Recipe: Caesar Salad Sauce (+ vegan subs) πŸ₯—

Did you know Caesar sauce usually has anchovies? I didn’t and let me tell you I WAS SHOOK.


Dont get me wrong, I have nothing against anchovies but I don’t like them and just knowing that they reside in Caesar Salad sauces – I just can’t do it. So, I made up my own recipe, which happens to be healthier and high in protein too. FTW.


Heres how you make it (with vegan subs):


Ingredients:
4-5 Tbsp non-fat greek yoghurt
For vegan option use Alpro ‘Greek’ style
1 Tbsp Hellmans really light mayo
For vegan option you can use vegan mayo OR more yoghurt
10g Dijon mustard
40g Parmesan
For vegan option use Violife ‘Parmesan’
3 Tbsp milk of choice
1 Tsp garlic powder
1 Tsp olive oil
1 Tsp lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
Theres not much to it, put all your ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. Alternatively you can use a hand held blender too.

Note: add more milk if you prefer it runnier.


I made my salad with these delicious Chicken Goujons, pan-fried cooked ham (tastes like turkey bacon and is the best bacon hack you’ll ever try), crumbled melba toast and goats cheese cubes. Was absolutely delicious and felt like we were having a restaurant dinner πŸ˜›


Dont forget to tag / share if you try it! πŸ™‚


I had shared this recipe previously on my social media so don’t forget to follow me on instagram for more tips, recipes and nonsense.

Recipe: Choc Chunk Cookies πŸͺ (Gluten-Free)

Nothing says I love you like warm, freshly baked cookies.


I dont really need an excuse to bake, in fact I am a THE biggest procrastibaker – will bake/ cook before doing anything that needs done round the house (or in life). So, instead of doing something productive I decided to make freshly baked cookies to greet my boyfriend when he got back from work. Logical right?


They turned out to be the best healthified cookie recipe I have made to date sooooo no regrets! πŸ˜›


Try them yourself:


Ingredients:
150g Cashew butter
(or any alternative – I just like the taste of cashew in cookies)
50g Ground almonds/ almond flour*
20g Whey protein powder
(Any you prefer will be fine. I alternate between Combat Cookie or Bulk Vanilla).
25g Brown sugar**
15g Xylitol (or preferred granulated sweetener)
1/2 Tsp Baking powder
1 Tsp melted coconut oil
1 Tsp vanilla extract / flavouring
2 Egg Whites
Chocolate chunks of choice (I used some chocolate that was still lingering in the cupboard from xmas which is Morrisons Cookie Milk Chocolate. Chopped it into chunks and was perfect – just use whichever you like best.)

* If you don’t have ground almonds I would suggest ground oats, however almonds will give you a MUCH better texture for cookies, oats will dry up more.
** You can omit the sugar and replace with granulated sweetener but the brown sugar will give it the perfect cookie texture (crispier on the outside) + perfect taste. Alternatively, use coconut sugar.


Ive created a shopping list on iherb with all the products needed for this recipe if you prefer buying it online, remember to use code: JCB887 for exclusive discounts.


Method: Line a baking tray with greaseproof baking paper and pre-heat oven to 170 Degrees C.

In a bowl, combine your dry ingredients then fold in wet ingredients leaving chocolate chunks for last. Place in freezer for 10 minutes – this will help roll the cookies onto the baking paper.



With a tablespoon, grab a spoonful and roll into a ball with your hands then place onto baking sheet. Repeat until all mix is used.

Dip fingers into a tiny bit of water and flatten/ shape your cookies.


Bake for approximately 10 minutes (until cookies have began to go golden brown around the edges).

Leave to cool completely.
Recipe yielded approx 12 cookies.



Enjoy with (or without) the boyfriend but definitely with a nice cup of tea or coffee.

Each cookie was approx 137cals / 8F / 9.8C / 5P (and I piled on the milk choc in this one, so play around with the amounts and you can get even better macros!)


Don’t forget to tag us if you try it πŸ™‚

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Recipe: Healthy Chicken Goujons (Gluten-Free)πŸ—

KFC got nothing on this.



Honestly though, these were SO good! Reminded me of the KFC chicken tenders – dipped in bbq sauce. Except these were nicer! (obviously) and you would never tell they are baked instead of fried. Will happily bet on your kids/ husband/ boyfriend/ girlfriend/ bff/ parent/ grandchild approving this one.


