Lentil & Kale Soup

With another cold, wet day outside and my eldest daughter home sick with a nasty cold, I felt a hearty, warming soup was just what the doctor ordered. So I used what I had in the pantry and fridge, and came up with this delicious soup. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, diced
1 large stalk of celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tins lentils, drained and rinsed
750ml - 1L vegetable stock
Small bunch of kale, finely sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves

Method:

Over medium heat, add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pot and gently fry for about 5 minutes, or until soft.
Add the kale, allow to soften for a minute or two.
Add the tomatoes, lentils, stock, oregano and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer (covered) for 10-15 minutes.
Use a stick blender to roughly process the soup, or transfer half to a blender and blent till smooth. Return to the pot and gently reheat before serving with crusty bread or toast.

Beautiful black bean brownies

Beans! Who knew? I was keen to try a healthy variation on an old favourite, and came across a recipe that uses black beans in place of flour in a brownie. My kids love chocolate (particularly my youngest, Stella) and I wanted to make them something delicious, but nutritious and healthy as well.

Today started with Sofia waking up with a fever, so I kept her home from school today. It was a miserable, rainy day outside too, so I cancelled all my appointments and decided to embrace my enforced downtime. And where better than in the kitchen, huh? I find it so therapeutic to cook and I love trying new things, so here we go - see if this doesn't impress you. A brownie that tastes yummy, but has added fibre and protein, no refined sugar or dairy, and is wheat-free? Indeed!

Ingredients:

2 cups tinned black beans, drained and rinsed
2 large, organic eggs
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar, or xylitol
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup cocoa
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup coconut flakes + more for sprinkling

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C (or 160C fan-forced), and grease a square baking pan. Line with baking paper, or brush with coconut oil.
Add all the ingredients to your blender and whizz until very smooth. This mixture can be quite dense, so do this in stages if you need to.
Pour the mixture into your baking pan, smooth out the top and sprinkle with the extra coconut flakes.
Bake for around 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean.

Almond milk - practised and perfected!

My family loves almond milk and I've been making it for a few months, changing things here and there from my original recipe and making it perfect. Now it's time to share it!

Almond milk is a healthy alternative to dairy milk, and is just as creamy and delicious (more so, actually!). Having cut a lot of dairy from my diet a few months ago due to sensitivity, I have learned to become very creative and open to various options - many of them a lot kinder to my digestion, and absolutely delicious.

So, with 4 simple ingredients and a step-by-step guide give it a go and tell me what you think!

Ingredients:

2 cups raw almonds, soaked in cold water for 8 hours or overnight
3 pitted dates (I like medjool dates, they tend to blend better)
2 tsp vanilla extract (not essence! the alcohol in it will make the milk grainy)
5 - 6 cups filtered water (depending on how thick and creamy you like it)

Starting with 2 cups of almonds, you will end up with approximately 3 cups after soaking I like to add double the amount of water to nuts (so about 6 cups).

Drain and rinse the almonds, then place them in your blender. Add the water, pitted dates and vanilla extract. Blend at high speed for about a minute.

Now, the secret to the creamiest, smoothest milk is a nut milk bag (usually available from health food stores or online) or a sprouting bag, both of which give excellent results. Pour the blended milk into your bag (make sure you have a bowl beneath) and gently massage the bag to strain the milk through. 

Transfer to a jug and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. You will need to give a stir every now and again before you drink it. My 2-year old is a reformed milk addict, and she loves it. It is delicious in all receipes where you'd like to substitute dairy milk, but it is especially good poured over my granola, or drunk chilled from the fridge. Enjoy!

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