Gluten Free Enchiladas with Black Bean Chilli & Guac with a Kick | No comments:

 

Shabbat here in Israel comes in Friday night and goes out Saturday night at sundown, meaning during this time the supermarkets and shops are closed. Whilst arguably I should be soaking up the rays on the beach, I enjoy a certain type of challenge: making something scrumptious using the ingredients I already have. It isn't planned, it's a dish created in the making. Spontaneous Saturdays.

Inspired by the street food at the Shuk, I originally set out to make Arepas; a corn flour pitta/pocket which is then stuffed with whatever you like, supposedly savoury fillings, except I'm already dreaming of red meat, mixed spices, cranberries, currents and dates. Arepas are prominent in Venezuelan and Colombian cuisine. OH and they are most certainly GLUTEN FREE. HOORAH! OK but enough of these for now...because the cornflour I had bought was in actual fact, cornstarch. HMMM....have any of you mixed cornstarch and water? It is just the weirdest and coolest thing ever. It basically creates both a liquid and a solid...it is more or less quick sand. OK, so now I know, cornflour in Israel is CORNSTARCH. Noted. If any of you haven't done this science experiment at home, I highly recommend it. Besides, science is fun!

All you need is:

- 2 cups Corn Starch

- 1 cup water

- Food colouring (optional)

DO NOT PUT THIS DOWN THE DRAIN. YOU WILL REGRET IT. SAVE THE PIPES AND THROW THE CEMENT LIKE LIQOID IN THE BIN. PHEW!!! 

OK, Arepas were officially out of the question, still are until I source actual cornflour. The language barrier and the fact that that my supermarket just doesn't stock it, makes my life that little bit harder. For a millisecond. As my creative processors developed, I decided that I would make vegetarian black bean chilli with my pre-soaked black beans that I had soaked 2 days prior. NOTE: When using dried legumes, you must allow for them to soak overnight. My roomie is a vegetarian and for our weekly date night, it's tortilla time! Goodbye Venezuela, Hello Mexico!!

This was my first time making Gluten Free tortilla's and I can't say that they looked, nor felt like the fluffy discovery ones that I remember from growing up. They were a staple in my cupboard, it was only when I realised that I was gluten intolerant that I stopped eating them. Before that..mmm fajitas. I haven't had them in years, nor have I had the chance to enjoy proper Mexican food; seeing as the gluten free alternative at restaurants is a completely different dish. OH CUTE. That is NOT the gluten free alternative I was looking for. Which is why science and cooking is so friggin incredible. Nothing is impossible. At home, you can have everything you always wanted, not a completely different dish but the same one, better or more authentic than the original.

So...What was different?

- Firstly, they are not the perfect tortilla. In order to create tortilla's suitable for rolling fajitas and wraps, I need to carry out more experimentation to create a thinner tortilla with a lighter, fluffier texture:

1. They are too thick
2. They tore slightly when folding inwards for the Enchiladas making them not so suitable for wraps or rolling

- Arguably, I created a different texture with a delicious taste. Seasoned with cumin and cinnamon, they were chewy in texture. Sweet and aromatic, with nutty undertones, the tortilla was earthy, and a perfect home for the VERY spicy black bean chilli.

Sally described them as a 'new' creation of tortilla. So I guess I just created my very own style of tortilla for Enchilada's, who said everything has to be by the book. This is the whole beauty of experimenting and being creative in the kitchen! You create and play around with flavours and textures, and sometimes what seemed like a failure at first ends up being a pleasant surprise. Exhibit A. We ate every mouthful, they were ever so scrumptious. The dish altogether was VERY spicy. WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED. Both sally and I are lovers of spice...and all things nice. (It had to be done...it rhymes). It was earthy, filled us right up and was wonderfully accentuated by the fresh guacamole.

In conclusion, this gluten free tortilla recipe is for Enchiladas only, however made thinner you may find they are suitable for wraps. If you are looking for a fajita/wrap style fluffy tortilla...the kitchen is calling me but I don't have the answers for you just yet my darling dolls. After more experimentation I will be sure to get back to you. Next up...smokey fajita's!

