How to make caprese garlic bread

This recipe legitimately haunts my dreams. And not in an 'oh no, I ate too much cheese before bed and now the cheese is chasing me in a nightmare' kind of way, more like a waking up with a lil patch of drool kind of way. Cute, I know. 

Warming vegetable soup recipe

Cooking is one of my favourite things to do, but in the run up to the Christmas season I've been finding my time a little pushed for making recipes that take longer than half an hour in total (this includes prep). I work in a restaurant and it is starting to get a little hectic right now, so my shifts are increasing, getting longer and getting a little bit more stressful.
So, on my day off last week I whipped up a massive batch of this homemade vegetable soup. And I mean massive: I had 17 portions of it in the end. My freezer has been looking a little rammed, but it has made for an easy lunch each day, giving me that extra little bit of time to chill out. The winter colds have been doing their rounds at the moments, but this soup is so stuffed with goodness that I'm hoping *fingers crossed* it'll stop me from getting one ... again. 
An added bonus really is that it is so cheap to make. All of the ingredients I used came to around £3 altogether, which makes each portion around 18p to make!
Ingredients:
4 salad tomatoes 3 sticks of celery 3 carrots 6 potatoes 3 small onions (or 1 large onion) 6 cloves garlic 2 400g cans of haricot beans 1 400g can of chickpeas 3 handfuls brown pasta 2 pints chicken stock Olive oil Chili flakes Salt and pepper Mixed herbs
Method:
1.) The prep time of this soup is going to take up most of your time, so prepare yourself for a lot of chopping. Before you start any actual cooking, dice the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, celery and onion. Mince your garlic cloves. 2.) Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan (I use a big casserole pan for mine). Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened.  3.) Whilst this is cooking make your stock. 4.) Add in all of the rest of the vegetables and a pinch or two of chili flakes, Stir for one minute. 5.) Season with salt and pepper. Add the stock.  6.) Simmer for 15 minutes. 7.) Add the beans, chickpeas, pasta and a tablespoon of mixed herbs (or to taste). Simmer for another 15-20 minutes. 
And that's it folks. It's actually a really easy soup to make. There's only a small chance of really burning it, which is something that I definitely need. If you want, you can also add a little grated cheese to your bowl, because, well, who doesn't love cheese?
What's your favourite soup recipe for this time of year?
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Barbecue Vegetable Kabobs Recipe

This heatwave in the UK really means one thing: it's time to get the grill out and start our (let's face it, pretty poor) attempts at barbecuing. From blackened sausages to chicken that's more than slightly on the raw side, it's the barbecue failures that cling most dearly to our hearts. Or mine at least. I have such fond memories of family get-togethers revolving around the grill. 
However, last time I had a barbecue it was in a student house, in which I was the sole girl. It consisted of a road sign to put the charcoal on (of course) and a broken piece of trolley (separated from its mother by a rolling pin) on top of some empty beer bottles as a grill. The next day I'm pretty sure we were all fairly ill, and not just from the hangover. This time I was determined not to let any Bear Grylls wannabes take over, but put together a nice meal which didn't involve hundreds of health and safety violations. 
As I turned 22 last Saturday, and the weather was pretty darn hot I figured a barbecue was in order. So, we hopped down to the shops to pick up some lovely fruity cider and ice (of course - what summer party could be held without this?!) and all of our barbecue gear. Amongst our guests were a bunch of fairly carnivorous meat-eaters, but also a couple of vegetarians. Me and my sister set to work on a whole range of items for the grill, including garlic chicken and pepper skewers and these lovely vegetable kabobs. 
Although we stuck to tomatoes, peppers, onion and baby corn, you can choose a whole variety of vegetables for your kabobs. Next time we're going to add broccoli and courgette, as I think they'll be super tasty fired up on the grill. 
This was honestly SUCH a simple recipe to make, and it makes for a visually appealing dish to add to your spread. Everyone at our barbecue gave the kabobs a go and they offered a yummy, light accompaniment to birthday cake and barbecue meat!
We used wooden skewers for ours because everywhere seems to stock them at the moment, and they're a really cheap alternative to metal ones. However, metal skewers would work just as well (possibly even better). 
Ingredients (makes 4 skewers):
The vegetables:
1 bell pepper (we chose a green one, but any colour is good!), cut into chunks 5 baby corns, cut in half 1 small red onion, cut into chunks 3 salad tomatoes, quartered
For the marinade:
2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt and pepper

Method:
1.) Mix the marinade ingredients together. 

