Vegetarian – Page 2 – THE MUSCLE BAKERY

Our top tips to tackle Veganuary 🌿

This year we are planning to dive head first into mission: Veganuary. Our aim is to tackle it from our typical Muscle Bakery perspective; healthified, delicious, macro-friendly and (hopefully) higher in protein. It may be a little harder to achieve, but alas, not impossible! So, we hope to prove this and we would love for you to join us!

Now, what is Veganuary?

For the whole month of January, you consume a Vegan based diet ie. no animal derived products. Much like Movember, this is done to raise awareness. For most, a love of animals is the catalyst. Some people want to feel better about themselves and the impact they make on the world. Others would like to set themselves a challenge, combining Veganuary with their ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ and see trying vegan as the healthiest start to the year. Whatever the reason, that is why Veganuary began.

But, what do i eat?

This is always the first question most people ask themselves, and although initially it may seem a bit daunting there is still so many foods you can enjoy, this coming from THE fussiest eater… if i can do it so can you! *pink promise*

Make a list

What I recommend to everyone who is trying to cut out foods whether it is due to intolerances or simply because they are trying to make changes and turn veggie/ vegan/ gluten-free etc is to make a list! If you start with your goals on a negative mindset and thinking of everything you CAN’T have… you will fail. Instead, make a list of ALL the foods you CAN have. You will be amazed at how much you can actually eat.

Once you have made your initial list, pair off foods that would work together as meals or snacks etc and compile it into another list. This is your potential ‘recipes’ that you can create along the way with the foods you’ve listed you CAN have.

Food Shopping

Our recommended shopping list:

CHOOSE MEAT-FREE
The burgers, sausages and mince by Morrisons Meat-Free range are all Vegan, however not all are free from wheat so be aware and double check ingredients. Quorn for example, is not ideal as most of their products contain some form of wheat and some contain egg too!

TRY SOME TOFU
You can buy fresh or packaged tofu from most supermarkets and for anyone looking to hit daily protein targets… Low in fat, moderate carbs and high in protein, this’ll be your best friend. It doesn’t taste of much, but that is what makes it great as you can flavour it as you most prefer. Pan-fry it with seasonings, use it to make tofu burgers or even whip up a dessert with it.

We’ve bought loads so keep an eye out for recipes (or failed recipes at that).

ALL DA GREENS
Kale, Spinach, broccoli, asparagus, peas, leafy salad, rocket, lambs lettuce… if its green its good for you! Leafy greens and fibrous green vegetables are among the most nutrient dense foods available. High in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins A, C, E and K. Each one is packed with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other phytochemicals and micronutrients. When eaten raw, you get the added benefit of live enzymes needed for improved digestion and nutrient absorption.

Not only that, they are great to add volume to your meals without affecting your overall calorie intake! More greens, less everything else.

PICK YOUR FAVE VEGGIES
Choose your favourite veggies and add them to your shopping list. Not everyone likes the same veggies so this is entirely up to you!

We always buy tomatoes, onions, carrots, sweet potato, squash and green peppers as they are really versatile, add flavour to a lot of meals, work well on their own, cooked or raw and have a range of benefits between them.

Top tip: if your budget is low or you don’t seem to eat all your veggies before they go off, buy them frozen! Our go-to frozen veggie buys are usually peas, mixed peppers and sweet potato wedges, but there is a huge selection you can choose from!

NATURES SWEETIES
Fruit is natures sweeties, packed with all the goodness and bursting with flavours, they are great to eat as snacks or even to add to your savoury meals for a little something something. Our faves are usually any type of berries, pineapple which helps with digestion and of course banana’s and apples. Always got time for those.

The great thing about most types of fruit is that you can freeze them if you won’t eat them in time. Then, you can use them for smoothies or smoothie bowls.

WELCOME THE BEANS
Beans are an amazingly versatile ingredient to have! They work well in savoury and sweet recipes, are a great source of fibre and they provide an army of nutrients. Make yourself Burrito Bowls with Guacamole & black beans, use Canellini beans to make bean burgers or make yourself some cookie dough using chick peas! Only one thing, they are high in carbs and fibre, so be wary when consuming. Especially if you can’t tolerate too much fibre and want to avoid spending your days on the toilet.

