Happy Love Day my friends!!!

What a great way to start the week with all things heart and love related, because after all love WINS always 🥰💋❤️!

And in other food related news, a brand new study released last week in PLOS journal showed that eating a more plant-based diet can extend life expectancy by 10 years!!! Umm can I get a yes to that. You can read the summary here, or the study itself here. Of course it’s no surprise but I LOVE all the continued effort and research in this area to reaffirm what nature is telling us. Not to mention you will also have more energy, clearer mind and mood, beautiful skin, strong hair, nails, and less inflammation.

So, this week, add more plants- whole grains, oats, beans, nuts, seeds, veg, fruit… eat the rainbow, eat diverse and nourish your body like never before!

Here’s a new recipe for you- these carrot, chickpea, cilantro burgers are NEXT level! I topped them with a green goddess dressing (recipe coming soon).

xo,
Karlene

Ingredients –

2 (15 oz) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium carrot, cut into chunks
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp almond butter
juice of half a lemon
a handful fresh coriander
2 tsp harissa powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
avocado oil – enough for frying

Optional Toppings

Crispy lettuce
Sliced avocado
Sliced tomato
Ketchup and mayonnaise

Directions –

01. Add all the ingredients into a food processor and process until fairly smooth.
02. With slightly wet palms shape into 6 burgers. Place the patties in the fridge for 20 minutes before frying them.
03. Add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil to a frying pan and heat up until hot.
04. Add 3 burgers at a time to the frying pan and fry on each side turning regularly until browned and crispy, roughly 5 minutes on each side. If you would like your burgers extra firm and crispy you can place them on a parchment lined baking tray and bake in the oven at 400F for an extra 20-30 minutes.
05. Serve hot on toasted burger buns with your favourite toppings. Enjoy!