this incredible brainchild.
Blueberry, Banana and Oat Breakfast Smoothie
Serves 1
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1/4 cup old fashioned or rolled oats*
- 1 cup soymilk
- 1 tbsp shelled hemp seeds
- 1 tsp chia seeds
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. I found it delicious as is but feel free to add a tbsp of agave or date to taste if you’re using unsweetened soymilk.
*( To make this allergen friendly, just use certified GF oats and rice or almond milk.)
The addition of oats make this smoothie unbelievably creamy and thick which I love. It’s also jam packed with protein, essential fatty acids, and vitamins thanks to the hemp and chia seeds, as well as the fortified soymilk.
Definitely a breakfast-worthy smoothie in my books.
***
Yesterday was Shrove Tuesday here in the UK, otherwise known as pancake day!
I played short order cook and ended up making three different recipes of pancakes – all of which received rave reviews. British pancakes are traditionally flat and thin and are more akin to crepes than fluffy American-style pancakes, so I consulted Veganomicon once again and made an adjusted version of the savoury wheat crepes, along with a veganised version of a recipe I learned in primary school.
To my surprise, everyone thought the best of the night were the crepe recipe from Veganomicon – which were agave sweetened and included both wholewheat and chickpea flour!
Once relieved of my pancake making duties, I dug into a couple myself.
Melted dark chocolate, cashew butter, bananas and chocolate chips thrown in for good measure. Holy incredibleness.
Did you/do you celebrate pancake day?
Are you observing lent? If so, what are you giving up?
I’m not obviously, but I’ll take any excuse to indulge in pancakes for dinner any day. 
Hummus Of The Week: Nacho “Cheese” Hummus
| February 21, 2012 | Posted by Nada under Recipes |
You may or may not have noticed the absence of a HOTW post last week, the reason behind this being that were all human. Despite my initial excitement to try out a new flavour – the recipe ended up being a bit of a dud, and rather than share a kind-of-mediocre recipe, I’ve decided to keep it to myself until further notice.
This one however, is anything but a dud.
Story time.
One of the more common reactions to my veganism is “I could never live without cheese – it’s my life!”, and to those people I say no, you are sorely mistaken. Cheese was my life. You’re looking at the girl who used to buy a minimum of 3 varieties of cheese on each shopping trip, would grate extra mozerella on frozen pizzas, and eat glass cheese (yes, that’s really what we call it in the Middle East) out of the jar with a spoon.
So how did I do it, you ask? Simple, I just found something new to obsess over: hummus. When I first started avoiding dairy because of health reasons – I tried every vegan cheese substitute under the (British) sun. Cheezly, Tofutti, Sheese – you name it. Although I enjoy the occasional sprinkling of fake mozerella on my pizza, none are exactly apt substitutes and some are downright disgusting (Tofutti cream cheese, I’m talking to you). So I turned to store-bought hummus instead. Creamy, flavourful, filling, and always available in a plethora of varieties; I was hooked.
Pretty soon afterwards I started making my own hummus, and the rest as they say is history. Cheese became a fast fading memory, and I can honestly say I don’t miss it at all – I remember trying a piece a couple of weeks or so after I first cut it out of my diet and being surprised at how heavy, thick and just generally unappealing it tasted.
That’s not to say that I don’t still enjoy cheese-flavoured things.It’s no secret that cheese-y flavours have been on my mind, given my recent fixation with raw vegan labneh/cashew cheese. As much as I adore nut cheeses, they can be a little rich and dense sometimes. Enter the brilliance that is Not-cho Cheese Hummus:
Nacho Cheese Hummus
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas + reserve water to thin
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
- juice of 1 large lemon or 2 tbsp + citric acid to taste
- 1 medium clove of garlic + 1tsp of garlic granules
- 1/2 tsp fresh parsley (optional)
Blend all ingredients in a food processor until well incorporated, scraping down the sides often and adding reserve water or additional lemon juice to thin as needed. Adjust seasonings to taste And serve with a sprinkling of nooch for extra cheese-y oomph.
So to all the fromage fiends out there, don’t think you could live without cheese? Tell you what, give yourself a challenge: try it for a week, and see how you fare. Your body will thank you (as would all the animals exploited by the dairy industry, if they could speak). For those of you who are dubious but want to learn more about the dangers of dairy, I strongly recommend you check out this post about the 7 deadly secrets by local nutritionist Alia Al Moayed. She also has some fab tips for anyone looking to cut back or eliminate dairy products.
And make this hummus. Your taste buds will thank you.
