WARMING CURRY PUMPKIN CREAM

As we are slowly coming to the end of summer and the days are becoming colder I thought it is the right time to share my ultimate curry pumpkin cream soup. A while ago I have shared carrot cream soup and I still love it, however, this recipe has a much more define and interesting taste. 

To be honest I was surprised how well it turned out, a bit spicy yet still flavorful and with a little bit of sweetness to it. I would only recommend to use a well sharped knife and same goes to the vegetable peeler to peal the pumpkin. The skin tends to be very hard and without using one the process can be very dull and annoying - I tired and trust me it was no fun until I found my knife sharpener..  If you are really lazy you could use ready pumpkin puree but the taste will be much more blunt, hence I’d say it is worth the extra effort. 

HEALTHIER SPINACH FALAFEL - baked not fried

I have never been a big fan of falafel, back in school it was served tasteless and with basically no spices. This experience made me very skeptical for years, until I tried it in a simple, probably very unhealthy takeaway - all it needs is a bit of spice to it! Now as I learned how easy it is to do it yourself and I have it at least once a week. It is so convenient you can make it into little bites, like the once I did for this recipe, or into burgers. 

Falafel can be made with so many variations, with spinach, plain, with peppers, olives literally whatever you fancy and therefore it does not get boring quickly. It is the biggest alternative for vegetarians in so many places, sometimes so over priced thus I reckon it is good to know how to make it at home. Besides that, chickpeas are very high in protein and fiber - best of both worlds. In addition it has a low GI (=30) so it is safe for diabetic and the fiber itself regulates glucose level in the blood. 

HOW TO AVOID WEIGHT GAIN AT UNIVERSITY - Top 6 tips

It's not a secret that many students gain the famous "freshman 15" in their first year. The extra 15 pound don't come from nowhere though! It is all about developing the habits and getting used to taking the responsibilities for oneself. Not going to lie, I suffered, feel like still suffering, from it myself but experience taught me a few ways that could help to tackle or reduce the risk of GETTING FAT IN YOUR FIRST YEAR. 

As the academic year is now coming to an end though this is a good time for this post. Sounds like non sense but I though about all of you who are finishing with their A levels, or other, now and will definitely do some online research about university life so just to worn you FRESHMAN 15' is a thing and it happens to 99.9% of freshers. Thus, here I come to help and make you prepared. 

Tip #1 - Keep healthy snacks in your room

When your parents will want to buy you some snacks just to have around - don't deny! Stock up with some nuts, seeds or dried fruit you like, on which you can then snack during your all nighters. You don't want to start craving sweet at 11 pm and go to the closest local, I can guarantee you would get something really unhealthy just because its cheaper than a pack of nuts or healthy snacks. Most of them will have a high GI (Glyceamic Index) anyways, which will end up in rapid energy boost and even quicker energy lost and you will simply fall asleep and fail your studies. OK, that is a slight exaggeration but honestly you will benefit more from healthy snacks and stop late night cravings. 

Tip #2 - Join sports club

You don't have to be an elite athlete to join sports at uni, really. This is such a common worry of all freshers. "Everyone will play better then I, they definitely had it at school" NO! Most of them are in the same situation, if you're not extremely athletic don't worry, just be brave. University is when you can start a new life, try new things, who knows maybe you'll love it. Not only it makes you move, burn calories and improve overall health but it is also a great way to meet people and make new friends. I'd say make as many friends in the first weeks as you can, then you'll see who is actually worth the friendship who is not - sportspeople tend to be very good at bonding so go for it ha! ;) 

Tip #3 - Get your sleep

I know this one can be tricky especially during freshers week but it is actually very important. At least try, if you came back from a party late let yourself sleep in, even if you have work to do you will be less productive when tired so you can either get a few extra hours of sleep and get things done quickly or you can suffer the whole day, reach for sugar packed energy drinks and snacks and commit to your weight gain.  

Tip #4 - Relax. Don't stress

It is only your first year, nothing to worry about usually it doesn't even count. Take things slowly and give yourself time to adapt. Stress is the worst enemy. Pure chemistry, when we stress we release stress hormone - Cortisol, it is good but only in moderate amounts. If we over stress, too much cortisol is released which has several negative effects on the body. One of them is decreasing the functioning of thyroid which is in control of burning calories hence too much cortisol makes you burn less calories and therefore gain body mass.

