Vegan – THE MUSCLE BAKERY

Cheesecake-filled Easter eggs 🐣

Easter eggs but make them macro-friendly.

Easter eggs isn’t the problem, eating them in moderation is. I just want the whole egg. You know? So, with these homemade ones i can at least eat the whole egg and its still within ‘moderation’ hehe plus they look super cute AND a higher in protein.

Heres how:
100g Chocolate of choice
1/4 Tsp coconut oil
200g Light soft cheese*
10g Low-Sugar chocolate hazelnut spread
20g Whey protein powder – choc flavour
4 Drops of hazelnut flavdrops
2 Drops of white choc flavdrops
+ toppings of choice

*The lightest option available is Philadelphia brand ‘lightest’ however I used generic supermarket branded soft cheese.

To make a vegan egg alternative, use vegan cheese spread (any brand will work) and the best protein powder I would recommend is choc soy protein, like this one.

Note: if you don’t have the flavdrops don’t worry it won’t change the texture of this recipe just the taste. You can add more hazelnut spread for authentic ‘bueno’ taste or you can just add any essence/ flavouring drops to sweeten.

Method:
Melt chocolate with the tiny bit of coconut oil – I do this in microwave but if you don’t have a microwave place chocolate and coconut oil in a glass bowl over a saucepan with boiling water. Some chocolate brands won’t require using coconut oil, but others might be thicker and need a bit of oil for it to spread easier.

Using an easter silicone mold, spread a layer of chocolate into each cavity and freeze a couple of minutes until solidified.

In a bowl, mix together remaining ingredients and whisk until well combined. Pour into your chocolate egg shells (still in mold) and refrigerate 15-20minutes.

Lastly, top with whatever you like – I used Malt-ish crumbles, strawberries and a cheeky white choko bon. Like having an easter egg and delicious dessert rolled into one, with the added bonus of each egg coming to approx 260 cals (inc toppings).

Hope you enjoyed this recipe and don’t forget to follow this blog to receive updates directly to your inbox or follow me on Instagram for all things foodie 😊

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Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Salad Dressing 🥗

Worth it for the smell of roasted red peppers in your kitchen, aside from the fact that it tastes amazing ofc.

I was craving a huge salad and by huge i mean the kind where you add everything except the neighbours cat. Tired of plain ol vinegar and equipped with some fresh red peppers, i decided to make my own dressing.

Heres what I did:

Ingredients:
2 large red bell peppers
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Chopped onion + 1 tbsp frozen garlic – sautéed
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
Salt & Pepper to taste
You will also need a handheld blender/ food processor

Method:
First you will need to roast your peppers:
1. Slice them in half and place face down on a lined baking tray.
2. Spray or spread 1/2 tbsp olive oil over them.
3. Bake @ 200 degrees C for 20 minutes until softened.
4. Place on a plate and cover with a bowl, so the peppers can ‘sweat’ for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can put in a bowl and cover with a plate. This process is done so that you can easily peel the skin off the peppers.
5. Remove skin and place into your blender jug.

Then:
Add all the remaining ingredients and blend until everything is combined.

Voila, done. Pour over your salad and enjoy 🙂

Or you can try my Healthified Caesar Sauce instead, its super yummy too!

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Thank you for reading!

Recipe: Caesar Salad Sauce (+ vegan subs) 🥗

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 😛

Dont forget to tag / share if you try it! 🙂

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: Better than Snickers spread 🍯

Promise, better than Snickers (branded) peanut butter spread…not that it would be hard to make a better one.

I was SO disappointed in the lack of flavour, you would never think a trusted brand like Mars Company would get this sooooo wrong. Its meant to be a caramel flavoured peanut butter with chocolate pieces BUT it tastes of neither. How is that even possible? At first I rated it a 5/10 but it doesn’t even get that… its a 1/10.

I wanted to re-create the spread using supermarket products, so that you could get the same (more flavourful) edition at the same price.

