Moroccan Mushrooms and Chickpeas

I have no idea if Moroccans’ actually eat mushrooms and chickpeas like the way I’ve made them in this recipe. I seem to recall the origins of this dish came from a BBC Good Food Magazine recipe. Perhaps it’s the cumin, cinnamon and honey used in the dish that’s inspired from Morocco. Or the fact that chickpeas are often eaten in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries (think hummus and falafel). I simply don’t know. I’d love to visit the country. If I do, I’ll be sure to ask the locals if they eat mushrooms and chickpeas in this way.

Anyhow, the recipe, photos and nutritional information are below. It’s a really quick and easy dish to make and can be eaten with quinoa, rice, or my new favourite alternative – blended cauliflower – see previous Turkey Chili post if you have no idea what I’m talking about with regards to blended cauliflower. You can also spoon it on to a baked potato or eat it in a soft tortilla wrap.

As its low in calories (143 calories) and the serving size is fairly modest (approx. 250g/9oz), simply by itself, it also makes a great vegetable side dish.

Mushrooms are a low calorie, low sodium, no fat, no sugars, no cholesterol food which are also a good source of B vitamins and antioxidant selenium.
Chickpeas, also called garbanzo bean, are a great source of fiber and protein. They are low in fat and sugars and contain no cholesterol.

Moroccan Mushrooms and Chickpeas
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
- 110g / 4oz onion
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 1tsp cumin
- 1tsp paprika
- 185g / 6.6oz mushrooms
- 255g / 9oz / 1 can drained chickpeas
- 411g / 14.5oz / 1 can diced tomatoes (no added salt)
- 1tsbp honey
- 150g / 5.5oz broccoli
- 85g / 3oz frozen peas
- ground black pepper (optional)

Method:

Spray pan with cooking oil.
Chop onions and cook for 3 minutes, until brown.
Add spices and cook for 1 minute.

Add mushrooms and 1tbsp water, then cook for another minute.

Add drained can of chickpeas, tomatoes and ground black pepper, cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add vegetables and honey. Simmer for 15-20 mins until veg is tender.

ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Hummus

I love chickpeas and I love snacking. Therefore, it's good to know these go well together! Instead of eating fatty, processed dips, I prefer to make my own.

Hummus is basically chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) blended up in a food processor (I love my food processor too!), with a little oil, water or lemon juice added so that it forms a creamy dip.

Adding a few spices to the hummus gives it additional flavour. I always add cumin and sometimes paprika, cayenne pepper and/or crushed garlic.

Tahini (a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds) is also a popular ingredient to add to hummus recipes. However, I usually limit the oil or tahini to a tablespoon - otherwise the fat content per serving is quite high. If I don't have tahini to hand, sprinkling sesame seeds into the mix is a ideal alternative.

Chopped raw vegetables go great with hummus and make the perfect mid-morning or afternoon snack!

Hummus
Makes 5 (65g per serving)

Ingredients:
- 425g / 15oz / 1 can chickpeas, drained, except 15ml/1tbsp liquid
- 15ml / 1tbsp olive oil
- 45ml / 3tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2tsp cumin
- 1/2tsp paprika
- ground black pepper

Method:

• In a food processor, blend together the chickpeas, bean juice, olive oil, lemon juice and spices until smoothly combined. 
• Pour into an air-tight container, grind pepper on top of the hummus (if desired) and refrigerate.
• Serve on rice cakes or with chopped vegetables. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Turkey Chili

An alternative to minced/ground beef is turkey. My turkey chili recipe is really simple to make and tastes great – even if I do say so myself!

The basic ingredients are lean ground turkey (obviously), chopped onion, a can of kidney beans and a can of diced tomatoes. The spices are basic ones I always keep in my pantry. I usually like to add some green vegetables – e.g. kale, spinach, peas, courgette*, broccoli, celery.

Each batch varies depending on what I have in my fridge. The great thing about green vegetables are that they are all extremely nutritious, have similar amounts of calories per serving, very low in fat and have no cholesterol – check out the nutritional information below if you don’t believe me!

