Don’t sweat this recipe will still more than meet your protein requirements thanks to the humble legume, lentils.

The main ingredient; sweet potato is a native root plant in Central and South America and it has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years amongst athletes, mainly due to its lower glycaemic (low GI) response than the traditional white potato. As a slow-releasing carbohydrate, sweet potatoes help raise blood sugar levels that bit more slowly over a period of time.

They are also packed with vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant and one sweet potato will provide 50% of your vitamin C requirements. If that wasn’t enough sweet potatoes are also packed with vitamins B5, B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, and minerals iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese and potassium.

Prep time: 10 minutes – cooking time: 35 minutes – serves: 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
700g sweet potatoes, peel and thickly sliced into chunks
2 parsnip, thickly sliced
4 carrot, thickly sliced
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic clove, crushed
300-400g of red or green lentils (canned in water is fine)
2 tbsp curry paste or curry powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 litre/1¾ pints vegetable stock
optional – a handful of coriander, roughly chopped

Directions
Firstly heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft and stir.

Add the sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots, and increase the heat and cook for 6-8 minutes. Stir occasionally and once the vegetables are golden you are ready to add the curry paste or powder.

Once the paste or powder is added pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat and add the cumin, green or red lentils and the coriander if you chose. Stir for 30 seconds before covering and simmering for 15-20 minutes until the stock begins to thicken and the lentils and vegetables are tender.

Have a taste and if the vegetables are cooked to your liking you are ready to enjoy.

Nutrition (per serving): 390 kcal, protein 13g, carbs 55g, fat 6g, saturates 1g, fibre 8g

The post Spicy sweet potato & lentil casserole appeared first on Fast Running.

The small beans, with a deep reddish-brown colour, are high in protein (one cup of cooked beans provides more than 15g), carbohydrates, iron and fibre, which will help keep you full for longer, and ideal for refueling after a run.

Adzuki beans are a good source for a variety of minerals, with one cup of cooked beans providing 25% of your recommended daily intake of iron, 30% RDI magnesium and potassium, 25% RDI zinc and 70% of your RDI of folic acid.

Try this simple and tasty plant-based adzuki bean soup recipe.

Ingredients

– 6 cups filtered water
– 1 cup adzuki beans soaked overnight night (or used canned organic beans)
– 1 cup diced onion
– 1 cup diced carrot
– 1 cup diced squash
– 1 cup diced parsnip
– Freshly grated ginger juice to taste (approximately 1 tbsp)
– soy sauce to taste

Directions

Discard the water from the soaking beans and add fresh filtered water. Bring water with adzuki beans to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to medium and cook for 30-45 minutes until beans are soft.

(Discard this part of the recipe if you are using canned beans – see below.)
Add the onion and carrot and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the squash and parsnip and cook for 15 minutes more or until soft. Stir in the ginger juice and add soy sauce to taste.

If using canned beans: Place the cooked beans along with the onion and carrot and cook for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water. Add the squash, parsnip and 1 cup of water and cook for a further 10 minutes. Season the soup to taste with ginger juice and soy sauce and serve with some crusty bread.

Take away note: According to recent research, regular bean eaters are 22 percent less likely to be overweight and have smaller waistlines than those who don’t eat them. Beans release energy slowly into the body, making them a great weight loss food.

The post Adzuki bean soup packs a punch appeared first on Fast Running.

It’s relatively low in fat, and once topped with veggies or salad in a pitta pocket, it becomes a filling and nutritious meal.

Ingredients

Falafel
– 3 tbsp olive oil
– 1 small red onion, chopped
– 2 garlic clove, crushed
– 1 x 400g/14oz can chickpeas or dried chickpeas soaked the night before
– 3 tsp ground cumin
– 1 tsp cayenne pepper
– A handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
– A handful of chopped coriander

Salad
– ½ cucumber, thinly sliced
– 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
– As much spinach as you want

Directions

Add a tea spoon of olive oil evenly into a food processor.

Preheat oven to 200c, while oven is preheating, add the chickpeas in food processor with the red onions and garlic.

Blend these ingredients, and then add the cumin, cayenne pepper, parsley, coriander and 2 tea spoons of olive oil to the mix. Blend these until all the ingredients make a thick paste-like consistency.

Shape into the shape of small balls in your hands and place in preheated baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.

