Happy weeekend, guys! I hope the sun is out for you and you have some nice things planned? We’ve just come back from a DIY store with some wall fixings as we plan to hang our 16 kg mantelpiece mirror on the wall of our living room today. We hope to do so without dropping it on any of our feet or it taking a chunk out of our newly restored floor. Wish us luck! We’ve obviously done our research and bought wall screws and plugs more than capable of sustaining the weight required, but it’s still a little nerve-wrecking, I won’t lie to you…
We’ve also ordered some DIY window shutters as our living room window is positioned in such a way that there is no room for a curtain pole above it. The current window pole is fixed within the architrave and it looks awful so we won’t be doing that. The shutters seem like a good idea and we can only hope that we have measured everything correctly and that our planned modifications to the windows (without which we would not be able to install shutters either) will work out, it’s a bit of a gamble but we took a long time to think about and we are confident that it will work out. DIY aside, we are both on a bit of a fitness kick lately, doing a fair amount of HIIT and core exercises alongside running and it’s been a great strength and mood booster. I certainly notice that every time I finish, even if I had to drag myself to start in the first place, I’m on a massive exercise-induced high. I am working towards getting stronger and fitter, but losing a few excess kilos would be a nice bonus too. Duncan, who has been an exercise addict for a long time, is doing some crazy difficult Frank Medrano routine after he comes back from his runs and it is very motivating and impressive seeing how disciplined (without going overboard) about it he is. Something I’ve been trying to learn from him as I have not had great role models in this regard. So because of our healthy living project and because most of you seem to prefer healthier savoury options also, I’m gravitating towards healthy, fibre-rich recipes lately, like this lentil and roast red pepper salad. Don’t worry, a cake or a cheeky little dessert will happen eventually, but I want to capitalise on this fitness streak as long as I can. This lentil salad is easy to make, perfect for batch prep and really satiating as it’s full of fibre, plant protein and slow release carbs. It can be served on a big serving platter as a salad or made into individual salad bowls where each component is kept separately when served. Whichever way appeals to you more, I hope you’ll enjoy its flavours and textures and incorporate more lentils into your diet.
45 ml / 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tsp extra for peppers 45 ml / 3 tbsp quality balsamic vinegar*** salt and pepper, to taste
VEGAN FETA (make a day in advance)
3 tbsp lemon juice 1 small garlic clove 3 tbsp unsweetened plant milk ½ tsp salt, adjust to taste 100 g / 1 cup flaked almonds, soaked in boiling water for at least 30 min 2 tsp white miso paste 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 2 tsp agar powder or 2 tbsp agar agar flakes (optional, see point 4 in vegan feta)
VEGAN FETA (make a day in advance)
***For a salad dressing, I highly recommend buying high quality (65% of grape must) balsamic vinegar as it’s much more flavoursome. It is considerably more expensive than the cheap stuff but its flavour is so concentrated that a little goes a long way.
