The Happy Pear Podcast
How often do your bare feet touch the earth; soil, grass, sand, stones?
Do all your shoes have rubber souls?
Have you ever heard of grounding?
Episode 94 – Clint Ober
For more than 20 years, Clint Over has dedicated his life to improving the health of everyone on earth.
In 1998, after a successful career grounding systems in the cable television industry, Earthing pioneer Clint Ober began investigating the potential to improve human health with grounding.
“I had suffered from chronic pain, unable to sleep for years. After I did this, I went to bed and for the first time since I could remember I woke up the next morning, I had slept through the night and the pain was gone.”
Today, he is the founder of Earth FX Inc., a grounding research and development company based in California through which he helped to develop, and patent, the first indoor Earthing products.
This episode will give you goosebumps and if you are like us you will be rushing off to buy your grounding bedsheets!
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Mo and his work please check out: https://www.mogawdat.com/
Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt
Pan-fried Tofu with Steamed Greens and Quinoa
Takes 15 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 100 g quinoa
- 225 ml water
- 100 g spinach kale, chard, or York cabbage
- 200 g firm tofu
- A small thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger approx. 15 g
- 1 small red chilli leave it out if you don’t like spice
- 100 g fresh tomatoes
- 1.5 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp tamari
- Juice of 1 lime
- Optional: Nutritional yeast for serving
Instructions
- Put the quinoa on to boil with the water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer with the lid slightly ajar.
- Once nearly all the water has evaporated, remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid, and let it steam for 10 minutes. The quinoa will fluff up.
- Wash the greens, remove the tough centre veins, and roughly chop into bite-sized pieces. Steam for 3 minutes until softened but not overly cooked, turning occasionally for even cooking. Set aside.
- Chop the tofu into ½ cm cubes. Peel and finely chop the ginger, deseed and chop the chilli (or leave the seeds for more spice), and chop the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat a non-stick pan over high heat. Add the ginger and chilli, frying for 1–2 minutes. If it sticks, add 2 tbsp water and scrape up any browning with a wooden spoon.
- Add the tofu and sesame seeds, frying for 4 minutes and stirring regularly until golden on all sides. Add more water if necessary.
- Pour in the tamari, stirring to coat the tofu evenly. Turn off the heat.
- Add the steamed greens, tomatoes, and lime juice to the pan. Stir well and cook for another 3–4 minutes.
- Serve the quinoa in bowls with the tofu, greens, and sesame mix on top. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast if desired.
Nutrition
5 Minute, 5 Ingredient Tiramisu
Takes 5 minutes
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 500 g vegan whipped cream
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 60 g icing sugar
- 300 ml strong coffee
- 500 g digestive biscuit
Instructions
- Prepare the coffeeBrew a strong cup of coffee and mix in 3 tbsp of icing sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar.
- Whip the creamWhip the vegan cream until stiff peaks form. Add 3 tbsp of icing sugar and mix well.
- Soak the biscuitsDunk each digestive biscuit in the sweetened coffee 2-3 times, depending on how firm the biscuits are. The goal is to let the biscuits soften and absorb the coffee until they reach a sponge-like consistency after soaking.
- Assemble the tiramisuUse a baking tray approximately 25cm x 25cm x 3cm (or 9 x 9 inches x 1 inch). Lay a single layer of soaked biscuits at the base of the tray. Spread a generous layer of whipped cream on top, followed by a dusting of cocoa powder.
- Add another layerRepeat the process by adding another layer of soaked biscuits, followed by another layer of cream and a generous dusting of cocoa powder.
- ServeYour tiramisu is ready to serve immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
The Happy Pear Podcast
Can happiness be taught?
According to this week’s podcast guest, Mo Gawdat, it can!
Episode 93 – Mo Gawdat
“It’s not the events that make you happy in life, it’s the comparison that happens inside your head between the event and your expectation of the event.”Mo Gawdat is the former Chief Business Officer of Google X; host of the popular podcast, Slo Mo, author of the international bestselling books Solve for Happy and Scary Smart; and founder of One Billion Happy.
After a 30 year career in tech and serving as Chief Business Officer at Google X (Google’s ‘moonshot factory’ of innovation) Mo has made happiness his primary topic of research, diving deeply into literature and conversing on the topic with some of the wisest people in the world.
Motivated by the tragic loss of his son, Ali, Mo began pouring his findings into his international bestselling book, Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy. His mission to help one billion people become happier, #OneBillionHappy, is his moonshot attempt to honor Ali by spreading the message that happiness can be learned and shared with one billion people.
“If a parent’s only wish is happiness for their children then why aren’t we teaching it in school?”
According to Mo, happiness is an equation, and gratitude is the ultimate expression that can remind us to be happy.
“You are the one that is setting your expectation. You are the one interpreting the event a certain way, therefore you are in control of your own happiness.”
We had a great chat with Mo, on our favourite topic, you guessed it – happiness! A brilliant episode that will hopefully leave you feeling elevated, grateful, and dare we say it… happy!
What’s more, Mo has also offered you a gift! The first 100 listeners of The Happy Pear Podcast to sign up, will get an exclusive two month free access to his membership community. You get all the training material, rieki infused meditations, and live webinars with Mo, his co-author Alice and expert guest speakers. This is worth 50 Euros and you get it for free on Unstressable.com. sign up now and use the code THEHAPPYPEAR to be one of the first 100!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Mo and his work please check out: https://www.mogawdat.com/
Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt
10 Menopause Myths
We all want to live long, happy lives. It’s a pretty universal desire.
Growing into our older bodies is a gift that many are not afforded. However, for some women, aging can be accompanied by the discomforts and uncertainties of menopause.
This can be a difficult stage of life. It can also be extremely transformative.
Menopause is turning the page to a new chaper – a chapter to grow in wisdom, experience, and to become a better version of yourself.
While it can feel overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be! There is a lot of misinformation, and we’re here to clear up the ten biggest menopause myths. We’ve consulted with some of the greatest experts in the field of women’s health to help you along this next phase of life.
For more expert insight, check out our podcast with the brilliant Dr. Nitu Bajekal, a gynaecologist with thirty-five years of experience empowering women to take charge of their health.
1. Miserable menopause symptoms are a guarantee.
Hot flushes, low libido, irritability, brain fog… These are just some of the joys of menopause. Believe it or not – it doesn’t have to be this way!
Menopause can be a beautiful period in one’s life. A time for new beginnings, fresh starts, and a new you. With the proper support and healthy lifestyle changes, misery in menopause does not have to be your reality.
Proper guidance in movement, sleep, and nutrition can significantly decrease those hormonal fluctuations and discomforts. A plant-based diet can support optimal health in all stages of life. These easy vegan tacos are low fat and packed with protein and fibre.
2. Menopause starts after the age of fifty.
Wouldn’t it be nice if menopause were that predictable? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Menopause runs on it’s own clock – not yours.
While the average age of menopause is fifty-one, the average range of menopause falls between forty-five and fifty-five years old for women across the world.
Early menopause occurs when a woman’s period stops between the ages of forty and forty-five. In approximately one percent of cases, menopause can start before the age of forty. This is known as premature ovarian insufficiency, or POI.
The average life expectancy of a woman in the UK is just under eighty-three years. Therefore, women can hopefully expect to live thirty plus years after menopause.
This period is extremely important and can include some of the happiest and most productive years of an individual’s life. For more tips and science on ageing well, be sure to listen to our podcast episode with Dr. James Timmons.
3. Menopause starts when your period stops.
Not quite. Menopause occurs when the number of eggs in the ovaries drop to a critical level where periods stop. However, a woman is only considered menopausal or post-menopausal when they have not had any periods or bleeding for at least twelve months.
As you can imagine, this can be confusing. If your periods have stopped for any reason, or if your bleeding patterns suddenly change, you should always consult your doctor for advice.
Many women assume that they cannot get pregnant as they approach perimenopaus or menopause. However, this is not the case.
If your periods have stopped before the age of fifty, you should continue to use effective contraception for at least two years after your last period. If you are over the age of fifty, it is recommended you use contraception for at least one year after your last menstrual period.
4. Symptoms are normal and there’s no reason to seek help.
Unfortunately, many women persist in their discomfort with symptoms of menopause because they believe their experience is ‘normal.’ Studies have shown that eight out of ten women suffer from significant hot flushes, yet only two to three will seek help.
Even fewer individuals seek help for symptoms of painful sex. While this may be for a number of reasons, it is important that individuals experiencing menopausal symptoms advocate for themselves to receive the most appropriate and effective supports.
While menopause is guaranteed. Significant discomfort does not have to be. Be sure to connect with your doctor, as well as certified nutrition experts and lifestyle practitioners to promote the most optimal health and reduce uncomfortable symptoms.
5. Weight loss is impossible during menopause.
Hormonal fluctuations in perimenopause and menopause, sleep disturbances, increased anxiety, and stress can make it easier to put on weight and more challenging to lose it.
Most adults ten to steadily put on weight between the ages of twenty and sixty-five, with women in early menopausal years often noticing unwanted weight gain.
While managing weight in menopause can be challenging, it is definitely not impossible. Eating a whole food, plant-based diet, moving your body, and prioritising your sleep can not only prevent chronic disease, but it can help you maintain a healthy weight.
Developing ways to reduce using oil while cooking can help to keep weight off in menopause. For example, saute and cook in water or vegetable broth. These easy, cheesy enchiladas are oil-free and sacrifice no flavour!
Any diet is destined to fail long-term if not a part of a healthy, sustainable lifestyle with realistic goals and a positive mindset. Repeat an affirmation out loud at least five to ten times per day. Let the words that leave your mouth be both kind and true. Be patient with yourself and take a step toward change.
6. Your sex life is over.
Low sexual desire, low libido, and vaginal changes are all symptoms of menopause. However, these changes do not mean that your sex life has to suffer.
Between 17-45% of postmenopausal women report finding sex painful. This is likely due to falling hormone levels which can cause vaginal atrophy, or thinning of the lining of the vagina.
Not to fear. There is still plenty to do to improve vaginal lubrication and comfort during sex.
Women should try to avoid: excessive washing, douching, using perfumed toiletries, feminine wipes and synthetic perfumes. Natural oils such as coconut oil, Vitamin E, or almond oil after a shower can help to lock in moisture around the vulval area. Water-based vaginal moisturizers and lubricants help make sexual intercourse more comfortable.
Most importantly – take charge of your diet and lifestyle! Eating whole plant foods, such as soybeans, watermelon, and lots of veg can help to improve the vaginal microbiome.
During menopause, many women feel a loss. They may feel more fatigued or just not like themselves. Having said that, menopause can also be liberating for many. It’s a time when one is often more secure, confident, and can ask what they want sexually.
The most important factor is to remain open and patient throughout this stage, communicate openly with your sexual partner, and seek support together if needed. For more on sexual longevity, check out our fascinating conversation with Dr. Amy Killen.
7. It’s too late for lifestyle changes.
The earlier you incorporate dietary and lifestyle changes, the more benefits you are likely to see. That said, it is never too late to start making changes. These changes can help manage symptoms of menopause and live a happier and more fulfilling life.
Approximately 80% of what health professionals are seeing today is related to lifestyle. Nutrition, exercise, sleep, alcohol use, stress and loneliness all play key roles in chronic disesase, as well as women’s health issues such as menopause.
A fibre-rich plant-based diet, combined with a healthy exercise routine, good sleep hygience, mindfulness, and having positive social connections can go a long way in combating menopausal symptoms.
Additionally, many women find the time around menopause stressful. It is so important to take care of your own needs during this stage of life, especially when these needs may have been put on the back burner for so long.
Self-care can include deep breathing, walking in nature, or a long bath. It could involve setting healthy boundaries with others. Build your self-care toolbox.
Don’t forget to have fun, too! Cultivate a sense of curiosity, fun, and light heartedness in your life. These small changes support optimal health in menopause and beyond.
8. Soy products will disrupt your hormones further.
The soybean is a legume that has been around for thousands of years. Despite the various opinions and misconceptions, it is not only safe but optimal for your health.
Adopting plant-based diets rich in legumes including beans, lentils and peas, and especially soy helps reduce menopausal symptoms in two ways.
First, soy is a rich source of plant oestrogens or natural phytoestrogens. These can help to reduce both hot flush incidence and severity. Second, soy can help to promote a happy weight. Excess body weight is associated with a higher incidence of symptomatic hot flushes.
Soy also helps to reduce the risk of heart disease, lowers cholesterol levels, reduces the risk of breast, bowel, liver, and ovarian cancers and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Two to four daily portions of minimally processed soy products, such as soy milk, soy yoghurt, edamame beans, mature soybeans, tofu, miso, and tempeh is recommended by experts.
A randomised controlled trial suggested fantastic results. Only a half cup of mature soya beans reduced the frequency and severity of hot flushes by 84% and improved the quality of life in vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual symptoms in postmenopausal women when followed for only twelve weeks.
Don’t be afraid to add soy to your diet! It’s incredibly healthful and can reduce your risk of chronic disease, in addition to supporting menopausal symptoms. Check out our favourite ways to cook tofu for amazing texture and flavour!
9. A plant-based diet can’t meet your protein needs.
Many experts believe that protein needs are higher as we get older. The current recommendation is that individuals ages sixty five and older aim for a daily protein intake of at least 1-1.2g per kg of body weight.
There seems to be a common misconception that you can’t get enough protein without consuming animal products. This is simply untrue.
By eating a wide variety of plant foods with a focus on protein rich foods, such as legumes, you can easily meet protein recommendations. Nearly all vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds contain some protein. Protein is made up of amino acids and plants contain all nine amino acids, much to contrary belief.
Replacing some grains in your diet with beans is one way to increase your protein intake. By focusing on two to four servings of soy products per day, such as tofu, tempeh, and soy milk, you can easily achieve higher protein recommendations during menopause.
You can thrive on a plant-based diet at all stages of life. Check out this delicious, high protein bowl for a super tasty meal.
10. Your body is failing you.
Menopause can certainly come with challenges, but it can also be accompanied by great wisdom and experience. A new you is emerging, and it’s time to embrace those changes.
Our most productive and enjoyable years are often after menopause. We can take time to pursue the things we’re passionate about. We can be of great help to our families and our greater community.
If you feel yourself slipping into a negative space, try incorporating some positively worded statements, or affirmations, in your day. Studies have shown that these can decrease stress and increase well-being. They can strengthen self-worth and ensure you practice kindness and compassion toward yourself.
Menopause – A New Beginning
While menopause can certainly signify a conclusion to one chapter of life, it also represents a new chapter and beginning to be enjoyed.
There is a beautiful life to be lived during and after menopause, and we encourage you to take control of your health and happiness to make it your best years yet.
If you’re craving community connection, access to expert advice, exercise, movement, and mindfulness, along with over 600 delicious plant-based recipe – be sure to join our Happy Menopause Course!
There’s always a lot of left-over pumpkin in the lead up to Halloween…so we made these delicious little slices. The pumpkin filling is so rich and creamy and in the words of Steve…”there a bit too moreish!” Ladies and Gents…Pumpkin and Pecan Slices
Pumpkin and Pecan Slice
Takes 1 hour 28 minutes
Serves 12
Ingredients
Base
- 200 g Digestive biscuits
- 80 g coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Filling
- 500 g Pumpkin 500 g pumpkin/squash (400g pumpkin puree)400 g vegan creamed cheese100 g coconut oil140 g maple syrup1 tsp vanilla extract1 tsp ground cinnamon2 tsp ground ginger1 pinch salt
- 400 g vegan cream cheese
- 100 g coconut oil
- 140 g maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
Topping
- 150 g pecan nuts roughly chopped
- 50 g maple syrup
Instructions
- Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds. Slice the flesh of the pumpkin into small bite sized pieces. Add them to a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes until cooked through.
- Add the biscuits to the food processor and blend until they reach a breadcrumb like consistency (approx 1 minute). Add the coconut oil and vanilla extract (if using) and blend until incorporated (approx 30 seconds).
- Transfer the blended base ingredients to a lined spring form pie dish. A spatula is easiest to ensure you get everything out of the food processor. Using a spoon spread it around evenly. Use the back of the spoon to compact it till it becomes firm and compact.
- Wipe out the food processor. Add the roasted pumpkin to the food processor along with all the rest of the filling ingredients and blend until nice and smooth.
- Using a silicon spatula transfer the filling onto of the base. Spread out so smooth and even.
- Over a medium heat, heat a frying pan and add the roughly chopped nuts, stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes. Add the maple syrup and keep moving the nuts around in the pan until the nuts are completely coated in the sizzling syrup and begin to crystallise. Remove from the heat. Once slightly cooler, scatter over the top of the pumpkin filling.
- Pop in the fridge for an hour before slicing up. Enjoy!
Nutrition
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Gut
The ability to enjoy our food is central to the human experience.
Nobody wants to go through feelings of pain and discomfort accompanied by bloating and gas. While these can be triggered by many different things, both are a sign that your gut health may be in need of a little extra love.
Did you know that ancient civilizations believed that the gut was an extension of the brain? Although many scoff at this ancient wisdom, advances in research have shown that there’s a reason people say to ‘trust your gut.’
Our gut health impacts our mood, digestion, immunity, and overall health. There’s a lot to learn when it comes to the gut microbiome. That’s why we’ve identified five things you might not yet know about your gut!
For more expert insight on how to improve your gut health, be sure to check out our podcast episode with award winning gastroenterologist, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz.
Your gut is the control centre for human biology
Hippocrates, considered the father of modern medicine, believed that all health begins in the gut. Two-thousand years later, we recognize the truth in this through our learnings about the human gut microbiome.
By adulthood, this microbiome has developed into an incredibly complex ecosystem. Over 100 trillion microbes, bacteria, yeasts, viruses, and archaea delicately interact with one another to support our digestive system, as well as our entire being.
Our gut microbes have been described as a control centre for human biology. Our microbes produce dozens, if not hundreds, of chemicals that contribute to our health outcomes. They regulate our appetite, blood sugars, inflammatory processes, and metabolic health.
In our journey to better gut health, our gut microbes are our crucial allies. They rely on us, and we depend on them for optimal wellbeing.
Your gut thrives on fibre-rich foods
Since our digestive system cannot break down fibre, the human body has brilliantly outsourced the task to our gut microbes. Through the supply of fibre-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, beans, and unprocessed plants – we boost the production of what are called Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA).
Here are just a few of the benefits of SCFAs:
- They help to produce hormones that regulate our appetite and control our blood sugars.
- A gut starved of SCFAs can lead to what’s known as leaky gut, which drives inflammation and can lead to problems such as heart disease.
- SCFAs interact with our immune system daily, preventing an overactive immune system, which can help support conditions like Crohn’s disease.
Sadly, nearly 90% of adults do not consume enough fibre. A diet high in animal products and processed foods has been shown to cause bloating, constipation, and poor gut health. High consumption of ultra-processed foods wreaks havoc on microbiome diversity.
If you want to avoid bloating, constipation, IBS, leaky gut, and other digestive related issues, a high-fibre plant based diet can ensure your gut microbiome flourishes.
Your gut appreciates movement and rest
At Happy Pear, we like to think of our gut microbiome as our little pet. Yes, you read that right.
Just like your family pet needs a proper diet, rest, and exercise – so does your gut!
If you know anything about us, you know we always prioritise daily movement. We love a beautiful ‘swimrise’ on Greystones beach with our community and can fit a yoga session in even the snuggest of spaces. Daily movement and a healthy exercise routine are key to our overall health and energy levels.
Recent research even suggests that when comparing the microbiome of non athletes to professional rugby players, the rugby players had a stronger and more diverse microbiome. Frequent and regular exercise is really beneficial for gut health – so get moving!
As important as movement is in our lives, so is sleep! Sleep is such a crucial factor for our overall health, but yet it’s often one of the first to be compromised with busy schedules.
Sleep deprivation can lead to overeating processed foods that are higher in fat and sugar and low in fibre. These foods typically trigger uncomfortable feelings of bloating and constipation. Additionally, sleep deprivation has been linked to reduced microbial diversity.
So, keep your gut happy by getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night!
Your gut loves the great outdoors
Did you know that people who live in the countryside tend to have healthier and more diverse microbiomes than city residents? An oversantised indoor lifestyle is not the best for our microbial health. Instead, get outside as much as possible! If you can’t make it out of the city, spend some time in local parks – or even your backyard!
Connecting to the earth, or grounding as it’s often referred to, can have amazing benefits for your wellbeing. Spending time in nature exposes us to more bacterial biodiversity, which in turn can help us to create a more diverse microbiome and even improve our immune system.
Your gut craves plant diversity
For years, a team of researchers attempted to discover what defined a healthy microbiome. In their work, they uncovered that the #1 predictor is the diversity of plants in your diet.
The study highlighted that individuals who ate more than thirty different plants per week unlocked incredible benefits of fibre-loving bacteria in the gut microbiome. Unfortunately, due to the Standard Western diet – fewer than 1 in 250 people are achieving that goal.
If you’re familiar with our gut health recipes, you’ll have already noticed that each has a plant score. This is an easy way to keep track of the diversity of plants in your diet. Whether it be a bean, green, or wholegrain – try them all! Your microbiome will thank you.
Why Gut Health Matters
We all want to live happily and in good health. One of the best ways to boost our health, strengthen our immune system, and optimise digestion is to cultivate a healthy gut.
Our gut microbes are key contributors to our health, and we can work in partnership with them. When the gut is happy and healthy – the feeling is often mutual.
If you’re looking to heal your gut and reclaim your health, we’re here to help. It’s no coincidence that the lifestyle for a healthy gut looks a lot like what we’ve been sharing with our Happy Pear community for more than eighteen years.
If you want to learn our five secrets to optimise your gut health and reduce constipation and bloating, be sure to check out the Gut Health Revolution course on our app. Plus, gain exclusive access to simple, fifteen minute meals to heal your gut, along with all of our other favourite Happy Pear recipes in one place! Start your seven-day free trial today!
The Happy Pear Podcast
Oliver Burkeman is the author of the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks, about embracing limitation and finally getting round to what counts, along with The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking and Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done.
Episode 92 – Oliver Burkeman
“We are dissuaded from doing things that add great value to our lives just to avoid discomfort.”
For many years he wrote a popular column for the Guardian, ‘This Column Will Change Your Life’. In his email newsletter The Imperfectionist, he writes about productivity, mortality, the power of limits and building a meaningful life in an age of distraction. He lives in the North York Moors.
This episode is particularly special as it is the first that was LIVE on our app, Healthy Living by The Happy Pear!
“We talk about not wanting to settle when we think we can do better… but we end up becoming a commitment-phobe and don’t realise that both of these are settling. One is settling for an imperfect human being and the other is denying yourself the pleasure of and benefits of a long term relationship… this doesn’t just apply to dating and it’s great to realise this so you stop making decisions motivated by this notion of a perfect outcome.”
We had a wonderful conversation with Oliver, and members of the app got to ask their questions too. We spoke about the issues with time management, our inability to be in the present moment, how to achieve more by doing less, how the concept “to settle” isn’t always a negative thing, the importance of leaning into discomfort, amongst many other things.
We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Oliver Burkeman and his work, check out: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/
Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt
this a link to Justyna Flynn’s website from our site – she’s a brilliant Clinical Psychologist, Gestalt psychotherapist and somatic experience therapist. She has an office for private sessions – link here to learn more
15-Minute Indian Feast
Takes 12 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
Curry:
- 4-5 scallions (spring onions)
- ½ thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ red chilli
- 20 cherry tomatoes
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp mango chutney
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (tinned)
- 400 g black beans (tinned)
- 400 g black-eyed beans tinned
- 400 g coconut milk (full-fat, tinned)
- 50 g baby spinach
- Juice of ½ lime
- 2 tsp salt
Cucumber Pickle:
- ½ cucumber
- 2 green chillies
- 1 red onion sliced into half moons
- 50 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
To serve:
- 2 naan breads
- Mango chutney
Instructions
- Start the Pickle:Peel and finely slice the red onion into strips. Slice the green chillies into thin rounds, removing the seeds if you prefer it less spicy. Add them to a large glass with a pinch of salt, the vinegar, maple syrup, and enough water to submerge the onions and chillies. Leave to pickle while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Toast the Spices:Heat a wide-bottomed non-stick pan on high heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and cardamom pods. Toast for 2-3 minutes until the cumin seeds start to pop. Remove from the pan and crush into a powder using a pestle and mortar or by placing in a zip-lock bag and using the bottom of a mug. Remove any large pieces of cardamom skin and discard.
- Prepare the Curry:Heat the pan again on high. Slice the spring onions into thin slices, peel and finely dice the ginger and garlic, and finely chop the chilli (remove the seeds for less heat). Add 1.5 tbsp of oil to the hot pan along with the spring onions, ginger, garlic, and chilli, and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add Tomatoes and Beans:Quarter the cherry tomatoes and add them to the pan with a pinch of salt, mixing well. Drain and rinse both the black-eyed beans and black beans, then add them to the pan, stirring to combine.
- Spice and Simmer:Add the turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder, and black pepper to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring well. Then, add the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tbsp of mango chutney. Mix and heat through, stirring occasionally. Add the baby spinach and the juice of ½ lime, then taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper, or lime juice as needed.
- Prepare the Cucumber Pickle:While the curry is simmering, slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut into thin strips. Drain the pickled onions and chillies, and mix them with the cucumber in a bowl, saving the pickling brine for future use.
- Serve:Heat the naan bread. Serve everything on a large platter with the curry, cucumber pickle, and naan bread, and enjoy with a dollop of mango chutney!
Nutrition
Video
We’re chuffed with these little bites. They are made with 96% fruit, contain no added sugar and are high in fibre. Each pack has less than 100 calories and contains 1 of your 5 a day. Great for healthy snacks while on the go, kids lunch boxes or even if you’re out for a long run or cycle!
INGREDIENTS
Fruit (96%) [Apple Juice Concentrate, Apple Purée Concentrate, Strawberry Purée (5.5%), Beetroot Juice Concentrate (1%)], Gelling Agent (Pectin), Citrus Fibre, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavouring, Black Carrot Juice Concentrate
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients highlighted.
May contain traces of Peanuts, Nuts and Sesame.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1979kJ/327kcal |
| Fat | 1.6g |
| Of which Saturates | 0.7g |
| Carbohydrates | 74g |
| Of which Sugars* | 70g |
| Fibre | 7.0g |
| Protein | 0.8g |
| Salt | 0.10g |
SAFETY WARNING
Not suitable for children under 3 years. Children can choke on small pieces of fruit.
We’re chuffed with these little bites. They are made with 96% fruit, contain no added sugar and are high in fibre. Each pack has less than 100 calories and contains 1 of your 5 a day. Great for healthy snacks while on the go, kids lunch boxes or even if you’re out for a long run or cycle!
INGREDIENTS
Fruit (96%) [Apple Juice Concentrate, Apple Purée Concentrate, Strawberry Purée (5.5%), Beetroot Juice Concentrate (1%)], Gelling Agent (Pectin), Citrus Fibre, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavouring, Black Carrot Juice Concentrate
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients highlighted.
May contain traces of Peanuts, Nuts and Sesame.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1979kJ/327kcal |
| Fat | 1.6g |
| Of which Saturates | 0.7g |
| Carbohydrates | 74g |
| Of which Sugars* | 70g |
| Fibre | 7.0g |
| Protein | 0.8g |
| Salt | 0.10g |
SAFETY WARNING
Not suitable for children under 3 years. Children can choke on small pieces of fruit.
We’re chuffed with these little bites. They are made with 96% fruit, contain no added sugar and are high in fibre. Each pack has less than 100 calories and contains 1 of your 5 a day. Great for healthy snacks while on the go, kids lunch boxes or even if you’re out for a long run or cycle!
INGREDIENTS
Fruit (96%) [Apple Juice Concentrate, Apple Purée Concentrate, Blueberry Purée (3%), Raspberry Purée (3%)], Citrus Fibre, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Black Carrot Juice Concentrate, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavouring
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients highlighted.
May contain traces of Peanuts, Nuts and Sesame.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1979kJ/327kcal |
| Fat | 1.6g |
| Of which Saturates | 0.7g |
| Carbohydrates | 74g |
| Of which Sugars* | 70g |
| Fibre | 6.9g |
| Protein | 0.8g |
| Salt | 0.10g |
SAFETY WARNING
Not suitable for children under 3 years. Children can choke on small pieces of fruit.
We’re chuffed with these little bites. They are made with 96% fruit, contain no added sugar and are high in fibre. Each pack has less than 100 calories and contains 1 of your 5 a day. Great for healthy snacks while on the go, kids lunch boxes or even if you’re out for a long run or cycle!
INGREDIENTS
Fruit (96%) [Apple Juice Concentrate, Apple Purée Concentrate, Blueberry Purée (3%), Raspberry Purée (3%)], Citrus Fibre, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Black Carrot Juice Concentrate, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavouring
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients highlighted.
May contain traces of Peanuts, Nuts and Sesame.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1979kJ/327kcal |
| Fat | 1.6g |
| Of which Saturates | 0.7g |
| Carbohydrates | 74g |
| Of which Sugars* | 70g |
| Fibre | 6.9g |
| Protein | 0.8g |
| Salt | 0.10g |
SAFETY WARNING
Not suitable for children under 3 years. Children can choke on small pieces of fruit.
This Oat M*lk froths brilliantly and is epic in your favourite coffee, tea or hot chocolate. We love making Golden Turmeric Milk or Lattes with it as it’s so creamy and deliciously frothy. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
Water, Organic Oat (12%), Organic Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens incl. Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients highlighted.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100ml |
|---|---|
| Energy | 195kJ / 72kcal |
| Fat | 2.9g |
| Of which Saturates | 0.4g |
| Carbohydrates | 10g |
| Of which Sugars* | 2.5g |
| Fibre | 0.7g |
| Protein | 1.0g |
| Salt | 0.10g |
We absolutely love the taste of this and love pouring it over our favourite granola, super muesli or using it to make delicious creamy porridge, chia seed puddings or super tasty pancakes.
