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Tag Archive recipes

Sweet Potato and Lentil Curry

Whenever I post a photo of this recipe that I had for dinner, people in my Fight Fatigue with Nutrition facebook group ask for the recipe! So I’ve written up the recipe for you! Here it is!

It’s nice to have warm, comforting meals in the cold winter evenings. This tasty sweet potato and lentil curry recipe is my favourite dinner to have at the weekend. Check out my similar butternut squash & lentil curry recipe here.

The brown rice is lower in sugar than white rice and as it is wholegrain it contains more B vitamins and magnesium.

Serves 2

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1tbsp Coconut Oil

1 Red Onion

1inch Root Ginger

¼ tsp Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt

¼ tsp Black Pepper

1/2 tbsp Ground Cumin

1/4 tsp Ground Coriander

1/4 tsp Ground Turmeric

300ml Passata

1/4 block Coconut Cream

125g  Red Lentils

1 Medium Sweet Potato

I large leaf Cavolo Nero

600ml Filtered Water

150g (75g/serving) Brown Rice

Instructions

Firstly melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan.

Now add the chopped onion, chopped ginger, salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander and turmeric and stir. Fry for 5 minutes or until the onions start to look clear.

Now cut off a quarter of the coconut cream block and place in the pan

Next add in the passata and water. Pour in the red lentils. Bring to the boil and then simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes stirring regularly. If it starts to dry up, add in extra water.

While the curry is cooking, soak the brown rice for 5 minutes. Then rinse and pour it into a pan of filtered water at the ratio 1:2 brown rice:water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 minutes on a low heat.

Finally cut up 2 inch by 1 cm pieces of the cavolo nero and add to the curry in the last 10 minutes.

Scoop half of the sweet potato and lentil curry onto a plate and serve with the brown rice. Enjoy!

Store leftover curry in the fridge for 24 hours. Freezable.

How To Go Dairy-Free

If you’re reading this, then you’re likely or are considering how to go dairy-free . You may have a food intolerance, have been told to eliminate dairy, or just want to have less of it.

Either way, dairy is not an essential nutrient, and there are lots of things you can have instead. Dairy foods include not just milk, but also yoghurt, butter, parmesan, and ice cream!

Calcium is important for bone health and there is a good amount in dairy products but don’t worry.  There are lots of other foods that contain calcium such as broccoli, almonds, tahini, salmon, collard greens and spinach.

Dairy-free products are becoming more and more popular. Nowadays you can easily find them in the grocery store. But read your labels! Some contain way too much sugar, or other ingredients you may not want to eat or drink.

Read below to learn how to go dairy-free.

I’ve put together some simple recipes to make delicious dairy-free foods right in your kitchen. Go ahead and try my dairy substitutes.

Delicious dairy-free milk

Dairy-free milk is so easy to make and flavour yourself. You can make milk out of just about any nut or seed. You can even make alternative milk out of grains like rice, oats, or quinoa. And you can flavour them too.

It just takes a high-powered blender, some water, and cheesecloth to filter out any remaining bits.

For flavouring, you can add a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, or vanilla extract. You can also sweeten your milk with soaked dates, maple syrup, or honey.

To make a super-simple dairy-free milk just soak ½ cup of almonds, cashew, coconut, or even hemp seeds for a few hours (if you have the time). Soaking is optional, but it makes the blending process easier and the final milk creamier. Then drain the soaking water, rinse, and add to a blender with 2 cups of fresh water. Blend on high until smooth (about 1 minute). Add your flavourings, if desired. Then strain through a nut milk bag, fine mesh strainer, or a few layers of cheesecloth.

If you want to make a dairy-free cream, just blend your nuts, seeds and/or grains with 1 cup of water instead of 2 for a thicker, creamier, dairy-free milk.

Delicious dairy-free yoghurt

Technically, with the right yoghurt starter probiotic culture, you can make yoghurt out of any dairy-free milk. The most common one to ferment into yoghurt is coconut milk. But you can use almond milk or other nut or seed milk.

The trick here is with the fermentation. Follow the instructions on the label of the yoghurt starter culture, and enjoy delicious dairy-free yoghurt in a few days.

