Try these recipes from Heavenly & Healthy Foods to make wholesome and hearty winter meals to keep you warm on a chilly day.
These delicious winter meals are easy to make and will keep you warm and energised.
Click here for more recipes for warming winter meals and try this delicious lentil stew.
Pink Lentil & Parsley Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 500g red lentils
- 1 500ml vegetable stock
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
- 15ml crushed garlic
- 15ml crushed ginger
- 5 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 500ml skim milk
- 12ml parsley, chopped
- herb salt and pepper to taste
- drizzle of low-fat yoghurt and chopped parsley to garnish
Method
- Cook lentils in the stock until they are just soft.
- Sauté the onions, celery, garlic and ginger.
- Add carrots, bay leaves and milk and allow this to cook.
- Add the cooked lentils with the parsley, salt and pepper.
- Blend together. If it’s too thick, add a little more liquid.
- Serve with a drizzle of yoghurt or cottage cheese and fresh chopped parsley.
Vegetable & Barley Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 15ml olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and grated
- 6 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 250ml pearl barley (wash first)
- 1,25 litres vegetable stock
- fresh sprig of thyme
- Italian parsley, chopped
- herb salt and ground black pepper
Method
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic until they are translucent.
- Add celery, carrots, tomato, barley, vegetable stock and chopped herbs.
- Stir together and bring to the boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for one to two hours until the barley is cooked or soft.
- Add your seasoning.
- You may need to add a little more stock as the barley will absorb a lot of the liquid.
- Serve hot, with a drizzle of Italian parsley pesto.
Roast Beetroot and Butternut Salad With Fresh Rocket & Toasted Cashews
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
- 400g beetroot, washed and cut into wedges
- 400g butternut, cut into large cubes
- 60ml olive oil
- herb salt and ground black pepper
- 100g rocket leaves
- 50g cashew nuts, toasted
Method
- Toss the butternut in a little olive oil, salt and ground black pepper on a roasting tray and roast at 180°C for 30 minutes until cooked.
- Repeat with the beetroot on a separate roasting tray. This may need more roasting time. Allow to cool.
- Assemble the salad by first placing the rocket on the platter, then toss together butternut and beetroot on top.
- Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with toasted cashews just before serving.
Ingredient for the dressing
- 25ml whole mustard seeds
- 15ml honey
- 62,5ml balsamic vinegar
- 125ml olive oil
Dressing method
- Heat mustard seeds in a pan until they start to pop.
Turn off the stove and add the balsamic vinegar, honey and olive oil. Stir, taste and check for sweetness – it may need a little more honey.
Allow to cool and drizzle over the salad just before serving.
Nutty Seeded Wholewheat Rusks
Makes 48 rusks
Ingredients
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 320ml low fat maas or buttermilk
- 30ml olive oil
- 5ml vanilla extract
- 2 small apples, grated
- 125ml pecan nuts, roughly chopped
- 125ml almonds, roughly chopped
- 250ml cake flour
- I cup (250 ml) oat bran
- 250ml whole-wheat flour or nutty wheat flour
- 30ml baking powder
- 150ml sugar
- 5ml cinnamon
For the topping
- 5ml each of sesame seeds, poppy seeds and linseeds
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, maas or buttermilk, oil and vanilla together.
- Add the grated apple and chopped nuts to the egg mixture.
- Mix the dry ingredients – flour, bran, whole-wheat flour nutty wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar – into the wet ingredients, making sure they combine well.
- Spoon the mixture into two lightly greased 10 x 20cm loaf tins.
- Sprinkle mixed seeds on top.
- Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Take the loaves out of the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.
- Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Cut the loaf into 24 rusks (three rows of eight) using a bread knife.
- Place the rusks on a baking tray in the oven at 100°C for two to three hours, until they have dried out.
- Store in an airtight container once cool.
About the book
These recipes are taken from Heavenly & Healthy Foods – Brookdale’s 21 Days to a Healthy Lifestyle, published by Brookdale Health Hydro. This book is filled with over 100 tasty and nutritious recipes, beautiful photos, tips, suggestions and a three-week meal plan for a healthy lifestyle. You can buy it online at brookdale.co.za
