Today I’d like to introduce you to Niki, one of my first foodie friends on Instagram. Niki is from England, and fills her blog Rebel Recipes with love and healthy food recipes. Niki’s account and blog are extremely popular not just in the U.K., but around the globe. I think more than 90.000 followers speak for themselves, don’t they? Her most popular dishes include anything breakfast-realted, but I love her savory creations even more. Her account is absolutely stunning, and I’d recognize her photos between a million others. I was thrilled when she agreed to contribute a recipe to this series. To celebrate my first blog birthday, Niki brought this quick black bean chili, which I can’t wait to try. 

Black beans are also one of the healthiest legumes in the world. They are packed with fiber, which helps decrease cholesterol level, and helps stabilize blood sugar levels. They also contain a less commonly known trace mineral called molybdenum, a compound of the enzymes in our body that produce uric acid as a waste product of our metabolism. For example, this trace mineral plays a role in detoxifying preservatives such as sulfites, that are commonly added to preserved foods in places like cafeterias or salad bars.

If you want to know more about Niki, there’s an interview with her below the recipe.

An Interview with Niki from Rebel Recipes

What’s your name and what do you do?
My name is Niki and I have a plantbased food blog called Rebel Recipes. I love creating delicious and accessable plant based food. I’ve always loved cooking and eating food that makes me feel great Ie packed with fresh veg and seasonal and organic where possible. My recipes are really easy to follow as I’m completely put off by an exhaustive ingredient list and complicated instructions. It’s all about inspiring people with accessible and ultimately delicious plant based food. I have been blogging for just over a year ago now and it’s been crazy busy juggling everything but I’ve loved every minute of it and have made some incredible connections and had some amazing opportunities so far.
Where do you live?
I live in Birmingham in the UK with my husband Andy and two cats.

What inspired you to eat healthy? 
I’ve always been into healthy eating. I had some eating issues when I was younger so you could say I was a little too obsessed with healthy eating. I’ve found being plant based quite liberating as I used to have a million ‘diet’ rules to live by but now I eat anything and everything as long as it’s real food, i.e. mostly vegetables, fruit, pulses, nuts and seeds and organic. I don’t worry about fat or carb content anymore and truly feel great.

Why is eating healthy and wholesome important to you?
It’s an old saying but ‘you are what you eat’ in ever sense. If you’re not putting the right things into your body you can’t expect it to function properly. Everyone is different and different diets suit different people but if you focus on eating real food I think you can’t go too far wrong.

What’s your all-time favorite dish that you could eat every day?
Can I cheat and have two? Firstly a big Middle Eastern mezze, hummus, flatbread, salads, olives, babaganosh etc
And a big Indian Thali including dhals, veggie curries, lots of pickles, and a plain dosa on the side to mop it all up.

Savoury or Sweet?
Savoury for sure. Refer to the answer above. 😉

Breakfast or dinner?
No question, always breakfast. I have no rules and nothing is off limits.. I’m happy to eat sweet or savoury. Smoothie bowls, savoury pancakes, overnight oats, and peanut butter anything! I actually dream about breakfast quite often.

Thank you, Niki, for this lovely interview!

The post Heavenlynn’s Friends: Quick Black Bean Chili by Niki appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

Can anyone tell what I got for Christmas? That beautiful grey dutch oven is the newest addition to my kitchen, and as you can tell, I am pretty obsessed with it. Until now I have been cooking everything either in my Thermomix, or in my grandma’s old iron pot, that literally burned everything. So this dutch oven has been used quite frequently ever since I got it for Christmas. Last week I added the most delicious bean and buckwheat chili to the blog, which sort of took us to Mexico, and today’s recipe is inspired by yet another country: Morocco. Even though I am yet to visit this beautiful piece of land, I do love its foods and spices. Moroccan spices include many warm flavors, such as turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and coriander. All these can be found in this delicious stew, that all of you really need to try. The dish is also completely coconut milk free, which I know my sister will love when she reads this. 

As kale is still in season I thought that it would be a nice addition in this otherwise pretty red meal, but if you can’t find kale anymore, you can totally substitute it with baby spinach or other greens. Chickpeas and sweet potatoes are the main ingredient in this stew, and they form the most delicious liaison that you can imagine. Chickpeas also add some healthy protein and fiber to this dish, leaving you satisfied, but not too full, for many hours.

Sweet potatoes are one of my all-time favorite ingredients, as they are so much more exciting than regular potatoes. They are also an incredibly rich source of vitamin A, which is important for healthy eye-sight, skin and immune system.

I am absolutely in love with this recipe, and I am sure you’ll love it too! The warm spices such as turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon create an absolutely incredible sensation in your moth, leaving you to want more more more… I am not exaggurating, this moroccan spiced chickpea, kale and sweet potato stew is pure heaven.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea, Kale and Sweet Potato Video

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As winter has finally arrived in Germany, I was craving something warm and filling the other day, and this bean and buckwheat chili with dark chocolate was the result. I’ve made the bean chili recipe from Green Kitchen Stories before and remembered that they used dark chocolate in their recipe. So this recipe is inspired by the wonderful David and Louise, however, I made some major changes that take this chili to a whole new level. In German I call this recipe Chili von Buckwheat as the texture of buckwheat slightly resembles that of ground meat, so this chili even fooled some of my meat-loving family members. The spices make your kitchen smell absolutely superb, and give this chili a delicious smokey flavor. Kidney beans and chickpeas add some healthy protein and fiber, which fill you up without leaving you tired and worn out afterwards. This chili is for sure the best thing for a cold winter night. 

As it’s January and most people are trying to get in shape or lead a healthier life, this recipe provides you with everything you need to be healthy. It’s got protein and fiber and carbs from the buckwheat and beans, vitamins and minerals from the vegetables, healthy, good fats from the nuts and most importantly chocolate for the soul.

There’s so much goodness in this chili, that it’s the best thing for cold and dark winter nights. Buckwheat has amazing health benefits such as the ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It also contains all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.

Beans are a digestive wonder thanks to its high protein and fiber content, supporting the movement of food through our digestive system. Beans also have great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, which help to prevent chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease.

This chili is really the best thing for any kind of occasion as it feeds a whole bunch of people. It’s a great meal for when you have friends over for dinner as it is easily prepared, and involves minimal chopping.

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