The Half-Marathon Diaries: Week 3
| February 20, 2012 | Posted by Nada under Reviews |
Hello all and happy Monday! Hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine whizzed past a little too quickly as per usual, but was relatively productive as far as weekends go.
Relatively productive meaning I had time to bake the most incredible brownies I have ever had,
Fudgy Wudgy Blueberry Brownies from Veganomicon, complete with vegan vanilla ice cream and homemade blueberry syrup.
do some uni work, update the blog(check out the new and improved recipes page), see some friends, and get in a couple of quality runs.
And with that, let’s segue into a recap of last week’s training:
Monday – 3-4 M, off road if possible
Did a quick and easy 3 miler in 32 minutes, with some hills thrown in for good measure.
Tuesday – Active rest day: Zumba + ST
A quick upper body strength training session followed by 60 minutes of ZUMBA! Felt good to sweat it out in the studio/gym again as opposed to running.
Wednesday – 3 M including short bursts
Ended up doing just under 4 miles in 37 minutes, with 3 tabata tracks. Was drenched in sweat by the end but felt awesome.
Thursday – Rest day
Initially planned to hit pilates again, but I rested instead. Although I hardly call a full day of classes rest – seriously the person who put together my timetable is evil.
Friday – 3 M on grass
Running on grass is not as easy as I thought. Granted, it’s nowhere near as hard as running on sand - but it’s no walk in the park (pun!). Ended up doing 4.7 miles rather than 3 – it was just one of those days where I felt like running it out a little more.
Saturday – warm-up, 10 km at race pace followed by 10 min jogging or walking
I did a quick warm-up, followed by 10K and 10 minutes of slow jogging, all within an 1:10. Not particularly impressive, but I thought it was good timing for me.
Overall Re-cap:
I’m slightly in awe that I’m over half way done with my training now – the big day is inching closer than I expected and although I’m incredibly anxious about it, I’m looking forward to it too. Although I’m aiming to run it sub 2:30, I really don’t want to psyche myself out, so my plan is to train as hard as I can, time and university deadlines permitting, then to just have fun with it on the day. Overall, I’m pleased with my progress – even if it’s not incredibly significant.
In celebration of my halfway milestone and in an effort to raise some more money for an incredibly worthy cause, I’ve posted a silly picture of myself on Facebook. Check it out here, and if you like it – show me some love by sponsoring my run!
Back tomorrow with some crazy delicious hummus.
Millet Stuffed Egyptian Vine Leaves
| February 17, 2012 | Posted by Nada under Recipes |
In one of my Vegan MoFo posts way back in October, I introduced you to the wonder that is Mahshi Kousa. I initially had every intention of following up that recipe with a healthy take on vine leaves, but October came and went and the package of vine leaves remained neglected in my cupboard for weeks on end. Until this week, that is. When I caught sight of it underneath a half-full bag of millet, inspiration struck.
Stuffed vine leaves or wara’ enab, as they’re called in Arabic, is pretty much a trademark Mediterranean dish. You’re bound to find them on the menu if you visit any Turkish, Greek or Lebanese restaurant – but as with all regional dishes, each culture makes it a little differently. In the Levant, vine leaves are usually (but not always) stuffed with a rice and meat mixture, and served as a cold appetiser.
In Egypt however, mahshi wara’ enab (that’s stuffed vine leaves to you), is served hot as part of a main meal. The individual rolls are also much smaller in comparison to the Lebanese and Turkish varieties which are hardly bite-sized. It’s also traditionally vegan, made without the addition of meat.
It’s also, delicious.
Millet Stuffed Egyptian Vine Leaves
Makes 30 or so individual leaves
- 1/2 a cup of dry millet*
- 1/3 cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup of fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato, finely diced or around 1/2 cup
- 1 medium red onion, finely diced
- 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
- 1/2 a tsp of sea salt and black pepper (or more/less to taste)
- 1 package of vine leaves*
- 1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock + more as needed
- Combine the millet, fresh herbs, onion, tomato, tomato paste, oil and seasonings in a mixing bowl and incorporate well.
- Roll vine leaves using about a tsp of stuffing per leaf or a little more/less depending on size.
- Line the bottom of a pan with excess vine leaves and arrange so that they all sit tightly together.
- Add vegetable stock until leaves are only just covered, cover and cook on a low heat for 25-30 mins, or until millet is nicely fluffed when you break open the vine leaves. It’s important to make sure the water doesn’t boil so as not to disturb the delicately rolled leaves.
