Category: Food

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This Cucumber-Avocado-Tomato Sandwich Has 20 Grams of Protein from EatingWell

This tomato, cucumber and avocado sandwich is the perfect light and easy lunch. With just a few fresh ingredients, you can have a satisfying meal in just 10 minutes. Creamy avocado and hummus provide plant-based protein and healthy fats, while juicy tomatoes and crisp cucumbers bring refreshing crunch and flavor. Layer it all on whole-grain bread for an extra boost of fiber, and you’ve got a quick and wholesome sandwich at the ready!

Refreshing, light and satisfying, our Cucumber-Avocado-Tomato Sandwich is an easy and delicious lunch that will really hit the spot. Every sandwich starts with and needs a good condiment. For this one, we amplify store-bought hummus with the sweet tang of honey mustard and fresh dill for a hit of herby brightness. Then we stack on the fiber-packed veggies: cucumbers and onions give a nice crunch and contrast to the creamy, heart-healthy avocado and the juicy tomato; the alfalfa sprouts add great texture. Cheddar cheese adds bone-boosting calcium and a salty, sharp flavor that complements the fresh veggies perfectly, and hearty toasted whole-wheat bread is the perfect vessel for all these wholesome toppings. Keep reading for our expert tips, including recommendations on swapping out hummus flavors. 

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

  • Experiment with different flavors of hummus for your spread. Try garlic hummus, dill pickle hummus or even make your own. To prepare a batch of our Classic Hummus, use a food processor and add a handful of ingredients: garlic, chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini and salt. Best of all, this flavor-spiked hummus takes just 10 minutes to make!
  • While a chef’s knife can cut cucumbers, a serrated knife is more effective for slicing tomatoes. The serrated edge easily cuts through the skin and flesh without damaging the soft interior.

Nutrition Notes

  • Cucumbers aren’t brimming with the typical vitamins and minerals that you’ll find in many fruits and vegetables, but they are an important vegetable because they contain antioxidant phytonutrients that can help protect against inflammation. They are also more than 95% water, which makes them a hydrating vegetable—great for your skin. 
  • Avocados are known for being high in fat, but it’s the type of fat that your heart loves: monounsaturated fat. Avocados are also brimming with fiber, which has been shown to improve the health of the microbiome, and impacts your health in many ways, including strengthening your immune system, improving cognition and lowering inflammation. 
  • There are few things tastier than a really good tomato, and they are really good for you. Tomatoes are high in vitamin C, which is essential for healthy immune function. They are also high in a carotenoid called lycopene, an antioxidant that helps maintain healthy cells throughout the body, and eating foods with lycopene regularly can help lower your risk of heart disease. 
  • Whole-wheat bread is a heartier choice of bread for this sandwich and you’ll get the benefit of more nutrients and more fiber. Eating more fiber can lead to better digestive health. Whole-wheat bread is also a source of important B vitamins—essential for your working metabolism.

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup plain hummus
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1½ teaspoons honey mustard
  • 2 thin slices whole-wheat bread, toasted
  • 1 (1-ounce) slice sharp Cheddar cheese
  • ½ small tomato, thinly sliced
  • ¼ medium avocado, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup alfalfa sprouts
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced English cucumber
  • 1 tablespoon thinly sliced red onion
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Stir ¼ cup hummus, 1 tablespoon dill and 1½ teaspoons honey mustard together in a small bowl until well combined. Spread the hummus mixture on 1 side of each of 2 toast slices. Layer 1 cheese slice, tomato slices, avocado slices, ¼ cup alfalfa sprouts, ¼ cup cucumber and 1 tablespoon red onion over the hummus on 1 toast slice; sprinkle with salt. Top with the remaining toast slice, hummus-side down. Cut the sandwich in half diagonally.
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Lemongrass Coconut Cake by Rachel Allen @Ballymaloe


