Chickpea Veggie Burgers

June 20, 2014

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a lovely week and have some fun plans for the weekend. I will be venturing up North to visit my boyfriend’s grandparents and aunt. But before I do, I wanted to share my new chickpea veggie burgers with you all.

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Today I have some lovely vegetarian Chickpea Veggie Burgers (garbanzo beans for my American’s) for you all! I had a craving for something cheesy and filling a few nights ago and thought it would be fun to experiment .. ultimately resulting in this delish recipe. Chickpeas are a wonderful source of low G.I. carbohydrates, protein, fiber and a range of vitamins and minerals. A 1 cup serving of chickpeas contain 40g of carbohydrates, 2g of fat, 14g of fiber (wow!! almost half of your daily requirement), and 14g of protein. They also contain a fair amount of iron, which is great for the ladies, especially ladies who choose not to eat red meat. These chickpea burgers are not vegan because they contain asiago cheese. However, they can be made vegan if you omit the cheese that is in them, or replace it with vegan cheese, but I cannot guarantee the same texture and taste if you do this.

Excited? Hungry? Hopefully both, so let’s get cooking!

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

Alice Williams

Enjoy a healthy burger without the guilt!

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Servings 1

Ingredients

1 cup chickpeas
4 tbsp shredded asiago cheese
1 garlic clove
1 egg
1 tsp tahini
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp himalayan pink salt or any high quality salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees farenheit
2. Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth. You can make it as smooth or as chunky as you please.
3. Form the mixture into two burger patties, and then place in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, BROIL the burger patties on high for 2 minutes.
4. Serve naked, on some sourdough bread, on a tortilla like I did, or whatever your heart desires. And don't forget to add your veggies too!

Notes

Makes 2 large patties or 4 small ones.

Yummmm. They are so filling and delicious, in love! I hope you all enjoyed them as much as I did. I love having mine with plenty of spinach (my go to leafy green) and tzatziki. What do you have yours with?

Honestly yours,
Alice

Friday Fare

Healthy Blueberry Coconut Muffins

June 13, 2014

Ah muffins, how I adore thee, and especially these healthy blueberry coconut muffins. But certainly not the kind you buy from the supermarket or from most commercial stores.

healthy blueberry coconut muffins

Most commercial muffins are made with many unnecessary ingredients and tend to be packed full of sugar and starchy carbohydrates. My delightful muffins are not only filled with ingredients that will actually do your body good, but they are also low in added sugar and have a good amount of protein and fiber in them. Of course they are a treat, but when choosing a sweet treat it is always better to make your own sweet treat using ingredients that provide your body with energy and nutrients. Plus, not all places provide the nutritional information and ingredients used to make their muffins .. so who knows what you may be eating and how many calories and added sugar you may be having! I like knowing exactly what is in my food, thanks very much.

These muffins are a sweet combination of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, protein and fiber. All of your daily macronutrients in one little muffin! In place of white or brown sugar, the sugar in these muffins come from bananas, blueberries, and honey. Of course these ingredients still have sugar in them, but they also provide you with a lot of other things such as vitamins, minerals and fiber. I replaced white flour with coconut flour because it is packed with fiber, protein and iron and gives the muffins a lovely and moist texture. The majority of the protein of course come from the eggs and the vanilla protein powder to help us with our weight loss and strength training goals. Oh, and for those with nut allergies or gluten sensitivities, these muffins are gluten free and are nut free 🙂

I am pretty sure that by now you are convinced that you must try them!

Healthy Blueberry Coconut Muffins

Alice Williams

A succulent blend of sweet blueberry and coconut wrapped in a warm muffin!

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Ingredients

Dry Ingredients
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Wet Ingredients
1 banana
3 eggs or 1 cup egg whites
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup blueberries

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees farenheit
You can use either a food processor or a whisk to mix the ingredients together. First, combine your wet ingredients in a bowl (EXCEPT for the blueberries) and then mix in the dry ingredients. If using a food processor, put the wet ingredients in first and then pulse until smooth (minus the blueberries). Then add the dry ingredients and whizz some more until you get a smooth and thick consistency.
Now you may add in the blueberries. Do not blend or mash them in! Simply fold them into the muffin mixture.
Evenly divide the muffin mixture into 10 muffin holders and bake for 18-20 minutes. Let them cool for 5 minutes.
Eat and enjoy - try and put some in the fridge for the coming week (if you can resist)!

I hope this week’s edition of Friday Fare inspires you to try this healthier version of a muffin instead of reaching for something easy and convenient when you are next out shopping. There are so many ways that you can enjoy the foods you live whilst living a healthy lifestyle. And half of the time, the healthier versions taste better than the unhealthy versions! I have certainly noticed this and most ‘normal’ desserts I have are just far too sweet for me now. What is your fave healthy sweet treat?

Honestly yours,
Alice

Health

GreenHopping App

June 10, 2014

I had the good fortune to bump into Catherine Cuello, founder of the GreenHopping App, when I went to Project Juice a few weeks ago (recap can be found here). Funny how life works out like that, although I suppose it’s not crazy to think that two like-minded health and wellness individuals could meet in a juice shop in San Francisco 🙂

We got talking and I discovered that Catherine is the creator of this innovative and nifty app, which helps you locate green juice bars and plant-based restaurants … how cool is that?! At present, the GreenHopping App can only be used in New York but it will be launching nation-wide in the United States on June 30th and there are plans for expansion to Europe and Canada!

