Weekly 'Food Facts'- No.1 - Sweet Potato

Hi Everyone,

I would like to introduce you to a new series I have created for my blog, 'Food Facts'. It is reasonably self explanatory but for those of you who would like some clarification: I will be writing about a different ingredient each week- giving facts and a recipe idea (there will be lots of recipes separate to these posts as I use these ingredients on a regular basis and love making as well sharing my creations)!

Sweet potatoes are one of my favourite foods- ever. They are so delicious and flavoursome without even adding anything. Not only are they scrummy but they are also very nutritious!

FACTS

High in vitamin A-This supports the immune system, vision, cell growth and protects against sun damage. 

Vitamin C- 1 sweet potato counts to about ½ of your daily vitamin C intake. It promotes healthy, glowing skin due to the collagen and supports the immune system.

The storage proteins have been shown to heal wounds.

Contributes to inflammation.

The potassium content in the sweet potato helps lower blood pressure. It has important electrolytes which help normalise heartbeat.

Complex carbohydrate- Slow release of sugar (keeps energy levels more consistent) in comparison to other (simple, starchy) carbohydrates that give you ‘sugar spikes’.

Full of manganese- this helps to metabolise carbohydrates.  

Stress relief- the magnesium encourages calmness.

Fibre- Helps regulate digestion and keeps the digestive tract healthy.

RECIPE

Sweet Potato, Bean, Bacon and Spinach in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

Serves 6

You will need:

Sharp Knife

Large/Deep Pan

Spoon

Ingredients

3 Sweet Potatoes (Cubed)

1 Large Onion (Sliced)

2 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)

12 Rashers of Smoked Bacon (I personally remove the fat)

400g canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

400g canned mixed beans (drained and rinsed)

2 Large Handfuls Spinach

2x400g tinned plum tomatoes

1 Romano Pepper

1 Tsp Smoked Paprika

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 Tsp Cayenne

Salt & Pepper 

Method

-Preheat the pan (medium heat), add the garlic, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, onion and pepper to the pan and cook until the onion has softened. 

-Add the bacon and cook for a 2 minutes. 

-Pop the sweet potato in the pan and cook for 2 minutes (it makes it taste a little nuttier I find). 

-Pour the beans and chickpeas into the pan alongside the tomatoes. 

Turn the heat up and let it bubble for 5 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to low/medium and simmer (to thicken the sauce).

When the sweet potato is soft add the spinach and season to taste.

EAT! :)

I hope this was helpful, interesting and you enjoy the recipe I have come up with! As I mentioned, this recipe serves 6. I did this as apart of my 'bulk cooking'. If you would like more information about the benefits of meal planning then check out my previous post: http://isabelsinsight95.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/saving-money-whilst-spending-losing.html

If you make any of the recipes from my 'Food Facts' posts, I would love to see pictures! Please use the hashtag #IIFF. 

Love

Isabel x

Healthy Mini Pancakes!

Hi Everyone,

I hope you're all well!

So, as some of you are aware it is Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) on... Tuesday! I love pancakes and have always made them from scratch- usually with egg, flour and milk. However, since I haven't been eating gluten and diary as often as previous years, I have found that even substituting the flour for a gluten free one and using nut milk.. it's just not same. I don't overly like the texture either. Instead, I have made some, protein filled, quick and easy pancakes made from just two ingredients!

Makes Eight Mini Pancakes- Roughly

You will need:

Non-stick Frying Pan
Coconut Oil
Blender
Spatula
Knife

Ingredients:
One Banana
Two Eggs

Toppings:

Handful of Blueberries
Half a Banana
Drizzle of Maple Syrup-Honey/Agave Nectar are yummy too!

Step One

Chop up the banana, crack the two eggs and pop them into a blender, then whizz until silky and smooth.

Step Two

Roughly pour two tablespoons of batter into a non-stick frying pan (medium heat) and cook on each side for about forty seconds each- until golden brown. Repeat this process until you've used all of your batter up.

Step Three

Stack the pancakes and add your toppings- ENJOY! 

I will be posting my pancakes that I make on Tuesday- savoury and sweet! So keep your eyes peeled!

Love

Isabel x

Mini Yorkshire Pudding- Christmas Canapés!

I know my blog is mainly dedicated to beauty but I am also a food lover and loooove cooking and just creating in general. I absolutely LOVE Yorkshire puddings! I always make them from scratch, but these are usually massive. After chatting to my Mum about what we are going to do for food this Christmas I have been put on to  canapé duty. I have made the mini Yorkshire puddings once before because we had some batter left over from a roast, but they weren't overly Christmasy. So, after thinking very hard *cough* I came up with these classic combinations- Beef and horseradish and turkey and cranberry sauce! I can't even describe how yummy these are and how easy they are to make. You can make massive batches of them too! Anyway, enough blabbering... here they are!! 

(How cute!)

YOU WILL NEED

Ingredients

2 eggs

Plain flour

Milk

Sliced turkey

Sliced beef

Cranberry sauce

Horseradish sauce

Sunflower oil

Equipment

Whisk

Mixing bowl

Jug

2 glasses (same size)

Tin to cook the Yorkshire puddings in

PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 180 DEGREES CELSIUS 

STEP ONE

Crack both eggs into one glass.

STEP TWO

Add the plain flour to the other glass until it reaches the same height as  the eggs.

STEP THREE

Tip the flour into the mixing bowl to free up the glass. Fill the glass with milk until it is, once again, at the same height as the eggs. Basically, you want equal quantities of all of the batter

  ingredients.


STEP FOUR

Pour the eggs and milk into the mixing bowl.

STEP FIVE

Whisk all of the ingredients together, getting as much air into the batter as possible.

STEP SIX

Transfer the batter into a jug, this will just make it easier to pour later on but you could just use a ladle. 

STEP SEVEN

Pour a drop of sunflower oil into each section of the tin. Then put this into the preheated oven, the oil needs to get pretty hot before you add the batter.

STEP EIGHT

Meanwhile, tear up the meat into smaller pieces that will fit into the mini Yorkshire puddings. This is so you don't get bored waiting for the oil, you could do this step later.

STEP NINE

Take the tin out over the oven. As quickly (and as carefully) as you can, pour the batter into each section, about 2/3 full. Put them into the oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Keep an eye on them, but try not to open the oven door!

Once they are cooked, they should look a little something like this... (I really want to make some more now and just gobble them up as they are!)

STEP TEN

Leave them to cool slightly or fully and then add the meat!

STEP ELEVEN

Dollop on the sauce of your choice, the beef and horseradish are my favourite but I wanted to inject a bit of Christmas with the classic turkey and cranberry sauce! Of course, you could just eat them as they are without filling them, they are equally as delicious in my opinion... or maybe I just have a Yorkshire pudding obsession (it seems to be heading that way!)

Hope you enjoy!

Speak soon!

Isabel x