View fullsize

Smoothies are great to drink after a yoga session. Not only do they taste absolutely delicious, they also help to provide your body with a potent dose of essential vitamins and minerals.

To make a smoothie all you need is some fruits, vegetables, a liquid and a blender. You can also add in some nuts & seeds for good measure.

This smoothie has the following ingredients in it: 

1 cup of frozen mixed berries – namely blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. Berries are excellent sources of powerful antioxidants which means eating them helps to reduce damage caused by free radicals in your body. This in turn helps fight off diseases such as cancer. Using frozen berries will give the smoothie a thick milkshake like consistency.

1 cup of spinach – spinach has long been known to be one of the healthiest foods on the planet and for good reason. Even though it is made up of more than 90% water, it is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin K, folate and manganese. In place of spinach you can also use kale or Swiss chard. 

1 cup of coconut water – coconut water is naturally sweet, which when combined with the sugars found in the berries helps to make this smoothie more palatable. Coconut water also contains potassium and magnesium, both of which are important for heart health.

1 tablespoon of almond butter – nuts and nut butters are some of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. They contain minerals such as phosphorus, zinc and copper, all of which are needed by your body in small amounts.

1 Medjool date (pitted) – dates are one of the most delicious fruits on the planet and are a great alternative to chocolate & candy. Adding a date to the smoothie will really help to enhance its flavour.

1 tablespoon of chia seeds – these seeds though tiny are a good source of calcium and dietary fiber. When they are added to water, they swell up, thereby helping to thicken up the smoothie. You can also use flax or sunflower seeds instead.

To make the smoothie, add the coconut water to a blender followed by all of the other ingredients and process for 30 seconds until everything is well mixed. For added thickness, throw in a few ice cubes and process further.

If you enjoyed this recipe, try out some of these smoothie recipes as well.

---

Guest Blogger Veronica writes for Healthsomeness.com, a website dedicated to providing information on fitness, healthy eating and general wellbeing.

This is a great recipe to kick-start the New Year; it’s light, super-healthy and still uses the best of the vegetables that we have in season here in the UK. It is also very easy to make, especially if you own a food processer which can chop and grate the vegetables in a matter of seconds. It also happens to be vegan, gluten-free and raw! The richness of the tahini in this vegan salad works wonderfully with the sweetness of the apples and raisins, especially when offset by the sharp tanginess of the cider vinegar. I would serve this dish as part of a salad selection, perhaps with a quinoa salad, a dip and some protein. However, it’s also excellent as a crunchy side to a stew and rice, or combined with some falafel and homous inside a flatbread or tortilla wrap. The possibilities are endless!

One thing to note is that it doesn’t keep too well because the vegetables start to release water, and the taste deteriorates over time; I would suggest combining the dressing and the vegetables just before you intend to serve.

Ingredients

For the dressing:

70g tahini

60g cider vinegar

15g flat-leaf parsley (plus more to garnish)

2 small sweet apples (I used gala), cored and de-seeded

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp dried chilli flakes

For the salad:

225g celery

500g carrots

Half a red cabbage

150g raisins

Instructions

1. To prepare the dressing, use the small component of a food processer to whizz up all the ingredients. If you don’t own an electric mixer, grate the apple manually and whisk up all the ingredients in a bowl. The dressing is quite a stiff mixture; this is because the salt in it will encourage the vegetables to release moisture and if it were runnier, the whole dish would end up being too ‘wet’.
2. Grate (or use the grating attachment from a food processer) to grate the celery, carrots and cabbage.
3. Combine the dressing, the vegetables and the raisins in a large bowl. I find it easier to mix using my hands to make sure everything is incorporated.
4. Garnish with some springs of parsley for colour. Enjoy!

These tasty muffins are so filled with vegetable goodness, but if that puts off the kids then there's no reason they ever need to know! We've made them with butternut squash but this recipe works just as well with courgette if that's what you have in. If you've a sweet tooth then you could whip up a quick batch of vegan icing, otherwise a dusting of icing sugar works just as well. Here we've topped them with rolled oats before baking, which adds a pretty touch and an interesting texture. These measurements are American cups. It's absolutely worth getting yourself a set - they make baking and cooking a whole lot easier. Just use a 250ml mug if you don't have a set of proper measuring cups.

2 cups butternut squash, grated

2 cups sugar

3 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup plant-based oil (ie. sunflower)

1/2 cup apple sauce

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp cinammon (or less, if preferred)

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

handful of rolled oats

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and grease your muffin tins or line them with muffin cases. Leave the grated squash in a sieve over the sink so that it drains for around an hour. Squeeze out the remaining moisture.

2) In a large bowl, mix the squash, sugar, oil, apple sauce and vanilla. Add flour and other dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Fold in the nuts and raisins.

3) Fill muffin tins with the batter, sprinkle with the oats, and bake for 18-24 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Tops should be golden brown. Allow to cook fully on a rack before eating.

