As much as the winter rains are always glorious to receive, this cold and gloomy weather can get a little trying hey?

Here’s four simple and yummy recipes to help you warm up this winter.

1. Pho Bowl
2. Maple & Dijon Soup
3. Vegetable Quinoa Curry
4. Carrot Cake Oats

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Pho Bowl

What you’ll need (serves 4)

• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 carrots thinly sliced
• 2 cups cabbage thinly sliced
• 2 zucchini spiralised
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 chicken breasts thinly sliced
• 1 litre vegetable broth (or salt reduced stock)
• 2 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 star anise (optional)
• 1 lime (to serve)
• 1 handful min leaves (to serve)

What you’ll do

• In a large saucepan, combine the broth, water, star anise, cinnamon stick, chilli powder, salt and ginger. Bring to the boil, add the sliced chicken, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. remove the star anise and cinnamon stick.
• Place the carrot and cabbage into the saucepan and cook for another 5 minutes or until the carrot is tender. Turn the heat off.
• Prepare four large bowls to dish up the pho.
• Divide the spiralised zucchini noodles between the bowls, then add a generous scoop of the broth mixture.
• To serve, top with the bean sprouts, mint leaves and a squeeze of lime juice.

 

Maple and Dijon Pumpkin Soup

What you’ll need

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 onion (diced)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 kg pumpkin (skin removed + cut into small chunks)
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper (to your taste)
• seeds and/or natural yogurt (to serve)

What you’ll do

• Heat coconut oil in a large pot, add onion and sauté until it turns glassy
• Add cumin and stir for 1 minute
• Toss in pumpkin and stock on high heat to bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approx. 20 minutes or until pumpkin is soft
• Take it off the heat and stir in maple syrup and Dijon mustard, then sit to cool for approximately 10 minutes
• Blend in a food processor, blender or with a stick blender until smooth
• Return to pot and gentle reheat
• Serve with fresh toast, a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkle of cumin and some cracked pepper!

 

Vegetable Quinoa Curry

What You’ll Need (Serves 4)

• 1 eggplant cut into small cubes
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 zucchini diced
• 1 onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 tbspn curry powder
• 1 tspn ground turmeric
• 1 tspn cinnamon
• 400g can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped cashews (to serve)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream (to serve)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

What You’ll Do

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the eggplant, carrot, zucchini, onion and garlic for 10-15minutes, or until the vegetables have softened
• Add the curry powder, turmeric and cinnamon and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the tomato, quinoa and 3 cups of water and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked.
• Before serving, stir through the coconut cream and cashews.

 

Carrot Cake Oats

What You’ll Need (Serves 1)

• 1 carrot, grated
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1 medjool date, chopped
• 1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

What You’ll Do

• In a saucepan, add in the carrot, oats, coconut milk, protein powder, nutmeg and 1.5 teaspoons of the cinnamon. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes until the oats have absorbed the liquid.
• Top with the chopped date and walnuts, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon.

TIP
Instead of cooking in a saucepan, you can simply place all ingredients in a container, mix well and keep in the fridge overnight for chilled overnight oats, and eat them straight up, or pop them in the microwave for a fast, toasty-warm breakfast.

 

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