- Serve warm as a main dish with a side of hummus and some peppery rocket, bell pepper and cucumber salad. Alternatively, allow to cool then refrigerate for a couple of hours and serve as cold mezze, drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil lebanese style.
Now, it’s taken me years of training (I kid you not), but I have finally mastered the art of rolling stuffed vine leaves. I may not be able to roll 10 a minute from the palm of my hand like a certain mother I know, but I’m not too shabby. I realise it may not be as difficult as I’m making it out to be – it’s pretty much like rolling a wrap just a lot smaller. In any case, here’s a step-by-step to rolling the perfect vine leaves.
How-To: Roll Vine Leaves
1. Lay out the vine leaf so that it’s rough side up, ie. the “veiny” side up. De-stem.
2. Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center. (I didn’t have any left over so I’m just using plain brown rice for the purposes of this tutorial.)
3. Fold both bottom edges inwards to create a point.
4. Tightly fold over the bottom of the point and press down firmly.
5. Roll till you get a uniform cylindrical shape and are about halfway through the leaf.
6. Fold in the edges on both sides.
7. Tuck in edges and roll, continuing to do so as you go along. Fold in remainder of the leaf if needed, as shown above.
Now, a few recipe notes:
- If millet isn’t your thing you could make this using quinoa or short-grain brown rice. The latter will probably be more authentic tasting and just as nutritious.
- If you do decide to use brown rice, soak it in warm water for a couple of hours beforehand – this will help it cook a little quicker.
- If your vine leaves come in a package or jar in brine, they will probably be super salty, soak in hot water for 10 minutes prior to rolling to avoid the entire dish being a salty mess.
- Don’t worry if you have vine leaves or stuffing left over, both will freeze well. If you only have stuffing left over, use it to fill a small red or green bell pepper and cook with the vine leaves like I did here.
Initially I wasn’t sure about using millet, but it fluffs up perfectly and works surprisingly well in place of the traditional white rice. It’s also high in protein, b-complex vitamins and minerals – all the makings of a top notch whole grain in my book.
(Ps. Sorry for the picture heavy post. Who knew vine leaves would photograph so well? 
)
WIAW + 11 Things
| February 15, 2012 | Posted by Nada under WIAW |
Time for another round of What I Ate Wedensday!
I hardly need an excuse (or reminder) to love my veggies as I pretty much do that all year long, but here’s how I fared on this day of eats:
Breakfast:
Blueberry oat bars with a small blueberry banana and spinach green smoothie.
(1 serving of veg.)
Snack:
2 clementines and an un-pictured royal gala apple.
Lunch:
Carrot sticks avec hummus
Followed by millet-stuffed vine leaves on a salad of spinach, rucola and chickpeas.
(At least 3 servings, if not more, of veg in there.)
Snack(s):
Mixed berry and walnut trailmix, homemade lemon cashew and date bar plus the last of my flax crackers, munched on throughout the afternoon.
Dinner:
Beet salad in a sweet balsamic dressing, toasted pita chips with hummus and more vine leaves.
(Another two servings of veg?)
Snack:
Cherry probiotic soy yoghurt, dried berries, cacao nibs and a smidgen of almond butter. What is it about the cherry and almond combo? So good.
So that’s 6 servings of vegetables, without even trying. Not bad if I do say so myself, considering I hit the allotted “five-a-day” without even counting fruit.
***
So a while back, Rachel tagged me in this 11 things post. I’d been meaning to get to it, but kept forgetting until Heather tagged me in hers as well! I don’t usually do survey-type posts, but I figure it’s a fun way for my readers to learn more about me, so without further ado here’s 11 things you probably didn’t know about me.
1. When I was little I loved writing and had aspirations to be an author. Once I hit 1st grade however, I said I wanted to be a teacher that “writes on the side”, because writing wasn’t exactly a steady career choice. What can I say, I was a pragmatic 6-year old.
2. It also follows that I loved reading – so much so that my cousins nicknamed me Matilda, which somehow evolved into Mirinda (yes like the soft drink, don’t ask). Other inventive nicknames bestowed on me by other members of my family include pumpkin (mom), nunu, dodda, nadooda (extended Egyptian family). Anyone who knows Egyptian culture will know that nicknames are often the farthest thing from your actual name.
3. When I was 8, I wrote on an “about me” assignment that one of my hobbies was “collecting batteries”…what?
4. When my mom was pregnant with me, the doctor had told my parents to expect a boy. When she had me, she had to undergo routine surgery straight away, so didn’t see me until she’d woken up. The nurses said “were just cleaning her up, and then we’ll bring her to you” – my mom says she perked up immediately and asked incredulously “SHE?!” All my baby stuff was blue, but my parents were happy to have one of each.