Blend Happy - Our Favourite Smoothie Recipes

Bored of your blender? Need a little liquid inspiration? Here are some of our staff's favourite juice and smoothie recipes to get your creative juices (sorry, couldn't resist) flowing! Got your own recommendation? Post it below on the comments section.

Louise's Turbo Breakfast Booster Nothing beats a Monday morning meeting fuelled by Louise's legendary turbo booster smoothies. Satisfyingly substantial and also totally vegan!

1/2  banana

1/2 avocado or some mango

1 tsp maca powder

1 tbsp hemp protein

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsb baobub powder (optional)

2 tsps goji berries

2 tsps peanut butter (optional)

water or koko coconut milk to mix

Luca's Better Than Coffee Choco Banana Shake

"My favourite smoothie recipe which I have for breakfast as its better than coffee! Or after running as a post workout protein shake."

1/2 tbsp hemp protein powder

2 dates, pitted and pureed

2 tbsp  raw almond butter

1 tbsp flaxseed oil

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 tbsp raw cacao powder

1 frozen banana

Rachael's Rosewater & Almond Lassi

"Not technically a smoothie, but deserves a mention. I like it a bit on the thick side, but you can adjust yogurt/water ratio to suit. Use decent quality rosewater-  there are a few shops on Mill Road where you'll find this, it's not expensive. "

3/4 cup natural yogurt

1/4 cup water

couple of ice cubes

small handful roasted almonds or dessicated coconut, if you're feeling fancy

pinch of ground cardamom

honey or agave, to taste

Sam's Easy Lazy Smoothie "Aim is lazy smoothie post workout. Is also great as a meal replacement. Rice protein is more digestible than hemp. Coconut milk is high in a type of fat that your body converts to energy. Really important this is organic."

Coconut milk - mixture of the juice and 2-3 tsp of the cream

1 tsp powdered wheat grass

1 tbsp brown rice protein

Half a banana

Becky's Twisted Green Goddess "My fave is a green goddess juice with a twist - made with melon instead of apple with a bit of ginger. Or a summer peach and apricot (which i think is made with a little apple and orange juice)."

cucumber

celery

big handful of spinach

melon chunks

The GOOD cafe sells a wide range of smoothies and juices. Pre-order yours before class to quench that post-yoga thirst!

Sam's Gluten Free Umami Muffin Recipe

Sam has finally been persuaded to part with her top secret , rather legendary umami muffin recipe! Not only are these gluten free, they're packed full of nutrients and will fill you up too! They make a wonderfully satisfying snack or can be served as part of a meal. Enjoy them with salad and chutney, as we do here in the GOOD cafe, or with soup, as a great alternative to bread!

Makes 12

2ooml milk

25g margarine

200g spinach puree

250g gluten free flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

250g cheddar

75g savoury seed mix

1 egg

250g sundried tomatoes, chopped

300g  olives, chopped

Method

Preheat oven to Gas Mark 5. In a pan, gently heat the spinach, margarine and milk until the margarine is melted. Set aside to cool.

Mix dry ingredients, cheddar and seed mix in a bowl, setting aside a handful of cheddar and seeds for sprinkling on top.

Add all ingredients together and mix well. Divide mixture between 12 muffin cases and sprinkle each with a little cheddar and seed mix. Bake in the oven for approximately 30mins. Enjoy warm or cold!

Vegan Hollandaise Sauce Recipe

Earlier this year i took a trip to santa monica where i experienced the vegan eggs benedict at real food daily, a fabulous vegan restaurant there. It has inspired many dishes since then, in my home and at camyoga (the legendary vegan brunch!) so i was delighted to find a really good vegan hollandaise recipe, with which to impress my non vegan friends. Louise x

Vegan Hollandaise Sauce:

3 Tablespoons Vegan margarine 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour pinch of turmeric 1 cup unsweetened soy milk 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast juice of 1/2 a lemon 1 Tablespoon vegan mayonnaise (i use plamil organic egg free, but the recipe also works fine without) Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the vegan margarine over a low heat, then add the flour and stir, cooking gently for a minute. Add the turmeric (this just adds the colour, so just a little). Slowly whisk in the soya milk. Boil gently for 2 minutes. Then take off the heat and add the nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast adds a 'cheesy' taste and is quite a strong flavour, so add up to 2 tbsp according to your taste.Then add the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Finally add the vegan mayo. This recipe works fine without the mayo too if you don't have any.

I had mine served with sea cakes, wilted spinach, sliced crispy potatoes and balsamic tomoatoes.

Delicious!

Autumn Energy Booster Smoothie Recipe

As we all start turning our central heating up, stoking the fire and layering up the woollen jumpers in preparation for the chilly season, it's natural to start feeling a bit under the weather. Keep your energy levels high and your immune system strong whilst making the most of the remnants of the blackcurrant season with this delicious vitamin C packed smoothie. This delicious drink is also stuffed full of beta-carotene, biotin, B vitamins and lots of trace minerals too. Yum! If you're struggling to find blackcurrants then just use canned ones (check to make sure they're in their natural juice). It's good to keep a few cans of these on standby in the cupboard during the colder seasons!

