Warming winter recipes

Anyone else bloody freezing?! As winter drags on, I thought I’d share a couple of my favourite healthy, vegan (it’s Veganuary after all) and warming winter recipes with you to keep you energised for Pilates and throughout your day:

Apple and Cinnamon Porridge

Oats are a source of complex carbohydrate, this means they provide slow-releasing energy to get you through the morning.

1 apple

1/2 cup (50g) oats

1/2 cup (120ml) any fortified plant based milk (I use soy for the extra protein)

1/2 cup (120ml) water

Handful of raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

Handful of pecans/almonds

2 tbsp maple syrup

optional: scoop of vanilla protein, coconut yoghurt, berries

Method: Finely dice the apple and add to a saucepan with the raisins and cinnamon and add just enough water to cover the apple. Place pan on hob on a medium heat.

While you’re sautéing the apple, add the nuts to a frying pan and gently toast. Keep an eye on them, they can burn quickly! When they are gently toasted and fragrant, remove from the heat. When cooled, chop the nuts.

After 5 or so mins of sautéing the apple, add in your oats, milk and water and reduce the heat to low/medium. The trick now is to keep stirring the porridge, this ensures maximum creaminess! It takes a little longer, but is totally worth it.

After roughly 7-8 minutes your porridge should be at the right consistency and you’re ready to plate up. If you’re adding protein powder, add this now. Divide the porridge into 2 bowls, top with the toasted nuts and 1 tbsp of maple syrup per portion and enjoy!

You can also add berries or a dollop of coconut yoghurt for added creaminess. You can also replace the toasted nuts with a few dollops of nut butter, but if you have them, the toasted nuts really do make this brekkie!

Red Lentil Dahl

Lentils are a great source of protein as well as fibre and iron and many other good things! This seems like a lot of ingredients, but I always tend to have most of these already lurking in the cupboard. Use whatever veg you have, you don’t have to use the same as me!

1/2 cup (125g) red lentils soaked for an hour to 2 before or rinsed thoroughly!

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 red onion finely diced or sliced

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 tsp ground fresh ginger (get it in a tube, waaaay easier)

2 tsp curry powder (I always use hot)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 sweet potato grated

2 carrots grated

Handful of raisins or chopped apricots

1 tin coconut milk

1 tin tinned tomatoes

1/2 a cauliflower broken into small florets

150g spinach

10g coriander chopped

10g parsley chopped

Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat before adding the red onion. Sweat the red onion, stirring occasionally, until it starts to caramelise slightly (roughly 8 mins), then add the garlic and ginger, cooking until it becomes fragrant. Add in all your spices, stirring them into the onion mixture and cook off for 2 minutes or so.

Stir in the grated sweet potato and carrot, before adding the red lentils. Add in the tinned tomatoes and coconut milk giving everything a good mix. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

After 10 minutes add in the cauliflower or any other veg you have in the fridge (NB if you add something like parsnips, they will need to be chopped small or grated and need more cooking time than something like courgette or aubergine for example). Leave everything to simmer and the flavours to get all intertwined and sexy for another 20-30 minutes, stirring every now and again.

When the lentils and vegetables are cooked, switch off the heat and stir in spinach, coriander and parsley, pop a lid on to let the spinach wilt for a few minutes and then stir again.

You’re ready to serve! I like to eat this with either brown rice or cauliflower rice, a big dollop of coconut yoghurt, extra coriander and some toasted almonds or cashews. You can also add in tofu, prawns, chicken etc but its also a super hearty and filling recipe on it’s own without all the extra bits. Will keep in the fridge for 3 days and tastes even better a few days later.

For other delicious, healthy and veggie recipes, I’m a big fan of Lazy Cat Kitchen and Cookie and Kate.

Also side note, I’m in no way a registered nutritionist, just have a super keen love for cooking and eating and am a strong believer in eating a balanced diet that supports gut health.