SUPA FOODS
These are not essential (and if you are on a tight budget then keep on scrolling), however we do use these often so decided to list them anyway. Chia seeds, ground Flaxseeds, Nutritional Yeast, Kale powder, Lucuma powder and Amazing Grass Superfood blend. Think of these as add-ons to smoothies, oats, yoghurts etc. Nutritional yeast is great to add to savoury meals to give it ‘cheesy’ flavour and is great to top up the protein content, check this previous blogpost for more info on it.

CHOOSE YOUR GRAINS
Rice, Brown rice, Oats & Quinoa are a must, they are a great carb source but unlike beans are a lot lower in fibre! Pair them up with loads of your favourite veggies, in a stir-fry, as a salad… wherever your imagination takes you. If you like pasta, then by all means have that too! (Opt for wheat-free options if you are intolerant).

As for oats, you can use to make granola, warm oats with plant-based milk or grind some up to use as flour for pancakes and waffles!

Top tip: Buy ready made packs of rice or quinoa if you are don’t have much time to cook, they do make life a little easier sometimes.

DONT HATE THE PROTEIN POWDERS
A lot of people turn their noses up at protein powders, as if by some divine reason they are exempt from needing protein. The fact of the matter is that your body needs a balanced intake of ALL macro nutrients, i.e. Fat, Carbs AND Protein. So, protein powder’s are a great way to get them in, when you are struggling to obtain them in your daily diet. However, it must be said that a lot of Vegan Protein Powders may taste a bit ‘chalky’ on their own.

Our favourites are Bulkpowder’s Choc Peanut Vegan Blend, Now Foods Vanilla Soy Protein and Sunwarrior Vanilla Blend.

SWEET SYRUPS
Honey is out of bounds for Veganuary, so grab some Agave nectar, Coconut Nectar or Coconut Sugar instead. Any health store will have a selection of nectar’s to choose from including Date syrup, brown rice syrup etc but our fave is always Agave.

If you are looking for a lower cal alternative, Bulkpowders have a ‘Zero’ range which taste A-mazing and are zero fats, carbs, sugars etc + Vegan friendly. Their Maple flavour is incredible and unlike Walden Farms products, these taste like real syrup!

DONT NEED NO COWS MILK
Cow’s milk is the easiest to avoid thanks to the amazing selection we have in supermarkets and locals nowadays! Best advice would be to try them all until you decide on which you prefer. I like Vanilla Soy in my coffee but almond or hazelnut for smoothies. The only problem is that they are a little more expensive than normal milk so maybe find a friend/partner who can split cartons with you to avoid extra spending.

BUTTER ME UP
Again, much like Non-Dairy milks, this is easy. Bread and butter needn’t be avoided, just swap your usual spread for some Vitalite Dairy-Free or Pure Olive or Soya Spread and use them just the same. In savoury meals, sweet treats, cakes and more. We made our Gingerbread Men using just that and they were delicious! As well as the above, our pantry always has Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut Oil and Sesame Oil.

We love using coconut oil for pancakes, waffles, sweet treats and cookies. Sesame oil is the perfect accompaniment for stir-fry’s and olive oil is a must for salads or to drizzle on toast… mmmmm.

PROTEIN TREATS
Like mentioned earlier, just because you are choosing the Vegan lifestyle, doesn’t mean you need to avoid all protein! So, if you are not too great at gulping down protein shakes or find that you are not getting enough… this is your next best alternative. Easier to carry around and perfect to combat any sweet cravings.

Aside from MB bars (obviously) there are a few other bars out there which are pretty decent and have a good macro nutrient profile. Our current favourites are Trek bars, especially their Peanut Power flavour!

PASS THE BREAD
The good news? Bread is 100% Vegan. Bad news for people like me? It has wheat (sad times) however, these Quinoa & Chia wraps by BFree Foods are amazing AND also happen to be lower in carbs than your standard wholewheat wraps which is awesome.

