All posts filed under: Dinner

Grounding Root Veg with Mint, Orange and Za’atar

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If you haven’t heard of za’atar before, fear not – it is not an exclusive fruit, vegetable, grain or seed that is super expensive and hard to find. It’s a spice blend, which you can make yourself very easily! It has a nutty texture and a sweet yet sour lemony taste. This is actually one of the simplest recipes I have posted on this blog, and the prep is simply some peeling, chopping and sprinkling and then bam – the oven does the rest of the work. It’s the type of meal you can make lots of and keep for a few days and doesn’t require much brain nor body, yet it’s incredibly healing. I’ve made this dinner to be a grounding, nurturing, comforting yang meal, with uplifting herbs and spices to bring balance. As potatoes are a complex carbohydrate, they are incredibly calming – they bring that full, warm, comforted feeling. Beetroot is full of iron, which will help prevent that exhausted, achy, weak fatigue. Carrots are full of anti-oxidant vitamin A which will keep …

Mushroom, Clove and Black Bean Healing Chili

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I made this for my lovely partner Matt when he was suffering from a bout of what he was calling “pathetic – itus”. You know  after you exert yourself in ALL OF THE WAYS, and then suddenly have time to relax, and in that time you fall ill? I think he was fully deserving of the time and space to go through the inevitable bout of pathetic-itus, as he had just finished a Masters degree WHILST being my rock in a long-distance relationship whilst I am grieving (if that isn’t one-in-a-million, I’m not sure what is). I put in here what I know to be extremely healing for your body when you’re not quite at your peak: anti-fungal garlic, anti-oxidant rich mushrooms, stimulating cayenne, anti-microbial cloves and anti-bacterial red onion. ALL of the anti’s, in one hearty, delicious dish, with black beans and rice. Mmmm. Garlic really is incredible. It’s a ‘diaphoretic’, which means it increases perspiration. When infections like colds and flu (or pathetic-itus) rise in the body, diaphoretics are invaluable as they promote the eliminations …

Baked Sweet Potato with Curried Chickpeas, Greens and Hummus

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I made this for my gorgeous partner Matt before he went off to do an overnight swimming race (3x 30 minutes of swimming from 8.00PM until 6.00AM the next day! Where does he get the motivation?!). This is a lovely, filling, satisfying dinner with lots of calming complex carbohydrates, filling and sustaining fibre and lots of protein. The sweet potato is decadent and creamy and the curried chickpeas have the kick of ginger, cayenne and turmeric and a small kiss of cardamom. Hummus is a given as it goes well with anything, and once you mix in the tangy, crunchy mixed leaves, you’ve got an all round winner. Also, it’s really simple: bung the sweet potato into the oven for 45 minutes, saute the chickpeas in the spices and then throw them onto your plate along with the salad and hummus and boom. Demolish. Does anyone else get “food happies”? After particular food, I literally feel euphoric! I know I am hyper sensitive, but I’m pretty sure others get it too. Not from overstuffing yourself, …

Roasted Beetroot and Lentil Bounty Bowl

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Sometimes I stand in front of the fridge buzzing with ideas with my mind whirring like an old Acer laptop with a million tabs open. Other days I will look at my wilting veg box with an empty tummy and an even emptier mind. When I created this recipe, I had some pretty old green onions, some sad looking beetroots and a sweet potato going soft on me. I hadn’t thought of anything new for this blog for a while and to be honest, the sorry sight of my veg box didn’t fill me with excitement and joy. Something clicked, though – imagine a camera close up to my eyes looking at the beetroot, darting to the right and looking at the nuts and seeds, then a close up of the lentils and suddenly – ping! Eyes widen and a lightbulb appears above my head. Beetroot and lentils and toasted nuts and green things!!! Enter your new favorite abundance bowl – Roasted  beetroots, parsley, green onions, lentils, toasted nuts, with a ginger and lime dressing. It’s …

Ayurvedic Spiced Butternut Lentil Stew

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I’ve been reading about Ayurvedic spices recently and I am enchanted. I am overjoyed at how simple it can be to turn my kitchen into a little ‘good for you’ clinic, full of spices that help with various ailments such as physical aches and pains, low mood, headaches and even itchiness… Ayurveda is a 5000 year old holistic system of natural healing originating from India. It stems from two words: ‘Aya‘ meaning ‘Life’ and ‘Veda‘ meaning ‘Study’ or ‘Knowledge of’.  The knowledge of life! It reminds us that health is a vital balance and integration of mind, body, spirit and environment (right up my street!). From the Ayurvedic perspective, low mental health is caused by a lack of co-ordination of the individual’s senses, thoughts and emotions. Whilst using spices on their own won’t magically balance you right away, it’s a very forward step on the way to good balance and integration of mind, body and spirit and should be done regularly. I have been experimenting with using Ayurvedic spices in my cooking whilst being mindful and grateful while I …

Kale & Cannellini Bean Stuffed Sweet Potato with an Avocado-Garlic-Dill-Cashew Dressing

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This is a tasty, simple and filling recipe that will calm your nerves, sooth your knotted stomach, remove that lump in your throat and give you a hug from the inside. Sweet potatoes are wonderful for that. A calming complex carbohydrate full of folate and B6, this will help to ground you and bring back a some balance. Eating foods high in B6 will help reduce your symptoms, irritability and low mood. It has a high level of beta-carotene; diets low in beta-carotene have been linked with chronic fatigue and depression. Rich in iron, sweet potato will prevent that exhausted, weak, achy feeling that comes with low iron levels in the blood. For more iron, fiber, protein and magnesium (all extremely beneficial for treating depressive symptoms), I’ve added kale and cannellini beans to the mix. The magic is in the sauce, however – avocados (yay, tryptophan!), cashews (yay, magnesium and more tryptophan!), garlic and apple cider vinegar makes for a delicious, creamy sauce that’s beneficial for your mind and body. Cashews are an incredible for balancing your …

All-Purpose Lazy Vegan Black Bean & Sweet Potato Dish (one pan)

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There’s a reason I’ve called this dish all-purpose.  It’s hearty, warming, satisfying and goes with just about anything. If you’re making this dish for just yourself, it will last you for 5 lunches, or 4 dinners. It can be eaten in literally a multitude of ways: Lunch:  On a bed of spinach On it’s own with a dollop of soured cream With zoodles (zucchini noodles!) On toast In wholemeal pitta bread with hummus and leafy greens Watered down as a soup Dinner: On a bed of rice/spaghetti/pasta/millet In burritos As a nacho dip As a lasagna filling As a side or starter As a casserole mixture Have any other ideas? Comment below! The possibilities with this one are endless. It’s super easy to make, too. It’s all done in one pan: The two main fillings that gave this dish it’s uniqueness is the sundried tomatoes and grated sweet potato. Grating sweet potato into dishes makes the sauce extra creamy. I love it. How is this good for your mind? The first thing I can tell you about this dish is that it …