VIDEO: Awaker-Shaker Smoothie with Breville Blend Active

A few weeks ago I was invited by the lovely team at Breville to create a smoothie to make their customers feel more awake. I have owned a Breville Blend Active for almost two years and have recently upgraded to the Pro model - it's amazing. Over those years I have used my blender for smoothies, juices (sieving the pulp), banana ice cream and even hummus. So when Breville approached me to make today's film I was really excited to share my recipe.

We named the smoothie the Awaker-Shaker and the key ingredients really pepped up my morning!

Ingredients

Pineapple - 1/3 cut into cubes

Avocado (ripe) - 1/2 a large or one small cut into chunks

Ginger (peeled or unpeeled) - 3cm piece cut into rounds 

Filtered water - 200ml

Pineapple contains a protein digesting enzyme which helps with digestion. Good digestion avoid you feeling bloated or having trouble, well, digesting your food, meaning the energy you get from food can be accessed by the body quicker. It also means your existing energy can be spent on things other than digesting your food. Pineapple is also a great source of Vitamin C which is known for boosting energy levels and aiding your immune system.  

Avocados are packed with healthy fats and proteins which provide energy for the body. Avocados also have a higher level of vitamin B than most fruits. Vitamin B is essential for energy and metabolic support.

Ginger has been used in ancient medicine for hundreds of years to help with energy. Ginger helps to regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels, avoiding spikes and dips in your energy. It also helps with circulation which improves energy levels. 

Enjoy the film!

Find it hard to stay awake in work? You need our new smoothie the Awaker-Shaker from our friend the Young Domestic Goddess. Who is going to give it a try with their Blend Active? #BAgoals
Posted by Breville UK on Thursday, 4 February 2016

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My Favourite Vegan Snacks

Finding healthy vegan snacks that are also delicious can be a little bit of a challenge. Throw into the mix a nut allergy and an aversion to the incredibly high prices that speciality vegan food often has and the challenge gets even greater! So today, I am sharing my favourite relatively cheaper, delicious and healthy vegan snacks that are getting me through the day.

Savoury
Since transitioning to a vegan diet I have found my cravings for savoury snacks have absolutely shot up! I have always been a big lover of chocolate, sweets and sugar but since moving my diet towards a more plant-based system I am definitely a bigger fan of savoury goodies. 

Earlier this month I featured the lovely Snack Garden veggie crisps from Hungary. These are definitely at the top of my vegan snacks list as I really cannot get enough of them. The veggie snacks are some of the most interesting things I have seen available on the market recently. The vegetables are actual veggies that you can recognise - such as rounds of carrots or whole green beans - vacuum fried and seasoned to perfection. Yum!

Another savoury 'crisp' I am a little obsessed with is Burts new Lentil Waves. Made from lentils rather than potatoes, the crisps have a lighter texture and are easier on the stomach. Each pack is 99 calories and 1.3 grams of saturated fat. I love the lightly salted flavour best but the Thai sweet chilli is also a yummy vegan option.

If you prefer to opt for more natural snacks then you really cannot go wrong with hummus and veggie sticks. I make my own hummus by chucking 1/2 a tin of chickpeas into a blender with a little water, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1/2 lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of cumin powder and seasoning. It's really delicious and works great in a packed lunch with carrots, cucumber and red pepper. 


For a 'greener' choice I would recommend kale chips. If bought from the store these can be unbelievably expensive, but brands like Inspiral do offer a variety of flavours. I also tried broccoli chips from Whole Foods the other day which were surprisingly tasty! To make your own just shred your kale into bitesize chunks and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for up to 15 minutes and enjoy.

Sweet
Okay, I couldn't completely ditch chocolate and sweet treats, but I have made my choices much healthier. My favourite vegan chocolate recipe is simply coconut oil, maple syrup and raw cacao powder blended together and then frozen. You can make these into shapes or simply set as a bar. I love adding frozen blueberries on top for even more goodness.

If you would prefer to buy your sweet treats then there are plenty of brands out there to choose from. Dark chocolate form Green & Black's is vegan (above 70% - but always double check) and I love the flavours available from Daisy and Dom, Ombar and Conscious. The Ombar Acai mini chocolate bar is absolutely delicious and their Coco Mylk option is a great alternative to milk chocolate if you want that really creamy finish.  

