Get The Facts: Eggplant

Eggplants are a beautiful thing!

Filled with: antioxidants, fiber, vitamin A, B6, B1, B3 and more!

B vitamins promote healthy skin and keep you energized!
But are best know for being the anti-stress vitamin! Helping with sleep, easing anxiety and helping with memory loss.

So stack some up and dive in with this quick and yummy recipe!

What you’ll need:

1 small eggplant
2 tablespoons olive oil
Spices (parsley, basil, dried garlic)
Fresh lemon juice
Hot sauce
Soya sauce

How to prepare:

Heat oil on medium heat with spices
Cut eggplant into 1/4 inch slices
Add to pan
Squeeze a lemon on-top of eggplant
Fry for 12-15 minutes turing often until golden brown
At the last few minutes drizzle a little hot sauce & soya sauce on top
Turing often

Vegetarian black bean and spinach lasagna!

I love spinach! I could eat it every day. In a salad, in a wrap, on my pizza, but I’ve never made a lasagna with spinach. Tonight is the night! One of the main reasons I love this beautiful green super food is because it has so many nutrients! Researching, I’ve read that this meal contains iron, fiber, vitamin A, C, K, carotenoids, calcium, and much more!

It is known to slow down certain cancers, to make your bones strong, lower blood pressure, and prevent eye problems! Spinach is so easy to incorporate into any meal!

Here is my delicious spinach lasagna and ‘no garlic bread’ pita crisps:

What you’ll need:

1. A 13×9 oven safe lasagna dish
2. 9 lasagna noodles (of your choice) I’m using the presto noodles
3. Spinach – 2 cups
4. Yellow peppers diced – 1 cup
5. Red Peppers diced – 1 cup
6. Black Beans (canned and rinsed) – 1 cup
7. 800 ml of pasta sauce
8. Cheese (shredded)
9. Low fat Sour Cream – 1 cup
10. Two tortillas
11. Vegetable oil -1 tsp
12. Roasted garlic
13. Chili or paprika seasoning

How to prepare:

• Preheat oven according to lasagna noodle instructions. I chose the presto noodles (because I am a little lazy)
• 375F for me!
• Rinse black beans in strainer
• Brush pasta sauce on bottom of lasagna pan
• Place 3 presto noodles on top of the sauce
• Brush sour cream on top of the noodles
• Distribute 1/2 a cup of black beans on top of the sour cream
• Distribute half of the spinach, peppers and finally the pasta sauce on top
• Place 3 lasagna noodles and repeat with the rest of the ingredients starting with the sour cream
• Add remaining 3 noodles, and brush pasta sauce on top
• Crumble the cheese over the sauce
• (If you have sauce left over, pour around the sides of the noodles to prevent the noodles from becoming too crispy)
• Cover with tinfoil
• Bake for 40 minutes
• Remove tinfoil and bake for another 10-15minutes
• Let cool and enjoy!

*These instructions are guidelines only. Cooking times and oven temperatures may vary*

Pita Crisps:

• Keep oven at 350F
• Place two tortillas on a pan lined with parchment paper
• Brush oil on tortillas
• Sprinkle roasted garlic and chili powder on top
• Bake for 10minutes or until ends are golden brown and crispy
• Cool, break them up and enjoy
• Would taste great with hummus too!

*These instructions are guidelines only. Cooking times and oven temperatures may vary*

Yogurt Passion Fruit Pops!

From Brazil, the passion fruit smells exactly like the body wash you once bought. AMAZING! But it has a very acquired taste! It’s sweet when ripe, but mostly sour (to me)! I love what it is known for, and how rich it is in antioxidants. It is a very good source of fiber, and contains great levels of vitamin A (good for your eye sight, skin) and C (helps develop resistance against the flu.)

If you are on the go, or just want a quick vitamin A, C and fiber fix. This is a great option, and so easy to make. Passion Fruits are ripe when the skin is wrinkly and soft.

I am not a nutritionist, or involved in any health practice. This information comes from extensive reading and research.

*These instructions are guidelines only. Freezing times may vary*

Yogurt gives you calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and so much more!

Prep time: 10 minutes Freeze: 4 hours

What you will need:

• 2 servings of Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt (200g)
• 2 Passion Fruits of your choice
• Popsicle sticks
• Ice cube tray
• Makes 12

How to make the pops:

• I chose two passion fruits and divided my yogurt and passion fruit goodness in half
• Scoop out the fruit and add to your yogurt
• Mix it up, and divide evenly to your ice cube tray
• Freeze for 4 hours or overnight
• Pop out and enjoy! Rub hot water on the bottom of the tray if your having a hard time popping them out.

For more pops – just double the yogurt to 4 servings (400g) Makes 24

*Freezing times may vary, these are just guidelines*