Catherine was kind enough to let me ask her some questions about GreenHopping and their mission, I hope you find it as interesting and informative as I did!

Hi there, Catherine! Tell us a bit about what the GreenHopping App is, and how it works.

GreenHopping is an application for mobile devices that assists consumers to locate healthy, green juice bars and plant-based restaurants. GreenHopping’s database contains over 1000 juice and vegan-friendly establishments (900 in the United States and over 100 others in Europe and Canada), with almost 370 in New York City alone. The “app” has been previewed on CBS, FOX, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan Magazine, among others.

It’s connected to your phone GPS system, so it will know exactly where you’re standing and will place green pins on the map for you to find and/or can draw a route for you to get there. You can also browse menus, view the tip of the day section, and by the end of 2014 – actually purchase your green juice or plant-based meal over the app and opt to have it delivered or picked up.

Where did the inspiration for GreenHopping come from?

The inspiration for the app is rooted in my own eating habits and lifestyle, which were a direct result of a health scare I suffered in 2012 at age 23. I lost my left ovary to a malignant germ cell tumor and opted to go “natural” and recover from surgery with a raw food diet and green juices. It’s been an amazing self-discovery journey full of a-ha! moments with lots of inspirational and beautiful people along the way.

What do you think made GreenHopping take off?

I think it’s a combination of the demand for more healthy food options and peoples awareness about the powerful connection food has on the body and mind. Once you start eating healthy and realize how much better you feel, you don’t want to stop. The app is a great tool to keep it up, feel inspired, and empowered. We want to bring the greens to the people. And since everyone is on their mobiles these days, it’s the perfect way to achieve it!!

Tell us a little bit about the brains behind GreenHopping.

I couldn’t have done ANY of it without my partner’s support (he’s also the co-founder of the company and we met 2 weeks after my transition to raw and vegan in Miami) and my mother’s encouragement, love, and faith. My high-school best friend and my dad have also been pivotal as they’re my go to people when I want to cry and complain! It has been incredible and so self-gratifying – the fact that I know this can help other people means everything to me. So yes, the “brains” are combined brains because no man is an island … and we all need some love and support to make things happen! But, I’m definitely determined and won’t stop when I put my mind to something!

What is your lifestyle like? Could you describe a day in the life of Catherine Cuello?

Raw till dinner, occasional sprouted breads when I’m in the mood for that, and juices and smoothies all day long! I love it! Dinner is usually black rice or quinoa with oven baked kale … olive oil, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and a little sea salt! When I want to “splurge” it’s usually with Ezequiel raisin bread, raw almond butter, and bananas or some oven baked potatoes with cashew cream. I stay away from all things processed including tempeh and tofu.

What’s the deal with green smoothies and green juices? Why should people take notice of them?

They are an amazing way to intake nutrients and vitamins. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes, to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. It’s powerful and great for your day-to-day energy levels and health. Plus, there are so many combinations you can make that it never gets boring. Nature is amazing!

Favourite homemade and bought green juice/smoothie drink?

Hmmmm … well on a daily basis I have a smoothie made of: blueberries, strawberries, sometimes cherries, banana, spinach, coconut water and chia seeds. Juice is always kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, ginger, mint, lemon. However, I LOVE Paleta’s strawberry “milk” shake and Pressed Juicery’s almond milk. They are incredibly good and do not have any agave or coco sugar! In New York, I am a big fan of LoveGrace’s probiotic smoothie (sooo good) and of LuliTonix’s green blends – she uses figs to sweeten her blends and it’s great!

Favorite vegan restaurant?

That’s easy… Gracias Madre! Greens in San Francisco is delicious too and One Lucky Duck and Hangawi in NYC are also pretty mind‐blowing. Oh,and the Butcher’s Daughter!

How can we help make health a priority for those who may not be interested?

That’s part of GreenHopping’s mission. We believe that an 80% plant-based diet is necessary in order to be in good health and be prepared to face the complexities of today’s way of living. GreenHopping strives to motivate consumers to think twice about what they eat and encourage them to reject packaged or processed food. Our mission is to help inspire lifestyle changes by facilitating access to healthy food and by educating consumers about the beneficial effects of eating a plant-based diet. Our goal is to create change via technology, by introducing a more ‘natural’ lifestyle in a way that’s accessible and applicable to today’s consumer habits via a mobile food locator and delivery platform. Lastly, common diseases like obesity, cancer and cardiovascular diseases are directly linked with nutrition … we all need to start paying attention sooner or later.

What health trends do you think will appear in the next few years?

A demand for organic, gluten-free and dairy-free food establishments or products! I think this trend will be evident in Europe as well. The whole world is catching on.

What can we expect from GreenHopping in the future?

A mobile payment system! Until healthy food becomes more abundant in all neighbourhoods, GreenHopping wants to be the #1 access provider for finding healthy food.

Second, GreenHopping would like to push our grassroots initiative: encouraging grocers and supermarket chains that are frequented by food stamp recipients to provide greener, healthier choices, and to gain the support of green juice companies to 1) donate products to schools and become their “sponsor”, and 2) have them expand their product distribution to areas in need.

Third, community initiatives such as farmers markers, urban farming, urban agriculture education, and mobile food vans can help fill the gap through local partnerships and collaborations.

I hope you enjoyed this interview with Catherine, co-founder of GreenHopping! If you want to connect with GreenHopping, their website is www.greenhoppingapp.com and they can be found on various social media networks including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.