As you know I love animals and could never eat one; so it is a passion of mine to find meals that are moorish, tantalizing and tasty without harming anyone in the process. I actually used to eat meat as a teenager so the I first became vegetarian it was hard for me to give up the things I love, mainly KFC. But then I found out the chickens are only a few days old and are pumped full of steroids so I didn’t want to put that kind of thing into my body anymore; no wonder I had tummy aches :s

Lot’s of people say “how can you be veggy” but if you just do a bit of research you will realise that being vegetarian doesn’t mean you eat dinners any differently to anyone else. I still have spag bol, I still have hot dogs and believe it or not I still have KFC (see my vegetarian KFC blog post here). One thing I do love is a burger; especially on a BBQ so I thought I would share with you some of my faves.

The first one will surprise you; this is a pulled pork burger which surprisingly has a similar texture to actual pulled pork. Linda has done well here; these 1/4lb burgers are made with textured soya and wheat protein coated with a smoky flavour barbecue sauce and they are sooo juicy.

You do only get two in a box but I only have them every now and then as a treat when I fancy something different. They are quite cheap at around £2 a box and sometimes they come as a deal at Tesco where you can buy 3 selected Linda products for £5…bargain!

The texture is so soft and juicy and the great thing about them is that they are not dry like some veggie burgers out there, they actually have a nice slightly greasy feel. Another way of eating these burgers is to cook them and pull them apart and add them to a home made Chinese dish with some sweet and sour sauce. Who says you can’t have sweet and sour pork just because you are veggie?

The other day I chose to have mine with cooked mushrooms on top and cucumber on the side, it was delicious. These burgers have loads of protein too so they are great for a post gym workout meal.

My favourite sauce to have on top of the burger is a mixture of sweet chilli and mayonnaise; trust me it tastes amazing and really compliments the BBQ flavours. If you prefer you can have a sticky BBQ sauce with it too which goes really well when it is char-grilled.

Now if meat tasting/looking burgers are not your style, Linda McCartney also make a burger which is equally as juicy which is not a replica.

The mushroom and spinach burgers taste like exactly what it says on the box but they are nice and thick and still have that burger feel to them. They retail at around the same price and also come in a pack of two. These are definitely best when they are barbecued but for the colder nights try sprinkling on some seasoning and popping them under the grill instead.

Spinach is  really high in iron and protein so you are getting lots of goodness from these burgers as well as an amazing taste. I chose to have mine with lightly fried asparagus and Halloumi chicken nuggets. If you are not a fan of batter simply lightly fry some Halloumi on it’s own and pop it on top of your burger.

In my opinion a dollop of mayonnaise goes really well with this burger but obviously you could melt some mozzarella or cheddar cheese on top to give it some extra flavour.

To make my halloumi chicken nuggets (which btw you must try) I simply bought a cheap pack of batter mix and added one egg with some water. I then coated the Cypriot cheese in batter and deep fried them till they were golden brown; heaven!

I really hope you enjoy trying out some of these dishes and have fun with your own way of eating them 🙂

A delicious halloumi and asparagus arrangement with avocado salad and boiled potatoes…heaven!

Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese which has a sort of rubbery texture but tastes amazing when cooked; especially on a bbq. It is nice and salty and is a must for any vegetarians who need that extra substance in their meal ideas.

To cook for two using this recipe you will need:

2 Medium-Large Potatoes or 1 Extra Large

1 Asparagus bunch of10-12 sticks

1 Large Avocado

1 Red Pepper

1 Packet of mixed salad leaves

1 pack of Halloumi

 Squeezy Honey

Olive Oil

Start by pre-heating your oven to the highest temperature ie 250 degrees and make sure you have a nice clean baking dish ready. Pop 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the dish and set aside, don’t put in the oven as we want the oil to be cold.

Next wash your potatoes and cut them into the size you prefer; preferably not as large as you would cut your roasties. You can also use smaller new potatoes for this recipe if you prefer.

Pop the potatoes into a saucepan with a pinch of salt and a tiny splash of olive oil to keep them soft and put them on to boil for 15 minutes or until soft.

Next you will need to chop the ends off your Asparagus sticks, give them a wash and pop them into your baking dish making sure they are nicely rubbed in to the oil.

Now give your red pepper a wash and cut that into medium size squares and place next to the asparagus in the dish. Pop those into the oven for 10 minutes.