You will need:
1 Jar (label optional)
60g Dates (pitted)
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 Tsp oil of choice (I used olive oil because coconut oil solidifies, however you can use any you like. You can also add more oil if you’d like to make the spread creamier)
400g Natural peanut butter (100% peanuts)
100g Milk chocolate spread
For a vegan alternative use this one by Plamil.
Sprinkle of salt

Method:
First you have to soak dates in boiling water until they soften. Then, in a high speed blender (or using a hand held blender) blitz together with 100g of peanut butter, agave, oil and sprinkle of salt.

Pour into a bowl and mix together with a spoonful of chocolate spread.

Grab your jar and layer the date mix, chocolate spread and peanut butter until all peanut butter is used up.

Mix slightly and done!

To make this recipe, the cost was approx £3-£3.50 which is the same price as the Snickers spread. Alternatively you can omit the dates… even the natural peanut butter with chocolate spread is still nicer 😆

My spread went a bit pasty overnight, this is normal due to the dates – you can blend or mix in more oil and it will go creamy again.

Hope you enjoy it, try not eat it by the spoonful!

Don’t forget to tag/ share if you make it 🙂

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

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 🙂

Recipes created by @themusclebaker

BrunchIt: Marbella 🥞

Brunch It Cafe (New Marbella location).

Location: Calle Francisco Nte, 5 29602 – Marbella, Malaga📍

After my first BrunchIt experience in Malaga, i fell in love with the place.

Its decor, food, branding and ethos stood out from the rest and after having reviewed their first location, Lydia the owner (who is absolutely adorable may i add) invited me to try out their new Marbella branch.

The decor is a little different to the original blacks and whites from my first BrunchIt visit back in Malaga. Instead, you are greeted with wooden and yellow tones with a fresh and modern feel.

Is Veganism a fad? 🤔

It’s 01:32, my apple update is taking forever and I have to stay awake until it’s done so I’m sat here watching insta stories and one in particular caught my attention: a blogpost called ‘is veganism the new clean eating’.

It peaked my interest so I clicked to read it and enjoyed seeing an opinion from the flipside.

What I definitely agree with is that there is a collective of people who are jumping on the bandwagon for all the wrong reasons, especially with the rise of the celebrity vegan influencers, paid to promote certain products and/ or weight-loss via veganism.

If you are turning vegan to lose weight, please just STOP.

This is where toxic relationships with food begin. Its 2018 now, please let’s leave that behind.

I’ve said it before and will say it again, the only reason you’ll lose weight on turning vegan is because YOURE EATING LESS than you were before. The science is that simple.

Yeah, you’re feeling wonderful but isn’t that normal? You’re probably eating 10x better than you were before because you’re forcing yourself to eat more fruits, vegetables, pulses and grains.

Now, having said that, I don’t think it is a fad and my personal belief is that it’s actually a culture shift.

I remember when I started my blog (about 6 years ago now) protein bars weren’t even a thing. No one would buy them, except the hardcore gym junkies, and they tasted like sawdust, yet now… they are a mainstream item, found in every supermarket, corner store and even vending machines with a majority choosing them as snacks over the usual.

What we once thought was a ‘fad’, we now deem normal.

People who choose to eat Vegan aren’t all following the same diet, they are just choosing to be vegan because they feel that they can make a change in the world.

You can still eat Keto, Paleo, Low-Carb, High-Carb, Low-Fat, IIFYM and even ‘clean eat’ within the Vegan diet. You can also be a vegan and eat chips all the time so the range is vast ya know. It’s mostly about changing/ evolving for the better, to create less harm on animals and on the planet.

In the same way that people who feel they can’t be vegan, are turning to a veggie diet or changing some meals a day/ week. That’s cool too!

They ain’t changing their diets completely, or changing their daily calorie allowance, or not eating low-carb or keto, or whatever other diet they may prefer… They are just trying to make a teeny bit of difference, and that’s something wonderful.

A collective of humans who feel they can change the world.

SIGN ME UP.

(Although if you do love a heated discussion, just bring up Veganism)

Honestly though, do whatever works best for your health, body and mind and do it because YOU want to. Be inspired by others but don’t feel obliged, just do you. Every. Damn. Day.

