Sugar Free Challenge: Week 4

by Martin Hayman

BREAKFASTS

Lemon pancakes

Makes 6 large pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 1 cup gf four
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp raw honey (optional)
• sprinkle of cinnamon

Method:

1⃣ Add your dry ingredients to a bowl. Gently whisk in all the wet ingredients until smooth.
2⃣ Heat up a pan with a little oil and pour in a ladle of batter, spreading it around the pan. Cook the pancakes on a low heat until brown. Flip and cook on the other side until also golden brown. Serve with fresh fruit.

 

Citrus creamy smoothie  (makes 1 jar)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 ripe avocado
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 apple, chopped
• 2cm cube fresh ginger, grated
• 1/2 cup water

Method:

Blitz everything in a blender until completely smooth!

 

Simple overnight oats  (makes 1 jar)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 jar rolled oats
• 3 tsp chia seeds
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• raspberries, blueberries and flaked almonds for topping.

Method:

1⃣ Put the oats and chia seeds into a jar, fill to almost the top with milk. stir in raw honey.
Stir everything until mixed. Pop in fridge overnight.
2⃣ In the morning stir in raspberries, blueberries and flaked almonds. Enjoy!

 

LUNCHES

Rice, kale and coconut skillet  (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 bunch spring onions, chopped
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 3 handfuls kale
• 1 cup coconut flaks
• 1 cup cooked rice (I used wild rice)
• 1 lime
• salt to taste

Method:

1⃣ Cook rice as states on packed. Whilst rice is cooking heat coconut oil in a large pan on low heat and add the spring onions and garlic. Leave for a couple of minutes to brown and then add slices of red pepper. When the pepper has softened add the kale and keep on the heat until wilted.
2⃣ Remove kale mix from pan to a bowl. Add a little extra coconut oil and sesame oil in the pan and add the coconut flakes. Stir and cook until golden brown. Add the cooked rice to the coconut in the pan and stir until mixed together. Transfer the kale mix back into the pan and cook everything together for a few minutes.
3⃣ Put everything into a dish and squeeze the juice of half a lime over the dish. Serve and enjoy!

 

Vegetable lentil curry  (serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 fresh chilli, finely chopped
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 can cannelloni beans
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 aubergine, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 100g green beans, halved
• 150g spinach
• 1 cup veg stock/bouillon

Method:

1⃣ Cook the lentils in a pan following instructions on the packet, until water is absorbed and it is the texture of a thick paste.
2⃣ Heat a large pan with oil on a low heat. Cook the onions, garlic and ginger until brown. Add the turmeric, oregano and cumin and stir for a few minutes. Pour in the cans of tomatoes, beans and bouillon stock, and add the cooked lentils. Stir and let it start to bubble.
3⃣ Combine the chopped vegetables and chilli, mix well and pop the lid on the pan. Leave for about 20-25 minutes for the vegetables to soften. Stir every 5 minutes to make sure the lentils aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
4⃣ Once the vegetables are soft, turn off the heat. Serve with rice.

 

Potato salad with coconut bacon  (serves 2)

Ingredients:

For potato salad

• 500g baby potatoes, chopped in quarters
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 garlic glove, chopped
• 1 cup coconut bacon
• 2 fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise (vegan)
• 2 tbsp chargrilled aubergine pesto – optional

For coconut bacon

(Makes 1 cup)

• 1 1/4 cups coconut flakes
• 1 tbsp tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
• 3/4 tbsp raw honey
• 1/2 tbsp sesame seed oil
• 1 tbsp liquid smoke

Method:

1⃣ Steam potatoes for about 10-15 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a pan and add onion and garlic, cook until browned – about 5 minutes.
2⃣ Cool the potatoes and transfer to mixing bowl. Add mayonnaise, onions and coconut bacon. Chop parsley and mix through. Stir through aubergine pesto if you would like to add this too for a different, extra flavour.
3⃣ To make the coconut bacon – Preheat oven to 150°C for fan oven. Add the coconut flakes into mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients and combine.
4⃣ Transfer to baking tray and cook in oven for 15 minutes. Check on it every 5 minutes as it can burn easily. It will crisp up when it starts to cool down.

 

DINNERS

Sweet potato, kale and king prawn skillet  (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 160g king prawns
• 100g kale leaves
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1⃣ In a large saucepan, add the coconut oil and leave to heat. Add the onions and cook until soft.
2⃣ Add the garlic and sweet potato and water, cover saucepan with lid and cook until sweet potato is soft. (About 15 minutes)
3⃣ Add the king prawns and cook for a further 5 mins. Finally, add the kale and stir until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Vegan chilli  (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 onion, medium dice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Pink himalayan salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bell pepper, medium dice
• 1 courgette, medium dice
• 2 tsp dried flaked chillies
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 can cannelloni beans, drained
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp dried sage
• 2 large handfuls spinach

Method:

1⃣  Begin by steaming the sweet potatoes (I left the skin on mine) until soft.
2⃣ While the potatoes are steaming heat up 1 tsp coconut oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic and cook for a couple minutes. Add red pepper.
3⃣ When pepper is soft and onions are brown, add the rest of the coconut oil and the courgette, beans, salt, black pepper, chillies, turmeric, sage, and chopped tomatoes. Pop a lid on and let it bubble for about 8-10 minutes. Add in the washed spinach, sweet potatoes and mince (optional) and leave to simmer for a further few minutes.
4⃣ Serve with homemade guacamole and hummus.

 

Tofu and spinach aubergines  (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 2 large aubergines, cut in half lengthways
• 350g firm tofu
• 100ml veg stock
• 1/4 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 100g spinach leaves

Method:

1⃣ Preheat oven to 180°C. Wrap the aubergines in foil and bake cut-side up for 30 minutes until soft. Scoop out the middle flesh into a bowl leaving about 1cm of flesh around the edge. Set to one side.
2⃣ Put all the remaining ingredients into a blender (including the aubergine flesh), except the spinach. Blend until smooth.
3⃣ Steam the spinach until wilted. Add to tofu mixture and pulse on and off a couple times to chop and mix in spinach.
4⃣ Place aubergine shells on a baking tray and spoon mixture into them. Bake for 45 minutes or until set.

 

DESSERT

Blackberry and apple crumble  (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

For the topping

• 1 1/2 cups of organic oats
• 1 cup crushed almonds
• 1 tsp molasses
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder

For the fruit layer

• 3 cups blackberries
• 4 red apples
• 1 tsp molasses
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1⃣ Mix oats and almonds together in a bowl. On the hob melt the coconut oil, molasses and add cinnamon. Pour the melted mixture over the dry mixture until everything is covered. Leave to one side.
2⃣ Chop the apples into small sections, removing the core. Add to a saucepan with enough water in just to cover the bottom. Add the blackberries, molasses and cinnamon. Cover with lid and wait about 15 minutes for the fruit to soften.
3⃣ Pour the fruit mixture into a cooking dish and layer the oat mixture evenly on top. Pop in the oven for about 20 mins, or until top is golden brown. Cook at 175°C.

 

SNACK

Cucumber, avocado and lime rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 lime
• sprinkle of salt

Method:

1⃣ Mash avocado in a bowl with a fork. Add a squeeze of lime and sprinkle of salt.
2⃣ Use a peeler to peel lengthways down a cucumber to create thin strips. Spread the avocado across the cucumber slices and roll up.

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