Hey Everyone, I hope your day has been well.
Although the new year was technically the start of January, I always feel like April is the proper start to the new year. April/spring feels more like the time when you want to make those changes, clear out the clutter and make way for new things. The flowers all start blooming, the days are longer and lighter and everyone is just much happier 😊
By the end of December and start of January people put so much pressure on themselves to set resolutions, become a different /evolved person but it’s still cold at this time and most people just want to stay at home and be wrapped up and cosy…
If you didn’t manage to stick to your new years resolutions, start again now! I’ve not long rearranged my furniture and packed away those thermals to make way for the lighter clothing items. Interestingly though, as I write this, it’s actually quite a gloomy, rainy day but we have to accept the balance of the weather.
Thanks for reading, A
Green lentil and vegetable stew
Hey Everyone, I hope your day has been well.
This stew was full of green vegetables and simple to make. The potatoes were really tasty as they’d soaked up all the flavours and it makes for a delicious midweek meal when your short for time but still want something filling and healthy. I served this stew with air fried dumplings but rice or flatbreads would go just as well.
Makes 2 portions
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
1/4 onion, diced
Pinch of salt
Sprinkle of curry powder
1 tsp tomato puree
60g green lentils, soaked over night or for a few hours
2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
500ml coconut milk (may need to add more liquid)
Handful of broccoli, cut into florets
Handful of garden peas
Handful of kale
Pinch of chilli powder
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions once hot, cooking for a few minutes until soft.
- Next sprinkle over the salt, curry powder and tomato paste cooking for 2 minutes.
- Mix in the lentils, potato and milk then leave on a gentle simmer for 10-12 minutes until the lentils and potato are both cooked – keep checking the liquid as you may need to add more.
- Turn to a low heat adding in the broccoli, peas, kale and chilli powder cooking for a further 5 minutes.
- Once everything is fully cooked, serve and enjoy!
What is your favourite type of stew?
Thanks for reading, A
Roasted sweet potato and broccoli wraps
Hey Everyone, I hope your day has been well.
This wasn’t really something I cooked but a simple throw together dish that tasted amazing! And a nice lunch or dinner idea when you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen. The sweet potato and broccoli were seasoned then oven roasted, the broccoli got a bit over done but it gave the tops a nice crisp. Very easy to assemble and nutritious! The only thing I would do next time is add a drizzle of lemon juice for a zesty/citrus flavour.
I had some sweet potato leftover which I added to my salad the next day!
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
Large handful of broccoli, cut into florets
Spray oil
2 tbsp hummus
Sprinkle of sesame seeds, pinenuts and sunflower seeds
Method
- Preheat the oven to gark mark 5 and place an oven tray inside.
- In the meantime, prepare the broccoli and sweet potato and place in a bowl. Spray with oil and sprinkle over the seasonings. Place onto the preheated oven tray and roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes until cooked through.
- Once the vegetables are almost done, place the tortillas in the oven for a couple of minutes just ta warm up then take out and spread with hummus and sprinkle over the nuts and seeds. Enjoy!
What’s your favourite vegetarian filling for wraps?
Thanks for reading, A
Homemade carrot and lentil soup
Hey Everyone, I hope your day has been well.
Today I’m sharing another vegetarian dish I made recently. A deliciously warming, carrot and lentil soup. I’ve added extra vegetables like sweetcorn, peas, and kale just to give the soup more depth and overall it’s really nice.
It’s warmed up quite a bit now we are almost coming to the end of March but I’ll still make a soup every now and then. This soup has a nice crunchy layer on top from the nuts and seeds, the soup itself was not as thick as I would have liked so perhaps next time I will blend the mixture before adding the final vegetables. Overall, it was a nice dish, very filling and lots of flavour.
Makes 2 portions
Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1/4 onion, diced
1 tsp garlic puree
Sprinkle of paprika, turmeric and cumin
1 tsp tomato puree
300g carrots, grated
70g green lentils, soaked for a few hours
500ml vegetable stock
50ml coconut milk
Sprinkle of chilli powder (optional)
Handful of sweetcorn, peas and kale
Walnuts, pinenuts and sesame seeds
Methods
- Heat the butter in a pot and once hot, add the onion cooking until soft.
- Next add the garlic, tomato puree, paprika, turmeric and cumin.
- Stir in the carrot, lentils, stock, milk and chilli powder leaving on a gentle simmer for 10-15 minutes until the lentils are fully cooked (it also depends how soft you want them)
- Sprinkle in some chilli powder and a handful of sweetcorn, peas and kale leaving on a low heat for a few minutes.
- Finally serve in a bowl and sprinkle over with the nuts and seeds. Enjoy!
What’s your favourite type of vegetable soup?
Thanks for reading, A
Tomato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry
Hey Everyone, I hope your day has been well.
Every now and then, I like to set myself little food challenges so I’m currently eating no chocolate for lent, which is quite difficult as so many items have chocolate in them and chocolates are everywhere, but aside from that it’s going well. I decided to cut down on chocolate for a while as I was eating quite a bit of it and felt like my body needed a break, don’t get me wrong I’m still eating sweet things but not as much as before.
For March I decided I won’t be eating meat! I don’t know if I would ever eventually go vegetarian but it’s nice to cut out meat every now and them and make sure the diet is still filled with vegetables, grains and pulses that provide the body will all essential nutrients. Over the years, I have naturally cut down on meat and I make much more vegetable based recipes so it won’t be as difficult as the last time. I think ordering food and eating out will be most different as I’ll have to think more about what I want / where to eat.
Today I’m sharing a delicious chickpea and vegetable recipe that is filled with so much flavour!! In the past I’ve always used dried chickpeas (I have heard they are supposed to be better than tinned) but tinned cooks so much better and they actually go soft and mushy which is such a lovely texture along with the flavours of cumin, coriander, honey and garlic.
The radish salad is a little addition as I had a few left in the fridge but it also provides a nice crunchy texture.
Ingredients
Serves 2 portions
1 tbsp oil
1/3 red onion, diced
1 tsp garlic puree
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp honey
3/4 tin chickpeas
Sprinkle of curry powder, chilli powder, cumin and coriander
2 large handfuls of spinach
Rice
Butter
Dried herbs
Radish salad
3 radish
1 tbsp pinenuts, sesame seeds, sunflower
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped
Method
1. Prepare the salad and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and once hot, add the onions cooking for a few minutes until soft and sprinkle over some curry powder, cumin, coriander and chilli powder.
3. Next add the garlic, tomato and honey leaving on a gentle simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Cook the rice according to packet, I like adding in butter and herbs for more flavour.
5. Add the chickpeas, coconut milk and spinach on a medium heat for 10 minutes allowing some of the liquid to reduce. Keep checking to make sure the liquid doesn’t all reduce!
6. Once everything is done, portion the rice on a plate, give the chickpeas a final stir and place next to the rice with the salad on the side. Enjoy
What other ingredients do you like with your chickpea curry?
Thanks for reading, A
ablovesfood 