INGREDIENTS
Water, Organic Oat (12%), Organic Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens incl. Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients highlighted.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100ml |
|---|---|
| Energy | 195kJ / 46kcal |
| Fat | 1.2g |
| Of which Saturates | 0.2g |
| Carbohydrates | 8.0g |
| Of which Sugars* | 2.0g |
| Fibre | 0.8g |
| Protein | 0.5g |
| Salt | 0.10g |
The Happy Pear Podcast
“If you are worried about biodiversity or climate change, the single greatest point of agency you have is your food choices, and by deciding to buy this pizza rather than that pizza you have changed the game and you are part of the solution“
Episode 91 – Groove Armada
Most of you might know Andy Cato as one of the duo, Groove Armada, the English electronic music band. Which achieved chart success with their singles “At the River”, “I See You Baby” and “Superstylin'”. Having released eight studio albums, four of which were charted in the UK Albums Charts Top 50.
However, the other side of Andy, when he’s not traveling the world on tour, is a mixed arable and livestock farmer and co-founder of Wildfarmed.
“Once you have seen this stuff you can’t unsee it.”
17 years ago, at the age of 33, on his way back from a gig, Andy was reading an article about agriculture and climate change, and like most people he hadn’t made the link between climate change and how we grow our food.
This article became the catalyst for Andy to make a change!
Today Andy, is the first Englishman to be awarded the Chevalier L’Order Mérite de Agricole – the equivalent of a knighthood for services to agriculture. His unique Wildfarmed method brings the concept of rewilding to farming, combining the best of nature with modern technology to create thriving ecosystems and diverse, healthy soils.
Now, Andy is on a mission to take what he’s learned and help other farmers adopt his Wildfarmed system so they can too can work towards restoring biodiversity and producing delicious food.
How does Andy balance his fame and music career with being an award winning agriculturalist? What was life in the music industry like in those early years, how did he get into it? These are some of the questions we ask Andy and many more, diving deep into his farming journey. It was particularly special being able to record this episode on his farm.
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave and Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Andy’s work check out: wildfarmed.co.uk
Get an exclusive 20% off the amazing online platform that is HEALF.com when you enter the promo code HEALTHYPEAR – Healf is where you will find only the best of the best health brands all vetted by their community and validated by experts. We love this platform, you can’t go wrong and it has all our favourite stuff covering the 4 pillars of heath: Eat Move Mind Sleep
Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt
This is such an easy dish…but seems super impressive. If you have an excess of red onions, why not whip this up? Let the oven do the hard work! Caramelised red onion and mushrooms Tarte Tatin
Caramelised red onion and mushrooms tart Tatin
Takes 37 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 250 g red onions
- 2 gloves garlic
- 150 g mushroom ideally oyster
- 2 tbs tamari or soy sauce
- 3 tbs maple syrup
- 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 15 g fresh thyme
- 200 g vegan cream cheese
- 1 sheet vegan puff pastry
Instructions
- If you are using frozen puff pastry ensure it is properly thawed first
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Peel and finely chop the onion (half moons work well) and garlic. Roughly chop the mushrooms into slices.
- Roughly chop the mushrooms into slices.Put a large wide bottomed frying pan on a medium heat and leave to warm up. Once it is hot, add 1 tbsp oil along with the onions, garlic and mushroom. Cook the veg for about 10-15 minutes stirring regularly until they start to char.
- In a bowl mix together the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, tamari and whisk it together using a fork. Add to the veg and leave to reduce for a further 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Take the thyme leaves from the sprigs and add half of them to the veg and mix through.Line a medium sized baking tray (approximately the size of the sheet of puff pastry) with baking parchment.
- Transfer the cooked veg and spread out evenly. Fit the sheet of puff pastry to fit the size of the baking tray and carefully place on top tucking in any edges (if your tray is smaller than the puff pastry sheet you will need to cut it slightly)
- Put in the preheated oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until the pastry starts to golden up.
- Remove the dish from the oven, put a board that is slightly bigger than the pan on top of it and invert so that the pastry is now on the bottom and the cooked veg on top. Garnish with the remaining thyme leaves, slice and enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
The Happy Pear Podcast
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a nomad? To live on the road? Moving from one adventure to the next?
How about living on the road and raising a family? Something many of us would think is impossible! How would you educate your kids? Give them a sense of belonging and grounding? How would you finance this lifestyle? How would you retain friendships and community?
Episode 90
Four years ago, our friend Marty and his family did just this! They packed what they could, sold the rest and left their home in Seattle for a life of adventure and learning on the road with their three kids.
Instead of traveling to see places, they travel to find people! Building a network of creative and thoughtful families in fascinating places.
In this episode we catch up with Marty in person, he explains how the decision to do such a move came about, and how he has managed to keep it up for the last four years and convincing many others to follow suit. Establishing their own boutique travel agency, Quartier Collective, which leverages the network they have created into short and long group travel events for families all over the world, blending learning, community and exploration with a deep sense of curiosity and gratitude.
This episode will have you rethinking your next holiday, how you approach education, work and life balance. It will leave you with a whole new perspective on living as a family.
Lots of Love,
Dave and Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Marty, his family and his travel agency check out their Instagram page: @quartiercollective
Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt
Cheesy Quesadillas
Takes 15 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
Nacho Cheese
- 140 g cooked pumpkin
- 60 ml sunflower oil
- 30 ml oat milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic (finely sliced)
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Meaty Mushrooms
- 200 g oyster mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbs tamari
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp water
- 400 g black beans
- 1 whole chilli (finely sliced)
Pickled Onions
- 1 whole red onion (finely sliced)
- 50 ml vinegar
- 50 ml water
- ½ tsp salt
For the Quesadillas
- 2 whole wheat tortillas
- 1 whole avocado
Instructions
- Make the mushrooms:Rip or slice the mushrooms into long chunky slices. Peel and finely dice the garlic. Heat a wide-bottomed pan over high heat, and once hot, add 1 tbsp of oil. Add in the mushrooms and compress with a clean pan to increase the sizzle and evaporate some of the water for a meatier texture. Leave to cook for 3-4 minutes until they start to brown on one side. Stir the mushrooms and add in the garlic, tamari, maple syrup, smoked paprika, and ground coriander. Mix through. Drain and rinse the black beans and add them to the pan along with ½ tsp of salt. Add 2 tbsp of water to deglaze the pan and incorporate any bits stuck to the pan.
- Pickle the onions:Peel and slice the red onion into long strips. Add to a glass with the vinegar, 50 ml of water (enough to submerge), and a pinch of salt. Leave to sit and pickle while you make the pumpkin cheese.
- Make the nacho cheese:Add the cooked pumpkin to a food processor along with the rest of the nacho cheese ingredients. Blend until super smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking, adding more water if needed to achieve a smooth but not too runny texture.
- Assemble the quesadillas:Cut the avocado in half, spoon out the flesh, and slice into long strips. Heat the pan back on medium heat and add a tortilla to the pan. On half of the tortilla, spoon on 2-3 tbsp of pumpkin cheese sauce, half of the mushroom and black bean mix, a few slices of avocado, and some pickled red onions. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of pumpkin cheese on top. Fold over the tortilla and cook on both sides until golden brown. Carefully remove from the pan onto a chopping board and slice in half. Repeat with the remaining tortilla and enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
The Happy Pear Podcast – Sam Corlett
On one sunny sunrise swim back in 2019, all the way from Australia to our lovely little island, we met the handsome Sam Corlett, the star of the latest Viking’s series Valhalla.
We approached this Viking-like being (he stood out from the rest of us Irish that’s for sure!) chatted and encouraged him to come join us for a swim again the next day, little did we know a pandemic would soon hit and this foreign man would enter our family circle and become more like a brother to us all.
Episode 89 – Sam Corlett
Fast forward 3 years and now Sam has hit the big screens, an international superstar. He’ the lead of his own Netflixs show and in many ways only at the beginning of his journey. We decided it was time to sit down the three of us and discuss it all, life, wisdom, his journey, how we met, what’s next and what makes his soul truly vibrate.
It’s so special to be able to share someones story who you are so close with, a beautiful conversation, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Lots of Love,
Dave and Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
This episode is sponsored by Vivobarefoot Footwear. Vivobarefoot Footwear have given our listenders an exclusive 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20
Genuinely these are the only shoes you will see Dave & Steve wearing!
Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt
Apple, Pear & Blueberry Crumble
Takes 45 minutes
Serves 7
Ingredients
- 200 g oats
- 50 g desiccated coconut
- 50 g ground almonds
- 1 handful of nuts e.g., walnuts, almonds, or pecans
- 1 handful of seeds e.g., sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- 90 ml sunflower oil
- 90 ml maple syrup
- 1.5 kg apples and/or pears
- 100 g frozen blueberries
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 8 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Core and chop the apples and pears into bite-sized pieces, leaving the skins on. Place them in a pot with the frozen blueberries, water, cinnamon, and ginger.
- Bring the fruit mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit has softened and broken down.
- In a bowl, thoroughly combine all the crumble ingredients, including the oats, desiccated coconut, ground almonds, nuts, seeds, sunflower oil, and maple syrup, until well mixed.
- Transfer the stewed fruit mixture to a 30 cm crumble or ceramic dish, spreading it evenly. Evenly distribute the crumble topping over the fruit, then bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the topping is golden.
Nutrition
The Happy Pear Podcast
“You can manifest anything as long as you are the driving force behind it.”
Have you heard of the number one best seller, Manifest: 7 Steps to Living Your Best Life by Roxie Nafousi? A book that will go down in history as one of those books that created a generational shift in perspective.
This week we had the pleasure of having Roxie on our podcast. A single mother, with a colourful past of drug abuse and self doubt who managed to turn her life around and manifest the life she wanted.
Episode 88 – Roxie Nafousi
“Generally speaking how we feel is a choice, we can choose how we feel and how we respond to the world, that’s not to say that it is always easy too, and it’s not saying you shouldn’t allow yourself to process and feel negative emotions, but you choose whether you indulge in them, process them and let them go and make a conscious decision to choose a more empowering perspective.”
Roxie Nafousi is a self-development coach, inspirational speaker, author, ambassador for the Mental Health Foundation and contributor to Kourtney Kardashian’s wellness platform, POOSH.
Roxie’s commitment to transforming lives and helping to empower others with the tools they need to fulfil their potential has seen her become a renowned and respected figure in the wellness world.
She has been named “The Manifesting Queen” by Forbes and “The A-Lists favourite manifestor” by The Sunday Times Style Magazine. A regular feature in many of the UK’s top publications, including British Vogue, Financial Times, The Times Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar & ELLE, to name a few, we caught up with her one Thursday morning to breakdown what it really means to manifest.
“It’s really important to get out of the victim mindset, and thats why the term manifestation can really rub people up the wrong way.”
A truly valuable episode for anyone out there, and a great reminder of how we can empower ourselves to get the best out of life.
We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Lots of Love,
Dave and Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
Get an exclusive 20% off the amazing online platform that is HEALF.com when you enter the promo code HEALTHYPEAR – Healf is where you will find only the best of the best health brands all vetted by their community and validated by experts. We love this platform, you can’t go wrong and it has all our favourite stuff covering the 4 pillars of heath: Eat Move Mind Sleep
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Creamy Mushroom Pie
Takes 50 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 320 g puff pastry defrost if frozen
- 400 g mushrooms thickly sliced
- 1 leek sliced into 1cm rounds (include green parts, thoroughly washed)
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 200 g sweet potatoes skin on, cut into 1cm pieces
- 200 g potatoes skin on, cut into 1cm pieces
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 8 tbsp olive oil for bechamel sauce
- 8 tsp plain flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 800 ml oat milk plus extra for brushing
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Puff PastryIf using frozen puff pastry, remove it from the freezer to defrost to room temperature.
- Preheat the OvenPreheat the oven to 200°C (fan)/220°C/gas 7.
- Cook the Mushrooms and GarlicHeat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wide-bottomed non-stick pan over high heat.Once hot, add the mushrooms and fry for 4–5 minutes until they begin to colour. Add the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes.Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the VegetablesUsing the same pan, add the sweet potatoes, potatoes, leeks, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.Reduce the heat to low-medium, cover with a lid, and let the vegetables steam in their own juices for 10 minutes or until the potatoes and sweet potatoes are tender.Remove the lid, turn off the heat, and stir the cooked mushrooms back into the pan along with the Dijon mustard.
- Make the Bechamel SaucePlace a medium saucepan over high heat. Once hot, add the 8 tablespoons of oil.Sift in the flour and whisk continuously, cooking for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.Add 2 teaspoons of salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the garlic powder. Gradually add the oat milk while whisking continuously.Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 3–4 minutes until it thickens to a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or a squeeze of lemon juice if desired.
- Combine and Assemble the PiePour the bechamel sauce into the pan with the mushroom and vegetable mixture. Stir well to combine.Transfer the filling to a 20 x 30cm casserole or pie dish and let it cool for 30 minutes.
- Prepare and Add the Pastry ToppingRoll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut it to fit the top of the pie dish.Gently score the top in a criss-cross pattern and place it over the filling. Use a fork to crimp the edges around the dish.Brush the top of the pastry with a little extra oat milk for a golden finish.
- BakeBake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.
- ServeServe warm. This pie pairs wonderfully with a green salad or, during colder months, with roasted potatoes.
Nutrition
Video
The big mushroom debate is about cleaning them. Some chefs never wet mushrooms, as they
believe they become soggy and lose some of their absorbent properties, while others recommend
brushing or cleaning them with a dry cloth. If you are going to wash your mushrooms in water, don’t
soak them. Instead, think of dunking them like you would a biscuit in a cup of tea, or wipe them with
a damp cloth. For our creamy mushroom pie, we just wipe them with a cloth!
Choose firm mushrooms that are not too spongy, and where relevant and possible turn the
mushrooms upside down and have a look at their gills, which should be dry and firm. Avoid any
mushrooms that are wet or soggy or woody. In terms of storing, it is best to remove the mushrooms
from any plastic packets, if this is how you bought them, as this can cause condensation and make
them go soggy. Store them in the fridge in a paper bag. Some people put their mushrooms in the
sun to absorb more vitamin D; however, if left too long in the sun they will dry out and become
woody. Alternatively you can spend 20 minutes outside in direct sunlight and you will generally get
all your vitamin D requirements for the day.
Mushrooms can be foraged, and it is something that we love to do. We remember having such fun
with our friend Nick in Devon, hunting for turkey tail and chicken of the woods mushrooms, but you
should only do it with someone who is qualified and knows the different varieties, as there can be many poisonous mushrooms.
The Happy Pear Podcast
A REFLECTION ON THE MEANING OF LIFE
His life is soon to be a Hollywood feature film, this is our second recording with the wonder that is John Mcavoy.
Last episode was such hit, we had to get him on again!
What a character and inspiring human being, to go from serving life in the highest security prison at the age of 22 for armed robery to a complete switch! Now an ultra athlete who recently turned Vegan!
Episode 87 – John Mcavoy
Last episode we went though his full back story, a breath taking story that leaves you hanging on his every word.
Since then we have become good friends, and in this episode we manage to go much deeper with John, into his philosophies of life, what keeps him ticking, his next adventures and how he now approaches sports after years of being an endurance athlete.
What an infectious character with an amazing outlook on life we can all learn from.
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve
Available now from all good podcast providers:
This episode is sponsored by Vivobarefoot Footwear. Vivobarefoot Footwear have given our listenders an exclusive 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20
Genuinely these are the only shoes you will see Dave & Steve wearing!
Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt
An EPIC burrito. are so incredible tasty and the type of meal you feel sad once you have finished as it was so good! This burrito consists of 5 components here which might sound like a lot but trust us it is so worth it!
10 Minute Epic Burrito
Takes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 50 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 tin kidney beans
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lime juice
- 10 g coriander
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 200 g oyster mushrooms
- 2 tbps tamari soy sauce
- 1 tbs maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 avocado ripe
- 6 cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 lime juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 4 tbsp vegan mao
- 1 tbsp korean chilli powder
- 3 wholemeal wraps
Instructions
- First step make the pickled red onion – Finley slice the red onion into half moon slices, add to a glass and add the vinegar and fill with water until all the onions are submerged.
- Slice the mushrooms into thin slices. Heat a non stick pan on high heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. Once hot add the mushrooms and the smoked paprika and mix well, leave to cook for 5 mins. Add the tamari and the maple syrup and mix well so that they are well spread. Taste and adjust the seasoning to you liking. Remove from the heat.
- For the guacamole, remove the flesh of the avocado and slice into small cubes, quarter the cherry tomatoes and add in, and finely dice the red onion, squeeze in the lime and add the salt, black pepper and ground cumin. Using a fork bring together and mash to your desired texture, some like it smooth and others like it chunky. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- For the refried beans, peel and finely dice the garlic cloves, drain and rinse the kidney beans, heat the same pan from the mushrooms and add 1/2 tsp of oil, once hot add the garlic, cumins seeds and beans and 2 tbsp of water and mix well ensuring to encorporate any of the sauce from the mushrooms. Finely dice the fresh coriander. Cook for 2-3 mins and add in the juice of the lime, the ground cumin, ground coriander, salt and black pepper and mix through. Use the back of the wooden spoon to mash the beans until it comes together. Add in the fresh chopped coriander and mix through, taste and adjust the seasoning to you liking.
- For the spicy mayo just add the mayo to a small bowl and mix in the chilli powder.
- To roll your buritto, add the mayo on the bottom, followed by the refried beans, guacamole, mushrooms and finish with some pickled red onions – roll up and enjoy!
Nutrition
Dave & Steve x
Eat a lot of chickpeas? Throwing out the water they sit in? STOP what you’re doing and try this recipe. It’s so delicious, so easy and zero waste. We absolutely love this recipe hack! 5 minute chocolate mousse, let’s do it!
5 Ingredient Chocolate Mousse
Takes
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 150 ml Aquafaba drained chickpea water
- 150 g dark chocolate
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 3-5 drops fresh lemon
Instructions
- Drain your chickpeas and pour the drained water into a clean bowl. Any grease will prevent your Aquafaba from whipping up! Pop the chickpeas in your fridge for another meal…
- With an electric whisk, whisk the Aquafaba on a slow speed, gradually increasing until it's on high. Add the few drops of lemon juice to help the Aquafaba stabilise and whisk even quicker. Whisk the Aquafaba for about 3 minutes until it's made stiff peaks and doesn't shift in the bowl. At this point, add in your sugar, one tablespoon at a time and continue whisking until you have a thick, glossy, meringue like texture.
- Melt your chocolate over a bain-marie and once the chocolate has completely melted, take it off the heat.
- Add one third of the Aquafaba mixture into the hot chocolate and mix well. Slowly fold in the rest of the Aquafaba mixture with a spatula. Do this carefully so the mousse doesn't deflate.
- Transfer into ramekins and pop in the fridge to set!
Nutrition
Video
We love Aquafaba. It’s really magic in the way it whisks up just like an egg white does and as you know, we eat a lot of chickpeas so we tend to have a lot of Aquafaba knocking about and it’s a great way to reduce waste. People tend to think that Aquafaba is meant for meringues, but the truth is, it does so much more. It has similar protein levels to egg whites so they whip up in very similar ways.
We have taken a very traditional mousse recipe and replaced the egg white with Aquafaba and it’s worked perfectly. It’s so fluffy, it’s almost like a cloud.
We also love Aquafaba, because it can’t be over-whipped. This means if you have a hand free stand, you can leave it to whisk up and focus on melting your chocolate.
Aquafaba chocolate mousse, you’ll never throw away chickpea water again!
Dave & Steve x
Top tip: If you want to keep your Aquafaba but don’t think you’ll need it any time soon – it freezes amazingly. We pour the water into an ice-cube tray and take it out when we need it. It works just as well…just let it defrost!
Chilli Peanut Noodles
Takes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 300 g wholewheat noodles
- 1 large aubergine
- 200 g mushrooms of choice
- 1 whole carrot
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 50 g baby spinach
Instructions
- Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water according to the instructions on the packet, then drain and rinse.
- Chop the aubergine and mushrooms into small, bite-sized pieces and grate the carrot. Heat a large, wide-bottomed pan on high and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the aubergine and mushrooms and cook for 8 minutes, stirring regularly. If they start to stick, add 2 tablespoons of water and use a wooden spoon to deglaze any caramelisation from the bottom of the pan.
- In a jug, mix the soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, peanut butter, chilli powder, 6 tablespoons of water, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper until smooth. Reduce the heat to medium and add half of the sauce to the aubergine and mushrooms. Cook for another 4 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the noodles, baby spinach, grated carrot, and the remaining sauce to the pan. Stir in a circular motion to mix everything together and cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add more chilli if you like it spicy, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
The goodness behind our Chilli Peanut Noodles…
Aubergines are high in fibre and water, and low in calories. Most people don’t get their recommended daily intake of fibre, in fact
of the recommended 30g a day most people are only eating 18g. Fibre traditionally was just associated with being beneficial for
digestion, but in the recent decades it has also been found to be a prebiotic, which is the food that the bacteria in our
microbiome feed upon and that encourages more of the beneficial microbes to grow as opposed to the less beneficial ones.
Differently, mushrooms are a good source of essential B vitamins and other immune-supporting nutrients such as selenium.
White button mushrooms can be one of the few plant food sources of vitamin D, which is important for calcium absorption,
immune function, heart health and protecting bone health. They have also been linked to helping improve cardiovascular function, and even help protect against cancer.
80g of mushrooms, 14 baby button mushrooms, 4 large closed cup mushrooms or1 large flat mushroom is considered to be one of your 5-a-day.
If y.
Dave & Steve x
INGREDIENTS
Tomato* (54%), Grape Juice, Onions, Spirit Vinegar, Irish Cider Vinegar, Corn Starch, Bramley Apples, Salt, Chipotle Flakes (0.4%), Spices, *Made with 153g of Tomatoes per 100g of Ketchup
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens incl. Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients highlighted.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 407kJ / 96kcal |
| Fat | 0.5g |
| Of which Saturates | 0.1g |
| Carbohydrates | 20.0g |
| Of which Sugars | 16.0g |
| Fibre | 1.4g |
| Protein | 2.2g |
| Salt | 1.2g |
INGREDIENTS
Tomato* (60%), Grape Juice, Irish Cider Vinegar, Corn Starch, Spirit Vinegar, Salt, Lemon Juice, Spices, *Made with 174g of Tomatoes per 100g of Ketchup
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens incl. Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients highlighted.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 469kJ / 111kcal |
| Fat | 0.5g |
| Of which Saturates | 0.2g |
| Carbohydrates | 24.0g |
| Of which Sugars | 18.0g |
| Fibre | 1.3g |
| Protein | 1.9g |
| Salt | 1.4g |
The Happy Pear Podcast
Known as a ‘teacher of teachers’, this week we had the pleasure of speaking to Gary Gorrow, a Vedic Meditation Teacher, a Qualified Ayurvedic Health Coach, Mindfulness Expert and the Creator/Director of SOMA, a world class retreat in Byron Bay.
Episode 86 – Gary Gorrow
“Self hate is so deeply ingrained in us.”
Gary is passionate about empowering people with techniques that enable them to re-engineer their lives inside and out. His approach synthesises the best of modern science and ancient consciousness based practices. His students come from a range of backgrounds and include Google, GWS Giants, celebrities, CEO’s, health practitioners, athletes, entrepreneurs, creatives, grandparents and children.
This episode was a brilliant reminder for us to why we started on our meditation journey so many moons ago. Gary is truly a teacher of teachers, we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve
Available now from all good podcast providers:
Get an exclusive 20% off the amazing online platform that is HEALF.com when you enter the promo code HEALTHYPEAR – Healf is where you will find only the best of the best health brands all vetted by their community and validated by experts. We love this platform, you can’t go wrong and it has all our favourite stuff covering the 4 pillars of heath: Eat Move Mind Sleep!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
We would love to hear your feedback! Write to us at podcast@thehappypear.ie and we will read out selects in the intro of each episode.
The Happy Pear Podcast
In this episode Russell breaks down the biological clock and circadian rhythm, why certain people are morning people vs night owls, how waking up in the night isn’t necessarily a bad thing, how sleep and mental health are linked, how morning light vs evening light effects us and how different types of work could go against our sleep requirements.
Episode 85 – Russel Foster
“Most people don’t have a sleeping problem, they have an anxiety problem”
Born in Aldershot in 1959, Russell Foster is an award winning professor of circadian neuroscience at Oxford and the director of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology.
For his discovery of non-rod, non-cone ocular photoreceptors he received numerous awards including the Zoological Society scientific medal. He has written numerous books, his latest being – Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock, and How It Can Revolutionize Your Sleep and Health.
According to Russell, when it comes to sleep one glove does not fit all. The notion that we need “8 hours of sleep per day” to be healthy is nonsense says Russell. There are numerous factors that interplay to create a good nights sleep and each one of us is unique to the other.
Russell wants to remove the anxiety associated with sleep and get down to the root of why we sleep the way we do.
“To understand if you are getting enough sleep the first thing is to ask yourself are you not feeling able to function optimally during the day? Do you need an alarm clock? Does it take you a long time to get up? Do you feel sluggish? Do you need caffeine? Do you need a nap? On your time off do you oversleep? Are you irritable? It’s listening to our bodies! And listening to it carefully as the tired brain can delude itself to think that it’s not tired.
In this episode Russell breaks down the biological clock and circadian rhythm, why certain people are morning people vs night owls, how waking up in the night isn’t necessarily a bad thing, how sleep and mental health are linked, how morning light vs evening light effects us and how different types of work could go against our sleep requirements.
He really covers it all and will put you at ease if you consider yourself someone who struggles with sleep.
A fascinating episode – Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve
Available now from all good podcast providers:
We would love to hear your feedback! Write to us at podcast@thehappypear.ie and we will read out selects in the intro of each episode.
Checkout Vivobarefoot Footwear and avail of 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20 – Genuinely the only shoes you will see Dave & Steve wearing!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
The Happy Pear Podcast
We have come to the end of our series of mash-up episodes, and what better way to go out with a bang than with an episode like this!
An incredibly important topic. That as a man I (Stephen here) am ashamed to say is not taken more seriously…
Episode 84 – Female Hormones
We have had a number of female health specialists on our podcast, from period pains, menopause, perimenopause to fertility. And what we found amazing is how complex it all is, and perhaps polarising?
Should you take the pill, should you not? Should you take HRT, should you not? Should you eat differently to a man? Should you exercise in the same way a man does? The list goes on…
There are many different opinions and the one thing we have come to the conclusion is that not all the information is made easily available to women so they can make informed choices for themselves…
It also makes you wonder are we lacking in the full picture, why does women’s health bring up so many opposing opinions?
So today I would like to bring you on a journey, a journey all about hormones and women’s health and what we know from the studies that have been done. We have taken extracts from some of the female experts we have had to date on this podcast, and broken down the potential health risks, symptoms, natural remedies and medical interventions that could massively improve a female’s life and in some cases even prevent much more serious health risks.
We hope that after listening to this episode, you, as a woman, can feel much more informed to make the right choices when it comes to hormones. Or to any men listening you gain a better understanding of what a female has to go through and can be better support for your mothers, sisters, daughters, friends and colleagues. This really is an episode for everyone!
And if you have any feedback for us please email in on podcast@thehappypear.ie
Such an important topic, enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
We would love to hear your feedback! Write to us at podcast@thehappypear.ie and we will read out selects in the intro of each episode.
Checkout Vivobarefoot Footwear and avail of 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20 – Genuinely the only shoes you will see Dave & Steve wearing!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt
Beetroot & Walnut Burgers
Takes 45 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 60 g 2.1 oz cashew nuts
- 400 g 14 oz uncooked beetroot (beet)
- 140 g 4.9 oz walnuts
- 80 g 2.8 oz vegan cheddar cheese
- 20 g 0.7 oz fresh mint
- 10 g 0.35 oz firm tofu
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 100 g 3.5 oz fresh breadcrumbs
- 150 g 5.3 oz hummus
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) fan/200°C (392°F)/gas 6. Line two baking trays with parchment.
- Soak the Cashew Nuts: Place the cashew nuts in a bowl and cover with boiling water, then leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Prepare the Beetroot: Wash the beetroot thoroughly, peel and grate into a bowl.
- Toast the Walnuts: Roughly the walnuts, spread on a tray, and toast in the oven for 6–7 minutes. Once done, set aside to cool.
- Cook Beetroot Mixture: Use a pan over medium heat, add the grated beetroot, and sauté with a pinch of salt for 4–5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Prepare Cheese and Mint: Grate the vegan cheddar cheese and finely chop the fresh mint.
- Create Cashew Cheese: Drain the cashews and blend with tofu, some oil, half of the lemon's juice, and a dash of salt and pepper until smooth.
- Combine Burger Mixture: In the beetroot bowl, mix in the cashew cheese, grated cheese, toasted walnuts, breadcrumbs, remaining lemon juice, chopped mint, and seasoning.
- Shape and Bake Burgers: Form the mixture into 6 burgers and bake for 25 minutes on the prepared tray.
- Serve: Once baked, serve the burgers with hummus on top or on the side.
Nutrition
Video
When we first created our Beetroot, Walnut and Feta Burgers, you all loved them. So, with the dream of making them as easy as
possible, we returned to the drawing board. They needed to still pack a punch, but only use 10 ingredients or less.
We think the cashew feta cuts through the sweet beetroot just perfectly and makes the burgers so indulgent, if you fancy a big
feast. This recipe also goes incredibly well with a pesto, much like our spicy red pepper pesto, just smeared on top before
adding whatever toppings you fancy.
If you have any stale bread in your kitchen that you don’t want to throw out, this is the perfect excuse to whizz them up in a
blender or even use a grater and make your own bread crumbs. Equally you can swap out whatever herbs you have, for mint. We
think mint, feta and beetroot are a match made in heaven, but we’ve used basil and coriander in the past and they’ve turned out
delicious.
