Endorphin Stew shares his favourite Vegetarian Recipes!

We were thrilled to have Ryan Mangan from Endorphin Stew as our latest Guest Blogger for National Vegetarian Week from May 16th – 22nd. Ryan shared his favourite Chia Bia inspired vegetarian recipes to help us celebrate and inspire us all to eat more vegetables! Endorphin Stew came about as a product of Ryan’s strong belief that eating well can lead to improvements both physically and emotionally. Food is something that will stay with us for the rest of our lives and Ryan’s thoughts are that we’d be better off having fun and getting creative with our meals and snacks. As a science student from Galway, he has a positive attitude towards the future of his food and wellness blog and is looking forward to a long journey of learning, cooking and sharing his experiences through Endorphin Stew!

Below are our Top 3 recipes from Ryan – please go to our Facebook page where he shared another 4 fabulous vegetarian recipes that are sure to inspire you in the kitchen!

Chia Salad

METHOD:
1. Prepare the pesto by adding the above ingredients to a Nutri Bullet or blender, giving them all a quick stir together beforehand. Blitz all ingredients based on preference (I prefer my pesto chunky), add in more olive oil if needed to make it more moist. Leave the pesto aside for now.
2. Into a medium-sized saucepan, add the quinoa and chia seeds, followed by 2 parts cold water or 1 cup of water. Bring the water to the boil, stirring the seeds and quinoa until all water has either evaporated or has been absorbed.
3. Wash and chop the tomatoes and tumble them into the cooked quinoa and chia mix. Add in the pesto and flax seeds and give it all a good stir.
4. Throw in the salad and goji berries and stir some more.
5. Sea salt and pepper to taste, but I don’t think you’ll need to.

Chia Curry

INGREDIENTS
• Quinoa, 1/2 cup
• Chia Bia seeds, 2 tblspns
• Ginger, 1 inch
• Fresh lemongrass, x1 string
• Organic medium tomatoes, x2
• Yellow pepper, x1
• Fresh sweetcorn, 100g
• Green beans, x10
• Butternut squash, 150g
• Nutritional yeast, 3 tblspns
• Mushrooms, 1/2 punnet
• Ground turmeric, 1 tblspn
• Mild curry powder, 2 tblspns
• Veg stock, x1
• Fresh basil, handful
• Tabasco sauce, 5 drops

METHOD:
1. Wash, chop and dice the ginger, lemon-grass, tomatoes, yellow pepper, fresh sweetcorn, green beans, butternut squash, Mushroom and basil.
2. Place a large-sized pan over medium heat and melt 1 tblspn of coconut oil. When the oil is melted, add the above veggies and sauté for approx. five mins or until slightly tender.
3. Dissolve the stock cube in 1 cup of warm water. Add the quinoa, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, ground turmeric, mild curry powder and tabasco sauce to the pan, quickly followed by the veg stock.
4. Give the mixture a quick stir and place a lid over the pan. Leave to cook through for approx. ten mins or until the quinoa and chia seeds absorb all of the water and the contents have a risotto-like appearance.
5. Sea salt and pepper to taste, but I don’t think you’ll need to.

Sundried Chia Pesto

INGREDIENTS
• Sundried tomatoes, x5
• Fresh basil leaves, x10
• Cashews, x5
• Whole Chia Seed, x1 tblspn
• Nutritional yeast, x1 tblspn
• Pinch of sea salt
• Extra virgin olive oil, x3 tblspns

METHOD:

1. Prepare the pesto by adding the above ingredients to a Nutri Bullet or blender, giving them all a quick stir together beforehand. Blitz all ingredients based on preference (I prefer my pesto chunky), add in more olive oil if needed to make it more moist.
Now enjoy your home-made sundried chia pesto with any of your favourite dishes!