Go Shopping, Save the World

We all love turtles. Whales. Penguins. We don't want to see them with straws in their noses, plastic bags in their stomachs, beer rings around their necks.

But what to do?

You feel bad about it, sure, but signing petitions, lobbying local council, broadcasting your views? Too hard, too contraversial, does it even work, where do you even start?

Luckily there's an easier answer. Shop.

The power of change lies with you, the consumer - it's called voting with your dollar. 

Here's how it works;

Companies thrive when their products are purchased. When sales go down, they are forced to close their doors or change their ways.

Every time, every single time you purchase an item not wrapped in, held together by, covered in or containing plastic, you're supporting companies that support the world. You feed their bottom line, giving the company feedback that particular product is in demand. More units sold, more units produced to meet demand. Simples. Rival companies, with products covered in plastic, reduce their market share and are forced to supply fewer items or fall in line with plastic-free packaging to regain sales.

It can also save you money (hurrah!). As supply of plastic products increase, we start to see the economy of scale come in to play. Companies can supply their products for less, giving you benefit to your hip pocket.

All sounds great, what next?


The How-To:

The last (plastic) Straw
Buy a re-usable straw. Bamboo. Metal. Glass. Take your pick. So trendy, so easy to find, so simple. Some even come with jazzy little brushes to clean them. Yuss.

Cloth Bags
Take one with you to the supermarket. Always. Every time. Forever. Keep it in your car, keep it in your handbag, heck, use it as your handbag.

Make your Own
Plastic-wrapped cleaning and beauty products be gone. Learn a few simple recipes and save yourself the plastic and while you're at it, your monies. Keep an eye our for future posts with recipes. Got a killer one for oven cleaner. You're welcome.

Let me know your best plastic-free swaps, tips and killer ideas.

Peace love and plastic free, vegetators.

Clare

Courgette Bread

Bread in captivity.

I have a new favourite brunch cafe in London. It's called Lantana, and they do the most amazing eggs with generous heapings of avocado, sides of spinach, amazing cornbread and a truly lovely coffee.

What they also do and I totally love is courgette bread. Apart from having a lightly speckling of green throughout the bread, you wouldn't know there was a cheeky vegetable hiding in there. Of course, being the courgette lover that I am, I had to have a go at making it for myself.

This is the recipe from their book, with a few adaptations. Frankly I could make a few more tweaks to make it more healthy, but lets consider this version 1. Courgette bread 2.0 will no doubt follow at some point!

What You'll Need

Makes 1 loaf

- 2 courgettes/zucchini 

- 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 1/2 cups mature cheddar

- 50g butter

- 4 eggs

- 1/2 cup milk

The How-To:

- Preheat oven to 180 celcius

- Grate the courgette and squeeze it to get as much water out as you can

- In a large bowl combine courgette, flour (sifted), baking powder, salt and almost all the cheese

- In a small pan, melt the butter, then remove from heat and add in milk and eggs (whisked with a fork)

- Pour liquids into the mixing bowl and stir gently until all combined and not a minute longer. Do NOT overstir or else you'll end up with jawache trying to chew this bad boy!!

- Pop into a silicon loaf tin or regular tin lined with baking paper

- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top

- Cook for 60-80 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean

- Cool on a wire rack until completely cool before attempting to cut

Winter Warmer: Lentil, Carrot and Chorizo Soup

What did the chef say when the first course was ready?

Soups-on!

(I know, I'm hilarious).

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the clocks are about to turn back and the nights are definitely turning in. At this turn of the season, nothing gets you into the winter vibe more than a steaming bowl of hearty soup with a nice chunk of rustic bread.

This soup is incredibly filling - the lentils are high in fibre and protein (hi fibre! hi protein!) to keep you going as the rain and sleet and snow sets in, the chorizo helps give a hearty depth to the flavour, whilst the carrots add vibrant colour (and who knows, with all that Vitamin A they contain, might help you see better at 3.30pm when it gets dark!).

Added bonus - eaaaaaasy and mega cheap to make in bulk! Freezes excellently and only gets better with age, so bake with the biggest saucepan you have and soup-er size your cooking!

What You'll Need:

Serves ~10

- 1/2 stick chorizo (or use 4 rashers of bacon)

- 6 carrots

- 5 cloves garlic

- 1 tablespoon turmeric

- 1-2 stock cubes (any flavour, but probably veggie is best)

- 2 cups red lentils

- 2.5 litres boiling water

- Black pepper to garnish

The How-To:

1. In a pan, cook the chorizo over a low heat for a few minutes

2. Remove most of the chorizo from the pan, turn up the heat and cook the rest until crispy. Set aside and turn down heat again. 

3. Grate/finely chop 6 carrots and add to pan with garlic (peeled but whole) and turmeric

4. Boil 2.5 litres of water and mix in a separate bowl with the stock cubes

5. Put stock, 2 cups of red lentils and carrot mix into large saucepan or slow cooker

6. Cook on highish (NOT boiling) for 20-30 mins, then turn down low for as long as poss (in a saucepan, as many hours as you can, ideally more than 2, or if using a slow cooker just leave it on low all night!)

7. Ladle out a generous bowlful, garnish with crispy chorizo pieces and black pepper, and a side of courgette bread!

Travel Tip: Want to take soup to work but worried about spillage? Fill up an old sauce jar with soup and whack in the freezer. Take the frozen soup to work, and leave on the side to defrost until lunchtime when you can pop into a bowl and heat. No spills, no tears!

Healthy Spring Rolls: Be-Leaf it or Not

This 'recipe' was borne of a nearly-empty fridge. My poor shelf hadn't been stocked in a bit too long, and all that was to be found was half a head of iceberg, a handful of carrots, a bit of chorizo and a lone courgette. It was cold out, and I'd come home from a startlingly wild game of netball absolutely ravenous. So what on earth to make from my odd little collection of ingredients?

