The "Everything's gonna be alright" Risotto with Butternut Squash

 It's on days like today that I wish I had a dog to welcome me home with his cute funny face, ready to go for a walk in the park helping me to forget all the bad things that happened during the day..
But alas, I have no dog (sad music in the background).. So I'm turning to comforting yet nutritious food instead.
Enter the Butternut Squash Risotto.
This creamy, soul healing comforting bowl of goodness takes only 20 minutes to prepare and it's bound to bring a smile of happiness and joy on the first bite.
It's inspired by the awesome pumpkin risotto my mom makes but here it's easier to find butternut squash so I used that. And I'll tell you more, I used to have mixed butternut squash and sweet potato together but now I just use the first one and the result is a lighter, creamier risotto that I could eat over and over again.
And I love its happy bright orange colour of course!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups of chopped butternut squash
( I buy the pre chopped one and chop it even more)
1 cup arborio rice
1tbsp vegetable stock
2 peeled garlic cloves
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
2 pinches of nutmeg
Boiling water

 Start with oil and garlic in a pan on medium heat till the garlic is browning a bit.
In the meantime put the kettle on and chop your butternut squash.
Get your rice and rinse it.
Once the garlic is ready, pop the butternut squash and rice in and mix so they are covered in garlicky oil.
Add salt and pepper and the vegetable stock and mix again.
Then add the water till it covers everything and bring to the boil before lowering the heat to a simmer.
From now on, what you want to do is check and stir every now and then, adding water if you notice that the mixture is becoming too dry.
After 15 minutes (my rice takes about 20 min. to cook but check the instructions on your package), I start squashing the pieces of softened squash against the sides of the pan with a wooden spoon and then stir, by the end of this process everything has become creamy and orange!
That's when I add my nutmeg, stir again, taste to check if I need more salt and pepper and if the rice is cooked of course.
When you stir the rice and see a creamy consistency, not watery (in Italy we call the right consistency ALL'ONDA, onda means wave in italian because when you stir the risotto it should look like a velvety wave), then it's done!
You can add parmesan if you want but as you know I haven't been a fan of dairy lately so I take mine without and it tastes so incredible anyway..

So nothing left to do but cuddle up on the sofa with your bowl of risotto and relax.
Everything's gonna be allright.x

Carrot & Courgette Fritters

Today marks the end of Vegetarian Week, during which I have been able to test different recipes including the one that made it to this post.
I'm really trying to use up all of my leftovers lately cause I used to waste way too much food, so on Thursday evening I looked online for a meal that would include some mixed veg and eggs..I found many veggie fritters recipes but in a way or another I always needed to change a few ingredients so decided to make up my own.
In my fridge I still had a bag of beautiful organic carrots from the Islington Farmers Market, 1 courgette, some spring onions, parsley and two eggs. And that's how the magic happened.
When sauteeing or frying I'm now using coconut oil instead of olive oil as it isn't as damaged or chemically altered by heat as olive oil is.
Also coconut oil smells fabulous and contains lauric acid which strengthens the immune system.
Not bad  right?
The fritters came out really good, colourful and super tasty. I think I made at least 12 which meant two whole dinners with a side salad each.  Yummy dinners + money saved=  awesomeness.
So here's the recipe which, as I'm posting it today (Sunday), you can easily make tomorrow evening as your Meat Free Monday dinner baby!

INGREDIENTS (please choose organic when possible)

2 Large Eggs, beaten
1 Courgette, grated
2 Carrots, grated
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast (for a cheesy flavour without dairy plus mine is fortified with vitamin B12!)
1 Handful of chopped parsley
3 Spring onions, finely chopped
Salt & Pepper to season
1 Tsp coconut oil for frying
4 heaped Tbsp of gluten free flour or whole wheat flour ( I used gluten free)

Grate your courgette, carrots (I'm lazy so I let the food processor with grater attachment do the work) then put them in a colander and push them down to drain any extra liquid.
Finely chop your spring onions and parsley.
Put your vegetables in a bowl, add the remaining ingredient and mix well.