Gluten Free Enchiladas with Black Bean Chilli & Guacamole with a Kick

(serves 2)

Enchilada Tortillas 
(Yield = 2)

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup Gluten Free all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 25g butter 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with water (optional)

Make the Magic Happen 

1. Place in a bowl and mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cumin and cinnamon. 

2. Knead in the softened butter using your fixers to really bring it together, it should look a bit like cornmeal, and kind of lumpy!

3. Add the water bit by bit, no one wants a sticky dough that can't even be handled. It's a nightmare, it will be stuck in your fingers!

4. Mix it all together, kneading with your hands to ensure that all the lumps are out, until you have a wonderful smooth and not-too-sticky ball of dough. You don't want it to be too dry or too wet, so if you notice there is something irregular about your dough, balance it out with more water/gluten free flour.

5. Ensuring you have a clean surface to work on, sprinkle it generously with gluten free flour. Placing the dough on the surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough to create a surface about 3mm thick, you can go thinner if you like, but be careful not to break the tortilla! We really enjoyed the chewiness of the tortilla which is achieved by being slightly thicker. Nom nom nom!

6. Now you need to cut out the shape of the tortilla, I used the lid of a small-medium saucepan to perfectly cut a circle. Pat with gluten free flour, to prevent sticking and place on a plate.

7. Gather the remaining dough and repeat process. 

8. Heat either a griddle, skillet (I used a skillet) on a medium-high heat and place the tortilla's in one at a time. No need for oil or anything, you just place it on the hot surface and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Make sure to ensure you aren't burning the tortilla by checking the underside. Oh and don't forget to flip it!

9. VOILA...If you aren't eating them straight away, you can re-heat on the skillet for 1 minute on each side before preparing the Enchiladas or pop them straight in the oven.

I did cook them further on the skillet... here they were a bit undercooked. But the half-by-half cooking process made them chewier. 

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

Ingredients

• 2 cups black beans
• 1 red onion
• 1 can tinned tomato's
• 5 cherry/plum tomato's (variation of red, yellow, green)
• 1/2 tsp sezchuan chilli powder (this is a very spicy chilli powder I picked up at a spice store, if you don't have access to one you can replace with chilli powder or cayenne pepper, increase quantity depending on spiciness and personal palette)
• 1/2 tsp dark brown sugar
• 2 cloves fresh garlic (coarsely chopped)
• 1 red chilli (sliced)
• 5 slices of green chilli
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• season with salt/pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Cheddar Cheese, or cheese of your choice

Make the Magic Happen

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan oven)

2. Drizzle the olive oil in the pan, toss in the sliced chilli's and coarsely chopped garlic, allowing the pungency of the chilli's and garlic to infuse the oil for 2-3 minutes. 

3. Remove his skin, then chop the red onion semi-finely. Toss in the chopped onion, dark brown sugar, chopped red pepper and fresh tomato's, stirring occasionally until the onions are browned. 

4. Pour in the chopped tomato's, black beans, cumin, cinnamon and chilli powder. Stir and leave to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Taste, and season with salt and pepper

6. Serve inside Enchilada

7. Place in the oven for 5 minutes

8. Take out and cover with cheddar cheese, or cheese of your choice and place back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. 

LOL..this one might be the ugly duckling...I increased my gluten free flour quantity as I was lacking a tiny bit hence the scraggly edges. It might not look as pretty as the first one, but it was just as delicious.! The updated quantities are in the recipe so you should have the right amount of dough to make 2 tortilla's like the other one.

Guacamole with a Kick TSSS

Ingredients

• 1 avocado 
• 5 mixed cherry tomato's
• 4 slices of red onion
• 1/2 red chilli 
• 2 wedges of lime SQUEEEEZED
• Sea Salt
• Handful of fresh coriander to garnish

Make the Magic Happen

1. Slice the avocado in half, remove the stone and remove the avocado fresh using eith a knife or spoon. I have an avocado slicer that I use, I then diced the avocado. Personally, I like mine chunky!!! 

2. Choose whether you want it smooth or slightly chunky: Smooth? mush it all up using a fork or blend it. Chunky? Mush half using a fork and then add the remaining chunks and mix together. 

