Zizzi Restaurants l Review l Liam Havard

It was last year when I first discovered the one, the only, Zizzi Restaurants. I always used to read about the food that they did all the time and always used to salivate over the images of it. I always wanted to go there because 1. they did vegan food HELLO and 2. their vegan food looked good so when I went I was pretty happy. I first went to Zizzi on a trip to London with my cousin and since then have gone to the Zizzi in Cardiff. For a while I've been meaning to do a post about my experience with them so here I am living up to my word.

Double sauce.

Single sauce.

My order

I always get three courses when I'm there because I'm a fat bastard, don't judge me. I start off with the garlic bread. You get quite a lot with whole cloves on it which is different. I'll be honest, it's good but I would advise you get some garlic oil for dipping or to pour over. Sure it's garlicky but I think you can handle it. I think without the garlic oil it can be a bit bland apart from the whole cloves you munch on. That's probably personal opinion though.

Now onto the main. Sure Zizzi do other foods like pastas but come on, PIZZA. Let's be real, of course I order their pizza, I'm only human. How can I resist it? It's rarely you find places that do good vegan food but it's even rarer to find places that do vegan pizza so Zizzi already gets a star for being so creative and hospitable for pizza lovers like me.

Started out with a bite and it was a delight, had to go back for more. 

I order the vegan rustica pizza which is a thin pizza base with all the toppings. I'm talking the tomato sauce (which I order double of because it is life) along with vegan cheese which they make themselves and some fresh basil leaves. Plus you get to order three other toppings of your choice as part of the price. There's a nice variety to choose from but what I usually get is fire roasted peppers, sweet balsamic onions and either butternut squash (it's not as weird as it sounds) - or oven roasted garlic cloves (I know I know more garlic, whoever sits next to me is a lucky person LOL). Overall the pizza is kind of sweet but has so much flavour to it, honestly. The only thing to prepare yourself for if you order it is that it can be a little bit sloppy - especially the cheese and sauce. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but maybe you'll want to use a knife and fork instead of your hands.

And last but not least, DESSERT. YAS. They offer one dessert for us vegans and don't quote me on this but I think they have a backup dessert which isn't on the menu. The one that is on the menu is a chocolate and date torte with a walnut base. What can I say about this? Well I have one word for you and it's moist. The dessert is rich in chocolate and is incredibly tasty. Tastes similar to a Ferrero Rocher except it's vegan. I wouldn't say it has much of a base though. It's pretty much just chocolate but I'm not complaining. It also comes with vegan honeycomb and coconut ice cream. Delish.

As for the other dessert they offer (MAY offer. I've had it a few times, once as a backup when they run out of the torte and at that time it wasn't advertised on the menu) - it was a blueberry and banana calzone with chocolate drizzle and coconut ice cream. I hate to say this because I do honestly love Zizzi but this dessert was highly disappointing. The calzone was barely filled with food so it was basically like eating pastry. I'm talking one or two slices of banana and one or two blueberries. The ice cream was good though but the main attraction was a let down. I would advice against ordering it if you are offered. 100% go for the torte if you can.

And that's what I order. Yes it's a truck load of food but it is heavenly. But aside from the food the service is also top notch. The guys and gals are very hospitable and really down to earth. I don't have a bad word to say about them. I definitely recommend going to Zizzi. They're fab.

Restaurant rating: ★★★★★

What do you think of Zizzis?

Liam

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Top vegan food to order in Yo Sushi!

Yo Sushi! I can't quite get enough of it. Cheap, quick and tasty and you can order as much as you want without the waiter looking at you funny because you only get little plates. Keep it coming I say! Really good food that is Asian inspired and there's plenty of these restaurants about to dine in. I never really change my order here because what I normally order doesn't get old. You can't say that about many dishes! Here's what I order when I visit Yo Sushi! and what I recommend you try out too.

1. Vegetable gyozas

To start off with why not try the vegetable gyozas? Only a small dish but enough to wet the appetite. The gyozas come as a set of three and are full of flavour like soy and ginger. You're sure to want to get more as it's so tasty and really tastes like what you'd hope good Asian food would taste like. They're always piping hot so if you have the willpower, give it a minute to cool down.

