Recipe: Healthy Protein Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whilst I'm partial to a cookie (or three) from time to time, I get a bigger kick out of giving them a healthy twist with weird sounding ingredients.

I've made The Londoner's triple chocolate fudgy cookies and loved seeing people's reactions when I revealed that the main ingredient was avocado (insert evil laugh here)...

...and I made a video on some healthy banana oatmeal cookies using just 3 ingredients (with optional extras!) 

So when I saw a recipe for a 5-ingredient peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie made out of chickpeas dancing around Instagram, you can only imagine my flurry of excitement as I rushed out of the door for a round of supermarket healthy cookie sweep. It's no secret that I'm a lover of chickpeas and peanut butter; I'm about to put a ring on it and set up wedding dates as we speak. It's serious and these cookies has only strengthened the obsession.  

These are good. Really good. 

Not only will it hit that cookie cravin' spot but it'll also give you a huge burst of protein too. They're a great pre-workout/post-workout snack and are also great as an after-dinner dessert with a hot mug of (green) tea.

Ready for the recipe?

Of course you are.

CHICKPEA PB & CHOC CHIP COOKIES:

(makes 10 small cookies)

You will need:
1 can of chickpeas (1 and 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup of natural crunchy peanut butter 

1/4 cup honey/agave nectar/pure maple syrup

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips/cacao nibs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

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1. Preheat your oven to 175C and line a baking tray ready with some greaseproof paper.

2. Drain and thoroughly rinse the can of chickpeas. Dry up any excess water and throw them into your food processor.

3. Add in the peanut butter (and a pinch of salt if your taste buds fancy it)

4. Swirl in the honey/agave/maple syrup and baking powder into the mixture.

5. Blend until smooth!

6. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the dark chocolate chips (make sure it's 70% or above) or cacao nibs. 

7. Form into small cookie shapes. They won't rise/spread very much so feel free to give it an encouraging pat down or opt for round cookie bites.  Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or an extra smattering of nuts (optional)

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes before letting them cool for 5 minutes.

9. Tuck in! They're best served when they're still warm from the oven! 

Tip: These cookies are very soft and won't really set although it shouldn't disintegrate when picked up. 

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You'll be hit with a perfect blend of flavours. 

The peanut butter includes a subtle saltiness and a satisfying crunch, the honey mingles in with a dose of sweetness and the cookie crumbles within the first bite before you're met with the gooeyness of the melted dark chocolate chips. You know it's good when the description starts to read as an overexcited love letter. 

With all the flavours combined, you have yourself a perfectly healthy protein cookie.

Let me know how you get on if you decide to make yourself some!

...Now excuse me whilst I whip up a few batches.

Review: Foodilic, Brighton/London

Growing up on Cantonese food, I'm a huge fan of family-style dining; I'm used to our kitchen table groaning from the weight of a lavish spread of food. I can insert some meaningful waffle about the joys of bonding when sharing the dishes amongst ourselves but we all know it's because I want my dish... And some of yours too. I'm impossibly indecisive and whittling down an exhaustive list of choices to just the one is a disastrous affair...

...Which is why my mood is always better if a buffet is included in the day's menu.

Buffet food is notoriously associated with limp chicken balls, curry swimming in its own pool of grease and sauces with unidentified floating objects in. The idea of a healthy buffet had never even crossed my mind so you can only imagine my excitement when I found Foodilic quietly parked on a busy North Street in Brighton.



The decor is clean-cut, simple and reflects the concept of the restaurant. The window display of overflowing towers of salads, high pillars of wholegrains and brimming pot of hot soup is enough to draw your eyes in. If that isn't enough, a tempting exclaim of 'Eat As Much As You Like for £6.45/Takeaway Box for £5' on a pastel-adorned blackboard inviting you inside its humble abode will.

Shall we go in?



