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Wellness + Nutrition

Lunch + Dinner Recipes, Wellness + Nutrition

cannelini, spinach & tomato curry plant-based complete-protein meal

7th May 2021

Did you know that beans paired with a brown rice has a complete protein profile, and that Cannelini beans are gut health rockstars, and that including good whole-food carbs like these once a day keeps your metabolism fast. well, now you know…and below is a recipe to do just that.

Ingredients: 

  • 2 x 400g tins of Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 cups of tightly packed baby spinach (more or less is good too)
  • 2 tins of whole Italian tomatoes
  • 1 brown onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of finely grated ginger
  • 1 clove of garlic, grated finely
  • 1 teaspoon of garam masala
  • 1 cardamon pod, broken open and all the seeds used
  • 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar to regulate the acidity in the tomatoes
  • sea salt & plenty of freshly ground pepper
  • well-cooked brown basmati rice to serve with

 

Instructions:

  1. Heat some coconut oil (or macadamia oil, or butter/ ghee) in a pot, then sauté the chopped onion until golden.
  2. Add the spices, ginger & garlic and sauce for a a further 2 minutes.
  3. Now add the beans, spinach & tinned tomato, using a fork to squish the tomatoes into a pulp, and then season the whole shebang well with salt & black pepper and add the sugar, then allow the curry to simmer for 15 minutes before serving with well cooked brown basmati rice.

Happy cooking!

Marlien

Breakfast, Lunch + Dinner Recipes, Wellness + Nutrition

Spinach & Egg Crustless Quiches Spinach & Egg Gluten & Grain Free Quiche

24th October 2020

These little Crustless Spinach & Egg Quiches are delicious and very simple to make, they can literally serve as supper with a side salad, breakfast or a great protein rich lunchbox addition.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup of wilted baby spinach (melt a little butter or macadamia oil to a pan and add a whole pack of baby spinach, then allow the spinach to ‘wilt’ entirely over medium heat – you will end up with about 3/4 of a cup of wilted spinach.
  • 1/2 cup of grated strong cheddar (I like using grass-fed brand’s such as Kerrigold).
  • 1/2 cup of full fat live yoghurt
  • 5 organic eggs
  • salt & black pepper to taste

Simple whisk  the eggs & yoghurt together  and season with salt & pepper, then fold in the spinach & cheddar and pour your mixture into a greased muffin tin – next transfer to an 180 degree celsius pre-heated oven and allow them to bake for 15-20 minutes.

Once you gave taken them out of the oven – give them a couple of minutes to cool before carefully taking them out with a desert spoon.

Happy cooking good looking,

Marlien x

Lunch + Dinner Recipes, Wellness + Nutrition

The Best Dahl Vegan Staple Foods

31st July 2020

This Dahl is always a refuge in the storm of life, what I especially love is how it really takes hardly any work, and that everybody I make it for always loves it.

So really there is very little to say apart from ‘The Dahl is Good’ – make it :).

Lets dive right in, ingredients below:

Serves 4

  • 1 cup of red split lentils
  • 1/4 cup of sun-dried onions
  • 1 heaped teaspoon of garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
  • 1 heaped teaspoon of turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds
  • 1 pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 400g tin of coconut cream
  • 750ml of vegetable stock
  • 2 teaspoons of sea-salt
  • lots of freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 very ripe tomatoes, skins removed and chopped roughly

Add all the above ingredients to a pot and let it get to a slow simmer – stirring occasionally, and allowing it to cook for 45min, or even up to an hour. You may want to a little add liquid if you like it a bit ‘saucier’.

Serve with quinoa or brown basmati, and a roti perhaps. Garnish with oven roasted chickpeas and a little onion, spinach and tomato salad will liven it up.

Happy cooking

Marlien x

 

Wellness + Nutrition

Kitchen Therapy Calling all those who have found a sanctuary in their kitchen.

7th June 2020

My Kitchen is my sanctuary where I can enter into a flow state of creativity or just cook for contentment. Pottering (love the pun) around in the kitchen, rearranging things just so, or unpacking lovely fresh ingredients or prepping and trying new dishes always brings more contentment and a sense of purpose to my day.

That kitchen feeling has inspired my next book; ‘Kitchen Therapy’. I would love to feature others who find working in their kitchen’s therapeutic. Calling all of those who find solace in their kitchen with cooking and baking. If you have created a cooking space that is your sanctuary and creative hub – I would love to chat more as it’s an integral part of the 3rd book I am working on. The requirements are not ‘fancy’ kitchens’ or that you are an amazing cook…your kitchen can literally by a tiny space or really cluttered…or really minimalist. It really doesn’t matter, as long as its your sanctuary and a working kitchen – please get in touch!

Pictured below is me (and my littlest munchkin)  feeling especially happy and smug after just serving up a simple fruit salad and a ‘fresh from the oven’ sourdough loaf.

Wellness + Nutrition

Immune-boosting back to school snack ideas! Snack Ideas for good immunity

6th June 2020
Hello Yoga Kitchen TribeNow that schools are slowly starting to re-open it more important than ever to boost children’s immunity with the right kind of foods.

Yogurt. Yogurt contains good bacteria (probiotics). You may already know that these critters live in your gut and can improve the way your body uses food. But they’re also important in helping your body fight sickness. Adding some fresh frozen berries and raw honey to yoghurt makes a great pack-lunch smoothie in winter. 
What type of yogurt should you get? Choose brands that state live cultures. If it’s separated when you open it, and there’s a little liquid on top, that’s a good sign,

Kefir, similarly to yoghurt contain lots of healthy probiotics. While the biting taste can be a tart, you can buy ready made goats-milk yogurt drink deliciously flavoured with all natural ingredients from most supermarkets these days 0 my favourite brand is Oxenburg – available from health shops and most SPAR’s.

Walnuts have healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for you in lots of ways. Experts believe that omega-3s help your body fight illness. One small study found omega-3s cut the number of respiratory infections in kids. Walnuts are easy to sprinkle into a snack mix or on cereal.

Fruits and veggies. To help your immune system, choose easy to pack choices such as red pepper slices – high in vitamin C, or winter fruits like guava’s and citrus. Sweet potatoes are also high in Vitamin C – consider adding some lovely crunch to a lunchbox with some sweet potato crisps.

Foods rich in Zinc such as roasted pumpkin seeds are great for lunch boxes too. Zinc is extremely important for good immune function, as is a good Vitamin D supplement such as Cod Liver Oil.

Lean meats such as chicken breast strips keep hunger at bay – sufficient protein s important for proper immune function.

Hope the above inspires some lunchbox ideas, or even for home-school healthy snacking.Thank you for reading & stay well!

Marlien x