Healthy Chocolate Pudding....Banana and Avocado-Free!

One of the first things that got me interested in eating a more balanced way and especially in the "clean-eating" trend, was the "healthy" desserts. I have the biggest sweet tooth, so any desserts with without butter and refined sugars sounded fantastic to me. 

I tried a couple here and there, avocado cookies and pudding and they turned out great they really did! So delicious, and you really can't taste the avocado.

But sometimes, it's fun to play around. See this below?

Yes, yes. It's not the prettiest brown splodge in the world...*poo emoji* I was planning on making ice cream with it, but I couldn't be bothered to wait for it to freeze because it tasted DELICIOUS. You'll just have to take my word for it and try it yourself.

The other major plus with this recipe? It contains no avocado and no banana, which is important in my life as I have a boyfriend who isn't the biggest fan of bananas (I'm never going to be able to make healthy banana ice cream).

The recipe is still vegan, gluten, dairy and refined sugar free.

So then WHAT THE HELL IS IN THIS?! I hear you cry!

Find out below......

Healthy Hummus with a Twist

I just created my best hummus recipe and so I obvs had to immediately share it.

Hummus has always been a staple for me. I always have tahini and lemons at home, so when I can't be bothered to cook at night and I'm so hungry I just grab a can of chickpeas, some carrots and cucumbers and rye bread and make a huge bowl. It takes 2 minutes and it's a great healthy alternative to a takeaway or snacking.

As you can see, mine is slightly green. This is the twist! The secret is....spinach. I wanted to add more greens to my hummus so I threw in a couple of spinach leaves and it made the hummus that much better.

The Best Healthy 3 Ingredient Pancakes!

I have seen so many 2 or 3-ingredient pancake recipes around. They seem too good to be true, pictures of fluffy pancakes, using only banana and egg. I decided to do my research and test them out for myself and see just how they turned out.

I think I created a recipe that's even better than most I've seen. They are protein packed, gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free! They have the simplest addition to the recipe that I've never seen online! Even my banana-hating boyfriend loved these pancakes. I think that says something.

Carrot, Sweet Potato and Turmeric Soup

The days are getting shorter, the nights longer and it is generally colder and more miserable all round. Winter is coming. 

It is tempting during this period to indulge a little more than normal, to comfort and to feel better. Salads in Winter are a huge no, but in the long run indulgent and heavy meals won't make you feel better either.

The best thing to do in Winter is to make soup. Tons and tons of soup. Soups are like hugs in a bowl: warm and comforing, just what you need on a cold night. And you can fill them with so much goodness, it's like a superfood cocktail.

Aside from the fact they are so healthy for you, another major bonus is that they are ridiculously cheap and easy to make and you can make huge batches in one go and keep them for the rest of the week.

So, what make this soup a superfood cocktail?

Pear, Spinach and Avocado Smoothie

I'm making it a mission to find the best tasting green smoothies out there, with enough vegetables that still make them super healthy. My previous "Ultimate Green Smoothie" went down a treat, but I think I might have an even better one here! 

The Ultimate Tasty Green Smoothie!

I've finally cracked it. 

I've made a green smoothie that is actually delicious - and still healthy! 

I call it the ultimate, tasty, green smoothie!

Recipe after the jump!

Sushi Tetsu

It starts like this.

L'Autre Pied, Marylebone

Michelin starred restaurant, L'Autre Pied, awarded its one star in 2009, had an offer on Groupon for their 7-course tasting menu at half price. Well worth checking out if it's still on! Some may call it cheap, I know someone who calls it Value For Money. If the deal is no longer on, they also do a pre-theatre and set lunch menu so you can get a taste of their style for under £30.

UPDATE: L'Autre Pied is offering a special Easter menu of 5 courses for £39 between 14th - 27th April. Online bookings only, check menu here http://ow.ly/vhcwK 

L'Autre Pied is the sister restaurant of Pied a Terre, the two star Michelin restaurant, just around the corner (and pop-up Pieds Nus) all masterminded by David Moore.

The style of food is modern, set in a relaxed non-fussy atmosphere, unlike some other French restaurants out there (cough Gauthier Soho cough), so the diner can relax and enjoy their meal with no worries about uber correct etiquette and being quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Dishes are imaginative, precise and beautiful to look at. So much detail and precision goes in the placing of every ingredient; some are very close to works of art.

Although 7 courses long, plus amuse and pre-dessert, I left feeling comfortably full and not over-stuffed. The food felt light, virtuous and *almost* healthy. 

It was a joy to eat. Without further ado, here are some pictures.