By Rachel Allen Celebrity Chef
More from
Rachel Allen’s Cake Diaries


A quirky combination. The end result? A scrumptious cake for all to enjoy.
Ingredients
4 stalks of lemongrass, base and tops trimmed, outer leaves removed but reserved for the syrup (see below)
250 g (9oz) caster sugar
4 eggs
200 g (7oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
125 g (41/2 oz) desiccated coconut
125 g (41/2 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
greek yoghurt or creme fraiche, to serve
for the syrup
reserved trimmings and outer leaves of the lemongrass (see above)
75 g (3oz) caster sugar
23cm (9in) diameter cake tin with 6cm
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/Gas 3). Butter the sides of the cake tin and dust with flour, then line the base with a disc of baking parchment.
Slice the lemongrass stalks quite thinly into rounds about 3mm (1?8in) thick, then place in a food processor with the caster sugar and whiz for 1–2 minutes or until the lemongrass is finely puréed and very aromatic.
Add the eggs, butter and coconut and whiz again until combined, then sift the flour and baking powder together and add to the machine, whizzing very briefly just until the ingredients come together.
Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40–45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is cooking, make the syrup.
Roughly chop the lemongrass trimmings, place in a saucepan with the sugar and 75ml (3fl oz) of water and set over a high heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved, then bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes before removing from the heat and leaving to infuse.
When the cake has finished baking, take it out of the oven and let it sit in the tin for 10 minutes. Loosen around the edges using a small, sharp knife and carefully remove the cake from the tin before transferring to a serving plate.
Reheat the syrup, then pierce holes all over the cake with a skewer and pour the hot syrup through a sieve onto the cake, moving the pan and sieve around as you pour so that the syrup covers the top of the cake. Allow the cake to cool down completely.
Serve with a dollop of natural Greek yoghurt or crème fraiche.
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Flahavan’s Peanut Butter Protein Balls for snacking in between meals to maintain energy and concentration levels


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flahavans
If you (or someone in your house!) is sitting exams this month, think smart about snack time and try to choose healthier options in between meals to maintain energy and concentration levels. Oats are the perfect ingredient when preparing healthy snacks ahead of time. Try our recipe for Peanut Butter Protein Balls – easy to prepare, tasty and ready-to-hand whenever you need a healthy energy boost! ✨ #FlahavansOats

INGREDIENTS:

150g quick oats
100g mixed nuts & dried fruit
3 tbsp. chia seeds
2 tbsp. Honey
2 tbsp. peanut butter, melted
2 scoops of whey, vanilla or chocolate
Few drops of milk, about 50ml
100g dark chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon of coconut oil

METHOD:

1. Add all the dry ingredients (except the chocolate) to medium sized bowl and mix well, then add honey, melted peanut butter and mix well.
2. Vital step, add the milk bit by bit slowly and mix well until the mixture becomes clumpy. Don’t allow it to get too wet.
3. Then using a table spoon and your hands form the mixture into medium size balls.
4. Place on a plate then when you have formed all the balls.
5. Melt the dark chocolate with a tsp of coconut oil then roll each protein ball in the chocolate and place on a lined plate.
6. The last step is to put into the fridge to allow the balls the to set 👍
Tip – if the mixture gets too wet then add some more oats, it will make it less sticky!
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Keeling’s Blueberry & Raspberry Breakfast Pudding #nutrition 🍮

Blueberry & Raspberry Breakfast Pudding
Ingredients
400 g brioche loaf, thickly sliced
100 g unsalted butter, very soft
125 g raspberries
125 g blueberries
350 ml vanilla yoghurt
150 ml milk
3 eggs
Zest from ½ lemon
1 tbsp demerara sugar
Directions
1Pre-heat oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas 4.
2Butter the brioche slices on one side only then cut into large cubes by cutting each slice into quarters.
3Scatter brioche cubes, raspberries and blueberries into a large casserole dish and set aside.
4Whisk together yoghurt, milk, eggs and lemon zest in a large jug. Pour mixture over the brioche and leave to soak for 15-20 minutes.
5Sprinkle with demerara sugar then bake until a sharp knife inserted into the centre of the pudding comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack then serve with a dollop of yoghurt and a few fresh berries.
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Goatsbridge Warm Potato Salad with Smoked Trout, Capers & Lemon Mayo #EatTrout

INGREDIENTS

450g/18oz baby potatoes
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
½ lemon, juice only
1 tsp. dried dill
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 spring onions
2 tbsp. capers
100g/4oz tin of smoked trout, drained and flaked
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped, optional

The featured recipe this month of warm potato salad with smoked trout, capers & lemon mayo comes from Kristen Jensen, co-author of Sláinte: The Complete Guide to Irish Craft Beer and Cider (2014), and Secretary of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild. You can find Kristen’s original version on page 80 of Fishwives, a cookbook by Goatsbridge, available from select bookstores or online.

Step 1

Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about ten minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain well and allow to cool slightly – just so they stop steaming.

Step 2

Meanwhile, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Transfer the warm potatoes to a mixing bowl and pour over the lemon mayonnaise, stirring to coat the potatoes evenly.

Step 3

Thinly slice the spring onions on the diagonal, including the green tops. Add to the potatoes along with the capers and stir together. Divide the potato salad between two shallow bowls and scatter the flaked trout and chopped hard boiled eggs, if using, on top. Season with another pinch of salt and pepper and serve while the potatoes are still warm.

 http://goatsbridgetrout.ie/recipe/warm-potato-salad-smoked-trout-capers-lemon-mayo-recipe/