Beetroot Benefits: Beetroot is packed with antioxidants, evident from its bright red colour. When we first opened our juice bar,
our aprons and hands used to be stained pink from juicing fresh beetroots. A simplistic way to think of antioxidants and their
benefits for the body is that another name for rust is oxidation, so antioxidants help slow down the build-up of ‘rust’ in our body
by slowing down cellular degradation. Research published in the journal Nutrients showed that eating beetroot can help dilate
blood vessels because of its dietary nitrates, enhancing our physical performance.
It really is a winner, this dish. If you want to see how we make it, step-by-step, click our video below. It really is so simple and so
delicious. If you have any questions about this dish, feel free to drop a message below and we’ll get straight back to you.
Dave & Steve x
The Happy Pear Podcast
Think of an argument or confrontation you had last year – What do you remember more? What context of what was said or how the argument made you feel?
The last time you were with a family member or a friend – where you fully present or on your phone or distracted at all?
How much of your time do you spend on tasks, activities and with people that align with your values and your happiness?
Episode 83 – 3 Life Lessons
Welcome to this week’s podcast mash-up, where we take you on a slightly different journey…
A journey of self-improvement. Dave has taken exerts from 3 of his favourite podcast guests (so far) and put them into this one episode for you. Curating them into 3 lessons, that we believe will be super beneficial to you and anyone else you know!
So sit back, listen, take note and let us know if you got as much out of it as we did!
And if you have any feedback for us please email in on podcast@thehappypear.ie
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
We would love to hear your feedback! Write to us at podcast@thehappypear.ie and we will read out selects in the intro of each episode.
Checkout Vivobarefoot Footwear and avail of 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20 – Genuinely the only shoes you will see Dave & Steve wearing!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt
Beetroot Pesto Pasta
Takes 35 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 200 g uncooked beetroot
- 400 g dried wholemeal spaghetti or penne pasta
- 130 g pine nuts
- 100 g frozen peas
- 1.5 cloves garlic
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 30 g rocket
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C fan.
- Wash the beetroot and remove any dirt and blemishes, then roughly chop into bite-sized pieces. Place them on a baking tray, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20–30 minutes, or until well roasted and slightly charred around the edges.
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt, and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly until golden. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Drain and rinse the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Place the peas in a bowl, pour over the pasta water, and leave them to sit for 5 minutes. Then, drain and rinse the peas.
- Peel and chop the garlic, and place it in a food processor with the roasted beetroot, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Blend until smooth. Add the pine nuts and pulse until they’re broken up but still slightly chunky for texture.
- To assemble, put the cooked pasta into a large pan and add half the beetroot pesto, half the peas, and the rocket. Stir together and warm over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring regularly. Save the remaining pesto for another pasta dish or as a sandwich spread.
- Divide between 4 bowls and serve with the remaining peas scattered on top. Any leftover pesto will last for up to a week in the fridge and works brilliantly as a sandwich spread.
Notes
Nutrition
Video
We absolutely love this our Beetroot Pesto Pasta recipe! The nutty beetroot pesto packs so much flavour and when is pink pasta never a fun dinner to serve up? We use wholemeal spaghetti in this recipe as it’s high in fibre but you can use whatever pasta you have in your cupboard. Equally, we’ve topped it with a peppery rocket but you can garnish with anything you fancy. Basil works wonderfully but if you’re really looking to minimise your waste, you can even boil down you beetroot stem and leaves (finely chopped) and toss them through your pasta just before serving. We promise, it will be delicious.
Beetroot Benefits: Beetroot is packed with antioxidants, evident from its bright red colour. When we first opened our juice bar, our aprons and hands used to be stained pink from juicing fresh beetroots. A simplistic way to think of antioxidants and their benefits for the body is that another name for rust is oxidation, so antioxidants help slow down the build-up of ‘rust’ in our body by slowing down cellular degradation. Research published in the journal Nutrients showed that eating beetroot can help dilate blood vessels because of its dietary nitrates, enhancing our physical performance. It really is a winner, this dish.
This is a winning dish in both our households, with our kids loving the look and taste of it. It’s so easy that if your kids are into cooking, they can roll up their sleeves and give you a hand in the kitchen, with some of the simpler steps…we all need a chief button presser for the food processor.
If you want to see how we make it, step-by-step, click our video below. It really is so simple and so delicious. If you have any questions about this dish, feel free to drop a message below and we’ll get straight back to you.
Dave & Steve x
The Happy Pear Podcast
Do you snore, have asthma, struggle to focus?
Do you have corns, bunions, feet pain, ankle, knee, hip or lower back pain?
Do you have a strong immune system? How often do you find yourself ill per year?
Episode 82 – THE 5 Hidden Health Hacks
In this week’s podcast mash-up, we take the best of the best from all our health-focused episodes so far: we highlight the lesser-known but potentially incredibly important health hacks that could help your life.
The remarkable thing is, all of these are FREE: from walking barefoot (Tony Riddle) and nasal breathing (Patrick McKeown); to putting your hands in organic soil (Zach Bush) and deliberately changing seating positions throughout the day (Katy Bowman), simple things can support our health so we want as many people as possible to know about them.
Get ready for a tidal wave of health hacks – let us know if you find any of them useful!
A winning episode. Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
We would love to hear your feedback! Write to us at podcast@thehappypear.ie and we will read out selects in the intro of each episode.
Checkout Vivobarefoot Footwear and avail of 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20 – Genuinely the only shoes you will see Dave & Steve wearing!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt
Immunity Boost Kale Smoothie
Takes 7 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 50 g kale
- 12 g ginger
- 2 whole oranges
- 8 Medjool dates
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 275 g iced or cold water
Instructions
- Prepare the IngredientsRemove the thick ribs from the kale leaves.If using non-organic ginger, peel it; organic ginger can be used with the skin on.Peel the oranges and remove any seeds.Pit the Medjool dates, ensuring there are no stones left.Scoop the flesh from half an avocado and discard the stone.
- BlendAdd all prepared ingredients to a blender.Blend on high speed until smooth, adjusting the texture with additional water if needed.
- ServePour into glasses and enjoy immediately for maximum freshness.
Nutrition
Immunity Boost Kale Smoothie
Green, sweet, substantial: three words that don’t often go together! This Immunity Boost Kale Smoothie is a powerful way to
start your morning. ginger will put a pep in your step, the avocado, kale and almond butter will ensure your energy is consistent
during the morning, and the dates will bring sweet deliciousness! We suggest using almond butter for this recipe, but any nut
butter that you have sitting in your cupboard will work, great. Peanut butter and Tahini are close favourites. Start the day right
with this Immunity Boost Kale Smoothie! This recipe is also a great way to use up any avocado that might be sat in your fridge f
or too long! To use the whole avocado, smash the remaining half on to some toasted sourdough with a little salt, lime and chilli
for a lovely accompaniment with your smoothie.
More Kale to use up?
The Happy Pear Podcast
Let’s talk SEX!
The taboos, intimacy, pornography, vulnerability, communication, monogamy, infidelity, pleasure, orgasms, erectile dysfunction and so much more…
Episode 81 – Great sex for life!
How can we fit so much into one episode you might wonder? Well, we did it again, we decided to make life easier for you by taking the best nuggets from our series on Sex, Pleasure and Relationships and we put it into one bite-sized episode for you!
This topic is fascinating! We all do it and yet we seem to only talk about it publicly when it comes to fertility. Despite the fact that “90% of sex is for pleasure“ – Dan Savage
So why is this? Why can’t we have good honest conversations without feeling the need to crack a joke or only talk top-level stuff?
And yet according to the Huffington Post, more people watch porn than they do Netflix, Amazon and Hulu combined.
With this kind of stats, you’d think we would be talking about sex all the time.
In this episode, we explore this lack of communication, we gain some great advice on how to improve our own sex lives, have orgasms, reduce erectile dysfunction and so much more…
A winning episode. Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
We would love to hear your feedback! Write to us at podcast@thehappypear.ie and we will read out selects in the intro of each episode.
Checkout Vivobarefoot Footwear and avail of 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20 – Genuinely the only shoes you will see Dave & Steve wearing!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt
Courgette and Lemon Cupcakes
Takes
Serves
Ingredients
- 100 g Courgettes
- 300 g Self-raising flour
- 200 g coconut sugar or caster sugar
- 250 ml Non-dairy milk
- zest and juice of 2.5 lemons
- 450 g vegan cream cheese
- 150 g icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C fan/200°C/gas 6. Line a muffin tray with paper cases.
- Put the milk into a jug with the zest and juice of 2 lemons and 100ml of sunflower oil. Mix and allow the milk to curdle for a few minutes. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the curdled milk. Bring together using a spatula until all the ingredients are combined.
- Fold the grated courgette through the batter. Pour the batter into each muffin case, no more than three-quarters full. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, rotating halfway through the cooking time.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven when they have risen and check that they are done by inserting a clean skewer into the centre – if the skewer comes out clean they are done, if not, put the cupcakes back into the oven for another 5 minutes or so. Allow to cool fully before icing.
- For the icing, put the vegan cream cheese into a mixing bowl and use a whisk to break it up until smooth and creamy. Sieve in the icing sugar and juice of the remaining lemon half plus most of the zest. Whisk until smooth. Pop back into the fridge until you are ready to ice the cupcakes.
- Simply frost each cupcake using a palette knife or a spatula. If you want pretty swirls, half fill a piping bag with a large star nozzle, or use a large freezer/sandwich bag and snip off about 1cm off one of the corners, and pipe a nice swirl on to each cupcake. Decorate with the rest of the lemon zest.
The Happy Pear Podcast
Welcome to this week’s episode! You are in for a treat… we have done the work for you this week by taking some of the BEST bits from our community series and distilling them into one clear message!
Utopia is achievable! You better believe it!
Episode 80 – The cheapest way to live to 100?
This episode is packed with so much amazing information. It will leave you in deep thought – the good kind!
Community has been the backbone of our lives and our business. We would not have succeeded without it. Investing in true friendships that nurture our souls, encourage us to be better versions of ourselves, and be true to ourselves has always been important to us. We would not be the people we are today or have succeeded in anyway without our community.
So we decide to dig deeper and invite guest speakers to our podcast who virtually specialise on the topic.
However, what we didn’t expect is how much we would learn. We were amazed by our guests who took us on a much deeper journey than we expected, from explorers who have emersed themselves in indigenous tribes, searched far and wide for the longest living and healthiest people, mother earth herself imparting her wisdom, trailblazers who have taken action and created their own localised community… to journalists and the importance of talking to strangers!
A fascinating subject we will forever be exploring. We hope you find this episode enlightening and with a yearning to learn more.
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
Checkout Vivobarefoot Footwear and avail of 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20 – Genuinely the only shoes you will see Dave & Steve wearing!
Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt
Size: 400g
This yum noodle dish is packed with mixed veg in a Thai style coconut and lemongrass sauce. It’s medium hot as regards spice level and we absolutely love it. Jazz it up by adding in some stir-fried tofu or baked tempeh! Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
Cooked Wholewheat Noodles (32%) [Water, Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Wheat Flour (Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Rapeseed Oil, Acidity Regulators (Potassium Carbonate, Sodium Carbonate), Salt], Water, Broccoli (13%), Red Pepper (10%), Carrot (10%), Coconut Milk [Coconut Extract, Water], Onions, Bamboo Shoots, Tamari Soy Sauce [Water, Soybean, Salt, Spirit Vinegar], Corn Starch, Spring Onion, Lemongrass, Garlic Purée, Ginger Purée, Agave Syrup, Spices, Coconut Cream Flakes, Rapeseed Oil, Coriander, Salt, Lime Purée, Lime Leaf, Garlic Powder, Mustard
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens incl. Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients highlighted.
May Also Contain Traces of Nuts.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 383kJ / 92kcal |
| Fat | 4.1g |
| Of which Saturates | 1.7g |
| Carbohydrates | 9.8g |
| Of which Sugars | 1.6g |
| Fibre | 2.4g |
| Protein | 2.7g |
| Salt | 0.42g |
Size: 400g
This dish is a super tasty noodle dish with mixed veg in a Korean inspired soy and ginger sauce. You’re going to love it – it contains 2 of your 5 a day and is lip-smacking good!
INGREDIENTS
Cooked Wholewheat Noodles (32%) [Water, Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Wheat Flour (Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Rapeseed Oil, Acidity Regulators (Potassium Carbonate, Sodium Carbonate), Salt], Water, Carrot (13%), Green Beans (10%), Tamari Soy Sauce [Water, Soybeans, Salt, Spirit Vinegar], Red Pepper (5%), Yellow Pepper (5%), Onion, Agave Syrup, Spinach, Corn Starch, Sesame Oil, Spring Onion, Ginger Purée, White Wine Vinegar, Garlic Purée, Soybean Oil, Red Chilli, Barley Malt Extract
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens incl. Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients highlighted.
May Also Contain Traces of Nuts and Mustard.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 410kJ / 98kcal |
| Fat | 3.8g |
| Of which Saturates | 0.5g |
| Carbohydrates | 12g |
| Of which Sugars | 3.5g |
| Fibre | 2.2g |
| Protein | 2.8g |
| Salt | 1.0g |
Easy Pumpkin Pie
Takes 40 minutes
Serves 8
Ingredients
Base:
- 200 g digestive biscuits
- 80 g coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
- 500 g pumpkin or squash peeled and diced (or 400 g pumpkin purée)
- 400 g vegan cream cheese
- 100 g coconut oil
- 140 g maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 pinch salt
Topping:
- 50 g dark chocolate finely chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. If using fresh pumpkin or squash, peel, seed, and cut into small, bite-sized pieces. Place on a baking tray and roast for 25 minutes or until soft.
- Add the digestive biscuits to a food processor and blend until they resemble breadcrumbs (about 1 minute). Add the coconut oil and vanilla extract, and blend again until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Transfer the mixture to a lined springform cake tin or pie dish, spreading it evenly. Use the back of a spoon to press it down firmly, creating a compact base.
- Wipe out the food processor, then add the roasted pumpkin (or pumpkin purée) and all remaining filling ingredients. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Using a silicone spatula, spread the filling evenly over the prepared base. Smooth the top for an even finish.
- Place the pie in the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes. For a firmer texture, chill for 1–2 hours.
- Just before serving, finely chop the dark chocolate and sprinkle over the top of the pie.
Nutrition
Here are some of our favourite treats to serve with this delicious dinner.
- This 5 ingredient chocolate salted caramel tart is no bake and so tasty
- Banoffee pie is so good and this 5 ingredient easy to make Banoffee pie version is wonderful
- For a seasonal centre piece dessert this Berry and custard trifle is so good!
- This flapjack recipe is one of our kids favourites
The Happy Pear Podcast
Checkout Vivobarefoot Footwear and avail of 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20
“Movement is a giant circle of a diagram, it’s any time you change the shape of your body or even the tissues within your body. Exercise is a specific type of movement… you do it to a mode, or a specific time frame… I am just trying to get people to think differently as we are so sedentary culturally that to exercise every day seems like a tone of movement… but we really require a tremendous amount more than just 1 hour a day and it really needs to be distributed better throughout the day.”
Why you might ask is this necessary?
Episode 79 – Katy Bowman
To be able to use our bodies in the future! To be physically fit enough to be able to do the tasks we do now in the future. “You have to water your garden so it continues to produce”, by continuously moving in different dynamic ways throughout the day “you nourish your tissues”.
This week we had the pleasure of speaking to bio-mechanist Katy Bowman, bestselling author, speaker, and a leader in the Movement movement. Katy is changing the way we move and think about our need for movement.
“We have put “foot mittens” on at the early stages of trying to figure out balance and what terrain feels like underfoot, so our hips and knees have had to do more work, that they are not necessarily there to do, because the toes and other muscles of the feet aren’t able to participate in walking”
Katy’s eight books, include the groundbreaking Move Your DNA, have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. Bowman teaches movement globally and speaks about sedentarism and human movement ecology to academic and scientific audiences. She has worked with companies like Patagonia, Nike, and Google as well as a wide range of non-profits and other communities, sharing her “move more, move more body parts, move more for what you need” message. Her movement education company, Nutritious Movement, is based in Washington State, where she lives with her family.
We love Katy and her work, during this podcast we found ourselves shifting from seated to standing and even to squatting, her message is infectious and super important. We hope you get as much out of this episode as we did!
And to honour this week’s guest, Vivo have granted our listeners a 20% discount on their footwear! 25% of our muscles are from our ankles down, there are more nerve endings per square centimeter in the foot than any other part of the body, and yet we bind them and put a thick sole under them so they feel nothing.
Vivobarefoot footwear is part of the solution! Designed wide to provide natural stability, thin to enable you to feel more, and flexible to help you build your natural strength from the ground up. Studies show that foot strength increases by 60% in a matter of months just by walking around in them.
We have been wearing Vivo’s for the last 5 years since we first discovered the importance of foot strength and flexibility! We highly recommend Vivo’s and if you try them and don’t like them, they have a 100-day free trial so you can return them and get your money back!
Simply go to their website https://www.vivobarefoot.com/ and type in the discount code HAPPYPEAR20 to avail of your 20% discount!
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To learn more about Katy and her work check out her website: https://www.nutritiousmovement.com/
Checkout Vivobarefoot Footwear and avail of 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20
Genuinely the only shoes you will see Dave & Steve wearing!
Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt
The Happy Pear Podcast
This week’s guest needs no real introduction, we were delighted to have Australian supermodel, businesswoman, tv host, actress and our friend, Elle Macpherson on the podcast!
“I was pretty much paid to be whatever they wanted to be, and I was really good at it, but striving to be excellent in my job it distanced me from the capacity to get to know myself, dissociation of who I am and who I was supposed to be… as I have matured I have come to realise that the real joy in life is this authentic way of being which is – what I think what I feel what I do – being all aligned.”
Episode 78 – Elle Macpherson
Eleanor Nancy Macpherson, is possibly best known for her record-breaking front cover appearance on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the 1980s, leading to her nickname “The Body”. Having carved out a modeling, TV, and acting career, Elle is now also at the forefront of the wellbeing industry with her natural health brand, Welleco.
Elle came to stay with us for a couple of days, being a fellow vegan and lover dips in the sea, chats, walks and movement, needless to say we had a wonderful time.
An excellent conversationalist we were fascinated listening to all her stories and nuggets of wisdom. Now nearly 60 it is safe to say she has lived many lives! From substance abuse, divorces, too discovering her true self. She is an inspiring, intelligent, charming and insightful person – this is a great episode that will make you reflect and hopefully get you motivated!
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To learn more about Elle and her work visit: https://welleco.eu/
Our new book, The Veg Box is our now! 10 vegetables, 10 ways using only 10 ingredients or less. Plant-based healthy eating made super simple, less waste, better for you and the planet!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Sumer Veg Tagine – cooked on an open flame
Takes 50 minutes
Serves 3
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 carrot
- 1 cauliflower
- 1 fennel bulb
- 350 g baby potatoes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas (drained weight: 250g)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 cherry tomatoes (add more if desired)
- A few sprigs of basil (or herb of choice)
- 50 g dried apricots chopped finely
- 50 g fresh rainbow chard (or spinach)
- 50 g fresh garden peas (or sugar snaps)
To serve
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 4 tbsp gomasio (or toasted sesame seeds)
Instructions
- Prep the Veg:Peel and finely dice the onions and garlic. Finely dice the carrot.Cut the cauliflower into florets, keeping the smaller leaves. Discard the large woody leaves. Chop the cauliflower stalk into bite-sized pieces.Slice the fennel into thin, long strips. Quarter the baby potatoes. Halve the cherry tomatoes and finely chop the apricots.
- Cook the Base:Heat a large saucepan on high heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes with the lid on, stirring regularly.Add the diced carrot, a pinch of salt, and 2 tbsp of water. Stir and cook with the lid on for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the Cauliflower:Add the cauliflower florets and stalk to the pan along with a pinch of salt. If the vegetables start to stick, add 3 tbsp of water to deglaze the pan. Stir well to loosen any browning bits.Cover with the lid and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the Fennel:Add the sliced fennel and another pinch of salt. Cover and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Add the Potatoes and Spices:Add the quartered baby potatoes to the pan. Add enough water to almost submerge the vegetables.Stir in the smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, and chilli powder. Add the drained chickpeas and apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine and taste for seasoning, adjusting salt and pepper as needed.Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Final Veg Additions:Add the halved cherry tomatoes, chopped apricots, and torn basil to the pan.Roughly chop the chard leaves and finely slice the stalks. Add the stalks first to ensure even cooking, followed by the leaves.Cook until the potatoes are soft and all the flavours have melded, about 5-7 minutes.
- Serve:Taste and adjust seasoning one last time, adding more salt or pepper if needed.Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle gomasio or toasted sesame seeds on top before serving.
Nutrition
Video
Here are some of our favourite treats to serve with this delicious dinner.
- This 5 ingredient chocolate salted caramel tart is no bake and so tasty
- Banoffee pie is so good and this 5 ingredient easy to make Banoffee pie version is wonderful
- For a seasonal centre piece dessert this Berry and custard trifle is so good!
- This flapjack recipe is one of our kids favourites
The Happy Pear Podcast
“Psychologically safe teams are where everybody feels okay to speak up… sometimes the greatest ideas will come from the quietest voices.”
This week we had the pleasure to sit with our friend, confident and one of Europes leading minds in resilience, leadership, business strategy, psychological safety, and practical neuroscience – Justin Caffrey!
Episode 77 – Justin Caffrey
“In a negotiation, everyone wants to win… most people struggle when it’s quiet, when there’s a void someone will fill it… so if you are able to meditate, slow down and go in calm… you create this void and the other person filling the void will usually impart information that results in you winning the negotiation…”
Justin has taught and coached global talent for over twenty-five years, building and selling million-dollar businesses. His popular YouTube channel has had over 1 million views teaching his techniques.
Holding a Master’s in Psychological Interventions using Neuroscience and Mindfulness from University College Dublin. Justin is also trained as a Psychotherapeutic Coach, an Accredited Wellness coach from the Mayo Institute and a Certified Investment Fund Director. Not to mention he is one of only a handful of Westerners to complete the grueling Masters Training with the Yamabushi in the remote mountains of Shonai in Japan!
In 2010, at the peak of his career as a dynamic CEO having founded multiple investment firms, Justin’s son Joshua died – just before his first birthday. Business carried on as normal until 2014, when Justin had what turned out to be a panic attack in the middle of a crucial meeting. He had failed to grieve his son’s death.
In the year that followed his life and health started to unravel. The cause was not Joshua’s death, but the trigger. The CEO had lacked the psychological safety to speak about his emotions and vulnerabilities, no matter the situation.
It would be 2016 before Justin started talking about his vulnerabilities publicly. Fearing it would be a career-ending moment, Justin spoke about the psychological vulnerability he encountered after his son’s death and the constant barrage of negative self-talk. Awaiting judgment, he received only praise and gratitude. Colleagues, clients, and strangers all found something within his words.
Justin is a skilled storyteller narrating his professional and personal journey in a way that everyone from boardroom to kitchen tables can relate to . We all have difficult events in life, he shares how losing his son at the peak of his city career, was ultimately a blessing, and how we can all turn around any challenges we face in life.
Despite the tragedy of his son’s death, this episode will leave you feeling hopeful, broaden your awareness of what it truly means to feel safe in your personal and work enviroment, and of course for any founders, leaders and CEO’s out there, how to get the best out of your employees!
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Justin and his work visit his site: https://www.justincaffrey.com/
Our new book, The Veg Box is our now! 10 vegetables, 10 ways using only 10 ingredients or less. Plant-based healthy eating made super simple, less waste, better for you and the planet!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
The Happy Pear Podcast
Dr. Will Bulsiewicz (or “Dr. B”) is an award-winning gastroenterologist, internationally recognised gut health expert and the New York Times-bestselling author of Fiber Fueled and The Fiber Fueled Cookbook.
Episode 76 – Dr Will Bulsiewicz
“The factor that most people are missing and that the food system is not going to give us, is to eat a wider variety of plants… studies have proven that the people with the healthiest guts were eating at least 30 varieties of plants a week… so stop counting macros, stop counting calories, stop counting grams of fibre and start counting plants!”
Dr B sits on the Scientific Advisory Board and is US Medical Director of ZOE, has authored more than twenty articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, has given more than forty presentations at national meetings, presented to Congress and the USDA, and has taught over 10,000 students how to heal and optimise their gut health.
Needless to say, when it comes to gut health, he knows what he is talking about!
We go deep into the effects the gut has on our moods, our emotional health, and our physical wellbeing, from the micro to the macro!
You’ll come out of it with a whole new perspective on how to approach your health.
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Dr B and his work check out his Instagram @theguthealthmd and his website theplantfedgut.com
Our new book, The Veg Box is our now! 10 vegetables, 10 ways using only 10 ingredients or less. Plant-based healthy eating made super simple, less waste, better for you and the planet!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Stuffed Chard & sweet tomato bake
Takes 55 minutes
Serves 5
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- 6 chard leaves alternatively replace with cabbage leaves
- 2 large potatoes
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 carrot
- 1 courgette
- 1 400g tin of kidney beans or other tinned cooked beans
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- 1.2 tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp olive oil
- Sauce
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 680 g passata tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- salt & black pepper to taste
- Breadcrumb topping
- handful breadcrumbs approx 40g
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 Thyme leaves
Instructions
- Instructions:
- preheat the oven to 180C or gas mark 4
- Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Grate the carrot and courgette. Slice the stalk of the chard down so the stalk and leaf are level. Finely chop the stalks. Drain and rinse the kidney beans.
- Put a small pot of water on to boil, once boiling add the potatoes and boil for 8-10 minutes. Leave to cool and then grate them.
- Add a couple of liters of water to a large pan (enough water to blanch the chard in) and bring to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and the chard leaves. Blanch the Chard leaves for 1-2 minutes. Rinse in cold water, pat the leaves dry and set aside.
- To make the filling:Put a non stick wide bottom pan on a high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic and cook for 4 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan add the carrots, chard stalks and courgette and cook until soft, which will take approx 5 minutes. Add the grated potatoes, 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of black pepper and stir well, cooking for about 5 minutes. Add the kidney beans along with 1 tablespoon of tamari, ½ cumin, mix well and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add a little water if it is getting too dry.
- Lay the blanched Chard leaves on a flat clean surface and spoon the mixture into the middle of each leaf. Fold from the sides and roll from the stalk end and form into a parcel. You can, if necessary, add a cocktail stick to hold the parcel together. Place into an over-proofed dish.
- Repeat with the remaining leaves until the filling and leaves are all used up and the ovenproof dish is full of chard parcels.
- SAUCE: Pour the jar of tomato passata into a jug or large bowl and add the remaining sauce ingredients.
- Remove the thyme leaves from the stalk and mix the leaves together with the bread crumbs and oil and sprinkle over the bake.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until piping hot.
- TIP: You can use 50g chopped walnuts, 50g mushrooms, 120g cooked rice or quinoa.
Nutrition
Here are some of our favourite treats to serve with this delicious dinner.
- This 5 ingredient chocolate salted caramel tart is no bake and so tasty
- Banoffee pie is so good and this 5 ingredient easy to make Banoffee pie version is wonderful
- For a seasonal centre piece dessert this Berry and custard trifle is so good!
- This flapjack recipe is one of our kids favourites
The Happy Pear Podcast
“How many people – youngsters going in to do exams, people going to do a public talk…- respond to these stressful situation with hyperventilation, respond with fast, harder breathing, with mouth breathing and with irregular breathing… what is that telling the brain? That it is under threat!”
Episode 75 – Patrick McKeown
You could say our breathwork journey started 20 years ago when we began yoga, however, we only really began to understand the vast and sheer importance of it in the last few years.
When we first discover Patrick Mckeown and his work we knew we had to get him on the podcast! This episode is our second attempt at recording with Patrick, our unfortunately ended in technical issues… or was it unfortunate? What was originally planned to be a remote recording resulted in Patrick driving down to us, spending the afternoon with us, having lunch and recording in person. Thank you technology for not always working!
Patrick McKeown is one of the world’s leading experts on breathing and sleep. Over the last 20 years, he has coached thousands of people to breathe better, to improve their health, mental focus, and sports performance. He has authored bestselling books including Asthma Free Naturally, Close Your Mouth, The Oxygen Advantage and The Breathing Cure, and his research is published in journals including the Journal of Clinical Medicine. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in the UK for his contribution to the fields of breathing and sleep medicine.
Patrick is the founder of Buteyko Clinic International, the largest Buteyko Breathing Clinic in the world. In 2014, he created his own science-backed breathwork training program, Oxygen Advantage®, which continues to develop in line with his clinical experience as a breathing coach, and with the latest scientific research. He has trained thousands of breathing instructors in both methods.
We could have spoken for hours. Patrick’s knowledge on breath is (pardon the pun)“breathtaking”! From his back story of overcoming asthma to his extensive knowledge on how breathing affects your anatomy, how you sleep, anxiety, stress, your health and so much more…
Patrick has also kindly offered 50% off for anyone who uses the promo code HAPPYPEAR50 on either of his books: Atomic Focus or The Breathing Cure
A great episode! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Patrick and his work check out: https://buteykoclinic.com and www.oxygenadvantage.com
Our new book, The Veg Box is our now! 10 vegetables, 10 ways using only 10 ingredients or less. Plant-based healthy eating made super simple, less waste, better for you and the planet!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Peanut and Sweet Ginger Pad Thai
Takes 10 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- wedges of lime
- 300 g wholewheat or brown rice noodles 4 nests
- ½ thumb-sized piece of ginger approx. 15g
- 1 red chilli medium heat
- 1 bunch of scallions/spring onions
- 1 carrot
- 150 g oyster mushrooms or mushrooms of choice
- 1 head of pak choi or 100g baby spinach
- 1½ tbsp oil
For the dressing:
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- Juice of 2 limes
- 4 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
To garnish:
- A small bunch of fresh coriander or basil approx. 10g
- 3 tbsp salted roasted peanuts
- Pickled ginger
- Wedges of lime
Instructions
- Cook the noodlesPut the noodles in a pot of boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions (usually takes 4-5 minutes).Remove from heat, drain, and rinse with cold water in a colander over the sink.