2. Cucumber nori 

Next, try out the cucumber sushi which is a set of 6 small seaweed rolls, sushi rice and small pieces of cucumber. Light and refreshing and great with soy sauce. A little on the sweet side, but not overboard.

3. Vegetable firecracker rice

A personal favourite, the firecracker rice packs a kick sure to give you a foodgasm. No really. Packed with flavour and mild heat, the dish comprises of sticky rice, carrot, spring onion, sesame seeds and more. Moist and fulfilling, the dish is sure to put a smile on your face. Try at least two of these dishes if you want to feel full up.

4. Vegetable yakisoba noodles

To end the dinner date, try out the vegetable noodles, a perfect comfort food. Packed with ginger as well as spring onion, carrot and red pepper. The meal is a party in your mouth. I'd suggest to keep a napkin nearby as it is a little on the oily side though, but totally worth it.

And that's what I highly recommending eating. Who said finding tasty vegan food was hard?! Let me know below what you order at Yo Sushi! when you go. As a massive fan of the food, I'd love to hear.

Liam

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Prezzo: Review

It was in a recent visit that I went to Prezzo to eat out. Full of expectation as the new restaurant opened nearby and ready to eat to my heart's desire. How did it go? Well... *awkward pause*

I always go to new restaurants with an open mind but I always have a level of expectation. I like basic customer service, a clean setting and good relatively inexpensive food. I don't think that's too much to ask. Well on this recent visit to Prezzo (which I've never visited before) I got only one of my expectations fulfilled: the cleanliness. As for everything else, it was an utter disappointment.

Let's start with the food. Off the very limited choice of vegan food, I ordered the bruschetta to start and the courgette pappardelle as a main. The starter to my surprise was anything but bruschetta. I'm a massive fan of bruschetta and if I'm right it's toasted ciabatta with chopped tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. What I got was two pieces of hard toast with some non-cut cherry tomatoes and a limited amount of pesto. Yum...not. It was a real shame as brushetta is one of my favourite starters to eat in a restaurant. This was not off to a good start. As for the main, it was a pasta dish made up of courgette, cherry tomatoes, onion, chilli, garlic and herbs in a pomodoro sauce. Sounds nice, right? Sadly it was not. It tasted like a cheap microwave meal just with a hefty price tag. It was a shame as I was really looking forward to it. It lacked taste and was very sickly and Prezzo overkilled it with far too much courgette. I like courgette as much as the next person, but there's a limit!

The customer service though, you're thinking that must have been good surely. Well I would have told you about the customer service should I have got any. My friend and I were not only greeted with a grumpy face, but we didn't even get a basic hello on arrival from the senior staff worker. This worker seated us, but did not do it with a smile or show any interest in us being there. If anything, it felt like we were an inconvenience. After he seated us he did not come back to check on how we found our food and there was no basic customer service. A real shame.

Overall a pretty poor visit but well done to Prezzo for being so consistent at ignoring my friend and I and having no manners. As for the food, it spoke for itself. A little more effort put into the food and it could have been something really nice. Let's hope in time Prezzo prove us all wrong and give outstanding service and food. Here's to dreaming!

Restaurant rating: ★

What do you think of Prezzo?

Liam

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Las Iguanas: Vegan food

Ahhh Las Iguanas Swansea, the place I go to so often that they know my name and my order when I arrive. Yes really. They have even called me that "lovely vegan boy" because I'm there so often! I am a true regular so you can guess that I highly recommend going there if you're thinking about it and can handle the spice. But say you do go, what are you going to order? Well sit back and put on your seat belt as I tell you what my favourite vegan food is to order in Las Iguanas that you'll end up enjoying too.

I like to start off with a cheeky dish of Holy Guacamole, usually to share (sadly) but this could be a dish for one if you don't like sharing, like me! It comes with corn tortilla chips, guacamole, red onions, chopped tomatoes and parsley. Mix all this together before dipping your chips in and you're in for a treat. That's a promise! It's very flavourful and super creamy. I've never had guacamole so creamy before. You get the perfect portion size to satisfy your hunger whilst you wait in suspense for the main.

