One of the reasons why I love the colder months so much is because, like with that whole ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ spiel – with great coldness, comes great cosiness. Woolly sweaters, thick tights, giant scarves, I mean, I’m talking about gloves here people. What better meal to tuck into than this hearty warming vegan chilli recipe – just make sure you don’t spill any of it on your new winter white sweater.
Sunday is one of my favourite days of the week for many reasons, one of the main reasons is because for me, it’s about cooking a great big roast or stew to enjoy with my loved ones and get all charged up for the week ahead. This beef stew is hearty and comforting, perfect for the autumn and winter season. I enjoyed it with a glass of red wine and corn on the cob, a truly healthy winter comfort food recipe!
I’m going to make a big dramatic statement here – if you have not had golden beetroot, you simply have not lived. I don’t care how you want to have it, just have it. It is so versatile and have some great nutritional benefits like calcium and fibre. Most importantly though, they are literally golden, making them as pretty as they are healthy. My golden Beetroot Recipe with Fig Dressing is a great as a side salad to a big lunch or dinner or as a main. If you want to keep it vegan, make it exactly as it is in the recipe below. If you are a meat eater, try adding some prosciutto ham and goats cheese.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Summer is great for food, I’m talking frozen yogurt, enjoying the long summer nights while eating outside, picnics in the park, etc. yeah, yeah, that’s all very well and good. Well, bad news Summer, Autumn is coming and I couldn’t be happier! It’s cosy and there is cinnamon, red wine and apples EVERYWHERE. Yes, I know you can technically have all of those things in Summer too but in Autumn, it just feels so right.
This Healthy Blue Cheese and Roasted Walnut Salad with Apple Cider Dressing salad has roasted walnuts, Danish blue cheese and chopped red apples, topped with an apple cider vinegar dressing. It only takes 15 minutes to whip up and goes perfectly with a glass of red wine.
I love having this light salad for dinner because it is super easy to throw together, taking only about 15 mins to prepare and cook and leaves me feeling full but not too heavy. The zesty lemon and olive oil dressing in this summer salad go perfectly with the nutty parmesan cheese and pine nuts. This salad also works as a great lunch to take to work so if you are making this for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow, simply double quantities in the ingredient list below. TIP: keep the dressing in the fridge, adding only to the salad in the morning of the next day so the rocket doesn’t become soggy overnight.
Ah cottage pie, is there anything in this world more comforting than cottage pie? There certainly is not! Okay, maybe I have said that about a lot of my recipes, but seriously guys, put your pjs on and eat this out of a bowl in bed while binge watching Netflix and you are in for a real treat. A real treat which is high in protein and coated in a layer of creamy broccoli and topped off with a layer of melted cheese – HELLO!
So apparently it’s ‘summer’ in London right now, I use quotation marks around the word Summer because I am currently wrapped up in a blanket and have been wearing a jacket and thick tights for the past week. This unseasonably cold weather, or I suppose I should say seasonally cold weather since it is England we’re talking about here, put me in the mood for the good ol’ trusty eat it in bed while in your pyjamas classic, the chicken soup.
The thing that really makes a salad is not the tomato, the seeds or even the lettuce leaf – sorry, guys – it’s the dressing! I like to make a big batch of this dressing and keep it in the fridge for emergency salad situations or you know, like a Tuesday lunch time.
Ingredients
juice of 1 and ½ lime
2 tablespoons of tahini
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of honey
2.5 tablespoons of water
Method
In a small bowl, pour in the tahini, lime juice, garlic and honey and then stir to form a thick paste. Mix in the water one tablespoon at a time so you can control how thick the dressing is.