3. Cut the tomato's into 4-6 pieces and add to the avocado. I use a variation of small cherry tomato's; green, yellow and red which I pick up in season at my local market.

4. Depending on how many you are serving, you can alter the quantities. I am cooking for two, therefore I only used 4 slices of a halved red onion. The rest? Wrap him up in cling film and pop him in the fridge for another time. Chop the onion into small chunk and add to the avocado. 

5. Slice the red chilli into small slices and add to the mix. Sally and I LOVE spice, red chilli fresh adds a kick, it is hot but not SUPER hot so you should be fine...trust me? That is unless all spice is too hot for you to handle, or your flat out just like BLEURGH. In which case, forget it.

6. Squeeze the lime and add some cracked sea salt. 

7. Mix it up and serve with fresh coriander to garnish

Sorry Dolls! For some reason the bad lighting in my apartment made the guac look yellow...not green :D

Enjoy Dolls

Bete Avon

Bon Appetit

xo

Dine With Bea | Cauliflower Crust Pizza (Gluten Free) | No comments:

When you're gluten intolerant, Pizza is like the devil. Not only is it a restricted guilty pleasure, but it draws you in only to have INSTANT regret. You feel me? The best pizza I ever had was spicy AF and god damn delicious, I gave in to it on too many occasions. Guilty as charged. The culprit? The Rustica Piccante Pizza from Zizzi's, an Italian chain in England. "Made up of spicy n’Duja sausage, pepperoni, salami, mushrooms, mozzarella, hot roquito chilli, fresh rocket and dollops of mascarpone that acts as a fire extinguisher for your mouth." OK OK my mouth is watering...it's no secret that I am hideously obsessed with spice and chilli and this is perfection. My friends more often than not are unable to handle my quantities of spice...must be my fiery red hair TSSS.

 Rustica Piccate Pizza C/O: Zizzi

Recently I have been micro-dosing gluten after I fully eliminated it from my diet since coming to Israel. Why? Because when I couldn't control myself, I gave in that fluffy FLUFFY oh so fluffy pitta bread to dip in my hummus at brunch and well, it seems the effects are far more severe than before as my body just can't handle it. I find myself miserable, moody, lethargic, sharp pains and OH look I am 5 months pregnant...JK JK, but seriously my stomach swells to the point I am sure you'd think I was preggo and I'm not exaggerating. It's funny slash totally not worth it. Micro-dosing, aka, a bite a day or here and there will re-introduce gluten to your insides and hopefully prevent you becoming ill if you do eat it. However, bar a naughty nibble, I have taught myself to no longer crave it, I can pass on it and I am fine without it, maybe because I accepted that I just couldn't eat it and hadn't bothered to create a gluten free base. Until now... INTRODUCING THE GLUTEN FREE PIZZA UNDER 500 CALORIES.

My roomate Sally has been banging on about the Cauliflower Crust Pizza for months; when she first mentioned it, I hadn't even bloody heard of it and I am a complete foodie. I mean it sounds delicious but hideously unpractical. The thought of the whole pizza crumbling and falling on the floor during the dreaded transfer from oven tray to plate got me like HELL NO! So I embarked on some research, OH how I love the advances of food and the now available options for us gluten free foodies. YAY! Lets be honest whilst people love to take the piss, half the world has quite literally gone gluten free. Be it those who choose to eliminate gluten from their diet because there are added health benefits and supposedly weight loss (UM...about the weight loss..? My scales must be broken or I just didn't get the memo), genuine intolerance, or in more serious cases, the Coeliacs. So if you don't accept it GET OVER IT! By the way, Israel is great for Gluten Free and Vegan with many options available, um, everywhere. London catch up won't you...I think you're a bit late to the Gluten Free Dinner PARTAY.

So let's get down to the Pizza which has revolutionised gluten free pizza, not only because it's low fat but because it is GLUTEN FREE. All hail the Cauliflower, I always did love you, you fluffy cloud of nutrients and vegetable goodness.