As for the main, I recommend ordering the veggie chilli, made vegan, along with vegan refried beans and tortilla wraps. Why so much? Well if you haven't worked it out already, it's to make mini enchiladas, not just to be greedy. Sadly Las Iguanas only do vegetarian enchiladas and not vegan ones, so to make up for it add the rice, chilli and beans into the four wraps and it's like you're having the vegetarian enchiladas. Perfecto!

The chilli is made with butternut squash and chickpeas in a spicy tomato sauce and comes with spring onion rice. The portion size is fairly generous so you're going to leave with one full belly. The wraps and refried beans equally taste just as good and compliment the chilli dish very well. I advocate not eating much before this meal because it is a serious dose of carbocide that is going to fill you right up. This is my favourite meal to order. There is a ridiculous amount of flavour and you get so much for your money. I spend roughly around £10/£12 each time. Plus the staff are always so friendly. A massive shout-out for the Las Iguanas team in Swansea for always being so hospitable, so friendly and always knowing who I am! They create a great atmosphere whilst serving great food. Well done Guys!

What's your favourite dish at Las Iguanas?

Restaurant rating: ★★★★★

Liam

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Like this? You might also like:

Top 2 places to eat vegan food in Amsterdam city

Zinco Lounge: Perfect Comfort Food

The Perfect Hangover Cure: Urban Zen Cafe

Top 2 places to eat vegan food in Amsterdam city

Food glorious food, the one thing that's guaranteed to make me happy. So much so that I like to regularly indulge myself in food at as many restaurants as I can go to and welcome home a food baby. Last week I had the pleasure of satisfying this 'hobby' in Amsterdam city. Here I point out two of my favourite places I ate at. Now go get a tissue to wipe your dribble as you salivate over the photos - oh, just me?

1. De Bolhoed

Thank God for Google leading me to this restaurant because it would have been a shame to miss out going to this vegetarian and vegan slice of heaven. Stereotypically vegan, I walked into the cafe and was surrounded by plants EVERYWHERE and as someone who owns over 20, I can say I really enjoyed sitting in this mini rainforest. But as nice as the surroundings were, I'd have to say the service was even more delightful as I was served by a lady with charisma, enthusiasm and joy who explained the menu very well to me. She pointed out what was vegan and what each recipe included which was extremely helpful.

I started off with a peppermint tea which was filled with real fresh peppermint leaves before I moved on to the vegan ragout croissant.

The croissant itself was baked with seeds and filled with tofu wrapped in seaweed and leek. Marinaded in a mild curry spice, the dish was moist (sorry to use that word) and tasty and the curry spice was the perfect heat. As someone who has never had a stuffed croissant, I was excited by the originality of this dish. The side salad complementing the dish was equally as tasty but was no match to how flavourful the ragout croissant was. 

I ended the meal with an apple flop to satisfy my sweet tooth which was a vegan pastry filled with apple, raisins, sugar and spices. It was very sweet, but if you have a huge sweet tooth like me you would love it!

2. The Meatless District (*TMD)

Unlike De Bolhoed, The Meatless District was an all vegan restaurant which got me very excited upon finding it. It was a little further away from the city centre than first thought, but was well was worth the tram ride and walk there in the end.

Sadly there was no cactis in sight with this restaurant, but luckily TMD made up for it with fancy decor which was dreamy. The staff were also very nice and polite so no complaints!

Here I ate a tempeh-tofu tomato burger which was served with aubergine, pickles, tomato and onion. I loved how original this burger was. I'm so used to having the same old beanie burger that a tofu burger seemed a little more adventurous (yes I know tofu is made from beans, but you know what I mean) and it tasted great. What I loved even more though was how the patty didn't fall apart. You know how vegan burgers are; they're not very well bound but THIS burger was which made it 100x easier to eat and made a very happy Liam. Thank God for tofu burgers! The burger wasn't marinaded in much spice so I relied on using the avocado cream that came with it for extra flavour and that worked well. Eating out with my cousin, she commented saying that this was the best burger she ever tasted and I must say it comes in the top 5 for me.

And of course I finished the meal of with dessert because how could I not? I indulged myself in a chocolate fudge torte and had a 'few' bites of my cousin's carrot-beetroot cake. Both of which gave me a foodgasm and I can't stop myself from saying how MOIST they both were.

