This gluten free, vegetarian and vegan roasted asparagus, sweet peas and parsley brown rice dish or pilaf is packed full of plant protein and nutrients.
The bunches of asparagus were half price in our local supermarket this weekend so I couldn't resist buying a bunch. Used for centuries as a vegetable and medicine, asparagus can be traced back to the Ancient Egyptians and a recipe for cooking it is in the oldest surviving recipe book written in the third century. Asparagus is extremely nutritious. It is the highest vegetable provider of folic acid and an excellent source of vitamins A, B,C and K as well as calcium.
Simple lentil dishes are so very warming and this is a great dish for using up the odd vegetables in the fridge. A lovely inexpensive meal that can be eaten on its own in a bowl or served with vegetables.
It's Easter Monday and the streets are lined with cars. The 48th World Coal Carrying Competition is about to take place in our tiny village! Strangely, every year on Easter Monday since 1964 men and women have raced up the high street carrying a sack of coal on their back. This year the sun was shining and for the first time I can remember, we even had the local brass band playing!
This is one of the best gluten free, vegan chocolate cakes I have ever eaten. It's a family favourite which is made for all birthdays and special occasions and on this occasion, Easter Sunday. OK, the decorations aren't vegan but you can decorate with any eggs you like, the cake itself is delicious.
Gillian McKeith's TV programme "You Are What You Eat" introduced me to quinoa a few years ago. The Incas called it the "mother grain". Its high in protein, calcium, magnesium and iron and is a reasonable source of vitamin E and B vitamins. It makes a lovely alternative to rice and is quick to prepare.
This is a simple plant based, vegan and gluten free recipe for protein rich, buckwheat pancakes, crepes and wraps. Despite its name, buckwheat is actually a fruit seed, not a grain and it's ideal for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein glutens. From a nutrition point of view, it's awesome! Containing all the essential amino acids, it's a great source of plant based protein and compared to other grains it's much higher in the minerals zinc, copper, and manganese. It's also a source of the cancer preventing vitamin B17.
