All by Kat Bright

Spicy black bean and corn soup

A spicy vegetarian soup packed with protein and fibre to keep you fully satisfied until your next meal. Even better it’s super quick to make and so makes a speedy lunch warm option. Freeze any leftovers for a quick meal another day. You can use frozen corn and peppers as I usually do.

Lentil and black bean bolognese

You can still enjoy a vegetarian version of the classic bolognese sauce. I use a lentil pasta which is high in protein (100g = 26g of protein) for added satiety. The addition of rosemary and balsamic vinegar are essential to the moreishness of the dish so don’t leave out. For a low-carb option you could serve with courgette or cauliflower rice.

Blueberry power protein smoothie

Smoothies can make a really quick on the go breakfast option. However most smoothies don’t contain enough protein and we often need to add a protein powder to ensure adequate protein. You can use any protein powder you like. At the moment my current favourite is the vanilla flavour by Nuzest. It doesn’t taste artificial like many of the vanilla protein powders out there. For this recipe we have used Arctic Berries blueberry powder which is made from blueberries that come from the Arctic forests of Finland, but you can substitute with fresh or frozen blueberries.

high protein lentil and quinoa salad

In our midlife ensuring we have enough protein in our diet is essential. Ideally we want to hit around 20-30g of protein with each meal. We find many people find this a struggle for lunch. This lunch contains a whopping 36g of protein and with no meat added. Serve with one of our salad dressings. See our blog post for our 6 favourite dressings. To make your life easier you can either batch cook quinoa and black lentils at the weekend for easy lunches or use ready cooked pouches.

Halloumi and butter bean bake

This is a very versatile vegetarian dish. you can add more chilli if you like heat and can change the beans around to whatever you have or use chickpeas instead. Did I also mention it’s super quick to make and can be on the table in less than 30 minutes. Makes a warming lunch or even an evening meal. Can serve on its own or with a slice of crisp sourdough.

Chestnut, lentil and kale soup

A perfect soup for January if you have any leftover pouches of chestnuts. This soup is full of protein from the chestnuts, lentils and Greek yoghurt topping. The problem with most soups is they just don’t hit a decent protein target, which is essential for satiety and managing blood sugars.

Turkey pesto in pepper cups

Turkey mince is a great lean source of protein that it’s a regular favourite in the shopping basket. I often make a turkey and vegetable chilli, but wanted to find alternative recipes for the turkey. This is fantastic for all those pesto lovers out there. You can use the filling separately without stuffing into the peppers if you think your family would prefer - I just find it a bit beige without the colourful peppers.

Miso chicken with cauliflower rice

A really quick chicken dish perfect for midweek meals. The sauce is so delicious that you’ll be licking your plate clean with this one. I serve with cauliflower rice to increase the veg and to keep the carbs down - but you can replace with brown rice or quinoa if you prefer. We buy cauliflower rice frozen which is easy to prepare and serve.

5 benefits to eating microgreens

Microgreens are little powerhouses of nutrients and in this blog post I want to explain to you the benefits and why you should be including them in your diet. They don’t just make your food look pretty they have an impressive amounts of benefits too.

Microgreens are baby plants harvested in the seedling stage usually when they are 7-14 days old. They fall between sprouts and baby leaf vegetables. Sprouts are grown in water and microgreens, like vegetables, are grown in soil. They are usually 2-7cm tall when harvested.

Top tips for eating well on a budget

With food bills estimated to have gone up at least 8% in the last few months due to the spiralling costs on fertiliser, energy and feed, we thought some tips on eating well on a budget might help. Unfortunately our food bills are likely to increase even further in coming months as the energy costs are filtered down to us, the consumer. The biggest increases in prices as I w rite this comes from meat and fish which have gone up 22%, while fruit and vegetables have gone up around 14%. Shopping smarter has never been more important.

10 quick & healthy courgette/zucchini recipes

For anyone that grows their own or has family that grows their own vegetables you will be very familiar with how quickly you can suddenly have far too many courgettes (or zucchini as it's known in the States and Australia) to deal with! A couple of years ago I planted for too many courgette plants and I was making everything with courgettes in from cakes to hummus to curries and salads. Well you'll be pleased to know that lots of our recipes contain courgette and here we've compiled them all in one place just for you. The only thing that's missing from the recipes below is a courgette cake - but don't worry we're working on one!!

Top tips for creating the perfect salad

During the warm spring and summer months we look at salads as a delicious way of packing in the vegetables. However there’s a real difference between a salad that consists of some iceberg lettuce and a piece of tomato and a Health Boost salad. We use salads as a way of packing in lots of nutrients and making them nutrition powerhouses.

roasted summer veg and lentil salad

Roasted summer vegetables with puy lentils is such a delicious combination. I served with halloumi - but it’s equally as delicious with feta cheese. This is a great recipe if you are looking to use up some courgette from a glut. This salad can be served without the halloumi for a delicious side to a BBQ.

Red kidney bean and lentil salad bowl

Eating more pulses is such a great way to increase fibre in your diet. They also contain protein so this salad will easily keep you full until your next meal. We use Puy lentils for this recipe as they don’t require soaking and hold their shape well in salads. For ease you can buy ready cooked Puy lentils from Merchant Gourmet.