Baharat, Arabic for 'spice', is an aromatic spice blend used in Middle Eastern cuisine. What spices are included in the blend vary geographically, but you can generally expect black pepper, coriander, paprika, cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, cloves, and cinnamon. It is used as the seasoning for beef, lamb, chicken, seafood, and vegetables as well a dry rub or marinade.

300 g Brussels sprouts, halved Extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle 125 g Full-fat Greek yogurt Zest and juice ½ lemon 2 Garlic cloves, crushed 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped 2 tbsp Pine nuts, toasted lightly in a frying pan with a little oil Baharat to sprinkle

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil, then add the sprouts and cook for 4-5 minutes – they should still be vibrant green and have some crunch. Drain, rinse under cold running water, then dry briefly with sheets of kitchen paper and transfer to a serving dish. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss with a good drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, lemon zest and juice, garlic, mustard and chopped. Season to taste, then toss through the sprouts. Sprinkle over the pine nuts, the baharat and extra parsley to serve.

A soft yeast spelt bread wrapped around a poppy seed filling sweetened with dates and coconut syrup. This is the type of bread we enjoy for breakfast, especially on holidays and weekends. If you can't find ground poppy at your local stores, just grind the poppy seeds in a coffee or spice grinder until powdery.

Dough	Poppy Date Filling
380 g Spelt flour 15 g Fresh yeast 125 ml Buttermilk, room-temperature 40 g Coconut sugar 75 g Butter, softened in pieces 1 Egg, medium Salt	80 g Dates, chopped 3 tbsp Rum / or apple juice 200 g Coconut cream 75 g Coconut syrup or honey 200 g Poppy seeds, ground 1 tsp Organic lemon zest 1 Egg, medium

1. For the dough, place spelt flour in the bowl of your mixer. Make a well in the center and crumble in fresh yeast. Add in 3 tbsps of buttermilk, 1 tsp of coconut sugar and stir in some flour from the sides. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Now add in the rest of buttermilk, coconut sugar, softened butter, egg and a large pinch of salt. Stir first on slow speed for a couple of minutes until the dough roughly comes together. Increase the speed and knead until the dough forms a smooth, tacky ball that clears sides of bowl. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes until doubled in volume.
3. While the dough proofs, prepare the filling. Soften the chopped dates in rum or apple juice. In a small saucepan, add in coconut cream and coconut syrup. Bring to a simmer. Add in ground poppy seeds. Cook and stir over the medium heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Add in lemon zest, egg and soaked dates.
4. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Grease and line the base and sides of a 32cm loaf pan with baking paper.
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch down. Roll the dough into a 35cm x 45cm rectangle. Spread the poppy date filling over. Roll up each loosely from the long end to form a log. Use a sharp knife to cut the log lengthwise in half and weave the two pieces together to form a twist.
6. Gently transfer to the prepared pan
   ©angiesrecipes. Cover with a clean tea towel and stand in a warm place for a further 10 minutes until slightly risen. Brush the top with the egg glaze, then bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack.

Spinach Chickpea crepes are a great vegan and gluten-free alternative to classic crepes and they’re so GOOD filled with heaps of shredded veggies and mushroom-pâté inspired by Tin and Thyme. You can serve this as an appetizer or with extra portion of salad or soup as a light lunch.

Crepes	To Serve
120 g Chickpea flour 60 g Potato starch 60 g Spinach leaves 1/2 tsp Garlic salt 270 ml Water	Mushroom pâté (recipe here by Tin and Thyme) Shredded black radish Shredded Carrot Shredded bell pepper

1. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to process everything until you have a smooth batter. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature for 30 mins to rest.
2. Heat a 22-cm non-stick skillet over medium flame. Brush the skillet with a bit of coconut oil. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into the hot skillet while quickly tilting the skillet in a circular motion to swirl batter to evenly cover the base.
3. Cook for 1- 2 minutes on medium heat, or until the crepe is dry on the surface and crisp around the edges. Flip the crepe and cook on the other side for a further 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil to prevent the crepe drying out. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 8 crepes.
4. To serve, spread some mushroom pâté over the crepe, and top with shredded vegetables. Roll up firmly to enclose filling and enjoy!