Spring rolls! Except without rice paper. And without being rolls. Whatever they are, they're a fantastically easy to make dinner that is jam packed full of colour, veg and crunch. Feel free to chop and change for different vegetables, or chicken/beef/beans in place of chorizo.

Be-leaf me, you'll want to try these. 

What You'll Need

Per Person

- 1 courgette

- 2 carrots

- 5cm of chorizo

- 1/4 head of lettuce

The How-To:

1. Chop chorizo into small pieces and pop into a frying pan over a low heat with a little oil for about 5 minutes until warmed through

2. In the meantime, wash and chop the carrots into pieces the same size as the chorizo, and add in to the pan

3. Use a julienne peeler to create 'courgetti' (or just chop into small pieces if no peeler to hand), and add in with the carrots/chorizo

5. Stir everything for 3-4 minutes until warmed through

6. Tear away each iceberg leaf individually and give a quick rinse

7. Scoop a generous amount of courgette/carrot/chorizo mix onto each leaf

8. Eat immediately!

Healthy Pizza Bites

Healthy bite-sized pizza bites that you can whip up in minutes. 

To get around the calorie-punch that normal pizza gives, try using courgette slices for a healthier alternative to the base. High in fibre and water, and lower in carbohydrate and salt, it's a super easy way to vegetate your pizza plate. 

Additional Tip: Use a strong cheese such as feta instead of cheddar so you don't need to use so much. 

Mini Courgette Pizza Bites

Makes 12-15 bites

What You'll Need:

1 courgette/zucchini

1/2 jar tomato pasta sauce

1/2 onion

1/2 a pepper/capsicum (colour of your choice)

50g feta cheese

1 chicken breast (optional)

The How-To:

1. Slice the onion and cook over a low heat until transparent (~5 min)

2. Chop the chicken (if using) into small cubes and add in with the onion

3. When the chicken is cooked, pour the tomato sauce over the stir through, and remove from heat. 

4. Slice courgette into discs about 1/2cm thick

5. Scoop a heaped teaspoon of onion/chicken/tomato mix onto each slice of courgette

6. Add a small piece of pepper/capsicum on top 

7. Top with a small piece of feta

8. Place on a baking tray and grill until warmed through and cheese turns golden brown (feta will not melt much).

9. Enjoy!

Note: Be sure to let cool for at least 5 mins before eating as they can get very hot!

Are Avocados Healthy?

I've recently travelled to the amazing country of Peru. Apart from fascinating Inca ruins, great weather and lovely people, it also had some seriously yummy foods. Case in point: the avocado. Whilst trekking up to the breathtaking (get it, get it) city of Machu Picchu, stopping for lunch by the ruins of Wiñya Wayna pictured above, our guide informed us that the Peruvians simply peel an avocado and eat it whole. So that is exactly what we did!

But the question always remains - are avocados healthy?

It can be a little confusing, as avocados are high in fat. Yet, they are considered healthy. Why is this?

The simply answer is that they contain mostly the good kind of fat, called unsaturated fat. This kind of fat helps to increase your levels of protective HDL 'good' cholesterol, which assists in lowering levels of LDL 'bad' cholesterol, in turn decreasing your risk of heart disease. Simples?

The only consideration is that even though they are full of 'good fats', they are also calorie-heavy, so should be eaten in moderation, particularly if following a calorie controlled diet. Best option? Replace unhealthy 'bad fats' such as butter with avocado and you'll be right as rain!

Simple Ways to Use Avocados:

- On toast/in sandwiches instead of butter

- Use to whip up a surprisingly delicious chocolate mousse

- Atop a yummy crunchy salad

- In a green smoothie to make it velvety smooth and luxuriously glossy

- Alongside a yummy weekend brunch

- Homemade guacamole

- In, up and around any Mexican fare - tacos, fajitas, enchiladas etc

As an old TV slogan in the 90's encouraged us - "go on, 'ave an avo"

How to Make Salad Filling: The Secret

When you think of salad, "filling" isn't often the first adjective that springs to mind. More likely you'll think "light lunch", "healthy" or "that green stuff on the side of my burger".

But let me tell you, the secret to making a salad that satisfies in the curious 'I am so full yet don't feel stuffed' way that heavier meals never will is so simple. 

Protein. 

But why? Protein is a more complex nutrient than carbohydrate (what your salad-y greens are made of) and takes longer to be broken down to used as energy. So therefore, you feel full. For longer. It's no more complicated than that. 

Exactly what protein you choose to have in your salads is entirely up to you, however it's a great opportunity to have some oily fish (mackerel, herring, sardines, kipper, fresh tuna) which make your good cholesterol sing and your bad cholesterol say adios. 

The best part is you can chop and change proteins (different varieties of fish, egg, chicken, lean red meat, tofu, pulses, beans...) and end up with an entirely different bowl of salad awesomeness every single day. 

My Favourite Favourite Simple 'desert island' Salad: tuna and boiled egg. 

What You'll Need:

- A generous bowlful of mixed salad leaves

- 1 carrot

- 1 small-medium courgette/zucchini

- 1 small tin tuna in either sunflower oil or brine*

- 1 boiled egg

The How-To:

1. Salad greens into bowl

2. Grate carrot and courgette and put over the top

3. Peel egg and roughly chop and add on top

4. Open tin of tuna and drizzle oil/brine over the salad, then add the tuna meat on top

5. Gently mix together and eat immediately

* tuna in sunflower oil is less healthy than in brine. However as it is used as the dressing and there is no more adding of oil I feel that I can get away with the 'guilty pleasure'. If you'd rather use brine or drain the tuna entirely, go right ahead.