Spoon the coconut oil in the pan and turn on the stove to medium heat than start adding spoonfuls of the mixture (I managed to fit 4 spoonfuls at a time in my pan) and lightly push on top of each to form a patty.

Leave it 4-5 min. on each side or till they become golden, then transfer to a plate on top of kitchen paper (to absorb extra oil) and once the first layer is full add and extra sheet and pop the second batch on etc...

How easy is that? I made everything in 20 minutes. And so will you. Enjoy your dinner.x

The Ice Kitchen

Here's my latest most wonderful discovery.
Last weekend the weather was finally pretty warm here in London and as me and my beau were wandering around the Real Food Festival on the Southbank, we noticed a colourful new stand we had never seen before..
Enter The ice Kitchen.
The sign reads Hand Made Ice Lollies and had pictures of multicoloured  popsicles with wonderful mouthwatering flavour combinations. Many I had never seen before. I HAD TO TRY IT.

I had a Raspberry and Lime lolly and Patch had a Strawberry and Cream (which seems to be one of the most popular flavours).
By the time we were done we both had pretty big smiles on our faces, the amount of real fruit you can taste when biting into these lollies is amazing and it's exactly what's going to bring me back this stand for more.

Cesar (chef and joint founder) explained to me that he does add a little sugar syrup (equal parts of water and sugar) " in minimal amounts just to take the edge off the more sour fruits" which seems more than fair to me.
He also said that one of the most special flavours he makes is 50's Orange a: sour based creamsicle, flavoured with orange juice, dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with candied orange zest!
Are you drooling yet?
Just in case you wanted to keep it 100% natural then you should know that a sugar free Fresh Mango Pop is available and  I am definitely going to try it next time I head to the market.
And after that I'll try the Tart Plum (with roasted yellow and red plums) and after that...
Well, I could stay here all day  listing all the amazing flavours I want to try but I have a whole summer to work my way through all these incredible Artisanal Ice Lollies.

I used to have ice lollies a lot during the hot summers I spent in Italy but they were always the commercial, almost fluorescent ones that would only taste of sugar with some more orange, lemon or mint tasting syrup added in.

Don't get me wrong, at the time I didn't really care but right now I'm always looking for something a bit special, something that makes my taste buds go MAMMAAAAAAA MIAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Which is why I had to write this post.

So next time you're on the Southbank on a weekend and the sun is out, take a stroll  over
to The Real Food Market on The Southbank Centre Square, just behind The London Orchestra and find this gem of a stand.

The Ice Kitchen will be at the Real Food Market every weekend starting May 18th.

See you there.x

Easy Raw Wrap

I've been meaning to write a post about this quick lunch to go because I've had a few weeks where I was working at the film school almost every day and just couldn't afford to buy lunch on each single occasion, also I do prefer to make lunch myself if I can, that way I know exactly what kind of ingredients go in it.
I normally do this wrap in the morning, it takes 5 min tops and it's healthy delicious and satisfying.
The avocado is added in at the last minute, so you take it with you whole and I always have with me a spoon and knife (reusable ones) to cut it and spoon it out before adding it to my wrap.

INGREDIENTS  (makes two big wraps)
1 ripe Avocado
1/2 Cucumber thinly sliced ( probably less than that, use what you can and munch on what's left like I do)
1 Tomato thinly sliced
Hummous (bought from a shop, I use sainsburys organic hummous, or you can make your own)
2 Handfuls mixed salad (or whatever you have in the house ex: watercress or spinach)
Wholewheat large tortillas (I use discover Wholemeal Wrapbread, but you can get corn tortillas or any other kind you'd rather use, just make sure they are large otherwise it'll be hard to fold them with the filling in)


Now, it's all about layering! Spread some hummous first leaving a few cm from the border, otherwise it'll get messy when you roll it, add a little salad, then half cucumber slices and tomatoes, finally roll it and put it in your airtight container or lunchbox. Same thing with the other one.

