Florette Salad Recipe Time

I was contacted last week by the lovely people at Florette asking if I could create a recipe for them which incorporates one of their delicious products. They are a company which specialises in salad products, they are incredibly fresh and they pride themselves on this. So here is my recipe below!

Every bite on every leaf in every bag we produce matters to us. Which is why we invest so much in quality control. It takes tough love to produce freshness you can count on, time and time again. We’re proud that our bags have a long shelf-life. And that people trust us for our superior quality, natural taste and longer lasting freshness.

You Will Need

1) Two Portabello Mushrooms

2) A Bag of Florette Mixed Leaf Salad

3) Tesco Frozen Roasting Veg

4) Quorn Gammon Steak

5) Sesame Oil

Step By Step

1) Peel the mushrooms and place them in the oven at 200C for 20-30 minutes.

2) Cook the roasting veg as directed on the bag.

3) Cook gammon steak as directed on the bag.

4) Once everything is cooked, add a teaspoon of sesame oil to the frying pan with a few handfuls of mixed leaves.

5) Chop gammon steak into tiny pieces and add them to the pan so that they soak up the flavour of the oil.

6) Then, stuff the mushrooms with salad leaves, gammon, and then add the roasting veg to the top.

And Voila! Done! Now I know that this isn't the most complicated of recipes or quite worthy of a Michelin star but you know what, it is quick, easy and rather delicious, so I am proud of my little endeavour! Tell me what you think of it in the comments.

For more recipes from the wonderful people of Florette, click here! 

http://www.florettesalad.co.uk/recipe-category/baby-kale/

Alpen Light Jaffa Cake Bar

Chocolate orange is a classic combination, it works in so many different ways and formats, you can have it as hot chocolate, or you can have it as a cake, and you can even have it in a cereal bar that contains less than 70 calories! That's right, less than 70 calories and it tastes amazing. The orange is natural tasting and the chocolate is strong enough to make itself noticed but not so much as to overwhelm the orange. The smell upon opening the wrapper is divine, it hits you and reminds me of Christmas time when I would gorge myself on Terry’s Chocolate Orange Segsations… 

But no guilt here, for they are a healthy alternative that allows you to enjoy a treat without excessive calories. Basically, I loved this bar and I was actually both shocked and thrilled to realise that these were vegan. I don't think that any of the other Alpen bars are actually vegan, but with a flavour as lovely as this, I’m not too bothered that I can't have any of the others!

Rating – 8.75/10

Calories – 65

Vegan – Yes

Buy Again? – Definitely!

Pistachio Heidi Bar

I don't even know where to start with this review, I have very little positive things to say about this. I suppose the packaging was quite nice and the concept was good, it isn't often that you get pistachio in chocolate (or anything for that matter) so I guess that it should be commended for that? Unfortunately that is where my compliments end… 

The chocolate itself tasted very cheap, and almost plastic like, it wasn't good quality and it didn't particularly taste great. The pistachio pieces didn't really taste that nice either, if I’m honest, it didn't really taste of pistachio either.

Overall, this bar was awful. I was really looking forward to trying these bars but now I feel that the only place for them is the bin…

Rating – 1/10

Vegan – Yes

Buy Again – NEVER.

Freedom Vegetarian Mallows with Chocolate Dip

This is another delicious delight that I picked up from a The Vegan Tuck Box stand at the Liverpool Labl fair. Initially, I was a bit reluctant to buy it because it was quite expensive, and what if it wasn't very nice? And now I can honestly say, that the only thing I regret is not buying more! This is such a unique and clever little product, it combines the classic combination of marshmallows dipped in a chocolate fountain. A portable vegan version none the less! I enjoyed mine as part of my evening snack and it was a lovely treat to end the day with. 

The marshmallows were the typical Freedom Mallows and were delicious, they worked very well with the rich chocolate sauce that accompanied it (I still can't believe that this sauce has no dairy in it because of how indulgent it was!). There was a good ratio of chocolate to marshmallows and I only had a little bit of chocolate left over, which I happily ate with a spoon! Overall, this was a lovely treat and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to all future products, perhaps a caramel dip would be lovely or maybe a white chocolate dip?  I wish that they were more widely available though.

Rating – 9/10

Vegan – Yes

Calories – 212

Buy Again – Yes!

Trek Berry Burst Bar

With 10g of protein per bar, these beauties are at the top of the sports nutrition food chain! Made with a delicious combination of fruits, gluten free oats and nuts to keep you going, these healthy snacks are ideal for refueling after the gym, and they also make great breakfasts on the go. I personally enjoy them as part of an evening snack with a love cup of strong green tea. The bars themselves are absolutely delicious, which is a lovely bonus and ales eating them an absolute pleasure! 

Today I am reviewing the Berry Burst flavour which was kindly sent to me by Trek. It is very filling, most likely due to the high protein content of the bar. It has a squidgy yet firm texture and reminded me a lot of a Nak’d Bar (probably because it is made by the same company) and I found that to work very well. It has a nutty flavour and that raw food taste that is typical of these types of bars. The berry flavour was delicious, it was strong enough to shine through whilst not being overwhelming or false. I really love these bars and I am glad that they changed the whole product design because they are far superior now! Plus, I think that the packaging is rather snazzy.

Rating – 8.75/10

Vegan – Yes

Calories – 177 

Buy Again – Already Have!

Chocolate & Love

Coffee Chocolate

Despite coffee and chocolate being a classic combination, it is very difficult to actually come across a decent bar of coffee flavoured chocolate. But coffee fans, the wait is over! For this has to be one of the most incredible things that I have ever eaten. It is rich, obviously of a high quality, the coffee flavour shines through wonderfully and I cannot help but smile whilst eating it because it is just that good!

