Category: Vegetarian Mains

Chana masala with cauliflower

naturalhealthconsciousliving2 Comments

Indian cuisine at its finest! A simple vegetarian dish of chickpeas + cauliflower simmered in a thick, creamy, spicy, tomato sauce. The sauce clings to the chickpeas. Each bite is bursting with flavour.

It’s hard to hold back on seconds with this dish!

Adjust the heat by adding more/less cayenne + chilli flakes.

Serve this up with freshly steamed basmati rice + a dollop of coconut yoghurt on top.

ingredients

2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin ground
1 tsp turmeric ground
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch cayenne
sea salt
black pepper
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 brown onion finely diced
3 cloves garlic finely diced
1/2 inch grated ginger
1/2 cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces
400g organic diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 bay leaf
400g organic cooked chickpeas
1/2 lemon juice
2 heaped tbsp plain coconut yoghurt or, 1/2 cup of coconut cream
chilli flakes
fresh coriander leaves
*extra plain coconut yoghurt

In a small bowl, combine the spices to make the masala spice mix. Set aside.

Gently heat the ghee in a heavy based pan + add the onion. Cook until translucent, then add the garlic + ginger. Sauté for a minute or so.

Add the masala spice mix to the pan + cook until fragrant (around a minute).

Add the cauliflower to coat in the spice mix well. Sauté for a couple of minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes + water. Stir well. Add the bay leaf. Simmer for around 15 mins.(add a little extra water if necessary, if the sauce becomes too dry while simmering).

Add the chickpeas + stir well. Cook for a further 10 mins, or until the cauliflower is tender (the chickpeas should also be tender, but still keep their texture).

Taste + season. Squeeze the lemon juice in + add the yoghurt. Stir.

Scatter with chilli flakes + fresh coriander leaves.

With love,

Kristy x

Spinach risotto with roasted pumpkin + goats cheese

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This winter has had me craving risotto! And, I love the flavour combination + textures of the elements in this dish.

So nourishing for the soul.

This recipe serves 3. Of course, you can double for guests.
ingredients

15-20 cubes of peeled 1.5cm pieces of pumpkin
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
organic butter
1/2 brown onion diced finely
2 garlic cloves diced finely
1 cup arborio rice
1 ltr organic vegetable stock
4-5 cubes frozen spinach
cracked black pepper
bunch of broccolini
handful of sage leaves
soft goat’s cheese or, creamy persian feta

grated parmesan

 

Preheat the oven to 180c.

Place the pumpkin cubes on a lined tray, drizzle with a little evoo, season with sea salt + roast until cooked. Set aside.

Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in a pot.

Heat a large deep heavy based pan over a medium heat + add 1/2 tbsp of butter + a good drizzle of olive oil. Add the onion + garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened.

Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the stock a ladle at a time (allowing it to absorb each ladle) + continue to stir until all the stock is in the pan.

Stir in the spinach (you don’t need to drain as the extra liquid is required), add a nob of butter and season. Continue to cook until the rice is tender with a little bite + oozy (al-dente).

Sauté the broccolini in a small frypan over a medium to high heat in a little evoo for 5 minutes (you want a nice, slightly crunch texture to it). Add the sage leaves in the last minute of cooking + fry until crispy.

Serve the risotto in bowls. Top with roasted pumpkin + broccolini. Add a generous dollop of goats cheese on top.

Scatter with sage leaves + grate parmesan all over.

 

I love all the feedback via messages/email when you cook my dishes! Interested to know what you think of this one?

You can also find more inspo/recipes on my insta page @naturalhealthconsciousliving or on FB – just search, Natural Health Conscious Living.

Happy day to you!

With love + in glorious health,

Kristy xx

French onion soup

naturalhealthconsciousliving2 Comments

This could be quite possibly, one of the easiest soup’s you can make. Minimal ingredients, this soup cooks itself…

It can be quite time consuming though. Caramelising onions calls for patience. It will be so worth it, trust me. You will be rewarded with golden, sweet, juicy onions + a soup with a rich, intense flavour.

There will be tears. And, lots of them. You have 1kg of onions to slice. Food processor perhaps?

 

ingredients

50g organic butter
1 tbsp olive oil
6 brown onions thinly sliced
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp plain gluten free flour
1 litre organic vegetable stock
2 cups additional water
bay leaf
few thyme sprigs
fresh chopped parsley
sea salt
cracked pepper

to serve

cheese toast *I lightly toasted some gluten free bread. Rubbed a garlic clove all over, then melted cheese on top of the toast under the grill.

 

Gently heat the olive oil + butter in a heavy based dish. Add the onions + sea salt. Cook until the onions have become very soft + caramelised. This process took me a good hour.

Add the flour, stir through + cook off a little, then add the vegetable stock + additional water. Add the bay leaf + thyme sprigs.

Reduce the heat to a simmer + allow to cook for another 20-30 mins or so, for the flavour to develop.

Taste + season.

Serve with a slice of cheesy bread + scatter with a generous amount of fresh parsley.

 

You had me at cheese toast.

With love,

Kristy x