I highly recommend both of these restaurants should you be in need of food in Amsterdam city which I'm assuming you will be if you go...

Comment below with some of your favourite vegan restaurants in Amsterdam. I'd love to know!

Liam
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What do vegans eat? Food Diary 24/10/2016

Food: my favourite thing e v e r. No matter how you're feeling, you can always count on food to look after you and make you happy. Plus with so much variety to choose from we're spoiled on what to eat - yes, even us vegans have a lot of choice! I for one have had a fun food-filled day today, so go take a look below and lust over it all.

Breakfast 

If I could eat cereal all day every day, I probably would. Some people like pizza, I like cereal... 

For breakfast this morning I ate bran flakes with crushed pecans, chia seeds and flax seeds served with a splash of almond milk and agave syrup. This was my pre gym meal and it tasted fab, plus was full of energy and protein.

Mid morning snack

I was pretty hungry after the gym this morning (to be honest I'm hungry 24/7) so was excited for my first snack of the day. I ate a green smoothie which had spinach; ginger; almond yoghurt; orange; 2 bananas; wheatgrass; oats; and, My Protein vegan protein powder in it. Along with this, I had a Bear blackcurrant fruit roll which had "no added nonsense" in it (it's literally baked blackcurrant; so addictive), plus a Trek coconut protein flapjack and two falafels. Surprisingly this did fill me...for a few hours.

Lunch

Just looking at my lunch in this photo is making me salivate, help.

I wanted a high protein lunch today since I worked hard at the gym this morning #gainz. To accommodate this, I made smashed avocado on seeded bread with paprika, black pepper and a pinch of salt. I also had one of Quorn's vegan soups that I've been dying to get my hands on for a while; it tasted great and was full of Quorn vegan pieces; lentils; chick peas; tomatoes and a bunch of Moroccan spices.

Post-soup I ate a handful of almonds, cashews and a bag of Nakd's salted caramel nibbles to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Dinner

Damn, this was a tasty grub.

I have eaten so much protein today, who says vegans don't get enough?! My protein packed day ended with a protein packed dinner of hummus and steamed peas; roasted carrots with garlic and thyme; spicy peanut satay spaghetti; and, a spicy vegan Quorn burger.

And that's my food for the day. Tasty. Nutritious. And SO FILLING. Excuse me whilst I go and roll around the place now that I can barely walk...

What was your favourite meal from today?

Liam

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What do Vegans Eat? Food Diary 15/10/16

When you hear the phrase 'vegan diet', what food do you think of? If you're not vegan, it's likely to be salad; beans; grass; anything 'earthy to be honest'. Am I on the right lines here? Well to give you some insight into what a vegan actually eats, here is a food diary of everything I ate on this cold rainy Saturday.

Breakfast

Yes, that is a flamingo plate.

Breakfast is probably my favourite meal. It's the last thing I think about at the end of the day and the first thing I think about when I wake up. I. Love. Breakfast. Today's breakfast was comprised of some jumbo oatmeal with agave syrup, chia seeds and, cinnamon in unsweetened almond milk. Along with this (yes there was more) I ate 2 vegan sausages sandwiched between some brown bread and tomato sauce, followed by a handful of pecan nuts. I also had two blackcurrant fruit rolls. They do say to have a breakfast after all...

Mid morning snack

To keep me going until lunch time, I needed something light and nutty. I decided on Alpro's almond and soy yoghurt which by the way is my latest vegan find and it is amazing. I also had a small handful of almonds to satisfy my nutty tooth.

Lunch

Lunch: my second favourite mealtime of the day. Today's lunch was a peanut butter and strawberry jam wholemeal sandwich teamed up with a cooked sweet potato and baked beans. I normally use the standard white potato with beans but fancied something a bit different today. Sweet potato has since won my heart. Goodbye and rest in peace white potatoes.

Mid afternoon snack

I don't go a day without a green smoothie so today was no different. Sadly I was a bit low on fruit so had to make do with what I had. I blended spinach; wheat grass; banana; vegan protein powder; chia seeds; fresh root ginger; and, water. Normally I would add some raspberries, pineapple or mango to the mix too.

