#whatleilaeats

ONLY JOKING! I’m just moving! Check out my new website at www.leilabuffery.com 

Don’t panic, all my recipes will still be available on here for a while but all new ones will be posted to the “whatleilaeats” section on the new site.

After dat summer bod but not willing to compromise anything? This salad is your gal. Packed with every flavour under the sun and carbing the F up with brown rice and chickpeas and a healthy dose of good fat with some extra virgin olive oil. Hello bikini season #amirite?

What do ya need?

x1 Cup of Brown Rice

x1 Vegetable Stock Cube

1/2 a Cucumber

1/2 a red Bell Pepper

x2 Spring Onions

x1 small Garlic Clove

x1 large Carrot

x1 Cup of Sweetcorn

1/2 a Courgette

x1 Can of drained Chickpeas

x1 Apple

The juice of 1 small Lemon

1/4 of a fresh chilli

x2 Sprigs of Fresh Mint

x1 small bag of Rocket

x2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (using the good shit is worth it)

x2 TBSP Nutritional Yeast (Optional but good for yo B12 levels and delicious)

Ok so I know this looks like an awful lot of stuff for a little salad but it will serve about 4 large bowls and it’s a great one for keeping in the fridge for the next day!

This salad is my fave because not only is it super filling but it’s a real rollercoaster for the senses. One minute you’ll be chowing down on a sweet piece of apple then you’ll suddenly be punched in the gob by a slither of fresh chilli but then the wound will be caressed by a fresh mint leaf and some cucumber.

First things first, get the brown rice on the boil with the stock cube in the water, this will keep the rice nice and tasty.

Now roughly chop the courgette, Cucumber and Pepper and chuck in a big ass mixing bowl.

Cut the spring onions into thin slithers and add to the mix.

Drain a can of chickpeas and chuck em in the bowl along with the rocket and fresh mint.

Cut the apple and carrot a little smaller than the rest of the veg so they’re easy on your pearly whites. Add to the bowl with the Juice of a lemon. This will add a beautiful fresh flavour combined with the mint and also stop the apple from browning!

Now very finely dice (as small as you can!) the fresh Chilli and garlic and chuck it in along with the defrosted sweetcorn (the quickest way to defrost it is to pour some boiling water over it and leave for a minute, then drain!)

By now your rice should be cooked (brown rice takes between 15-20 minutes) so you can take it off the heat and drain it under cold water. When it’s fully cold add it to the bowl with the Nutritional Yeast and Olive Oil.

Season with a big pinch of salt and pepper and mix!

Voila!

Enjoy,

Sam and I went for dinner a couple of weeks ago at Pho and as it’s one of our faves I thought I would be the annoying freak in a restaurant who photographs everything.

We started with some juices, mine was the darker green one and isn’t on the menu online, it was called the Detox Juice and it had Kale, Pineapple, Apple and something else green in it. Super tasty but quite sweet compared to my usual juices so it felt a bit naughty! Sam had the Apple, Mint and Lime juice which was really refreshing!

Here I am being adorable drinking my juice.

For a cheeky little starter we both had the Chả giò Crispy spring rolls served with lettuce & herbs to wrap & dip. We both chose the Peanut sauce because, well.. peanuts. SO SO GOOD.

After ramming these little babies down my throat I was keen for round 2. The service was super fast so I didn’t have to wait long!

I had my absolute fave which is the Tofu & Mushroom Bun Noodles which come with ANOTHER crispy Spring Roll (heheheh) and a Garlic & Soy sauce. This meal is so filling but the noodles are super light, there’s heaps of salad in there too so it’s really not that heavy on the digestion either!

Sam had the Cà-ri rich, fragrant Vietnamese curry with veggies & mushrooms, topped with nuts & served with broken rice. 

He gets this every time because not only is he a creature of habit but it’s just so damn tasty!

Restaurants like this are my fave, the service is friendly, the food is speedy and we can always eat here with our carnivore pals. An all round lovely choice of eatery.

Check if there’s one near you on the website here 

This recipe is simple as pie and SO much healthier than any other Carbonara sauce you’ll come across, vegan or not!

If you’ve watched my latest Youtube video on what I got for Christmas, you’ll know I’m currently crushing hard on my new Spiralizer. So for this recipe I’ve used courgette (or zucchini) noodles but you can use real pasta or even use a potato peeler to make courgette ribbons.

What in fresh hell do you need?

x2 Large Courgettes (or about 220g of spaghetti)

x2 Large Garlic Cloves

x1 Veggie Stock Cube

1/2 a head of a large Cauliflower

A Small pack of Rocket (optional)

A large handful of Walnuts

Salt

Pepper

x3 TBSP Nutritional Yeast

x2 TSP Liquid Smoke (1.5 TSP smoked paprika will do)

1/2 a pack of Smoked tofu

Oil

A small amount of flat-leaf Parsley to garnish

Bring 250ml of water to the boil in a medium sized saucepan, add the stock cube and when it’s fully dissolved, add the roughly chopped Cauliflower & Garlic (you’re going to blend it so don't worry about perfect chopping). It should only take between 5-7 minutes to cook so take it off the heat when it’s done but DON’T drain it!

Now’s the time to get you’re courgette noodles ready.

When they’re done, add them to a big bowl for mixing (they’re going to be raw with the sauce stirred in... unless you’re cooking pasta, in which case.. do whatever the hell you want)

Cut the smoked tofu into small cubes and slowly fry in a pan with a little oil of your choice, 1/4 TSP of salt and the liquid smoke.

While the tofu is crisping up, add the cooked Garlic and Cauliflower to a blender with 100ML of the stock it was cooked with. Chuck in the nutritional yeast, another 1/4 TSP of salt and 1/4 TSP Pepper and blend into a creamy sauce, it should still be warm but not boiling hot.

When the tofu is nice and crispy on the outside, add the walnuts and toss in the hot oil. They won’t take long so keep and eye on the pan and as soon as they start to brown, turn off the heat.

Pour the Cauliflower sauce over the noodles and mix until they’re fully coated.

Set out two plates with a bed of fresh rocket on each and pile up the Carbonara. To finish, sprinkle over the Tofu and Walnuts and garnish with Parsley.

VOILA!!! Enjoy this delicious sin free meal with a smug face and a full tummy.

So the other night, after Sam winging for a minimum of 30 minutes about how he wanted a take-away and me expressing my annoyance at having just spent £100 on a food shop which he had no interest in, I agreed to replicate our favourite Thai with a starter or sweetcorn fritters and sweet chilli sauce. He was so excited that he invited our good friend Ali over. At which point I discovered we had no sweetcorn or chilli sauce.... BUT the show went on regardless and we made the huge leap over to peas.

You, however, are more than welcome to sub the peas for sweetcorn in this recipe and live the fantasy I denied from Sam.

These babies were so simple and delicious, i’ll be making them whenever we have the gang over for food. In theory, they’re a savoury pancake.

You will need:

160g Plain Flour

A large pinch of Salt

A pinch of Pepper

x1 TSP of Onion Powder

x2 TSP Garlic Powder

x1 TBSP Baking Powder

200ml of Coconut Milk (soy or almond will work too)

x1 Mug of defrosted Peas or Sweetcorn

A bunch of chopped fresh Coriander

Mix all the dry ingredients in big bowl, add the milk and mix until a batter forms. Then add the defrosted and drained Peas (...or Sweetcorn) and Coriander.

Fry in a lightly oiled pan until golden brown, then flip and do the other side.

Wham bam theres a fritter.

Enjoy!