Turkey Chili

Makes 5 servings

Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Ingredients:

- 560g / 20oz ground turkey (I use 93% lean)

- 120g / 4.3oz onion 

- 1 clove crushed garlic

- 440g / 15.5oz / 1 can red kidney beans

- 411g / 14.5oz / 1 can diced tomatoes (no added salt)

- 480ml / 16floz water

- 2tbsp chili powder

- ½tsp paprika

- ½tsp cumin

- ½tsp ground black pepper

- ½tsp oregano

- 200g / 7.1oz courgette

- 2 celery sticks

- 85g / 3oz frozen peas

Method:

Cook the turkey mince in a pan for 5 minutes, until brown

Chop the garlic and onion and add to the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes, until onion is soft

Mix in the can of kidney beans and diced tomatoes, plus water

Add the spices and herbs

Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes

Add courgette, celery, peas (or other green veg) and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with quinoa (45g dry), rice (45g dry) or blended cauliflower (150g).

Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Quinoa or brown rice goes great with the chili. Recently, I’ve discovered the wonders of cauliflower blended up in a food processor. If you don’t want the calories or carbs from rice or quinoa, blended cauliflower is an ideal substitute. Simply blend up 100-150g of cauliflower in a food processor and then microwave for 2 minutes.

Nutritional Information:

*courgette, also called zucchini. I prefer to use the British-English term instead of the American alternative. If you hear me talking about aubergine, the American-English version is eggplant.

Why I love salads

As much as I'd like to stuff my face with fried food and cake, when I take a moment to think about how much processed rubbish goes into junk food (and the consequences on your body after indulging), I actually feel a little grossed out.
That's why I love to eat salads!

I love the taste, and feeling, of crunching on fresh, raw, natural ingredients*. The good thing about salads are that I can make a large bowl (see my photos) and take my time grazing/munching away without the worry of a). over eating / indulging in a big portion and consuming mega numbers of calories, and b). my meal going cold, thus shoveling in mouthfuls whilst food is hot.

Don't get me wrong, on some days, I do feel like hot food, and so I'll cook up something. In the winter, I'll usually switch from eating salads everyday to eating homemade soups (basically just loads of blended-up veg). Future blog posts will no doubt feature soup recipes and pictures.

Back to salads...with the ones I make, it's a case of 'anything goes'. I get plenty of nutrients and usually vary the sources of proteins (tuna, boiled egg, chicken, low-fat cottage cheese) and fats (avocado, almonds, cheese. I also like to sprinkle a tablespoon of hemp seeds, chia seeds or flax seeds on top of my salads. If I want a little sweetness, I'll occasionally add some fruit (strawberries, dried cranberries, grapes, apple).

Below is my basic salad recipe with nutritional information.
Ingredients:
- 40g / 1.5oz spinach OR kale
- 50g / 1.8oz black beans (no added salt)
- 50g / 1.8oz sweet corn
- 80g /2.9oz green pepper
- 75g /2.7oz tomato
- 2 celery sticks
- 50g / 1.8oz cucumber
- 1/2tbsp hemp seeds
- 1tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1tbsp apple cider vinegar**

Method:
Place spinach or kale in a large bowl or on a plate
Add black beans and sweet corn
Chop pepper, tomato, celery and cucumber
Sprinkle hemp seeds on top of salad
Pour on vinegar

Add your source of protein, fat or fruits and ENJOY!!

Nutritional Information:

Protein and Fats

Fruits

*There's a lot of information on the internet about raw food diets. I'm no expert - I just like eating salads! If you want to learn more, I suggest you search 'raw food benefits' and read one of the 39,700,000 result pages. The top result from Google was this website: 10 Reasons Eating Raw is Healthier For You and the Planet

**I haven't included any nutritional information for apple cider vinegar (ACV) as it basically has zero calories, fat, carbs, sugars, fiber, protein.
However, there are many health benefits associated with ACV. Some include detoxification, to promote weight loss, to help digestion, to alleviate skin problems...
Don't take my word for it, just Google 'apple cider vinegar benefits' and you'll see about 5,530,000 results. An example is here: 7 Reasons to Love Apple Cider Vinegar

Low Calorie Coleslaw

The coleslaw I make is super low calorie (only 31 calories per serving) and a really tasty, healthy snack which can be eaten between meals or as a side dish with a main meal.
Instead of mixing in loads of mayonnaise, I use non-fat Greek yogurt which is thicker than regular non-fat yogurt and contains less fat, cholesterol and sodium than mayo (even the lighter varieties).