I also had some brazil nuts on the side (if you haven't gathered just yet, I'm a big fan of nuts).

Dinner

I ended today with a glorious vegan curry from a local restaurant of mine. Cheeky. It was mildly spiced with the tastes of India and packed with carrots; tomatoes; onions and cauliflower on a bed of boiled rice. I added a sweet peshwari naan to the mix too as they offered to make it vegan, so of course I couldn't resist. You'd be surprised how accommodating some restaurants can be these days, change is coming!

And that's my day in food. Stay tuned because these food logs will be a regular occurrence in response to the regular question: But what do vegans eat? Plus it gives me an excuse to eat more..

What have you eaten today?

Liam

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THE go-to green smoothie

Smoothies; they sound good, right? How about if I said green smoothies? Does it sound as appetising? For some of you the answer is probably no, but when I was a green smoothie virgin I was exactly the same. Like spinach in a smoothie?! Please don't. But as a survivor and now lover of these bad boys, I guarantee you that they taste delicious.  I have one every evening so I'm going to share with you my favourite one.

I'm Liam and I'm addicted to smoothies. I haven't gone 1 day without drinking one lately.

The tropical one:

Fresh root ginger x 1 small teaspoon (grated or finely chopped)

Wheat-grass x 1 teaspoon (not heaped)

Chia seeds x 2 table spoons 

Flax seeds x 1 tablespoon

Coconut milk x 4 table spoons

Orange juice x a big splash

Spinach x 1 cup if fresh. 3 pieces if bought frozen

Mango x 1 handful

Pineapple x 1 handful

Banana  x 1
Oats *optional x 2 table spoons 

Smoothies are such a great way to nourish your body. If like me you don't like the texture of fruit but love the taste; or if you're genuinely struggling to eat enough fruit and veg, then make a smoothie. A GREEN one. They're such a quick and easy way to get in vital nutrition and The Tropical one is packed with a whole lot of it!

Benefits of The Tropical One:

Fibre ✓
Iron ✓
Vitamin C ✓
Protein ✓
Omega 3 ✓
Amino acids  ✓
Filling  ✓
Hydrating  ✓
Aids digestion  ✓
Packed with energy ✓
Great for the skin ✓
Antioxidant heaven ✓
3 of your 5 a day  ✓

We were always told as children to eat our greens, so it's about time we started. The best bit of this smoothie is that you won't even taste any of the green goodness in it but you'll still be getting all the benefits of it. Now you can get on the health bandwagon with me and start to feel the benefits. Let me know how you find it or if there's anything you would change.

What's your favourite smoothie?

Liam

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Zinco Lounge: Perfect comfort food

If you're a vegan like me, you might miss one food you used to eat more than anything. In my case it's BURGERS (vegi ones of course). I am a burger connoisseur and when I was vegetarian I ate them religiously when dining out, but now as a vegan I find them really hard to come by as most have egg and cheese in them #VeganProblems. However tonight I was pleasantly surprised to see Zinco Lounge a restaurant near me had a vegan burger on the menu, you read that right. It goes without saying that I was in my element.

Dark and mysterious?

Alternative decor.

The restaurant had a good variety of food. It was nice to see that they took the time to make a menu just for us vegans out there, much appreciated! There was a few options to choose from but without any hesitation I chose the Thai spiced quinoa and edamame bean burger with slaw and rustic fries. As you may know restaurants commonly create bean burgers as a vegetarian burger alternative. And although what I ate was a bean burger, it was refreshing to see that Zinco Lounge put a twist on the classic by using edamame beans instead of the typical kidney or cannellini beans. The edamame beans were paired with Thai spices and quinoa which was very original and tasty. Along with this I also added a side of guacamole to spread on the burger and Sourdough bun. I used this as a mayonnaise substitute and it was delicious and so silky smooth. Overall it was a really tasty meal, but the burger probably could have used a little less spice but that's just a personal preference!

Look how smooth that little pot of green goodness is!

Tastiest fries I've had in a long time and they came in a mug.

The restaurant also accommodates for gluten free and vegetarian so has covered it's back on a range of diets out there and we both know how hard that can be. As for the vegan menu, take a look at it here:

You're not reading the menu wrong, that does say vegan cakes.