PREPARATION TIME: 25 minutes 

COOKING TIME: 25 minutes 

INGREDIENTS:

| T H E. B A S E |
- 1 Cauliflower
- 20g Unsalted Almonds
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- Handful of Parsley
- Zatar/Oregano (or both)
- Salt n' Pepper
- Clean Tea Towel/Dish Cloth/Cheese Cloth/Muslin Cloth

Design your own pizza toppings!

| T O P P I N G S |
(experiment as you please my darlings doll, everyones pizza should reflect their mood and wishes) 
- 1/2 Jar Tomato & Chilli Pasta/Pizza Sauce
- 5 Plum Tomatoes (I used 2 varieties but one is fine, cherry tomatoes are also DELICIOUS AF)
- Mozzarella Balls
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper
- Red Chilli

MAKE IT HAPPEN:

PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 200 DEGREES

1. Wash your cauliflower and strip him of his stalk and leaves. I removed as much stalk as possible and have stored it in ye old fridge for later...
TOP TIP: the stalk is delicious eaten raw with hummus or used in a vegetable soup!

2. Using a food processor, or in my case, the NUTRI BULLET (use with caution, it is not meant to be used as a food processor so in the event that you too decide it works perfectly well, blend in small quantity batches) blend up the cauliflower, almonds, 2 cloves of garlic and parsley to create a rice looking formula.

I blended the cauliflower, almonds, parsley & garlic separately and then mixed together

3. Place the cauliflower 'rice' in a microwavable dish and cover with cling film. Heat for 5-6 minutes in the microwave until soft and stand to cool for 2-3 minutes.

4. Open the Tea Towel and place the cauliflower 'rice' inside the cloth, squeeze it tight to make a ball, letting all the liquid drain out. MAKE SURE you have removed as much of the liquid as possible. Once you open the tea towel you will see a dough-like-ball has been created.
TOP TIP: Save the liquid for later, it has a lot of flavour and can be added to a vegetable soup along with the stalks. 

I have saved the leftover juice to add to a vegetable soup as the parsley,
almond and garlic residue remain in the cauliflower juice

Once you have squeezed out all the remaining liquid you should be left with a ball

5. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl and add the dough ball and mix together. This is your cauliflower dough!

6. YOU MUST WASH YOUR HANDS! THEY'RE ABOUT TO GET DIRTY!!!!!

7. Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper and grease with olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Place the dough on the baking tray. Now, you are ready to make the base!

Cook With Love xo.

8. TOTAL LOVE! Look at my heart, it's too cute, obv you can choose how you want your pizza to look, I make all my food with love so I opted for a heart shape. I did this using my hands, I pressed down and pushed the dough outwards forming my heart shape. I used a spoon to mount the edges to create a crust and pressed around the inside to perfect the crust.
TOP TIP: You don't want the base to be to thin as it will break, especially if you have many topping, so make it at least 1cm thick, making it thicker at the edges. Also keep it tight by pressing down using the palm of your hand.

9. Place base in oven for 10-15 minutes and then take out to add toppings

10. Firstly, spread the tomato sauce, I chose a tomato and chilli sauce for added flavour. Add your toppings, add anything you like, have fun with it!!! As you can see I added 2 varieties of plum tomato, black and red, I sauteed half a red bell pepper in plenty of olive oil and poured it on top, mozzarella balls, some freshly sliced red chilli and garnished with fresh basil leaves.

11. Finally, place in the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and it starts to crisp! 

VOILA!

Enjoy My Darling Dolls!!

Like my Facebook Page: DINE WITH BEA 

Take a snap and share it with your darling dolls! I would love to see your creations - You can tag me on Instagram @thesartorialdoll or tweet me @sartorialdoll

| Bete Avon | Bon Appetit | Enjoy | 

Kisses, 

Bea xo.

DINE WITH BEA: Middle-Eastern Hummus | No comments:

Dipping vegetables in Hummus with some fiery Tabasco has to be my favourite snack EVER, a healthier alternative to the absurd consumption of chocolate which my roommate and I find ourselves consuming far too often. Our New Year's Resolution? TO DO US. Eat healthy, be good to ourselves and locater ourselves and others. So now that the hundreds of duty-free cadbury's chocolates are officially hidden, we decided to give Hummus a go.

Living in Israel, hummus and falafel are a regular favourite of mine, the hummus in the middle-east is honestly incredible and because I don't eat bread due to my gluten-free lifestyle, falafels are a wonderful accompaniment and delicious alternative to the forbidden fruit: fluffy pitta bread. 