Make sure to double check ingredients on certain packaged breads as a a few sliced breads and gluten-free breads use egg in their recipe.

CHEESE
Let me break it to you now, there is no cheese like real cheese and if you love cheese… you will miss this the mostest. Having said that, (THANKFULLY) VioLife brand do an amazing Vegan cheese alternative! A little bit expensive but that makes you use it wisely so not an entirely bad thing.

You can also attempt to make your own, there are various recipes out there which use tofu, cashews amongst other things.

OR, you could always sprinkle Nutritional Yeast on everything!

YOGHURT
I thought I would miss yoghurt the most as i eat this every day, but the alternatives out there are amazing. Alpro have the widest range of products, all of which are Soya based. Coconut Collab have a Coconut based range, however those are naturally higher in fat than Alpro range. My favourite flavour is the Alpro Soya & Coconut, i enjoy it with fruit, nut butters or even with an added scoop of protein when i need it and the best thing? It has friendly gut bacteria which will keep your tummy happy.

NUT BUTTERS
If there is one thing you can rejoice about… it is the fact that you may consume all the nuts and nut butter’s as you please! Well maybe not ALL… coz they are laden with fats and overconsumption may lead to weight gain (we will cover this another day). But for now, nut butters are an awesome way to top up your fats and protein not to mention the added fibre that they pack.

Our recommendation would be to eat it mindfully, measure out your servings rather than just ploughing through it with a spoon and try to opt for natural nut butters rather than ones with extra sugars.

SNACK ATTACK
If you are a snack fiend like me, these are some of our faves: Lenny & Larries Protein cookies, M&S Peasnap Crisps, Enjoy Life Mini Cookies, Vegan Chocs.

Most Dark chocolates are actually Vegan, just make sure to heck the ingredient label… for example some Lindt Dark Chocolates contain lactose or milk 👎🏼

Note: Lenny & Larries cookies contain wheat.

And LASTLY…

GET INSPIRED

Follow Instagram accounts or FB pages that will motivate and inspire you, who share recipes and tips that will spark positivity in you. Search the #Veganuary hashtag and join others who are also taking part, don’t be afraid to comment and ask them questions… they most likely want to join you too!

Some of our fave accounts are @thehungrywelshgirl, @veggiegib, @eatyogreens, @fitasfudge, @spamellab, @samanthahadidi & @burtonsbakes. All of which post Vegan recipes, some more regularly than others but worth checking out 🙂

You can also check out our current list of Vegan Recipes.

We hope this inspired you guys even if just a little!

If you are thinking of joining in on Veganuary, let us know! Try it for even just a week and see how it goes for you… think about it like this… if we ALL tried Veganuary for just a week… how many more animals would remain? Loads more that’s for sure!

We will be posting regular recipes and updates along the way, you can follow us on @themusclebakery or follow @themusclebaker directly (who is the one taking on the challenge). Don’t forget to tag us along the way too, use #VeganuaryWithMB and lets create our little online sharing community.

For anyone located in Gibraltar, head down to LPH Gibraltar for their daily Vegan specials!

Much love,

The Muscle Baker ❤️

GUEST POST // Vegan Rice & Tofu Stir-Fry

Vegan Tofu & Rice Stir-Fry Recipe, By Veggie Gib.

Making a high protein and nutritious stir fry without meat is not an impossibility, in fact it is quite easy! Mr Veggie Gib shows us how…

I like to use extra firm tofu (usually sold as ‘bio’ tofu) for stir fries because it is higher in protein (a good 15g/100g) and has less water so it doesn’t need to be pressed. All you do is pat the tofu dry, cut it up and shallow fry. The outside will go crispy whereas the inside will be soft, giving a nice contrast of textures, and it develops a nutty, almost popcorn-like flavour.

I don’t mind admitting I sometimes use shortcuts, in this case with the stir fry vegetables which I buy ready to use, but feel free to add any of your liking. Stir fries require some organisation because they are quite quick, so it pays to have a hot wok and all the other components ready beforehand.

