Hi, I'm Helen. I share easy, nutritious, seasonal, flexitarian recipes, often with a British-Jewish twist. Expect a weekly dose of delicious dinner ideas, news and positivity!
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Plant-Based Power for the Nine Days
Published 3 months ago • 3 min read
Hello there my friend,
I hope you've had a good week, and enjoyed the avocado, orange and watercress salad in last week's email. Here's this week's recommendation...
Shabbat recipe of the week - strawberry banana bread
You'll love this deliciously moist banana bread loaf, swirled with a layer of strawberry batter and topped with fresh strawberries. It's fruity, flavourful, and delicious as a dessert with ice-cream, or just sliced and served with a cup of tea.
Make the most of abundant summer strawberries and whip up this gorgeous cake!
Yesterday evening marked the start of the Nine Days, a period of sadness and mourning culminating with the fast of Tisha B'Av. These solemn days commemorate the many calamities that occurred during this period throughout history - most significantly the destruction of both Holy Temples, and the exile of the Jewish people from the land of Israel.
Many people observe mourning rituals, including refraining from music and celebrations. There is also a custom to avoid eating meat.
If you're not used to a largely (or wholly) plant-based diet, it's natural to worry about your protein intake during this time. So I'm here to reassure you that it's perfectly possible to meet all your body's protein (and other!) needs on either a fully or mostly plant-based diet.
Below are some of my favourite high-protein vegetarian recipes - they're all free from meat or fish, but some contain small amounts of eggs or dairy. You can find more recipes and information here.
You don't need meat or fish to make sure you're getting enough protein. These fabulous vegetarian and vegan recipes all provide a good dose of this essential macro-nutrient. So tuck in!
Israeli breakfast Perfect for summertime, this fresh plate of crisp veggies, eggs and cheeses, served with fluffy pita or your favourite bread, packs a whopping 22g protein per serving.
Chia pudding with yogurt My go-to summer breakfast is cool, creamy, fruity and delicious! A standard serving has 19g protein as well as 15g of fibre. Serve smaller portions for a healthy dessert.
Pear and stilton toast This gourmet lunch is ready in minutes from just 4 ingredients! If you love blue cheese, you'll love this easy, tasty toasted treat. (18g protein per serving)
Roasted squash and halloumi fajitas Warm flour tortillas filled with roasted butternut squash, crisp griddled halloumi, fresh tomato salsa, and crispy leaves. Yum!(19g protein/serving)
Moroccan style stuffed aubergines Delicious vegan stuffed aubergines (eggplant) filled with a spiced mushroom and tofu mixture. They look impressive and are filling and flavoursome. (13g protein/serving)
Rainbow vegetable quinoa bake Packed with a rainbow of delicious vegetables, this cheesy vegetarian bake is simple to make has 19g protein per serving.
Gigantes Plaki - Greek-style baked butter beans This sumptuous vegan butter bean stew is a traditional delicacy that's packed with nutrition and has an amazing rich flavour. (15g protein/serving)
Cheesy broccoli and leek pasta bake You'll love this upgraded, veg-packed mac 'n' cheese. It's a terrific one-dish dinner and packs 24g protein into a single serving!
Chickpea and cauliflower curry A creamy vegan curry that's packed with vegetables - and flavour! We love it on toast as a tasty midweek meal. (15g protein/serving or 25-30g with wholemeal toast.)
Chocolate pecan cookies Can't resist a sweet treat?! My all-time favourite cookies contain 8g of protein per two cookies, and they're vegan and gluten free, too!
Remember, a side portion of quinoa adds 4-6g, rice 5g or more, and wholegrain bread/toast an extra 10-15g of plant-based protein per serving.
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Shabbat Shalom
Next Thursday is Tisha B'Av, so there will be no newsletter next week. If you're fasting, I hope you have an easy and meaningful fast.
In the meantime, here's wishing you a beautiful summery Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom - Good Shabbos! - to everyone. May Shabbat and the weeks ahead bring only good things - peace, health, happiness and many blessings for us all.
With love, Helen x.
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Hi, I'm Helen. I share easy, nutritious, seasonal, flexitarian recipes, often with a British-Jewish twist. Expect a weekly dose of delicious dinner ideas, news and positivity!
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