Amazingly tasty lentil and walnut paté

Life has been so busy over the last month, The Sensitive Foodie blog has been somewhat abandoned and forlorn. However, there's been lots of activity in the kitchen so there's plenty of new recipes and ideas to share - I just need to find more time to write about them!
Now I may have mentioned before (once or twice!) that I do love a bit of hummus - it makes a fantastic dairy free lunch option, is easy to make, even easier to buy. But no matter how much I like it, there is only so much hummus that one girl can eat! It's time for a new lunch time option that's equally enjoyable and flavoursome.
One of the objections people have when it comes to dairy free or plant based food is that it lacks flavour and depth. As The Sensitive Foodie, it's my mission to prove them wrong, and I can definitely say that this paté hits the mark with both of these. On top of that, it's packed with essential omega 3 fatty acids, tonnes of fibre and protein as well as fabulous amounts of magnesium, folate, manganese and iron.
When I used to eat meat, I did enjoy eating paté but did have my concerns about what exactly was in it - especially those with a course texture that had chewy bits in! Checking on the ingredients list, an ardenne pate, for example contains pork liver, pork, pork fat as well as pork rind with some dextrose (sugar), salt, herbs and preservatives added in. Hmmm, not really sounding too tasty now. Flavoursome, maybe, but packed full of saturated fat and cholesterol and no fibre, it's a combination of toxins heading straight for the belly.
This lentil and walnut paté, however, is packed full of fibre, as the whole food has been included, and no cholesterol or preservatives. Texture wise, it's pretty similar to a smooth meat paté, only softer due to the lower fat levels. It will last in the fridge for about 5 days. Oh and don't forget that this is not only dairy free but gluten free too.
Personally, I cook my own lentils from the dried pulse, usually preparing a big batch to use in more than one dish. If you just haven't got the time, or the lentils to hand, then used tinned, but don't forget to drain and rinse really well under running water to wash away the salty fluid from the tin.
Everyone who has tasted this has been impressed - even my father in law - so give it a go and give your tongue, and body, a tasty lunch time treat.
Lentil and walnut pate

3/4 cup walnuts
1 cup cooked green lentils
1 onion diced
2 cloves roasted garlic (optional)
2 tablespoons tamari*
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
First, heat the oven to 160oC and toast your walnuts for a few minutes so they're lightly browned. Take out and cool. Heat a little olive oil or water in a small pan and sauté the onion and bay leaf together until it's lightly browned and soft. Leave to cool and remove the bay leaf. Once the onion and walnuts are cool, pop the walnuts, lentils, onion, garlic, tamari and lemon juice into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Taste and add extra tamari, lemon juice and salt and pepper as required.
Serve as you would any paté and enjoy!

*tamari is a wheat free, gluten free soya sauce, made from whole soya beans and brewed in wooden kegs. I buy mine in Holland and Barrett.

Green smoothie and blue skies

The spring weather is just beautiful. Blue skies, birds tweeting, bluebells in the woods and new life sprouting out everywhere. I'm so fortunate to live near the countryside, but pretty close to town as well. It takes only a couple of minutes to be out in the fields and woods.