Whether you're dealing with a salad-fearing boyfriend, a vastly vegan group or a bunch of meat-eating pals, Foodilic will cater for all stomachs. There's a rich abundance of choices to suit most dietary requirements and for those who are vegetarian, vegan and/or gluten-free. Everything is clearly marked under the title of the dish along with a full list of ingredients, handy for those who wish to avoid any hidden encounters with an offending object.

My personal favourites were the:

Spinach and mushroom soup (soup of the day)
Spinach, pesto and walnut salad (still dream about this)
Kale salad with blanched almonds
Melt-in-yer-mouth beef casserole
Green beans and mange tout with an orange dressing
Roasted butternut squash


I saw others make hills of fragrant cous cous, mop up the remaining juices from the chicken coq au vin with a crusted bread roll and spoon heaving amounts of mayo chicken and apple salad onto their plates.

Once you're done with your main meal, there's also a selection of desserts and juices too. Note, these aren't included in the £6.45 price but I spied a raw walnut chocolate cake that I'll get my hands on next time.

Shortly after our meal, we dragged our full tums over to Small Batch for another sit down and a steaming cup of coffee reminiscing of our stomach's past.

We visited the North Street branch but if buffets aren't for you and you'd rather order a full sized portion of something, there's another Foodilic round the corner on a Western road.

To all Londoners, no fear, you can have a bite over at Pentonville Road (King's Cross) - I hear there's a special 50% off selected items from 7-9pm every evening too.

If you fancy a healthy alternative to your standard sandwich and crisps at lunch, I'd definitely recommend popping into Foodilic to try a bit o' everything. Not only is it filling but you'll be doing your body a whole world of good too.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and recreate that spinach, walnut and pesto salad...

Brighton Food Festival

I can't think of a better way of spending my Good Friday than to stroll along Hove Lawns with a huge spread of street food stalls to choose from. Brighton Food Festival is one of the UK's biggest food and drink festivals and I had been counting down the weeks to go (I wish I was joking).

Jordan and I put on our sunglasses, clambered into our jackets and drove along the seaside in his classic Mini with our excited faces on.

This is our excited face.

Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival included the Big Sussex Market, Live Food Show, Sussex and the World Market and the Children's Food Festival (why didn't anyone take me there when I was a kid?) - we were spoilt for choice and walking around three times didn't help us decide any quicker.

Pulled pork with homemade apple sauce? Lamb tagine? Thai street food?

We spotted a freshly baked tomato, olives and cheese loaf for £1.50, declared it ours and tucked in with our eyes tightly shut pretending that we were back in Rome. We weren't but it was still delicious. Carbs, y u so good?




Is it a little chilli here or is just me?

(psst... the chilli stalls didn't escape. I naturally gravitated towards the mango chilli jar - I want to bathe in it)



I spotted this stir fry vegetable stand and it was a little embarrassing how excited I got over it. Huge catering pans brimming with vegetables, spicy bean sauce and cumin for £5? I hit the jackpot. It was seasoned beautifully, ridiculously healthy and satisfied me ol' stomach.

I topped my generous portion with roasted onions, wild garlic and chilli pickles.



Jordan went for a surf 'n' turf wrap filled with grilled buffalo meat and seared king prawns. I took one a few bites and it was gooood. The meat was tender and wasn't overcooked in the slightest.

I also stopped by The Protein Bakery after following them on Twitter the day before. They had a selection of walnut brownies, blondies and cinnamon cookies all filled with protein and after sampling a few, I was sold. I bought the Starter Pack (a walnut brownie and four cookies) for £5 and squealed 'you don't know how excited I am about these!' before running off in search for more food. After checking the ingredients list, they're not the cleanest protein products on the market so it's definitely a treat but it's much better than your generic cookie.



To nurse our full stomachs, we walked along the beach and headed towards the North Laines where I was set loose in Infinity Foods. Word of warning, never go to a health food store (Wholefoods, Holland & Barretts and Planet Organic - I'm looking at you) if you don't have an hour or two to spare. I was running around excitedly grabbing everything and at times, you could catch the odd exclaims of 'raw cacao', 'buckwheat' and 'ooh, chia seeds!!!' dancing around the shop.