A whole roasted duck doesn't have to be fussy. With just a few hours' roasting and hardly any work at all, you can have a juicy bird with crisp skin. Serve it with pan juice roasted Brussels sprouts or some seasonal salad for a festive occasion or Sunday dinner.

The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival officially begins on February 5th, 2019 and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family peace, joy and love this holiday!

	Gravy
1 x 2-2.2 kg Duck Sea salt Freshly milled peppers 1 bunch Thyme 1 Organic lemon, quartered 750 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, washed and dried	2 tbsp Spelt flour 150 ml Chicken broth or water 50 ml Port or Marsala

1. Preheat oven to 220C/430F. Wash the duck inside and out with cold running water. Pat dry all over with paper towel.
2. Rub the duck all over with the sea salt and freshly milled pepper. Fill the duck cavity with thyme and quartered lemon. Prick skin all over with a sharp fork and tie legs together -- be sure to not pierce the meat itself, only the skin. This lets the fat render out and will help crisp the skin.
3. Place a wire rack in a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with 1 cup of water. Place the duck on the wire rack, breast-side down. Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
4. Lower the temperature to 190C/375F. Turn the duck breast-side up and fill the roasting pan with another cup of water. Continue cooking for a further 60-70 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
5. Brush the duck occasionally with dripping from the roasting pan. 20 minutes before the duck is done, add the Brussels sprouts into the roasting pan and toss with the duck dripping and cook until tender.
6. Remove duck and Brussels sprouts on a large serving plate. Cover with a tin foil to keep warm.
7. Scrape the duck fat and juice from the roasting pan and pour into a pan. Add in spelt flour and stir with a wooden spoon until slightly thickened. Add in chicken broth and port. Bring the gravy to the boil and simmer gently for half an hour, stirring occasionally.
8. Shred or carve up the duck, and serve with roasted Brussels sprouts and gravy.

Wholesome banana muffins made with spelt flour, hazelnut meal, olive oil and lightly sweetened with coconut sugar. The add of Greek yoghurt give these muffins a moist and tender texture. Perfect to make ahead for breakfast or lunchbox treat!

Batter	Topping
220 g Refined spelt flour 50 g Hazelnut meal 10 g Baking powder 1 tsp Baking soda 2 tbsp Coconut sugar 2 tsp Cinnamon powder 2 Eggs, lightly beaten 90 ml Extra virgin olive oil 2 Medium ripe bananas, mashed 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste 60 g Full fat Greek yoghurt	Extra 1 banana, sliced 1 tbsp Coconut sugar 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder

1. Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Grease a 6-hole jumbo muffin pan or a 12-hole standard muffin pan with butter.
2. Stir together the flour, hazelnut meal, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Stir in coconut sugar and cinnamon powder. Make a well in the centre.
3. Beat the eggs, olive oil, mashed banana, vanilla and Greek yoghurt together. Add to flour mixture. Stir mixture until just combined. Divide mixture evenly among holes in prepared pan.
4. Top each with 1 slice of banana. Combine coconut sugar and cinnamon sugar and sprinkle on top of the banana. Bake for 20 minutes or until nicely golden and just firm to touch. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For a quick and easy entree, try these flavourful stuffed mushrooms with one of kitchen essentials - Pesto, homemade or storebought and Cheddar cheese. Field mushrooms have an intense, robust flavour and a dense, meaty texture which make them a perfect container for the recipe, but flesh tomatoes would work just as great.

	Spinach Pesto
4 Jumbo field mushrooms 60 g Kerrygold Cheddar dices	70 g Baby spinach leaves 30 g Toasted pine nuts 30 g Parmesan, grated 2 Garlic cloves, crushed 60 ml Olive oil Black salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. To make the spinach pesto, place the spinach, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Trim stems from mushrooms. Spoon the prepared pesto onto the mushrooms and top with Cheddar. Bake for 25 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and cheese is melted.