For your salad evenly add the chopped tomato, cucumber and spinach in each pitta, before adding the delicious falafels.

The post Middle Eastern falafels with spinach and pitta bread appeared first on Fast Running.

Perfect for a post workout meal, thanks to the high protein beans and lentils, and importantly high in iron lentils and beetroot.

To ensure maximum iron absorption, this recipe includes a selection of vitamin C rich vegetables.

Additional benefit — beetroot contains high concentrations of nitrates and studies have shown that when consumed, nitrates can have a positive impact on athletic performance.

How does this happen? The body converts the nitrates into nitric oxide, which then dilates blood vessels. Once this occurs it results in improved oxygen delivery to muscles. Therefore if your muscles can obtain more oxygen, you may be able to perform at a certain level of intensity for a prolonged period of time.

Recipe serves: 3 people, each serving provides 15g protein, 30g carbohydrate, 4g fat (of which 1g saturates), 10g fibre and 0.3g salt.

Ingredients

– 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– 175g/6oz dried green lentils (alternatively, 1 can of cooked lentils)
– 1 can kidney beans, drained
– 1 large onion, finely chopped
– 1 red pepper, chopped
– 1 green pepper, chopped
– 2 beetroot’s, chopped
– 1 courgettes, chopped
– 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
– 100g/4oz garden peas
– 2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes (drain excess liquid from 1 can)
– 2 tsp chilli powder
– 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Serve with either 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice or 1 jacket potato per person.

Directions

Step 1. Before beginning to cook place the dried green lentils in a large bowl and add boiling water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes, and then drain.
Step 2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the chopped onion and raw carrots, cook for 5 minutes before adding the chopped peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring all the time.
Step 3. Add the chopped courgette, and both chopped beetroots, and stir for 2 minutes.
Step 4. Finally add the green lentils, chilli powder, cayenne pepper, chopped tomatoes and garden peas. Stir and bring the juice from the chopped tomatoes to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes and add the cooked kidney bean and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Step 5. Serve with either cooked brown rice or 1 jacket potato.

*Brown rice will take 30 minutes to boil or alternatively jacket potatoes will take 50 minutes to cook in the oven.

The post Nutritious plant-based chilli, with lentils, beetroot and vegetables appeared first on Fast Running.

Aubergines (eggplants) are halved and filled with spicy chickpeas, peppers and chopped pecan nuts.

Ingredients

• 2 aubergines (eggplants), sliced in two and scored
• 1/2 – cup chickpeas, mixed with
• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
• 1/4 cup – pecan nuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup – red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup – barley, sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup – cherry tomatoes, sliced thinly

Directions

Step 1 – Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F.
Step 2 – Mix the chickpeas with 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric.
Step 3 – Fill the sliced aubergines (eggplants) with spiced chickpeas and add a pinch of salt.
Step 4 – Bake for 15 minutes, and remove from the oven to add the chopped pecan nuts, red onions, barley and cherry tomatoes.
Step 5 – Bake for a further 10 minutes, and you are ready to serve.

The post Smoked paprika stuffed aubergines, with chickpeas and cherry tomatoes appeared first on Fast Running.

The main ingredient, sweet potato, is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6, which will support energy replenishment after your run. In this recipe, sweet potato is stuffed with sautéed spinach, quinoa and toasted almonds.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 3 large handful spinach
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup of almonds
• Olive oil
• pepper

Directions

Step 1 – First preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F.
Step 2 – Pierce both sweet potatoes several times, and place in the middle of the oven. Leave them to bake for 1 hour.
Step 3 – With a small saucepan add 1 cup of water and the 1/2 cup of quinoa.
Step 4 – Cover the saucepan bring to the boil, before reducing to a simmer. Let the Quinoa to cook until all of the water has been absorbed, before fluffing it with a fork.
Step 5 – Now get a large pan, heat to medium heat and add a 2 tsp of olive oil.
Step 6 – Add the chopped garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Step 7 – Add the spinach, and pepper, and sauté them over medium heat until the spinach is tender, now add until they are lightly browned.
Step 8 – Add the quinoa into the pan with the kale and almonds and mix.
Step 9 – Now cut a cross shape into each baked sweet potato, separate and stuff with the spinach, quinoa and almonds mix.

The post Spinach, Quinoa & Almonds Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipe appeared first on Fast Running.