- Prep the vegetablesPeel and finely chop the ginger.Remove the end of the chilli and finely slice (leave the seeds in if you like it hot).Finely slice the scallions/spring onions, removing any limp outer leaves, and finely chop the green parts.Grate the carrot.Finely chop the mushrooms.Remove the nub at the end of the pak choi and finely chop.
- Stir-fry the vegetablesPut the oil into a large non-stick pan (ideally a wok) over high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the ginger and chilli, and cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly.Add the mushrooms, scallions, and grated carrot with 1 teaspoon of salt.Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Prepare the dressingIn a cup, mix together the dressing ingredients using a fork. Don't worry if the coconut milk remains a little lumpy, it will break down when added to the pan.
- Add the dressingPour the dressing into the pan and stir thoroughly to coat all the vegetables.Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Combine noodles and vegetablesAdd the cooked noodles and chopped pak choi (or spinach) to the pan and cook for another few minutes until heated through.
- ServeRemove from the heat. Roughly chop the fresh coriander or basil and use as a garnish for each serving, along with sprinkles of roasted peanuts.Serve with some pickled ginger and a wedge of lime on each plate.
- Note: It's best to prep all the veg first, as this is a fast-cooking dish done on high heat in about 5 minutes.
Nutrition
If dont like mushrooms in this peanut and sweet pad thai, just substitute with your favourite fast cooking veg such as peppers, courgettes or fine beans. Alternative to coconut milk are to make a cashew cream or to replace with low fat coconut milk or simply veg stock for a lower fat version.
Here are some of our favourite treats to serve with this Peanut and sweet ginger Pad Thai
(these are not low in fat!)
- This 5 ingredient chocolate salted caramel tart is no bake and so tasty
- Banoffee pie is so good and this 5 ingredient easy to make Banoffee pie version is wonderful
- For a seasonal centre piece dessert this Berry and custard trifle is so good!
- This flapjack recipe is one of our kids favourites
The Happy Pear Podcast
Would you eat veg with soil on it? But what if it was potentially healthier for you and the planet?
According to the UN’s FAO, over 90% of the Earth’s soil could be degraded by 2050. There are several reasons but “conventional farming” that uses chemicals (e.g. pesticides), machinery and other modern techniques are potentially adding to the problem.
So what’s the solution? Is organic farming (using no pesticides) enough?
Episode 74 – Charles Dowding
Charles Dowding, this week’s podcast guest, is an unsung hero of progressive farming. An author, YouTuber and NO DIG pioneer, Charles started his experimentation with NO DIG back in 1982 and the results were amazing. From the wonderful harvest and reduction in weeds; to the improvement in retention of health within the food he grew, Charles realised he had hit on something special!
Since then Charles has been sharing his findings about the benefits of NO DIG and the movement is catching on!
Within our own 4-acre farm we also practice the method of NO DIG: we are new to farming in this capacity and so far we are getting so much joy from it.
“Through my experience, I’ve become more and more aware of how soil works, through not working it! I’ve increased my understanding of biodiversity and the need to keep carbon in the soil. Digging, and any form of soil exposure, releases CO2 into the atmosphere. No dig keeps carbon locked in the soil, and carbon in many forms is the building block of soil structure and food.”
We absolutely loved this episode. We hope you dig it, too!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Charles and the NO DIG movement visit his site: https://charlesdowding.co.uk/
Our new book, The Veg Box is our now! 10 vegetables, 10 ways using only 10 ingredients or less. Plant-based healthy eating made super simple, less waste, better for you and the planet!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Easy mushroom steak sandwich
Takes 15 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 large baguette or bread roll
- 2 medium onions
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 200 g oyster mushrooms or mushrooms of choice
- 2 tbsp tamari/ soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 large tomato
- A few leaves of lettuce
- 3 tbsp vegan mayo
Instructions
- Peel and slice the onions
- Heat a non stick pan on high heat
- Add 1 tbsp of oil and once hot add the sliced onions, fry until they start to brown stirring regularly, this should take about 5 mins, as they start to shrivel and go golden add in the balsamic vinegar and 1.5 tbsp of maple syrup. Remove the pan from the heat and mix well. Set the onions aside and leave to cool.
- Rip up the mushrooms in long strips. Put the non stick pan back on high heat and once hot add 1 tbsp of oil and the mushrooms. Take another pan that fits inside this pan and put some baking parchment to cover the bottom of this pan and compress the pan down so that the mushrooms are being forced to evaporate more moisture and are forced to brown and grill more. Once they start to brown on once side turn them and repeat on the other side. Once they are brown all over, turn off the heat and mix the 2 tbsp of tamari, 1.5 tbsp of maple syrup and the garlic powder and add to the pan mixing well while still hot ensuring that each mushroom is well coated. Leave them to cool
- To bring together, slice the baguette lengthwise and add a generous dallop of vegan mayonnaise on each side, add a nice coating of caramelised onions to one side, next some sliced tomato, some lettuce and finish with a generous serving of the mushrooms. Repeat with the other sandwich. Enjoy!
Nutrition
If you cant get oyster mushrooms use what ever mushrooms you have and this technique will really help increase the grizzly texture of your mushrooms. If you can get hold of wholemeal bread it will be healthier for you.
Here are some of our favourite treats to serve with this Easy mushroom Steak sandwich
(these are not low in fat!)
- This 5 ingredient chocolate salted caramel tart is no bake and so tasty
- Banoffee pie is so good and this 5 ingredient easy to make Banoffee pie version is wonderful
- For a seasonal centre piece dessert this Berry and custard trifle is so good!
- This flapjack recipe is one of our kids favourites
The Happy Pear Podcast
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, by 70%, and is the number one most costly disease – “It’s not because it’s happening more often it’s because of bad lifestyle and medications that prolong life but don’t get rid of pathological processes that cause dementia so you have a whole lot of people living with this devastating disease.”
Episode 73 – Dr’s Ayesha & Dean Sherzai
This week we speak to THE ultimate brain-powered couple! Neuroscientists Dr Dean and Ayesha Sherzai are a phenomenal pair, aside from the impressive list of credentials after both of their names, they have dedicated their lives to behavioural change models and brain health initiatives.
Co-director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University, Dr Dean completed two fellowships at the National Institutes of Health, and UC San Diego. He also has 2 masters degrees in clinical research and epidemiology, an executive leadership degree from Harvard Business School, and a PhD in Healthcare Leadership.
And just when you thought that was already enough achievements for one person, in 2002, Dr Dean was asked by the World Bank to help lead their health delivery project in Afghanistan. While there, he was asked by President Karzai to become the Deputy Minister of Health and focused on bringing together all the stakeholders around the vision of rapid delivery of the basic package of health services and women’s empowerment. This process was deemed by LANCET as the most successful plan in any post-conflict county. This plan also helped empower more than 20,000 Afghan women by making them the only source of health care in the most remote of communities. In 2013, he helped create the Afghan Health Initiative in order to empower the Afghan diaspora with their own health. Currently, along with his wife Dr. Ayesha, they are leading the largest community-based brain health initiative in the world through their online work in Brain Health Revolution.
Dr. Ayesha, is also a neurologist and co-director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University, where she leads the Lifestyle Program for the Prevention of Neurological Diseases. Is also a trained plant-based culinary artist.
She holds a master’s in advanced sciences from UCSD. Subsequent to completing her residency Dr. Ayesha completed a fellowship in vascular neurology from Columbia University, and is currently enrolled to finish a PhD in women’s leadership.
We think it’s safe to say that when it comes to brains, these pair know what they are talking about!
“There are good stresses and bad stresses. Bad stress is when you are involved in activities that are not driven by your purposes… you don’t have a runway that is yours. Whereas good stress is based around activities that do drive your purpose… our brains are made to be active, it craves to be pushed and challenged around it’s purpose…”
In this episode, we discuss lifestyle choices, nutrition, purpose, Alzheimers, dementia, food that fuel your brain, activities that fuel your brain, and the data to support it.
It truly is an amazing episode we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To learn more about Dr’s Sherzai check out their website: https://teamsherzai.com/
And their latest book: The 30 Day Alzheimer’s Solutions
Our new book, The Veg Box is our now! 10 vegetables, 10 ways using only 10 ingredients or less. Plant-based healthy eating made super simple, less waste, better for you and the planet!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
The Secret Onion Chapter
It’s the one vegetable that makes you cry when you cut it! In this secret chapter, we’ll show how to make a hearty rich onion bourguignon, an onion tartlet, some delicious Indian style onion bhaji burgers, some delicious onion breads and more.
Click the “Get Secret Chapter” button below.
*Note: your information is not used for any purpose unless you sign up for offers and updates from The Happy Pear.
The Happy Pear Podcast
40% of men suffer from erectile disfunction in their 40’s, 50% in their 50’s, 60% in their 60’s… it’s an easy stat to remember! A lot of this is due to age-related changes however “some of this we can control and put on the breaks…”
Episode 72 – Dr Aaron Spitz
This week’s episode is for anyone with a penis, any friends of penises, and any lovers of penises! An area that is not talked about enough, and yet viagra had some of the fastest uptake and sales growth of any medication, ever, after its launch in 1998.
We were delighted to speak with Aaron Spitz, M.D a board-certified urologist and a leading expert in male sexual health and fertility. Who has been featured worldwide on numerous tv shows, published many articles on the subject and now is the author of the book called The Penis Book: A Doctor’s Complete Guide to the Penis: From Size to Function and Everything in Between
Just like the canary in the coal mine, ED can be the first sign of something much more major going on in your body. “If a man starts noticing he is getting weak erections or having difficulty keeping erections that most likely means the little arteries in his penis are starting to get clogged up, which means all the arteries in his body are getting clogged up, it’s just the arteries in his penis are much smaller so he is not feeling it everywhere else…yet!”
Dr Aaron has helped countless men overcome these challenges, including erectile dysfunction, low testosterone, Peyronie’s Disease, and low sperm count. He is a nationally recognised leader in microsurgical vasectomy reversal. Dr. Spitz is able to demystify these complex and emotional conditions for his patients as well as for the public at large. Dr. Spitz served as Assistant Clinical Professor of Urology, UC Irvine for 10 years, where he oversaw their training for male sexual health and infertility.
Dr. Spitz is a national leader in health policy for urologists across the nation. He serves as the lead delegate representing all of America’s urologists to the American Medical Association (AMA). He also is in charge of pioneering the use of telemedicine for America’s urologists. He frequently meets with state and national legislators about topics of critical concern to doctors and patients alike.
As two penis owners naturally we found this a fascinating conversation. However, as Dr Aaron says, this is something that affects everyone, whether it be directly or through association. The more we understand, the more knowledge we have the more we can prevent premature ED and potentially much more serious and life-threatening illnesses.
To find out more about Dr Aaran and his work check out his website www.aaronspitz.com and his book The Penis Book: A Doctor’s Complete Guide to the Penis: From Size to Function and Everything in Between
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
Pre-order our new book now, The Veg Box! 10 vegetables, 10 ways using only 10 ingredients or less. Plant-based healthy eating made super simple, less waste, better for you and the planet!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
The Happy Pear Podcast
Ever heard the expression “use it or lose it”? This week we speak to Dr James Timmons, an Exercise Specialist who aims to live to 100 independent and strong!
Episode 71 – Dr James Timmons
We are living longer, “old school thinking was that as you age you slow down, we now know that as you age you should be doing more… There needs to be a shift in the thought process from the government – we need to keep people active longer…”
With 10 years of Strength and Conditioning experience working with clinical populations, Dr James received his BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from the University College Dublin in 2012, MSc in Strength and Conditioning from the University of Edinburgh in 2013, and PhD from University College Dublin in 2018.
His doctoral studies focused on exercise training and dietary strategies to support improvements in body composition and physical function in older adults. While carrying out his PhD, he also worked as an exercise specialist in Medfit Proactive Healthcare where his focus was on improving muscle mass, strength and function in adults over the age of 65.
The owner and founder of www.youagewell.com, James’ mantra is to “match health span to lifespan” with s primary focus on improving movement patterns and quality of life of adults over 50.
James takes us through the many ways in which we can prevent, delay and improve muscle atrophy, osteoporosis, increase muscle mass and stay mobile with practical tips and the data to back it.
We hope that James’ insights motivate you to use and celebrate your body as much as it motivated us!
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
Pre-order our new book now, The Veg Box! 10 vegetables, 10 ways using only 10 ingredients or less. Plant-based healthy eating made super simple, less waste, better for you and the planet!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
The Happy Pear Podcast
Have you ever considered what effect lack of sleep can have on things other than your mood?
Did you know that…
Sleep acts like a filter system for your memory?
Sleep helps you forget unnecessary information to make room for important information?
Children only grow in the first few hours of sleep?
Your ability to gain more muscle is affected by the quality of your sleep?
This week we speak to Dr Oliver Bernath, the ultimate sleep specialist!
Episode 70 – Dr Oliver Bernath
We have been aware of the importance of sleep for years, making sure that we go to bed and get up at the same time everyday (or as often as we can!)
However, when we met Dr Oliver at a conference in London last month, we were blown away by his knowledge and how little we really knew!
Dr Bernath specialties cover: Sleep Disordered Breathing (Snoring, Sleep Apnoea) Insomnia, Sleep Rhythm disorders Parasomnias (e.g. Nightmares, Sleepwalking, REM-Sleep Behaviour Disorder), Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep, Narcolepsy and Central Hypersomnias, Sleep Optimisation and Performance.
After completing his Medical Doctorate thesis in muscle electrophysiology, Dr Bernath trained as a neurologist at the University of Chicago and completed fellowships at the University of California San Francisco in clinical neurophysiology. He trained in Sleep Medicine in Chicago with Prof Rechtschaffen and then at the world’s first Sleep Disorders Clinic at Stanford University with Prof Dement and Prof Guilleminault. He led the Northern California Sleep Disorders Center at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco and now sees patients at the NHS Sleep Clinic in London.
During this chat, we touch on how complex sleep quality really is, how we are not all the same and how to apply certain techniques in order to ensure you are getting the right sleep for yourself!
We hope you enjoy this and sleep well tonight!
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
This May 30th join us on The Happy Shape Challenge! One month, where we all begin together, guided by Dave, Steve, Dr Sue and Rosie through constant live Q&A’s. Come join us and find out more on how you can feel healthier and happier while maintaining your happy shape! Follow this link for more information: thehappypear.ie/happyshape
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff Linguine
Takes 25 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
Main Dish:
- 500 g dry linguine or spaghetti
- 700 g mushrooms roughly chopped
- 200 g leeks chopped (use green tops as well)
- 4-5 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 small red onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 100 ml vegetable stock
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp tamari
- Fresh parsley or herb of choice, for garnish
Cashew Bechamel:
- 100 g roasted cashews
- 500 ml oat milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Prepare the Vegetables:Roughly chop the mushrooms.Chop the leeks into small, bite-sized pieces.Peel and finely chop the red onion and garlic.
- Cook the Mushrooms:Heat a non-stick pan over high heat.Once hot, add 1 tbsp of oil and half of the chopped mushrooms (cook in batches if needed). Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until browned. Remove the mushrooms and set aside.
- Cook the Leeks, Onion, and Garlic:Add 1 tbsp of oil to the same pan, then add the chopped leeks, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions begin to brown and the leeks start to soften.Turn off the heat and add the cooked mushrooms back to the pan.
- Cook the Pasta:Boil a kettle of water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain and rinse the pasta, setting it aside (reserve some of the pasta water).
- Make the Sauce:Add the vegetable stock to the pan with the mushrooms, leeks, and onion mixture, bringing it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Prepare the Cashew Bechamel:In a blender, add all ingredients for the cashew bechamel and blend until smooth.
- Combine Everything:Add the cashew bechamel and drained pasta to the pan with the vegetable mixture. Toss to coat the pasta evenly in the creamy sauce.Add most of the browned mushrooms and vegetable mix, reserving a few for garnish. Mix well and add fresh parsley.
- Serve:Plate the pasta, garnishing each serving with reserved mushrooms and a sprinkle of parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Beat the Bloat: Use only the green part of the leeks and omit the garlic for a lighter option.
Nutrition
Video
If you are looking for support to reach your happy shape check out of happy shape course with a weight loss doctor and a dietician link to learn more here
Here are some of our favourite treats to serve with this Creamy mushroom Stroganoff linguine
(these are not low in fat!)
- This 5 ingredient chocolate salted caramel tart is no bake and so tasty
- Banoffee pie is so good and this 5 ingredient easy to make Banoffee pie version is wonderful
- For a seasonal centre piece dessert this Berry and custard trifle is so good!
- This flapjack recipe is one of our kids favourites
The Happy Pear Podcast
What are the characteristics of a great leader? Are you born with it, or can it be taught?
From the moment she entered the studio filling the space with warmth; to the leadership roundtable she facilitated at the end, Joanne oozed passion for people and creating a nation of leaders “of good character”.
Episode 69 – Joanne Hession
Today, Joanne is dedicated to her social enterprise LIFT, which strives to create positive change in Ireland through values-based leadership. With over 30,000 people doing LIFT roundtables since inception 4 years ago, LIFT is the most inclusive positive leadership initiative ever seen in Ireland.
Starting as an entrepreneur at the age of 27, Joanne founded two businesses of her own: The Entrepreneurs Academy and QED The Accreditation Experts.
What else? From speaking at TEDx and authoring the best-selling “Don’t Get A Job Build A Business”, to spending being elected a Council member of the Dublin Chamber, Joanne has also lived a rich professional life away.
We are very grateful for the wisdom, lessons and kindness Joanne gifted us and believe that anyone striving to be a better leader will benefit from this conversation!
A great episode! Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
This May 30th join us on The Happy Shape Challenge! One month, where we all begin together, guided by Dave, Steve, Dr Sue and Rosie through constant live Q&A’s. Come join us and find out more on how you can feel healthier and happier while maintaining your happy shape! Follow this link for more information: thehappypear.ie/happyshape
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Easy Poke Bowl for Weight Loss – 10 Mins
Takes 10 minutes
Serves
Ingredients
- 250 g pre-cooked brown rice
- 100 g sauerkraut
- 300 g tempeh
- 6 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tbsp tamari
- ½ thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ a cucumber
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- 1 x 400g tin of kidney beans
- ½ cucumber
- Red onion
- 50 ml rice vinegar
Instructions
- Pickle the red onion: Peel and slice the red onion into thin strips. Place them in a mug, add the rice vinegar, and top up with water until the onion is submerged. Leave to pickle while preparing the rest of the dish.
- Heat the rice: Boil the kettle. In a bowl, add the precooked rice and cover it with boiling water to heat it up.
- Prepare the beans: Drain and rinse the kidney beans.
- Prepare the tempeh: Slice the tempeh lengthwise in half, then slice across to form 4 triangle-shaped pieces. Peel and dice the garlic and ginger.
- Cook the tempeh: Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Once hot, add the tempeh and fry for about 2 minutes on each side, or until starting to brown. Add the diced garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds to the pan and toast them for a minute, until the sesame seeds start popping.
- Add sauces: Turn the tempeh and add the tamari and sweet chilli sauce. Stir the sauce around the pan and coat the tempeh evenly. Add 1 tbsp of water to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pan.
- Heat the beans: Remove the tempeh from the pan and add the kidney beans to heat them up in the same pan.
- Prepare the vegetables: Slice the cherry tomatoes and cucumber.
- Assemble the poke bowl: Drain the heated rice and divide it between two bowls. Divide the sauerkraut, cucumber, tomatoes, and kidney beans equally between the bowls. Place 2 pieces of tempeh in each bowl. Garnish with pickled red onion and serve.
Video
Easy poke bowl for weightloss in 5 mins
This easy poke bowl for weight loss is so tasty and only takes 5 mins to make and is low in fat – its perfect for anyone who wants to stay in shape and eat a delicious meal. In the video 2 of us cooked in 5 mins so it might take you 10 mins.
Prep time : 5 mins | Cook time : 5 mins | Total time 5 mins Makes: 2 Servings | Difficulty: Easy
For this easy poke bowl for weightloss in 5 mins we use precooked brown rice but replace with quinoa or your favourite grain of choice. If you cant get tempeh just replace with tofu or even oyster mushrooms.
If you are looking for support to reach your happy shape check out of happy shape course with a weight loss doctor and a dietician link to learn more here
Here are some of our favourite treats to serve with this Easy poke bowl for weight loss in 5 mins that is low in fat (these are not low in fat!)
- This 5 ingredient chocolate salted caramel tart is no bake and so tasty
- Banoffee pie is so good and this 5 ingredient easy to make Banoffee pie version is wonderful
- For a seasonal centre piece dessert this Berry and custard trifle is so good!
- This flapjack recipe is one of our kids favourites
High protein bowl for weight loss – 5 mins
Takes 5 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 200 g pack of pre-cooked quinoa
- 1 x 400g tin of black beans
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 fresh radishes
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 1 x 200g block of firm tofu
- 2 tbsp Tamari/soy sauce
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds
- Fresh herb of choice or micro greens (to garnish)
Instructions
- Place a non-stick pan over high heat.
- Chop the tofu block into small cubes.
- Add the cubed tofu to the pan and cook for 4 minutes, stirring regularly. When it starts to stick, deglaze the pan by adding a couple of tablespoons of water and incorporating the flavour. Steam should rise, helping to cook the tofu.
- Drain and rinse the black beans. Add them to a bowl along with the ground coriander and lime juice. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the beans. Mix well.
- Assemble your bowls: divide the pre-cooked quinoa between 2 wide bowls. Divide the bean mixture between both bowls. Slice the radishes into thin circles and distribute them evenly between the bowls. Scoop the avocado half onto a chopping board, slice into strips, and divide between the bowls.
- Add the tamari, nutritional yeast, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds to the tofu. Stir to incorporate and cook for a further minute before turning off the heat.
- Top each bowl with the tofu.
- Garnish with chopped herbs or microgreens and enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
High protein bowl for weight loss – 5 mins
This high protein bowl for weight loss only takes 5 mins to make and is low in fat – its perfect for anyone who wants to stay in shape and eat a delicious meal. In the video 2 of us cooked in 5 mins so it might take you 10 mins.
Prep time : 5 mins | Cook time : 5 mins | Total time 5 mins Makes: 2 Servings | Difficulty: Easy
For this High protein bowl for weight loss only takes 5 mins to make. We use some pre cooked quinoa as it has a full spectrum of amino acids, the tofu and added pumpkin seeds brings more protein to this meal. If you cant find quinoa just replace with your favourite grain of choice.
if you do want to make it lower in fat just leave out the avocado. hope you enjoy! If you are looking for support to reach your happy shape check out of happy shape course with a weight loss doctor and a dietician link to learn more here
Here are some of our favourite treats to serve with this High protein bowl for weight loss
- This 5 ingredient chocolate salted caramel tart is no bake and so tasty
- Banoffee pie is so good and this 5 ingredient easy to make Banoffee pie version is wonderful
- For a seasonal centre piece dessert this Berry and custard trifle is so good!
- This flapjack recipe is one of our kids favourites
The Happy Pear Podcast
This week we have the wonderful Dr Sue Kenneally with us, the weight management specialist!
A General Practitioner, nutritionist and co-founder of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine. Dr Sue sits on the board of Plant Based Health Professionals UK and is SCOPE certified in obesity management, working with the University of South Wales in the study of weight management.
Episode 68 – Dr Sue Kenneally
We have known Sue for years, having first met her at The Plant-based Doctor Conference in London where we connected immediately. Aside from her qualifications, Sue’s deep understanding of the difficulties of weight management comes from her own personal experience as well as her empathetic nature, “I am not naturally slim myself, I have to work hard to maintain my own weight, and I know that the challenge is real!”
After our first encounter in London, we kept up our friendship which eventually blossomed into The Happy Shape Course! A 4 week course where along with Dietician, Rosie Martin, and PT, Zanna Van Dijk, the five of us take on what it truly means to have a happy shape, through education, movement, sleep, food, nutrition, community and most importantly having fun! We debunk the myths, ensure you are never hungry or lacking in delicious food and connect you with a group of like minded people so you forever feel supported.
“Getting someone to change their relationship with food is like getting someone to change their relationship with any addictive substance. The only difference is if I am dealing with a heroin addict I can tell them to stop taking heroin and support them to do that, but I can’t tell someone who is addicted to food to stop eating…”
In this episode, Dr Sue takes us through the most common mistakes people make for weight management, the differences between men and women, why calorie counting is pointless, and practical tips you can apply now.
A great episode! Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
This May 30th join us on The Happy Shape Challenge! One month, where we all begin together, guided by Dave, Steve, Dr Sue and Rosie through constant live Q&A’s. Come join us and find out more on how you can feel healthier and happier while maintaining your happy shape! Follow this link for more information: thehappypear.ie/happyshape
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Easy Vegan Tacos
Takes 5 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 300 g whole-wheat tortillas (sliced into small 8–9cm circles)
- 150 g oyster mushrooms
- 1 tin of black beans
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- 3 scallions (green onions)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 lime
- 200 ml natural soy yoghurt
- 15 g fresh coriander (cilantro)
- 1 red onion
- 50 ml white rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- Chilli flakes (to serve)
Instructions
- First, let’s pickle the onions. This will bring out the bright pink colour, soften the raw onion taste, and add a nice acidity to the tacos. Peel and slice the red onion into long, thin slices. In a glass, add the sliced onion along with the vinegar, and fill the remaining space with water so that the onions are submerged. Leave to pickle.
- Finely dice the coriander, including the stalks. Slice the scallions, quarter the cherry tomatoes, and finely slice the mushrooms into small bite-sized pieces. Drain and rinse the black beans.
- Mix the soy yoghurt with half the diced coriander and the juice of 1/2 lime. Mix well – this will function as a healthier sour cream.
- Heat a non-stick wide-bottomed pan on high heat. Add the scallions, black beans, cherry tomatoes, and a pinch of salt, and fry.
- Slice the garlic finely and add it to the pan. Fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the spices and tamari, mix well, then turn off the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- To plate up, use a muffin tray to hold the tacos while you fill them. Add a tablespoon of the yoghurt coriander mix, followed by a generous spoonful of the mushroom black bean mix.
- Top with some pickled red onion and chopped coriander. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Video
Easy vegan tacos
These easy vegan tacos are low in fat and yet so tasty – ideal for anyone wanting a quick meal that is healthy and genuinely tasty. For a gluten free version just use corn tortillas or even a gluten free version
Prep time : 5 mins | Cook time : 5 mins | Total time 10 mins Makes: 2 Servings | Difficulty: Easy
We made up this recipe for easy vegan tacos in 5 mins to show how quick and accessible healthy food can be. We run our Happy Shape Challenge which we partnered with a Doctor and Dietician to help people lose weight and gain health. These easy vegan tacos are low in energy density and high in fibre meaning they are ideal for anyone wanting to lose weight or get a little healthier.
If you cant get soy yogurt just place with coconut yogurt or similar yogurt, just be mindful that coconut yogurt typically have a fat content of approx 10% versus soy yogurt normally has a fat content of approx 1%. If you dont like mushrooms you could replace with some finely sliced tofu, the reason you slice it finely is to ensure that it also cooks quickly
Here are some of our favourite lower fat quick meals
- This Hearty Italian white bean soup is so comforting and easy to make and freezes really well
- We love this Easy Balti curry with squash – you can easily replace the squash with other starchy seasonal veg
- Sicilian Caponata bolognese is such a delicious quick easy and tasty dinner
- One of our favourite ways of eating is bowl food and this healthy Poke bowl is a winner!
Here is a collection of weight loss recipes that are all plant based, vegan and suitable for anyone who wants to lose weight or sustain a healthy weight. All of these recipes are naturally low in fat, low in calories while being high in fibre, packed with nutrition and oil free. These are some of the most popular recipes from our Happy Shape Course and all recipes have been checked by our dietician. All these recipes are whole food plant based so are naturally high in fibre so fill you up and nourish your microbiome as they have a diversity of plant based ingredients. Please let us know which you enjoy most!
Easy Cheesy Mexican Enchiladas
An easy to make family favourite in our houses! The tortillas are filled with a delicious tomato and bean sauce, and baked in the oven and served with a rocking cashew cream.
Total Time Needed: 15 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Poke bowl
A poke bowl is a wonderfully colourful meal served in a bowl and combines many textures and flavour profiles to bring a really delicious and healthy meal.
Total Time Needed: 15 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Hearty Italian Veg & White Bean Soup
This is a really hearty chunky soup packed full of flavour. We love a good wholesome chunky soup, particularly one that walks the line between a soup and a stew, which one might even call “stoup”.
Total Time Needed: 50 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Easy Vietnamese Coconut & Tempeh Curry
This is a deliciously simple curry! Tempeh is a fermented soybean block. We know this is not a very appealing description, but when prepared right, tempeh tastes like sausage or chorizo; meaty and substantial! It is not as readily available as tofu but can be found in most good health stores. you can simply replace tempeh with Tofu
Total Time Needed: 25 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Chia Seed Pudding
A super tasty breakfast that Dave & Steve both eat most mornings. Chia seeds are packed with fibre, protein and are a good source of omega 3’s. Topped with lots of fresh fruit this is a mighty way to start the day!!
Total Time Needed: 12 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Tasty Vegan Pate
This is so good, pate was always one of Steve’s favourite foods, he hadn’t eaten it in over 20 years and this was just perfect so like the real thing – takes 20 mins to make, is much healthier than the traditional pate and is so tasty!
Total Time Needed: 20 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Easy Balti Curry
Pumpkin and squash are in season here in Ireland, and with the cosy weather of Autumn beginning, this is an easy quick recipe for a delicious Balti curry with chickpeas or your favourite beans of choice. The name Balti comes from the little metal Balti dish these curries are served in but you can use a saucepan or wide bottomed frying pan.