Whilst all that lovely food is cooking away you can prepare your advocado salad. The best way to cut an advocado is to slice it in half around the stone and peel away the skin like you would an orange. Cut half an avocado each into slices for each meal. Make sure you wash your salad even if it is already pre-washed, pop that onto the side of your plate and place the avocado slices on top. You can of course add any other salad you like such as tomatoes or cress.

Now for the main ingredient; the halloumi. Take your halloumi out of the packet and cut it into cubes, making sure you cut it on a chopping board as it does come in a juice.

Once your asparagus and red pepper have roasted for 10 minutes take the dish out using oven gloves and place the halloumi next to your peppers. Add a drizzle of honey over the whole lot and pop back into the oven for another 5-7 minutes.

Drain your potatoes and melt a few large dollops of butter over them whilst they are still in the saucepan, sprinkle some salt over the top and pop the lid back on to keep them warm.

Once the halloumi has a nice brown edge take the dish out of the oven and serve up your yummy food…not forgetting your potatoes. The sweetness of the honey compliments the sweetness in the red pepper and this will definitely be a dish you make again and again.

Enjoy 🙂

As you know I am going Gluten free so the guys over at Bounce.com were kind enough to send me a box of their goodies to taste. I was very excited when it came in the post as I have never tried Bounce Balls before but I’ve often seen them advertised and I hear they are great. The box is great in itself and fits nicely into your handbag as it’s very compact and sturdy.

The six flavours they sent me were; Coconut & Macadamia, Almond, Cacao Mint, Coconut Lemon (New), Peanut and Spirulina & Ginseng (some flavours are even vegan too). The first flavour I tried was the brand new Coconut and Lemon flavour and wow was I impressed. Normally gluten free goodies don’t excite me as they are often very bland but these are bursting with flavour and have a lovely chewy texture. They’re very nourishing  so you only need one at a time to satisfy your appetite. Great for guys and gals who like to go to the gym and work out as most flavours including the Coconut & Lemon contain over nine grams of protein. Unlike other protein bars which can have a very chalky texture, these balls are yummy and I will definitely be buying them again to give me a little boost of energy before or after my workout.

Head over to www.bouncefoods.com now to read about them yourself or pop into your local Holland and Barrett store to stay happy and healthy 🙂

A selection of treats from Asda’s Free From Range

So I’ve never been intolerant to Gluten but I know it is so much better for you not to eat too much if it. SO this week I am trying out some gluten free goodies from Asda’s Free From range and from Amy’s Kitchen.

Gluten is the protein found in the tissue in the seed of cereal’s such as Wheat, Barley and Rye. Not all grains contain gluten there are some which don’t for example Quinoa, brown rice and Buckwheat. If you have Coeliac’s Disease you must avoid gluten altogether; luckily I don’t but I want to be healthy and a lot less bloated so I am giving it a go.

I was a little bit naughty and decided to try the sweet goodies before my dinner but I couldn’t resist. I chose these cookies because they looked and sounded gorgeous on the box. They contain dark and milk chocolate chips and I can honestly say the texture is so much nicer than normal packet cookies you can buy. They are beautifully soft and although they are wheat and gluten free they don’t taste any different to what they should. Nice and sweet, perfect texture and very creamy. They are a little bit more expensive than other cookies so I had to stop myself from eating the packet.

Next I tried the chocolate orange buttons which are dairy free, wheat free, gluten free and egg free so basically vegan friendly. Apart from tasting a tiny bot more like dark chocolate than plain chocolate these are delicious. I just wished they could e mixed with the cookies to make chocolate orange cookies; maybe this is something I should invent.

Now when it came to dinner time I was very excited to try this Lasagne as it is made from gluten free rice pasta…so no bloating for me from normal carby pasta. It only took five minutes in the microwave but I did it for a little longer to crisp up the edges. It tasted AMAZING with just the right amount of everything. The pasta wasn’t too thick and the tomato sauce used was nice and rich. It was the perfect amount for one person and it goes with so many different things such as salads and potatoes or even wedges.

Amy’s Kitchen Gluten Free Lasagne

Amy’s Kitchen Lasagne with Spinach, Avocado and Potatoes

So yes, all of my skepticism has gone out the window and I can see now that the food industry has evolved a great deal and proven to me we don’t need meat, wheat, gluten, egg, or dairy in all of our foods to enjoy eating.