2.) Place the chopped vegetables in a bowl. Cover and mix with the marinade. 3.) Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. 4.) Place the marinated vegetables onto wooden skewers.  5.) Hand them to your barbecuing delegate and grill until hot.
What's your favourite barbecue dish? 
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The Magic Ingredient | Why I Love Raw, Organic Honey

Most of us know that honey has been used for eons as an antibacterial agent and ingredient in cooking, yet we often overlook its potential to aid our health. And so, we either neglect to use it or use cheap pasteurised honey, which unfortunately has had many of its positive active agents killed off by the process of pasteurization. 
So, I teamed up with Hilltop Honey to give you guys some ideas about what you can use your raw organic honey to create. So, here are my favourite honey filled snacks:  - Honey and banana topped rice cakes - Honey topped smoothies - Homemade jam, sweetened with honey - Blueberry and honey topped porridge
Now, I was fortunate enough to try out Hilltop Honey's lime wildflower honey, which had such a deliciously unique flavour that I loved using it in all of my recipes. 
Hilltop Honey actually offers another lovely service, in that you can adopt a bee for simply £10. you get to name the bee, receive a certificate and get updates on the progress of Hilltop  Honey's bees for a year. I naturally had to name mine Barry after the hero of the Bee Movie (something that always tugs on my heart strings).
Anyway, back to why I always love having honey in the house: hair masks. I have fairly long and very thick hair that can be quite unruly, so I try to treat it in some way on a weekly basis. One of my favourite deep treatments is to make a hair mask with honey, olive oil and egg. This softens your hair, moisturises it, encourages root growth and gives it a lovely shine. I try to avoid smothering my hair in chemicals as much as possible, so i find this a great natural alternative to a mask from a sachet or bottle.
What's your favourite way to use honey?

Favourite Alternative Chocolate | Hello Cocoa Libre*

Chocolate is in my top ten true loves. And my lactose intolerance, plus the masses of sugar contained within it means that it's something I really shouldn't eat. So I was overjoyed to be able to secure the opportunity to work with Cocoa Libre as they produce totally dairy, gluten and nut free chocolate which still tastes delicious. As my partner is allergic to nuts I find it really hard to find chocolate which will adhere to both of our allergies, as a lot of dairy free chocolate is choc-a-block (get the pun?) with a variety of nuts to make up for the loss of flavour. These chocolates are uber cute as well! I'm a bit of a sucker for anything that's animal shaped, or that a producer has gone to some effort to make aesthetically appealing, so I loved these! The penguins were solid dark mint chocolate and tasted almost exactly like an After Eight, but less creamy and without the guilt (aka perfection). They were my favourite of the three, followed by the milk chocolate sheeps and milk chocolate orange bar. All in all, these products were fab for anyone who's thinking of going vegan or dairy free but is concerned about losing their favourite food like me! What's your favourite alternative chocolate?

Warming Vegan Chickpea and Tomato Soup

Autumn is upon us (and by the looks of it Winter is coming too!), and so my mind has turned to making homemade soups. As someone who's lactose intolerant, I often find it incredibly difficult to buy yummy tomato soups that don't have some form of dairy in, so I've been making my own for a couple of years now. However, this week I tried something a little different, by adding chickpeas and haricot beans to my normal recipe.
So, here's what you need for two portions:
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes 1 tablespoon tomato puree 1 small red onion 2 cloves garlic 1 small tin of chickpeas 1 small tin of haricot beans Coconut oil Fresh basil Salt and pepper
And here's how you make it:
1.) Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan. 2.) Chop the onion and garlic 3.) Place the onion and garlic in the oil and cook until soft 4.) Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, haricot beans, tomato puree and salt and pepper 5.) Simmer for 15 minutes 6.) Stir in the basil and you're done!
This is a great basic dish that you can add anything that's "on the verge", as I like to call, it in the fridge to - I usually end up putting some red pepper, carrot, peas, green beans, etc. in it: anything goes really! The other great thing about it (which makes it my favourite easy lunch of all time) is that you can bulk make it and freeze a whole load of portions, aka lunch for days!
What's your favourite Autumn soup dish?