Tofu, made from soybean curds, is naturally gluten-free and low calorie, contains no cholesterol and is an excellent source of protein, iron, and calcium.

Ingredients:
150g rice noodles, 5mm thick
250g extra firm tofu
1 tbsp coconut oil
150g stir fry vegetables (carrots, beansprouts, onion, pepper, Chinese leaf, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots)
20g (1 tbsp) peanut butter
2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
25g dried shiitake mushrooms (about 7 or 8), alternatively a packet of mixed dried mushrooms will do
100 ml of water

1. Put the shiitake mushrooms in a bowl with about 100ml of hot water and allow to soak for about 15 minutes until soft.

2. Add the peanut butter, tamari soy sauce and rice vinegar into a small bowl and stir. It might look like it won’t mix but it will do so later on.

3. Place the noodles in a large bowl of warm water and let them soak. They only need to be soaked for about 8-10 minutes and should be ready for when they are needed at the end.

4. Pat the tofu dry with some kitchen paper and cut the tofu into bit size pieces and add the coconut oil in a hot wok. Once the oil is hot add the tofu and shallow fry until it has browned on all sides. This should only take about 5 minutes. Take the tofu out, place on kitchen paper to absorb any extra oil and put to one side.

6. Add the vegetables to the wok and stir fry.

7. Cut the shiitake mushrooms into strips and add to the wok.

8. Add about 4-5 tbsp of the shiitake mushroom liquid to the peanut butter / tamari soy sauce marinade and this should loosen up to the consistency of a thick sauce.

9. Add the noodles and peanut sauce to the wok and give a good stir.

10. Add the tofu pieces and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Nutritional Info:
Calories:635 kcal
Fat: 17.1g
Carbs: 65.3g
Protein: 29.7g

Muscle Bakery tip: Want to make it lower cal and carbs? Sub the noodles for spiralised veggies or Bare Naked / Slim Noodles!

Food has always been a passion of mine, especially eating! Being naturally curious and having a sweet tooth I have always enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen and creating yummy treats for myself, family and friends. Going vegetarian made me explore a lot of different foods and ingredients and made me look at food from a different perspective. What is more I quickly learned that veggie food is far from bland or boring. I like to make food that is quick, easy and tasty and I like to adapt traditional recipes to vegetarian alternatives whenever I can. Now I like to share what I eat and my recipes and hopefully make people want to eat more veggie food.

Recipe created by Ivan Hernandez, the man behind Veggie Gib. if you have not checked him out… what are you waiting for?! You can find him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and most importantly via his website. (His Instagram is a beautiful array of meals and sweets that will most certainly make your tummy rumble!)

We hope you enjoyed this recipe, get involved… tweet/ gram us @themusclebakery & @veggiegib and tell us your thoughts!

Free-From Eats: Brunch It (Malaga)

Brunch It Cafe

Location: Calle Carreteria, 46 29008 – Malaga📍

Whenever i need to go somewhere the first thing i do is find somewhere new to eat, (it isn’t really worthwhile without some good food) so one quick search and i found this cute place in Malaga. The typography and cool design kinda sold it to me, the food looked pretty good too. Thanks Instagram.

To get to this location, we used the Sat Nav as we are not very familiar with the area. It’s a good job we did as there were roadworks around the area, which meant a sudden route change. Best suggestion is follow directions as best and as close as possible then park and walk there.

The decor is modern, blacks and whites with a fresh tone from plants, fruits and ornaments. Their large window opens up to allow seating on the front, there is a bar seating area at the entrance, then more seating indoors with one ‘lounge’ table with sofa seating towards the back of the establishment.

To start off I ordered a fresh fruit/veg smoothie. There was a few to choose from and each had a description of what they would help with ie. Digestion, alcalizing, energising etc. I chose the ‘Kotao’ which was for ‘digestion’ and comprised of apples, pear, ginger, lemon and spinach.

They were all priced at €3.50.

