 This dhal is one of those perfect warming, comfort foods for a dark winter’s evening after work. The fact that you can pop it into your slow cooker on a morning and come home to wonderful aromas and an easy meal makes it even better. This is naturally gluten free and is suitable for vegans. Serves four but keeps well if you are cooking for one or two. Tasty, healthy food with minimum effort!
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 How are you sleeping? Friends, family, clients….I’m hearing so many people saying that they’re not sleeping too well right now. It’s not surprising right? I mean, there’s a lot going on. I never set out to study sleep but as I got more interested in the links between nutrition and good mental health I started to realise just how much diet and sleep are intertwined – and both are affected by stress. So, alongside nutrition I’ve done a fair bit of study around sleep this past couple of years and here I’m sharing with you my top tips for a good night’s sleep.  Image by Jeshu John Do you suffer from brain fog? Is your memory not as sharp as it could be? Are you stressed?
What you eat, when you eat and how you eat can all impact on your mental health and wellbeing. At the same time stress can influence your food choices. In these strange COVID times we are all having to make massive adjustments to our lives and this leads to stress. Stress can lead to cravings and maybe, suddenly, our diet isn't looking so good. Add to this more time spent at home with the opportunity to snack and you may find you're not feeling your best. Making changes to your lunch routine may not seem like it would have an impact on your mental health but small changes add up. So here are a few lunch hacks that are worth a try.  Pyttipanna (pytt i panne, pyttipannu) is a Scandanavian dish that essentially means small pieces in a pan. This is one of my favourite breakfast options from the Scandi inspired Baltzersen’s café in Harrogate. This being week four of the COVID-19 lockdown here in the UK I’m now recreating some of my favourite café and restaurant dishes at home and this is one that is really worth sharing. The basis of this is cubes of fried potato, you can add pretty much anything to that so it’s easily adaptable to your individual requirements.
 I first came across butter bean mash as an alternative bangers and mash combo. Mashed by hand it has a slightly chewy texture when compared to potato (which I quite like) but a quick whizz in a food processor creates a wonderfully smooth, creamy mash. The pairing here with spicy vegetables elevates it to a whole new level.
 This quick and tasty curry came about because I was experimenting with quick midweek meals for my Food on the Brain group. I’d found a host of quick chicken curries listed on Olive Magazine’s website which included a delicious sounding West African inspired chicken and peanut curry. I wanted to create something similar that was quick to prepare and vegan and this is the result. It tastes so good. If you can get hold of tempeh then it works well here but if that’s not your thing or you can’t source it locally then other variations are given below.
 The Beginners Guide to Eating Vegan Food – written by a non-vegan. Veganism is on the rise, particularly amongst younger people. Many people are turning to this way of eating as an ethical choice but an increasing number of us are making the switch for health reasons. But is a vegan diet healthy?
 Do you like a sweet or savoury breakfast? I love a good savoury brunch when I have time at the weekend but weekdays it’s usually oats, pancakes or a smoothie. This chia/compote/skyr combination will satisfy a sweet tooth but is packed with healthy fats and protein to help you stay full. If savoury is your thing to start the day then this also packs up well as part of a lunch and is more nourishing than reaching for the biscuit tin.
 We’re racing through January, already at the halfway point. Many of our New Year’s resolutions around food will have started to hit hurdles or have fallen by the wayside. Why? Because change can be hard. Because January is dark and damp and can be a bit miserable. Or maybe because we were really ambitious and tried to change everything at once. That’s where the idea of one new thing comes in.
 I’m a huge fan of aubergine - a quick skip through the blog archives will probably reveal a bias towards this versatile vegetable. Even so, braising aubergine was a new one to me. In this recipe you griddle the aubergine first which gives it heaps of flavour in it’s own right. Then you braise it in the sticky, tamari dressing which takes the flavours up a notch and also makes sure the aubergine is a beautifully soft, buttery texture. I ate a double portion of this as a light lunch but if you are after something more substantial you could serve up with brown rice and add in some tempeh (fermented soy) to up the protein whilst keeping it vegan friendly.
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AuthorI'm Kim Adams, founder of SAVI Nutrition. A Registered Nutritional Therapist who is passionate about healthy, tasty food. Here I share with you my thoughts on food and health alongside a few of my favourite recipes. Archives
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