Banana Oatbran muffins with Cacao Nibs

This week we let the bananas overripe, not on purpose of course. I hate throwing out food and usually I try to create the recipe to use the food before it goes bad.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups of red fife flour (or eincorn flour)
1 cup of oatbran
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of coconut water
3 overripe bananas, mashed (I mashed them with a fork)
2 tbsp of cacao nibs
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt

Process:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. I did not take the blender out, just used a regular spoon.
Place the dough in the muffin forms.
Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes. Let them cool off in the over for 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Colorfull world: Red slaw / bean cakes

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #healthyeyes #vegan

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating

Many of us struggle with adding more cabbage to our diet even though we know its health benefits. In Poland, red cabbage is very popular however, usually it is cooked and I feel it does not have the colour, taste or texture that appeals to me in that form. I found that I really enjoy its bright colour, crunchiness, and sweetness in the raw form much more.

Here are two recipes in one - bean cakes and red slaw.

Red slaw Ingredients:

0.5 head of small red cabbage, grated

1 Apple, grated

4 tbsp pumpkin seeds

3 tbsp dried cranberries

Dressing:

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

5 tbsp olive oil

Salt, pepper

2 tbsp dried thyme

Bean cakes ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained and washed

1 c broccoli, blanched 

1.5 c Scottish oats

6 tbsp ground flax

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup of fresh herbs (basil, mint, dill, parsley, cilantro)

Salt and pepper

1. Prepare red slaw by mixing all ingredients.
2. Blend beans, broccoli, olive oil and herbs and spices, with flax mixed with 6 tbsp of water. Add oats and mix well.
3. Fry bean cakes on a medium heat for a few minutes on each side.
4. Enjoy!

Dining on the budget: Lima beans cakes

#healthyeating #easyfoodcreations #onthebudget

I hear over and over again that you have to spend a fortune if you want to eat healthy. It is a myth!

You have to smart about your grocery shopping, get deals where you can. Also, I use the practice of one luxury item each weak (except holidays), which I call everything that cost over $8 per kg. 

Although I am not great with coupons, as I tend to forget about them, I see more of them for fresh produce in the supermarkets. I am trying hard to change my habits and start using them.

I make frequent visits to the bulk stores - Bulk Barn in Canada is the place where I get all my dry food - beans, lentils, grains, spices, even some tea. Again, each week they have specials so I time my visits accordingly. Two or three times a year they have coupons (they keep them in the store!), so that brings additional savings.

Canned food, I only buy when it is on sale - tuna, corn, tomatoes, tomato paste or at Costco if it turns out to be cheaper. Right now I have a good understanding how many cans I need until the next discount period, but I had to experiment for a little bit. 

I find a lot of pleasure in finding deals, having those luxury items each week, and keeping holidays extra special with food that I try to reserve just for these days. 

Ingredients:

3 cups, cooked Lima beans (I soak and cook them myself, but you can use canned)

3-5 tbs Scottish oats

Salt, pepper

2-3 tbsp dried herbs (I used czubryca which I got in Poland, but any mix of herbs will work)

1 onion, chopped

3-5 garlic cloves, pressed

6 tbsp breadcrumbs

Water, as needed

Little bit butter

Oil for frying 

 1.  Melt the butter and sauté onion and garlic for a few minutes.

 2. Use a blender to blend Lima beans with onion. You may need to add some water to help it blend.

 3. Mix in the bowl blended beans with onions, add remaining ingredients except breadcrumbs. Mix everything well with a spoon. You should have a fairly dense consistency so you can form patties with your hands. 

 4. Roll patties in breadcrumbs.

 5. Fry for a few minutes on each side. 

 6. Enjoy!

Polish Christmas Eve: Traditional Vegetable Salad (Saladka Jarzynowa)

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #leftovers #PolishChristmas

This is a Polish traditional salad that we eat for Chistmas. It is made of vegetables used in the cooking of the vegetable broth used in the Christmas Barszcz. Quantities of ingredients are quite flexible and each household might have a slight variation. I usually make a big batch so you can easily cut it in half or even quarter. 

Celery root can be quite bitter to some people so you may want to adjust the quantity to your taste.

Ingredients:

Cooked carrots, I had 7 on hand

Cooked celery root, I used 0.25 of large one 

Cooked parsnip, I used 2

0.5 kg of potatoes, cooked

4 medium dill pickles

3 hard boiled eggs

2 apples peeled, core removed

1 small can of peas (you can cook frozen peas and use that instead)

4 tbsp mayonnaise (you an also make a lighter version using greek yoghurt)

2 tsp yellow mustard

Salt, pepper

1. Chop all vegetables and fruits into small pieces.

2. Mix mayonnaise with mustard and salt and pepper. Add to the salad, mix everything carefully so all pieces are covered in the mayonnaise sauce. 

3. Serve as an appetizer or for breakfast.

4. Enjoy!

Note: the salad has to be stored in the fridge; it stays good for up to 7 days.

Fiber packed snack: Carrot Pulp Muffins

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #muffins #leftoverstation

Once every couple of weeks I make freshly squizeed juice, usually it is carrot or beet or a mix of those two. This time I had just over 2 cups of leftover carrot pulp that I did not want to waste.

I found the recipe for the carrot pulp muffins online. They were so good that I felt I need to share it.
It comes from the website: fitnessandfeta.com; recipe is called "Erica's Carrot Pulp Muffins".

Carrot Pulp Muffins
2c whole wheat flour
1t salt
2t cinnamon (I added more, close to 2T)
1t nutmeg
2t baking soda
3/4c brown sugar (quite a lot of sugar for my liking but since most sugar from carrots was gone with the juice there is a need to add some sweetness back to the carrot pulp)
1c olive oil
2t vanilla powder
4 eggs (I added 3 as I am not too fond of eggy testing cakes)
2 c carrot pulp (I added more, about 2.33c)
1c soaked, chopped pecans (can use walnuts)

1. Preheat oven to 200c
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Place the mixture in the muffin forms.
4. Bake for 20 minutes (mine took exactly 20 minutes).
5. Enjoy!

They were all gone before I managed to take the picture; will take one next time.