Introduction

We all know the importance of healthy eating. Nothing can replace a balanced diet, and the food is the most critical factor that directly influences health. After all, the foods we eat enter our organism - all other factors such as exercise and environment are external.
Although healthy eating can also be tasty, the truth is that all unhealthy foods taste great, and that is the only reason why we would consider eating them. So instead of telling you to ditch sweets, smoking and start exercising 6x every week, here we are going to focus on small improvements that can bring significant changes, without requiring too much effort and willpower. Let's begin!

Drink A Glass Of Water Before Each Meal (And One After Waking Up)

Our bodies consist mostly of water, and can't function without it. And yet, so many of us suffer from chronic dehydration. Our lives are too fast, and with so many things on our minds, it is easy to forget to drink water. It's funny how we never forget eating junk food.
One of the best features of water is that it has zero calories, but it can trick your stomach, making you feel full. Drink a glass of water before eating. This simple strategy will make your digestive system think it has food in it, killing off hunger, and making you eat less. So in one shot, you will reduce your total calorie intake, and increase your daily water consumption.
The second part of this tip is to drink water as soon as you wake up. This will have many benefits - although idle, you sweat during sleep, which makes you lose water, and makes your blood thicker, which puts increased pressure on your heart. Drinking water immediately after waking up dilutes your blood, relieving your heart.

Boost Your Breakfast To Kickstart Your Day

Starting your day with a quality breakfast will be a cornerstone of healthy eating habits. Instead of opting for something easy, go for something smart.
Yes, cereals are convenient, but the ones you eat are probably filled with unhealthy junk (more later in the text). If you have to eat them, pick something whole-grain, with minimal additives and sweeteners. But it would be much better to ditch them for something that will fill you up, so you don't have to binge around noon. "Wakey, wakey! Eggs and bakey!" A delicious omelet is not only super satisfying but actually more healthy than you might think. Proteins and fat are packed with energy and are digested slowly, giving your body a steady supply of gasoline to go through your packed work schedule.
By opting for a protein and fat rich breakfast, your blood sugar is less likely to suddenly drop later, which is the primary cause of binging. Yes, you might still get hungry, but a tasty, healthy snack such as fruit or salad, or a smoothie will do.

Healthy, But Still Tasty Substitutions

There are many small tweaks you can make and significantly reduce your caloric intake, or just make your meals healthier. The best of all, you don't even have to pretend it tastes good, as it certainly does!
This site is filled with recipes that are both healthy and tasty, and your only job is to browse through them, finding something you like. If you want to make tweaks, you can look up for substitutions, switching an ingredient here and there for its healthy substitute.
Although they might feel insignificant, those slight changes add up over time, and that is the only thing you need to look and feel better.

Learn to read the Labels

Learning how to read food labels is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Reading the back side of products is not super complicated, and it will help you much better understand what goes into your body.
But beware, it can be heartbreaking! Food manufacturers use tricky tactics to mislead consumers into thinking that their products are healthy. You will probably find out that some of your favorite "healthy" foods are exactly the opposite.
You can completely ignore the claims that are displayed on the front side; those are 99% marketing tricks. Turn the product over, and read the label - manufacturers are obligated by law to present accurate information, no lies there if you know how to decipher it.

It Goes Beyond Food

While food is the most significant factor, other things you do off the table still contribute to your health. Take some steps to be more active and distress.
You don't have to run five miles every day, start by 15-minute walks. It will help you not only get the blood flowing and counter that all-day sitting but also destress, especially if you walk through nature - a local park will do. For activity/destress combination, yoga and pilates are also great. If you don’t have time for that, you can practice deep breathing and meditation technique that you can do anywhere.
And don't neglect sleep. Try to sneak in an hour more of nightly sleep by going to bed earlier. If that's impossible, fit a 30-minute afternoon nap just after work. It will help you re-energize, making that workout you wanted to postpone more likely to happen.
Lastly, do some checkups. First, get some blood tests, to make sure everything is in order. Also, consider a DEXA scan. It will tell you much more about your body than a simple scale ever will giving you exact information about your body fat percentage, but also amount of muscle, bone density, and other valuable body composition parameters. Those will help you determine what your current position is, and what moves you need to make in the future if you want to have a balanced, healthy, and good looking body.

