5 easy ways with kimchi

So you may have heard of kimchi before and how it can benefit your gut, you may have considered buying or already have got a jar of it in your kitchen but are wondering what on earth to do with it?!

5 easy ways with kimchi Advice Dinner Lunch vegan

What is it?

Firstly, for those who may not be too familiar with it, kimchi is a spicy, fermented mix of veg usually cabbage, carrot, raddish etc which comes from Korea and has a heat and pickled taste to it. As it’s fermented it’s high in probiotic bacteria, the best way to maximise on this is to source a good quality one that hasn’t been pasterised although even the type that has gone through this process and therefore is stored at room temp will still have benefits.

Uses

There are many ways to use kimchi, it’s so versatile and because it doesn’t require any cooking or prep it’s pretty easy to incorporate into food, but here are my top and favourite ways to consume it:

1) In a burger/veggie burger
People often look toward sauces for adding flavour to burger but a great way to add more veg and fiber to this meal is by adding a handful of kimchi, it gives lots of spice and tang, think about the traditional sauerkraut on hotdogs type of thing! For this recipe I used “Yumchi kimchi” which you can get in Planet organic/Wholefoods and on Amazon.

5 easy ways with kimchi Advice Dinner Lunch vegan

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Savoury Mediterranean scones

Savory, sugar free, Mediterranean scones, these beauties are great for an afternoon tea gathering especially if someone prefers savory over sweet.
These scones are filled with salty olives, sweet sun dried tomatoes, tangy feta and lovely fragrant herbs, plus the lemon zest really lifts up the flavour and cuts through the richness of the other ingredients, I highly recommend adding this in.

Savoury Mediterranean scones Breakfast Dinner Lunch snack

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Savory courgette bites with vegan garlic cream “cheeze”

These courgette bites are great for travelling with or a lighter lunch or snack option for those who prefer something savory.
Each time I made these i was pleasantly surprised at how soft & moist they are, this is due to the grated courgette which when baked releases water which is absorbed by the flour to keep it soft.

Savory courgette bites with vegan garlic cream "cheeze" Lunch snack vegan

Pair these with my plant based cream “cheeze” spread and it’s lovely, the match between onion and sweet tomato puree with the creamy, garlic spread is so tasty and takes these bites to the next level.
As this recipe only makes a few of them you can double it if you want a bigger batch to last you longer through the week.

Savory courgette bites with vegan garlic cream "cheeze" Lunch snack vegan (more…)

Veggie meatball bean casserole

This recipe is so easy, 1 bowl/baking dish is all that’s required, it’s packed with veg (including the “meatballs”) and therefore also has lots of fiber plus colour too, after all, it’s important to eat a rainbow (no not those sweets you grew up on) but a variety of wholesome plants and foods.

This is becoming one of my favourite new recipes, I really like how easy it is, it’s full of flavour and you can adjust this recipe very easily to suit your own needs/tastes. It’s a great way to get those veggies into kids especially if you don’t tell them you used veggie based meatballs (could also try to sub in some falafel and hope they don’t notice!).

Veggie meatball bean casserole Dinner Grainfree Lunch vegan

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Savoury courgette, tomato & feta flapjacks

No joke, these things taste and smell a little bit like a pizza, the herbs+cheese+tomatoes are a great combo and one you need to try at least once!
They’re great for lunchboxes but also for anyone who wants more fibre in their diet but doesn’t like or want oats for breakfast then this recipe is a great one.

Savoury courgette, tomato & feta flapjacks Dinner Lunch

The courgette in this may seem a little strange but trust me it works, it gives moisture to the recipe plus the other ingredients cover any bland flavour it has. It’s also another veg that’s squeezed in there which can be a secret from anyone you want to feed more veg to without really knowing!

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Healthier homemade afternoon tea bakes

With everyone being in lock down atm, most of us are missing our meet ups with friends or family and having a catch-up over a cup of tea and sweet treat. As some people are making their own baked goods and then having a virtual tea party over Zoom and are also looking for healthier snacks while they work from home I decided to put together this mix of healthier tea party & snack options

Why not up your snack game to make it a bit healthier using nourishing ingredients and expand your recipe repertoire.

  1. Healthier, wholemeal scones, these are two of my own recipes which have gone down a storm with my family
    blueberry lemonHealthier homemade afternoon tea bakes Desserts Lunch snack
    Orange, dark choc & strawberryHealthier homemade afternoon tea bakes Desserts Lunch snack
  2.  Peanut butter hummus (for people with more of a savoury palate) from @eatnourishlove
    This would also be a great dip for apple slicesHealthier homemade afternoon tea bakes Desserts Lunch snack
  3. Spiced fruit & nut biscotti-normally i make these around Christmas time but they’re great all year round and you can adapt the fruit and flavour to suit your tastesHealthier homemade afternoon tea bakes Desserts Lunch snack
  4. Sneaky veg blog has some great veg/fruit based bakes, these fruit based, refined sugar free flapjacks are an easy afternoon treat to whip upHealthier homemade afternoon tea bakes Desserts Lunch snack
  5. Another great option which is also vegan from sneaky veg blog are these blueberry banana muffins
    I’d recommend using half wholemeal flour as suggested in the recipe in order to get more fibre in there!Healthier homemade afternoon tea bakes Desserts Lunch snack
  6. Power hungry Camilla’s almond sponge cake which uses ground almonds and starch to make it means it’s flourless but also gluten free and would go so well with some fresh Summer strawberries and a dusting of baobab powder if you have it
    Healthier homemade afternoon tea bakes Desserts Lunch snack
  7. I love these easy wholefoods oat based cookies from Amy’s healthy baking, you could also sub half the raisins for dark choc chips and I would recommend if you have it that you could sub some flour for flavoured pea protein to balance out the macros a little more and then reduce the maple slightly.Healthier homemade afternoon tea bakes Desserts Lunch snack