Dairy Free Sweet Potato Waffles

Vegetables for breakfast anyone? Delicious sweet potato disguised in a sweet, chewy crispy waffle courtesy of the delightful Morag Turnball aka @aveganfeed

Serves 2-3

Lentil & Mushroom Rice & Quinoa Penne Pasta

This weeks recipe of the week is from local food blogger to the Byron Bay shire Meg Phillips. Meg used our popular Organic Rice & Quinoa Penne to make this recipe. It uses only vegan ingredients, is high in protein…and super delicious.

Lettuce And Coconut Salad With Toasted Pine Nuts

A super light tropical salad recipe perfect for the warmer weather. The toasted seeds really give this salad a beautiful crunch with the coconut adding a delicious natural sweetness.

This salad is great to have as a side to any simple meat or vegetarian dish.

Vegetable Stir Fry Featuring Gluten (DF/Vegan)

This weeks recipe of the week goes out to all the vegetarians/vegans looking for a tasty high protein dinner option. A vegetable stir fry featuring gluten meat. Enjoy.

Beetroot & Black Bean Burgers (GF/DF)

This weeks recipe of the week is from Casey-Lee Lyons of Live Love Nourish. The recipe was originally made in collaboration with Roza’s Gourmet Sauces – a great business that sells a variety of chutneys, pesto’s and mayos online and around the country. The burger patty is made using black turtle beans (one of our favourite here in store) and is a bit of fun using roasted sweet potato in place of a burger bun. Enjoy!

Carob, Tahini & Orange Bliss Balls

This weeks recipe inspiration comes from Sarah Follent of Baked Livingness. An amazingly light and nourishing bliss ball rolled in a spicy seed mix. Enjoy!

GLUTEN FREE VEGETARIAN CROQUETTES

Over the Christmas break our Manager Kym revisited one of her favourite recipes from an old Woman’s Weekly Cookbook; Vegetarian Croquettes. Kym modified the recipe making it gluten free using our gluten free crispy crumb mix and some seasonal herbs from the garden.  This is a great recipe if your looking for something simple, fresh & light to cook this summer.

Vegan Berry Coconut Slice

This weeks recipe of the week is another delicious vegan recipe from contributor Morag Turnbull (@aveganfeed).  Using fresh berries to make your own homemade jam filling, and flaxseeds to add a little mucilage and fibre, the whole family will love this one.

Hazelnut Nutella Cremes

One of our most popular cookie recipes to date, the Maple, Tahini and Almond cookies are the inspiration behind this weeks recipe of the week. Made again by our store manager Caroline, this time with a hazelnut spin and a chocolate hazelnut (nutella style) filling between. These are super delicious. Enjoy!

The Health Benefits of Fenugreek

The Fenugreek plant is a member of the legume family native to North Africa, Southern Europe and Western Asia.  The leaves and the tiny bean shaped seeds have been used as medicine for aeons, as well as being a traditional ingredient in many culinary dishes from India to Ethiopia.  The name is derived from the Greek words Foenum-Graecum, translated as Greek Hay. This is because it was discovered that cattle preferred to eat hay that was mixed with fenugreek.

Fenugreek is slightly bitter and pungent, and has a distinct maple flavour so it is often used as a maple substitute alongside sugar in sweet syrups.  In India the leaves are used in many different types of curry and in Ethiopia the most popular spice mix known as Berbere, contains Fenugreek seeds and is the central ingredient in most dishes.

The leaves and the seeds have great medicinal properties including the ability to lower cholesterol and treat diabetes due to its affect on insulin; the hormone that governs the uptake of glucose into the cell. Fenugreek is also a popular digestive, often used to reduce flatulence and relieve digestive discomfort.

Fenugreek is widely known to have oestrogen-promoting properties and can increase milk production in breast-feeding women and improve libido in men and women with low sexual desire.  Consuming fenugreek can also increase your metabolism, improve bowel regularity and sooth a sore throat due to its mucilaginous (gel-like) properties.

As well as using Fenugreek in your cooking, the seeds can sprouted and eaten raw for a slightly spicy additive to your salad or simmered in water and used as a therapeutic tea.  Due to its potent medicinal properties, it is wise to consult with a natural health practitioner before using it to treat any particular health condition.

Read more about healthy tips and recipe on Affordable Wholefoods Blog