Total Time Needed: 20 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Sundried Tomato and Basil Pasta Alfredo Pasta
Alfredo is traditionally made with lots of butter and parmesan cheese but we wanted to create an easy delicious creamy vegan version of the famous italian pasta dish for when you are craving a creamy pasta. Total comfort food! We added some sundried tomatoes and basil to our creamy cashew sauce too, Enjoy!
Total Time Needed: 10 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Jackfruit Ragu
Braised Jackfruit in rich tomato sauce with tagliatelle and a subtle fennel background note to give a juicy aniseed bite. This is a beautiful vegan version of the wild boar ragu that is quick to make and super tasty
Total Time Needed: 20 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Easy Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
So easy and tasty – the addition of the roasted red peppers add a lovely sweetness and slight charred note that goes so well with the wholemeal pasta. This has it all creamy, pasta deliciousness! Add any cooked veg you like to bulk this out
Total Time Needed: 10 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Easy Creamy Brocolli & Mushroom Pasta
This recipe is the perfect example of synergy where the sum of the parts are greater than apart. Looking at this recipe it seems very simple but the result is a super tasty creamy pasta dish that is a family favourite. It makes a perfect bowl of comforting goodness!
Total Time Needed: 15 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Oil Free Mushroom Pasta
Easy to make, really simple and super tasty, this creamy, fried mushrooms pasta is well worth making! This recipe is oil free and from our Happy Shape Club which is our 12 week no calorie counting, no portion control course to help you to become happy with your shape. The method below is slightly different to the video, both methods work fab.
Total Time Needed: 15 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
South Indian Potato & Lentil Curry
This is super rich curry with a really well rounded flavour profile. We love it and we really hope you enjoy it!
Total Time Needed: 35 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
5 Minute Weightloss Dahl
This is a low calorie, super easy Dahl. It is one of our most popular recipes! Enjoy served with toasted pitta breads and some brown rice 🙂
Total Time Needed: 5 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
No Oil Carbonara
This a fabulous low fat dinner bursting with flavour. This make a wonderful weekly dinner for any pasta lover.
Total Time Needed: 15 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Oil Free Thai Yellow Curry
Give this simple, easy Thai curry recipe a go. Being oil free it’s great for anyone trying to lose weight!
Total Time Needed: 15 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins
Very tasty and satisfying dinner that will brighten up your evening and fill your kitchen with a sweet Mexican style smell! These are high in nutrition while being low in calories and super tasty. We have added a cashew cream to the written recipe which just adds another more indulgent quality which is not in the video but either way they are delicious!
Total Time Needed: 50 Mins
Difficulty: Easy
The Happy Pear Podcast
“It’s embarrassing to say: “I was the victim of abuse. I was the victim of domestic abuse.”
As a child her home meant violence, her security and safety was the streets – school did not understand her and wanted to punish her – she moved from one abusive relationship to the next one resulting in such physical damage it caused the death of her unborn child. Drugs and alcohol became her only companions, “I had burnt my life to the ground, I would ruin everything I touched because I wasn’t able to be myself, to be honest with myself.”
At the age of 25 something happened which changed her life…
Episode 67 – Jen Healy
Jen Healy is a qualified neuroscience life coach, Yin yoga teacher, and cacao facilitator.
Her difficult past has shaped her into the powerful, and inspiring woman she is today. With over 13 years of experience working frontline in addiction, homelessness and mental health, “I’ve had the privilege to work with some of the most complex cases as part of a multi-disciplinary team including GPs involuntary admissions team and the Resettlement team for the National Forensics Hospital (Central Mental hospital)”
Jen came down to the studio and brought a bar of “only female touched” cacao, “honing in on the feminine energies”. We sat in a circle, whispered our intentions as we sipped on the delicious warming drink – would you believe, this was our first cacao ceremony?! We might be enthusiastic vegan yogis but the thought of cacao ceremonies had even been too much for us.
We continued to sit and talk for nearly 2 hours during which Jen brought us through her challenging past, and the fundamental moments that has shaped her into being the woman she is today. Through all the depths of what she has been through has blossomed this wisdom, love, generosity, and the capacity to make others feel the emotions of what she and even others have gone through.
“She said: “Jen, victims don’t recover”, and I thought the neck of her! Who does she think she is?! I was fuming but I knew in my gut, this bitch is right… I felt like she had a shotgun of truth and I didn’t want to hear it… “The world owes me I have been wronged” – It was exactly what I needed.”
Jen has a charm and charisma that draws you in, she wears her vulnerability with pride allowing you to feel totally at ease and trust in her company. A powerful conversation that will bring tears to yours eyes, moments of laughter and leave you feeling warm.
Enjoy!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Jen and her work visit her site: https://jenhealy.ie/
Or check out her instagram: @yinyogajen
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Kale pesto pasta
Takes 15 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 300 g dried Spaghetti
- 1 large/2 small cloves of garlic
- 100 g cashew nuts or pine nuts
- 150 ml olive oil or sunflower oil
- 100 g kale/green leafy cabbage
- Juice 1 lime
- Chilli flakes to serve optional
Instructions
- Using a knife or your hands remove the tough centre stalk of the kale/cabbage and roughly chop the leaves.
- Put a large pan of salted water onto a boil, once it is boiling, add the pasta and cook as per the instructions on the back of the packet, put the kale in a steamer of just on top and cook until the pasta is cooked. Then remove the kale and set aside and drain the pasta ensuring to keep a little of the starchy pasta water. Rinse the pasta and put it back in the pan (off the heat).
- While the pasta is cooking Put a frying pan on a medium heat (ensure it is dry) and add the cashew nuts, toast them for about 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally until they start to golden and their delicious smell starts to permeate your kitchen! Remove and set aside
- Peel the garlic and add to the food processor along with the toasted cashew nuts, the oil, 3/4 tsp of salt, juice of 1 lime, 50g of the steamed kale and blend in the food processor until smooth. Taste and season with more salt or lemon juice if you think it needs it.
- Put the pan with the pasta back on the heat, add the pesto and mix it through, if you want to make your sauce looser just add a few tablespoons of the pasta water and mix it through. Heat everything up to temperature.
- Serve topped with some chilli flakes if you like a bit of spice! Enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Kale recipes and cabbage recipes
Here are 3 easy to make kale recipes and cabbage recipes to show the versatility and ease of cooking with kale and cabbage can be. We make a kale pesto pasta, an asian style charred teriyaki cabbage and delicious kale crips. These are all so tasty and easy to make.
Prep time : 10 mins | Cook time : 45 mins | Total time 55 mins Makes: 10 Servings | Difficulty: Medium
Kale is one of our favourite veg and is the no 1 food on the nutrient density aggregate index as its so packed full of nutrients. Both kale and cabbage are from the brassica family and can have a sulphur like note to them that can mask as bitterness. In these kale recipe and cabbage recipe we really focus on elevate these veg so that they taste fantastic and that everyone wants to eat more of these nutritious power houses!
The kale pesto is so easy to make, use wholemeal pasta as it will be higher in fibre and better for you and to make it lower in fat just substitute half the oil with water so that you use 75ml of water and 75ml of oil thus reducing the added oil by 50%. All our kids love this dish as its super tasty, simple and no one knows that they are eating kale! The Asian style charred cabbage dish is Steves favourite way to eat cabbage – its quick so tasty and really shows how delicious cabbage can be. Lastly the kale crisps might sounds a little far fetched but they work wonderfully and really make kale taste so good!
Some serving suggestions for these Kale recipes
- Here is a beautiful High protein salad recipe to complement these dishes wonderfully
- These easy to make flatbreads are perfect for the Baba Ganoush and also for the curry and aubergine bacon
- This Tabbouleh Chickpea salad makes a vibrant accompaniment to these aubergine recipes
- This chocolate biscuit cake is a great beginner cake that is always one of our favourites
Kale Crisps
Takes 20 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 head of kale approx 100g stalks removed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tamari / soy sauce
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- generous sprinkle of salt
Instructions
- Method:
- Preheat the oven to 100C
- Remove the kale leaves from the thick central stalks. Give them a thorough wash and dry.
- Add the olive oil and massage it right through all of the kale, ensuring to coat each leaf. Add the spices and tamari and mix right the way through ensuring to be evenly spread.
- Lay out the leaves on a baking tray and put them in the oven.
- Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until nice and crispy.
- Half way through cooking time, take out the kale and give it a good mix around to ensure your chips are all crisping up evenly.
- Leave chips to cool for 3 minutes. These are best eaten when they are fresh out of the oven but they can be stored in an air-tight container for 2-3 days.
- Beat the bloat: These are easy on your digestion.
Nutrition
The Happy Pear Podcast
Dr Julie Smith is on a mission to make mental health education accessible to all! To help as many people as she can to thrive, by making top-quality mental health education readily available online, so even those who cannot access therapy can get off to the best start in their recovery journey.
Dr Julie is a clinical psychologist, online educator, blogger, and owner of a private practice in Hampshire, England. She is also the best-selling author of the book “Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before”.
Episode 66 – Dr Julie Smith
Dr Julie’s short punchy social media post has caught the attention of many followers as she distills serious topics into bite-sized, motivational and visually entertaining snippets.
We really enjoyed speaking with Julie, her message is clear, she is not trying to reinvent the wheel with some amazing hack to mental health, it is in her ability to make important information relatable and tangible. We all want that pill to make us better but sometimes what we really need is staring right in front of us!
From dealing with and managing anxiety, to stress, and critical inner voices, to relationships and external judgements, we talk through many of the challenges we have in todays society and the tools and techniques that can help us navigate through them.
“Your attention is like a spotlight, all these different actors are coming on the stage. You hold the spotlight, you can choose which actor you want to shine it on and which ones you will let pass. Some thoughts will hang around on stage for longer than you wanted them to, but you don’t have to give them the spotlight”
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
Read more about Dr Julie’s work and profile here: https://doctorjuliesmith.com/
Follow her on Instagram to hear her latest updates @drjulie
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie
Takes 17 minutes
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 90 g oats
- 30 g desiccated coconut
- 125 g peanut butter or almond butter/tahini for allergy-friendly option
- 5 tbsp water
- 100 g coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 40 g chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the OvenPreheat your oven to 170°C (fan-assisted).
- Prepare the Peanut ButterMake sure the peanut butter is smooth, runny, and well mixed. If using almond butter or tahini, ensure it has a similar consistency.
- Combine the IngredientsIn a large bowl, mix the oats, desiccated coconut, peanut butter, water, and coconut (or brown) sugar. Add half of the chocolate chips and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Shape the CookiesDivide the mixture into 8 even portions and shape each into a ball.
- Prepare the Baking TrayLine a baking tray with parchment paper and place the cookie balls on it. Gently flatten each ball with the palm of your hand.
- Add Remaining Chocolate ChipsEvenly distribute the remaining chocolate chips over the top of each cookie.
- BakeBake in the preheated oven for 12–14 minutes, or until the cookies turn golden.
- Cool and ServeAllow the cookies to cool on the tray before transferring to a wire rack. Enjoy the cookies once cooled!
Nutrition
Chocolate chip cookies
5 ingredients only, these chocolate chip cookies literally take you 5 mins prep time and the oven does the rest, top tip is to sprinkle some coarse sea salt on top for that beautiful sweet and salty note!
Prep time : 5 mins | Cook time : 12 mins | Total time 17 mins Makes: 8 Servings | Difficulty: Easy
These are a little Chocolate chip cookies are a little healthier than typical chocolate chip cookies as we use wholegrain rolled oats, coconut sugar to sweeten and then the main fat is from a wholefood source, peanut butter. if you want to make them gluten free just use gluten free oats and to make them nut free just use tahini in place of peanut butter. Top tip is to wait for them to cool and sprinkle some sea salt on top!
If you dont like chocolate you can replace the chocolate with raisins or dried fruit of choice.
Here are some of our favourite other sweet receipes like these Chocolate chip cookies
- This 5 ingredient chocolate salted caramel tart is no bake and so tasty
- Banoffee pie is so good and this 5 ingredient easy to make Banoffee pie version is wonderful
- For a seasonal centre piece dessert this Berry and custard trifle is so good!
- This flapjack recipe is one of our kids favourites
These two easy-to-make beetroot recipes showcase the versatility of this vibrant vegetable. First, a roasted beetroot hummus that’s rich and creamy, and second, a refreshing beet carpaccio with a delightful dressing.
Beetroot Hummus
Takes 30 minutes
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 x 400g tins of chickpeas
- Juice of 1 lemon (approx 50ml lemon juice)
- 2 tbsp light tahini
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 250 g beetroot
- Salt and black pepper (to taste)
- 4 tbsp water (optional, for adjusting texture)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven:Preheat your oven to 180℃ (fan-assisted).
- Prepare the Beetroot:Roughly chop the beetroot into bite-size pieces and place them on a baking tray.Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until the edges are slightly charred.
- Warm the Chickpeas:Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place them in a pot of boiling water and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes to warm them up. Drain them afterwards.
- Blend the Hummus:In a food processor, add the peeled garlic, roasted beetroot, drained chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, 1 tsp of salt, ½ tsp of black pepper, and 4 tbsp of water. Blend for 2-3 minutes, until smooth. Add more water if needed to achieve your desired texture. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve:Serve the hummus in a bowl, surrounded by toasted pita bread fingers for dipping. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Beetroot recipes
Here are 2 easy to make beetroot recipes to show the versatility and ease of cooking with beet can be. We make a roasted beetroot hummus and a beet carpaccio
Prep time : 10 mins | Cook time : 25 mins | Total time 35 mins Makes: 10 Servings | Difficulty: Medium
Beetroot is the sweetest of all veg and has a wonderful earthy and sweet flavour to it. It is one of the few veg where you can eat both the leaves and the root. Due to its high sugar content it caramelises really well when roasted. Here we make 2 easy to make beetroot recipes. A roasted beetroot hummus or a pink hummus and also a beet carpaccio. If you dont have time to roast the beetroot you can use precooked vacum packed beetroot instead, the only trade off is that the colour with precooked beetroot is less bright.
In these. In these 2 recipes we want to show how quick and easy as well as tasty beetroot can be. The beet carpaccio is greater than the sum of its parts. Ideally you would use a mandoline to finely slice the beetroots, just be careful with your fingers. The creamy vinaigrette is so good and goes great used elsewhere for salads and ever on a some toast!
Some serving suggestions for these Beetroot recipes
- Here is a beautiful High protein salad recipe to complement these dishes wonderfully
- These easy to make flatbreads are perfect for the Baba Ganoush and also for the curry and aubergine bacon
- This Tabbouleh Chickpea salad makes a vibrant accompaniment to these aubergine recipes
- This chocolate biscuit cake is a great beginner cake that is always one of our favourites
Beet carpaccio
Takes 6 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 200 g fresh beetroot
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Coarse sea salt
For the Creamy Dressing:
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
For Topping:
- 50 g cashew nuts (toasted and crushed)
Instructions
- Prepare the Beetroot:Wash the beetroot, and trim off the top and bottom. Use a mandoline slicer to finely slice the beetroot into thin rounds.
- Marinate the Beetroot:In a bowl, toss the beetroot slices with a generous pinch of coarse sea salt, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
- Make the Creamy Dressing:In a mug, whisk together the tahini, olive oil, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard until the dressing becomes smooth and creamy.
- Assemble:Arrange the marinated beetroot slices on a large plate. Drizzle over the creamy dressing.
- Finish with Nuts:Sprinkle the toasted and crushed cashew nuts over the beetroot for a crunchy finish.
- Serve:Enjoy this refreshing beet carpaccio as a starter or light entrée!
Nutrition
The Happy Pear Podcast
Is modern medicine and/or culture the cause of period pains, PCOS, and Endometriosis amongst other issues? Is there an answer to reducing menopause symptoms beyond using HRT that is incredibly effective?
This week we speak to Dr Nitu Bajekal, MD, a Senior Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in the UK with over 35 years of clinical experience in women’s health. Her special interests include Lifestyle Medicine, PCOS, Endometriosis, period problems, menopause, pre-cancer, complex vulval problems and medical education.
Episode 65 – Dr Nitu Bajekal
One of the first board-certified Lifestyle Medicine Physicians in the UK. Dr Bajekal has written the women’s health module for the first UK University based plant-based nutrition course. An avid vegan herself, Dr Bajekal is passionate about spreading health awareness, and providing reliable medical and lifestyle information for the general public, doctors, workplaces, and schools.
She is the co-author of Living PCOS Free along with her daughter and nutritionist, Rohini Bajekal, which is due for release on 28th April 2022 and available worldwide.
Dr Bajekal is a vehicle of knowledge, you will learn so much in this episode, from the history of period pains, and how to avoid and reduce menopause symptoms, to how to approach your health, where and when medicine is necessary and the importance of soya.
We felt like two school kids taking notes and listening to every word! We recommend you have your notepad and pen ready, if not for yourself, for your daughter, your sister, your mother, your colleague or your friends.
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
Read more about Dr Bajekal’s work and profile here: https://nitubajekal.com
Follow her on Instagram to hear her latest updates @drnitubajekal
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
The Happy Pear Podcast
“The world is really bifurcating into two types of people; people who allow their time and attention to be controlled and manipulated by others and people who say NO I am in-distractible, I control my time and attention, I control my life.”
Mastering your internal triggers, leaning into the discomfort, turning distraction into traction, and becoming masters of your own time… are among some of the many topics we discuss in this week’s podcast with the genius that is Nir Eyal.
Episode 64 – Nir Eyal
“The self-help industry has really done people a disservice by promoting happiness as the goal, it is a completely unrealistic and unnatural goal to be completely happy, if there was ever a group of homo sapiens who were happy all the time, that had everything they needed, our ancestors would have killed them, from an evolutionary basis this makes no sense. You want a species to always want more to strive, to create, to invent… the fact that we are unsatisfied is a good thing. High performers leverage that discomfort to propel them forward, low performers don’t know what to do with that discomfort and they escape it with distraction.”
Nir is the author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Previously, he taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Design School, and has sold two technology companies since 2003.
For most of his career, he worked in the video gaming and advertising industries where he learned and applied (and at times rejected) the techniques used to motivate and manipulate users. He writes to help companies create behaviours that benefit their users while educating people on how to build healthful habits in their own lives.
After listening to this episode we guarantee you will start blocking out your schedule with even time to procrastinate, reevaluating how you approach your workflow, how you handle meetings and even how deal with your domestic relationships.
So much wisdom in this episode we highly recommend you take notes!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Nir and his work check out: nirandfar.com
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Chia Seed Pudding
Dave and Steve eat this for breakfast pretty much every morning. Its a really wholesome breakfast that is packed with nutrition, great for your digestion, brain function and a powerful start to the day. We usually mix our chia pudding first and while it is thickening up, prepare our fruit toppings.
Prep time : 10 mins | Total time : 10mins | Serves 1 | Difficulty: Easy
Chia seed pudding is a super wholesome breakfast and really simple to make. Dave has been eating it for breakfast everyday for the last 4 years. It is packed with fibre, omega 3 essential fatty acids and also protein as well as lots of antioxidants. There is a process to making it, we always soak our chia seeds along with some ground flax seed, some cacao nibs, other seeds we might have and soak them in oat milk. The ratio is approximately 1 part chia seeds to 5 part plant milk, mix with a fork and leave to sit while you prep your fruit to top. We usually leave the chia pudding to sit for about 10 minutes and often have to add a little more milk till it reaches a pudding like texture that the fruit sits on top of it without sinking.
You can top your chia pudding with a huge assortment of toppings. We usually pile on the fresh fruit. If you have a sensitive gut then you are better focusing on berries such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, kiwis are also easy on sensitive guts as are oranges and grapes as they are all low in FODMAPS.
Other delicious healthy recipes like this, Chia seed pudding:
- Here are 3 delicious breakfast recipes
- Porridge has always been a favourite breakfast of ours – here is how Steve loves his porridge
- Here is a delicious loaded breakfast burrito
Chia seed pudding
Takes 10 minutes
Serves 1
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 4 tbsp chia seeds
- 150 ml rice milk/oat milk
- 1 tsp almond butter
- Fruit to top with such as:
- Strawberries kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, apple, pear, banana.
- some soy yogurt
- Optional garnishes:
- cocoa nibs/desiccated coconut yogurt to garnish
Instructions
- Method;
- Put the chia seeds and milk in a bowl and stir with fork for 30 seconds to incorporate all the seeds and the milk and then leave it rest and sit for 10-15 minutes or overnight
- Prep your fruit by chopping it into bite size pieces – kiwi, strawberry, raspberry, blueberries, banana, kaki fruit, apple, pear to name a few..
- Once the chia seeds have been soaking for 10-15 minutes or so, use a fork and mix them for approx a minute breaking them up till they reach a nice lose consistency, you may need add a little more milk if too thick. Top the soaked chia seed pudding with your fruit, the teaspoon of almond butter and soy yoghurt. Arrange everything so that it looks really pretty and enjoy!
Nutrition
Leek recipes
Here are 3 easy to make leek recipes that are easy to make and showcase how underestimated the humble leek can be. We make an beautiful turkish leek dish from our Brothers mother in law, a baked leek pastry with pesto and Charred leek open topped sandwich with Kimchi mayo
Prep time : 10 mins | Cook time : 35 mins | Total time 45 mins Makes: 10 Servings | Difficulty: Medium
Leek is such an under-appreciated vegetable. When most people think of leek they think of leek and potato soup or some stringy undercooked green vegetable. However underneath this misunderstanding is one of the most succulent and elegant vegetables. Its really versatile in that it bakes really well, steams wonderfully and chars and fries beautiful to release those caramelised notes. Steaming tends to really highlight how juicy and soft and melt in your mouth a leek can be. Roasting or baking if not too baked tends to showcase a slight crispy or caramelised exterior with a soft buttery sweet interior and frying then to be a lovely blend of both these.
Often in the UK and Ireland we just use the white of the leek and in northern Spain only the green of the leek is used as it is more nutritious. We recommend that you use all of the leek, the white part is softer and more delicate whereas the green leafier part is more fibrous and takes a little longer to break down but beneath that tough exterior lies sweet buttery leek magicness! In terms of digestion the green of the leek is low FODMAP which means its low in fermentable carbohydrate so its easier to digest for anyone struggling with IBS or bloating, in contrast the white part is high FODMAP and like most vegetables in the allium family can irritate people with sensitive digestion.
Leeks tend to be the perfect funnel for catching dirt as they grow so always give them a good wash of often sediment hides in the middle.
In these recipes we cook 3 dishes to showcase the adaptability and elegance of one of our favourite vegetables.
Other Leek recipes that you will love
- Here is a simple version of the stereotypical leek and potato soup that is really good.
- This Prebiotic superfood stew is great for you digestion and tastes fabulous and so nourishing
- The festive leek and tahini dip by our friend Bettina is magnificent and is so worth making
Some serving suggestions for these Leek recipes
- Here is a beautiful High protein salad recipe to complement these dishes wonderfully
- These easy to make flatbreads are perfect for the Baba Ganoush and also for the curry and aubergine bacon
- This Tabbouleh Chickpea salad makes a vibrant accompaniment to these aubergine recipes
- This chocolate biscuit cake is a great beginner cake that is always one of our favourites
Baked leek open topped pastry with pesto
Takes 30 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 leeks
- 1/2 sheet puff pastry 160g
- 4 tbsp pesto of choice
- 1/2 red pepper
- 1/2 avocado
- Fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C
- Cut the pastry into 4 even sized rectangles or squares. Using the baking parchment that the pastry came in, line half a baking tray and put the 4 pastry pieces on to this baking parchment ensuring they are space out so they don’t touch. Spread a generous covering of the pesto onto each of the pastry pieces, leaving 1cm as a perimeter around the pastry. Slice the red pepper and add 4 slices on top of the pesto on each piece of pastry. Slice the leeks lengthwise in half and then slice into 6cm batons, you want 8 pieces of leek. Carefully wash them to ensure they hold their shape. In a bowl add the leeks along with a generous pinch of sea salt, the olive oil and the maple syrup and carefully mix ensuring the leeks hold their shape. Add the leeks sliced side down onto the uncovered part of the baking tray. Ensure everything has enough space.
- Add to the oven and bake for 20-25 mins until the pastry is golden and the leeks are tender.
- Remove from the oven. Remove the stone from the avocado and using a spoon scoop it out of the skin onto a chopping board, slice into 8 slices and add 2 slices to each pastry piece.
- Using a spatula carefully add the leeks on top of each of the pastry pieces open side facing up. Sprinkle with a light dusting of chilli powder and enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Turkish leek, rice and olive oil dish
Takes 20 minutes
Serves
Ingredients
- 2 Leeks 500g
- 1 carrot
- 1 lemon
- 250 g precooked brown rice
- 1 tin of butter beans 250g cooked
- Salt
- 4 tbsp Olive oil
- 500 ml veg stock
Nutrition
Charred leek open topped sandwich with Kimchi mayo
Takes 15 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 large leek
- 2 slices of sourdough bread
- 2 tbsp vegan mayo
- 3 tbsp Kim chi
- 1 tbsp of kimchi juice (the juice in the kimchi jar)
- 3 cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp dukka (or za’atar or gomasio)
Instructions
- Prepare the Leeks:Trim and wash the leek, slicing it into 1.5 cm thick slices (medallions). Rinse thoroughly, ensuring the leeks hold their shape.
- Fry the Leeks:Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add 2 tbsp of oil to the pan.Once the oil is hot, add the sliced leeks and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden and caramelised. The leeks should be soft in the centre and almost buttery.If the leeks are cooked on the outside but hard inside, reduce the heat and carefully add 2 tbsp of water to the pan. Cover with a lid and steam for 3-4 minutes.
- Make the Kimchi Mayo:While the leeks are cooking, mix the vegan mayo with the kimchi juice in a small bowl until well combined.
- Prepare the Bread and Tomatoes:Spread a generous dollop of kimchi mayo on each slice of sourdough bread.Chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters and arrange them alongside the kimchi mayo on the bread.
- Assemble the Sandwich:Carefully place the fried leeks on top of the kimchi mayo-covered bread.Sprinkle with dukkah (or your choice of za’atar or gomasio) for an added burst of flavour.
- Serve and Enjoy:Serve the sandwiches immediately while the leeks are warm. Enjoy this unique and flavourful dish!
Nutrition
The Happy Pear Podcast
On average we breathe 25,000 times a day, and yet many of us are doing it completely wrong according to author and journalist, James Nestor.
“The majority of the human population have respiratory problems, chronic sinusitis, sleep apnea, snoring, asthma… we have completely lost touch with our basic bodily function. We can still live by breathing poorly but that doesn’t mean that we are going to be healthy.”
Episode 63 – James Nestor
James has spent the last several years researching and writing the best seller Breath, a novel which explores the million-year-long history of how the human species has lost the ability to breathe properly resulting in so many maladies. He traveled the world in an attempt to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it, turning the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head.
James even volunteered as one of two to have a 20-day test conducted on him, taping his nose for the first 10 days only breathing through his mouth, and only breathing through his nose for the last 10 days. What he and the test discovered was astonishing!
Needless to say ever since we recorded this episode we have been consciously breathing! Drawing awareness to how our breath changes from when we walk, and run, to when we sit, to when we are on our laptops. We have been amazed at what we have found out.
A fascinating conversation that will transform the way you breathe!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about James and his work visit his website: mrjamesnestor.com
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Mushroom ragu with walnuts
A super easy and tasty mushroom ragu with walnuts quite like a spaghetti bolognese, the walnuts and mushroom add a lovely bite, best served with wholemeal spaghetti for a higher fibre healthier meal
Prep time : 5 mins | Cook time : 15 mins | Total time : 20mins | Makes: 3 Servings | Difficulty: Medium
A Ragu is normally a meat based sauce served with pasta, here we make our own “meat” for this mushrooms ragu by finely chopping mushrooms and walnuts and adding some tamari/ soy sauce to give a lovely umami flavour. The walnuts and mushrooms add a lovely bite and texture as well as a lovely “meaty” feel to this traditional dish. If you can use wholemeal pasta such as spaghetti or penne or fusilli as it is higher in fibre which will function as a prebiotic feeding the bacteria in your microbiome and hence helping you to have a more resilient immune system. This dish is easy to make and make a great family or sharing meal. If you do want to make this dish gluten free just use brown rice pasta and ensure to use a wheat free tamari or soy sauce. Bread and pasta go so well together so we like to serve this with some sourdough from our bakery.
Other delicious healthy recipes like this, Mushroom Ragu:
- This Creamy Fetuccini Alfredo with baked cauliflower is wonderful and so tasty and easy to make
- We love this easy to make Red Pepper Pesto pasta dish, its super quick to make and a total crowd pleaser
- A super tasty Roasted feta pasta bake recipe is well worth trying
Some Serving suggestions for this Stew
- Here are some easy to make flat breads to go wonderfully with this dish
- This high protein salad is both light on digestion, and super tasty
- Here is a lovely easy to make guacamole recipe
Mushroom Ragu with Walnuts
Takes 20 minutes
Serves 3
Ingredients
- 300 g wholemeal spaghetti
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 small red onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 carrots
- 100 g walnuts
- 200 g mushrooms
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 680 g jar of tomato passata
- 4 tbsp water
Instructions
- Fill and boil the kettle. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
- Peel and finely dice the red onions and garlic, and chop the carrots into small 1cm dice. Chop the mushrooms and walnuts into roughly 1cm cubes.
- Heat a wide-bottomed non-stick pan over high heat. Once hot, add 1 tbsp of oil and the diced onions. Fry for 4 minutes until golden, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped carrots with a pinch of salt and 4 tbsp of water. Put the lid on and allow to steam for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the walnuts and mushrooms to a bowl and mix well with the tamari. Then, add the walnuts and mushrooms to the pan and fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the tomato purée, maple syrup, and tomato passata, and mix well. Cook for a further 2 minutes until heated through.