Fresh fruit is an obvious snack option but I would always recommend looking for seasonal produce. Alex and I have always eaten clementines throughout the year but they are always better during the winter months. When the weather heats up I love snacking on pineapple, mango and fresh berries. The nutrients and vitamins in these vibrant fruits are a healthy afternoon pick-me-up that will beat any coffee habit. Alternatively, Snack Garden also offer freeze dried fruit crisps that are absolutely delicious. 

Keeping with the fruit theme, banana ice cream is an absolute revelation. The fact I can make vegan ice cream in basically no time at all that is sugar free and completely customisable is amazing. I have banana ice cream after supper sometimes or even for breakfast if I have time. My favourite blend is with raw cacao powder and topped with frozen berries, chia seeds and a drizzle of maple syrup. 

If cakes are more your thing then I would recommend trying out Deliciously Ella's sweet potato brownies. We make ours into a round cake then cut it up with frozen raspberries on top. We keep the cake in the fridge then serve it with vanilla whipped coconut cream. DREAMY! I also love buying vegan, sugar free and gluten free cupcakes from our local organic store in Finsbury Park. Their selection is really amazing and the range of produce in the store is absolutely mind blowing! 

I hope you found this round-up helpful! Let me know what your favourite vegan snacks are in the comments below.

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SERENESocial x LFW: Yoga Brunch at Hoxton Hotel, Shoreditch

To celebrate London Fashion Week this year I was kindly invited by May of Red Velvet London to a beautiful VIP event with SERENESocial. Since attending my first SERENESocial class over a year ago I have remained a fan of their work. Their classes combine the beauty of yoga with the wonder of women socialising together. They host a variety of events in London, Los Angeles and New York that bring a wide range of people together to practise yoga and enjoy brunch.

This month's Raising The Vibration event was hosted at the incredible Hoxton Hotel. When I lived in Shoreditch I used to drink (a lot) at the Hoxton Hotel and never really appreciated the beauty of the space. The large building not only plays host to a bustling restaurant, cosy bar, work space and bedrooms for guests but has a number of rentable spaces 'out the back'. The courtyard is pretty awesome too!  The Raising The Vibration event was packed with mindfulness and wellness events including a beautiful but intense yoga session hosted by Davina and Tegan and DJ'ed by Chelsea Leyland (like yes, really), meditation with Kaja Wunder, group hypnotherapy with Chloe Brotheridge, and panelists including Goldenmylk entrepreneur Zoe Lind van’t Hof, and nutritionist and author Chantal di Donato. May and I took part in the yoga session and after tucked into a delicious brunch.

Yoga is such a delicate art and when you mix incredible teachers with incredible music the practise is something magical. At my last SERENESocial class it actually rained the moment we began savasana which was absolutely mind blowing. At the Raising The Vibration event I was able to experience DJ'ed yoga. This sounds like a really weird concept but actually it has changed my whole view on the relationship between yoga and music. I attended a Kundalini Yoga class at Triyoga last year which was not initially set to music. Although the class was intense and deeply spiritual the overwhelming silence was actually quite difficult to experience. We were so lucky to have had Chelsea Leyland as our DJ for the Raising The Vibration yoga class. Each beat was so perfectly in tune with the movements we were actioning and, in the same way that house music can make you spin harder, the choice of sound really impacted on how deeply each move was made. 

I was also so happy to see the wonderful Tegan Bukowski up and teaching this class. Tegan and I met at my last SERENESocial yoga session and struck up a great chemistry. Since that time Tegan has become a qualified teacher and her passion for yoga practise continues to inspire me. Hey, her outfit from RUYI was pretty sick too. I found Davina Wellesley's teachings at the start and end of our session really great bookends. Her soft voice and clear instructions were effortless to follow and she is clearly well practised in getting the best of our her students.

Thank you May for this one!

After our yoga session we were treated to a family-style brunch in the courtyard at the Hoxton Hotel. It was here that I finally met Carly from Project Hot Bitch! I have been stalking Carly on Instagram and Twitter for months -  I told her, she's cool with it - and was so happy to have finally got the chance to meet her. Carly, May and I sat together through brunch enjoying delicious avocado toast with tomatoes, fresh fruit salads, mini croissants and pancakes with fruits and maple syrup. The brunch was absolutely delicious and I am keen to return to the Hoxton Hotel to review their brunch offering soon. 

Overall it was a pretty awesome day! Thank you to May for inviting me and to SERENESocial, The Hoxton Hotel, Class Pass and RUYI for hosting the beautiful event. 

