Buckwheat Salad

Hello! It’s been a while… like, a long while! How have you been?

So once again, it feels like it’s been forever since I last blogged but I’m back with a delicious, light and flavourful recipe – perfect for the nearing of spring!

The recipe starts with buckwheat groats, a new find of mine as it’s a fantastic grain for salads as it’s heartier than quinoa with great texture and a little bite.

We then pile in a mixture of steamed and raw vegetables that add vibrancy and tons of different textures (yep, I’m really into texture at the moment).

Then we mix it all up with a super simple vinaigrette and serve (I like it with massaged kale and a lot of coriander)!

Buckwheat salad vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Serves 2

This salad is made from a variety of different vegetables and buckwheat, which allows for a heartier salad. The vegetables are of course interchangeable – I’m sure some beetroot would work wonderfully as well as grilled or roasted vegetables like peppers, zucchini and aubergines. I’ve made a simple vinaigrette to dress it with but pesto also works wonderfully and it works especially well if you tear in some basil leaves instead of coriander and add some sun-dried tomatoes and olives.

1 cup cooked buckwheat
Handful of green beans
Around 5 broccoli florets
1/2 zucchini (you can use cucumber)
2 handfuls edamame
Handful of coriander (including stalks), chopped finely and reserving a few leaves to serve
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste

Steam the broccoli, green beans and edamame for around 4 minutes, until they are bright green.

Julienne zucchini then cut into small cubes.

Mix the vegetables and buckwheat, adding the chopped coriander at this point.

Top with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper and mix.

When serving, sprinkle with remaining coriander and a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavours.

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Review: C Press Juice

I love a good fresh juice, especially in the summer, and I actually LOVE vegetable juices (yes I’m aware that that’s weird!)but I find it so hard to find vegetable or green juices that aren’t 99% apple! C Press is a  juice bar that specialises in cold pressed juices – this means they are not pasteurised and a million times better for you because the nutrients are still kept in (most shop bought brands tend to be pasteurised and also full of sugar – boo!)

They are also organic and certified by the Soil Association so you know that all the ingredients are going to be of the best quality!

I got a takeaway but the interior is quite small but simple and I love the wooden walls.

First up is the Green Angel juice (£8.50) and I must say I felt like one of Charlie’s Angel’s after this! This was the most hardcore juice – filled with greens, no fruit and chlorella – an algae rich in antioxidants. I’m a major green juice fan but I’m not a big fan of chlorella! Luckily, this didn’t taste too strongly of chlorella so I didn’t mind it but I preferred the green juice without the extra superfood bonus!

Farmer’s market (£6.50) was one of my favourites – it’s fully green but I love that and I love how the slight sweetness and freshness of the vegetables come through, as well as the warm and sweet ginger! However, for a first time green juicer, I would recommend Farmer’s Market with Apple (£6.50) as its got all the benefits of a green juice but with added sweetness of apple.

If anyone’s looking for a sweet juice, the Prime Number (£6.50) is the one for you! The sweetness of the fruit really comes through, especially the orange and pineapple, and almost tastes like you’re eating a lollipop! Also, the colour of this is phenomenal – so vibrant!

This Charged Up (£6.50) juice was also great for those looking for a sweeter juice, but it’s not too sweet! Obviously, the sweetness of the pineapple and orange came through but the turmeric gave a really lovely depth of flavour which I really enjoyed (and it’s great for the anti inflammatory benefits)!

Now onto the food –  I got a salad called Spring Greens (£5.75) that was filled with sweet potato and quinoa falafel and greens.  The only downside is its got a very soft texture but that’s due to it obviously not being fried. The salad itself was a whole bunch of greens like kale, peppery rocket, broccoli, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, avocado and goji berries that came with the most amazing dressing (definitely recreating this!) – I could literally drink this stuff because it was so creamy and rich! It’s a miso cashew dressing that brought the whole salad together – absolute perfection! I would definitely get this again!

I also got a side of kale chips (£3.75) which are always good! This was the original cheezy flavour that were lovely and crisp and I really liked the addition of pepper which give a slight heat! Very addictive!

C Press is a great place to go, whether you are looking for a healthy lunch (everything is vegan and gluten free), quick snack or a plethora or jucies, smoothies and nut mylks!

C Press
Website: http://www.cpressjuice.com/
Adress: 285 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9PZ
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday: 7:00 – 22:00, Sunday: 8:00 – 20:00

Chicken, Kale & Coconut Rice

I remember seeing this recipe yeeears ago on Tracy’s blog and wanted to try it for so long.
I don’t know why I didn’t, I guess I never go round to it as I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand yada yada yada.
But the, I finally made it and OMG BEST DECISION EVER!

Such an easy, healthy meal: tender chicken thighs (they’re more flavourful than their breast counterpart), garlicky kale and crunchy toasted coconut, all on steaming hot brown rice. Comfort food at its finest.

Chicken, Kale & Coconut Rice dairy free, gluten free
Serves 2

This is one of my new go to meals, adapted from Shutterbean‘s Kale Salad w/ Coconut and Sesame Oil. Quick, easy and super delicious – what more could you want?! You can use left over chicken to make things even speedier and you can also make this into a fried rice situation by dumping everything into a wok.

2 chicken thighs, cooked and shredded (you can poach, bake or pan fry them)
A few handfuls of kale
Thick coconut chips (unsweetened)
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or coconut oil if you want more flavour)
Salt and pepper (you can also substitute for soy sauce)
Sesame oil, for drizzling
Brown rice (you can also use quinoa, white rice, farro etc)

notes: to make this vegan, simple omit the chicken, you can eat it as is or add tempeh or tofu (which you may want to marinade in soy sauce, chilli flakes and sesame oil and bake till crispy.

Heat a dry pan and add coconut chips.
Frequently stir around so that they don’t burn.

Once browned, put in a bowl and set on the side.

Heat oil in a pan and add garlic and kale and cook the kale has started to wilt.

Add the shredden chicken and keep cooking until hot and kale has started to brown.

Drizzle the kale and chicken with sesame oil for extra flavour.

Serve ingredients on top of rice and dig in!