Tag: fitness

Posted on

This Cucumber-Avocado-Tomato Sandwich Has 20 Grams of Protein – from EatingWell. A Light and Easy Lunch

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 youā€™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 chefā€™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 arenā€™t brimming with the typical vitamins and minerals that youā€™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 vegetableā€”great for your skin. 
  • Avocados are known for being high in fat, but itā€™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 youā€™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 vitaminsā€”essential for your working metabolism.

Ingredients

  • Ā¼ cup plain hummus
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1Ā½ teaspoons honey mustard
  • 2 thin slices whole-wheat bread, toasted
  • 1 (1-ounce) slice sharp Cheddar cheese
  • Ā½ small tomato, thinly sliced
  • Ā¼ medium avocado, thinly sliced
  • Ā¼ cup alfalfa sprouts
  • Ā¼ cup thinly sliced English cucumber
  • 1 tablespoon thinly sliced red onion
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Stir Ā¼ cup hummus, 1 tablespoon dill and 1Ā½ 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, Ā¼ cup alfalfa sprouts, Ā¼ 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.
Posted on

Rachel Allen’s Smoked Mackerel, Apple and Fennel Salad

rachel-rocket-recipes_2

Serves 4-6.

You will need:

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut lengthways into 3-4mm (Ā¼in) slices

2 apples (unpeeled), quartered, cored and cut into wedges 5mm (Ā¼in-Ā½in) thick

4 smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed and flesh torn into bite-sized chunks

4 handfuls of rocket leaves

First, add the extra-virgin olive oil and the lemon juice to a large bowl. Season with the salt and freshly ground black pepper, then whisk everything together. Next, add in the sliced fennel, the wedges of apple and the chunks of mackerel. Mix together well, then add the rocket leaves and gently toss everything together to dress the leaves. ā€ØDivide between plates and serve immediately.

Ā 
Ā 

Ā 

Posted on

Add some grated apple, pecan nuts, cinnamon, maple syrup.. @flahavans


flahavans
No excuses… healthy and delicious porridge is the perfect way to start these cold Monday mornings! Warm and comforting, this quick and easy recipe takes just minutes to prepare, so whether you have breakfast at home or deskside, make sure it’s as tasty as it is pretty! Add some grated apple, pecan nuts, cinnamon and maple syrup to your morning porridge pot and take a minute to savour just how good it tastes! #BreakfastInspo #FlahavansOats

Serves 1|Takes 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 x Flahavanā€™s Quick Oats Pot
Whole Milk (as per instructions on pack)
1 Large Red Apple
Cinnamon Powder
Maple Syrup
5-10g Pecan Nuts

Method:

Prepare the porridge as per the instructions on the Flahavanā€™s Quick Oats pot

Topping:
Cut the apple into thin slices and then into matchsticks.
Prepare your porridge, and add the apple as topping long with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Chop pecan nuts into thin pieces and sprinkle on top.
21h
Posted on

Kerrygold Braised Red Cabbage

Braised_Red_Cabbage

Serves:  4-6

The easiest way to cut the red cabbage and onions is on a Japanese mandoline but of course you can do it with a sharp knife if you donā€™t have one or a food processor works well too. This would be delicious as a side order or serve with baked jacket potatoes with a dollop of soured cream and chives for a light supper.

Ingredients:

  • 4 tbsp (2oz) Kerrygold Salted Butter
  • 1 small head red cabbage, finely shredded (core discarded)
  • 2 red onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and grated
  • 2 cups (18fl oz) pomegranate or cranberry juice
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4 tbsp light brown sugar
  • Ā½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • Ā½ tsp mixed spice
  • good pinch of ground cloves
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat a very large heavy-based pan. Add the butter and once it has melted, tip in the red cabbage and onions. SautƩ over a medium to high heat for about 10 minutes until just beginning to soften.

Stir the apple into the cabbage mixture and then add the pomegranate or cranberry juice, balsamic vinegar, sugar and spices. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour over a low heat, stirring every 20 minutes until the cabbage is meltingly tender. Transfer to a warmed dish and serve at once.

BRAISED RED CABBAGE

Posted on

Neven Maguire’s mushroom & leek strudel with madeira wine sauce from Neven’s Portuguese Food Trails

Neven Maguire’s mushroom & leek strudel with madeira wine sauce

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

For the strudel

  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for oiling
  • 1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 225g mixed wild mushrooms roughly chopped
  • 1 small leek, washed and finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp double cream
  • 2 tbsp Madeira Wine
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 4-5 sheets filo pastry, thawed if frozen (about 100g/4oz in total)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • mixed salad leaves, to serve

For the madeira wine sauce

  • 700ml beef stock
  • 1 tbsp tomato purĆ©e
  • 3 tbsp Madeira Wine
  • 3 tbsp cream

Method

For the strudel

  1. Preheat the oven to 190Ā°C/375Ā°F/ gas mark 5.
  2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.
  4. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook over a medium to high heat for 2-3 minutes until almost tender.
  5. Reduce the heat, add the cream and Madeira to the pan and cook for another minute.
  6. Add herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
  7. SautƩ for another minute until the spring onions are just tender and the liquid has almost completely reduced.
  8. Allow to cool completely.
  9. Unroll the sheets of filo pastry and place them all, one on top of the other, on a work surface.
  10. Brush the top sheet of pastry with beaten egg and then spread over the mushroom mixture to within 4cm (1Ā½in) of the edges.
  11. Fold the short ends inwards a little to meet the mushroom mixture and then, starting with a long edge, roll up the pastry fairly tightly like you would a Swiss roll, keeping the mushrooms in place as you roll.
  12. Place the strudel seam-side down on the parchment paper and brush it all over with the remaining beaten egg.
  13. Bake for 20-25 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
  14. Allow to cool for a few minutes before carefully placing on a chopping board.
  15. Cut the strudel into thick slices and arrange on warmed plates. Drizzle some sauce beside it and serve with some mixed salad leaves.

For the madeira wine sauce

  1. Heat a heavy based saucepan, add the Madeira Wine and reduce by half.
  2. Gradually whisk in the beef stock until smooth, followed by the tomato purƩe.
  3. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened.
  4. Whisk in the cream, bring to the boil, season to taste and thicken with some diluted cornflower.
  5. Set aside until required.

More stories on

Posted on

Neven Maguire’s English Food Tour explores County Durham and Durham City – Wednesday RTƉ One at 8:30pm šŸ‡®šŸ‡Ŗ šŸ“󠁧󠁢󠁄󠁮󠁧ó æ

macnean_house_restaurant

ā€¢

  • Tonight on Nevenā€™s English Food Tour šŸžļøšŸ“

    RTƉ One at 8:30pm

    Neven explores County Durham and Durham City, discovering stunning landscapes, rich history and incredible local food. From walking in Blanchland and the North Pennines to visiting Knitsley Farm Shop, where handmade pies are crafted by a sixth-generation farming family.

    In Durham City, @nevenmaguire samples elegant desserts at the Cellar Door Restaurant and dives into the fascinating history of Durham Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, learning about medieval pilgrimages and what monks once ate.