Tag: nutritious

Baked aubergine with lemon dressing

Hello Moms,

This week I am sharing one of my favourite dishes, baked aubergine with lemon dressing… (or as it’s known across the pond – eggplant)

It’s really delicious and a hit in our household. It’s a perfect summer dish, which you can have as a starter, a side dish or even for lunch.  We normally add some french beans to make it a complete meal (I’ll share the french bean recipe in another post, as I think you’ll enjoy that one too). It’s also very quick to prepare so in no time you’ll have this one whipped up ;0

Lately, I’ve been craving aubergines and I always listen to my body if it’s craving a certain food… I’m so glad I have this recipe ;0

Did you know that the aubergine is actually classed as a berry and not a vegetable…  They are so good for us as they contain a tonne of nutrients, such as manganese, vitamin B1 &  B6, vitamin C, niacin, potassium, folate, vitamin K and copper. And, they are also a good source of dietary fibre.

The flavonoids found in aubergines play an important part in heart health, as they contain phenolic compounds which can actively reduce blood pressure. And, contained in the aubergine skin is a potent antioxidant called nasunin which prevents iron accumulation and neutralizes free-radicals!

So where’s the recipe I hear you say – here it is: 

Ingredients:

  • 2 large aubergines, cut into 1cm rounds
  • 2 tbsp tamari (fermented soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 2 lemons squeezed and half a rind of lemon
  • 200ml of kefir (fermented milk)/yoghurt or
  • For non-dairy/vegan option –  200ml of coconut yoghurt
  • Sea salt and black pepper

Garnish:

  • A small bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • 2 sprigs of fresh mint, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp of toasted cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds chopped and sprinkled over the dish
  • 1 red chilli sliced (optional)

Method:

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2 Spread the aubergine rounds on the baking tray. Mix the tamari, honey and
sesame oil in a bowl and pour evenly over the aubergine. Or if you have time, it’s nice to marinate in the fridge for a few hours before cooking.  Bake for 20–25 minutes
until soft and golden.

3 Meanwhile, mix the juice of the lemon and the lemon rind with the kefir/yoghurt, salt and pepper.

4 Place the aubergine rounds on a large serving dish. Drizzle over the lemon dressing
and garnish with the coriander, mint, chilli and toasted nuts/seeds.

So that’s all there is to it moms, let me know if you make this dish and what your thoughts are and/or whether you have a favourite aubergine dish in your house?

As always I love to hear from you, love and best wishes,

L X

Calorie Count: 343 per serving (this dish serves 2)

Credit:

Detox Kitchen

References:

Number 1

Number 2 

Number 3

Number 4

 

 

 

 

 

Ode to the Chickpea… quick and tasty chickpea & spinach curry

Hello lovely moms,

This week I am sharing another one of our favourite family recipes. Not only is this chickpea curry super tasty it’s also really nutritious! This recipe was sent to me by my beautiful niece Gracie (thank-you Gracie!) and when I first made it both her and my husband Rok were raving about it.

Honestly, over the years it has taken me a while to develop a taste for chickpeas,  however now, the more I make chickpea dishes the more I crave them.

Chickpeas are super nutritious, they’re a great source of plant-based protein along with fibre, iron, zinc, phosphorus and B vitamins! They have a host of benefits: for example, they are known for helping lower inflammation in the body, reduce oxidative stress and maintain blood pressure! In addition, they are especially beneficial for us ladies in balancing our hormones and also good for the prevention of wrinkles.

Pretty awesome in my opinion ;0

Also in this beautiful dish is spinach, another fave of ours, (we consume spinach at least once per day in our smoothies/juices) spinach is a powerhouse of nutrients such as folate, niacin, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K & iron.

It is also very beneficial for good eyesight and it protects the skin against harmful UV rays. Note, a recent study suggests that thylakoid found in spinach can curb cravings and hunger which can further help in weight loss.

So let me have the recipe I hear you say, well here it is:

  • 1 onion (or 2 small onions) roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • a thumb of ginger
  • 4-5 large tomatoes quartered  (or 1 jar of Passata)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1-X 400g tinned chickpeas drained and rinsed (or in my case, I use 2X 400g as I like to use a lot of chickpeas in this recipe 😉 )
  • 1 X small can of organic coconut cream
  • 100 g spinach
  • salt and pepper to season
  • half a lemon
  • coconut oil for frying

Method:

  1. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes to a food processor (or in my case I use my ninja blender) and process until smooth.
  2. Heat up coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat. Meanwhile, crush the mustard seeds and coriander seeds until fine.
  3. Fry all the spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, and mustard seeds) for two minutes.
  4. Stir in the blended sauce (tomato, onion, garlic, and ginger), and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.
  5. Add the coconut cream and chickpeas and heat through for 5-10 minutes.
  6. Season with a pinch of salt and drizzle lots of lemon juice, then add the spinach. Cook through until the spinach has wilted.
  7. Then serve with either rice or in my case I love serving with roasted potatoes (the Irish way ;0)
  8. Other options including adding 1 tsp of hot chili powder and serving with fresh coriander.

This is one of those dishes that’s even tastier the next day, that’s if you manage to keep leftovers… 🙂

So there you have it, Moms, as always love to hear from you… do you have any favourite chickpea dishes or, if you decide to give this dish a try, please let me know what you think?

Love and best wishes, L X

PS: Calorie Count (based on 4 servings) approx 344 calories/serving – note this excludes the roast potatoes ;0

Credits:

  1. We are so Vegan 
  2. The Happy Pear
  3. Yup its Vegan

Resources: