 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!
 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.
 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.
 This vegan cottage pie is packed full of veggies. Green lentils replace the traditional mince, providing texture and protein. This one has a number of steps so grab yourself a kitchen helper to speed things up or put the radio on and enjoy immersing yourself in kitchen activity.
 I sometimes refer to this as a pesto, at other times a pâté or spread. This probably reflects the versatility of it. Perfect in a sandwich or on toast or oatcakes, it also serves well as a coating for pasta. I’ve been meaning to share it for a while but this seemed to be a good week as:
If none of the above are of interest to you then just know that my serving suggestion with pasta is delicious and well worth a try. So read on for two recipes in one.  Today I am sharing with you one of my all-time favourite dishes – aubergine parmigiana. This Italian classic is a knock-out dish whether you are vegetarian or not, making it a great way to get more vegetables in your diet. For a dish that has such depth of flavour it is surprisingly easy to make.
 I’m writing this just before logging off for the Christmas holidays because I know it is going to come in handy over the festive period. This soup is tasty, warming, nourishing and is perfect for those days when your body is crying out for something healthy but you are just not quite sure what.
 Whilst I was planning this series of easy but healthy comfort food recipes I was on holiday. It was a pretty cold half term week in Copenhagen and we were staying in an apartment with a tiny and very basic kitchen. This recipe made for a very satisfying evening meal accompanied by some gorgeous Danish dark rye bread. In my book anything that can be rustled up in a basic apartment using limited ingredients definitely counts as easy. I decided then and there that I absolutely wanted to share it with you all.
 There’s definitely something about the clocks going back that makes my thoughts turn to comfort food. I don’t think I’m alone in that. The challenge is that when we think of comfort food we all too often think of overly starchy and sugary options – satisfying at the time but not great for sustaining our energy or our mood! Over the next few weeks I’m planning to share some of my favourite Autumn comfort food. I’m aiming to keep this simple for anyone who doesn’t feel like they have the energy to cook. Please join me – and if you have any favourite healthy comfort food then do share in the comments.
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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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