Garlic and tarragon mushrooms on toast

The perfect way to start the weekend - mushrooms on toast is so incredibly quick and simple but packs so much comforting flavour. When cooked like this with some garlic and tarragon, they take on an aromatic, almost meaty flavour, and the toasted white bread absorbs the woodsy juices to become a delicious treat in itself. Some rocket dressed with balsamic provides a little tang and mixes perfectly with the warm mushroom juices.

And it's a nutritional powerhouse, because with just 372 calories you're getting over a quarter of your daily iron needs, three quarters of your daily vitamin D intake, plus a good amount of protein and fibre. 

Vegan Garlic and Tarragon Mushrooms on Toast

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 2 slices fresh white bread, toasted

• 1 Tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil

• 150g chestnut mushrooms

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped

• 30 fresh rocket

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

• Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Heat the rapeseed oil in a pan. Meanwhile chop your mushrooms in half lengthways, add to the pan, and shake around in the oil. Sauté them for around 5 minutes until the juices that come out begin to evaporate and the mushrooms are turning golden. For the last few minutes, add the garlic and tarragon and continue to stir round the pan. Meanwhile, toast the bread (and spread with vegan butter if desired) and dress the rocket leaves. Season the mushrooms with salt and lots of pepper, then spoon over the toast with the juices and top with the dressed rocket leaves.

Nutrition (per serving with toast and dressed rocket):

• Protein: 11.0g (Women: 22.0% / Men: 20.0%)

• Iron: 3.8mg (Women: 25.7% / Men: 43.7%)

• Calories: 372 (Women: 18.6% / Men: 14.9%)

• Sugars: 5.7g (Women: 6.3% / Men: 4.8%)

• Total fats: 21.9g (Women: 31.3% / Men: 23.1%)

• Saturated fat: 2.6g (Women: 13.0% / Men: 8.7%)

• Salt: 0.9g (Women: 15.0% / Men: 15.0%)

• Fibre: 5.2g (Women: 17.3% / Men: 17.3%)

See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.

Chocolate & peanut butter overnight oats

These hot summer days provide a bit of a dilemma... I love oats in the mornings, but don't want a steaming hot bowl of porridge, as I'm already sweltering by 7am (first world problem, I know). So I've rekindled my love for overnight oats, as I get to enjoy all the tasty goodness of oats, but instead from a cold glass straight outta the fridge, condensation running down the side of the glass and everything. And the best thing is, it's even quicker than making porridge - literally chuck a handful of ingredients into a glass the night before, and you have an instant breakfast waiting for you in the morning. Oats are a great source of zinc, which is really important for energy and immune function, and this breakfast provides about half the UK recommended intake of zinc! 

Vegan Chocolate & Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 1/2 cup oats (not instant)

• 1/2 cup almond / nut milk

• 1 Tbsp chia seeds

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup / agave

• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder

• 1 Tbsp peanut butter

Method:

Chuck all the ingredients (minus the peanut butter) into a glass and stir to thoroughly combine everything, then pop the glass in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours. In the morning, dollop the peanut putter on top or swirl it into the oats, and enjoy! If it's really hot, place the cold glass on forehead. 

Nutrition:

• Protein: 13.1g (Women: 26.2% / Men: 23.8%)

• Iron: 4.6mg (Women: 31.3% / Men: 52.9%)

• Calories: 391 (Women: 19.6% / Men: 15.6%)

• Sugars: 13.9g (Women: 15.4% / Men: 11.6%)

• Total Fats: 17.0g (Women: 24.3% / Men: 17.9%)

• Saturated Fat: 2.6g (Women: 13.0% / Men: 8.7%)

• Salt: 0.2g (Women: 3.3% / Men: 3.3%)

• Fibre: 12.6g (Women: 42.0% / Men: 42.0%)

See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.

Vegan Fry Up!

This post isn't so much a recipe, it's more an example of how a vegan version of a traditional classic can still be packed with protein, with a fraction of the calories, salt, and saturated fat. Not to mention it's loaded with vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants, and phytonutrients! 

First of all, let's look at the nutritional content of a traditional meaty English fry up:

• 2 pork sausages - Calories: 346 / Sat fat: 9.6g / Salt: 1.5g

• 2 rashers bacon - Calories: 134 / Sat fat: 3.4g / Salt: 1.9g

• 1 fried egg - Calories: 90 / Sat fat: 2.0g / Salt: 0.1g

• 1/2 can beans - Calories: 164 / Sat fat: >0.1g / Salt: 1.3g

• 2 slices toast - Calories: 152 / Sat fat: 0.4g / Salt: 0.4g

• TOTAL: Calories: 886 / Sat fat: 15.5g / Salt: 5.2g

So by the time you've finished breakfast, you've consumed nearly half your daily intake of calories, 78% of your saturated fat, and 87% of your daily salt intake. 

Now let's look at the nutrition of this delicious brunch made up of 1/2 avocado, 12 roasted cherry tomatoes, 100g sautéed chestnut mushrooms, 1/2 can baked beans, 2 slices wholemeal toast, 1 Tbsp vegan butter:

• Protein: 24.1g (Women: 48.2% / Men: 43.8%)

• Iron: 3.5mg (Women: 23.6% / Men: 40.2%)

• Calories: 626 (Women: 31.3% / Men: 25.0%)

• Sugars: 21.8g (Women: 24.2% / Men: 18.2%)

• Total fat: 26.4g (Women: 37.7% / Men: 27.8%)

• Saturated fat: 4.6g (Women: 23.0% / Men: 15.3%)

• Salt: 2.1g (Women: 35.0% / Men: 35.0%)

• Fibre: 22.1g (Women: 73.7% / Men: 73.7%)

You can see how this delicious brunch packs loads of protein, iron, healthy fats, and fibre, with about 250 fewer calories and a third of the saturated fat and salt. So not only are you doing your bit for animal welfare and the environment, your'e also doing your body a big favour! 

Ps. no animal fat to scrape off the baking trays - it's gotta be worth it just for that right?! 

See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.