- Drain and rinse the cooked pasta, then add it to the tomato sauce and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Serve with some bread and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Best probiotics for gut health – homemade
Here is a brilliant way to make your own best probiotics for gut health at home by fermenting some fruit and veg to preserve them but also develop lots of beneficial bacteria
Prep time : 10 mins | Ferment time: 3-10 days |
| Makes: 20 Servings | Difficulty: Medium
Probiotics are living microorganisms that are good for you, especially your digestive system. Here we make our own best probiotics for gut health, by using a method known as lactic acid fermentation or lacto fermentation to naturally ferment vegetables. The beauty of this method is that it’s so easy to apply and it works with virtually all vegetables and fruit. This fermentation process traditionally was used to preserve veg throughout the year but through the fermentation process it also develops more bacteria which are great probiotics and also prebiotics due to the high fibre content in the veg themselves.
We use a 2% salt solution method which makes it super easy to adapt to whatever volume of veg or even fruit you are fermenting. This basic method is applied when fermenting any fruit or veg. You can add some flavour agents such as garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli and herbs or spices to give each ferment more personality.
The 2 secret ingredients to dictate the speed and the acidity of the ferment are TIME and TEMPERATURE. As a rule of thumb the longer you ferment anything the more acidic it will become and the more broken down the fruit or veg will become. The warmer the room the quicker the fermentation process. As in when fermenting in a cold room it will take much longer for them to become acidic than when compared to a warm room.
The basic method as mentioned which works for virtually all fruit and veg is to prepare your fruit and veg into which ever size you want it to be, as in grate your carrots or finely slice the cabbage etc. Remember the smaller you slice your veg and fruit the quicker it will ferment. Weigh your veg and then multiply this weight by 2% to find out the weight of salt that is required. The simply add the prepared veg to the jar you are going to use for fermentation, add the salt and cover with water so that the veg is submerged under water. Close the lid lightly so that it stops bacteria entering but that there is enough room for gases to escape. Leave to ferment for a week and taste it each day until it reaches your desired level of acidity and the veg is soft enough. Then store in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process and enjoy!
FAQ – frequently asked questions
Yes you can, it results in a salty acidic slightly sweet fruit, if the fruit is soft generally it will go to mush so try to choose firm fruits such as plum or apples work well.
Yes it does as otherwise there is a risk that mould will form. Often a weight or stopped is used to keep the veg down underneath the water, you can use a clean stone to do this.
Generally the mould only develops in the part that is above the water level, just remove this and discard and all under the water should be fine, but always check.
As mentioned above time and temperature dictate the amount of time required. The warmer the room the quicker the fermentation and the longer you leave it to ferment the more acidic and broken down the veg or fruit will be. Just taste a little to get an idea if it is ready and over time you will leave what is the best time frame to reach your desired results.
You can indeed, when a veg is over fermented it will lose its colour and break down in mush and be super acidic.
Once you are happy that there are fermented enough just put in a sealed jar and store in the fridge, they will continue to ferment but much slower.
Other recipes you may like, with beneficial prebiotics for gut health
- This recipe for a prebiotic superfood stew is easy to make and delicious
- Here is a low FODMAP Spinach and Butterbean curry that is really tasty
- These low FODMAP gut friendly muffins are so tasty
Some other digestion friendly recipes
- our easy to make Spaghetti Bolognese is delicious and easy on your digestions
- This vegan korma is again light on your digestions as well as a total crowd pleaser
Homemade Probiotics – how to ferment all vegetables – the easy way
Takes 10 minutes
Serves 20
Ingredients
- 200 g carrot
- 100 g pak choi
- 20 g ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 red onions
Instructions
- Firstly let’s prepare our veg, finely slice the carrot and the pak choi, peel and finely slice the ginger. Leave the garlic whole.
- Weigh the veg, which comes to approx 450g. Multiply the amount by .02 or 2%, which gives you 9g, which is the amount of salt required. Gather your 9g of salt.
- Get a clean jar to ferment in with a matching lid.
- Add the prepared veg along with the salt and cover with drinking water. Ensure all veg is submerged under the water. Ensure to date your ferment so you remember when it was started. Close the lid not too tight so that gases can escape but also tight enough to stop bacteria entering.
- Leave to ferment on your kitchen counter outside of direct sunlight.
- Taste every couple of days until it reaches your desired level of acidity and the veg is broken down enough. Enjoy!
Video
Aubergine recipes
Here are 3 easy to make aubergine recipes that are easy to make and showcase how wonderful Aubergines can be. We make an easy to make aubergine curry, aubergine bacon sandwich and Baba Ganoush and fabulous roasted aubergine dip.
Prep time : 5 mins | Cook time : 30 mins | Total time 40 mins Makes: 10 Servings | Difficulty: Medium
Aubergine also known as egg plant got its name as one of the original varieties is small and white and literally looks like an egg growing on a plant hence the name eggplant. Aubergine is part of the nightshade family and many years ago it was believed to be poisonous, even the Italian word for Aubergine is Melanzana which directly translates as “apple of madness” as it was believe if you ate some aubergine you would go mad as its closely related to many poisonous nightshade plants.
Botanically, Aubergine is actually a berry. Information would classify it as a fruit but wisdom would not include it in a fruit salad! Gastronomically it’s classified as a vegetable. Another strange use of aubergine in 5th century China is that aubergines were used to dye teeth to give them a metallic look that made them gleam and shine!
In terms of cooking, aubergines are very divided, some people love them and others despise them, even a friend Niall refers to them as “devils food!”. We believe that the reason many people hate aubergines is that they have not been cooked properly. A badly cooked aubergine is undercooked and rubbery or even chewy in mouthfeel, however when an aubergine is cooked properly it is soft, melts in your mouth and almost explodes with softness and flavour. An aubergine is quite spongy inside so its the perfect vessel for soaking up flavour. Some of our favourite ways to cook aubergine is to roast them with simply olive oil and salt or add a splash or olive oil and tarmari/ soy sauce or olive oil and a splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Below we cook aubergines 3 ways to showcase its versatility and how wonderful it can be.
We charr it and fry it to make some aubergine bacon to show that it caramelises great and then add a smoky, sweet umami dressing to showcase how it functions as a wonderful carrier for flavour.
We roast it whole and scoop out the flesh to use to make one of our favourite dips Baba genoush.
We braise it in to show how it can be cooked quickly to make a beautiful aubergine and butterbean curry.
Other Aubergine recipes that you will love
- This Aubergine Parmigiana recipe is a wonderful showcase recipe the show how delicious aubergines are as well as being easy to digest
- Here is a Chickpea, mushroom and aubergine curry that is also delicious as well as being good for your digestion
- This Bombay Aubergine curry is easy to make and super tasty
Some serving suggestions for these Aubergine recipes
- Here is a beautiful High protein salad recipe to complement these dishes wonderfully
- These easy to make flatbreads are perfect for the Baba Ganoush and also for the curry and aubergine bacon
- This Tabbouleh Chickpea salad makes a vibrant accompaniment to these aubergine recipes
- This chocolate biscuit cake is a great beginner cake that is always one of our favourites
Braised Aubergine and butterbean curry
Takes 20 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 aubergine
- 1 white onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ thumb sized piece of ginger
- 1 red pepper
- 3 tbsp of tamari (or soy sauce)
- 3 tbsp of water
- 1 x 400g tin of butter bean or bean of choice
- 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1 x 400g tin of coconut milk
- 2 tbsp of curry powder
- ½ head of pak choi
- ½ a lemon
For serving
- Toasted wholemeal pittas (or fresh coriander)
Instructions
- Prepare the Vegetables:Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cut the aubergine into 1 cm cubes. Slice the red pepper into thin strips and finely slice the pak choi. Drain and rinse the butter beans.
- Sauté the Onion:Heat a large, wide-bottomed non-stick pan over high heat. Once hot, add the onion and fry for about 4 minutes, stirring regularly, until it starts to turn golden. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Cook the Aubergine:Add the cubed aubergine with a pinch of salt to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly. When the aubergine begins to release moisture, add the sliced red pepper and continue cooking.
- Braise the Vegetables:In a small mug, mix the Tamari and water. Add this mixture to the pan and cover with a lid to trap the steam, transitioning from frying to braising. Stir occasionally. If the aubergine starts to stick, add an additional 2-3 tablespoons of water and scrape up any bits sticking to the pan. Cook for approximately 6-8 minutes, until the aubergine becomes soft and tender (it should not be rubbery—if it is, cook for a bit longer).
- Add the Liquid Ingredients:Once the aubergine is soft, add the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, butter beans, and curry powder. Stir well and cook for about 3 minutes to combine all the flavours.
- Finish the Curry:Add the pak choi and the juice of half a lemon. Stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes, allowing the pak choi to wilt slightly.
- Adjust the Seasoning:Taste the curry and adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding more salt, black pepper, lemon juice, chilli, or any additional aromatic spices.
- Serve:Serve the curry with toasted wholemeal pittas or fresh coriander, or alongside your favourite grain such as brown rice. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Aubergine bacon Sandwich
Takes 15 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 Aubergine
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3 tbsp tamari/ soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 slices of sourdough bread or bread of choice
- 4 tbsp vegan mayo
- 2 slices of vegan cheese of choice
- 2 tbsp of sauerkraut we use red sauerkraut
Instructions
- Slice the aubergine in half lengthwise and place each half face down and slice into thin ½ cm slices. Add to a bowl and sprinkle with ½ tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil and mix well.
- Heat a griddle pan or non stick frying pan and once hot add the aubergines and cook for a 3-4 mins on each side until they have char lines and the colour of the flesh changes from white to an almost translucent light brown colour or beige. If in doubt taste a little and it should be a melt in your mouth texture. In a mug mix together the tamari, maple syrup, smoked paprika and 1 tbsp of oil. Once the aubergine are cooked, turn off the heat and add the dressing it should have enough residual heat to caramelise the dressing, spread the dressing around so that each aubergine is well coated on both sides. Repeat with any remaining aubergines and once cooked and dressed remove from the pan and set aside to assemble your sandwich.
- Take the 2 slices of bread and spread the vegan mayo on both sides. Add the vegan cheddar and the sauerkraut and add a number of slices of the aubergine bacon, bring the sandwich together and enjoy!
Nutrition
Baba Ganoush
Takes 45 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 medium aubergines
- 70 g Tahini – 2-3 tbsp
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1 Garlic clove
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- Pinch ground pepper
- ¼ tsp Sumac or chilli powder- optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220 C fan, cut eggplant in half lengthways, rub a little oil on the inside of the aubergine and place on a baking tray flesh side down, sprinkle with salt and cook for 40 mins until the aubergine is charred and collapsed and is super soft. Or if you have a gas stove you can cook the aubergine directly on an open flame, turning occasionally, for approx 15 minutes or until charred and collapsed and super soft inside. Allow to cool for a few minutes until you can handle them, into a medium mixing bowl, scrape out the soft flesh from the aubergine ( it should come away easily from the skin. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste and season with lemon, salt or heat to your preference. Serve in a bowl with a splash of olive oil and sprinkle on some sumac or chilli powder and enjoy!
Nutrition
The Happy Pear Podcast
“All disease begins in the gut” – Hippocrates
Nearly 3000 years ago Hippocrates was attributed to saying this, however looking at modern culture, the western diet and medicine it would appear we didn’t hear it?
This week we bring back our friend, collaborator and gut mastermind, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Dr Alan Desmond.
Episode 62 – Dr Alan Desmond
Certified in both Gastroenterology and General Internal Medicine, Dr Alan has a specialist interest in the role of diet in the prevention and treatment of digestive diseases. Having spoken at numerous international conferences, a member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, Alan has published several influential research papers in the field of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. And now author of the best-seller, The Plant-based Diet Revolution.
With more than 70% of our immune system found in our gut our overall health is fully dependent on it thriving. However, the modern western diet with its processed foods, high sugar content, high meat and dairy consumption is so alien to our gut microbiome and digestive tract that diseases and discomforts such as IBS, bloating, SIBO, constipation, gastritis amongst other gut-related issues are now considered normal.
“One in 5 Americans have gastritis disease“
Yet what are we doing to prevent this?
A topic that always amazes us, and an area that we are forever curious about, this conversation is packed with life-changing information.
We hope you learnt as much as we did and if you are interested in learning more and improving your gut health we have a special offer on our course The Gut Health Revolution, starting 11th April.
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Dr Alan and to sign up to our Gut Health Revolution, visit: The Gut Health Revolution Course
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Flapjacks with only 4 ingredients
These Flapjacks are easy to make and so tasty, we use coconut sugar, oats and maple syrup to make them low GI than other flapjacks, these are vegan and just use gluten free oats to make them gluten free
Prep time : 10 mins | Cook time : 30 mins + 10 mins cool time | Total time : 50 mins | Makes: 12 Servings | Difficulty: Easy
These are so tasty, going to school mom just to give us healthy flapjacks like these and we used to adore them, the are easy to make and make a nice healthier treat! For those who don’t know flapjacks or healthier flapjacks they are oat based biscuits that are typically high in fibre due to the main ingredient being oats. We use coconut sugar and maple syrup here as the sweeteners, if you don’t have coconut sugar just use brown sugar. The last ingredient is vegan butter which is widely available in most supermarkets. If you cant get vegan butter just use margarine or vegetable oil and use less to avoid the flapjacks being greasy, we recommend 110g or 110ml instead of the 150g of vegan butter in the recipe below. The make the flapjacks chewier just back them for less time such as 20 mins and for crispier flapjacks bake them for longer such as 30 mins.
Other desserts of treat recipes like these flapjacks
- This Grain free granola bars are packed full of goodness as well as taste fab
- One of our all time favourite cakes this Healthier Chocolate Salted Caramel tart that is quick to make
- These beetroot brownies with chocolate mousse are a great way to sneak more beetroot in.
Some other cake recipes
- our easy to make 5 ingredient Banoffee pie is a total crowd pleaser
- This chocolate biscuit cake is a great beginner cake that is always one of our favourites
Flapjacks with 4 Ingredients
Takes 40 minutes
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 300 g jumbo oats
- 150 g vegan butter
- 50 ml maple syrup
- 125 g coconut sugar or brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the OvenPreheat the oven to 160°C (fan-assisted) or 180°C conventional.
- Prepare the Dry IngredientsIn a large bowl, combine the oats and coconut (or brown) sugar. Stir well to ensure even mixing.Create a ‘well’ in the centre of the dry ingredients.
- Melt the ButterGently melt the vegan butter over low heat until fully liquefied.
- Combine Wet and Dry IngredientsIn a separate bowl, mix the melted butter with the maple syrup.Pour the wet mixture into the well of the dry ingredients and stir until fully combined.
- Prepare the Baking TrayLine a 23 x 18 cm brownie tray with parchment paper.Add the flapjack mixture, pressing it firmly into the corners and flattening the surface with the back of a spoon to ensure it’s well compacted.
- BakeBake in the preheated oven at 160°C fan (or 180°C conventional) for 30 minutes, until golden and chewy.
- Cool and PortionRemove from the oven and allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes.While still warm, cut into 16 squares or your preferred portion size. Leave to cool completely in the tray before removing.
- Store and EnjoyStore in an airtight container at room temperature. Although they’re best eaten within 7 days, they rarely last that long!
Nutrition
Video
Probiotics – should I take them?
Probiotics – should I take them? This is a question that pops into many peoples head particularly after a dose of antibiotics. Dr. Alan Desmond, consultant gastroenterologist answers this question here with some practical tips of what to do to help build up your gut health.
Probiotics – should I take them?
You don’t need a probiotic supplement to ‘balance’ your gut microbiome.
The human gut microbiome consists of a vast diversity of microscopic organisms and is a crucial player in gut and overall health
The bacteria, yeasts, viruses, and archaea, of the gut microbiome evolved between 2 and 4 billion years ago. They’ve been with humans on every single step of our own 7-million-year evolutionary journey
Humans and our gut bugs, we go way back! So it shouldn’t surprise you that to learn that you don’t need probiotic supplements to optimise or ‘balance’ your gut microbiome.
Despite a thriving probiotic industry – one that is worth a massive $70 billion a year. There is surprisingly little evidence to support the health claims often made by probiotic companies [1]. The current American Gastroenterology Association Guidelines indicate that in the vast majority of cases we should not prescribe probiotics to adults in an attempt to improve their digestive health or well-being [2].
Here’s Dr Alan’s age-old recipe for a healthy and diverse gut microbiome:
Eat a variety of plants – more than 30 a week is a great start. Spend time in nature. Spend time with friends if you can. Get enough sleep. Exercise. Avoid unnecessary medications. Add some fermented foods to your plate. No expensive supplements required!
How do antibiotics affect your gut?
If you have recently required a course of antibiotics – don’t panic, your gut microbes are tougher than you think! Some commonly prescribed antibiotics including amoxicillin and nitrofurantoin which have almost no measurable effect on our gut microbes. While many other antibiotics can drastically reduce our gut microbial diversity. In most cases they will have bounced back to normal – or near normal – within a few months. The above tips will help and there is no need to add a probiotic supplement to the mix. This may even slow down the recovery of your normal gut microbial mix.
Here are other gut health related articles
Biodiversity and gut microbiome
Tips for a healthy gut with consultant gastroenterologist Dr. Alan Desmond.
Short chain fatty acids and the importance of fibre in gut health
Here is a collection of gut health recipes that are some of our most popular recipes on our Gut Health Revolution Course.
All are high in fibre and packed with delicious whole plant foods to give you plenty of plant diversity and gut loving fibre!
Gut Health Recipes
Prebiotic superfoods for better gut health
This is the best prebiotic superfoods stew that is super easy to make and is great way to get more fibre rich superfoods to build more probiotic superfoods for better gut health
Prep time : 5 mins | Cook time : 15 mins | Total time : 20mins | Makes: 4 Servings | Difficulty: Medium
Here are our favourite 5 prebiotic superfoods for better gut health; our “gut” or microbiome is a term that refers to the collection of bacteria, yeast, fungi and archaea that exist in our large intestines. We have approx 100 trillion of these microorganisms and yet we only have approx 10 trillion human cells. In a weird way we are more bacteria than we are human, sounds kind of strange doesn’t it! 70% of our immune system and much of our human biology is controlled in our microbiome. One of the best things we can do for gut health is to eat prebiotic foods, like these Prebiotic superfoods for better gut health. A Prebiotic is food to nourish the bacteria that keep us healthy and strong. Foods that are high in fibre are great prebiotics. According to the American Gut project, the single biggest thing you can do to improve your gut health is to eat plant based foods and the second thing is to eat a diversity of plant based foods. The magic number in terms of diversity is to eat more than 30 different plant based foods each week. Latest research says that only 1 person in 250 actually reaches the recommended 30 different plant based foods per week. Here are our 5 favourite prebiotic superfoods for better gut health and lovely recipe for a delicious sweet potato and white bean stew
Other gut healthy recipes like this, Prebiotic superfoods for better gut health
- This Vietnames curry with Tempeh is so tasty and light on your digestion as its low FODMAP
- Here is a really tasty Aubergine Parmigiana recipe that is also low FODMAP and easy on your digestion
- A super tasty Spaghetti Bolognese that is easy on your digestion
Some Serving suggestions for this Stew
- Here are some easy to make flat breads to go wonderfully with this dish
- This high protein salad is both light on digestion, and super tasty
- Here is a lovely easy to make guacamole recipe
Prebiotic Superfood stew for better gut health
Takes 20 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic
- 600 g Sweet potato
- 400 g Leeks
- 1 x 400g tin of coconut milk
- 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 250 g Pack of precooked brown rice
- 1 x 400g tin of cooked cannellini beans
- 1 x 400g tin of cooked lentils
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables:Chop the leeks and sweet potatoes into similar-sized pieces. Peel and finely dice the garlic. Ensure the leeks are thoroughly washed to remove any sediment hiding in the green parts. Drain and rinse the beans and lentils.
- Cook the leeks and sweet potatoes:Heat a wide-bottomed non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped leeks and fry for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the garlic, sweet potatoes, and a generous pinch of salt. Stir and cook for 1 more minute.
- Steam the sweet potatoes:Add 50 ml of water to the pan, stir, and cover with a lid. Leave the sweet potatoes to steam for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. If the mixture starts to stick, add 2 more tablespoons of water and scrape any browning from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the beans and lentils:Once the sweet potatoes are soft and cooked through, add the drained lentils and cannellini beans. Mix well to incorporate.
- Finish with coconut milk and tomatoes:Add the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, the zest of half a lemon, and the juice of half a lemon. Stir well to combine.
- Taste and season:Taste the stew and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add more salt, ground black pepper, chilli flakes, or tamari/soy sauce for extra flavour.
- Serve and enjoy:Serve the stew with precooked brown rice and enjoy the gut-friendly, nutritious meal!
Nutrition
Video
Plant based diet basics
Eating more fruit and veg is massively beneficial to your mental and physicial health as well as the planet!
Whether you are new to the plant-based game or have been flirting with a vegan diet for years, this space is for you!
Our aim is to take you step by step and teach you the simple, easy and delicious tools and techniques so you can make your own plant-based meals, optimise your health through plant-based nutrition and get inspired with our mouthwatering recipes.
It might seem daunting for any newbies out there but trust us, we have been doing this for over 20 years! Once you get over the initial hump – It’s easy, it’s super affordable, it’s so so good for you aannd it’s damn tasty!
So let’s begin….
WHY GO PLANT-BASED?
We all want to be healthy and happy, it is universal – to want to wake up in the morning with energy, feeling happy and confident in your body.
What you eat have a massive impact on how you feel, your energy levels, your weight, your confidence and almost every aspect of your health and wellbeing.
If I were to tell you that the food choices you make will impact nearly every decision you make in your life, would you believe me?
A whole food plant based diet can have one of the most positive transformations on your own health and wellbeing, a monumental shift, the likes you only experience a few times in your life.
When you choose to love your body by giving it food that will truly nurture it, energise it, revitelise and make it glow, it has a major knock on effect. You begin to reflect on all aspects of your life. All the choices you make. Are the decisions I am making good for me? If I care to nurture my body with vegetables then why am I smoking? If I care to eat whole grains and fresh fruit then why don’t I move my body more?
Eating well gives you the energy and appetite to make healthier choices, and the best thing about healthier choices is, they tend to also be the healthier choice for the planet – A win win!
In this article we will explain the basics of a wholefood plant-based diet, show you how it can help improve your heart health, your gut health, your skin, it will even help you reach your happy shape. It will do so much more than you are expecting it to do. The domino effect it has on all aspects of your life we have personally experienced and helped thousands and thousands of people from across the globe experience through our online courses and on going support.
Disclaimer! Progress over perfection
In case you are worried and think this is about perfection you are wrong! This is very much about ‘progress over perfection’ it’s about taking one step at a time and eating more whole plant foods today than you ate yesterday. Your changes need to be sustainable, there is no point in jumpring right in and going 100% whole food plant based and then within a week stop because it was not sustainable. It really is about eating more wholefoods and less about any ideology. One option could be to start with your breakfast and optimise this. This is 30% of your meals – you could eat porridge with fruit compote and granola or chia seed pudding..the options are endless. Once you have got the hang of eating a healthy wholefood plant based brekkie then move onto lunch and go from there. And should you decided to keep eating meat along with all your veg, don’t see this as a defeat, it’s not! You are doing brilliantly! Fair Play!
What is a wholefood plant-based diet?
The words ‘wholefood plant-based diet’ may be confusing but basically ‘wholefood’ means eating foods that are ‘whole’ and unrefined, as close to their natural form as possible.
‘Plant based’ refers to foods from plants so it excludes animal based foods such as meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs.
A wholefood plant based diet consists of:
- Fruits – all types of fruit are great for you (apples, pears, bananas, oranges etc..)
- Vegetables – All veg are super healthy for you (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, swete etc.)
- Beans – highest source of fibre in our diet and powerhouses in terms of nutrition (, butter beans, kidney beans, canellini beans etc.)
- Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, split peas etc.)
- Wholegrains (‘brown’ carbs rather than ‘white’ carbs or whole carbs as opposed to refined carbs)
- Nuts (raw nuts – not the roasted and salted type or the flavoured candied type nuts)
- Seeds (raw seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, chia, flax etc.)
Vegan diet vs plant-based
The terms ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ or ‘whole food plant based’ can often be mistaken for meaning the same thing, but this is not necessarily true.
A vegan diet is one that does not include any animal products or animal by-products, but that does not necessarily mean it is a healthy diet. You could eat a vegan diet and live off chips, vegan biscuits, dark chocolate and cola and still be considered a vegan, but this is not any healthier than the standard western diet.
A wholefood plant-based diet also does not contain any animal products but it is one that centres on whole, unrefined and unprocessed whole plant foods, and is made up of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
A whole food plant based diet excludes any animal-based foods – no meat or fish.
By animal based foods we mean beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, ham, salami, sausages, bacon and even fish too. That is red meat, white meat and fish – basically any food that had a face or a mother (sorry for being so crude!).
Animal-based foods are excluded because they are:
- High in saturated and trans fat: both of which are considered the ‘bad’ fats that are linked to heart disease and diabetes.
- Containing no fibre: remember fibre is central to good gut health, healthy weight, brain health.
- Contain cholesterol: Excess cholesterol is associated with increased risk of heart disease. Our bodies produce all the cholesterol that we need, we do not need any extra from our diet.
- Very low in antioxidants (the only antioxidants they contain are from the plants the animals consumed).
- Low in vitamins and minerals compared to plant based foods: see table below
- Often contain antibiotics and hormones: Approx 80% of antibiotics used globally are used in animal agriculture along with growth hormones. Parts of these end up in the meat and are believed to have an impact on your health particularly your gut health.
- Animal based foods contain only 2 of the 3 macronutrients: fat and protein. They are missing the number one source of energy for your body: carbohydrates. Whereas whole plant foods consist of 20-80% of their calories coming from carbs giving you a slow sustained energy release.
Here’s Some Recipes You’ll Love
Here are some delicious recipes that are packed with prebiotic fibre so great for your gut. If you want to make them easier on your gut choose our low FODMAP recipes.
Benefits of a plant based diet
Happy Heart
A wholefood plant based diet is the only diet proven to reverse heart disease [1]. Heart disease is the leading cause of premature death in both men and women globally, and it is largely preventable and reversible [2].
There are many reasons why a plant based diet is so effective at preventing and reversing cardiovascular disease. Animal foods are high in dietary cholesterol and saturated fat both of which are linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease [3]. Refined and processed foods are also high in saturated fat, excess salt and sugar and have also been linked to increasing the risk of heart disease[4]. Replacing these foods with whole plant foods you can lower your cholesterol level, lower your blood pressure, lose weight and reduce your risk of heart disease.
We started running our Happy Heart course upstairs in our cafe back in 2008. We had been eating a wholefood plant-based diet for about 7 years and felt the benefits so wanted to put it to the test. We had read about Dr. Dean Ornish’ lifestyle heart trial, where he showed in clinical trials that in 83% of his cases many of the indicators for heart disease were not just halted but were actually reversed by eating a wholefood plant-based diet over the year of his study. Today we have had more than 20,000 through our Happy Heart course in more than 73 countries with results in 4 weeks that often leave people amazed.
[CASE STUDY]
“For the best part of 20 years (half my life!) I’ve been trying to reduce my cholesterol. I have a family history of heart disease, heart bypasses and all sorts of heart-related health adventures. I’ve tried lots of different ways to control my cholesterol.
From exercise (I’ve competed in marathons and triathlons) to diet (from drinking plant sterol yoghurts to going pescetarian) but have failed to find anything that will have much of a lasting impact.
With the arrival of my daughter into my life, the need to do something to avoid the threat of a heart attack became more urgent. Knowing how anxious I was about this, my siblings very generously bought me The Happy Heart course as a birthday gift.
It was life changing. The plan was easy to stick to. The recipes are tasty, and practical, and the results speak for themselves. My cholesterol levels almost halved and I lost more than 4 kilos in weight. I felt physically and metaphorically lighter – like the bogeyman of heart disease had been banished. It was hugely emotional.
Since then, I’ve continued to lose weight and have convinced other family members to follow in some of my footsteps, and their results have been equally exciting. I owe The Happy Pear lads a huge debt of gratitude for nothing less than adding what I hope will be another number of happy and healthy years to my life” – Patrick Cannon
[/CASE STUDY]“ I lost about 10lbs during the course and I have more energy now. The focus of the course wasn’t on eating less and being hungry, it was about cooking tasty food and being full. I definitely cook more and when snacking, I choose healthier alternatives. I don’t crave chocolate and biscuits like I did before. I won’t be going back to my old diet. I will only be expanding my Happy Heart-friendly recipes and eating more veggies than ever before!” – Vicki Schofield
[/CASE STUDY]
Happy Shape
As a society, our weight has been on the rise over the last number of decades. Today at least 4 out of ten people in the UK and Ireland are overweight [8] with nearly half of those obese. We would like to think that this is not the case with kids, but unfortunately even childhood obesity is on the rise for the fourth decade in a row[7].
A whole food plant based diet is one of the most effective ways to help you to lose weight and keep it off [5]. Genuinely. We have seen this be the case for thousands of people. How is it so effective, we hear you ask?
- Energy density
- Gym vs eating – losing weight starts in the kitchen and not in the gym
- Not all calories are created equal
- Fibre
- Why it works so effectively
A whole food plant based diet is naturally high in fibre, why is fibre important? Well, fibre actually fills you up and keeps you full while naturally being low in calories [6], foods that are high in fibre are generally wholefood plant based and tend to be high in water and low in calories also. Studies have shown that if someone increases fibre intake by 14g they will consume 10% less calories [9] By complete contrast animal foods and processed foods are extremely low in fibre and high in calories. By eating a whole food plant based diet it means you can eat a large volume of food while not exceeding your calorie needs. That is why on a wholefood plant based diet you are encouraged to eat till you are satisfied, no calorie counting or portion control necessary.
