I've been thinking of going vegan for the past couple of months. Not a strict vegan though but I'm taking baby steps. I do intermittent fasting, the 20:4 type where I fast for 20hours and eat within 4 hours. Studies have shown that fasting increases the levels of growth hormone as a result it is best for muscle bulking however getting the adequate calories can be tedious because of the short eating window. As a result every meal eaten during the four hour window should be very nutrient dense and protein rich.
This recipe contains at least 20-50g of protein, about 15g of carbs and an adequate amount of healthy fat. It is very easy and quick to prepare.
In Nigeria, moimoi is a dish made from steaming blended beans. It is usually made using white beans but this time, I would be using red lentils.
Lentils have a higher protein content than beans and less carbs, they are also packed with nutrients and fibre and the skin doesn't need to be washed and peeled like that of beans. So I prefer using red lentils as compared to beans.
I substituted table salt for Himalayan pink salt which is healthier and contains more trace minerals.
Ingredients for lentils moimoi
- Red lentils
- Scotch bonnet
- Green pepper
- Tomato puree
- Seasoning cube
- Himalayan pink Salt
- Ground pepper
- Crayfish
- Onions
- Eggs
- Palm oil(a tablespoon)
- Nutmeg
- Ginger and garlic
- Lentils are soaked for 20-30mins
Making the tomato puree
The tomatoes are fried in palm oil together with the onions, scotch bonnet, green pepper, garlic and ginger for just 5 minutes so the nutritional value doesn't decrease
Little water is added to make the puree and the mixture is stirred for 2 minutes. The seasoning cubes, crayfish, nutmeg and salt are added while stirring. It is then brought down.
Add 3 eggs already beaten eggs to the tomato puree
The soaked lentils are drained of water and placed in a blender. While blending, the tomato puree is added and blended simultaneously.
The mixture is transferred to a plastic small cup and placed in a big pot of water
It is steamed for a period of 30minutes to one hour. A fork is placed in the centre to ascertain if it is firm enough.
When firm, means the moimoi is ready. Voila, your meal is ready to be served.
CHICKPEA VEGETABLE SALAD
This is eaten as a side dish to the lentils moimoi. It is chickpea vegetable salad.
Health benefits
Chickpea is packed with nutrients especially protein and fibre. A cup of chickpea has about 14g of protein.
It is the main ingredient of this salad
Ingredients
- Boiled Chickpeas
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Green pepper
- Green beans
- Green peas
- Sweet corn
- Eggs
- Baked beans
- Salad dressing(Apple cider vinegar)
The vegetables are chopped into small bits.
Green pepper, cabbage and sweet corn are blanched in hot water.
In a step by step manner, each vegetable is added to a bowl and subsequently mixed to get a colourful salad mix. Then the chickpeas and baked beans are also added.
This salad is packed with enough protein from the chickpeas, green beans, green pea and baked beans making it a very healthy meal. Also packed with complex carbs and fibre like carrot, cabbage, sweet corn. These vegetables have low glycemic index hence very healthy especially for diabetics. Salad dressing is optional and preferably apple cider vinegar or any vinegar based dressing can be used
Your healthy dish is ready to be served
