Best Low carb Posts 2025 | Certified Coach Ceylan

Magic of Soups

Ceylan Ayik — Sat, 01 May 2021 12:12:13 +0000

Magic of Soups

Magic of Soups for digestion and weight loss! If you want to have better digestion and at the same time shed some weights, eating light at dinner time will create the magic. If you are on an intermittent fasting with only 2 meals a day, then you might need to add protein and veggies/grains to your plate. However, if you eat 3-4 times a day, breakfast-lunch-snack and have enough protein-carbs-fats with these meals, you can make your dinner lighter with a green vegetable soup.

Green because you keep the focus on “non-starchy” vegetables and add no protein so that it is perfectly light for digestion and in terms of calories.

Course Soup

Cuisine Ayurveda

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 15

Servings 2 people

Calories 102kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

1 tsp Garam masala or your own mix with: cumin-coriander-fennel-cardamom seeds pounded to powder and mixed with some cinnamon (Up to you taste)
1 tsp Fresh Ginger
1 tsp Fresh or Powder Turmeric (optional)
1 small Carrot
1 small Sweet Potato or Pumpkin (Chopped)
1 cup Chopped Spinach or Kale
2 cups Any other seasonal vegetables at home (Like zucchinis, mushrooms, asparagus, etc chopped in pieces. I prefer not to add broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage as they are more difficult to digest, you can add if you have no problem with digestion)
2 tbsp Ghee or sesame oil or olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 Lemon / Lime Juice
Vegetable Broth or Water (To top the vegetables and a bit more)

Instructions

Add your oil to pot, melt in medium heat and stir in the spices, sauté for 1 minute. Add the ginger and sauté another minute
Add the chopped vegetables (except spinach) and add your water (or vegetable broth) depending on how dense you like the consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste
Bring to boil and then simmer on low heat about 10 minutes. When veggies are almost cooked, add spinach and cook for another 3-5 minutes
Turn off the heat and add lemon or lime juice, blend them in a blender
You can top this with toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds and garnish with some parsley/mint/dill

Notes

In Ayurveda, digestion follows the sun and so we have the highest digestion power at lunch time and less in breakfast and dinner. That is why it is much better choice to choose cooked food and especially soups for dinner time instead of salads and protein.

This little piece of information changed my life forever! Wish I knew this during the evenings I ate a big bowl of a rich salad for dinner and had a big bloated belly afterwards! Having said that, maybe your digestive fire (AKA “Agni” in Ayurveda) is better than mine, you are a “Pitta” type and can cope with raw food better.

Still, all types, especially women over 45 years old, will benefit so much from a light soup at dinner time, sleep better, waking up lighter, and tummy flatter! What else!

What is your favourite soup for dinner?

Nutritiously Delicious Veggie Burger!

Ceylan Ayik — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 11:20:03 +0000

Nutritiously Delicious Veggie Burger!

This burger recipe will blow your mind! I know the ingredients list looks too long but method is too easy, So don’t stop and please go on!

Course Snack

Cuisine International

Keyword Burger, Vegetarian

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 0

Servings 1 person

Calories 168kcal

Equipment

Bowl
Knife

Ingredients

1 Egg
1 tbsp Plain Yogurt
3 tbsp Crumbled Feta Cheese
2 cup Boiled Red Beans
1 cup Boiled Chickpeas
3 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
1 cup Finely Grated Carrot
1 / 3 cup Finely Chopped Parsley
1 Clove Mashed Garlic
1 / 2 cup Grated or Very Finely Chopped Red Onion
1 / 2 cup Toasted Sunflower Seeds
1 / 2 cup Whole Oats
1 / 2 cup Wholewheat Bread Crumbs
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Soya or Tamari Sauce
1 tbsp Each: Cumin Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, Herbal Salt (powder mixed organic herbs/veggies with salt)
1 tbsp Baking Soda
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180degrees celsius
Put the flaxseeds into 1/3 cup of water, mix well and set aside for 10 minutes
Grind the oats and sunflower seeds in a food processor
In a big mixing bowl add beans and chickpeas and mash them until you have a thick puree. Some of the skin can stay in pieces. You can also use a hand blender but use it slowly and don’t over mash. Some chunkiness is good!
Add all the other ingredients and flaxseed with water. Mix well, taste and adjust the spice, salt and pepper
Wet your hands a bit and make about 8 patties
Bake them for 15 minutes and then turn them and bake the other sides another 15 minutes
Meanwhile prepare some sauce like guacamole and salsa! Use my guacamole recipe and try the salsa sauce form here

Baked Cauliflower Recipe

Ceylan Ayik — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 08:34:23 +0000

Baked Cauliflower Recipe | Turkish Kitchen

The Prettiest Cauliflower Recipe! We can even call is a cauliflower Birthday cake!! (no don’t try on teenagers!!)