Topping Up On Nutrients | Raaw Juice Powder

Green smoothies are the perfect start to any day in my mind, but sometimes they get a bit dull and need a bit of extra zing to keep your taste buds interested. This pack of Raaw Juice Go Green sachets really hit the spot. They're crammed full of nutrients, and make the smoothie a little sweeter, which is great for someone who's got a bit of a sweet tooth (whoops!). Plus, the powder is great for making cute little pictures with, like the bunny I did above during Easter.  Here's what each sachet contains: Apple Pineapple Wheatgrass Barleygrass Coconut Milk Chlorella Kale  Spinach Coconut Water Stevia Silica As I'm lactose intolerant and my boyfriend is allergic to nuts (not the best combination, I know), I'm always on the lookout for things that avoid both, and this Raaw juice powder manages to do. Plus, not only is it dairy and nut free, but also gluten, egg, soya, wheat and mustard free as well as being suitable for vegans. Although it comes at quite a hefty price for seven sachets - £9.99, Holland and Barratt (where I purchased it from) have such frequent sales it is often available for a lot cheaper. What is your favourite supplement to put in smoothies?

My Experience | Raw Till 4 Week One

So much food inspo right? I've you've been keeping up with my instagram (@steph_nourishmindandbody) over the past few weeks, you will have noticed that I attempted and succeeded in doing raw till 4 for a fortnight. If you haven't heard of raw till 4, it's a lifestyle by which you only eat raw vegan foods until 4pm, usually in the form of mono meals (i.e. six mangoes, an entire melon, 8 peaches, etc.). Then in the evening you carb up and continue to avoid processed foods. Again, mono meals can be used here. The most popular dinner mono meal is a massive bowl of potatoes - and believe me, after a day of only eating raw fruits and vegetables, this is definitely an appealing choice!

The first few days for me were the best, and I think I might do it for three days once a month from now on to reset my system. I started raw till 4 a week before my first final exam, and it completely cleared the general sleepy fuzziness in my head up. I felt completely energised and as if I could take on the world.

However, since trying raw till 4, I've realised it is not the best idea for me. By time 4pm rolled around I had spent so long fantasising about cooked food all day that I ended up craving takeaways and ready meals - not something I want to eat on a regular basis. Plus, after a few days I felt as though I was really lacking in energy by time it got to about half four, and felt too lethargic to cook anything decent for myself. SO, I've taken on board what I've learnt and switched things around a little in an attempt to detox: I make a massive smoothie in the morning, and save half for dinner. I have my main meal at lunch time, which keeps me energised all afternoon!

Have you tried raw till 4? What did you think?

Love and Light

Steph

Vegan Risi E Bisi

Risi e bisi is a Venetian dish which basically means "rice and peas", but as a literature student I love it simply because it rhymes. This is a ridiculously simple dish that you can have on its own, or as a yummy, healthy carb side with a meal. I was surprised at how tasty this ended up in the end - even my boyfriend (who hates peas) offered to swap his dinner for it! Plus, it's totally vegan and nice and creamy, so it's pretty much a win win. 

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

125g brown rice or paella rice (I used a mixture)

Small white onion

2 garlic cloves

750ml chicken/vegetable stock

250g frozen peas

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon parsley

Sea salt

Ground black pepper

1.) Heat the coconut oil in a pan. Chop the onion, crush the garlic and add. Cook for 5 minutes on a medium / low heat. 

2.) Create the stock.

3.) Add the rice to the saucepan and stir for a minute, allowing it to soak up the flavour. Then add the stock and bring it to the boil.

4.) Reduce it to a simmer for 25 minutes.

5.) Add the peas and cook for a further five minutes.

And enjoy! You can freeze any leftovers for another day!

Love and Light

Steph

Mango Madness Vegan Smoothie

This smoothie came  out a glorious golden colour and is perfect in this lead up to summer. Here in England the weather is pretty unpredictable, and almost always contains a seemingly endless amount of drizzle. So, this is a good way to start off your day, or relax int he afternoon whatever the weather to bring a little bit of sunshine into your life.

Ingredients: 

1 banana

3 small / 2 medium sized apples

handful of raspberries

200ml rice milk

1 mango

handful of flaxseeds

handful of spinach

1.) Peel and chop the apples, mango and banana. Place in a blender.

2.) Add the rice milk, spinach, raspberries and flax seeds. Blend for two minutes. If you leave out the spinach you end up with a bright pink smoothie, which can be great for kids (or if you're just a fan!).

3.) Enjoy. Top with honey, oats, and chia seeds if you wish.

Love and Light

Steph

Any comments/questions are always appreciated