5. Interestingly enough, my favourite colour as a kid was blue. My favourite colour now however, is definitely pink. Yes, I’m one of those girls. The ones that will be inclined to buy almost anything if it’s pink – especially gadget related. I’ve had several pink iPods, sets of headphones,mobile phones, iPhone cases, and a pink Nintendo DS.
6. I’ve always grown up with animals, and our house was often like a mini zoo at times. I’ve had 6 dogs (all at individual times), and way too many cats to count. Mary, my cat that I’d had since I was 4 lived to be 15, and I’m so used to having her around I swear I can still see her tail bustling about in the corner of my eye when I’m at home. I’ve also had turtles, tortoises, fish, hamsters, rabbits, and chickens.
Clea, my golden retriever
7. I’m studying Digital Media Technology – a combination of multimedia, digital and graphic design and computer programming. I love it, but during high school I was actually planning on medical school, cue two years of higher level biology and chemistry (ugh, chemistry).
8. I first got into graphic design and photoshop through “dolling”, when I was around 12. I’d love to explain what that is, but that’s what wikipedia is for.
I was a member of a forum and had several dolling websites, which is also how I taught myself HTML. Can’t believe I just admitted this on here.
9. One of my goals for when I graduate university is to become a certified personal trainer. It’s not what I’d want to pursue as a full on career – but training for my half has made me realise there’s so much I don’t know about fitness and exercise. It’d be great to learn more for myself and to help friends and family. I’d only look to take on clients/teach classes if I had the time once I start a full time job again.
10. I used to be a die hard indie/alternative music fan. I worshipped Death Cab for Cutie and was convinced Ben Gibbard was my soulmate. I still have their entire discography, but nowadays I listen to pretty much everything, (yes, even shitty “mainstream” chart music). Some of my all time favourites include John Mayer, Florence + The Machine and The Shins, but I’m also pretty partial to Nicki Minaj, Kanye West and Beyonce (love her latest album). Oh and I love Michael Buble – see I told you, everything!
11. I like to think I’ve been a vegan-in-training all my life. Unlike my fussy older brother – I loved all kind of vegetables growing up and sometimes preferred veggie based dishes to meaty ones. I also love all fruits, with the exception of guavas – even just the smell makes me want to hurl (sorry).
Now the rules state that you must not only post 11 random facts about yourself, but you must also answer the person who tagged you’s questions, so here are my answers to Rachel’s, since she tagged me first:
1. If you could invite any three deceased people to a dinner party, who would they be?
Maybe not all at the same dinner party, but my two grandfathers (whom I never got to meet) and Jon Benet Ramsey. I watched a docu-drama about her murder a few years ago and I’m so intrigued by the still unsolved case. Sombre, I know.
2. What’s your go-to “feel good” song to listen to?
Anything from the Mamma Mia soundtrack or Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Michael Buble.
3. If you could only eat *one thing* for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Hah, easy. Hummus!
4. Morning showers or night-time showers?
Morning showers, hands down.
5. What is your favorite piece of clothing? Why?
This changes from time to time but at the moment it’s my black riding-pant style leggings from Zara. I only wish I’d bought two pairs when I had the chance because I’m starting to wear them out – they’re comfortable, go with almost everything and are easy to wear with boots.
6. What is one popular trend that you absolutely despise? Why?
I feel like I should have something in mind for this but I really don’t. The blackberry craze I suppose? But I guess iPhones are no better now so I can’t really talk.
7. Talk about one person who has had a big impact on your life.
My mom is the single most influential person in my life. She’s taught me everything I know about most things (including cooking), and she motivates and inspires me to work hard and go for what I want. I know it’s cliche to say, but she really is my best friend and I credit her for bringing out the best in me.
8. If you could pack up your life (things, family, friends, etc) and move somewhere else, where would you go?
So much of my life is scattered across different countries so I’m not sure I could do this even if I wanted to. I do eventually want to go back to Bahrain for good though, at some point.
9. Have you ever died your hair? What color?
I’ve had blond-ish highlights at various points throughout high school, and dyed my hair red a couple of years ago.
10. If you could speak any language or play any instrument, what would you choose?
I’d love be able to speak french properly. I’ve tried taking lessons before but have never stuck it out long enough.
11. What do you consider your greatest achievement to date? Brag about it!
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