The other half decided to go for a slice of their freshly made pizzas, parma ham and pumpkin flavour made on a focaccia style base which looked and smelt DIVINE. (These moments are when i realise how much i miss cheese.)

Anyhow, the pizzas/ sandwiches etc are all made with their freshly baked focaccia style bread and each piece is sold by weight not by slice which is pretty cool. Especially if you’re one of those unlucky people who always ends up with the smaller pieces 😛

For my mains, after much deliberation I chose a salad, bacon salad to be exact. In hindsight it was not the best option and I should have gone for the quinoa salad or veggie burger, which had initially caught my eye. I’m used to eating turkey bacon so when the salad came it was a lot greasier and it was the typical Spanish bacon which has loadsa fat pieces and i dunno i just felt bad eating it. I think the wanting of cheese clouded my judgement!

By default, my partner chose a burger. There was a few to choose from including a turkey burger, veggie burger and soya burger by the names of Buey, Crunchit, Pavo Eco, Veggie & Tofu, all priced at €8.90 and came with a side of fresh cut chips.

Same goes for all their meals, they have a bit of a variety to choose from, designed to suit all and any. They even have a veggie and vegan pizza option: veggie had olive oil, cucumber, aubergine, peppers and Pecorino cheese (made from Sheeps milk) and vegan one had sweet onion, aubergine, cucumber and pepper. Each of the pizzas also had a different type of cheese, some with mozarella, others Parmesan and even one with provolone.

We weren’t sure if to stay for dessert but like most occasions, i was there… i may as well. But, much to my disappointment i wasn’t able to have anything as none were wheat-free or vegan friendly (without dairy/egg) so i opted for a green tea to soothe my tummy post-food and watched the other one eat a Nutella stuffed focaccia. Sigh.

Price: ☺️ | Location: 😰 | Service: 😄 | Food: ☺️

The place is super cool, the layout is awesome, the decor is trendy and they even have iPads on the tables so you can surf the net. I wouldn’t consider it to be an ‘organic’ place per say, more like a healthified eatery with Italian vibes. They have meal options to suit all and any which is great, especially if you’re travelling there with a variety of people who have different diets and even though they don’t specifically cater to Gluten-Free they do have salad/ smoothie options to choose from. Perfect place if you’re not Gluten/ Wheat intolerant as you can enjoy any of the burgers or pizzas too, whether you’re Vegan or not.

Caters to Vegan/ Vegetarian diets (and people who love pizza).

Tip: For anyone counting calories/ macros etc my advise would be to log in similar counterparts to what you are eating and be mindful about it. Eg. bean burger isn’t hard to find on MFP, and it is very unlikely that there is a vast difference in macros. Trust me, at some point, someone has logged in something similar in MFP, a quick search and you’re good! If at the very least, for peace of mind.

Another from our series of #EatsFreeFrom as we travel around taste testing all the delicious (free-from) foods for you!

Any requests? Let us know! 🙂

Much love,

The Muscle Baker

Free-From Eats: Gioia (Marbella)

Gioia Plant Based Cuisine

Located on: Avda Bulevar Principe Alfonso, Marbella📍

Opening Hours: 13:00- 23:00 (Closed Sunday’s).

I stumbled upon this place after a friend from Marbella posted up some pics after a visit there. At first glance I thought it was going to be a fancy gourmet vegan restaurant, but boy was I wrong and for all the right reasons!

The location is easy to get to and impossible to miss. Take the first right after Guadalpin Suites (opposite Opera Room club) and you’ll see it. Parking may be a little hard but you can park along the front of the hotel anyway.

The setting is simple and quaint, modern with vintage tones. We chose to sit inside as it was a bit chilly, and the sun was no longer shining over it (approx 4pm). Perhaps at breakfast or brunch would be better for outside seating, at least now that winter is coming.

The menu was simple, several choices for starters, mains, desserts, smoothies, teas and wines. However, you could tell the choices had been carefully thought out, using a variety of wonderful ingredients.