Delicious dairy-free butter alternatives 

Have you tried coconut oil? It’s a great dairy-free substitute for butter. You can fry with it, or even bake with it. You can even use it to pop popping corn in a pot on your stove.

I love the mild flavour of coconut oil in anything I bake with bananas. It tastes better than butter anyway.

Delicious dairy-free parmesan

If you haven’t tried nutritional yeast, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much it tastes like grated parmesan. Plus, it contains some B vitamins as well.

It’s a salty, cheesy, flaky powder that you can use wherever you want to add a pop of savoury flavour to any dish.

TIP: After you’ve popped your popcorn, sprinkle it with a bit of nutritional yeast for a salty, cheesy flavour.

Delicious dairy-free puddings

Did you know you can make a delicious and thick pudding without dairy? That’s right; the plant kingdom has some natural thickeners that are full of fibre.

You can make a chocolate pudding with avocado. Take one whole avocado and blend it up with ¼ cup cocoa powder, ¼ cup dairy-free milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and honey or maple syrup to taste. Then add dairy-free milk to thin if desired.

For chocolate chia pudding, use ⅓ cup chia seeds and place in food processor with 1.5 cups dairy-free milk. Wait for 5-10 minutes until the seeds soak up the liquid. Then add ¼ cup cocoa powder, tsp vanilla extract, and honey or maple syrup to taste. Blend into a smooth pudding.

Delicious dairy-free ice cream

Chocolate almond ice cream is another delicious dessert made with frozen bananas. I’ve included the recipe for this below.

Conclusion

Dairy-free is easy! Making delicious dairy-free yoghurt, milk, butter, parmesan flavour, and even pudding and ice cream is simple.

Are you going to try any of these recipes? Do you have a great one to share as well?

Reply to this email and let me know.

Recipe (dairy-free): Chocolate Almond Ice Cream

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 bananas, chopped and frozen

1 tbsp cacao powder, unsweetened

2 tbsp almond butter, unsweetened

Instructions​​​​​​​

Add chopped frozen bananas to a food processor. Pulse or lightly blend until almost smooth. Add cacao powder and nut butter. Pulse or lightly blend until mixed.

Serve immediately & enjoy!

Tip: Try different nut and/or seed butter. Or instead of cocoa powder and/or seed butter, use just the bananas with a ½ cup of frozen berries. The recipe combinations are endless.

Finally for more information on how to go dairy free and dairy free substitutes, contact Kate to book an appointment today.

Golden Milk Recipe

Turmeric is a rhizome that grows under the ground like ginger. It has a rich, bright orange color and is used in many foods. Originally used in Southeast Asia, it’s a vital component for traditional curries. You can find dried powdered turmeric in the spice aisle of just about any grocery store. Sometimes they carry the fresh rhizome too (it looks like ginger root, but smaller).

Turmeric contains an amazing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant compound called “curcumin.” The amount of this bioactive compound is around 3-7% by weight of turmeric. Curcumin has been studied like crazy for its health benefits. Many of these studies test curcumin at up to 100x more than that of a traditional diet that includes turmeric.

Health Benefits of Turmeric

There are dozens of clinical studies using curcumin extract (which is way more concentrated than ground turmeric).

Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory compound. It fights inflammation at the molecular level. Some studies even show it can work as well as certain anti-inflammatory medications (but without the side effects).

Curcumin is an antioxidant compound. It can neutralise free radicals before they wreak havoc on our biomolecules. Curcumin also boosts our natural antioxidant enzymes.

These two functions of reducing inflammation and oxidation have amazing health benefits. Chronic inflammation plays a major role in so many conditions. Including heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, dementia, mood disorders, arthritis pain, etc.

Curcumin has other amazing functions too:

  • Boosts our levels of “Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor” (like a natural growth hormone for your brain) which is great for brain health.
  • Improves “endothelial” function” (the inner lining of our blood vessels) which is great for heart health.
  • Reduces growth of cancer cells by reducing angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors), metastasis (the spread of cancer), and even contributes to the death of cancer cells.

Do you think these make turmeric deserve the “miracle spice” title?