Due to a devastating terrorist attack yesterday here in Tel Aviv (RIP), my roommate and I stayed indoors and decided to distract and cheer ourselves up my being creative in the kitchen. Cooking is a real release for me, it allows you to be creative and I find it therapeutic. Our Hummus turned out to be SO DELICIOUS! Far better than the shop bought stuff, except due to our love for garlic, we may have used a little too much, so I give you a revised recipe below with less garlic. By all means if you don't care add more, but poor little Sally had a date yesterday...LOL! 

So Dolls, Check out my recipe below and ENJOY! 

BEA'S MIDDLE-EASTERN HUMMUS (Serves 2)

WHAT YOU NEED: 

1 Can of Chickpeas (already soaked/save a small handful for garnish)
2 Tbsp fresh Tahini

1 Clove Garlic (crushed)

1/2 Tsp Salt

BIG Squeeze of Lemon

2 Grinds of Black Pepper

1/2 Tsp Hot Paprika

4 Tbsp Olive Oil (add more if you need, and decorate with it at the end)

4 Tbsp of Chickpea Juice from the can

Nutribullet or Food Processer
Tabascon for SPICE 

For the Vegetable Croutons:

1 Israeli Cucumber (1/4 Large English Cucumber)
1 Carrot

1 Red Pepper

MAKE THE MAGIC HAPPEN: 

1. Drain the Chickpeas, keeping some of the liquid to add when blending 
2. Pour the chickpeas into the blending cup. EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY RIGHT?
3. YEP! Now add a big squeeze of fresh lemon
4. Add the tahini, paprika, salt, olive oil and juice from chickpea can
5. Crush one clove of garlic and add to the mix
6. BLEND IT UP BABY!
7. Serve into a bowl and garnish with remaining chickpeas this adds texture and flavour 
8. Drizzle with olive oil and season with hot paprika
9. Cut the veggies into croutons AKA sticks
10. Now it's time to dip, scoop and ENJOY! If you like spice eat with Tabasco. TOTAL LOVE!

For more recipes please like my DINE WITH BEA Facebook page here: DINE WITH BEA

Follow me in Instagram: The Sartorial Doll

I would love to hear your feedback and your Hummus Recipes, so feel free to comment below :) 

BETE AVON DOLLS!

Kisses,

Bea {x}

DINE WITH BEA: Orange, Pear, Walnut & Gorgonzola Salad with Fig Vinagarette | No comments:

Make yourself a healthy and SUPER FLAVOURFUL lunch in no more than 8 minutes, come on Dolls...CHOP CHOP!

INGREDIENTS (couldn't do it without 'em):

~ Handful of Lettuce (I used soft lettuce leaves as opposed to the crunchy Romanian lettuce)

~ 1 Red Pear

~ Handful of Cherry Tomatoes

~ 1/2 Orange THE JUICIEST KIND

~ Blue Cheese 

(I opted for a creamy one, I can't lie and say I know which because the packet is in Hebrew. I bought it on a whim and it's GREAT. Creamy and strong tasting.)

~ Handful of Walnuts

- Fig Vinaigrette TOTAL LOVE!!!!!!!

MAKE IT HAPPEN:

Do I have to tell ya? No, I Didn't think so, just make it look FRUITY & FABULOUS! Presentation is key and food made with love is the most delicious, heart-warming kind, don't disappoint my darling dolls..

Yeah, so 7 weeks, no no 7lbs later, oh I mean heavier my clothes are definitely feeling snug, oh SHIT. My love for cooking and mixing together flavours has spiralled out of control, I have never been so inspired by flavours and spices in my life. I have had to take a healthy turn and give the carbs a rest for a few days. MEGA LOLZ. Whilst hummus and falafel are a popular tradition here in the middle-east, I have stretched far beyond the stereotypical flavours that you can imagine here in Israel. Firstly, all the produce here is fresh, the fruit is straight off the trees...no, no I mean quite literally, cute, and the vegetables are straight outta the ground here in Israel. In London, the produce is usually imported due to the not-so-tropical climate, not so fresh as you say you are HEY. The markets here are incredible for a foodie like me, a wonderland of colour, freshness and flavour. LOVES IT!

