Healthy toast toppers 1

I've decided to do a series of healthy toast toppers. It's so easy just to reach for the butter, marmite or jam but there are so many amazing foods you can have on top of toast which will transform a slice of toast and make it more into a meal. There are loads of fruit/veggies that go great on top of toast, so I am going to do a few posts with a few ideas in each for some healthy breakfast or lunch ideas!
All recipes below serve 1.

 Avocado and salmon

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado

2 slices of smoked salmon

1 lemon

Salt

Pepper

Fresh coriander

Your favourite bread

Using the back of a fork, mash your avocado up. Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon depending on preference, add in some salt (ideally pink himalyan salt or a good quality rock salt) and pepper. Finely chop your fresh coriander (or an alternative herb if you wish) and add this in too. Re-mash the avocado to make sure all the new additions are combined.

Spread your avocado mix over your toast and finish with a 1-2 slices of smoked salmon.

Almond butter and banana

Ingredients

1 banana

Almond butter (or any nut butter)
Optional: Cinnamon

Your favourite bread

This one is pretty self explanatory. Chop your banana into discs. Spread your nut butter over your bread and top with your banana! For a little extra flavour, sprinkle with cinnamon.

Tomatoes, garlic and chilli

Ingredients

Olive oil

Approx 15 plum tomatoes

1-2 red chillies
1-2 cloves of garlic
Fresh basil

Your favourite bread

I like to buy mixed colour tomatoes for this one but it's completely not necessary. Use as much or little of both garlic and chilli as you wish, or of course they can be omitted.

Chop up your tomatoes into different sizes, some havles and some quarters. Finely chop your garlic, chilli and basil.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil into your saucepan on a medium heat and add your tomatoes. After 5 minutes, your tomatoes should start going squishy. Add in the garlic, chilli and basil and cook for a further 2-5 minutes.

Look out for the next healthy toast toppers post (that's a bit of a mouthful to say!) and meanwhile, I hope you enjoy experimenting with what you put on top of your morning slice of toast!

Superfoods: Hemp seeds / Seed crackers

Today I wanted to post another superfood post and I chose to write about hemp seeds. The recipe I will be sharing with you in which I use hemp seeds is one of my favourite things to make. I make a batch of this once a week as I'm addicted to it. It's such a great snack to have a stash of available and will stop you reaching out for biscuits and chocolate! 

Homemade filled chocolates

Now no matter how healthy you may be, you cannot deny that we all get chocolate cravings from time to time. And here is your solution - home made healthy chocolate. Two of the ingredients are superfoods - cacao butter (contains no sugar or dairy) and cacao powder. I have written a post all about cacao previously, so if you want to find out more be sure to check that out. 

Pesto, broccoli and quinoa salad

This salad is heavenly! There are so many flavours in there and it's a great way of using pesto opposed to the usual pesto and pasta combination! The pesto from this recipe could be combined with an abundance of other foods though so definitely try come up with some other inventive pesto recipes! One thing I love about this salad is the combination of hot and cold. The entire dish could be eaten cold if you prefer, or if you have leftovers. 

Shop bought pestos are not very healthy as they are absolutely packed with oil. This pesto recipe only uses 1 tbsp oil for 2 people and absolutely does not compromise on taste. It really is a much healthier option.

Beetroot hummus

Adding beetroot to your hummus not only turns it this fantastic pink colour, but it also gives the hummus a slightly different flavour. It's also a tasty way to get some beetroot into you diet, without it's taste being overpowering. The type of beetroot most people will be familiar with and enjoy is the stuff you buy from supermarkets in jars. What most people do not realise is that this has been cooked and pickled! When you buy beetroot in vacuum packed form or in a plastic container found in the salad aisle, this is cooked. Beetroot is actually a root vegetable (hence the name beetroot...) and when purchased in it's raw form will usually still have it's root and leaves attached (which can also be eaten). Beetroot is known to improve blood flow and lower blood pressure.

Superfoods: Maca / Raw energy balls

Maca is a root vegetable and belongs to the radish family. It is native to the high Andes of Peru and is commonly known as Peruvian Gingseng. The health benefits of maca have been long valued in Peru, and historically maca was even regarded as 'the food of the gods' by the Incas, one of the oldest civilizations on earth.

Crispy duck salad

This salad is so full of flavour that you won't realise you are eating a salad. I know that sounds silly, but if you are not a huge salad eater and find it a struggle to get through a salad, then I promise you won't with this one. There are so many different flavours and textures in this, you won't get bored after a couple of mouthfuls. It is also super easy to make despite the amount of ingredients, but the duck does take a long time to cook so make sure you start well before your belly starts rumbling! The best way I would describe this dish is a salad version of crispy duck pancakes!

Soup series 5: Green veggie with homemade croutons

The fifth soup in my six soup series is here! A beautiful green soup, which with every mouthful you just know it is doing your body good. It has that taste which screams healthy and goodness, as well as being bright green! Perfect for a health kick, if you are feeling run down, or as part of a healthy diet! This recipe serves 4 but it keeps well in the fridge so is perfect for taking to work for lunch!

Superfoods: Lucuma / ice-cream & smoothie

So today I wanted to do another post on a superfood and I have chosen lucuma. This is one of the cheaper superfood powders out there and is known as natures caramel. Lucuma is a subtropical fruit native to Ecuador, Peru and Chile and has been used as a sweetener and base in Incan food for centuries. It is consequently known as 'gold of the Incas'. The flesh of the fruit is a gorgeous yellow/orange colour, which can be seen on my lucuma packet below. It is turned into a powder so that we, on the other side of the world, can benefit from this amazing fruit. It is dried at low temperatures so that all the nutritional value is retained, and then milled into a superfine powder. 

Hummus

Today I am going to share with you a basic recipe for hummus. I love hummus, it is a perfect thing to have in the fridge for a snack, or part of a sharing platter. You can dip so many varied things in it, from healthy options such as vegetables, or more carby options like pita bread or tortilla chips. I have to admit, I usually reach for the latter two!

As with a lot of foods, hummus is so much healthier when homemade, which is why I much prefer to make my own. I also think it is much tastier, and you can season it to exactly your taste.