How to get the most out of your turmeric

Curcumin is not easily absorbed by your gut. For one thing, it’s fat soluble. So, as with fat-soluble nutrients (like vitamins A, D, E, and K), you can increase absorption by eating it with a fat-containing meal.

The second trick to get the most out of your turmeric is eating it with pepper. Interestingly, a compound in black pepper (piperine) enhances absorption of curcumin, by a whopping 2,000%!

Conclusion

Turmeric is a delicious spice, and it’s “active ingredient” curcumin is a great health-booster.

Curcumin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which are great to bust chronic inflammation. It also has other amazing health benefits, like brain- and heart-boosting properties, and even cancer-fighting properties.

Curcumin supplements can be great for your health, but they’re not for everyone. Check the label or speak with your practitioner before taking it.

I want to know: What’s your favourite turmeric recipe? Try my golden milk recipe and let me know in the comments below.

Golden Milk Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk
100ml hot water
1 ½ tsp turmeric, ground
¼ tsp cinnamon, ground
½ tsp honey

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan. Stir to combine.

Warm over medium heat, stirring frequently. Heat until hot, but not boiling.

Serve & enjoy!

Tip: You can substitute 2 cups of almond milk instead of the 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup water.

Photo by Osha Key on Unsplash

Dairy-Free Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe

One of my clients came up with this idea! She was looking for a way to make a healthy dessert. So she combined Coyo Vanilla Coconut yoghurt with flaxseed and blueberries to create this tasty and healthy treat! This dairy-free blueberry cheesecake recipe takes 5 minutes to put together and only has 4 ingredients! It is a great solution for a tasty dessert for those with lactose intolerance. It is also gluten-free!

The health benefits of the ingredients in the dairy-free blueberry cheesecake recipe

  • Flaxseed – contain omega 3 ALA, fibre and is a phytoestrogen to balance hormones in the menopause.
  • Coconut yoghurt – contains live vegan cultures to give you good bacteria to support digestion in the gut.
  • Blueberries – are rich in antioxidants called polyphenols to reduce free radical damage in the body, great for anti-ageing! They also contain vitamin C to fight infections.

 

Ingredients

2 tbsp Ground Flaxseed

6 tbsp Coyo Vanilla Coconut Yoghurt

10g Blueberries

1tsp Honey

Instructions

Firstly place the ground flaxseed into a 3 inch dessert dish. Smooth down with the back of a spoon until the flaxseed forms the flat base of the cheesecake.

Now add in the coconut yoghurt. Again flatten down the top of the layer with the back of a spoon.

Now place the blueberries on top of the coconut yoghurt until the whole top layer is completely covered.

Next drizzle the honey over the blueberries to sweeten the cheesecake.

Finally place the cheesecake in the fridge to set for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Water Kefir Recipe

You can make this water kefir recipe at home. If you are intolerant to lactose in dairy, this water kefir recipe is a good option to get your daily dose of probiotics. It will save you money buying probiotic supplements or kefir yoghurts as you can make it yourself. This water kefir recipe is simple to make but requires you to strain it every 2-3 days.

Benefits of Probiotics

  • Improve your digestion
  • Prevent overgrowth of bad bacteria in your gut e.g. Candida
  • Boost your mood

Ingredients

2tbsp Kefir grains

500ml Filtered water

2tbsp Brown sugar

Instructions

Firstly in a large 1 litre glass jar, dissolve the sugar in 100ml hot water. When the sugar is dissolved add the remaining cold water. make sure the water is room temperature.

Now add the kefir water grains into the jar and cover the top of the jar with a muslin cloth. The kefir grains are living organisms and feed on the sugar to ferment it.

Leave the jar in a warm, dark place such as an airing cupboard for 2-3 days. Do not leave it for too long or it can starve the grains if there is no sugar left. The longer you leave it, the more acidic the taste is.

After 2-3 days strain the mixture through a small sieve into another glass jar. You can now drink the kefir liquid and store it in the fridge. Try a small glass to see if you like it and if it agrees with you. Keep the kefir grains to reuse.

Wash the fermenting jar and repeat the process again.

If you are going away you can freeze the kefir grains and defrost them to start the process again on your return.