Heres how I made them:


Ingredients:
For chicken marinade:
600g Chicken breast (sliced into strips)
1 Oxo Chicken stock cube (or alternative but i like the taste of oxo)
1 Tbsp Garlic and herb seasoning
1 Tbsp Smoked salt
2 Tbsp Olive oil
For batter:
50g Ground almonds
200g Gluten-free breadcrumbs*
1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Smoked salt
3 Egg whites


*Gluten-Free breadcrumbs are usually made up of dried corn, so if you don’t have any handy or can find none at the supermarket you can blitz some cornflakes in a high speed blender, or even tortilla chips (doritos if you’re feeling crazy) as they too are made of corn.


Method: First, you’ll need to marinate your chicken strips. In a bowl, mix chicken with marinade ingredients. For the oxo cube you will have to dissolve it in a bit of boiling water and pour it in. I like to do this ahead of time, say in the morning for an evening meal so the chicken really soaks up the flavours. Alternatively, if you forgot to marinate ahead of time – make sure you leave it at least half an hour minimum marinating.


Once your marinated chicken is ready, prepare a baking tray with greaseproof paper and pre-heat oven to 170 Degrees C.

Grab two bowls, in one add your egg whites and in the other mix the rest of your batter ingredients.


Then, strip by strip dip chicken into egg white mix, then batter mix and place on lined baking sheet. Repeat until all strips are coated.



Note: In this recipe i made half of the chicken and kept the rest for the next day. Half the recipe yielded approx 18 strips.


Bake for 20-25 minutes (different ovens may vary) until chicken is crispy and golden.



*HEART EYES*



They were so good that we ate ALL 18 STRIPS haha, the first few in a salad as seen in pic and then the rest dipped in bbq sauce.

Like I said, willing to bet on EVERYONE loving these!


Don’t forget to share your recipe making with us, we love to see! πŸ™‚

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Recipe: Peanutella

Most spreads are usually packed with maximum calories (which isn’t a bad thing) but it just means you get less amount for your calories. With this recipe you get to eat MORE for the same amount of calories… now thats winning!


This recipe is best enjoyed immediately but if you prefer making in bulk and storing for future use, note that the coconut oil will solidify – to use again simply heat a little beforehand.


Ingredients:
1/4 Cup peanut powder – approx 25g (I use PB2 brand)
10g Cocoa powder
40g Ground granulated stevia or alternative sweetener
25g Coconut oil (melted)
4 Stevia hazelnut drops* (I used Better Stevia brand)
*You can use any sort of flavour drops, some other favs are Skinny Co or Bulkpowders drops.

Method:
In a bowl mix all your dry ingredients, then fold in coconut oil until combined.

Then spread onto toast, pancakes or whatever else you may fancy.


I calculated about 8 servings, which totals to approximately 54 cals. However, you may get more servings (or less) out of your mix. Depends on your greedy levels πŸ˜›




Don’t forget to tag / share if you try this recipe, we love to see! πŸ™‚


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How to: Quinoa 🍚

If you don’t like quinoa, we can’t be friends.


Quinoa {keen-wa} – is it a seed? Is it a grain? A debate we are not here to discuss because there is a more pressing issue: eating it.

Its my favourite thing to eat at home, so i collated my favourite ways to eat them…get ready to jazz up your plain quinoa.Life changing.


EGG-FRIED QUINOA


Egg-Fried Quinoa
Ingredients:
1 Cup Cooked Quinoa
5 Egg Whites
2-3 Tbsp Soy Sauce (Or Tamari if needed gluten-free)
Sprinkle of salt

Method:
1. Heat a pan on medium heat with a bit of spray oil.
2. Once hot, pour the egg whites and salt and cook like you would scrambled egg, moving around until egg is mostly cooked.
3. Add quinoa and soy sauce and mix together, keep moving until egg has fully cooked through.
4. Remove from heat and enjoy.

LENTIL MEATBALLS WITH QUINOA



Follow our Lentil ‘Meat’ Ball recipe and enjoy on a bed of your ready made quinoa.

RICE WRAPS WITH VEGGIES & QUINOA



Ingredients:
2 Rice Wraps*
40g Avocado (Sliced)
50g Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes
50g Spiced Tofu (optional) 1 Tbsp Spicy Brava Sauce
Sprinkle of salt
Large bowl with lukewarm water
*You can find these in the chinese food section in most supermarkets or grocery stores.

Method:
1. Prepare all your ingredients and a large chopping board next to your bowl of lukewarm water
2. Grab a rice wrap and immerse it into the lukewarm water until fully covered for about 3 seconds so that it goes a bit soft but still manageable.
3. Lay carefully onto chopping board and repeat (2.) with second rice wrap. Place second wrap with half of it overlapping the first.
4. Layer ingredients as you please.
5. Roll wrap together carefully, tucking in the edges before wrapping fully.
6. Drizzle with the spicy brava sauce and enjoy!

