If you love frittata, but are not that into eggs – this recipe is for you. Delicious warm or cold and paired with some lovely fresh salad this vegan frittata can be a snack, lunch or dinner favourite!

1 ½ cups of chickpea flour
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon of turmeric
¼ teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of parsley
2 cups water
2-3 bell peppers (mixed colors)
1 large red onion
Olive oil

In a bowl mix chickpea flour, baking powder, seasoning, pour in the water and 1 spoon of olive oil. Mix well and let the mixture sit for about half an hour.

Cut the onion and bell peppers in long stripes. Heat some olive oil and fry the vegetables until soft. Season.

Spread the vegetables inside of a tart baking form. Pour in the chickpea batter. Place into a pre-heated 180-degree oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing. Serve with a salad and hot sauce.

The post Recipe: vegan frittata with peppers appeared first on Summersalt Yoga Retreats.

By Milda Urban, Summersalt Yoga founder

Thai cooking! Do I have your attention yet? Those who follow us on social media may have noticed that our retreat team is spending some time in Southeast Asia. And we’re not just traveling or escaping winter, we’re also trying to get new ideas, inspiration and training for our own retreat and you – our lovely yogis.

Vanessa (our yoga teacher) is doing her Thai massage course in Chiang Mai and I (Milda – chef of the kitchen) took a Thai vegetarian cooking class as I’ve been dying to learn a few new tricks and add some new recipes to our retreat menu. Boy, was I right to take the class!

Even if it’s called vegetarian – all the recipes were actually vegan – which made it all even better!

Starting with a local market visit just across the street I got a chance to learn a little bit more about the Thai produce. Various herbs (local basic, kaffir, the special Thai ginger, coriander…), veggies (Thai aubergine for example looks completely different than the one in Europe), various types of tofu, delicious mangoes…

Don’t forget all the local grandmas selling all that stuff or cooking on the spot – if you’re willing you can just grab your fully cooked lunch here. It all looked and felt so alive and was just calling to be bought and eaten.

After the tour I got to the kitchen where my teacher Diana explained the most important elements of Thai cooking (you’ll have to take a class to find out what those are  ) and then… I finally got a knife and started chopping!

In a few hours I made what felt like a hundred dishes – green, red, massaman Thai curries (I personally am completely obsessed with the Thai curries…) , fresh rolls, dips, salads, sticky rice… And it all worked out perfectly! I am not bragging here – just pointing out that Thai cooking can really be so easy and quick and if you’re a fan you can very simply incorporate a few dishes in your meals.

Guys, the class has awaken my inner menu generator and I already know which of the dishes I will be offering to our guests and which ideas I can implement or adapt to our kitchen.

Bon apetit and namaste!

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By Cynthia Mitchell

Why not choose a plant-based diet? My diet for the past 13 years has been plant-based, and over the years I have been faced with many comments from friends and family such as…. “I could never do that.” “What do you eat?” “How do you get enough protein?” “So you eat chicken right?” “Are you hungry all the time?”

To answer these mysteries…. I eat food, just like you, minus the animal. Chicken is not a plant, so No, I do not eat chicken. I get all the protein necessary for human existence from plants like spinach, lentils, edamame, quinoa, nuts, beans, avocado…. the list goes on and on.

No, I am not hungry all the time, I am fully satisfied and not lethargic. And you can do it if you WANT to. That last one is the real challenge. WANTING to is the real reason why so many people do not choose a plant-based diet. We have to WANT to. We have to WANT to take care of our bodies. We have to eat like we give a damn about ourselves. Most of us live our lives as if we have another body stored away in the back of our closet that we can just jump into when this body becomes unhealthy. But in reality, we do not. We have ONE body. ONE life. ONE opportunity to feel good in the body we live in.

Let’s face it, our health industry pays no attention to the food industry and the majority of our food industry pays no attention to health. Your health is in your hands.

So let’s briefly look at some of the benefits of choosing a plant-based diet.

Less cholesterol from meat = balanced blood pressure = less pressure in the arteries in your heart = less risk of heart attack.

More fiber from plants = better digestion = happy waistline and tummy. Less saturated fats from meat = less clogged pores = better complexion.

Hormones injected in mass-produced animals = a higher risk of hormone cancers like colon and breast cancer.

And those are only a few benefits of a plant-based diet. I encourage you to do your own research on those facts in more depth.

We have all been told before, read in a magazine, or seen on a billboard why we should eat less meat and more plants. In today’s society, it is impossible to claim negligence with media and technology. There is no excuse other than not WANTING to. So why don’t we WANT to? Have you ever asked yourself? Every time you put food in your mouth you get the opportunity to nourish your body or damage your body.

When your body is hungry it wants nutrients, not calories. Nutrients that can be found in plants. Plants that are grown in nutrient-rich soil from the earth.

Eating well is a form of self-respect. Respecting your body. You know – the only one you have for the next 40-60 years? So why not choose a plant-based diet?

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