This morning I strolled down by the port in Tel-Aviv, unlike the usual setting of the Shuk Carmel that I usually find myself wandering through week in/week out. I stumbled across a local produce stand sampling an array of fruity vinaigrette's open for testing. WOW. These are mind blowing, from Strawberry, to Fig, to Mango...I GOTTA GET EM. I bought the fig and mango, and for sure will be going back for more. The taste is delightfully pleasing the the taste buds and complements fruity salads and creamy blue cheeses. I could tell this from the moment I placed the sample in my mouth. Fruit and salad go impeccably well FYI. The recipe creation that I grace you with here is a perfect healthy treat, full of complex flavours, textures and colours. Great for a summer dinner party or just as a quick lunch, it is quick, easy and so damn DELICIOUS! Strawberries go exceptionally well with basil and balsamic vinaigrette, or balsamic reduction/syrup. Be creative, I can guarantee you it won't fail. 

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FRUITS & NUTS:

~ The addition/garnishing of nuts (walnuts being my fave in salads) come with many health benefits such as added dietary fibres, a wide range of essential nutrients including several B group vitamins, vitamin E and minerals such as calcium. 

~ Citrus fruits, they're not just zesty, juicy goodness, they contain VITAMIN C...which apparently helps you see better! They lower the risk of strokes, help fight weight gain, cancer and supposedly lowers stress

- An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples are FULL OF FIBRE, I don't need to say the rest...you got it.

- Berries. Small but POWERFUL. Full of antioxidants, they help your body fight oxidative stress caused by free radicals that cause illness.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables help reduce the risk of heart disease, but too much fruit isn't too good as remember they are full of natural sugars. 

Enjoy preparing your summery salads dolls, and if you are in cold countries, bring some sunshine to your lunchtimes with these summery salad ideas. 

Kisses,

Bea {X} 

#DINEWITHBEA

(If any of you try my recipe's, I would LOVE to hear your feedback) :)

Date Night | No comments:

Oh the joys of being hideously single in the lead up to Valentine's Day... I joke (slash literally dying inside). With my darling doll Darcey heading back to UNAAAAY tomorrow we decided to have one of our classic date nights...ours are pretty great I am not going to lie; usually because they are swarming with delicious and sometimes devilish food which we honestly inhale at every opportunity. That moment when we realised we had demolished 3 whole cheeses between us...no we can't have...might as well have eaten a cow.

The Rules of Date Night:

1) Your House? You Cook

2) Not Your House? Bring 2 bottles of Vino Rouge or Prosecco (1 each OBV)...make it 3

3) You are not allowed to complain about general calorie intake or make any negative comments towards the food... it will be offended

4) There MUST be chocolate

5) NO BOYS ALLOWED

Move over Nigella Lawson.. whilst we honestly think we are Michelin star chef's, last night's meal was scrumptious beyond belief. I was in charge of making my flavour fusion salad which I currently cannot get enough of (recipe below), whilst Darcey prepared her classic garlic chicken. NOM NOM NOM.

In addition to our homemade meal, made with love, we had carrots and pepper dipped in homous and Tabasco (favourite snack ALERT). For all you Nandos lovers out there, the sauce they put in their homous...Tabasco is a better alternative. We then had a cheeseboard for Desert with Brie, Port Salut and Camembert, grapes and crackers. We are crackers. We washed it all down with 3 and a half bottles of Vino Rouge... #dryjan

Bea's Flavour Fusion Salad

(literally makes your taste buds go cray)

Ingredients:
- Handful of Flat leaf Parsley
- Handful of Basil
- Sweet Red Jalapeno Peppers (You can find these in Waitrose in a jar by fajitas)
- Rocket leaves
- Spinach leaves
- 2 Tomato's
- 1/4 Cucumber
- 5 rashers of Streaky Bacon
- Shavings of Parmesan
- Basil Oil
- Salt 'n' Pepper

Make it happen:
1) Break up the basil and parsley in your hand and throw in a bowl along with the rocket and the spinach
2) Slice the tomato's into segments and slice the cucumber 4 ways into triangles and throw them in
3) Fry the bacon - no oil needed - until VERY crispy - place on kitchen towel to soak up excess fat and break into pieces and throw it in the bowl
4) Drizzle with basil oil (this is delicious with salads) and toss the salad
5) Finally, garnish with Jalapenos to add spice, sprinkle with the glitter which is Parmesan and season with salt and pepper!