LENTIL STEW WITH QUINOA



Ingredients:
500g (Cooked) Pardina Lentils
100g Mixed Frozen Peppers
1 Chopped Onion
1 Tbsp Frozen Garlic
Handful Chopped Basil
4 Tbsp Marigold Vegan Stock
6 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
2 Tbsp Italian Herbs
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1.5 Ltr Water (Boiling)
100g Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes
2 Cups Cooked Quinoa
Sprinkle of salt & pepper

Method:
1. We pre-cooked the lentils for this recipe, but you can also use can or jar lentils which come ready made.
2. In a large sauce pan bring olive oil to heat on a medium setting, then add onions and garlic. Once onions have softened slightly, add mixed frozen peppers and keep moving until peppers have softened too.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the quinoa and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and leave simmering for approx 15mins.
6. Fold in quinoa and leave simmering for another 10mins.
7. Remove from heat and leave to settle, then enjoy or pack it up for the next day.

Note: The lentils will settle even more if you store them for the next day, so dont worry if you think they have perhaps come out too liquid(ey).

This recipe is made to suit my preferred tastes, but you can add/ swap ingredients and flavours as you see fit.

Hope you enjoyed these recipes! Please tag us if you make them, we love seeing you re-make our creations πŸ™‚


Recipes created by @themusclebaker

How to: Make Savoury Oats πŸ…

There are actually people out there who dont like oats or porridge. We, of course, are not them.

We truly believe that oats is an anytime of the day kinda meal so, to prove this theory, decided to have a whack at creating a savoury oat combo. The outcome was even better than we imaged it to be, it was SO SO good and much more filling than toast would’ve been!

(Not to mention all the added vitamins and minerals this combo brings!)

Naturally, we couldn’t wait to share it with you…

Here is our how to:


HEAT UP MILK WITH FLAVOURED STOCK
Choose your favourite milk, you will need 3/4 cup per serving and 1/4 cup of stock (for every 33g of oats approx). Pour it into a saucepan and move to the next step…


ADD YOUR FAVE HERBS AND SPICES
You can choose your favourite herbs and spices for this, keep it simple or as crazy as you prefer. (Scroll to bottom for exact recipe).


LET IT GET SOME FLAVA
Bring the milk, stock and herb mix to a boil, then add oats and 1tbsp flaxseed meal/ ground flaxseed.

We use packs of 33g Gluten-Free Quaker Oats so it will be approximately that much oats you will need if not using single packs.

Let it all simmer until the oats have soaked up most of the liquid and has formed into porridge texture.


PIMP IT UP
Pour into a bowl and add your toppings. We chose some smashed avo, tomatoes, black olives, grated vegan cheese, toasted sesame seeds and sprouts. (What happens when you can’t choose between avo toast and oats).


SMASHED AV-OATS



Ingredients:
1 Pack Gluten-Free Quaker Oats
1 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal/ ground Flaxseed
3/4 Cup Non-Dairy Milk (we used Alpro Coconut Milk)
1/4 Cup Veggie Broth, made with 1 Tbsp Marigold Vegan Bouillon Powder
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
1/4 Tsp Smoked Paprika
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
1/8 Tsp Chilli Flakes
Pinch of sea salt

Toppings:
1/2 Avocado
1 Small Tomato
1/2 Small can sliced black olives
25g Violife grated cheese
Handful Alfalfa Sprouts
Sprinkle of toasted Sesame seeds

Method:
1. Add milk, veggie broth, nutritional yeast and salt/ spices into a pan and bring to the boil.
2. Add oats and flaxseed and reduce heat, leave simmering until oats soak up most of the liquid and you achieve a porridge consistency.
3. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
4. Mash avocado with a little salt, lemon juice and garlic powder and scoop on top of oats.
5. Add the rest of your toppings.
6. Grab a spoon and enjoy!



Yields: 1 serving

Nutritional Info:
519 Cals | 29.4F | 54.1C (14.3g fiber, 6.3g sugars) | 15.7P

Vitamin A: 18.1 | Vitamin C: 30.4 | Calcium: 224 | Iron: 21

Free from Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Egg & Vegan


MAS BUENO QUE EL PAN πŸ˜›


Look forward to seeing what savoury oat combos you guys come up with! Don’t forget to tag us if you make them, we love to see. Find us on all social outlets @themusclebakery/ @themusclebaker πŸ™‚


Fancy some sweet oats? Check out our How to: Make Creamy Oats


For 20% discount on Bulkpowders use code: MUSCLEBAKERY20 | 10% discount on iHerb using code: JCB887

All recipes created by The Muscle Bakery and subject to copyright.