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Introducing Tabl: Your Ticket to a New Dining Experience

Last week I had an incredible meeting with the team at Tabl. I often get approached by apps or websites regarding their content - most of which are great - but Tabl really caught my eye. Not just a booking system for dining, Tabl offers users access to London's coolest supper clubs and pop-ups, plus events hosted by top chefs, bloggers and more. So, who's excited now?

Tabl works by offering tickets to London dining experiences. From vegan meet-ups to a summer BBQ in a restaurant's back garden, Tabl has events to suit every taste. Tabl is also an opportunity to meet new and like minded people, but of course you can bring friends too - even your dog sometimes! There are also 'Sociabl' nights which are even more than dinner. Choose from an awesome dinner event in your area or their 'unpredictabl' option for something a little special. 

Above all of this Tabl also offers you the chance to be your own supper club host! Hosts can earn money from their own event or host events at top restaurants across the city. It's all about connection and a shared love of food.

There's going to be much more Tabl goings-on here at The Young Domestic Goddess, so keep your eyes peeled.

Sign up to Tabl here. This is NOT a sponsored post.

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REVIEW: Patara, Berners Street

As we have established, I love Asian food. Be it Chinese, Japanese, Thai or Korean I am deeply in love with the Far East’s cuisine. Thus, when I was invited to visit Patara Thai’s new location on Berners Street I really couldn’t wait.

My last visit to Patara was almost two years ago where I celebrated their New Year’s menu. To celebrate the launch of their fifth  location on Berners Street the chefs at Patara have created 20 new dishes that are not available at any other Patara location. Highlights include a wagyu beef salad, choc muang (dumplings filled with caramelised chicken, turnips and coconut cream) and gai gor lae (chicken supreme in Thai curry sauce). The above said, the vegetarian options available at Patara are also fabulous. There are a variety of curries including fruit, tofu and vegetable-based curries that work perfectly with rice or other vegetables. The cocktail menu available at Patara is also really quite delicious with a mix of fruity, coconut-y and sour options to suit your palette or choice of dish.

Where

Patara, Berners Street

When

Monday, from 6:30 pm

What We Ate

Starters: Fried Spring Rolls with Chilli Sauce, Goong Sarong (Prawns in Filo Pastry)

Mains: Tofu and Fruit Kaeng Ped Curry with Sticky Rice, Chicken Kieaw Wan with Jasmine Rice

Sides: Tenderstem Broccoli with Mushrooms and Garlic, Bok Choy with Shitake Mushrooms

Dessert: Chocolate Baked Pudding with Mango Ice Cream

Highlights

My starter course of spring rolls, though basic, was very tasty. The rolls were very crisp and not at all greasy with plenty of different textures which made a fresh update to the classic spring roll. The side of sweet chilli sauce was also tasty with plenty of sourness.

My guest’s starter was really intricate and beautifully made with wrapped filo pastry. The pretty salad was fresh which worked well against the sweet and crispy prawns.



The texture of my fruit and tofu curry was wonderfully smooth and creamy. The crunch of the almost raw fruit brought added texture against the super soft tofu which had soaked up all the mild sauce. On the menu, the dish is described as 'medium spiced' but I found it quite mild with lots of sour notes. I found the pineapple my favourite fruit against the curry sauce.

My guests dish of chicken curry had plenty of chicken pieces in a rich, smooth curry sauce. The yellow curry was definitely medium spiced but bearable, with hints of sweetness from the meat.

The broccoli and bok choi were both well cooked and the addition of mushrooms and garlic gave an earthier flavour which was nice. The bok choi was a little hard to cut as we didn't have knives! So we just ate the pieces whole.

Our dessert was outstandingly tasty, but honestly anything with chocolate and mango is going to make me happy. The part-baked cake could have done with an extra 30 seconds in the oven but the texture comparison of the soft outer sponge and melting inner was really lovely.


LowlightsI requested sticky rice alongside my curry. I love sticky rice cooked in lotus leaves; the texture is quite unique and really easy to pick up with chopsticks. Sadly the sticky rice I was presented with at our meal was dry, crispy in places and clearly well over cooked. There was no stickiness in the sense that I was expecting more that I couldn't separate large chunks of rice from the bowl. This was a true shame.

Overall
Had the rice not been such a disappointment then I would rate this meal quite highly. The service throughout was attentive and considerate of my dietary requirements. The cocktails we kicked off with were really delicious although I think I would save the coconut concoction for a desert drink rather than my first drink of the night. The curries and starters were nice although I would have loved a few more nut-free veggie options. Overall I would recommend Patara for an informal dinner with friends and I would recommend a weekend visit.