Tip #5 - Don't skip meals for alcohol

University life is known for being very lively and what often comes with that very focused around alcohol. I know it is easier to meet people this way, there is nothing wrong with having drinks. Just be responsible about it and have your food! Never, ever skip a meal for a alcoholic beverage it will make you drunk quicker, it will make you feel worse next morning, it will make you even more hungry! And we all know the chips and cheese cravings after a night out. This is were you just fill your body with useless, empty calories which do nothing good to you. Besides, you'll get your takeaway, get back to the flat and go to sleep anyways. Your body will not have enough time to metabolize everything and what you consumed will end up as fat tissue in the end! 

Tip #6 -  Simply be active

As simple as it sounds it is very important to be active. Don't take a bus to the campus, find a friend and walk, not only you'll get some fresh air and physical activity but if you moved to a different city you can discover new places. 

Attend different events, just have a look in the internet what's going on around, some night clubs organize "fitness classes" as twist to typical night out but during the day. Attend park runs - you can walk at the beginning. Engage in university events, many unis organize fund raising events followed by fun activities ex. neon basketball or Zumba classes. Or just gather a group of friends and go to the park to play some footy or badminton. There are plenty of opportunities you just need to get you head around them!   

Good luck!

COCONUT BANANA ICE CREAM

I finally managed to go on an trip to the fresh market down in the city of Leeds. I was really tempted to get whole lot of delicious fruits and veggies but I had the image of carrying heavy bags all the way up to my flat stuck in my head. This definitely stopped me from going crazy shopping.
 Maybe for the better, as I completely forgot how quickly fresh and not loaded with chemicals fruits go bad. Since being at uni I usually shopped in the supermarkets, it's close, it's cheap - it's convenient. I got used to the fact that my bananas can sit in the cupboard for days and don't even go brown, that wasn't the case this time. Having said that, you can probably guess I found myself stuck with  more than a few bananas that were literally on a verge of being inedible. I really had to figure out a way to use them up, I mean seriously how many bananas can you eat in a row....  

AVOCADO & ROCKET PASTA

The typical tomato pasta sauce can be boring at some point and trust me I know, I've been there. I am guilty of being a massive spaghetti pasta lover and eating it definitely too often... Hence, I though of changing something in my "regime", knowing the benefits of avocado I tried using that delicious fruit. And it worked! For a more defined taste I also add arugula as it has a little bit of a kick in its flavor. 

 

My favorite part of that dish is you actually eat less then when having the traditional, as avocado is a load bomb of good fat (unsaturated fat) so it keeps you full for longer because the breakdown of it is quite time consuming process.  

Warming Carrot Cream Soup

To be fair I have never been a fan of soups. I did not like the fact it is simply water with vegetables inside, how can you even get full eating that? My opinion has changed after trying cream soups. They are way more filling and it seams like the taste is much richer. 

As you probably know, here in UK, it is quite common that it is raining, it is windy and generally the weather is not the greatest at all times. Since I moved to Leeds, there were more days when I have been ill then days where I felt OK. Probably I just have to get used to that climate but that is not what I want to share. There is nothing that warms me better then a delicious cream soup. It helped me to feel better and warm up on these rainy days. 

Green Lunch Mix

Recently I have moved out of home and begun my university life in Leeds students halls. As you can probably guess it is much harder to prepare a lovely meal full of fancy ingredients and spices because when living on your own it is your responsibility to buy everything! Also not to lie some foods might be very expensive and hard to get. 

Tofu Scramble - Vegan breakfast

Are you vegan? Or you cannot eat eggs? Or maybe you simply don’t like the taste of eggs? Well, I have a delicious proposition for you! Mornings can be hard and there is nothing that wakes you up better than a large, fulfilling yet healthy breakfast. 

In today’s post I would like to present you Tofu Scramble, an alternative to regular, often boring and known for years scrambled eggs. To be honest it took me a while to try this idea out, sometimes tofu can be tasteless but if you will prepare it well it’s really luscious. My biggest tip is to drain as much water from it as possible. If you have time leave it for half an hour wrapped up in paper towel (obviously it is not necessary but in my opinion it brings out a better taste). 

SUPERFOOD SUNDAY: Chia Seeds

  I am pretty confident you have heard of Chia seeds already, they may not be the cheapest or easiest to get, however, they work wonders!  I am not the first and certainly not the last one to call these seeds super food due to their wide range of properties and health benefits.

