Cooking With POTS
Ella is a fabulous woman from the UK who has turned her passion for cooking into a way to help others through her recipes and experiences with food.
From Ella's blog: "My culinary passion and interest in the affect of diet on health really developed after being diagnosed with a relatively unknown autoimmune disease, Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTs) in 2011. Since then I’ve dealt with some pretty interesting challenges. To start with I could barely walk between my bedroom and the kitchen, I didn’t have the energy to do anything and my heart was constantly in over-drive as my body threatened to black out every time I moved. As you an imagine being in this state was pretty frustrating, so I decided to try a natural approach, to learn to love and heal my body through food. This has been the most amazing success. Nature’s medicine has finally resorted my energy, brought me back to my happy self and allowed me to take control of my illness. It really is healing me, hopefully forever. Of course I still have my moments where the disease gets the better of me, but these are increasingly rare and only when I push my body way too far. I’d never have believed I could have come this far simply through diet, it is simply unbelievable, it’s been better than any drug."
Find more info about Ella and her personal journey with POTS and EDS here.
She will be updating us with new and amazing gluten, dairy, meat, and sugar free recipes frequently. ENJOY!
This is my favourite meal at the moment. I’m trying my hardest not to eat it every day, but it just tastes too good. The juicy tomatoes blend perfectly with the soft slices of creamy avocado, crunchy asparagus and grains of quinoa to create the perfect vegan meal.
All of the ingredients are so beautifully natural, so really easy to digest. Nothing tastes or feels better than eating like this.
I’ve been trying this dish on many carnivores and anti-health-food friends, all of whom have loved it! It’s also so easy to make, it literally takes 12 minutes – exactly the time it takes to cook quinoa. It also travels really easily, making it a perfect on-the-go packed lunch, just keep it in a tupperware box. The protein and fibre rich quinoa makes it wonderfully filling, while the avocado, tomatoes and asparagus provide countless vitamins and minerals helping your mind and body to stay beautiful.A perfect meal.
Serves 2:
- 1 cup of quinoa
- 2 ripe avocados
- asparagus (asparagus can easily be substituted for another crunchy green – I find broccoli works amazingly well too)
- 3 plum tomatoes
- a handful of fresh basil
- olive oil
- 1 lime
Start by cooking the quinoa with two cups of boiling water on the stove, this should take about 12-15 minutes.
During this time steam the asparagus and slice the avocados into segments. Then dice the tomatoes, removing the liquid parts of the inside. Place the chopped tomatoes into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, chopped basil leaves and salt to taste.
Once the quinoa is cooked combine all the ingredients together, squeezing the lime over the plate and adding salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
For me salad is one of those meals that can either be totally divine and totally hunger sating, or unbelievably boring and hungry making. This salad is definitely the first. The combination of flavours is so wonderful. Between the sweet squash coated with poppy seeds, juicy tomatoes, crunchy pine nuts, courgettes and beans every tastebud is hit. The sweet, creamy dressing with a hint of chilli, however, really brings the whole thing together. It both complements and enhances all existing flavours and really takes your plate to the next level. It takes about 3 minutes longer than making a simple balsamic alternative but it tastes 3 million times more exciting. Tahini is also an incredible source of plant protein, as are pine nuts, which is why this fills you up so nicely yet still leaves you feeling light and energetic. One plate also gives you five juicy portions of vegetables, except it’s so delicious that you’d never notice how much health you’re eating. The perfect summer lunch.
Serves 2:
- 1 large squash
- 1/2 a bowl of rocket
- 1/2 a bowl of spinach
- 2 dozen cherry tomatoes
- 2 large handfuls of green beans
- 1 and a 1/2 large courgettes
- 1/2 a cup of pine nuts
- 1/2 a cup of poppy seeds
For the dressing:
- 1 tablespoon of tahini
- 2 tablespoons of agave
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 a tablespoon of chilli flakes, add more or less depending on how spicy you like your food
Slice the squash in half, peel the skin and remove the seed-filled centre. Then chop it into cubes and place them in a baking tray. Cover the cubes with olive oil and poppy seeds, mix well to ensure that they are totally covered. Then bake for 40 minutes in a 200C oven, until they can easily be pierced with a fork.
While the squash cooks prepare the rest of the salad. For the dressing place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth, once this is done keep this to one side.
Steam the beans for 10 minutes, then allow to cool. Slice the courgettes into rounds and steam for about 4 minutes, so that they are still crunchy but cooked enough to be easily digested. Allow these to cool too. Then add the beans, courgette, spinach and rocket to a salad bowl and stir well.
Once the squash has baked for 30 minutes add the pine nuts and halved cherry tomatoes, allow these to bake all together for the remaining 10 minutes. Then remove the tray, allow it to cool for a few minutes before adding it to the salad bowl. Then pour on the dressing and mix well. Serve and enjoy, this is so delicious.
Having over-ripe bananas is always the best excuse to bake. They’re such a magic ingredient, so naturally sweet and creamy. Properties which echo in every bite of this deliciously spiced loaf making it the best health-giving sweet treat. The crushed almonds and pecans give it a wonderfully crunchy texture which contrasts perfectly to the soft, squishy nature of the loaf and the juicy raisins which just burst in your mouth alongside the unique blend of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. It’s really the best tea time snack, so filling and energy-giving, packed with protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals and essential natural fats, yet still so healthy. I have to admit that I went a little crazy for this, one slice led to two, two to three and three to… well half the loaf. It’s just so good. You really can’t stop. Trust me you’ll love it too, you’d never guess that it’s free of sugar, gluten or dairy and neither will anyone else. It’s also so simple to make, just throw everything in a processor and you’re good to go.
Makes 1 loaf, about 12 slices:
- ½ a cup of buckwheat flour
- ½ a cup of brown rice flour
- 1 cup of ground almonds
- 1 mixed cup of pecans and almonds
- 3 over-ripe bananas
- 1/3 of a cup of olive oil
- ½ a cup of raw agave syrup
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups of raisins
- 1 tablespoon of ginger
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
- ½ a tablespoon of nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- a sprinkling of salt
Start by chopping the cup of mixed almonds and pecans into small chunks using a food process, I did this in four 30 second intervals which ensured that they didn’t turn into a smooth flour. Then remove this mix from the processor and place to one side.
Place the remaining ingredients, except the raisins, into the processor and blend until a deliciously smooth mixture forms. Once this is done return the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the raisins.
Next, pour the bowl into a baking tray lined with parchment paper and place into an 180C oven for between 25-25 minutes, until the top beings to turn a golden brown and the middle can be pierced with a fork without leaving any mixture on it. At this point remove the loaf from the oven, place it on a metal rack and allow it to cool. Then slice, serve and enjoy.