Banana Bread: Two Ways (Protein & Vegan)

Banana bread is possibly the easiest and most re-created recipe amongst the foodie realms and no surprise why, it’s flipping delicious! The nan used to make a walnut one when we were little ohhhh did weΒ love it!Β 


Some food historians believe banana bread was a byproduct of the Great Depression as resourceful housewives did not wish to throw away overripe bananas (as they were still a costly item to purchase), others believe the modern banana bread was developed in corporate kitchens to promote flour and baking soda products.


TheseΒ recipes came about after finding a printed banana bread recipe from what used to be our first blog and one of the first recipes we ever created all those many moons ago.Β We decided to give it a go again with a few tweaks and making two versions: Protein version and a Vegan version.

PROTEIN BANANA BREAD


Author: The Muscle Bakery.
Banana bread recipe that you can whip up in no time! Simple, delightful and tasty!

Ingredients

    3 Cups (Gluten-Free) Ground Rolled Oats
    0.5 Cup Granulated Sweetener of choice
    1 Cup Low-Fat Greek Yoghurt or Fromage Frais*
    1 Scoop Banana Whey (or any flavour you prefer)
    2 Mashed Bananas
    1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
    5 Egg Whites
    1 Tsp Baking Powder
    1 Tsp Baking Soda
    1 Tsp Cider Vinegar
  • If you don’t have this, substitute with applesauce.
  • You will also need a metal loaf pan, not the silicone one.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 170 Degrees C.
  2. In a bowl mix together all your dry ingredients until combined. Then, fold in your wet ingredients until you get a thick batter.
  3. Prepare a greaseproof baking sheet in your loaf pan then pour mix into it.
  4. Bake for 30-40mins (until knife comes out clean when piercing it).
  5. Leave to cool completely before slicing.
  6. Then slice up and enjoy solo or with your fave nut butter!

Nutritional Info (per slice):109 Cals | 1.6F | 19C | 6.5P

Free from Gluten, Wheat & Sugar


For the Vegan variation, we decided to use a Coke Zero to replace the egg. Yes. You heard that right!

After delivering a Vegan cakey to a customer, he mentioned that he had tried making a cake with his daughter using a Betty Crocker mix and a Diet Coke and it worked! This clearly got us SOOOO curious and the culinary creative juices started flowing! We had read somewhere before that sparkling water could be used but never really thought much about it until he mentioned it so without further ado we jumped right in and used the above recipe to experiment with.

As with all of our recipes, we prefer trying and failing before having to call on our buddy google for help and that is exactly what we did with this one and absolutely winged it. The experiment paid off! It made the most delightful banana cake, id even go as far as to say that it was better than the original creation!

(Thanks for that Mr Williams).

Heres the recipe:

VEGAN BANANA BREAD


Author: The Muscle Bakery.
Banana bread made with Coke Zero?!! YUP! So damn delicious, like a cross between bread and pudding… exactly like nan used to make (made vegan)!

Ingredients

    3 Cups (Gluten-Free) Ground Rolled Oats
    0.5 Cup Granulated Sweetener of choice
    1 Tbsp Xanthan
    1 Cup Soya/ Coconut Yoghurt*
    1 Scoop Pea Protein Isolate**
    2 Mashed Bananas
    1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
    1 Tbsp Agave Nectar (add more if you prefer a little sweeter)
    1 Coke Zero/ Diet Coke Can (330ml)
    1 Tbsp Cinnamon (optional)
    1 Tsp Baking Powder
    1 Tsp Baking Soda
    1 Tsp Cider Vinegar
  • If you don’t have this, substitute with applesauce.
  • If you want to omit this or don’t have this ingredient, try adding a little bit more flour instead.
  • You will also need a metal loaf pan, not the silicone one.


Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 170 Degrees C.
  2. In a bowl mix together all your dry ingredients until combined. Then, fold in your wet ingredients until you get a thick batter.
  3. Prepare a greaseproof baking sheet in your loaf pan then pour mix into it.
  4. Bake for 30-40mins (until knife comes out clean when piercing it).
  5. Leave to cool completely before slicing.
  6. Then slice up and enjoy solo or with your fave nut butter!

Nutritional Info (per slice): 112 Cals | 1.8F | 25.1C | 5P

Free from Gluten, Wheat, Sugar, Dairy, & Egg.


As you can see the recipes are extremely similar, in fact they are almost identical except for the eggs part.

You can try the Protein version without eggs and use coke instead, but we have not yet tried that yet as we still have all the above slices of banana bread to get through! πŸ˜›

If you do, let us know how it goes!


Don’t forget to tag us if you try any of these recipes, you can find us on all social media outlets @themusclebakery

For 15% discount on Bulkpowders use code: MUSCLEBAKERY15


HAPPY (BANANA BREAD) BAKING!

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