Thank you, Patara for hosting me and my guest.

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REVIEW: Snack Garden Veggie and Fruit Crisps

Since taking part in Veganuary this year, and continuing to maintain an 80% vegan lifestyle, I have found my taste buds have changed. I no longer crave sweet and creamy foods such as a delicious chocolate bar or cake, rather I lean more towards savoury and salty snacks. The savoury market in highly catered to with crisps and other fried options available, however, the healthier savoury snack industry is still building itself on the back of the healthy movement that kicked off big style last year. 

If customers want a savoury snack that is relatively healthy, options include nuts (which I'm allergic to), seed packs (high in fat, often contain nuts or dried fruit) of vegetable 'crisps' from brands such as Kettle. When I was approached by Snack Garden, a Hungarian based company, in January to review their healthier alternative to these savoury snacks I was excited. Not only is the brand itself incredibly inspiring (more on that later) but their product is truly unique. Snack Garden produces two varieties of snack - a  vacuum-fried vegetable mix and a freeze-dried fruit mix. Both are 100% natural so they do not contain any additives, preservatives, added sugar or anything artificial. Guess which one is my favourite?

The snacks are some of the most interesting things I have seen available on the market. The vegetables are actual veggies that you can recognise - such as rounds of carrots or whole green beans - vacuum fried and seasoned to perfection. The fruit pieces are incredibly sweet without the need for added sugar, making them perfect for an afternoon treat. 

To top off how delicious and exciting these snacks are, the team at Snack Garden also believe in a social initiative called the cycle of goodness that maintains that no one prospers without rendering benefit to others. They work with disabled people in their packaging operations, who weigh and pack each bag by hand in Budapest. Furthermore Snack Garden donates 10% of our profits to charities including a local children's hospital and a Down's Syndrome association.

Snack Garden will be available on the UK market later this year. For more information visit Snack Garden's website. 

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REVIEW: Amicio Bio, Barbican

Situated in the old-worldly London area of Barbican and Smithfield's, Amico Bio brings a plethora of modern Italian food to the vegetarian and vegan market. Since transitioning into veganism I have been craving very little non-vegan foods, aside from cheese. What I would do for cheese right now! When I first saw the menu at Amico Bio's website, my first attraction was their rice milk mozzarella - a vegan alternative to the ultra creamy and delicious Italian icon. 

Where

Amico Bio, Barbican

When

Tuesday evening, from 7pm

What we ate

Starters: Amico Bio signature salad; Spelt, barley and tenderstem croquettes; Broad bean houmous with focaccia and grissini.

Mains: Artichoke risotto (special); Vegan burger with chips, salad and onion rings. 

Dessert: Vegan chocolate and almond cake; Pumpkin and apple crumble with vegan chocolate ice cream. 

Highlights 

The starters selection of broad bean houmous, signature salad and croquettes were a great choice. There was a mix of textures and flavours that worked really well together.

The broad bean houmous had a really interesting and very savoury flavour. Although I still prefer the standard chickpea houmous it was a great way of getting some extra greens in.

The croquettes were absolutely delicious and packed with salty and savoury flavours. The added greens from the tenderstem were, of course, an added bonus and the exterior of the croquettes was very crispy.
The signature salad was a great way to taste lots of flavours in one dish. There were so many veggies in this dish and it was a definite share-between-two option. The added tofu brought protein while the roasted vegetables brought a bitter note to the salad.

Our main courses were equally as good as our starters. I was SO HAPPY to be tucking into a vegan burger with a tonne of melting rice milk mozzarella. The patty was made with vegetables and mushrooms giving it an earthy flavour that worked perfectly with the fresh salad. The fries were, well, fries and the onion rings were ultra crispy and delicious. Although the dish was HUGE, I thoroughly enjoyed every bite!

The guest's main course of artichoke risotto was also very delicious. The rice was creamy and rich, but still a little al dente. It was also laced with gorgonzola which meant I couldn't eat any, but gave a wonderful natural saltiness which cut through the rich rice. The artichokes were well prepared and wonderfully cooked, so overall, a winning dish. 

Lowlights

I found the pumpkin and apple crumble really unpleasant. Pumpkin pie is a true American staple but sadly I've never been a huge fan. My hope was that the apple would help make the dish sweeter but alongside the burnished crumble topping the final flavour was savoury and bitter. Sorry Amico Bio but this dish wasn't quite for me. 

Thank you to Amico Bio for hosting us. I thoroughly enjoyed our meal and cannot wait to come back!

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