Last week I checked out the new vegetarian restaurant that everyone has been raving about: Ethos Foods. With a prime location on Eastcastle Street near Oxford Circus, Ethos offers abundant displays of healthy, eclectic, meat-free dishes from around the globe. 


My favourite thing about Ethos is that you don’t have to choose between dishes on the menu as you can try a bit of everything (which I did!), since it’s a self-service buffet. The combination of flavours, colours and textures is remarkable – the foods range from vibrant salads based on lentils/quinoa/brown rice, to sweet potato wedges to giant bowls of guacamole, babaganoush and hummus. I particularly liked the “antioxidant dream salad”  with mango vinaigrette, the roast cauliflower with tahini dressing and cranberries, and the Moroccan tagine with chickpeas and apricots.

All of the desserts looked amazing and I couldn’t decide between the gluten-free black bean brownie and the mini “peanut butter bombs” rolled in dessicated coconut – so I had both of course! Both were absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to try the other desserts next time, such as pecan pie, cherry chocolate kugelhof, raw banana and coconut slice, and power puff energy balls.

I adored the décor which made the space feel bright and open, with white brick walls, sleek marble-topped tables, glass pendant lights and silver birch tree trunks from the floor to the ceiling in the middle of the room!

Ethos opens early in the day with a short breakfast menu (avocado on toast, granola, porridge, fruit salad) and then rolls on through to lunch and dinner. I think it’s a great spot for lunch (for all those shoppers that have worked up an appetite) as well as dinner – perfect if you’ve just finished work in town. Ethos operates on a Pay by Weight system so the pricing is flexible and my meal cost £10 for a plate piled high with delicious food. 

If you haven’t already been, you should definitely check it out!




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Cold-pressed juice has quickly become the latest craze on the health scene, and drinking it is an ideal way to give your digestive system a rest and to flood your body with nutrients.


Eager to get in on this healthy fashion and try it for myself, I decided to read up on what the different juice brands have to offer, and settled for Imbibery London in the end as I have been following them on Instagram for a while and they have been recommended by so many healthy food bloggers who I love, such as Deliciously Ella. This London-based juice company was founded by two American best friends, Meryl and Lily, and all their juices are cold-pressed, raw and unpasteurised to ensure optimum nutritional benefits. 

As well as ordering a vast quantity of different flavoured juice online, I ordered two nut mylks and three “shots” (Turmeric Kick, Hot Shot, and 100% Pure Ginger). Imbibery offer so many different flavours of substantial juices to sip on, and personally, I found the taste of the juices very refreshing and I looked forward to each one. 

One of my favourite juices was the Green Juice (spinach, cucumber, celery, apple and lemon). Although it contains mostly vegetables and not much fruit, this juice tasted relatively sweet thanks to the apple, in comparison with many other green juices that I’ve tasted in the past, which have been much less enjoyable to drink.

I also really enjoyed the “Hot Shot” which contained ginger, lemon and cayenne pepper. This shot boosts your immune system as well as your metabolism, and I mixed it with warm water to make a tea that was bursting with health benefits.

The two mylks I chose were Mind Mylk and Cacao Mylk. Mind Mylk was specially formulated by Dr. Tara Swart, a neuroscientist who is passionate about health and wellbeing. It is made up of matcha, cucumber, cashew, chia seeds, coconut oil and date, which means that it is full of antioxidants, magnesium, Vitamin B, protein and omega 3 fatty acids. I found it absolutely delicious and I loved its rich and creamy consistency.


Above all, my favourite Imbibery drink would have to be the Cacao Mylk, which I was very much looking forward to trying since I have a super sweet tooth! This is a delicious combination of cashew, cacao, coconut oil, date, vanilla and Himalayan sea salt, and tasted like dessert in a bottle – almost like a chocolate milkshake! 

The wonderful thing about Imbibery is that their juice is not made exclusively for “cleansing”, but is also encouraged to be consumed alongside a healthy diet – but if you choose to do a juice-cleanse, in which you only consume these and do not eat any other food, I suggest drinking several litres of water throughout the day – try infusing your H20 with a squeeze of lemon and slices of cucumber to make it more exciting!

