Courgette and Goat Butter Soup

After quitting veganism and enjoying the benefits of animal products for a couple of weeks, I decided to switch up my diet and experiment with a Keto-Carb Cycling one. The concept is very easy: I rotate my fat-carb ratio, alternating high-fat-low-carb and high-carb-low-fat days. From Saturday to Tuesday, I keep my fat intake very high (50-70%) and my carb intake very low (5-10%); my protein intake is pretty much consistent (25-40%). On Wednesday, I have a carb refeed, so my carb intake spikes up to 50%, while my fat intake goes down to 20%; Thursday and Friday are moderate-carb days, with Thursday being a little higher in carbs and Friday a little higher in fats. I like this way of eating, because it allows me to enjoy all of my favourite foods, without stressing myself out on macros too much.

This is a super easy recipe for my high-fat dinners, and is really enjoyable alongside some baked haddock or salmon.

Ingredients

350 g Courgettes (1 medium-large Courgette)

30 g Goat Butter

1 Stalk Spring Onion

1 piece Ginger Root

Himalayan Salt

Fresh Parsley to Garnish

350 ml Lukewarm Water

Cooking Method

Chop your courgette(s), spring onion and ginger.

Melt goat butter in a saucepan or skillet.

Add in the spring onion stalk, the piece of ginger, the chopped courgettes and some salt, cover and cook for 5-10 mins, stirring from time to time to make sure they cook evenly.

If you have a Vitamix, pour your water in and place the rest of the ingredients. Set it on “soup” programme, and allow it to blend your creamy soup for you. If you have an ordinary blender or food processor, just blend your ingredients in the traditional way — you might need hot water, rather than lukewarm, though.

Sprikle with fresh parsley before serving.

Enjoy!

May 3, 2019

How To Consume a Whole Salmon (3Kg) Without Wasting Any of It

If you want to be as ethical as possible, not only do you want to buy local and sustainable, you also want to maximise your food while minimising your waste. An excellent way to do so is making broth out of your leftovers. Whilst chicken bone broth has become increasingly popular over the past few years, not many people know you can make a delicious — and very healthy — broth out of fatty fish too. All animal products are indeed high in collagen, which is the most abundant protein in our body, and the most important one, as it’s responsible for connecting our organ tissues (including tendons, ligaments and skin). Vegetable collagen is unfortunately very hard to be absorbed and used by our bodies, but animal collagen is easily absorbed. Collagen is also held responsible for healing our guts, hair and damaged skin (it can also help with stretch marks and cellulite). When cooking broth, collagen is released from the animal’s bones and flesh, and loosed into the water in the form of gelatine. This is what makes broth so precious for your health.

It was around Easter time, and we found an incredible offer at Asda’s: a whole salmon (3Kg) worth £30 was reduced and on sale for only £13.99. Yes, 3Kg is too much for too people alone, unless you want to freeze the salmon, but the offer was too appealing not to take advantage of it — mostly because those poor salmons would otherwise have been fished in vain. So we bought one, cut it in 3 pieces, stuffed it with fresh ginger, rosemary, bay leaves, thymes, fresh parsley, Himalayan salt and lemon wedges, and baked it at 180°C for 30 minutes.

Whole salmon stuffed with fresh ginger, rosemary, bay leaves, thymes, fresh parsley, Himalayan salt and lemon wedges, and baked at 180°C for 30 minutes.

We ate nothing but salmon for 3 days straight, keeping all fishbones, head, tail, uneaten skin and flesh aside. At the end of the 3rd day, we decided to make some broth out of such leftovers.

We placed head, tail, fishbones, skin and flesh in a saucepan with: water, 1 carrot, 1 piece of ginger, some spring onions and regular onions (they’ll change their composition while cooking, losing some of their FODMAP contents in the process). We added some salt and simmered for 3-4 hours.

The broth was unbelievably good and satiating. We had it plain, after our dinner, but it would have been just as delicious with some prawns or shrimps, courgettes and maybe rice noodles.

What’s more important for us, however, is that that poor salmon hasn’t died in vain: we benefitted from its death for 3 days, not harming any other animals meanwhile, and used it in all the possible ways. This is what mindful eating really means!

May 3, 2019May 5, 2019

Some Tips to Enjoy Liver

Why You Should Be Eating Liver

As I said in my post on why I’m no longer vegan , one of my favourite meals is organ meats for 2 reasons: they’re extremely cheap, as they’re not typically popular among average meat eaters; they’re incredibly packed with nutrients and extremely absorbable by our bodies, because they’re what we, as a species, have evolved on.

Livers (from cows, lambs, pigs, geese, chickens and fish) are incredibly rich in B12, B2 (Riboflavin), B9 (Folate), Vitamin A, Iron, Copper, Choline, according to healthline.com. This is due to the liver’s functions of: processing the digested food from the animal’s gut and absorbing nutrients from it, while filtering and clearing the blood from toxins. Livers are also light in calories and high in proteins, making them fit for most diets. This is why everyone should be consuming livers on a regular basis.