Sweet Amaranth for breakfast

Are you fed up with boring porridge for breakfast? I would like to share my quite simple, a little time consuming, yet delicious recipe for Amaranth "Porridge". It is a very healthy plant full of vitamins such as B, C, E and what is very important on vegetarian diet it is high in proteins. It will easily fill you up and give you a lot of energy to start up the day.

Personally, I prefer it as a sweet breakfast but amaranth can also be cooked salty and used as an addition to meals. The topping is more or less optional, however, I like to add kiwi since the maple syrup is pretty sweet and the kiwi adds a little sourness.

SUPERFOOD SUNDAY: Avocado

I though of creating a series of posts devoted to different foods containing loads of  health benefits that not many people are aware of. Hopefully, I could share some of my knowledge gained through years of reading, research and experience.

Today's post will be about AVOCADO. I must admit I never liked this fruit before, I found it a bit tasteless and boring. The first time I tried it was in a vegetarian sushi roll. Basically, algae, rice and avocado. I hated it.

Vegetable soup with kale / Zupa jarzynowa z jarmużem

Ingredients

2 handfuls kale

2 sweet peppers

2 carrots

4 young potatoes

1 handful green peas (fresh, bean pod)

1 handful goji berries

allspice

bay leaf

salt

pepper

1 litre water

1 bouillon cube*

* I used the one with low amount of salt and without preservatives.

Black

Delicious, rich in vitamins and minerals black salad. Enjoy!
Ingredients

black rice
black beans
beetroot
Brussels sprouts
goat cheese
pumpkin seeds
flaxseed (or sesame) oil
dried thyme
black pepper
pinch of salt

Spinach with roasted beetroot and goat cheese / Szpinak z pieczonym burakiem i kozim serem

Ingredients

salad

3-4 handfuls of spinach

1 beetroot*

1/3 goat cheese roll

1/3 glass sunflower seeds

dressing

1/4 glass olive oil

1/4 glass sesame oil

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tsp black pepper

pinch of salt

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Thai Mango Noodles / Makaron z mango po tajsku

Yum

Ingerdients

200g of rice noddles

100g of tofu

1 tablespoon of grinded ginger

2 cloves of garlic

1 chili pepper

3 spoons of sesame

1 mango

Around one tablespoon of any vegetable oil

BREAKFAST INSPIRATION

Here are some breakfast ideas to inspire next morning! 

                                                                

Light bread with goat cheese, green pesto and pepper

11 stycznia - Polski Dzień Wegetarianizmu

Dzisiaj, czyli 11-go stycznia, polscy nie-mięso-żercy obchodzą swój dzień. Z tej okazji chciałyśmy podzielić się z Wami różnymi informacjami i ciekawostkami dotyczącymi wegetarianizmu w Polsce i na świecie. Mamy nadzieję, że poniższe punkty Was zaciekawią, pomogą lepiej zrozumieć ideę wegetarianizmu, a może nawet zmotywują do przejścia na "zieloną stronę mocy" :) Zapraszamy do lektury.

1) 3,2 % - odsetek wegetarian w Polsce, czyli ok. 1 mln osób, z czego większość to kobiety

Omlette with spinach and goat cheese / Omlet ze szpinakiem i kozim serem

Yum Ingredients

2 eggs

1 glass of frozen spinach (leaves) or 2 glasses of fresh

1 tbsp goat cheese spread (e.g. Chevre)

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 tbsp dried thyme

olive oil

1 tsp of each:

 black pepper

green pesto

salt

Greek salad / Sałatka grecka

I truly love winter, with all of those cozy reindeer sweaters, woolen socks, evenings spent on watching "Love Actually" and "The Holiday", with a cup of hot cocoa by your side. It is even better when wonderful, huge snowflakes start falling outside the windows. I have to admit, that even then, I sometimes feel the longing for a bit of summer in winter. That is when I prepare a total classic summer dish - a Greek salad, which reminds me of sun, heat, beach and that soothing sound of Mediterranean waves.

SWEET CHICORY WITH HONEY AND ORANGES

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I have never been a fan of chicory as it can be very bitter at times, if I would eat it that would only be as an filling to a sandwich or a salad. Until my mom and I were very hungry but literally the only thing in the fridge was chicory. We decided to try and make something of it and hence after combining our knowlagde and inspiration found online - a sweeter twist on chicory has been created. 
I know it might sound scary but trust me, it really is delicous. Now we often serve it when having guests and we always get questions on how is it made :) .