If finding vegan dinner out isn't hard enough, hearing about vegan desserts is almost unheard of. I was so excited to see this wasn't a problem at Zinco Lounge who offered a fruity flapjack as well as a ginger and dark chocolate torte, both of which would normally have honey and dairy in. I ended up buying both because my card 'accidentally' slipped into the card machine? Whoops. Not normally a fan of dark chocolate but always up for trying new foods I surprisingly enjoyed the dark chocolate and ginger torte. The ginger in it wasn't overpowering and I found the dessert very moist and moreish. It was very sweet just like the flapjack which was also very tasty. Unlike the torte, I did find the flapjack extra sweet, but luckily I have the world's biggest sweet tooth so didn't mind.

Dark chocolate and ginger torte.

Fruity flapjack.

Would I go back? Yes.

Total cost: £14.35

Restaurant rating: ★★★★

Where do you go for your burger fix?

Liam

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Related links:

http://thelounges.co.uk/lounges/zinco/

Sticky stir fry Sunday

Quick, easy and very cheap. Before you get ahead of yourself, I'm on about my stir fry! I'm addicted to it and make it religiously - anywhere between once to three times a week, mostly on the weekend. It's just so satisfying and full of nutrition so you can't go wrong. Make it with an array of vegetables, meat substitutes, seeds or whatever you want. It's also good for getting food out of your fridge that's going to go bad soon. Plus, no matter what your cooking skills you're sure to not mess this one up!

I like to team up my vegetables with my home made sticky peanut satay sauce that will keep you coming back for more! I use peanuts, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce for this, and occasionally I add  extra garlic, orange juice and ginger for a bit of a kick.  As for the veg, this dish can involve any of the following:

Carrots  / Peppers / Beansprouts / Broccoli / Cabbage / Cauliflower l Edamame beans / Onions / Mangetout / Water chestnuts

I use coconut oil to lightly fry the food.

For protein I always add tofu, vegan quorn 'chicken' pieces, chia seeds and sometimes cashew nuts - and for carbs, I boil wholegrain rice in vegetable stock.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
*Lasts for around 2 days so long as it is in an air tight container in the fridge.

The prep:

• Start by grabbing you utensils: Sharp knife; cutting board and cooking spoon.

• Now you'll need your veg. How much is completely up to you but I tend to use about 400 grams. Once you're ready, wash it all and cut it julienne, alternatively grab a ready stir fry pack if you're in a rush. Just as good.

• Cut up 300 grams of tofu into cubes and put aside.

• Measure out 2 mugs of brown rice and place in a boiling hot pot of water for 20 minutes on a high heat, along with 1 cube of vegetable stock. Stir every few minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.

The sauce:

• In a small bowl, mash up one tomato with a folk until smooth and add in 2 table spoons of balsamic vinegar, a pinch of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger root and 1 teaspoon of grated chilli (or two teaspoons of chill powder). Now whisk. 

• Next add 1 teaspoon of paprika, half a clove of fresh grated garlic (or half a teaspoon of garlic powder) and finally, 2 table spoons of brown sugar. Now do a final whisk of this and put aside. This is your sweet chilli sauce.

• In a separate bowl, add in 2 and a half heaped table spoons of peanut butter like this one and 4 teaspoons of soy sauce like this one and whisk. Melt this in the microwave for 20 seconds before mixing in the sweet chilli sauce from your other bowl.

The fry bit:

• In a wok, heat two tablespoons of oil until very hot and then pour in all your tofu and make sure to fry it so every side goes golden brown. 

• Now pour in your vegetables and reduce to a medium heat and continuously stir. After 5 minutes, reduce cooking heat again to low so the veg lightly cooks for a further 10 minutes.

• During the final 5 minutes of cooking pour in your peanut satay sauce and mix it in with 3 table spoons of chia seeds and a handful of cashew nuts.

• Finally, drain your rice in a sieve for several minutes and then serve along with your veg whilst it's hot.

This meal is both filling and delicious and everyone loves stir fry. Not only will it taste great, but it's packed with fibre, protein, magnesium, vitamin c and iron. Score! Now give it a try and let me know how you get on in the comments section below.

What do you put in your stir fry?

Liam

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