After finishing each juice, I felt incredibly energised knowing how much nourishment my body was receiving. Whilst some people like to do a full cleanse every now and then, I have come to the conclusion that cold-pressed juice is the perfect complement to a balanced diet. It makes me feel invigorated, gives me glowing skin and boosts my energy levels!

I highly recommend Imbibery juice, whether it is for a cleanse or not. If you are interested, head over to their website: www.imbiberylondon.com, where you can find information on the cleanses, stockists and prices. 


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Gluten-free Blueberry Pancakes

Anyone who knows me will know that I am a huge fan of pancakes. They are the perfect weekend breakfast as they feel like the ultimate indulgent treat yet they are so versatile and with a few simple modifications, you easily can transform them into a perfectly nutritious yet equally decadent stack! It all depends on which ingredients you choose to use – swapping the white flour and refined sugar for ground oats and maple syrup is a great place to start.

If you avoid gluten and dairy like myself, or if you’re just looking to enjoy your favourite weekend breakfast in a more healthy way, look no further! Here is my step-by-step guide to making the perfect healthy pancakes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 mashed ripe banana
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp maple/date syrup

2 tbsp almond milk

Optional add-ins: 

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
Handful of blueberries
Dark chocolate chips
 
Topping suggestions:
Fresh berries, Raspberry Chia Jam, Sticky Toffee Date Spread, chunks of Homemade Chocolate, homemade granola (try my Banana Nut Crunch Granola or Nutty Cinnamon Granola, banana slices, maple syrup, raw honey, date nectar, peanut butter, almond butter, homemade cacao sauce (healthy chocolate spread), freshly squeezed lemon juice, desiccated coconut, cacao nibs…

Method

1. Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another.
2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk everything together thoroughly.
3. Heat a frying pan with some coconut oil and add 2 tbsp of the batter per pancake.
4. Cook for about 2 mins per side until golden, then flip.
5. Add as many toppings as your heart desires – the more the merrier!

 


 
 
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Daylesford Farmshop & Café is a beautifully decorated restaurant in the heart of Notting Hill. Almost all the fresh ingredients are organic and grown locally on the Daylesford farm in Gloucestershire.


The breakfast options include chia, goji berry and flaxseed Bircher muesli with natural yogurt and stewed fruits, or scrambled egg whites on sourdough toast with smoked salmon. There are several seasonal salads on offer, such as raw winter vegatables with avocado oil and cider vinegar, and raw green kale, butternut squach and spirulina crusted pumpkin seeds. The supper dishes range from the steamed lemon sole or Daylesford beef burger, to chilled raw cashew soup with spirulina, kale and pumpkin seed pesto.


To top everything off, their cold-pressed juices are to die for!


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Nutella Chocolate Brownies Gluten FreeThe Best Chocolate Brownies Gluten Free
These brownies taste like heaven and have that melt-in-your-mouth texture that will satisfy any craving. They are sweet and rich, plus they’re completely free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar – a much healthier take on this classic chocolatey dessert!
 
There’s seriously no better way to relax than one of these chocolate brownies in hand and watching re-runs of old Friends episodes! I love tucking into these as an afternoon snack alongside a Matcha Latte or Hot Chocolate!
 
If you make these, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @cerealandpeanutbutter as I LOVE seeing your creations!

Makes 15 brownies

Ingredients

  • 175g dairy-free butter
  • 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar
  • 85g dark chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs
  • 85g gluten-free self-raising flour (I use a blend of rice, maize and buckwheat flour)
  • 50g cocoa or cacao powder

Method

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C and line a brownie tin with greaseproof paper.
  2. Put the dairy-free butter into a saucepan and melt it on a low heat. Pour it into a large bowl, then stir in the sugar and vanilla.
  3. Break the eggs into a small bowl and stir them with a fork. Add them to the large bowl and stir well.
  4. Sift the flour through a sieve into the large bowl.
  5. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate chips and mix everything well.
  6. Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth the top with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula.
  7. Bake for about 40 minutes.
  8. Chill in the fridge until set and then cut into 15 squares.
 
 
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