Our first choices were of course the smoothies. There were 8 to choose from, 5 of which were fresh juices and the remaining 3 were labelled as smoothies: Classic Green, Summer Breeze, Ruby Tuesday, abc, Banana Cacao, Dreamy Chai and Blueberry Bee all priced at 6eur. I went straight for the Dreamy Chai and my friend chose the Blueberry Bee.

Needless to say they were both delicious, the Dreamy Chai was exactly that… DREAMY. I tend to love cinnamon/ spiced foods/ drinks and this was exactly that! The Blueberry Bee was smoother and fruitier, topped with bee pollen and also really tasty. They are all made with almond milk as the base and sweetened with agave or dates and have added (awesome) hidden ingredients such as maca powder and hemp seed.

We shared a starter dish: Baba Ganoush, which came with homemade raw crackers and Kalamata olives. The crackers were absolutely delicious and were not dry which tends to happen when foods are made in dehydrator. I polished off the olives (standard) and my friend enjoyed the baba ganoush. Thumbs up so far.

Starter prices range from 5eur to the most expensive choices at 8eur which are mushroom carpaccio and mock sushi.

Onto the mains:

The mains (as usual) is always the hardest, a fussy eater with intolerances is not fun at all and after eyeing up the Mexican Salad which came with guacamole & pico de gallo I decided to break away from my default (safe) salad choice and managed to mix and match the bean burger with gluten-free bread which the owner happily changed for me. (Major bonus points). My friend chose the raw Zucchini Lasagna because she is way less fussy than i am 😝

What convinced me the most about the burger was that it came with homemade condiments: cashew mayo and sundried tomato ketchup. I was really curious about tasting them and also majorly excited about not having to choose salad for once. Bean burger came sandwiched between 2 slices of Gluten-Free bread (buckwheat or spelt options) was coated in sesame seeds and pan fried, with a side of mixed greens and red peppers.

Can honestly say it is one of the most delicious Vegan burgers I have tried to date, (best one was at Teresa Carles in Barcelona) but this coming a very close second. The texture was soft, which is standard for Vegan burgers, yet the sesame coating gave it a slight crunch which really complimented it. Even the mixed greens were really tasty, topped with a light dressing and pumpkin seeds. For someone who usually drowns her salads in vinegar, and didn’t this time… This is monumental 😂

My friends Raw Zucchini Lasagna came layered with spicy marinara, cashew ricotta and brazil nut/ pine nut pesto and she absolutely loved it too. Simple, tasty and really filling.

Lastly… dessert.

There is always room for dessert.

By this point we were REALLY full, but I had travelled all the way there… I wasn’t about to leave without dessert! Luckily they sell bitesize treats such as truffles and cookies which were perfect to satisfy the sweet tooth without them sitting too heavy on the stomach.

I chose the raw White Choc and Raspberry Truffle and my friend chose a Chocolate Cookie which we accompanied with some tea and coffee. I tried both and they were delicious, the truffle mostly tasted of coconut butter, with a melt in your mouth texture while the cookie was crunchy yet chewy and had a rich taste of cocoa.

Price: 😄 | Location: 😄 | Service: 😍 | Food: 😍

In all honesty the place is faultless, the price was very reasonable (we paid 30eur each and literally had one of everything), the service was wonderful, the owner who was the one who served us was happy to amend my meals without hesitation, the decor was pleasing and most importantly… the food was incredible. Bearing in mind i occasionally eat chicken and consider myself a Flexitarian rather than a Vegan, so for me to say that the burger was better than any normal burger i have tried… really does say a lot!

The location is perfect too, not too busy with hustle and bustle and you can enjoy a nice walk around the area after your meal. Perhaps during busy periods not so child friendly due to it being next to a road but, at the time we went it was really peaceful and quiet so depends at what time you go (and how naughty your kids may be) 😛

Caters to Gluten-Free/ Wheat-Free/ Vegan/ Vegetarian diets.

Another from our series of #EatsFreeFrom as we travel around taste testing all the delicious (free-from) foods for you!

Any requests? Let us know! 🙂

Much love,

The Muscle Baker