Brown Lentil Curry

I always make 2 batches of this dish (just double up the ingredients) so that I can freeze into portions and take out when needed. This can be done with all the lentils I cook. A serving of delicious brown lentil curry over cauliflower rice or with sweet potato wraps as a chapatti substitute.

Ingredients

5 cups of brown lentils

2 medium onions

vegetable stock

half jar of passata

3 cloves of garlic,thumb size piece of garlic,green chillies according to heat wanted and make into a paste.

tbsp of jeera (cumin)

2 x tsp of turmeric powder

tbsp of rock salt

2 x tbsp of garam masala

tbsp of rock salt

vegetable stock

coconut oil

fresh coriander

Instructions

Rinse the lentils and soak for 12 hours. Then put them in a pan and add 3 to 4 cups of vegetable stock water, quarter tsp turmeric powder. Do not add salt at this point as it makes the lentils take longer to soften. Bring to a boil and skim off any scum that floats to the surface then turn the heat down and allow the lentils to continue simmering gently until they are tender. This could take 1 to 2 hours of not using a pressure cooker. Add half a tsp of salt, mix and then turn the heat off, do not drain. Just cover and set aside.

In another pan add the coconut oil and cumin seeds. Next add the chopped onions and remainder of salt and fry until golden brown then add the garlic, ginger paste and chilli and stir until aromatic. Add the tomato and the remainder of the turmeric powder (1 tsp). Cook this down until the tomatoes are thick and cooked through. Then add the sauce to the lentils and water that you set aside. Stir and adjust salt. Turn on a low heat, cover and allow to simmer on low heat until the flavours are well infused and the lentils are thick and creamy.

Finally sprinkle some chopped fresh coriander. Serve with cauliflower rice or sweet potato wraps to act as rotis, or make some fresh rotis if you feel adventurous and enjoy.

Superfoods in my cupboard

I posted the above picture on Instagram. This blog is more of a detailed description of what those superfoods are in my kitchen cupboard.

This selection has been bought over time and replenished when used. I would suggest you start off with a few basics the suit your needs. See how you start feeling once adding some foods to your daily diet. A little and often is the best way start. Nutrition requirements are going to be different from person to person so always seek advise from your nutrition physician before changing or adding to your diet.

I want to emphaise that I only use good quality products. Health and food is not something I scrimp on in our household. I much rather buy quality knowing the products are from a reputable source and when ever possible, organic.

Superfood list

Wheatgrass
Spirulina
Chlorella
Acai powder
Hemp protein powder
Hemp seeds
Maca powder
Organic white mulberries
Organic gogi berries
Organic cocao nibs
Organic cacao powder
Organic chia seeds
Flaxseeds, sunflower & pumpkin seeds mix
Flaxseeds, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts 7 co –enzyme Q10 mix
Flax, sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds & gogi berries mix
Organic Turmeric
Organic Collagen

Choosing to be plant based eater.

Raw meat jacket

This short post is not at all a way to preach the plant based way but more to give you a very short insight to how this began for me. It started as a health journey but naturally the welfare benefits of a plant based diet became more important to me and ethically it was a good decision for me to make.

When I was about 21 years old I had a food allergy test done in a local health food store and one of the things I tested positive for was being lactose intolerant amongst other things. I tried soya milk as a cows milk alternative for a while (meaning a few cups of tea the same day and the next day) and gave up easily saying it was not nice, I did not like it and I returned to cows milk and my usual dairy eating ways.

The only meat I really liked was a lamb curry as well as a real weakness for lamb kebabs, hot chutney with salad in a nan bread (really, it was very tasty I promise). Although, saying that, I did eat all meats but often felt sick after doing so. I always left my meat to the end when eating a meal and if we ate out I often always chose the vegetarian option.

About 4 years ago I had watched a documentary about a community in USA that were vegans and they were living longer than most and were happier and healthier. I always remembered the documentary and thought ‘wow’ and at the same time ‘that must be so difficult’. I thought nothing of it and carried on with my animal protein, animal protein and more animal protein meals and diet shakes throughout the years. Just like the way we are told to, right? I mean, I felt ok and just carried on.

In November 2017, my family and I lost my auntie aged 53 years to bowel and ovarian cancer. Seeing what she went through during her last weeks in hospital, physically and mentally changed the way I saw my own body. There was no transplant or cure for this, as naive as it sounds I thought most parts of the body could be transplanted by donor parts. How wrong was I. The smell of cancer and a rotting bowel was the same smell as the roast chicken dinner that my husband (such a sweetheart) cooked for me one night when I returned from the hospital visiting my auntie. The thought of loosing my auntie to cancer and then the smell of the dead chicken made me heave. That was the last time I ate meat.

The transition went from being a vegetarian for 3 months and feeling so much better to waking up one day and deciding I don’t want to eat eggs and dairy as opposed to “I am turning plant based” statement. It felt like this was correct thing to do for my body. So I chose the plant based way.

For me a this diet works. I only wish I had done it years ago. The health and energy benefits are amazing and I will put together another blog about how this has changed my health for the better.

So if you are considering a plant based diet, I couldn’t recommend it enough.