As I said before all you have to do before eating is unroll, add half avocado in one wrap and half in the other then roll up again and bite into it!x

Le Comptoir Lebanese Canteen

This morning I was filming near Carnaby Street with a wonderful cast and crew including Ezra, possibly one of the loveliest people I know here in London. He's not only a ridiculously talented singer, songwriter and musician (I strongly recommend checking out his band here but he's also the amazing man who lead all of us to Le Comptoir after we wrapped filming today.

I have seen this Lebanese Canteen a few times as I was walking around town and today I finally got to try it out. And man, was it worth it!

The first thing I noticed is that being someone who's constantly cold, I did feel all nice and warm as soon as we walked in and even though our table was next to the door I could not feel any type of draft whatsoever and was able to really enjoy my meal at a perfect body temperature ( I know all of this might not interest some of you but I'm sure if any Spanish or Mediterranean people should read this they will definitely know what I'm talking about).

It's a colourful relaxed environment with some upbeat music in the background but thankfully not too loud ,
as it can be in some restaurants, so we were able to have a conversation while enjoying our food.

Aahhh...The Food...My favourite part. We ordered two mezze dish starter of hummous, babaganoush and zaatar with warm pitta to share between us. We had to order a few more pitta bits as there was quite a few of us but all three starters were creamy and delicious.

As a main, I followed in Ezra's steps (he had been here before so was able to enlighten me on some of the dishes), he went for a Marinated Chicken Wrap Platter and I decided to order a Falafel Wrap Platter which means that you get your wrap on a plate with a big refreshing mixed salad (mine had crunchy cucumbers, parsley, mint and my first ever bright pink pickled turnip!) and some more hummous.

Everyone's portion was really generous including three of us who decided to opt for a Chicken and Olive Tagine with Preserved Lemons served with a choice of organic cous cous or organic rice (how good does that sound?).

I washed everything down with and incredibly refreshing and delicate Rose and Mint tea which no doubt I'll order again next time I'll head there.

A few of the guys had some freshly made juices which looked incredible and judging by their faces after the first sip, it sure looked like they were pretty tasty too!
They had many refreshing drinks to choose from and I already have my eyes on their Pomegranate and Orange  Lemonade to try out in the near future.

As i said, the portions were pretty generous so we didn't have any space left for dessert but that's one thing I might try next time (it's a my duty as a food blogger after all isn't it?).

With a warm, welcoming environment, good music, exquisite fresh food and drinks and on top of all this affordable prices, I URGE you to try this venue out. You won't regret it. I promise.x

Meet my new best Friend: D'Mix

This past weekend I was in Uni and during our lunch break we always head over to Planet Organic which we are lucky enough to have just around the corner from our school.
On both days, after finishing my meal, my classmates have looked at me slightly confused as they saw me munching on a small teaspoon of  mixed seeds with a satisfied look on my face and started asking questions about what exactly I was putting in mouth and why.. So this post is for them and for anyone out there who has ever suffered for any type of digestive problem.

After a pretty violent food poisoning last summer, my digestive system had been completely ruined and I was having difficulties processing almost every meal. Acid reflux, bloating, some very sexy unexpected burps...lovely. I've been seeing a nutritionist, I still am, who prescribed some digestive enzymes and antimicrobial to kill the bad bacteria in my gut and replace them with the good ones in the form of probiotics. All of that did help but being the lazy person that I can be, I was tired of taking all of these pills every day..
Around the the same time, I was looking for a flexible job that dealt with healthy food.
And searching online I discovered Conscious Food.
On top of being some incredibly lovely and positive people to work for, they introduced me to their biggest selling product : The Digestive Mix, now also called D'Mix.
A blend of delicious herbs and seeds that helps reboot your digestive system and gets it to work properly again.