**11 minutes of update left**

s/out to Hannah Lewin for the article and to Fit as Fudge who shared it 🤗

Photo screenshot taken from: #veganfoodie

For anyone interested in starting Veganuary, check my WEEK UNO and WEEK DEUX posts from last year, our TOP TIPS TO TACKLE VEGANUARY, or our range of VEGAN RECIPES.

Hope you enjoyed this blogpost! Do you agree/ disagree? What are your thoughts? Tweet or DM us.

Much love,

the muscle baker <3

World Vegan Day 🌼

Today is World Vegan Day, an annual event celebrated by Vegans all over the world. The event was established in 1994 by Louise Wallis, then Chair of The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the organisation and the coining of the terms “vegan” and “veganism”.

In the beginning, The Muscle Bakery wasn’t a reaction to any culinary changes but more of a personal development in the way I saw food. However, as my clientele developed and my skills improved, the demand began evolving and I was catering to the needs of my customers as well as developing my own cooking/ baking style.

The request for Vegan food has grown incredibly over the past few years, and even more so in the last year. When I began, my Vegan customers were a very select amount. But now it seems to be the other way around which is actually surreal to see; the way our culinary culture has changed.

With the growth of knowledge, we are all becoming more conscious of the world around us and it’s up to us to change that. So in contrast to when we began, we have developed with these changes, becoming an exclusively veggie friendly bakery.

We have also completely removed plastic bags and looking into veggie friendly packaging and labels.

We also offer a discount to all customers when they return their plastic containers or bring their own bags.

Everyone’s little efforts, make a big difference.

DID YOU KNOW:

A person showering for 2 months uses up the same amount of water that it takes to produce enough livestock for one beef burger.

Broccoli has a higher protein content per calorie than beef.

Every minute, 7 million pounds of excrement are produced by animals raised for food in the US.

Plastic is the only existing material that CANNOT break down naturally.

There is officially so much plastic in the world that any fish we eat, by default also contains plastic.

If every human skipped just ONE meal of chicken per week, environmental effects would be like removing 500,000 cars off the road.

82% of starving children live in countries where food is grown to feed animals in the west.

Brad Pitt, Beyoncé, Ellen Degeneres, Liam Hemsworth, Alicia Silverstone, Jennifer Lopez, Pamela Anderson, Alec Baldwin and Bill Clinton are vegans.

To celebrate this day, we have put together a collection of our best Vegan recipes to inspire you guys; to show that eating Vegan (& veggie) is also super fun and tasty (and not just about eating leaves and carrot sticks).

VANILLA WAFFLES

Say yes to waffles with this tasty vanilla flavour waffle, topped with soy yoghurt, cookies, fresh berries and zero syrup.

BLUEBERRY SLICES

Imagine if you married up a cookie, a scone and a cake… this is what our Blueberry Slices are like.

COFFEE COCONUT TRUFFLES

Coffee and coconut? imma go and say yes my friends. Soft truffle centre made w/ coconut flour, infused with instant coffee and coated in luxurious dark chocolate.

CHOC BROWNIES

Fudgey brownies to brighten the day. Using Soy yogurt as a secret ingredient, a recipe to make over and over again.

CHEESY NACHOS

Cheesy nachos without the cheese? C’est pas posible. Thanks to the use of nutritional yeast, make any tortilla your b**tch and make them into badass nachos.

FLAPJACKS

Flapjacks are usually laden with butter, not these tho. With added peanut butter… theres nothing to not love!

GOJI HOB NOBS

Hob Nobs minus the gluten and the buttah + added health from the goji berries. Give them a whirl.

PROTEIN PANCAKES

These pancakes are so tasty, it fooled all our non-vegan friends.

BBQ TOFU

The easiest way to make tasty tofu, using bbq sauce and not much else! Pair it up in a salad or a spud for maximum taste bud party.

TOFU NUGGETS

Chicken nuggets is so last year, try these tofu nuggets instead.

VEGAN BANANA BREAD

Would you believe us if we said a can of pop can replace an egg? This recipe shows you how.

BASIC VEGAN PANCAKES

The simplest and tastiest pancakes you’re ever gonna make! A firm favourite amongst our followers.

We hope these recipes inspire you and remember: even if you swap ONE meal a day to a Vegan meal… you ARE making a difference.