Rating - 9.75/10

Vegan - Yes

Mint Chocolate 

After trying the coffee flavour, I had high hopes for this flavour, particularly because of my love for all things mint chocolate! This was a higher percentage of cocoa which added a richness to it and I loved it. The flavour was absolutely fantastic with the mint shining through without being overpowering, it seemed to have these tiny pieces of crunchy mint bits in it, I thought that these added a nice bit of texture to the bar. Overall, another delicious bar! 

Rating - 9.75/10

Vegan - Yes

Orange Chocolate

This bar, like the others, was of a very high quality, it was richly indulgent with a lovely orange flavour. This is yet another fantastic bar and I am running out of ways to describe just how good these bars are! Basically, I loved this bar!

Rating - 9.5/10

Vegan – Yes

Filthy Rich 

This was a plain dark chocolate bar with a 71% cocoa content, and like the other bars, it was incredible. They certainly named it accurately because this bar is incredibly rich. It left me feeling satisfied after only 25g, so it lasts quite a while and you savour every bite, allowing it to slowly melt in your mouth. I just can't get over the quality of these bars, it is just incredible! It makes all other chocolate I have had before seem poor in comparison! 

Rating – 9.25/10

Vegan – Yes

Panama

This bar had a whopping 80% cocoa content and may be a bit too dark for some people (but certainly not for me!) So I would probably suggest having this flavour if you are a true dark chocolate fan. This was even richer than the previous bar and I loved it! I can imagine that this would be perfect for baking with and making a high quality mousse or ganache.

Rating – 9/10

Vegan - Yes

Moo Free Mini Chocolate Bars

I feel like I am becoming quite the chocolate fiend, which is particularly odd due to my newly found dairy free life. I think that I actually eat more chocolate now than I have in the past several years, but that's another story that I won't bore you all with, not yet anyway...
The thing that I miss the most is chocolate and I thought I would be living off of boring food with little frivolity or whimsy. I am glad to say that I was very wrong! I was aware of Moo Free but I wasn't quite aware of quite how big the range was and how it is rather unique in its offerings. I loved their adorable and cute packaging so it was a no brainier when I came across them in my local Sainsburys, to pick up a bar in each flavour. Unfortunately, they only had two little bars but to paraphrase Shakespeare, they may be little, but the flavour is fierce! (Can you tell that I am planning on doing and English degree?!).
Now, onto the review!

Bunnycomb Bar
Basically this was a honeycomb topped bar of chocolate, it was 25g so a good size that left me feeling satisfied, the chocolate was sweet, smooth and creamy, this worked very well against the crunchy and chewy honeycomb that decorated the top. Overall, this was a really lovely bar to eat, I couldn't actually tell the difference between this and regular chocolate and I can imagine that this would appeal predominantly to children but I would happily eat this bar again!

Rating - 8/10

Minty Moo Bar
This was made in the same style as the previous bar, a plain dairy free chocolate bar with a crunchy mint topping. Very similar to the honeycomb variety but instead of the golden colour, they are white, and a bit like glacé mints. It added a nice bit of texture to the bar, whilst also contributing to the overall flavour of the bar. I really enjoyed this bar, and despite it being aimed at children, I can easily see both adults and children enjoying this as a treat because it isn't overly sweet.

Rating – 8.5/10

Heinz 50% Less Sugar Beans

Okay, now I know that this isn't some brand new product innovation, but this is a new recipe and new rebranding so I feel it is worthy of a review. Regular Heinz Beans are rather healthy anyway, what with their high levels of fibre and protein. So it is interesting that they have a healthier- or less sugary version- to add to the range. This tin boats a significant 50% sugar reduction, they have replaced the sugar with a natural sweetener called stevia. 

I don't really know if I enjoyed the taste, it was a little too sweet for my liking. I think I preferred it when they didn't sweeten it at all. I ended up adding a bit of salt to them in order to counter the painfully and strangely sweet flavour of the sauce. I thought it was worth a second try, just incase I was just getting used to this new taste, but I still didn't particularly enjoy them and I regret buying eight tins... Maybe somebody in my family will eat them, or I suppose they aren't unpalatable. 

Personally, I would rather they go back to their old recipe, or I will just buy the regular beans instead. I am so disappointed in these beans! Why did they ‘improve’ upon an already delicious product?

Rating – 3/10

Vegan – Yes

Calories – 278 per tin

Buy Again – Definitely Not!

Nak'd Nibbles Part 2

Salted Caramel

Salted caramel has to be one of the biggest food trends at the moment, so it was only a matter of time before it entered the health food market and I am thrilled at this arrival! These are just incredible, Nak'd manage to really capture the rich caramel flavour whilst still tasting natural. The salt was very subtle, almost undetectable, but still, it was a lovely little treat!

Rating – 9.5/10

Toffee Treat

These were just divine, they tastes just like a sticky toffee pudding (probably due to the dates in it). I was really impressed with how much this tasted like toffee, the level of sweetness was perfect and worked well with the nuttiness. I can imagine that this would make a delicious dessert heated up on top of custard (I recommend Alpro for vegan custard).

Rating - 9/10

Strawberries & Cream

Again, this was w great snack to have with my breakfast, the strawberry flavour came through nicely and there was a very subtle hint of cream albeit very subtle (this didn't particularly add to the overall flavour but certainly it didn't detract!). Basically, I really enjoyed it and can't wait to eat my next bag tomorrow morning with my breakfast!

Rating - 9/10