VOILA!

Prepare for an explosion of flavour and texture in a matter of minutes.

Loves it!

YAAAAAWWWNNN. Kisses from Princess {x}

Kisses,

Bea {x}

Life that Sparkles | No comments:

As you all know I don't blog too often, and have been blogging for a few years now as a hobby because of my love for writing and fashion amongst some other of my interests such as my charity work and my day to day adventures and travels. My new year's resolution is to blog much more frequently as opposed to sporadic posts! The thing is I have about 20 drafted posts in my drafts section, which just sit there unread. Bizarre I know! Why don't I just post them? Here is one...late, VERY LATE I know but I thought to kick off the new year why not reflect and ...why not post it!  

***

Remember, remember the 5th of November... The night where people from around the world gather excitably shivering in their boots, clutching onto hot chocolates and swinging sparklers around whimsically in the air, gazing as fireworks rocket into the air concluding with a ginormous bang followed by shimmering sparkles and dazzling lights; I was unfortunately stuck at the hospital. SAY WHAAAAT? Nothing exciting, other than the fact I am having 5 teeth extracted...oh cute. I was sat awaiting my consultation with my surgeon, in regards to my wisdom teeth removal, an evening full of monotone x-rays and back and forth discussions. Not what you want to be doing on Bonfire Night.

HOWEVER...

My work colleague, friend and fellow eccentric, Helen, decided to throw a 'Fright Fire with Fajitas' night. To my amusement this was a mixture of a belated Halloween and fireworks night with well....fajitas. Ahhmazing. So...I sort of lost the memo in regards to costume...in fact being an absolute div I thought it was 'fight fire', yes it doesn't really make sense, but to be honest Helen doesn't always make sense so in reality I was like AH HELEN! So I went as....myself. Honestly though AREN'T I DARING?

....with the addition of my Miley buns...of course

 

Malificent & Aurora

My fave is the weird one in the middle... he is weird... I like weird

Aside to shotting apple sours, devouring fajita after fajita and picking at some devilishly delicious nachos, we all sashayed into the garden for some exciting fireworks and sparklers. I dare to say we had 'lift off'... the first firework went no higher than to clear the roof of the house and didn't actually do anything other than shoot off the ground. In fact it would be kind to say it went higher than the roof of the shed...as we all giggled at the hilarity the biggest anti-climax EVER, we then went on to set off the eagerly anticipated Catherine wheel. Ermm....about that...after nailing it to the fence using someones rather useless shoe, a pathetic excuse for a hammer, we all waited in anticipation. Helen was concerned about the close proximity of her newly planted shrubbery, except there really was no need due to it turning 2, maybe 3 times...stopping, starting, stopping, slowing....STOPPED! WORST CATHERINE WHEEL EVER. In hindsight, I genuinely think we enjoyed these fireworks far more than lets say an actual sky dazzler. As Charlie Chaplin once said: "A day without laughter, is a day wasted" and OH how we laughed!

Life that Sparkles

Sparklers Y'allllll

What I Wore (not that you can really see...):

 

Collared Blouse - Zara

Black Shift Dress - Primark

Black Cardigan - Michael Kors

Fur Gilet - Ebay

Kisses,

 

Bea {x}

Goodbye Gluten! | No comments:

"I'm gluten intolerant!", "No Way! Me too!" I often find myself having the same conversation again and again... like a broken record. Why? Because literally everyone in this modern day society is intolerant to either wheat, gluten or dairy or in my case ALL THREE. Recently, I took myself to the doctor to be tested for Coeliacs Disease, except the results came back negative showing I have Non-Coealiac Gluten sensitivity and what a bloody nuisance it is indeed! The funny thing is, many people think it's all nonsense and that gluten sensitivity and intolerance's don't exist...others may just be like 'you just have IBS' but arguably, I don't host those side effects such as irritable bowel problems so I beg to differ. Plus, for me, food elimination has literally changed my life for the better so laterz haterzzz!



