Virgin Vegan

If last year was all about Paleo then this year is all about Vegans.

Since living with a Vegetarian and watching her cook creative and delicious looking meals I've become a little interested in learning more about vegetarianism and vegans lately - this interest has been accelerated by my current trip in Thailand. 

I am currently staying in Rawai in Phuket where a lot of the Muay Thai training camps are based as well as lots of Yoga and well-being retreats, so it only makes sense that a number of health food cafes are also in the area. 

My recent favourite is Atsumi Raw Cafe which is 100% Vegan and uses no animal  meats, fats or oils what so ever. And it is delicious and what I found most surprising is that it's totally filling too! 

Yummy Walnut & Macadamia Fig stuffed Mushrooms and  Courgette (Zucchini) Roll with Almond Cheese. 

Rawsanga - a Lasagna type dish with layers of Courgette and smokey Aubergine (eggplant) and Walnut Macadamia and Fig Pate topped with a Mariana Sauce and Almond Cheese.

I love how creative their recipes are, and the setting is so serene. Based on a main busy road you need to drive to get there and the outside may deceive you - but step outside into the back garden and it's so peaceful. The Cauliflower Mint Cous Cous and Chocolate Protein Balls are also a must-try! 

We also went to try another Raw Resturant today, on the side of their wellness and detox resort is the Santosa Resturant in Kata. Unfortunately they don't allow pets and the dog I am currently dog sitting refuses to be left alone - but their menu also looks deliciously inspiring. 

Back in Rawai, another favourite so far is Wilsons. With a laid back style and graffiti walls there's so many tasty high-protein dishes to choose from and the coffee is also great! 

I definitely want to try to recreate some of the Raw Recipes when I get back home, as for sustaining that type of diet I think you have to be super organised and creative - and I love my meat although I will now consider cutting back and using alternatives. 

Avocado Weekend

Whilst travelling I did A LOT of eating and drinking. Although the fresh fruit out there was amazing, much of the food in South East Asia is fried and when you are constantly on the go and not able to cook for yourself you tend to just eat when you can and what ever is available at the time. 

I have never been 'fat' but I do tend to get bloated or 'Carb Belly' as I call it, and some areas could definitely do with toning up (I've been saying I want Ab's for over a year now) so now I am back I have re-joined boot camp and am absolutely loving it. I was pleasantly surprised to find out my metabolic age is only 12 years old, and visceral fat is the lowest it can be... I honestly thought I would be 'Skinny Fat' skinny with dangerous high levels of fat inside. 

I HATE gyms, I much prefer to exercise outside in the open and having someone direct you and apply some pressure definitely makes me perform better. Not only that, but at the bootcamp I attend they also offer lots of nutritional advice. I have always known what is good and what is bad for me and do eat quite healthy it's always great to have that extra support and to share ideas and bounce of each other and it's also a bit of healthy competition! 

As a general healthy eater, I am making small changes to make my diet better. One of my biggest cravings is for chocolate and something sweet, so when I saw a recipe for Avocado Cheesecake in Stylist magazine I had to give it a go. 

For the base toast some Pecans and Desiccated Coconut in the oven for around 10 minutes 

Juice around 8 limes to add to the Mashed Avocado mixture for the filling and a teaspoon of lime zest too. 

Once complete, I put in the freezer overnight to set. 

The Finished Product; A perfect zesty crunchy citrus healthy sweet treat. 

You can find the full recipe for this dish by clicking here.

So just like Kale, Avocado is having another moment as an 'it' super food, although I've always been a fan. 

A 'good fat' food, Avocado is also high in Potassium, Fiber and Vitamins K, C, B5, B6 and Vitamin E.

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, so at weekends when I have more time I often like to spend more time on it - this dish also including Avocados was delicious after my Saturday morning work out and I didn't feel hungry again till much later in the day. 

Baked Egg in Avocado with a fillet of Salmon. 

Simply crack the eggs into where the Avocado seed is, pop in the oven for around 10-15 minutes along with your fillet of salmon and add a sprinkle of Paprika on the eggy avocado to liven things up a bit.  

Spring Lamb Stew

If you follow me on Instagram you'll see I've been posting lots of foodie pics. 

This is quite a divided subject, some people love it while others hate it. I really enjoy sharing my cooking feats and get great ideas from others at the same time, so I thought I would start sharing my recipes too. 

I like heartwarming home made food like stews, but they can be a bit heavy come Summer but this Spring Lamb Stew is really light and full of spring green vegetables.

It is also carb free, unless you're like me and HAVE to have a nice piece of chunky bread to mop up all the juices. If you do want to add some carbs, serve with boiled new potatoes. 

Ingredients 

Lamb Neck cut into pieces

Onion finely chopped

2 Garlic Cloves

Thyme & Rosemary 

Carrots cut into chunks

Peas & Green Beans (these can be fresh of frozen)

Courgette 

Salt & Pepper 

1. Heat some olive oil in a casserole pan, brown the onion, garlic and meat. Add the seasoning and carrots and pour in enough (boiling) water to cover the meat by a couple of centimetres and add a lamb stock cube. 
2. Bring to the simmer, remove any scum that rises to the top, cover the pan and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until the meat is tender. 
3. Five minutes before serving add the peas, green beans and courgette to the lamb and cook until the vegetables are tender. 
4. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately. 

There are some accounts on Instagram such as @myhealthydish_  that have been inspiring me to eat healthy. I never knew you could have such fun with healthy food, the bright and vivid colours of fruit and veg make it much more visually pleasing than a McDonalds. 

Here are some Stuffed Apples I made that would make the perfect dessert to the Spring Lamb Stew. 

You can follow me on instagram @jemmacross