 I filmed another 'healthy food haul' which will be going live in the next few days as I spent a bit too much (never too much) and was feeling too giddy to not share it with you. We celebrated with some iced tea at recently opened Bluebird Tea & Co after sniffing all their chai tea leaves.

I opted for an iced matcha latte (10x the benefits of green tea!) and Jordan chose a chai tea latte.

Cheers!

 

I can't think of a better way to end the day... except that we made healthy peanut butter buckwheat/spelt doughnuts when we got back! Recipe coming soon!

If you live nearby or planning a weekend trip to Brighton soon, it's worth checking out the Food Festival website to see if there are any events running! I hear it's the Foodie Festival on Saturday... you'll know where to find me ;)

Ella's Yummy Delights, Brighton

Jordan and I recently went back home to the south coast to enjoy the sea air and glorious spring weather. We whizzed over to Brighton one afternoon and found ourselves strolling down the Laines with my camera in tow marvelling at the antique markets and stalls filled with exotic stones and jewels. We've lived here for most of our lives but I still have yet to grow tired of everything this city has to offer.

We were determined to find somewhere that would welcome us in and allow us to nurse our food babies (from our lunch at Burger Brothers - post coming soon!) with freshly brewed coffee and tea. I think we've found it. Ella's Yummy Delights - a café nestled between a row of independent shops and restaurants on Queens Road, a short walk from Brighton train station. Step inside and you'll be greeted with a warm 'hello', the smell of freshly baked cakes and quirky ornaments shipped in from Germany dotted around the shop. Check out those cow milk jugs - I'll take the lot.

It's a family run café by the loveliest mother and daughter team who constantly had a smile on their face and were more than happy to chat away whilst they were getting ready to recaffeinate us. We sank into the seats with our brew in hand (flat white for Jordan and a soy chai latte for me) and jealously watched generous slabs of cakes and pastries being served to hungry customers. I tried to wake up the special reserved spot in my tum for dessert but only received a lazy groan and a snore in response. I spotted a Chinese couple nestled in the corner with a giant chunk of cappuccino cake and warm biscotti pieces - they kept exclaiming loudly in Cantonese about how amazingly delicious it was.

Pfft, I'll be back for you, carrot cake *shakes fist*

You can find Ella's Yummy Delights here for your own piece of heaven.

You Doughnut, London

I am fond of indulging in a doughnut (or three) from time to time. 

I'm counting down the days until I can merrily stroll down Brighton seafront and stop off at one of the food stalls dotted around the pier. I'll order a portion of their freshly fried doughnuts and request for them to slather it with melted Nutella. I'll then skip towards the sun whilst it's still piping hot and fend off the seagulls that have set their beady eyes on it.

The problem is, I'm back in London with no plans to return 'home home' for another two weeks. No need to fret though, I've found us a replacement to tide us over in the mean time.

Allow me to present... You Doughnut @ Hawker House.  

 

Always trust a vendor that promises you hot and fresh doughnuts with twinkling fairy lights to match. Warm salted caramel? Cinnamon sugar?? Mini marshmallows?!?! This is the place that dreams are made of - well, where amazing doughnuts are born but that's basically the same thing.

We ordered 10 bites for £6. 

Please Sir, May I have five of your finest cinnamon sugar covered doughnuts with warm salted caramel sauce topped with chopped walnuts...

...and five of your cinnamon sugar covered doughnuts with coffee maple syrup and chopped walnuts please?!

I handed over my coins and watched in awe as he prepared the batter and conjured them up with a flourish. Why don't I have a personal doughnut station in my bedroom?

 Look out for this lovely chap a.k.a the doughnut connoisseur, he very patiently endured my rambles before happily sending me on my way with the decorated fried goods in hand. 