“Since entering my fifties I have found that not only had my shape changed, but it seems much harder to shift the pounds, so I was looking for something different but sustainable.
Within a few days of starting a wholefood plant-based diet I felt lighter, less bloated, and I was delighted that everyone in the house was enjoying the food. Before the programme, I would regularly feel tired around 2 or 3 o’clock and reach for the tea and biscuits to give me a boost. However, by day 4 I noticed that the afternoon slump was gone.”
Ruth O’Leary
It’s great for your gut health (and therefore your immune system)
Thousands of years ago, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine said, “All disease begins in the gut”. We prefer to say that ‘all health starts in the gut too’.
A wholefood plant based diet is hugely effective at improving your digestion and gut health [10]. 70% of your immune system cells are based in your gut [11]. Your gut consists of about 2kg of microorganisms such as bacteria, funghi, archaea, yeasts etc these are known as your microbiome, the health of these microorganisms is considered your gut health and is what directly influences your immune system cells. Eating high fibre foods is vitally important to encourage the healthy strains of bacteria and microorganisms, fibre is, in fact, a prebiotic to our microbiome, it is the food that our bacteria and microorganisms feed on and helps to encourage them to be healthy and flourish. As you probably know by now – whole plant foods are the best sources of high fibre foods [12] and therefore really encourage a healthy gut.
“I’ve had bloating for 30 years. This is the first time I have had 90% reduction of symptoms while eating 3 meals a day. At other times I had no symptoms because I was eating next to nothing. I think the main point for me is a whole food plant based diet gives me a way of life where I’m feeling healthy and therefore in balance with life. Head fog has gone, joint pain reduced, bloating 90% gone, mood stable, fluid retention reduced hugely. I was so unwell last Winter there was a suggestion of fibromyalgia which led me here, with a 9 year old I can’t be sick! My almost 18 year old has given up moo milk and is eating more plant based too”
Janet McCracken
“I feel mentally and physically lighter and stronger after the gut course. From the gut reset all the way through the re-introductions, I felt my digestion went from strength to strength. I have more energy and the recovery time from jet lag has diminished by many factors. On the course I found the knowledge, tools, community and motivation to plan, source and prepare the best possible food. I’m absolutely delighted I joined, I know I will be reaping the benefits for the rest of my life”
Captain George Edgeworth
CASE STUDY: The Devon South West Plant Based Challenge
In January 2020 we embarked on a study in the South West of the UK in Devon which we called The South West Plant Based Challenge. Our friend, Dr. Alan Desmond lives there and wanted to show the power of a plant based diet to his fellow medical professionals. We enrolled 75 doctors, nurses, dieticians and other medical professions. We went over to kick it all off and get these medical professions on a whole food plant based diet for 4 weeks. They did our online course (The Gut Health Revolution) and Dr. Alan and ourselves did weekly live video Q&A’s to support them. Almost every participant was eating an omnivorous diet before starting the course for an average of 49 years!
The findings after 4 weeks were as follows
- Average total cholesterol drop was 20%
- Only 35% of the group had normal cholesterol levels starting the challenge and 4 weeks later 77% of the group had normal cholesterol levels.
- An average of 3.2kg weight loss (4.3% of body weight) across the participants with the biggest weight loss in the group being 9.5kg (11.9% body weight).
- 37% of the group started the challenge overweight/obese and after the 4 weeks only 27% were in the overweight/obese group.
- When we looked at both high cholesterol and high BMI, those with the highest starting numbers saw the most impressive results (average 24% drop in non-HDL cholesterol and average 5.0kg weight loss). Its likely that these participants reduced their 5-year risk of coronary-vascular disease by at least a third.
- Blood pressure reduced from an average of 121/76 to 114/74, as effective as prescribing a first-line blood pressure medication
- 74% of participants decided to make the switch to a plant-based diet permanently and even those who decided to continue eating meat significantly reduced the amount in their diets.
- 97% of participants thought they should offer a similar programme to their patients!
THE ENVIRONMENT
Eating a wholefood plant-based diet is the single biggest thing you can do to help the planet
Eating a wholefood plant based diet is one of the single most effective things you can do to help slow climate change [13]. Raising animals for meat or dairy is so much more intense in terms of water usage and land usage than plant based foods, a recent study showed that 83% of the world’s farmlands are used to raise animals yet this only accounts for 18% of the world’s food [14] . The Eat Lancet report found that ‘food is the single strongest lever to optimise human health and environmental sustainability on Earth and with fewer animal source foods confers both improved health and environmental benefits.’ [15]
You might think that getting an electric car or flying less is super important in terms of doing your bit to help the climate yet as an individual your food choices are the biggest lever you have.
High protein salad
Takes 15 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 100 g mixed green leaves
- 50 g mixed sprouts such as alfalfa and mixed sprouted beans
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 lemon juiced
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 avocado
- 25 g sauerkraut – we used crimson or red cabbage sauerkraut
- 150 g tempeh
- 3 tbsp tamari/ soy sauce
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or vinegar of choice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp mixed sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger chopped finely
Instructions
- First start with the dressing mix together the tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, smoked paprika until well combined.
- Grate the carrot and remove the avocado from its skin, remove the stone and slice into cubes. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Slice the tempeh into 4 thin pieces.
- Heat a non stick pan until hot and add 1 tsp of oil, next add the sliced tempeh and fry on both sides until golden this should take 3-4 mins, add the ginger and fry for another minute. Add the dressing and spread it around and turn the tempeh so that both sides are well coated. Add the sesame seeds and remove the pan from the heat.
- In a large bowl add the washed greens, sprouts, grated carrot juice of 1 lemon and mix well, add the avocado and cherry tomatoes.
- Carefully place the cooked tempeh on top and mix 2 tbsp of water to the pan and scrap out any remaining sauce along with any pieces of ginger or sesame, this will function as the dressing.
- Serve with the sauerkraut on the side and enjoy!
Nutrition
Often the idea of a high protein salad doesn’t sound that appealing but by frying up some sweet umami tempeh it add a wonderful grizzle and chew as well as a flavour bomb! Tempeh is originally from Indonesia and if you cant find it tofu will work fine. Tempeh is high in protein so perfect for this high protein salad. Ensure to use any left over sauce in the pan as the dressing for this salad. This makes a great lunch or light dinner. If you do make it ahead of time just ensure the tempeh has cooled fully so it doesnt cook the leaves, and also squeeze juice of 1/2 a lemon on the avocado to prevent it from browning. If you dont have any sauerkraut it is easy to make yourself however replace with some similar acid food such as some picked cucumber or even some capers go lovely
Serving suggestions for this salad?
- It goes brilliant served with this tabouleh chickpea salad
- Guacamole goes fab with this
- Here is a lovely salad framework and salad burrito that goes wonderfully
- A super tasty and healthier dessert are these easy to make Peanut Caramel Squares
Our favourite Pasta recipes to serve with this salad
- This creamy fettuccini alfredo with baked cauliflower dish is a total winner!
- One of our most popular pasta recipes is this Creamy Red Pepper Pasta
- Here is a lovely low FODMAP creamy broccoli pasta bake that is so tasty and great for your digestion
How To Improve Gut Health
How do you improve gut health, what is gut health and why is it so important? This is an in depth article where we deep dive into all things gut health, microbiome, bloating and FODMAP’s. The gut is literally central to so many aspects of our health yet many of us know little about it or how to care for it. Here we try to change this. Enjoy!
What is your gut, why is it so important? How to improve your health
Your gut is home to hundreds of trillions of microorganisms, bacteria, funghi, yeast, archaea. This collection of microorganisms are also known as your microbiome [1]. Your microbiome exists In your large intestine, your bowel where you have approximately 2kg of microorganisms. Your microbiome works symbiotically with every system in your body. The health of it directly impacts every aspect of your health. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, back more than 2000 years ago said that ‘all disease starts in the gut’. Your gut and your microbiome are believed to be the centre of human biology.
Your microbiome can consist of ‘healthy’ strains of microorganisms and unhealthy strains. Many lifestyle factors such as the foods you eat [2], your stress levels, your level of physical activity and the quality of your sleep [3] greatly impact your gut health and your microbiome.
Foods to avoid for gut health. What are the worst food for gut health?
- Refined and processed foods have a negative impact on gut health [4]. Unfortunately the modern industrialised diet consisting of more than 50% of its calories from ultra processed foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar encourages the unhealthy strains of bacteria in our gut and can cause an overgrowth of the bad bacteria [5]. Today nearly 75% of the worlds foods supply comes from 12 plants and 5 animals which is the opposite of a diverse diet. [6]
- Refined foods contain no prebiotic fibre in them [7]. Many whole plant foods such as beans, lentils, legumes, many fruit, veg and whole grains are high in prebiotic fibre which is an insoluble fibre that encourages the healthy strains of bacteria
- Alcohol consumption can negatively affect your gut health by encouraging dysbiosis or an imbalance of the strains of bacteria in your gut. Alcohol is a fermented food that is high in simple sugars so has no prebiotic fibres in it [8].
- Excessive antibiotic use. Antibiotics are amazing, they save peoples lives everyday of the week. However excessive use of them can wreak havoc on your gut microbiome and cause an imbalance [9].
- Cigarette smoking – Smoking has a negative effect on your gut microbiome [10] and nearly every system in your body which is not surprising in that there are thousands of different chemicals in a cigarette. Studies have shown that smoking cessation is associated with increased gut diversity and a healthier microbiome.
- Coffee. Lots of people wonder can coffee cause bloating? Does it make you gassy. Coffee is a natural laxative that stimulates the muscles in your digestive system, which can lead to an increase in bowel movements. It is very much case specific as to whether it affects your gut. T
Lifestyle factors to improve your gut health
- Physical activity – recent research has shown that those who exercise and move their body more often tend to have healthier microbiomes and stronger immune systems [18]. This does not mean that you need to join a gym or start running marathons, it just means that getting your 10k daily steps can improve your gut health as well as so many other systems in your body. Higher fitness levels have been associated to more production of healthy short chain fatty acids in your gut which are linked to overall health [19].
- Good sleep [20]. Just like every other system in your body, your gut tends to follow your bodies natural circadian rhythm (your internal 24 hour clock) and appears to function much better after good sleep. Studies have shown that those that have good sleep habits tend to have healthier guts. Shift workers and people with inconsistent sleep schedules have been associated to having less healthy gut microbiomes.
- Spending time in nature. Spending time in nature usually means your body absorbs more vitamin D, helps boost our immune system in which the majority of this is in your gut [21]. Spending time outside exposes you to more micro organisms. The natural world is covered in bacteria and micro organisms. Generally speaking the more variety of bacteria in your gut the healthier it is. By spending time in nature you are exposing yourself to more bacterial biodiversity which in turn builds up your immune system, gut health and overall health.
- Stress reduction – 70% of all IBS is associated to stress. Stress can wreak havoc on your gut. Stress has been associated with increasing sensitivity, reducing blood flow and altering your gut flora. Stress has been associated with production of the ‘bad’ but bugs such as ‘clostridium’ and reducing beneficial bacteria [22].
- Cutting down on alcohol [23]. Alcohol is a fermented food that is high in sugars, generally speaking it has a harmful effect on your gut health. Excess alcohol consumption has been linked to an imbalance in your gut microbiome. By reducing your alcohol consumption your sleep is generally better quality, good sleep is linked to healthier guts also alcohol consumption is generally linked to the consumption of processed foods so reducing or cutting out alcohol can have a compounding positive effect on your gut.
- Not smoking. Smoking has a negative effect on nearly every system in your body which is not surprising in that there are thousands of different chemicals in a cigarette [25]. Smoking is one of the main contributing factors associated with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) [26]. Studies have shown that smoking cessation is associated with increased gut diversity and a healthier microbiome
Gut Health Facts:
- Trillions of bacteria and microorganisms exist that make up your ‘microbiome’.
- These microorganisms in your gut are believed to be in the tens of trillions in terms of numbers (that is 10 with 14 zeros after it!!) existing mostly in your small intestine.
- Just to put this in context, as Neil deGrasse Tyson put it, “More bacteria live and work in one linear centimeter of your lower colon than all the humans who have ever lived!
- 70% of our immune system cells are based in your gut [27].
- 95% of your happy hormones (serotonin) is also made in your gut so the health of your microbiome is super important to your happiness.
- There is a very important nerve, called the vagus nerve, that transfers information directly from your gut to your brain meaning that the health of your gut is very likely to impact your moods, the foods you crave, your concentration and realistically your mental health.
- Many probably think that our stools are composed primarily of undigested food but most of it 75% is in fact pure bacteria.
- The richest microbiomes ever recorded were those of the Yanomami tribe in the Amazon Jungle who had no previous contact with the modern world. Traditional societies tend to have more diverse gut flora in general, and the key is thought to be their extraordinary fibre intakes, which can reach 120grams a day. Nearly eight times the UK and Irish average.
‘Having had more than 20,000 people through our Gut Health Revolution Course we have learnt that the single most important factor for influencing the health of your gut health is what you eat. ‘
Gut Health Recipes
Here’s Some Recipes You’ll Love
Here are some delicious recipes that are packed with prebiotic fibre so great for your gut. If you want to make them easier on your gut choose our low FODMAP recipes.
Fermented foods for gut health
Fermented foods encourage bacterial biodiversity in our guts [28]. Did you know that 70% of our immune system cells are based in our gut and that most of our gut consists of millions of different bacteria and mico organisms (appox 2kg in weight). Leading gut science believes that the diversity of the bacteria in your gut is directly linked to the strength of your immune system. Fermented foods feed your microbiome and therefore are super beneficial to eat on a regular or daily basis. How to improve gut health.
If you are wondering about probiotics and whether you should take them. Here is an article we wrote with Consultant Gastroenterologist Dr. Alan Desmond all about probiotics.
What are fermented foods
Fermented foods are often referred to as ‘the forgotten food group’ as they are much less a part of most people’s daily foods as they used to be. Traditionally foods were fermented as a means of preservation, to keep veg from the garden over the winter when there was much less fresh foods. Nowadays most of us don’t need to preserve food from our gardens but actively need to eat fermented foods for their beneficial probiotic properties. Chances are you probably eat some types of fermented foods such as chocolate, coffee, wine for eg. these all go through a fermentation process in their production. We wrote an article on probiotics in Ireland with a focus on foods if you want to learn more.
We usually have some form of sauerkraut or kimchi with our lunch or dinner most days, often eat coconut yoghurt with breakfast and having a sourdough bakery we eat sourdough bread most days. It is just getting in the habit of incorporating fermented foods into your daily eating habits.
The main fermentation include – yoghurt, sauerkraut & kim chi, sourdough bread, kombucha, and ginger bug.
Yoghurt
Originating from the Turkish word ‘to thicken’, yogurt is a food that has been eaten for centuries; with ancient Indian records describing yogurt as ‘the food of the gods’.
It is traditionally made by fermenting cows’ milk. These days, there are many different plant-based alternatives to dairy based yoghurts available, from soy to almond or coconut, which all taste great and still provide all the probiotic goodness.
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is perhaps one of the most well-known fermented dishes and has been a traditional staple in countries such as Germany, Poland, and Russia for many years. Made of finely cut/grated raw hard cabbage that is fermented with salt and spices. We love sauerkraut and find that it’s tangy flavour goes great with all savoury dishes. A personal favourite of ours is serving it on top of avocado on sourdough bread; it’s a match made in heaven!
While sauerkraut is more widely available in health food stores and restaurants, making your own could not be easier. Here is a video we shot of us showing you how to make saurkraut.
Kimchi
Kimchi is definitely one of our favourite condiments, we have it alongside a lot of our lunches and dinners. It is a traditional Korean fermented side dish, its spicy and savoury and oh so yummy!! It has that distinctive acidic note of fermented foods and as a result is packed with probiotics great for you digestion and immune system.
Traditional kimchi recipes use fish sauce which we have replaced with tamari and a little kelp powder if you have it.
Traditional kimchi uses Korean chilli powder known as gochugaru, which gives it its wonderful bright red colour and spice, it is made with a specific Japanese dried red chillies without the seeds so making it slightly less spicy & sweeter than more conventional chilli powders. You can get it at most Asian food shops and if not, simply replace with a mixture ground chilli powder and sweet paprika.
Here is an easy Kim chi video recipe we made to show you how to make it.
Kombucha
Kombucha is in a sense like a healthier lemonade that is really good for your gut, its a good one to give to your kids, our kids certainly love as do we! It is a naturally carbonated fermented drink that is usually infused with different flavours. It is a great alternative to fizzy drinks as it is naturally carbonated. It is easy to make and there is something beautiful about fermenting your own kombucha at home and growing a good kombucha mother culture (also known as a scoby – symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) which converts the sugar to probiotic bacteria).
Sugar is used to cause the fermentation process in which it is believed that 95%+ of the sugar is converted to beneficial bacteria. Most sugars work fine, we have found in our experience trying most types of sugar that a simple white granulated sugar works best.
You can buy SCOBY online or if you know someone that brew kombucha then they should have some spare SCOBY’s as they tend to multiply every couple of weeks. You can also leave a bottle of store bought kombucha open (but covered) and a scoby will grow on it in about 2-4 weeks.
Here is a kombucha recipe video we shot of how to make kombucha.
Ginger bug
A ginger bug is a culture of beneficial bacteria made from fresh ginger root and sugar. It is similar to a kombucha SCOBY. The ginger imparts its flavor and as it naturally ferments, it creates a mixture of beneficial bacteria. It can be used as the base for a super-tasty lemonade-style drink. Like all fermented products, it’s super-easy to make. Once your ginger bug is made, it can be kept alive and used at any time.
Here is a ginger bug recipe video we shot showing you how to make it step by step.
Bloating: How to reduce bloating and get rid of it fast
Bloating is an uncomfortable feeling of trapped gas or pressure in your gut. Bloating is super common and is believed to affect at least 16-31% of the population [28]. In most cases it is short lived and is usually caused by a large meal or a gas producing food.
However for some people bloating is more severe and can be chronic, negatively affecting their daily lives [29].
Here are 5 scientifically backed ways to help you to reduce bloating
- Get to the source of what is causing the bloating
Many people feel that bloating is caused by a feeling of gas in their gut but what is actually causing this bloating feeling? By getting to the root of what is triggering the bloated feeling is super important to being able to relieve it. Through the digestive process, fermentation happens which can lead to bloating. Here are some common causes of bloating
- Eating foods that are high in fermentable carbohydrates – high in sugar, high in FODMAPs (such as garlic, onion, beans) [30]
- A food intolerance such as dairy or gluten [31]
- Swallowing excess air while eating
- An dysbiosis or imbalance of the gut flora in your gut
Other factors that are linked to bloating are stress and anxiety and hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle are also linked to bloating [32].
- Keep a food diary
Certain foods can trigger bloating in you and not in someone else. Each of us have a completely unique microbiome (gut bugs in our gut) which means that we digest our foods uniquely, foods that will cause bloating in your will not in others [33].
Keeping a food diary/journal is a great way to keep track of what foods could be triggering bloating. It can be a note in your phone or a physical notebook, the main thing is that you record what you eat over a period of a week or so to see if there are commonalities between what you eat and how your gut feels.
Our gut is like a muscle in a sense, if you go to the gym often then your muscles will be used to lifting heavy weights. On the other hand if you do not go often and then decide to do a high intensity gym workout, your muscles will not be used to it and you are likely to feel sore afterwards. The same can be true for our gut and digestion, if you are used to eating lots of fibre then you are likely to digest high fibre foods such as beans easily. However if you eat a standard western diet which is low in fibre. If you eat a meal high in beans, whole grains and vegetables you could be more likely to feel bloated as your gut is not used to digesting the large amount of insoluble fibre.
The main point here is to keep track of the foods you eat over a week to get some insights into what could be causing it.
- Get a food intolerance test
If you have been experiencing bloating for a prolonged period of time it is important to rule out any food intolerances. Particularly for lactose intolerance and for gluten intolerance. If you suspect you have lactose [34] or gluten intolerance then cutting them out can help reduce symptoms of bloating.
There are a lot more lactose and gluten free food products on the market now that taste just as good so if you find out you are lactose or gluten intolerant then don’t worry, it is a lot easier now than 20 years ago!
- Try a low FODMAP diet for a period of time
FODMAP is an acronym for fermentable oligosaccharide di-sacharide monosaccharides and polyols. It essentially means foods that are high in fermentable carbohydrates. Most wholefoods contain FODMAPs. These foods are really healthy foods to eat but if you have a sensitive gut or are experiencing bloating then cutting out certain high FODMAP foods for a short period of time can help to ease the symptoms [35]. It can also allow your gut bugs to adapt so that when you start to reintroduce these foods you do not experience bloating when eating them. Often bloating is referred to as IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome – a general term that covers bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhoea and other digestive problems. Many studies have shown that by going on a low FODMAP diet for a fixed period of time can alleviate IBS [36,37].
Some high FODMAP foods (that are all super healthy foods) include:
- Garlic
- Onion
- Beans
- Lentils and legumes
- Nuts such as cashew nuts
- Grains such as wheat
- Eat smaller portions and cut down on processed foods
Eating too much food at one sitting can often lead to bloating. It can lead to stretching your stomach and causing excess gas production [38]. By eating smaller portions you are giving your stomach time to empty and are less likely to encourage gas production.
Also salt from processed foods has been linked to excess water retention in your gut and the feeling of bloating [39]. Along with salt, high fat foods have also been linked with retention of gas and possible cause of bloating [40,41].
By reducing and cutting out processed food and focusing more on whole plant foods you will dramatically reduce the amount of salt in your diet and excess fat too while also increasing the amount of probiotic fibre that your gut bugs love.
“The reason behind why I chose this course initially was to help my symptoms of IBS and stomach discomfort. The course has dramatically changed my relationship with food and my outlook on health. Within the first week my symptoms have dramatically decreased. The happy gut course has enabled me to eat a wide variety of healthy plant based food that I would have never tried previously. The course has changed the way I look at food, I no longer get anxious around meal times about how my body will react to foods, the step by step low FODMAP meal plan makes cooking exciting again and I now look forward to trying new foods. My sole benefit of doing the course was to improve my digestive health, but I have gained so much more, I have built up a knowledge of how the Microbiome works, I feel I can cook tasty plant based foods and I have connected with a wide community of like minded people. So far my experience with the Happy Gut course has exceeded all my expectations and the best investment for my health and well-being. And I will be sad when it ends”.
Orla (A gut health revolution course participant)
IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is believed to affect anywhere from 5-30% of the population worldwide. It is a general umbrella term which covers bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort and many other symptoms. Your lifestyle and food choices can have a major impact on IBS such as your stress, sleep quality, your exercise level and the foods you eat [42]. However because the makeup of each of our guts are unique with unique gut bugs (microbiomes) different triggers affect each person differently. With IBS there can be a bit of detective work required to get to the root cause of symptoms.
What to do if you have symtoms of IBS
If you have symptoms that are interfering with the quality of your life then go visit the doctor so that you can rule out any other causes. IBS is usually diagnosed as consistent abdominal pain for 6 months. You may be referred to a consultant gastroenterologist (gut specialist). On our gut health revolution course you have access to many others suffering with IBS and to the gut health revolution course consultant gastroenterologist Dr. Alan Desmond. Simple lifestyle changes have been shown to be very effective at reducing IBS such as improved sleep, stress reduction via yoga or meditation, increased exercise, trying a low FODMAP approach for a period of time.
Reducing digestive stimulants such as coffee, alcohol or sugary drinks can also help [43].
Just like with reducing bloating keeping a food diary can be very useful to try to identify possible triggers of your symptoms.
Best foods to avoid if you have IBS
- Sugary processed foods – these can be triggers to anyone with IBS.
- Alcohol has been shown to be another trigger of symptoms in anyone with IBS
- High fat foods can cause bloating and can also be a trigger.
- Dairy is often a food that people can be sensitive or be intolerant of and not be aware of. If you have symptoms of IBS getting a dairy intolerance test can be good to mark this off as a possibility.
- Gluten can be another trigger and cause of IBS – like with dairy getting a gluten intolerance test can help you to know if you are sensitive to gluten or not.
- High FODMAP foods can trigger IBS symptoms. By cutting out some of the higher FODMAP foods and keeping a food diary can be very useful in identifying possible triggers. Common high FODMAP foods are onions, garlic, beans, lentils, cashew nuts, gluten, honey, certain fruits etc..[44]
Case Study: Peter O’Toole
About 2 years ago my entire immune system seemed to collapse and I developed around 6 auto-immune conditions overnight. I had severe difficulty in breathing, even standing up was enough to put me out of breath. I developed numerous skin conditions, one being extreme pain and sensitivity to anything touching my skin, even the feel of clothing on my skin was painful. I had zero energy, constantly felt as if I was in a permanent state of exhaustion and suffered with pounding headaches and nausea. As if all of this wasn’t enough, I also developed rheumatoid arthritis in my right hand.
In the search for answers, I went to countless doctors both in Ireland and the UK who, frustratingly, had no answers whatsoever for me. I struggled to find a doctor who would look at where these conditions were coming from as opposed to simply treating the symptoms. I eventually found a functional doctor who diagnosed me with Dysbiosis which is a microbial imbalance in the gut. This apparently caused my immune system to collapse and for my body to start attacking itself.
I then came across The Happy Pear’s Gut Health Revolution course and I knew it was just the answer I was looking for to rebuild my gut and start getting my health back. The thought of going vegan petrified me as I didn’t know how to even make toast, let alone cook a meal from scratch! I knew that giving up milk, chocolate and cheese was going to be incredibly tough, however, I was willing to go ‘cold-tofu’ as my health was more important than anything else.
After I followed the first few recipes and produced food that blew my socks off with taste, I began to get excited beyond belief about food for the first time in my life! My diet used to be very processed and bland, and everything I ate came from a packet, with the same food being eaten all the time. Now, I eat a huge variety of fruits and vegetables in the most amazing dishes every single day and I couldn’t wait for my next meal.
A year later, I have made a full recovery from every symptom with the exception of arthritis, which I am still working on. I couldn’t be happier with the new direction my life has taken and this love for fresh whole food is something I will never change.
What are FODMAPs
by dietician Rosie Martin
Supporting people with an unhappy gut makes up a substantial part of my day-to-day work as a dietitian. Through supporting people with digestive issues, I have witnessed the dramatic impact diet and lifestyle can have, not just on someone’s gut health and symptoms, but their ability to carry out everyday activities and enjoy their life. Through my dietetic clinics, I also see the dramatic effect that a low FODMAP diet plan can have when nothing else seems to help [45]. The low FODMAP diet is a short-term plan allowing individuals to identify which specific fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAP) impact their symptoms, and enable them to take back control of their gut health long-term using the valuable information they have gained. FODMAP is an acronym which stands for “Fermentable Oligo-saccharides, Di-saccharides, Mono-saccharides and Polyols” [46].
Within healthcare, dietitians only use a strict low FODMAP diet when other potential causes of symptoms have been ruled out e.g. coeliac disease or IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). This is important so nothing more serious is missed. Having helped more than 20,000 people through our Gut Health Revolution Course, Dr. Alan, Steve, Dave, Simone and myself have all been amazed at the vast number of stories we have heard from people struggling with gut issues when moving to predominantly, or exclusively, plant-based diet. Switching to a whole food plant based diet can dramatically increase the levels of both fibre and FODMAPs in the diet; this is very healthy for our friendly gut microbiota which thrive on these foods, but can lead to an array of short-term symptoms including bloating, flatulence, abdominal pain, and loose stools or constipation (or both!).
The Happy Pear’s Gut Health Revolution team has all the skills, knowledge and experience to bring you a tasty and nutritious plan backed by science, focussed on improving your digestive symptoms. We aim to help you learn, not just more about your gut and its significance to other aspects of your health, but also to give you the practical skills to remove and re-introduce those foods that may be an issue for you. We are absolutely delighted with the results that we have seen from this plan so far, and I am confident that this will help many more people embrace a plant-based lifestyle, without having to experience the discomfort and frustration of an unhappy gut!
If you are struggling to beat the bloat and don’t want to follow our 4 week approach it’s a good idea to build at least some of your meals in a FODMAP-controlled manner. Most cookbooks do not take this important issue into account. Garlic, onions, cashew nuts, chickpeas and lentils are all healthy choices, but are also all high in FODMAPs. Many plant-based recipes use these foods in significant quantities, often in combination! In the Gut Health Revolution Course all the recipes have a ‘beat the bloat’ swaps in them to make the meal low FODMAP so will be easy on your digestion while also being high in fibre.
“I was down a jean size after 8 days of the course and they’re getting looser each week :). I’ve had bloating and the rest for 30 years. This is the first time I have had 90% reduction of symptoms while eating 3 meals a day. At other times I had no symptoms because I was eating next to nothing. I think the main point for me is the Happy Gut Course gives me a way of life where I;m feeling healthy and therefore in balance with life. Head fog has gone, joint pain reduced, bloating 90% gone, mood stable, fluid retention reduced hugely. I was so unwell last Winter there was a suggestion of fibromyalgia which led me here, with a 9 year old I can’t be sick! My almost 18 year old has given up moo milk and is eating more plant based too”
Janet McCracken
The Happy Pear Podcast
Is it safe to say you have heard about the numerous benefits of mediation for both your mental and physical health? But do you actively do it?
This week we have the pleasure of speaking to the meditation master, Light Watkins.
Episode 61 – Light Watkins
“The reason why we are still talking about meditation and mindfulness thousands and thousands of years from when they were first discovered is because it is the only thing that can get us to that happiness that we all ultimately want to have. Which evidently is found inside, and you can’t pay somebody to give it to you… you have to sit down and do the opposite of what we normally are doing…”
Since 2007, Light Watkins has been teaching people from all walks of life how to enjoy a daily meditation practice. He’s taught thousands through his in-person trainings and retreats, and many more through his bestselling books and online courses.