Join us with your feedback #WorldVeganDay \ @themusclebakery \ @themusclebaker

For 20% off Bulkpowders use code: MUSCLEBAKERY20
For 5% off iHerb use code: JCB887

HAPPY VEGAN DAY 🌱

Treat or Treat? 👻

We made a post last year about Halloween, so this year we are gonna skip all that mumbo jumbo and head straight to the treats… no tricks. Its the best part of this holiday anyway, right?

Showcasing our favourite Halloween-ey treats that we’ve rustled up to date:

SPIDERWEB SMOOTHIE BOWL

Get in the Halloween mood with this easy to make smoothie bowl, decorated with yoghurt spiderweb!

FRANKENSTEIN PROTEIN POPS

These Frankenstein Pops are a firm favourite with the kiddos! Laced with peanut butter, decorated with chocolate and coloured in green… fun to make… and EAT!

VEGAN WITCH FINGERS

These Witch Fingers are made with all the healthiest ingredients, but full of all the scare!

FRANKENWEENY CUPCAKES

Try these Frankenweeny cupcakes…The cutest Halloween cupcakes you ever did see.

PROTEIN WORMS

Snack on these protein worms today. Lucky for you they are choc orange flavour!

WORMY MATCHA CAKE

Dont be spooked out by this Matcha cake, what you see ain’t really worms… but walnuts!

HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR HALLOWEEN THEME RECIPES!

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

For 20% off Bulkpowders use code: MUSCLEBAKERY20
For 5% off iHerb use code: JCB887

HAPPY (HALLOWEENY) BAKING!

How to: Overnight Oats 🍨

Overnight oats became all the rage about 5 years ago, when all the health gurus were touting its awesomeness, flooding the blogosphere with grams of overflowing oat jar creations.

But, they weren’t wrong about the awesome part. There is a huge benefit in eating overnight oats (aside from the time-saving). As the oats soak overnight, their starches break down which improves digestibility. The soaking acts like a long cooking, which you won’t get from just heating them in the microwave or in a saucepan. (You’ll find that most people who suffer from digestive problems, find overnight oats much easier to stomach for this reason).

So, we are re-visiting this old craze because it’s a gem that needs to be revived!

(Not to mention all the crazy combos you can make with it!)

Here is our how to:

CHOOSE YOUR LAYERS
You are going to need a milk, a ground seed like flax or chia (or both), 30-40g oats, a filling like nut butter or jam, and fruit of choice. Extras include protein powder, yoghurt, syrups, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips (whatever you may fancy).

UPCYCLE YOUR OLD JARS
Save used jars for these overnight oats, not only do they look cool in a jar but you’re helping the environment too.

I love making them in almost over peanut butter jars as it soaks in all the hard to get to peanut butter that always gets left behind (or thrown away).

MIX IT UP
Add milk and ground seeds to your jar and mix, follow it with oats, peanut butter, jam, fruit, seeds and whatever else you may or may not wanna add. Give it a good swirl so that the oats are all soaking in the milk, helping give it a swirly pattern too!

LET IT SOAK
Leave in the fridge to soak overnight and bam. Ready to eat oats!

PEANUT BUTTER CHERRY OVERNIGHT OATS 🍒

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Coconut Milk made w/ a tiny bit of protein powder to thicken up. Use whichever one suits your diet best.
1 Tsp Chia Seeds
1 Tsp Flaxseed Meal
25g Pip And Nut Maple Peanut Butter
1 (generous 🙄) squeeze of Bulkpowders Zero Maple Syrup
Handful of Waitrose frozen cherries
1 Savia Soy Yoghurt
1 Pack Quaker Oats GF Oats (30-40g Oats)

Method:
1. Pour milk, chia, flax and oats in your jar and roughly mix.
2. Add peanut butter, cherries and yoghurt + whatever else you want in there and again mix roughly.
3. Close your jar and leave overnight.
4. Enjoy the next day with a hot cuppa!

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make as many different creations as you like, so long as you follow the basic how to.

Look forward to seeing what 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 🙂

Fancy some creamy 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.