It was a marriage of the sweet and savoury. 

We quickly blew on it as an attempt to cool it down. As you sink your teeth in for your first bite, you're met with an explosion of textures and flavours. 

There's the piping hot dough, the swirl of salted caramel/coffee syrup sauce, the crunch of the nuts before ending it all with a lick of the lips to get the rest of the delicious cinnamon sugar off. Not a lot compares to this, does it? 

You can find You Doughnut on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with where they'll be next! I hear they'll be moving to the Southbank from April - you'll know where to find me...

2 Ingredient Healthy Banana Pancakes (Low Carb, Gluten-Free and Dairy Free!)

Happy Pancake Day!

 Forget about drowning your crepes in an ocean of maple syrup and overly fried bacon...
 how about we rustle up a stack of pancakes that look the part, taste like the real thing and are 100% clean too?

The eggs are a great source of protein and healthy fats, the banana provides you with a burst of energy and potassium whilst the apple gives you a good dose of fiber!

Behold, my 2 ingredient banana pancakes with hot apple cinnamon slices. Delicious, guilt-free and even easier to make than the traditional kind. No sieving and measuring required. I also filmed a video version of the recipe too (that's embedded below) if you fancy watching it.

 Let's go!



You Will Need: 

 {Pancakes}: 
2 medium free range eggs
1 ripe medium-large sized banana
Blueberries (optional)

{Cinnamon Apple Slices}: 
An apple
Cinnamon
Honey (optional)



1. Crack two eggs into your food processor/blender/mixing bowl.



2. Add in your chopped banana.

(If you're mixing these by hand, make sure to pre-mash the banana before adding it into the egg!)



3. Blend/mix until smooth.

For a more authentic appearance, I would use a food blender/smoothie maker. Pulse it for about a minute or so; this will result in incredibly light and fluffy golden pancakes. You could also mash the ingredients by hand with a fork. Try and get it as smooth as possible as the rougher the texture, the more it'll look like little banana omelettes than pancakes ;)



4. Pre-heat your pan to a low-medium heat. Drizzle in some olive/coconut oil and pour in your pancake mix!



5. Once they're starting to firm up and form little 'bubbles' on the surface, it's flippin' time. Repeat until there isn't any batter left. Stack them and you're done!

Now it's time for the cinnamon apple slices:



1. Slice the apple into a bowl.

2. Sprinkle in your desired amount of cinnamon and mix.

3. Add a little hot water and microwave for 3-4 minutes.

4. Serve them with your pancakes and drizzle in some honey for added sweetness.

5. Marvel, snap a picture for Instagram to show off your culinary skills and enjoy.



It's really that easy to make. It tastes even better knowing that it's incredibly healthy for you too! Let me know if you end up making these!



...and the video version :)

Five Guys, London

Five Guys

Nearest Tube Station: Covent Garden

In honour of Fat Friday (yes, I've classed this as an official day of the week) I thought it was time to set stomachs rumbling with a deliciously filthy burger review. 

Warning: If you haven't had your lunch yet, I hold no responsibility to the inevitable groans that'll escape from your mouth once you see the picture below. 

Ready?

I know.

With over 1000 locations in the US (and new stores opening up throughout the UK), Five Guys is undoubtedly a popular burger chain with a cult following. We visited the one based in Covent Garden and with a growling stomach and a queue that snaked down Long Acre, we were ready to take on the biggest burger that they could offer.

London is long forgotten as soon as you step into the restaurant. Five Guys is decked out in a classic 50s American diner theme with crates of free monkey nuts and quoted posters from popular publications splashed across their walls.

We met up with the manager, Martynas (who's so very lovely and welcoming!) and he proceeded to give us a tour around the restaurant and the history of the brand. Similar to the layout of American fast food chains that you see in the movies, a huge lit up board of the menu is hung up above you like a holy burger-shaped beacon of light.

