Earlier, whilst I was wandering through London’s beautiful Borough Market, the inspiration for this delicious and healthy little dish hit me! As part of my partnership with bPay which I announced last week, I ventured out free from the shackles of a bulky wallet (& bag in which to store it!) armed only with my bPay devices. A great way for me to buy fresh ingredients from some of the cute little independent stalls I like to visit in Borough. My favorite component of this recipe? The noodles are made from ‘spiralised’ courgette, and contain 5x less carbohydrate than their ‘pasta’ big brother, with just 20 calories per cup, and super immune boosting levels of Vitamin C – whilst being no less filling! Click MORE to get the full recipe, and discover the images from my trip to this gem of a market!
The other major ingredient of this delicious dish is Chickpeas – a small, yet powerful legume with a seriously low-GI sugar constitution, whilst being high in fiber – great for digestion as well as helping to stabilise blood sugar levels! Also, a fab source of protein from the plant kingdom, which helps you to feel fuller for longer. Plus they’re a great source of iron, which we need for haemoglobin (to transport oxygen from the lungs to all other organs), and is part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism. Full ingredients & how-to below…
As I announced in a recent post, I’ve partnered with bPay to help them promote this fitness-friendly way of paying for goods whilst you’re mobile; I was excited to be involved because I think the bPay products remove the traditional bulky constraints of a wallet (& bag in which to carry it), replacing it with a pretty innovative and convenient cash solution. When I run, I often won’t have space in my compression pants for even a credit card; I might only have my phone with me, or it could be just my keys in my hand, not even a phone! The idea behind bPay is that you’ve always got a contactless way of paying for anything costing £20 and under – that emergency bottle of water, a banana for energy, a post-workout meal or juice etc. You simply set it up online, fund your bPay device (sticker / key fob / wristband) with an amount from your usual bank card (anyone with a UK-registered Visa or MasterCard can use them), set it to auto top-up if you want, and you’re good to pay wherever there’s a contactless symbol – without lugging your wallet around! You can pick yours up from Runner’s Need, HERE! Below is a picture of my haul from the Market, and the instructions to create the headline dish!
INGREDIENTS (Serves 2):
1) 4- 5 medium zucchini (courgettes)
2) Handful of cherry tomatoes
3) 1 tbsp of Pine nuts
4) Sprinkle of chilli flakes
5) 1 pinch of pink himalayan salt
6) Handful of marinated artichokes
7) 1/2 cup of fresh olives
8) Extra virgin olive oil
9) 3 tablespoons pesto
10) 1 garlic clove
11) 1/2 finely chopped fresh chilli
12) 1/2 cup of chickpeas
13) 40 grams of feta cheese
14) Fresh rocket
HOW TO:
1. Start by lightly frying the finely crushed garlic and chill over low heat for 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, pine nuts and olives and fry for another 2 minutes.
3. Whilst frying, use a spiralizer or finely cut the courgettes by hand.
4. Finally, add the courgettes to the pan, throw in a dollop of pesto, and toss the contents for a minute or so to circulate the flavours.
5. Add the artichoke shortly after.
6. Finally, plate the fabulous meal, garnishing with some rocket, and sprinkle the chilli flakes / crumble the feta cheese on top.
7. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on top.
8. Devour!
This is a sponsored piece of content, and a paid collaboration with bPay.
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