fitnessandfood

I love sweet potatoes.  I never had them with marshmallows at Thanksgiving growing up, and the very idea of marshmallows on sweet potatoes frightens me.  Marshmallows should go on s’mores and nowhere else.  This recipe is a quick dinner that can be cooked in less than half an hour, and is full of protein, iron, and fiber from the chickpeas, and the sweet potato packs a huge punch of vitamin A, C, and beta-carotenes.

Curried Chickpeas and Sweet Potato

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and stir, thoroughly coating them with the oil.  Add the salt, pepper, cumin, curry powder, and coriander, stirring to make sure the spices do not burn.  Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, and chili and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.  Add the potatoes and water and bring to a simmer.  Cover and reduce the heat to low, cooking for 15 minutes and adding more water if necessary.  Stir in the chickpeas and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh parsley.

Can be served over rice, quinoa, or cooled and used as a wrap filling or fry as croquettes.

Spinach is a wonderful stable to have in your fridge or freezer - I had cubes of frozen spinach to soups and stews to increase the nutrition content, I always include baby spinach in my fresh salads, and spinach makes a wonderful counterpoint to beans and grains.  This recipe is loosely Spanish, and results in a warm chickpea salad perfect as a side dish or on its own, served on toast with a glass of wine as an appetizer or light meal.

I know a lot of people shy away from cooking beans from scratch, but it really isn’t that difficult.  Investing in a pressure cooker is a great idea if you use a lot of beans and pulses; you’ll save lots of money cooking them from scratch rather than out of cans, and you can monitor the salt and sugar content for yourself.

Having a well-stocked fridge and pantry are a huge help in preparing healthy, tasty food on a regular basis.  If you routinely come home to a fridge devoid of food apart from condiments and that container of who knows what from who knows when, chances are you’ll be reaching for the delivery menus more than you’d like.

Here are a list of my favourite staples for whipping up a quick and healthy meal.

 And my secret indulgence?  Vegetarian chicken nuggets in the freezer!

Peanuts (or groundnuts) are used often in African cuisine, usually pureed into pastes like peanut butter and added as a thickener to soups, stews and sauces.  This soup is bursting with veggie goodness in the form of sweet potato, pepper, and spinach.  The peanut butter ups the protein, while the ginger and chili give it nice warming heat for a cold January day.

West African Peanut Stew

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the onion, pepper, garlic, ginger and chili and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.  Add the water, tomatoes, tomato puree, sweet potato, thyme, cumin and salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heatand cook for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the peanut butter and stir until it is blended.  Add the spinach and return to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and stir in the fresh parsley.

Ladle the stew into bowls and serve on its own or with rice or couscous.

*adapted from 150 Vegan Favourite by Jay Solomon

It’s that time of year, when everyone around you is sniffling and coughing, and if you haven’t had it already chances are you will catch the cold doing the rounds.  I’ve had it, and undoubtedly will get another bout before the winter’s out.  I have a recipe for a hot drink that will soothe your throat, help you breathe, and if you believe in herbal remedies will expectorate that nasty phlegm in your head and chest.  I introduced my family to my secret recipe as they all lay dying on the sofa over the holidays.  My dad was an instant convert (he’d never turn down someone else making tea), and my sister enjoyed it and its alcoholic cousin the hot toddy (see her post here).

Variations: in place of thyme, add a pinch of ground clove and a cinnamon stick to stir; instead of honey use agave or maple syrup; instead of lemon juice try orange.

I was visiting a friend in Berlin a few years ago, and she took me to a small bar in Prenzlauerberg with the promise of the best soup I’ve ever had.  Out came a steaming bowl of thick orange soup, with enough ginger to clear my sinuses and a creamy coconut-y texture.  I was hooked, and spent the next few months trying to recreate the soup.  This is my recipe.

