In the wake of Healthy Eating Week, I have been considering what “healthy eating” means to me. Healthy eating is often misconstrued as dining on piles of carrot sticks and raw vegetables or even embarking on fad diets that in reality are far from healthy. In fact, extreme dieting can even cause permanent damage to your body and lacks any long term benefits.
For me, healthy eating is all about balance. At home, my family eats a wide variety of foods, from vegetable-packed meals to calorie-laden gluten free cakes. But everything in moderation. When people deny themselves certain foods it is only inevitable to end up craving them. Instead you should allow yourself to have some treats, while also eating lots of good, healthy meals.
So, to give you some healthy meal inspiration I have teamed with with Juvela, one of my favourite gluten free brands, to bring you a simple yet healthy meal idea. Juvela gluten free bread is low in fat, as well as being fortified with vitamins and iron. It has brilliant texture and is one of my go to gluten free breads due to its versatility and lovely flavour.
For this pea and ricotta bruschetta recipe I used the Juvela Fresh White Loaf, but it would work equally well with the Juvela Fresh Fibre Loaf.
Pea & Ricotta Gluten Free Bruschetta with Asparagus and Lemon Zest (Serves 2)
Ingredients
- 4 slices Juvela Fresh White Loaf gluten free white bread
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 90g frozen peas
- 10g parmesan cheese, grated
- 45g ricotta cheese
- 100g asparagus
- Zest of half a lemon
- Black pepper
Method
- Firstly, cook the frozen peas before draining and setting aside to cool.
- Crush the clove of garlic and place into a blender, along with the cold peas and HALF the grated parmesan. Blitz for a couple of minutes to break the peas down into a roughly chopped mixture.
- Now add the ricotta to the blender – blend well until you have a nice, smooth mixture. Season with some black pepper (and salt if you wish but I find the parmesan lends a nice salty edge).
- Toast your Juvela gluten free bread until lightly browned, then drizzle with the olive oil.
- Once the toast has cooled, spread a generous layer of the pea and ricotta topping onto the bread.
- In a griddle pan, fry the asparagus until bright green and lightly charred. Place the asparagus onto the pea and ricotta bruschetta toasts, then to finish sprinkle over the remaining parmesan, a generous grating of lemon zest and some fresh black pepper. I also like to add some chilli flakes, but that is personal preference.
Serve with a tasty side salad if you are having this for lunch. These bruschetta also make wonderful finger food or canapes if you cut them into little triangles. They can be served cold too if you want to make them in advance.
*This is a paid sponsored feature in association with Juvela. I only ever advertise gluten free products that I personally enjoy and am happy to recommend to you all. All opinions on www.mygfguide.com are my own and are always 100% genuine.