His book, Bliss More: How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying (Random House, 2018), is still a favourite of the meditation community and was selected by Book Authority as one of the best meditation books of all time.
Light has also written about the mechanics of happiness in his book, The Inner Gym: A 30-Day Workout for Strengthening Happiness(L&G Publishing, 2015), and most recently he’s writing extensively on inspiration in Knowing Where to Look: 108 Daily Doses of Inspiration (Sounds True, 2021).
“Flow state is earned, you have to act and execute it’s not something that you can intellectualise, you have to almost start out outcome orientated in order to get to that point of being process orientated”
Light takes us on a journey from his colourful past of penniless jumping on one way flights across the Atlantic, near death experiences, to finding his inner purpose and defining the importance of meditation, flowstate and prioritisation.
A wonderful conversation with a wonderful human being. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Light, visit his site: lightwatkins.com
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
May’s Original Super Muesli is a delicious and powerful mix of crunchy activated cereal flakes, dates, raisins, oats, spelt flakes and seeds. The activated grains we use is where these grains have been germinated to make them sweeter and in the process making them easier to digest and easier to absorb the good nutrition within. This super muesli is a wonderfully nutritious brekkie and we love to eat it in a mug with oat milk, berries and some cacao nibs.
INGREDIENTS
Activated Mixed Crunchy Flakes* (31%) [Buckwheat Flakes, Brown Lentil Flakes, Red Quinoa Flakes], Mixed Fruits* (25%) [Dried Dates (Dates (90%), Rice Flour), Dried Raisins (Raisins (99.5%), Sunflower Oil), Dried Apricots (Apricots (95%), Rice Flour)], Oat Flakes (15.5%), Spelt (Wheat) Flakes (12%), Agave Syrup, Seeds* (5%) [Pumpkin, Flaxseed], Flaked Coconut, Rice Flour, *In varying proportions
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see highlighted ingredients.
May also contain traces of Nuts, Sesame and Soya.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1512kJ | 359kcal |
| Fat | 5.4g |
| Of which: | |
| Saturates | 2.4g |
| Carbohydrate | 62g |
| Of which: | |
| Sugars | 29g |
| Fibre | 11g |
| Protein | 10g |
| Salt | 0.06g |
Elsie’s Fruit & Nut Super Muesli is a mighty fusion of activated cereal flakes, dates, raisins, apricots, oats, rice & spelt flakes with nuts and seeds. The activated grains have been germinated, awakening lots of the nutrition within them and making them sweeter and easier to digest in the process. We love this muesli as a delicious brekkie with oat milk and some berries, as a healthy snack on the go, and we have even covered it in chocolate and turned them into crispy chocolate crunches! Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
Activated Mixed Crunchy Flakes* (27%) [Buckwheat Flakes, Brown Lentil Flakes, Red Quinoa Flakes], Mixed Fruits* (20%) [Dried Dates (Dates (90%), Rice Flour), Dried Raisins (Raisins (99.5%), Sunflower Oil), Dried Apricots (Apricots (95%), Rice Flour)], Oat Flakes (15.5%), Spelt (Wheat) Flakes (12%), Agave Syrup, Mixed Nuts* (6%) [Chopped Roasted Hazelnuts, Chopped Roasted Cashew Nuts, Flaked Almonds (Nuts)], Rice Flakes (6%), Seeds* (3.8%) [Pumpkin, Flaxseed], Flaked Coconut, Rice Flour, *In varying proportions
ALLERGEN INFORMATION
For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see highlighted ingredients.
May also contain traces of Peanuts, Sesame Seeds, Soya and other Nuts.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
| Typical | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1613kJ | 383kcal |
| Fat | 8.8g |
| Of which: | |
| Saturates | 2.7g |
| Carbohydrate | 59g |
| Of which: | |
| Sugars | 26g |
| Fibre | 10g |
| Protein | 12g |
| Salt | 0.03g |
Breakfast Burrito
This loaded breakfast burrito is so good; it’s creamy, crispy, grizzly, and packed with a spicy umami hit. When we first made these we devoured it even after having lunch!
Prep + assembly time : 10 mins | Cook time 25 mins | Total time : 35 mins | Makes: 2 Servings | Difficulty: Medium
The idea of a tofu scramble or sweet umami oyster mushrooms might seem a far cry from a Mexican style breakfast burrito but this is so good and jam packed with flavour. We make 4 components, a tofu scramble, fried umami mushrooms, fried spicy potatoes, and a sriracha mayo, and serve them with chunks of avocado to add a lovely creaminess to break up the spice and give a beautiful mouthfeel. These are so worth the effort and make a wonderful weekend breakfast, and delicious lunch or dinner.
How to make this Breakfast burrito – step by step photographic guide
First, prepare the scrambled tofu ingredients and umami mushrooms.
Tear the oyster mushrooms into strips, clean and chop the scallions or green onions.
For the scramble, drain and dry the tofu, crumble the tofu into a mixing bowl with the tamari, turmeric, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast and mix well, set aside
Put a large flat pan heat on high heat, add a little oil, when hot add the mushrooms and cook for 4 – 5 minutes until they reduce and start to nicely brown. In a mug mix together the tamari, maple syrup and smoked paprika and add to the mushrooms and mix well ensuring each mushroom is well coated, remove them from the heat and add to a bowl.
Put the pan back on the heat, add a little oil over medium heat, when hot add the tofu scramble mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown a little, add a pinch of salt to taste. Remove from the pan into a bowl and sprinkle over some kala namak or sulphur salt and set aside. Give the pan a quick wash and dry.
Heat the pan on medium heat until hot and add 1 tbsp of oil, add the cubed potatoes and cook until they start to brown on each side stirring regularly. Add a generous pinch of salt and add the spicy red pepper pesto/ sriracha and mix well, add in the sliced scallions/ green onions and mix and remove from the pan to a clean bowl.
Mix the mayo and sriracha. Destone the avocado and cut into slices, cover in a little lime or lemon juice if you have it and a sprinkle of salt.
To build our burritos, spread the mayo to cover the burritos leaving a few 2-3 cm around the edge uncovered. Add half the scramble to each tortilla, placing it on the lower third of the tortilla (this will make it easier to roll a good burrito) next directly on top of the scramble add the mushrooms, next some avocado slices and last a quarter of the crispy potatoes on each tortilla (we will serve the remaining crispy potatoes on the side) Add a little more sriracha if you like it spicy.
To roll your burrito fold the short end of the tortilla over the filling and use it to compact the filling with your hands, tuck in both sides and roll the burrito until sealed, repeat with your second burrito. Heat the clean pan over medium heat and add both burritos seam side down, toast for a few minutes on each side until lovely and crispy and brown. Remove from the pan and cut in half and serve with remaining crispy potatoes, slices of avocado and any remaining spicy mayo. Enjoy!
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FAQ – frequently asked questions
Yes of course, many people don’t like the texture and taste of mushrooms, just replace them with tempeh or else with aubergine. Note the aubergine will take longer to cook, ensure to cook till they are soft and melt in your mouth texture.
There are products available now that carry a similar umami note such as coconut aminos which is widely available online.
You can freeze the mushrooms, tofu scramble and potato. Best to freeze all the components all separately.
Store the components separately to avoid the tortilla going soggy
no just leave out the spicy pesto or sriracha sauce to make it less spicy and to your liking
It will last for 2 days in the fridge
Just ensure to use a gluten free tortilla which are widely available. Traditional tortillas are normally made with corn and should have no wheat in them
Serving suggestions for this loaded Breakfast burrito?
- It goes brilliant served with this tabouleh chickpea salad
- Guacamole goes fab with this
- Here is a lovely salad framework and salad burrito that goes wonderfully
- A super tasty and healthier dessert are these easy to make Peanut Caramel Squares
Our favourite Pasta recipes
- This creamy fettuccini alfredo with baked cauliflower dish is a total winner!
- One of our most popular pasta recipes is this Creamy Red Pepper Pasta
- Here is a lovely low FODMAP creamy broccoli pasta bake that is so tasty and great for your digestion
Loaded Breakfast burrito
Takes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 large wholemeal tortilla/ wraps
- Scramble;
- 200 g tofu
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- ¼ tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tbsp oil
- Pinch of sea salt or kala namak to taste
- Umami mushrooms;
- 200 g Oyster mushrooms
- 1 tbsp Tamari
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 3 Scallions
- Potato hash;
- 500 g cooked or leftover potatoes
- Pinch of sea salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp of sriracha sauce or spicy red pepper pesto
- 1 tbsp Hot sauce or sriracha
- 4 Tbsp Vegan mayo
- ½ ripe Avocado
Instructions
- Method;
- First prepare the scrambled tofu ingredients and umami mushrooms.
- Tear the oyster mushrooms into strips, clean and chop the scallions or green onions.
- For the scramble, drain and dry the tofu, crumble the tofu into a mixing bowl with the tamari, turmeric, garlic powder,nutritional yeast and mix well, set aside
- Put a large flat pan heat on high heat, add a little oil, when hot add the mushrooms and cook for 4 – 5 minutes until they reduce and start to nicely brown. In a mug mix together the tamari, maple syrup and smoked paprika and add to the mushrooms and mix well ensuring each mushroom is well coated, remove them from the heat and add to a bowl.
- Put the pan back on the heat, add a little oil over medium heat, when hot add the tofu scramble mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown a little, add a pinch of salt to taste. Remove from the pan into a bowl and sprinkle over some kala namak or sulphur salt and set aside. Give the pan a quick wash and dry.
- Heat the pan on medium heat until hot and add 1 tbsp of oil, add the cubed potatoes and cook until they start to brown on each side stirring regularly. Add a generous pinch of salt and add the spicy red pepper pesto/ sriracha and mix well, add in the sliced scallions/ green onions and mix and remove from the pan to a clean bowl.
- Mix the mayo and sriracha. Destone the avocado and cut into slices, cover in a little lime or lemon juice if you have it and a sprinkle of salt.
- To build our burritos, spread the mayo to cover the burritos leaving a few 2-3 cm around the edge uncovered. Add half the scramble to each tortilla, placing it on the lower third of the tortilla (this will make it easier to roll a good burrito) next directly on top of the scramble add the mushrooms, next some avocado slices and last a quarter of the crispy potatoes on each tortilla (we will serve the remaining crispy potatoes on the side) Add a little more sriracha if you like it spicy.
- To roll your burrito fold the short end of the tortilla over the filling and use it to compact the filling with your hands, tuck in both sides and roll the burrito until sealed, repeat with your second burrito. Heat the clean pan over medium heat and add both burritos seam side down, toast for a few minutes on each side until lovely and crispy and brown. Remove from the pan and cut in half and serve with remaining crispy potatoes, slices of avocado and any remaining spicy mayo. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
The Happy Pear Podcast
Asking yourself that all-important question “What is Money?” is the rabbit which will lead you down the proverbial rabbit hole of new inquiries, perspectives on socioeconomic reality, and worldview-shattering revelations. Undoubtedly, it is the single most significant question we can ask ourselves in a world drowning in deception.
Episode 60 – Robert Breedlove
This week we speak to Robert Breedlove, a freedom maximalist, ex-hedge fund manager, and philosopher in the Bitcoin space. To him, Bitcoin is fundamentally a humanitarian movement exposing the greatest con in human history: central banking. By learning about the connection between honest money, entrepreneurship, and civilization, we are renewing hope for the future of humanity. To this end, Robert’s mission is to restore freedom, truth, and virtue in our world by tenaciously asking the question: “What is Money?”
Robert talks us through “the experiment” which is money and our current fiat currency set up, the history of how we got to where we are, how crypto currencies are not all equal, how bitcoin is the voice for change, and asks some hard hitting questions that we all seem to avoid or take for granted!
A brilliant and inspiring episode which will lead you down a spiraling google search of crypto, bitcoin, fiat currencies and wanting to find out more about Robert Breedlove!
Lots of Love,
Dave & Steve x
Please note: This is not financial advice. This is one side of the story. We’re not promoting it we’re just curious and want to learn more
Available now from all good podcast providers:
To find out more about Robert Breedlove and his work check out his Instagram @breedlove_22 and Twitter @Breedlove22
Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!
Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Sean Cahill
Za’atar
Takes 15 minutes
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 50 g pine nuts
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- Generous pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp sumac
- Pinch chilli peppers
Instructions
- In a large dry pan on medium to high heat, toast the cumin and coriander seeds and the pine nuts for 6-8 minutes, until the pine nuts have browned, taking care not to burn them or you can toast them on a baking tray in a preheated oven for 8-10 mins at 180 C – tossing the tray a few times to ensure they do not burn.
- Then simply add all the ingredients to a pestle and mortar with a generous pinch of salt and grind down or put them in a sealed zip lock bag and bash with the back of a mug or rolling pin till they reach a crumb like texture but with a little bite.
- Keep in a clean sealed jar or airtight container
- Use as a condiment and sprinkle to transform a salad. This delicious za’atar can be a sprinkling of flavour to any salad, hummus or soup!
Nutrition
Biodiversity and your gut microbiome.
Why biodiverstiy is so important for your gut microbiome, your immune system and your overall health
A rich and diverse gut microbiome is a key driver of human health and happiness. The limitless natural spaces in which humans evolved – forests, fields, beaches, and mountains – are the ultimate sources of that richness and diversity. According to Gastroenterologist Dr Alan Desmond, the changes that come with urbanisation – lack of exposure to nature, the Standard Western Diet, increased antibiotic use, and environmental pollution – have all combined to take a serious toll on our gut microbial health. These 21st century changes in our gut ecology have been linked to many chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, auto-immune conditions, and asthma.
Globally approximately 60-70% of all antibiotics are used in animal farming, it was found that by giving animals antibiotics their weight could increase by as much as 15% which means more potential for profit. So, even if you are not taking antibiotics, you may be getting them if you are eating animals or animal products.
While antibiotics prescribed by a doctor are incredibly important and often lifesaving, a single course of certain antibiotics can dramatically reduce your gut microbial richness and diversity. Gladly, Dr Alan has some good news on this front: your gut microbes are tougher than you think! In most cases your gut microbial balance begins to restore itself within weeks. By focusing on a varied plant-based diet, spending time in nature, and maybe adding some fermented foods, you can help your gut microbes to flourish once more. No expensive probiotic supplements required!
Why eating a diversity of plants is so important to your gut health
There are more micro-organisms living within each of our digestive systems than there are trees on planet Earth or stars in the Milky Way. These microscopic bacteria, archaea, viruses, and yeasts make up your gut microbiome, which contains 100 times more genetic material than the rest of your body combined. As you embark on your gut health revolution, the friendly microbes of your gut microbiome will be your crucial allies.
Between 2012 and 2017 a team of US-based researchers set out to discover the factors that influence the health of the human gut microbiome in the industrialised world. They completed a detailed analysis of more than 11,000 volunteers, most of whom lived in the UK, the USA and Australia. The results of what became known as the American Gut Project reveal that when it comes to food, the number one predictor of a healthy gut microbiome is the diversity of plants in your diet! Participants who ate more than 30 different plants per week had unique fibre-loving bacteria that just weren’t found in people on a plant-deprived diet. Among the 11,000 volunteers who took part, fewer than 1 in 250 were hitting that magic number of 30 different plants per week.
I’m not asking you to eat thousands of different fruits, vegetables, legumes, and wholegrains, but I am strongly suggesting that we can all benefit from increasing the diversity of plants in our diets. Further research has shown that vegans really do have better gut microbial health! Whether you opt to “Jump Right In” or “Build It Up” little by little, it is all about embracing the power of plants and striving to achieve a plant diversity of at least 30 different plant based foods per week. All fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, seeds, nuts, herbs and spices all count toward 1 of your 30 different plant based foods per week.
Here is a collection of gut health recipes that are some of our most popular recipes on our Gut Health Revolution Course.
All are high in fibre and packed with delicious whole plant foods to give you plenty of plant diversity and gut loving fibre!
Short chain fatty acids and the importance of fibre in gut health
What role do short chain fatty acids and the importance of fibre play in gut health? Fibre most of us don’t get enough of on a daily basis and fibre is only found in plant based foods so it is a reflection that most of us are not eating enough plant based foods on a daily basis.
This 2,000-year old statement by Hippocrates has never been more relevant. With Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease now accounting for 31% of all global deaths, what can your gut do about it?
In 2018, researchers took 43 volunteers with Type 2 diabetes and at risk for cardiovascular disease. They were randomised to adapt a balanced omnivorous diet or a high-fibre plant-based diet which included nine wholegrains for just 12 weeks. The effects on their diabetic control, body weight and gut microbiome were closely monitored
With 38g of fibre a day, the high fibre group showed rapid and significant benefits in gut microbial diversity. By day 28 they were also producing significantly more Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs). Having identified 4.8 million microbial genes, the team narrowed down this bonus SCFA production to just 15 bacterial strains which thrived in the high-fibre environment
We know that SCFAs help to control our blood sugars, reduce inflammation, and reduce our appetite. And that’s exactly what happened: subjects on the high fibre diet lost 4.2% of their body weight and achieved excellent diabetic control in 89% of cases. Disease reversal! With 16g of fibre a day, but eating the same overall calories and macronutrients, the omnivorous diet group lost just 1.5% of their body weight and only half controlled their diabetes
What the team did next confirmed the power of a healthy gut microbiome. When they administered a faecal microbial transplant from the study participants to laboratory mice, those who received the “high fibre” microbiome transplant immediately showed improved blood sugar control.
Dozens of studies show that a plant-based diet ticks all the right boxes for an optimised gut microbiome and improved cardio-metabolic health. All health truly does begin in the gut!
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Here is a collection of gut health recipes that are some of our most popular recipes on our Gut Health Revolution Course.
All are high in fibre and packed with delicious whole plant foods to give you plenty of plant diversity and gut loving fibre!
Tips for a healthy gut with Dr. Alan Desmond
We all want a healthy immune system but not many of us know what to do to build this up. One of the simple things each one of us can do to boost our health and strengthen our immune system, is to cultivate a a healthy gut. Here are some fantastic tips to improve your gut health.
We caught up with plant-based gastroenterologist, Dr Alan Desmond, to find out his top tips on how to have a healthy gut. Dr Desmond leads a gastroenterology clinic in Devon in the UK and advises plant-based dietary treatment for many of his patients’ chronic digestive disorders. He is a bestselling author as well as a practicing gastroenterologist with more than 10 years experience.
He recently spoke at the UK’s first plant-based medical conference, at King’s College Hospital in London, on the benefits of a whole food, plant-based diet for the treatment of Crohn’s disease.
“Everybody’s gut contains billions of bacteria, viruses and yeasts which together make up the ‘gut microbiome’. But don’t be concerned, these bugs have been with us throughout human evolution and live in perfect symbiosis with the human body. Our gut works hard to make sure that they are healthy and happy, and the feeling is mutual.
In the last decade, it has emerged that these micro-organisms, especially the bacteria, are key contributors to human health. Our microbiome actively helps us to digest our food, preserve our gut heath, control our blood sugars, maintain a healthy body weight and even helps to keep our immune system working effectively. Having a healthy microbiome has even been linked to improved mood and may help reduce our risk of diabetes, allergies, asthma and digestive conditions such as Crohn’s disease and colitis.
Everybody has their own unique microbiome, which can contain more than 800 different types of bacteria. The key to a healthy microbiome is microbial diversity; our bodies do best when we have lots of bacteria and lots of different types.
Here are my top five tips for maintaining a healthy and diverse microbiome:
EAT A VARIETY OF PLANTS
Our healthy bacteria absolutely love plant fibre. This was confirmed when the American Gut Project analysed the gut microbiomes of over 11,000 volunteers from around the world. Their huge scientific effort showed that the key to maintaining a healthy and diverse microbiome is to eat lots of plants and to eat them in variety. Every plant-based food, be it a bean, green or wholegrain, contains different types of fibre and important phytonutrients. Our microbiome loves them all.
GET ENOUGH SLEEP
The bugs of our microbiome seem to work on the same 24-hour daily cycle as the rest of our body. In fact, some researchers believe that our microbiome plays an important role in setting our body clock. Sleep deprivation, jet lag and shift-work have all been linked to reduced microbial diversity. Show your microbiome some love by getting seven to eight hours sleep.
MAKE EXERCISE APART OF YOUR ROUTINE
In 2014, a team of Irish researchers found that elite rugby players displayed an impressive level of microbiome diversity. Further studies have shown that we can all reap the gut-health benefits of regular exercise, which helps to boost levels of healthy, fibre-loving bacteria.
SPEND TIME OUT DOORS
A sanitized indoor lifestyle is not the best thing for our microbial health. We know that people who live in the countryside tend to have healthier and more diverse microbiomes than city dwellers. If you can’t make it to the great outdoors, even spending time in parks or gardens can be beneficial.
AVOID UNNECESSARY ANTIBIOTICS WHERE POSSIBLE
Antibiotics have been of incredible benefit to humankind, helping us fight common serious infections such as pneumonia and meningitis. However, if you have a simple cough or cold that your doctor feels will settle without antibiotics, then do your microbiome a favour and take their advice. A single course of antibiotics seriously alters the balance and diversity of the human microbiome.
Another way to avoid excess antibiotics is to remove meat and dairy from your diet. The vast majority of antibiotics used in the world are given to farmed animals. These antibiotics remain in the food chain and affect the human microbiome.
It’s no coincidence that my top tips for a healthy microbiome sound a lot like Steve and Dave’s top tips for health and happiness! A healthy-plant-based diet, exercise, adequate sleep, and spending time in nature are common practices among the inhabitants of the Bluezones; the areas of the world where people live the longest and healthiest lives. Our health and happiness may well depend upon on our gut microbiome. Being kind to our bugs means being kind to ourselves!”
Here is a collection of gut health recipes that are some of our most popular recipes on our Gut Health Revolution Course.
All are high in fibre and packed with delicious whole plant foods to give you plenty of plant diversity and gut loving fibre!
Easy flatbreads
Takes 15 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 200 g Flour of choice
- 150 ml natural soy yoghurt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
- Flour for dusting
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well.
- Add the yoghurt and mix well together till uniform in consistency.
- Continue to knead your dough together for 5 minutes till you get a soft dough.
- Divide your dough into 4.
- Lightly Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out each dough separately till flat and thin.
- Put a large non stick pan on a high heat, once hot reduce heat to medium
- Add a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a 1 tbsp of oil to the pan along with one of the rolled out flat breads. Cook till it starts to golden, it may start to form air pockets. Turn and cook on the other side. Repeat with the remaining flat breads. Keep warm in a clean tea towel and serve with all your favourite meals to add another level of yum!
Nutrition
Video
Tabbouleh Chickpea Salad
Takes 40 minutes
Serves 3
Ingredients
- 250 g cooked bulgur wheat (approx. 125 g dry)
- 250 g cooked chickpeas (from a 400 g tin)
- 150 g roasted aubergines (roast until super soft with a melt-in-the-mouth texture)
- 100 g cherry tomatoes
- 50 g spring onions (scallions, approx. 2)
- 50 g cucumber
- Large bunch flat-leaf parsley (20 g)
- Bunch of fresh mint (20 g)
For the Dressing:
- 50 ml olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp tamari
- Salt & black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven:Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan).
- Cook the bulgur wheat:Cook the bulgur wheat according to the packet instructions. Be sure to add salt to the water during cooking, as this allows the salt to infuse into the grain rather than just sitting on the surface when seasoned later.
- Roast the aubergine: Cut the aubergine into large chunks, coat with a little oil and salt, and spread out on a baking tray. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until soft and delicious, ensuring the aubergine reaches a melt-in-the-mouth texture.
- Prepare the chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas. A 400g tin usually provides 230 g of drained chickpeas.
- Chop the vegetables: Cut the cucumber into small pieces and halve the cherry tomatoes. Clean and slice the spring onions. Wash and finely chop the parsley and mint. Remember to include the herb stalks as they contain plenty of flavour—just chop them finely.
- Mix the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and tamari. Mix well until combined.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, start with the cooked bulgur wheat, then add the chickpeas, spring onions, tomatoes, and cucumber.Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, black pepper, or more lemon juice if needed.Lastly, add the chopped mint, parsley, and roasted aubergines. Gently mix everything together. Serve as a delicious side or enjoy as a main dish.
Nutrition
Video
Grain Free Granola Bars
Takes 4 hours 10 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 50 g almonds
- 50 g raw cashew nuts
- 40 g sunflower seeds
- 30 g pumpkin seeds
- 30 g desiccated coconut
- 100 g dried fruit e.g., figs and unsulphured apricots, cut into small pieces (remove hard tops from figs); alternatively, use currants or raisins
- 20 g goji berries
- 4 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 40 g almond butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option
- 60 ml maple syrup or brown rice syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the Nut and Seed BaseIn a food processor, add the almonds, cashew nuts, and sunflower seeds. Blitz until finely chopped.Transfer the chopped nut and seed mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Prepare the Dried Fruits and SeedsCut the dried fruit into small pieces, removing any hard tops from the figs if using.Add the dried fruit, desiccated coconut, and pumpkin seeds to the bowl with the chopped nuts and seeds. Stir to combine.
- Mix the Wet IngredientsIn a small bowl or jug, combine the melted coconut oil, almond (or sunflower seed) butter, maple (or brown rice) syrup, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Stir until well mixed.
- Combine and Set the MixturePour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until evenly combined.Transfer the mixture to a 6–8 inch square tray lined with baking parchment (use a 6-inch tray for thicker bars).Press down firmly to create an even layer.
- Chill and SlicePlace the tray in the fridge to set for 4 hours.Once set, slice into bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week or freeze for up to one month.
Nutrition
Happy Pear Guacamole
Takes 15 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados (ripe but not bruised)
- Juice of 1 limes
- 1-2 cloves of garlic (add more to taste)
- ½ medium sized red onion
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- ½ tsp dried ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- Pinch of dried ground chilli
- Pinch of dried ground black pepper
- 10-15 g fresh coriander (leaves and stalks)
Instructions
- Prepare the Avocados:Cut the avocados in half and remove the stones. Slice the flesh lengthwise and crosswise into small squares while still in the skin.Spoon the avocado into a bowl.
- Add the Lime Juice:Slice the lime and squeeze the juice over the avocado.
- Prepare the Vegetables:Peel and finely chop the garlic and red onion.Slice the cherry tomatoes.Pick the coriander leaves and finely chop both the leaves and stalks.
- Mix the Ingredients:Add the garlic, onion, tomatoes, cumin, salt, ground chilli, and black pepper to the avocado.Add the chopped coriander to the bowl.
- Mash and Season:Using a fork, gently mash the avocado while mixing in the other ingredients. Be careful not to over-mash if you prefer a chunkier texture.Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, chilli, or lime juice as desired.
- Serve and Enjoy:Serve immediately as a side dish, dip, or topping for your favourite meals!
Nutrition
Video
5 Ingredient Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart
Caramel and chocolate, is there a better combination, we think not. We love this 5 ingredient salted caramel tart recipe so much that we made it even easier for you to make at home and tested it to work with only 5 ingredients. This is a great recipe to make with kids or if you are new to baking!
Prep time : 20 mins | Cooling time : 1 hour | Total time : 1 hr 20 mins | Makes: 12 Servings | Difficulty: Beginner
This 5 ingredient salted caramel tart is rocking and will leave you looking for more! Caramel and chocolate, is there a better combination, we think not. We love this tart recipe so much that we make it even easier for you to make at home and tested it to work with only 5 ingredients. This is a great recipe to make with kids or if you are new to baking! The caramel is made from dates, nut butter and coconut oil and tastes so good! If you are going to make any cake from our 5 ingredient series this one is so good – its one of the most popular cakes in our cafes and is healthier than traditional salted caramel tarts as its higher in fibre. We love more fibre with our cakes!
FAQ – frequently asked questions
You could use a mixture of almonds or walnuts instead of cashews
No problem, simply use any tin or baking dish around the same size and line it with parchment paper so you can remove it to serve.
Store it in a reusable tub in the fridge. It will last for 2 days in the fridge.
Absolutely, will still taste delicious
Serving suggestions for this salted caramel tart;
- For an even bigger treat this goes brilliantly served with this Healthy hot chocolate recipe.
- If you are entertaining and looking for another great dessert recipe try this lovely Black forest cheesecake recipe
- Any party without cake is just a meeting so they say. For your next celebration try this delicious Victoria sponge recipe
Some of our favourite 5 ingredient Cake recipes
- This is one of our favourites! – 5 Ingredient Vegan Cheesecake
- Another great easy 5 ingredient winner is this 5 ingredient coffee cake
- Here is a lovely 5 ingredient carrot cake recipe that is such a treat and so easy to make.
5 Ingredient Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart
Takes
Serves 12
Ingredients
Base
- 250 g cashew nuts
- 150 g dates
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
Caramel
- 300 g dates
- 150 g smooth peanut butter or almond butter
- 120 g coconut oil
- 6-10 tbsp water
Chocolate topping
- 300 g chocolate
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Base LayerIn a food processor, blend the cashew nuts for 1-2 minutes until they resemble a flour-like consistency.Add the dates and coconut oil, and continue blending for 2-3 minutes until the mixture begins to come together.Line an 8-inch (20cm) springform cake tin with baking parchment. Press the base mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the tin. For easier spreading, place a sheet of baking parchment over the mixture and use the back of a spoon to press it down evenly.
- Caramel LayerIn the same food processor, add all caramel layer ingredients. Blend until smooth and caramel-like in texture, about 5-10 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add water one tablespoon at a time until it reaches a smooth, spreadable consistency.Spread the caramel evenly over the base layer, aiming for a smooth top surface. Using a layer of baking parchment over the caramel and a spoon to spread it out can help achieve an even finish.
- Chocolate LayerMelt the chocolate and coconut oil together using a double boiler (bain-marie) until smooth.Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel layer, spreading evenly to cover. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until the chocolate has fully set.
- Finishing TouchesSprinkle with coarse salt flakes for a salted caramel finish.Use a hot knife to slice through the cake for clean cuts without cracking the chocolate layer.Serve and enjoy!