Ingredients

Heat a small amount of oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, seasoning well and stirring.  When the onions begin to soften, but before they colour, add the spices, carrots and potato.  When the spices become aromatic, add the red lentils and ginger and stir briefly before adding the broth or water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently for an hour.  Remove from the heat and, using an immersion blender or feeding into batches into a blender or cuisinart, blend to a creamy consistency.  Return to the pan and add the coconut milk, bringing back up to heat.  Taste and season again if necessary.  Serve with crusty bread and salad for a warming and healthy winter meal. 

I’m not generally a fan of bars because I feel that they usually contain a lot of ingredients with which I am unfamiliar, as well as a lot of hidden sugar.  That’s until I came across Nakd Bars , a 100% natural bar made of unsweetened dried fruits, nuts, rolled oats and spices.  And that’s it, no other ingredients!  These bars are vegan, raw, contain no refined sugar, pack in the fibre and unbelievably they taste really good.

They come in Berry Cheeky, Banana Bread, Apple Pie and Cocoa Loco.  Although all the flavours are good, I think the Apple Pie is the best.  With a hint of cinnamon, the chewy texture of dried apples, and the rolled oats it really is like a pie in bar form.

I am also happy to report that these are kid tested - my niece and nephew love them!

Something about cold, dark, and in Scotland perpetually wet winter nights just make me crave hot stews and soups.  This dish ticks all the boxes, and with its salty capers and acidic orange brings a taste of the Mediterranean into a drab and dull winter.  This dish can be served as a side or on its own as a light stew.

Carrots with Thyme and Orange

 Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan on medium high heat.  Wash/peel the carrots and chop into half-inch pieces.  When the pan is hot, add the carrots to the pan along with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the carrots start to develop colour.  Remove the carrots from the pan and set aside.  Return pan to heat, add more oil if necessary, and then add the sliced onions and celery to the pan.  Once the onions begin to soften, but before browning, chop and add the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, capers, tomatoes, orange and veggie broth to the pan.  Bring up to heat and then add the carrots back to the pan.  Lower the heat and cover the pan, simmering until carrots are soft, about 30-40 minutes.  Add chopped parsley before serving.

I find the holidays immensely difficult to navigate, what with the buffets, the parties, the drink, the nibbles, the chocolate, and the “oh-go-on-just-have-one” attitude of the candy pushers.  As a vegetarian I’m doubly burdened, for I must also endure enless “I heard we were having a vegetarian round so I went out back to collect some grass clippings for you” to “oh yes, this turkey’s vegetarian *tee hee*” jokes (mostly from my grandfather).  But all is not lost, for it is possible to enjoy festive treats without having to punch another hole in your belt.  This post is a round-up of tasty treats in blogworld.

One way to avoid the cream-laden treats is to prepare vegan baked goods.  Now, before you cringe, vegan doesn’t necessarily mean tasteless and it doesn’t necessarily mean healthy.  What is does mean is less saturated fat, oftentimes less sugar, and safety in knowing that you aren’t laying brick in your arteries with each cookie you consume.

First up is Celine from Have Cake, Will Travel with her moorish Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies .

Carrots ‘N’ Cake has healthy, easy Christmas Morning Muffins that have me drooling.

Vegan Dad has developed a winter warmer in the form of Winter Vegetable Pie , which will make you nostalgic for your mom’s chicken pot pie.

And for the adventurous, Fat-Free Vegan’s Eggnog Cheesecake, which knocks quite a few calories off of its more traditional cousin.

And for the meat and milk loving among you:

Chocolate and Zucchini’s Flourless Poppy Seed Cake brings back fond memories of my grandma’s traditional Poppyseed Bread, made once a year for Christmas breakfast.  My sister tries to replicate the recipe, but alas, has not my grandma’s soft touch with dough.

Whether it’s with hummous as a starter or party dish, or with cheese after the meal, everyone needs a good staple cracker for entertaining.  Some of the artisan crackers can be ridiculously expensive considering the ingredients (primarily flour, water and salt), so who could resist making your own (healthy) crackers?  Smitten Kitchen shows you how with her spelt everything crackers .