Low Calorie Coleslaw
Makes 10 servings (84g / 3oz servings)

Ingredients:
- 385g / 13.8oz raw cabbage
- 115g 4.1oz carrots
- 1 small apple / about 100g / 3.6oz (I use royal gala)
- 1tbsp lemon juice
- 225g / 1cup non-fat Greek plain yogurt (I use oikos)

Method:
Shred/finely chop the raw cabbage, grate the carrot, finely slice or grate the apple.
Mix together in a large bowl.
Add the lemon juice and Greek yogurt.
Combine all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Banana Oat Pancakes

As much as I'd love to eat fluffy pancakes (IHOP springs to mind*) - and copious amounts of syrup - everyday, it would be very unhealthy! Therefore,whenever I eat pancakes, usually after a weekend bike ride, I always add a banana and oats to the basic egg, flour, milk combo.

Light and fluffy isn't really how you'd describe them. Wholesome and satisfying are better adjectives.
Recipe, photos and nutritional information is below.

Banana Oat Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes
Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 egg
- 80g / 3oz oats (I use old fashioned oats)
- 80g / 3oz flour
- 120ml / 4floz unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2tsp cinnamon

Method:
Blend oats in food processor to make oat flour

Add flour and cinnamon

Mash up banana, add egg and beat together

Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and add almond milk

Mix together to form a thick batter. Heat frying pan and cook for a few minutes and then flip over to cook the other side.

Serve with a dollop (45g / 3tbsp) of non-fat greek yogurt and a drizzle (10g / 1/2tbsp) of honey.

As mentioned above, the pancakes are quite dense and filling

Enjoy!
Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

*If you're interested in the nutritional value of IHOP pancakes, I looked at their website and noted down the following information. You can see a full list of their nutritional Information online: http://www.ihop.com/-/media/ihop/PDFs/nutritionalinformation.ashx

IHOP Original Buttermilk Pancakes (3 pancakes)
Calories                 470
Fat Calories 140
Total Fat (g) 15
Saturated Fat (g) 5
Trans Fat (g) 0.5
Cholesterol (mg) 70
Sodium (mg) 1590
Carbohydrates (g) 69
Fiber (g)         4
Sugar (g)         13
Protein (g) 13

Regular Old Fashioned Maple Pancake Syrup (1 fl oz)
Calories        110
Fat Calories 0
Total Fat (g) 0
Saturated Fat (g) 0
Trans Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Sodium (mg) 15
Carbohydrates (g) 27
Fiber (g)         0
Sugar (g)         18
Protein (g) 0

In comparison, 3 banana oat pancakes contains 303 calories, less than 5g fat, only 55mg sodium and 7.2g sugars. After a bike ride, I usually eat 3-4 pancakes which are perfect for a post-exercise meal. The batter keeps in the fridge for a day or two so I can always make one or two as a snack the following day.

Hello and welcome to my blog: Chocolate Spinach!

Hello and welcome to my blog: Chocolate Spinach!

Chocolate Spinach may be an unusual name for a blog. You may also think it's an unusual food combination. I do!

When trying to create a website URL for my new site, I did want to call it something unoriginal like 'Food for Thought', or 'Food and Fitness'. Surprisingly, these names were taken. So I had to get creative.

If you asked me what foods I eat on a daily basis, chocolate and spinach would be at the top of the list. Oats, eggs, apples and hemp seeds would also be on that list. However, a blog name featuring all these foods would be a bit ridiculous!

I wanted to start this blog to post recipes and photos of food - most of which I've adapted to make as healthy and nutritious as possible.

I also wanted to have a platform where I can talk about food (and drink), nutrition, diet, fitness and general well-being.

Ok, now I'm off to take a photo of chocolate and spinach - for my blog profile! Bye.