Wednesday 31 December 2014

Beetroot & Goats Cheese Baked Frittata

Hope you've all had a fabulous Christmas and are gearing up for an equally exciting new years! Wishing you all good health and happiness for 2015!

Although I'm meat and dairy free the majority of the time I'm not always particularly strict, especially at this time of year. I think it's important to be happy as well as healthy and sometimes limiting yourself can be dispiriting. So I like to embrace most things even if it's just once in a while! In this spirit I'd like to share with you this recipe for my Beetroot & Goats Cheese Baked Frittata... now although it's certainly not going to be winning any beauty contests it really is delicious and I'd love for you to give it a go. 


This is a really interesting dish. Seriously light and fluffy with a beautiful earthiness from the beets. Contrasted with the creamy and slightly tangy cheese it's delicious! 

For 4 servings you will need:

5 medium-sized Eggs
130ml Double Cream
2 large (fresh) Beetroots
1 tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
125g Abergavenny Goats Cheese 
Mild Olive Oil for greasing
Salt and Pepper to season

Firstly set your oven to 200°c and grease a deep baking dish with olive oil.

Top and tail your beetroots. I usually reserve my beet tops for juicing or smoothies as they are full of goodness - they actually contain more Iron than spinach! I've included a juice recipe below if you fancy trying it! Peel the beets then grate into a bowl and set aside.

Crack the eggs into another large bowl. Whisk together well then add the cream, mustard and a good helping of salt and pepper. Mix together well before adding the grated beetroot. Combine then pour into the baking dish ensuring the beets are evenly distributed. The vibrant pink at this stage is fantastic!

Break up the goats cheese into pieces. It's a soft creamy cheese but does retain it's shape. Scatter the cheese over the frittata pushing pieces down so they are not protruding out too much. Grind over a little more black pepper then pop into the oven for 30-35 minutes. Easy peasy!


Once removed from the oven it should be risen and lightly browned all over. The texture is super light and fluffy! I served mine on a bed of rocket with a light drizzle of lemon juice plus some pickles, which are a great match to beetroot. 


This is a recipe for all seasons. I'd love to add in Spring Onions in the summer, or maybe a little Thyme or Rosemary for winter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did... here's my juice recipe:

Juice Recipe (for 1 large glass): 

Beet Tops (Stalks and leaves) of 5 beetroots
1⁄4 of a Red Cabbage
4-5 small Carrots
3 large Oranges
1 Lemon
Small handful of Mint

Using a juicer throw the leaves, stalks and cabbage through first. Followed by the citrus... the juicier ingredients will carry through any residue and vital nutrients. Serve with ice and enjoy!

Sunday 21 December 2014

Pumped-up Pear, Cinnamon & Date Porridge

This is my latest post for Suma Bloggers Network. And I've made a super-comforting and power-packed festive brekkie! The products I ordered from Suma are: Rude Health Organic Sprouted Porridge Oats, Organic Linusprout Cinnamon, Zaytoun Palestinian Medjoul Dates, Suma Organic Pumpkin Seeds and Suma Organic Dried Sweetened Cranberries.

This porridge is the bomb. I know that nobody has said that since like 1996 but it's true. It really is. It's uber festive and pumped with nutrition. It's comfort food at it's absolute best, especially for this time of year. And as well as being dairy-free, it's also gluten-free too! 


Now, down to business. Sprouted Oats are going to be THE THING for 2015. I hate silly food fads, I really do, but this trend could really be the start of something. I could try and re-hash the information for you, or I could just let you know what Rude Health say (because let's face it, they know best):

"An unsprouted grain is dormant, waiting for the right time to germinate. It's nutrients are locked up and well protected, making dormant grains harder to digest... When soaked in water, the grain wakes up and starts to sprout. Enzyme activity breaks down growth inhibitors, transforming and multiplying nutrients into their more easily digestible forms... The sprouted grain is slow dried to preserve it's valuable nutrients."

So there you have it. Along with the Sprouted Oats I've also added Linusit's Organic Linusprout with Cinnamon. It's Organic Flaxseed Powder which has also benefited from being sprouted and has Organic Cinnamon included. Flax is a great source of plant protein, Omega 3 and fibre. Suma have a really great selection of products with high nutritional value and source only the best. 
To serve 2 this simple and tasty porridge you will need:

1 cup Rude Health Sprouted Oats
1½ cup of Rude Health Brown Rice Milk (or any dairy-free milk you like)
1 tbsp Organic Linusprout Cinnamon
1 Pear
2 tbsp Agave Syrup
2 Medjool Dates (diced)
Good grating of fresh Nutmeg
Pinch of Salt
Pumpkin Seeds & Cranberries to garnish

Firstly put your oats in a pan with the milk. On a medium heat bring them up to heat, once they've started to bubble lower the heat a little for a gentle simmer. Cook for 12 minutes stirring regularly - if at any point the porridge is starting to get too dry add a drop more milk.

Meanwhile peel and roughly chop your pear. Put in a pan with the agave syrup and set to a medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes until bubbling and the pear is starting to soften. It should be releasing juices and getting syrupy. Remove from the heat and set aside.

After the 12 minutes your porridge should have a lovely creamy consistency. Take off the heat whilst you add the pears and syrup, the linusprout, dates, nutmeg and salt. Mix together well then pop back on the heat for another 2-3 minutes. Then you're ready to serve...

Add to a bowl then top with pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. A little squeeze more of agave (if you like things extra sweet) and another light grating of nutmeg to finish. Perfect!

I hope you're all ready for Christmas and getting into the festivities. It really is the most wonderful time of the year! Merry Christmas to all & all the very best for 2015!