I first tasted this in Barcelona in a great vegan restaurant in 2015! That trip changed my life as we had the seminar with @nutritionschool @joshuarosenthal and I decided to do Yoga teacher training.

Barcelona inspired me to be brave, creative and colourful again! I miss traveling soo much but for now we keep memories alive and travel with the food we cook at home!

This cauliflower taste will blow your mind and be a feast for the eyes! The tangly tahini sauce, colourful decoration and sweetness of pomegranate, crispy smoky pine nuts are the best combination.

Course Salad

Cuisine Turkish

Keyword Cauliflower, Salads

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Servings 3 people

Calories 240kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

1 Cauliflower
Olive Oil
1/2 cup Tahini
Spices: mint, pepper(red and black), cumin
1/2 Lemon juice
1 clove Garlic
1 cup Finely chopped parsley
1 cup Toasted pine nuts and pomegranates to decorate (Optional)
Salt and black pepper

Instructions

Put the oven to 180degree centigrades
Cover your cauliflower with olive oil and sprinkle your spices and salt
Bake it in the oven around 40-50minute, watch out the color towards the end, don’t over brown
Meanwhile, mix tahini with lemon juice, stir well and then add some water to make the consistency as you wish
Add mashed garlic into this and mix well
When cauliflower is baked, take it out of the oven and pour over the sauce and then decorate with parsley, pine nuts and pomegranates.

Notes

Plus sometimes you might want to try different versions of cauliflower, other then the almost too trendy cauliflower rice:) Here is a delicious salad that you can enjoy with a touch of Turkish cuisine a unique combination of flavors of pepper paste, mint and onion!

Have you tried Cauliflower pizza? Click to see my caulidlower pizza recipe now: Unbelievably Delicious Cauliflower Pizza

Mango Avocado Salsa Variation

Ceylan Ayik — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 12:36:06 +0000

Ahh this is one of my favorite salads these days!! Inspired from Deliciously Ella’s recipe, here is a unique combination of sweet&sour mango, creamy avocado, sweet cherry tomatoes, tingly red onions and lime, crispy almond flakes…ah what else? So easy and so tasty and colorful, you must add this to your list of must try salads!

Ingredients:

1 mango

2 avocados

8-10 cherry tomatoes

A handful of coriander or parsley and mint

2 red chilies (optional, I do not add it)

3 tbsp of olive oil

½ a juicy lime or 1 whole lime

2-3 tablespoons of almond flakes or pine nuts or any other nut you choose

Salt

Optional: 1 small red onion

Method:

-Toast the almond flakes and/or oine nuts in a small pan until they are lightly brown. Allow them to cool on a plate.

-Peel the mango using a veggie peeler to avoid losing water.

-Chop the red onions, tomatoes and mango into tiny pieces, then cut the avocados into similar-size pieces.

-Finely chop the coriander, parsley, mint and chili.

Mix everything gently together along with the lime juice, olive oil and salt. Serve with main meals or with baked whole wheat tortilla breads.

Pure Green Vegetable Soup

Ceylan Ayik — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 11:21:39 +0000

Another delicious and nutritious recipe, simple and detoxifying with all the goodness of vegetables! Ideal when you are on a detox program or juicing for sometime or just some evenings when you need to slow down and replace a big dinner with this warm bowl of green goodness!

Ingredients:

2 Onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1 teaspoon of fresh ginger and 1 teaspoon of turmeric (optional), grated
1 celery stick, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 big head of broccoli and/or cauliflower, chopped
1 cup of chopped spinach or kale
Any other non-starchy vegetables at home, like zucchinis, cabbage, mushrooms, asparagus, etc chopped in pieces.
2 Tablespoon of Olive oil
Salt& Pepper to taste and 1/4 teaspoons of cumin powder
Optional, juice of a half lemon
Water, to top the vegetables and a bit more

Method:

There are two ways to make this, one is putting everything together, add water as high as to cover vegetables and 2cm more, bring to boil and then simmer in low heat by about 10 minutes and then add lemon juice and blend or keep it chunky.

Add the olive oil at last to keep its nutrients fresh! This method is the healthiest form.

If you are in need of a tastier and more flavour dense soup, then first sauté the onions, celery, garlic and ginger in olive oil and a bit of water in your pot for a few minutes

Add the rest of vegetables and add your water depending on how dense you like the consistency.

Bring to boil and then simmer on low heat about 10 minutes. When veggies are soft enough, blend them all by adding the lemon juice as well.

Serve with finely chopped herbs, dried mint and/or red pepper flakes.

I also add a spoon of yogurt when I am in the mood for a creamier taste

Use toasted pumpkin seeds or boiled-baked/toasted chickpeas instead of bread croutons

If you want to make some changes to taste, add 1 teaspoon of pepper paste and 1/2 cup of tomato puree, with the onions and sauté them together. The sour-sweet-spicy taste adds a twist for sure!