Healthy Brunching

The Dreaded Side Effects:

- Severe bloating - YES I look pregnant, honestly SO cute when you're in a bikini on the beach. As someone who doesn't take herself too seriously, I can't help but laugh about it and whilst it is quite funny, it can make me feel self conscious and it's uncomfortable when you're clothes are digging into you...especially tights! Dolls, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about.

- Drowsiness - ZZZzzzzZZZZzzz! After indulging in bread or pasta, I find it extremely hard to keep my eyes open. When you're at work this is not ideal - NO it is not because I was out gallivanting last night, it's usually because I couldn't resist the toast at breakfast or ate that damn pasta! 

 

Cuddles with Princess always make me feel better PS. My hand, dare I call it that, looks like a pigs trotter. Oh dear..

- Stomach cramps - So lets be honest we all get them and they're not fun, so when you're getting them ALL the time its frustrating.

The cure? THERE ISN'T ONE! GREAT. So, I have taken it upon myself over the last year to completely change my diet using food elimination;  and can I just say OH MY it actually is life-changing! So for any of my fellow dolls suffering with similar side effects GET INVOLVED!

Flora Tea - I picked this little gem up at the Ideal Home Show - For all you green tea lovers out there TOTAL LOVE!

Firstly, I started by eliminating bread and pasta completely. Bread and Pasta are the bulk of many meals, and some delicious ones at that but I have remained strong. I then went to cut out most carbs and minimised my dairy intake. Here is a list of foods that I have eliminated from my diet:

- Bread
- Pasta
- Cereal
- Potato (I now eat sweet potato instead)
- Milk (I allow myself one skinny (skimmed milk) latte a day and drink black coffee otherwise, due to not eating cereal there's no need for milk, however this doesn't effect me a substantial amount due to my consumption being minimal)
- Cheese (I do eat cheese but only rarely, or when I am treating myself e.g pizza)
- Foods containing wheat

Last nights dinner - Blog post to follow

You can't go wrong with these... TOO GOOD

This is one of my favourite experimental dishes using my Spiralizer - I will upload the recipe for you dolls NOM NOM NOM

COURGETTI/ZOODLES are the best substitution for Pasta! Created using a Spiralizer - pop in salty boiling water and simmer for 1 minute

Being only human, I sometimes can't resist and will treat myself to lets say a Pizza (especially on those putrid hangovers). However, on the bright side, due to the rise of intolerance's in the UK, most Pizza restaurants such as Pizza Express now offer Gluten Free bases. BOOM! In the case that there is no Gluten Free option, I just have to pay the price for indulgence but I can live with that. My colleague at work often has a go at me if I even dare try...I always thank her later as for the times that I don't, I find myself in that awful state of what feels like - sleep deprivation.

OK so... meet my weakness. ZIZZI's Rustica Piccante Pizza, this gigantic slate of devilishness doesn't come with a Gluten Free base.. UH OH!

Why is this relevant you ask?

In conclusion my Darling Dolls, I have decided to start blogging about my experiments with food and cooking adventures since going Gluten Free, with the hope of inspiring others with similar problems to my own. I haven't only lost a stone and a half, I am now benefiting from increased energy levels, EVEN happier moods and most importantly the side effects have stopped. OH YAR. I have never felt this positive and I have this new-found love for cooking, I am forever inviting friends over to try my new recipes and I don't even miss those nasty carbs that caused me so much bother. I have dropped almost 2 dress sizes through eating healthy and exercising. Those who know me are probably thinking that I couldn't love life even more than I already do now...well guess bloody what... I DO! Loves it!



Kick Boxing is my new favourite sport (Bitches take yourselves to Bitchboxing at GYMBOX). SO take THAT gluten. BOSH!

I hope you enjoy my recipes and I would love to hear from YOU! If you have similar problems get in touch and please feel free to share any recipes that you may have!! Ready. Steady. Cook. (...okay so that totally just sprung to mind as a sort of pun but I am now definitely going to plan a Ready.Steady.Cook night! TOTAL LOVE!)

Kisses,

Bea {x}