If organs are cheap and highly nutritious, unfortunately, they’re not necessarily as tasty, especially when not cooked properly, or when overcooked. With a few adjustments, however, organs can become part of a very enjoyable meal. In this specific post, I’ll focus on livers exclusively. Just stay tuned for further posts on hearts and kidneys. 😉

My Tips to Enjoy Liver

Don’t overcook it. Liver is soft, tender and creamy, but tends to get a bit stiff when overcooked. The best thing you can do is chop or mince liver prior to cooking it, and not cook it for more than 1 minute on each side.
Use plenty of herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, chives and bay leaves), onions or spring onions, salt and pepper to stir fry your liver. These will enhance the liver’s flavour, while hiding its animal-like taste, which not everybody enjoys.
Squeeze some fresh lemon or lime juice on your liver, to enhance its flavour even more.
Don’t quit liver just because you didn’t like it the first time. Keep trying out different recipes until you find a way to enjoy it: you’ll sure get used to its taste and texture.

If you have any tips that would like to share with me, feel free to comment down below. 😉

Thanks for following me along my journey!

Lamb liver stir fry with: red pepper, mushrooms, ginger, spring onion and fresh parsley.

May 3, 2019May 5, 2019

My Mindful, Ethical, Easter

Thousands of lambs are slaughtered every year around Easter time, just because it’s a tradition to consume lamb on Easter Day. I’m not gonna lie, lamb is my favourite meat, taste-wise. However, I’ve always opposed this silly tradition, as this unfair massacre is just senseless. After all, I can still enjoy lamb any other day.

On the other hand, however, I’m well aware of the fact that nobody will stop slaughtering lambs for Easter just because I refuse to buy them, and the unsold meat (mostly organs) will be wasted, without reducing the numbers of lambs to be slaughtered the next year. How can this dilemma be solved in the most ethical way?

Our Ethical Choice

We decided not to order any meat from our local farmers market this Easter, but to go and see what was available, namely, to buy what no one else wanted to buy and would most likely end up in the trash. Most meat was obviously lamb, and that’s what we also bought. However, rather than buying legs, shoulders, chops or popular cuts in general, we went for hearts and necks, which are: cheap, delicious, nutritious and less popular (therefore more likely to be wasted).

Our Easter Table

As you might or might not know, I have Argentinian roots on my maternal side, and for my family, Easter is a serious tradition. In particular, something that can never miss from our Easter table are empanadas. Since I quit gluten, however, I also stopped making empanadas for many years. But this year I wanted to try something new, and decided to make tuna empanadas again, using only buckwheat, goat butter, salt, water and 1 duck egg for my dough. Although the overall consistency came out quite different from the empanadas my grandma used to make when I was a kid, the taste was awesome and both me and my husband really enjoyed them.

Alongside empanadas, we had a huge salad, halloumi, cheddar, mushrooms, lamb necks and hearts, all cooked on a raclette grill. It took me less than 5 minutes to prepare everything, and it turned out to be one of the tastiest and most enjoyable Easter lunches ever.

Lamb hearts, halloumi and mushrooms cooked on stone on top of our raclette grill (underneath, some cheddar is being melted meanwhile)

As a dessert, I just combined some eggs with raw cacao powder, protein powder, liquid stevia, bicarbonate of soda, Himalayan salt and vanilla extract, and made some muffins out of it. It could never be Easter without some chocolatey dessert. 😉

My gluten free, sugar free, high protein chocolate muffins. A perfect finisher for a mindful Easter lunch. 🙂

October 8, 2018October 5, 2019

Carrot, Kale and Swiss Chard Soup

Last soup of my October Soup Challenge: 1 Soup a Day for 1 Week (check out my previous soups here).

Tonight’s soup is going to be a light and simple one. It’s Sunday, we didn’t go to the gym, and we just want to chill out and get ready for the beginning of a new week. Moreover, as we just found some amazing baby carrots, kale and Swiss chard at our local Farmers Market, I couldn’t imagine my soup to be made with any other ingredients than these.

Nice veggies right from our local farmers market! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Ingredients

5-6 Carrots (or more, if you’re using Baby Carrots)

2 Green Spring Onions

2 large Swiss Chard Leaves (chopped)

2 cups Kale (chopped)

Himalayan Salt

2 cups Fresh, Filtered Water

Optional: Fresh Ginger

Cooking Method

Peel and chop carrots and spring onions and place in a large pot. Cover with water, add salt and ginger (if you’re using it), place a lid and bring to a boil.

Rinse and chop kale and chard and throw them in your pot, as soon as the water starts to boil. Reduce heat to minimum and simmer until veggies are tender. Blend into a cream and adjust salt (and pepper, if you want).

Serve warm and garnish with fresh rocket and some nutritional yeast to hit your daily B12 vitamin intake (I always use this one)!