Just a quick note, Five Guys' serving sizes are very generous. A standard cheeseburger is made up of two beef patties whereas a 'little' burger is made up of one. They're also available bunless too. All the burger toppings are free so if you feel like taking on a Man Vs Food challenge, roam and be wild.

Feeling ravenous, Jordan and I both opted for a cheeseburger with bacon, grilled onions, jalapenos and chilli sauce with a small portion of their normal fries and cajun spiced fries to share. Martynas told us their potatoes are only cooked in 100% peanut oil and the beef are always served well done with no option to customise upon ordering.

This surprised me a little and as a lover of medium rare beef, I asked him why. It's to ensure the final product is consistently juicy and meets with the health and safety requirements of ground beef. All sounds fair but I won't be converted anytime soon... I like me a pink patty.

After ordering, you're given a paper slip with a number on and urged to join the large crowd of hungry diners. Help yourself to free monkey nuts whilst you're waiting!

Food is served in large brown paper bags. This amused me greatly and continued on my act of pretending that I was secretly in America. We were led to a hidden booth under an alcove away from the hustle and bustle of the restaurant and after spreading our food haul across the table, I hopped over to the drinks machine. Unlimited soda? Let's go!



Behold soda lovers, this is the Coca-Cola Freestyle Drinks Machine. Although I stopped drinking coke a year ago, I still had plenty to choose from with the 100+ different flavours available.

Fanta Zero Grape and Fanta Zero Peach, I choose you.



After a few slurps of my drink, it was time to chow down. I unwrapped the silver parcel to reveal my double patty burger. Heck, that's a lot of melted cheese.



I don't like bacon.

I hear the gasps of disgust thrown at me from every direction but it's too salty and oily for my liking. Jordan persuaded me to add it to my burger and proclaimed that it would d be a 'life-changing' experience so I took the chance... and I liked it. Scratch that, I loved it so much that I even overlooked the fact that it was served in a sesame seed topped bun. It wasn't lazily served as a slice of streaky bacon and result in awkward 'let me just chew at this meat mid-bite' faces. It was cut up and served between the patty and bun. It was deliciously smoky and I'm also eating my words as the beef was in fact juicy despite being well cooked through.

The cheese was as artificial as it could get but what's a classic American burger without a slice of the processed plastic, ey? There was one thing about it that made my eyebrows knit themselves together though - it wasn't chilli despite having jalapenos and added hot sauce. I prised one from its nest of grilled onions and nibbled away at it - nope. There wasn't even the smallest of kicks. I wasted no time in reaching for the bottle of chilli sauce and proceeded to drown my burger and fries in an ocean of spice. That's better.



Jordan was obsessed with the cajun spiced fries. They were a little too salty for my liking but I generally prefer my sides to be hardly salted so it was just a personal preference. He gathered them with his hands and shoveled them into his open mouth whilst going 'these are some of the best fries I've ever tasted!' They were seasoned well but having one too many did make me reach for my fizzy drink. A small size would be more than enough for two to share. Ours were served in the plastic cup... with practically another portion overspilling into the paper bags. I repeat, Five Guys are very generous with their serving sizes.



In the future, I'd definitely opt for a little burger with a single patty as I definitely produced the mother of food babies after demolishing this beast. I was ready for a nap.



I asked Jordan what his thoughts were and he replied with this:

I think it's time we nurse our food babies and head home.

This was actually my second time visiting Five Guys - the first being a hot summer's day in which I had little patience to appreciate the food. I didn't care for the burger initially but was very pleasantly surprised the second time round. I don't know whether it was my mood, the fact that I had a double patty than a single one or whether the quality had changed since its opening in July but I enjoyed it a lot better this time. It will never beat the likes of Patty & Bun (my ultimate favourite so far) but it's a good one to grab and go if you're in the area and fancied a splash of an American vibe. It's a grown-up McDonald's and I have no doubts about going again (and also attack their freestyle drinks machine).