Salad of Radishes with Black Quinoa, Crème Fraiche, Fennel and Dill

Flame Grilled Mackerel with Hazelnuts, Apple Tapioca, Celery and Miso

Roasted Sea Bass with Ras el Hanout, Butternut Squash, Celeriac and Soybean

Fillet of Roe Deer with Toasted Hay, Parsley Roots, Carrots and Peanut Crumble

Apple Mousse with Lime and Olive Oil Puree, Caramel Meringue and Yoghurt

Grain Store, King's Cross

King's Cross is an amazing place. Those who knew the area a couple of year ago would have laughed at this idea as it was widely known as a seedy, rough druggie haven. However with the recent millions being invested in the area - the newly developed apartments, offices and station, it is now a shiny new beacon of light in the capital (and the druggies have moved on to Euston). Street food lovers know already that Kerb runs from 11-2.30 every tues-fri along the Boulevard outside the station. The brilliant Caravan (sister to Exmouth Market incarnation) recently opened too in the old warehouse next to Central Saint Martins and Shrimpy's is inside The Filling Station next to the canal - yes the hipsters have firmly moved in. 

Another brilliant restaurant opened just this year right next to Caravan, adding to the new fabulousness of the King's Cross area and as soon as I heard the concept I knew I had to come here. A collaboration between Bruno Loubet and The Zetter Group's Michael Benyan and Mark Sainsbury with drinks by Tony Conigliaro, the guy who created the menu at the "best new bar in the world" Zetter Townhouse - the menu celebrates vegetables by making them the star of the dish and fish or meat the accompaniment.

I finally got down here on my birthday, feeling a little worse for wear having been out the night before, and needing a major dose of health. 

A huge, spacious interior greeted us with super high ceilings, (fake?!) furs on the wall, wood everywhere a hell of a lot of exposed brick and light flooding in from all directions. It felt very natural, minimal and recycled - in a good way. It all added to a feeling of wholesomeness and pureness about the place. The long bar is placed opposite the kitchen pass, which also turns into a work bench where you can see chefs preparing the food. A lot of chopping went down from what I saw.

Take a little walk around the restaurant before you leave because you will see walls lines with pickled jars and all their produce ready to be used - a lovely touch.

Grain Store is another restaurant that doesn't divide its menu into starters and mains - which I love, it allows much more freedom. So my sister and I decided to order only smaller plates to try as many things as possible and, as our superbly camp and absolutely brilliant waiter said - "we shall just have a little feast here!"

We went for sprouting beans & seeds, miso aubergine, crispy citrus chicken skin, potato wafer

Courgette, broad bean & prawn falafel with raita

Butternut squash ravioli, sage & mustard apricots, pumpkin seed oil

Peach, salted watermelon & basil salad, salmon confit

The first thing that jumps out at you is the colours. All these dishes were so beautifully presented and so wonderfully colourful. They were all incredibly fresh, light but did not scrimp on flavour at all. Both my sister and I are falafel fiends and we agreed that the falafel were some of the best we'd ever had.

The ravioli was full of butternut squash flavour - a surprise for me having been disappointed one too many times that I could not taste a trace of squash in ravioli - and the crunch of the seeds left the dish interesting and exciting. Salmon, watermelon and peach - a combination I would never have putt together was delightful.

It felt healthy and virtuous, angelic even, and incredibly delicious.

Feeling satisfied and pleased with ourselves for being good we then chose dessert. My immediate thought when reading: white chocolate rice crispy, dark chocolate mousse and almond ice cream, was an image of a Rice Krispie white chocolate cake - and that did not appeal. However I shouldn't have been so naïve because of course this wasn't a cake that you make for 5 year olds. This was little pieces of white chocolate heaven.

Thickly coated crispy puffed rice - and nothing at all like the cereal, almost had a hardened marshmallow like texture, with real white chocolate flavour, a flavour which if I'm honest often escapes me and I think it rather boring. The mousse and almond ice cream were the perfect accompaniment and contrast - both light as a feather but one more unadulterated and the mousse was probably the most obscene thing we'd had that day.

I will have to go for dinner next time because I need to try the "surprise tasting menu" for £35 a head. After this wonderful meal I definitely trust them to serve me anything they like!!

After lunch, I had a little beautifully wrapped surprise from Liberty waiting for me :D

 Pretty good birthday I'd say!

Healthy Chocolate Pudding

This recipe was taken from a lovely blog, With Style and Grace.

Look at this lovely, rich chocolate pudding.

So tempting....so delicious....so rich....so.. healthy?!

My mum tried it (the Queen of baking) and even she couldn't tell what was in it. She thought it was a normal chocolate pudding made with cream and eggs.

What would you say if I told you it had a secret ingredient...that it really wasn't that rich at all.

Wanna know what makes this so healthy??

Inside is.....


AVOCADO!!!!


Yes seriously!

This seriously chocolatey chocolate pudding is made using avocado!!

And it's so simple to make. Chuck everything into a food processor and you are good to go.

For 2 people.....

Take 2 medium avocadoes. Scoop out the inside and chuck em in the food processor.

5 tbsps of cocoa powder.

Then add 3 tbsps of honey (or 6 medjool dates....but I can't be bothered with pitting them. If you make it with dates let me know how it is!)

 2-4 tbsps of coconut milk (I used half fat)

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of orange zest

Then whizz it all up till smooth.

Looks good, right?

And serve with fruit, salt, or an extra drizzle of honey on top.

Tah-dah!