I used to go to the gym to exercise, but have gone right off it now. In India, there wasn't really an option, as it was either too hot outside or too chaotic and polluted on the crazy roads. Since coming back, though, I've just not wanted to go back inside. Maybe it's just my 'hippy tendencies' that make me want to convene with nature, but there's so much more than just burning calories by exercising outside.
For a start, it's visually stimulating - I get to see real life rather than garbage on a TV screen or someone elses backside (sometimes a good view!). I catch snippets of conversations, people deep in discussion, men at work - all carry my imagination off in random directions piecing together what their story might be. Then there's the "morning" calls and "beautiful day for it" comments from dog walkers and fellow runners - as humans we need to interact; it helps us realise we're not alone.
And then there's trees. Maybe I lived deep in a forest in a previous life, but I find trees so soothing. Nurtured by nature; I always feel so good once I've been out through some woods, even if there is still lots of mud to navigate.
Research studies have concluded that exercising outside is really beneficial to our mental and physical well being - trials show that people feel more revitalised, positively engaged and have increased energy as well as have reduced levels of anger, confusion, tension and depression.   Mother nature provides once again.
As I was beginning to struggle near the end of my run today, I remembered an article I read earlier in the week about this incredible guy called Scott Jurek (http://scottjurek.com). He's an ultra-marathon champion who does crazy things like run 165 miles in one day. Made my 10km look more than pathetic! Why this stuck in my mind is that he's a vegan, eating a plant based whole food diet - 5000 calories a day of it when training hard (that's a lot of beans!).  So much for vegans being fey and wimpy (although don't think anyone would say that to Serena Williams' face!).
Once back home, I needed some instant energy, especially as I had gone out early before breakfast and run further than I meant to. So I whizzed up this green smoothie; it definitely hit the spot. Spinach is packed full of beta-carotenes, folate, manganese, magnesium, iron and a whole range of other B vitamins, to name a few. I added the lemon juice to help the absorption of these goodies in the gut. Flaxseed is a fabulous plant source of omega 3 fats as well as protein to help cells repair and cinnamon is a great anti-inflammatory, so should help with some of the inevitable post run aches. On top of all that, it just tastes great, and as everything is all whizzed up and broken down, starts getting absorbed and hitting the spot pretty quickly.
Next time, I'm going to drink this before I go out for my run!

Running green smoothie
1 banana
200mls almond milk
couple handfuls baby spinach
1 tablespoon flaxseed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
squeeze lemon juice
Bung all the ingredients into your blender and whizz until all the spinach is fully broken down and blended into a vibrant green. Dairy free and delicious - enjoy!

The brightest hummus ever!

Packed lunches can be a bind, but buying food at school or work can be a challenge when you're eating a free-from diet. Choice is limited, expensive and often just junk, which is OK from time to time, but not on a daily basis. So hummus is a permanent feature in our fridge, but even that can get a little dull after time - variety is the key.

This beetroot hummus can never be described as dull; the vibrant, almost neon bright pink of the hummus can brighten up any packed lunch, lighting up the senses with colour and taste.
Beetroot is a fabulous vegetable to munch on in the winter months. Sweet and juicy, it's packed full of nutrients that help get you through the short, wet days and fight off those winter bugs. And if you manage to find some with the leaves still attached, then even better, as this deep green foliage contains even more nutritional goodies that will boost your immunity.
Beetroot is great for your liver, helping it to detoxify, perfect at this time of year when the body is still recovering from excesses over the festive season! Its high fibre content is good for gut health, helping to relieve constipation - it also contains good amounts of the amino acid glutamine, essential for the health of your gut lining. As well as the fibre, beetroot also has good amounts of folic acid, manganese and potassium; the leaves zing with calcium, iron and vitamins A and C.
Beetroot and chickpeas combined make a super-nutrient packed dish. Chickpeas are one of my favourite beans, with it's strong earthy flavour and high fibre content, they're good for your taste buds and your body, and an essential ingredient of a whole food, plant based diet. Although they're not a complete protein, chickpeas are still a good source of protein and packed full of fibre, manganese, folate, iron and zinc as well as other phytonutrients that are beneficial to gut and heart health. And for those with blood sugar problems or looking to lose weight, research shows that chickpeas help regulate blood sugar levels as well as keep you feeling full for longer, so reducing the need to binge on other sugary foods.  Phew!
So if you're not too worn out thinking about how amazing these ingredients are, give this beetroot hummus a go and taste their amazingness! It's easy to make, and definitely easy to eat!  A perfect snack or lunch companion, dairy free and super healthy.
Beetroot hummus.
400g cooked chickpeas (rinsed if from a tin or soaked and cooked)

2 medium sized cooked beetroot (not in vinegar)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1 small clove of garlic crushed and chopped
1 - 2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt
up to 100ml olive oil
Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and blitz until combined. Keep the processor on, add the olive oil gradually until you reach a good texture and 'dippy' consistency. Serve garnished with parsley and a little sprinkling of cumin.

* If you cooked the chickpeas rather than use tinned, retain some of the cooking fluid and use this to replace some of the oil. This reduces the fat content, plus adds in some of the nutrients lost in the cooking fluid. Never do this with tinned chickpeas, as the fluid often contains added salt and sugar.