I’m going to have mine with some baked tempeh.

October 7, 2018October 5, 2019

Spicy Courgette Dahl Soup

Alright, I’ve only got 2 soup recipes to create, before my self-imposed challenge is finally over. I somehow feel like I have to pay homage to my favourite cooking ever, which is Indian. As my IBS got worse, I had to seriously cut down on lentils and chickpeas, which I decided to avoid for 3 months. When I slowly started reintroducing them, I found that my tolerance level for red lentils hadn’t changed much, which I was glad for (I was honestly expecting it to drop, after such a long time without eating them). I can proudly get away with a mild bloating if I consume up to 50g dried red lentils! As to the chickpeas, well, my tolerance level dropped dramatically, and I can now consume only a couple of tbsps, without feeling bad. Sad story! 🙁 However, at the moment, I’m not as interested in increasing that level as I am in feeling well and with a flat stomach, so I’ll leave it for now. It could be my next challenge, who knows…

Dahl has always been one of my favourite foods, something I could have everyday without getting tired of it. As I cannot consume it as often as I used to, and as I have to reduce my lentil portions, I made some changes to the traditional recipe, to make it more digestible. Obviously, eating such a small amount of lentils doesn’t satisfy my protein need, so I had some baked tofu with my soup, to hit my macros.

My recipe serves 2 people with my tolerance level: if yours is lower, just have half of it, and add in some basmati rice, to give your dish the same volume.

Ingredients:

100g Red Lentils (dried)

1 medium to large Courgette

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Cumin Seeds or Powder

1/4 tsp Garam Masala

1/4 tsp Coriander Powder

1 inch Fresh Ginger

2 tsp Coconut Oil

Fresh, Filtered Water,

Sea or Himalayan Salt

Cooking Method

Soak your lentils for a few hours or overnight. Rinse them thoroughly, place in a pot with just enough water to cover them and some salt. Place a lid and bring to a boil.

In the meantime, chop your courgette into tiny, thin strips or triangles.

As the water starts to boil, skim off as much foam as you can, and add in turmeric, 1 tsp coconut oil and your chopped courgette. Reduce heat to minimum and simmer for about 20 minutes, until your soup reaches a porridge-like consistency.

While your Dahl soup is still finishing cooking, dry fry cumin seeds or powder in a small pan and set aside. In the same pan, heat up 1 tsp coconut oil and add in all of the spices (your roasted cumin included). Fry for a few seconds, turn off, and add your spices to the soup.

October 7, 2018October 5, 2019

Pumpkin and Green Bean Hot Pot

I created this recipe for my October challenge to celebrate Autumn and I was so happy with the result, that I decided to make it again soon. I love Asian soups, such as Phos and Hot Pots, because you can have veggies, carbs and protein all in one delicious bowl, which is warm and healthy too.

*Serves 2

For this Hot Pot you’ll need:

1 small Sugar Pumpkin

2 cups fresh or frozen Green Beans

1 inch fresh Ginger Root

1/2 Green Pepper

2 Baby Aubergines (sliced)

1 Spring Onion (the green part)

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Coriander

1/4 tsp Turmeric

1/8 tsp Black Pepper

1/4 tsp Paprika

1/4 tsp True Cinnamon

Himalayan Salt

Cayenne Pepper

Dried Lemongrass

2 blocks Extra Firm Tofu (cubed; I used smoked tofu)

2 portions Rice Flat Noodles

Tamari

1,5 Litre Boiling Water

Fresh Coriander

Fresh Mint

Lime Juice

Preheat the oven at 180°C. In the meantime, cut your pumpkin into 8 slices.

Bake your pumpkin for 10 minutes, flipping it half way through. Let it cool down and peel it.

Chop green pepper, ginger and spring onion. In a small bowl, combine your spices.

In a wok, heat up some coconut oil with dried lemongrass, and add in your chopped veggies. Fry for a couple of minutes, until they release their full flavour.

Add in your spices and keep frying for about 1 minute more.

Stir in green beans and baby aubergines and keep frying for 3-4 more minutes.

Add in salt, Tamari, boiling water and tofu, and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until aubergines and green beans are cooked.

In the meantime, prepare your rice noodles as indicated in their package, rinse under cool water, and serve in a soup bowl.

Pour your Hot Pot on rice noodles and garnish with fresh coriander, fresh mint leaves and fresh lime juice.

October 7, 2018February 18, 2020

Sweet and Sour Tempeh

This is a very easy, yet tasty, recipe to make. It requires only a very few ingredients and a frying pan or skillet (or an oven, if you prefer it baked).

You can prepare your marinade in advance and marinate tempeh overnight, so you’ll just have to cook it on the next day.

Serves 2, but last time I made, I had it all by myself…

200gr Tempeh

1/4 cup ACV

1 tbsp Tamari

1/2 tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Ginger Powder

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Maple Syrup (or a few drops Liquid Stevia, if you want to go sugar free)

Himalayan Salt