Ingredients

2 bananas

2 heaped tbsps blackcurrants

10 tbsps apple juice (or blackcurrant juice, if using canned)

Method

Whizz together in a blender (you can also use a hand blender for this one - use a tall cyclindrical container to avoid splashing yourself with purple goo though!) Sip and feel that lovely Autumnal glow lighting up your face! Not luxurious enough for you? Why not add a sprinkling of dark chocolate shavings or raw cacao? Wow.

Fennel and Spiced Hazelnut Sesame Roasted Peppers with Pomegranate & Cinnamon Couscous

This recipe is made a lot easier by the use of a blender. You can do it the old fashioned way by bashing with a rolling pin but I’m not sure I’d recommend catching yourself in the mirror red-faced bashing away at nuts….

I know it looks like there is a lot to do but really it takes about 30 minutes to prepare. You can use just about any grain you like. Try Quinoa or rice or Bulgur or go raw and use minced cauliflower.

This will serve 2- 4 people (depending on how hungry you all are). Sam Dyer

Stuffed peppers 2 red peppers: halved with the green stalks still attached, deseeded and the pith removed (that’s the white, slightly furry bit!) 1 bulb of fennel A few Kalamata olives Olive oil Salt and pepper

Hazelnut & Sesame Spice Mix 1tsp Cumin seeds 1ts Coriander seeds 1tsp Sumac ½ tsp fennel seeds ¼ - ½ tsp chilli flakes (or whatever amount floats your boat) 50g roasted hazelnuts (preferably with the skins removed) 25g Sesame seeds

Couscous Salad 250g Couscous ( in the picture I have used a whole wheat large couscous just for the pure joy of seeing the little balls and because I live on the best street ever where I can get any ingredients going….. use whatever you can forage) 1 Pomegranate: deseeded 150g Mange toute: topped and tailed and cut into bite size pieces A handful of coriander, mint and parsley.

Cinnamon Dressing 3tsp of agave syrup or maple syrup or you can use good old white sugar but just reduce to 1 or 2 tsp as it’s more powerfully sweet. 1 tsp cinnamon powder Drizzle of olive oil Juice of half a lemon Salt to taste

Here’s the Method: Make the spice mix first by gently frying all the ingredients in a dry pan, making sure it doesn’t burn and waiting for the sesame seeds to start popping.

Remove from heat and blitz in the blender

Add salt to taste and divide between the peppers, putting the mix in the bottom of the peppers.

Next comes the pretty bit… Slice the fennel from top to bottom so you have 1cm (ish) slices of heart shaped fennel. Trim if necessary and place in the bottom of the halved peppers. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and roast in a medium oven until roast peppers are soft and sweet. Add a olive to each and voila…

While the peppers are in the oven prepare the couscous salad….

Cook the couscous according to the instructions on the packet or lose yourself in a google search on the ancient art of couscous preparation.

When the couscous is cooked, cool and then add the mangetout, pomegranate and chopped herbs

Make the dressing by mixing all the dressing ingredients together and then mix through the couscous. Add salt to taste.

Serve with leaves. It’s a great time of year for wild picking. Try some dandelion leaves in there or some edible flowers.

Eat….mmmmm!

Why go vegan? To be healthier! Studies showed that vegans have significantly lower BMI, lower blood cholesterol, and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. A balanced vegan diet is richer in dietary fibre, higher in potassium and magnesium, folic acid, and the antioxidant vitamins C and E. The health benefits are obvious, but as with any restricted diet, the keyword is balance, since an imbalanced selection of foods can cause nutrient deficiencies and health issues.

Need a recipe? Since butternut squash is in season, why not try this Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Soup? It is a no-fuss savoury-sweet soup for winter days like this.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced (about 2 lbs) 1 medium onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and diced 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp cumin 4 cups vegetable broth 1 sprig fresh rosemary Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425°

Lightly oil a glass baking dish or roasting pan with olive oil and add diced butternut squash. Drizzle a little olive oil on top, season with salt and pepper. Roast butternut squash in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until soft.

Heat a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and diced onions. Cook onions for 3-4 minutes or until soft, add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add diced pears and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Transfer roasted butternut squash to stock pot and add cinnamon, cumin, a little salt and pepper, and cook for 1-2 minutes to release the aromatic spice flavors. Add vegetable broth and rosemary, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove woody rosemary stem if present.

Pour entire contents into blender if it’s large enough, if not you can do this in batches. You can also use an immersion blender if you have one. The idea is to blend this soup very well, we want a very smooth consistency, not chunky. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Servings: 6 Per serving: 182 calories (54 from fat), 6g total fat, 1.1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 294mg sodium, 32.8g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 13.8g sugar), 1.7g protein, 200% vitamin A, 44% vitamin C, 8% calcium, 7% Iron