All the ingredients are organic and hand blended and they are the result of a long research and collaboration with ayurvedic doctors, nutritionists and medical herbalists to find the perfect type and amount of ingredients that would work in synergy.
I read tons of testimonials of enthusiastic customers who had finally found a solution to all their digestive issues some similar to mine and some more serious so I thought I should at least give it a shot, especially as I would have to sell it and I didn't want to promote something I didn't believe to be effective.
AND I HAVEN'T LOOKED BACK SINCE.
I haven't needed any enzymes or antimicrobial pills since my first dose of D'Mix.
All I do is take 1/2 teaspoon after every meal (3 times a day), chew until it liquefies (as chewing activates the saliva gland and starts the digestive process) and then swallow.That's it.
It's not something you need to take for the rest of your life like you would do with commonly used antacids which calm the symptoms momentarily but do not get rid of the root cause.
Ideally you want to take it for two months to completely reset your system (unless you have more serious conditions like Chron's etc..in which case you need to take it for longer), after that if you want to take processed food and sugars out of your diet you can stop it otherwise you can just take it every now and then  to keep your system balanced without drastic changes to what you eat.
I personally suggest staying clear of processed food anyway as there are so many  fresh delicious products you could feast on out there, Real Food Market on the South Bank anyone?

I could go one forever to tell you about it but the best thing is to head over to their website and see for yourself, read the testimonials and see if you recognise yourself in any of them..I certainly did.

I hope this post has been helpful to at least some of you, I know how frustrating and sometimes embarassing digestive problems can be in everyday life and especially to people who really love their food like I do..
This was my own experience but I did want you to at least know there is a natural product out there that you can try should you choose to.
Feel free to leave any comments or questions you might have for me.x

PS: Genius that I am, I completely forgot to tell where you can actually buy it..Sorry!
You can order it online from their website or here's a list of shops and markets  you can go to.

Happy Scrambled Green Eggs and Smashed Avocado on Rye

I'm writing about this tonight as I've just come home from a lovely spring day filled with new headshots and quality time with my beau and I now realised I haven't got many ingredients for dinner..Oops.

But I do have eggs and one avocado. So I'll have a simpler version of the recipe you'll see below.

I eat this a lot. I love eggs, I love spinach and I ADORE avocado so I really can't go wrong here.

 I normally have it for lunch after a late morning workout or on a Sunday for brunch accompanied by a glass of orange juice (not from concentrate!) but to be honest I could easily have it at any time of the day, like tonight for example.

Eggs are a really good source of protein and avocado, you probably already know, contains vitamin E which is great for your skin and its fat is mostly monounsaturated which is good for you, definitely better for you than saturated fat from processed food.

Now get cooking!

Serves 2:

4 Eggs (possibly free range and organic)

2 Big handfuls of chopped spinach (I add a bit more as I really love it)

1 Thinly Sliced Red Onion or 1 Small Leek

2 tsp Extravirgin Olive oil

Salt and pepper to season

On a low heat, drizzle the oil in the pan and add the chopped onion or leek stirring every now and then till soft.

In the meantime, crack the eggs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk.

Once the leek is soft, add the chopped spinach and stir for about 30 seconds, till spinach becomes slightly wilted and a beautiful bright green.

Now it's time to add your eggs! And make sure you keep stirring slowly so they don't stick to the pan.

The trick is to take them off the heat when they're still a little runny as they'll cook for a few seconds more even in the plate.

SMASHED AVOCADO

1 Ripe Avocado

1 tsp Extravirgin Olive oil

salt and pepper

A little lemon juice to taste

Spoon the avocado flesh out and into a bowl, add the lemon and oil and smash till smooth, add salt and pepper to taste.

You can toast your rye bread or have it just like it is and then spread you green creamy goodness on it, pop on a plate with the eggs and eat!