Conclusion

As you can see, the title wasn't a clickbait; it really isn't difficult. Drinking water, eating eggs, reading labels, and switching from full fat to low-fat cheese won't kill you. And taking a 30-minute afternoon nap is not exactly torture.
So no excuses, go ahead and implement at least one tip into your routine. Picking something simple like a 15-minute walk every day will have a positive impact on your health long term. That's all it takes to start healthy habits - a small step in the right direction, as simple as that.

This is a guest post written by Brandon Lee

Lamb's lettuce, also known as corn salad or mâche, has a distinctive, tangy, nutty flavour and soft texture. It is delicious in salads or soups. This beautiful winter green is packed with water and beta-caroten. It is best during the months of early summer through to autumn, but will grow well into early winter. Named after its resemblance in shape and size to lamb's tongue.

Salad	Dijon Vinaigrette
2 medium Soft boiled eggs, peeled and halved 2 Ripe yet firm persimmons, peeled and sliced 80 g Lamb's lettuce (you can use baby spinach or watercress) 150 g Grilled chicken leftover, sliced 50 g Macadamia nuts, roasted and salted 50 g Dried cranberries	45 ml Olive oil 15 ml Macadamia oil 40 ml Apple cider vinegar 1-2 tsp Dijon mustard Sea salt Fresh ground peppers

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Boil the eggs for 5 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool completely. Peel the eggs and cut in half.
2. Peel and slice persimmons. Arrange lamb's lettuce and persimmon slices on serving plates. Top with sliced chicken, macadamia nuts, cranberries and egg halves.
3. Place everything for the dressing in a jar and shake vigorously to emulsify the dressing. Drizzle over the salad, toss and serve immediately.

Entrecôte, also known as Rib Eye steak, is tender and marbled and perfect for frying or grilling. Because of the higher content of fat in the meat, entrecôte has to be handled a little differently from other cuts of beef. If you like your beef rare, this particular cut might not be right choice because undercooking means you will probably end up chewing chunks of luke warm and un-cooked fat. Instead, aim for medium-rare or even medium. This will give the fat time to melt and to infuse all that tasty meat with even more flavours.
Besides salting the steak generously, you can also use any spices and herbs that you love, but freshly milled black pepper is probably all you need.

Entrecôte	Avocado Mayonnaise
1-1.2 kg Entrecôte Sea salt Black peppercorns, crushed 500 g Hokkaido pumpkin, cut into bite-sized pieces 3 tbsp Beef tallow, melted 2-3 Large garlic cloves, pressed 3 sprigs Rosemary leaves Belgian endive, cut into thin wedges Parsley leaves for garnishing, optional	2 Medium ripe avocado, halved, seeded and peeled 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp Lime or lemon juice 1 Garlic clove, peeled 1/2 tsp Sea salt 1 tbsp Mild olive oil

1. Take entrecôteout of the refrigerator 2 hours before the preparation. Season the beef all over with salt and black pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Toss the diced hokkaido pumpkin with 1 tbsp of beef tallow. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the pumpkin for 25 minutes or until tender. Lower the oven temperature to 80C/175F. Leave the roasted pumpkin at the bottom rack of oven to keep warm.
3. Heat the beef tallow in a large grill pan or skillet until very hot. Add in entrecôte
   ©angiesrecipes and brown on all sides. Add in pressed garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs. Transfer everything to a baking tray and roast at 80C/175F for 80 minutes until medium.
4. Remove the entrecôte and cover with a layer of tin foil. Leave it aside to rest for 10 minutes while preparing the dressing.
5. Combine all ingredients for avocado mayonnaise in your immersion blender jar and process for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready for use. It will stay fresh for 2-3 days.
6. Slice the beef and place them on a bed of roasted pumpkins and Belgian endives. Garnish with parsley leaves if desired.