Miso aubergine, quinoa and black kale

Miso is a Japanese cultured food made from fermented soya beans and brown rice.
Whilst that description may not make it sound appealing, it delivers a pleasant savoury taste without too much salt. Consequently, it goes really well with just about any vegetable.
As an added benefit, miso is a vegan source of B vitamins which would ordinarily be hard to obtain without eating meat.
Here, I combined miso with aubergine and a few other ingredients for a flavoursome savoury dish.

Ingredients for 1
1/4 cup dried quinoa
1 small aubergine, cut into 1"-2" chunks
a large handful of torn kale
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon of miso (I used Clearspring Organic, available online, from supermarkets & health food stores)
1 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses or a squeeze of lemon
Black pepper to season
1 teaspoon of coconut oil

Method:
Cook the quinoa by boiling it in water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat a small pan on a medium heat. Add the coconut oil and aubergine chunks. Season with black pepper and cook until the aubergine goes soft (about 5 minutes). 
Take the aubergine off the heat and stir in the miso and quinoa.
In a bowl, combine the kale leaves with pomegranate molasses or lemon juice. Rub the kale together with your hands until the leaves bruise a little. This will make it easier to eat.
Grab a plate, put the aubergine/quinoa mix on it. Top with the kale and cherry tomatoes.
Enjoy!
 

Beetroot and orange salad

Nutrient boosts don't come in prettier packages than this beetroot and orange salad.
It isn't all about the looks so let me reassure you that this dish also tastes amazing.
The peppery rocket combines so well with the sweetness of the beetroot and oranges. Toasted pistachios bring a welcome crunch and the cinnamon dressing adds acidity to balance the flavours.
There are plenty of vitamins and minerals to make you feel good too: vitamins A, C, K, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and copper are all in this colourful salad.
Tuck in and feel the glow.

Ingredients (Serves 1)
1 orange, peeled
1 medium beetroot, peeled
large handful of rocket
2 tablespoon of pistachios

For the dressing:
1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup

Method:
To toast the pistachios, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, put the nuts on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
To make the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together until well combined.
Thinly slice the beetroot and orange. Combine with the rocket, drizzle over the dressing and top with the toasted pistachios.

Sweet potato and quinoa falafel

Falafel are a tasty addition to salads or make a great stand alone snack.
This sweet potato and quinoa version is packed with plant based protein as well as a host of vitamins and minerals that support wellness.
Sweet potato is especially high in Vitamin A which is great to maintain the health of eyes, bones, skin and the immune system.

Ingredients (Makes 10 falafel)
250g cooked sweet potato (see instructions below)
150g cooked chickpeas
100g cooked quinoa
juice of half a lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
small handful (5g) parsley
1 tbsp olive oil

Method:
Baking, as opposed to boiling, sweet potatoes ensures that the nutrients remain in the potato.  
To do this, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, pierce two medium sweet potatoes with a knife two-three times. Pop them on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour or until a fork goes through the flesh easily. Allow them to cool and peel the skin off.
Cooked sweet potatoes stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days and also freeze well.

To make the falafel, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Put the chickpeas, sweet potato, salt, lemon juice, parsley, cumin, smoked paprika and olive oil in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
Decant the mixture into a bowl and stir through the quinoa. 
Take 1 tablespoon of the mixture and form into a pattie. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make 10 falafel. The texture will be fairly sticky but this isn't anything to worry about. 
Bake the falafel in the oven for 45 minutes.
 

Vegan nut free pesto, pasta and spring veg

It is meat free Monday again for which I have a lovely vegan recipe.
Pasta and spring vegetables are enhanced by a vibrant nut free pesto. Lemon and basil are such a great combination to add flavour to delicate spring vegetables.
The pesto uses sunflower and pumpkin seeds instead of nuts, the flavour and texture of which are very similar but if you have a nut allergy then you are still ok to eat this.

In case you are wondering: I am a nutritionist and I do eat pasta.. once or twice a month. I tend to stick to whole wheat, organic versions made from 100% durum wheat. 
Whatever dish pasta is used in, I make sure it is balanced out with vegetables. This means that if I am eating a bowl of pasta, close to half of that bowl should be veg. 
Unless you are coeliac then pasta isn't that bad for you in moderation. Yes, it is a source of carbs but it's how much you eat that matters.

Ingredients for 2

Pesto:
20g basil leaves
juice of half a lemon
grated zest of a 1/4 lemon
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds
5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of water
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Spring veg pasta:
180g organic, whole wheat pasta
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
a large handful (40g) of spinach
150g frozen peas

To make the pesto, put all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until combined. Pesto should be coarse so don't blend it too much.
To make the pasta, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and bring a large pan of water to the boil.
Put the cherry tomatoes on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, until soft.
Cook the pasta for 10 minutes or until it is al-dente then drain it.
Cook the frozen peas on a medium heat in your pasta pan. You just want them to defrost and warm up. 
Add the pasta and spinach to the pan with the peas and stir in 3 tablespoons of pesto.
Heat it through for a minute, stir in the tomatoes and it is ready to serve.
Divide the mixture between two plates.

Mexican bean salad

The inspiration for this recipe came after observing a nutritional therapy consultation.
During this consultation, the nutritionist in question suggested replacing carbohydrates sources such as potatoes, rice and pasta with beans in order to reduce total carbohydrate intake.
In a world of cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner, this recommendation is an ingenious one.
Beans contain 7x more protein and fibre than potatoes or pasta. When it comes to keeping fuller for longer, fibre and protein are definitely your friends.
Protein, in particular, helps to reduce cravings, meaning you are less likely to give in to that afternoon slice of cake.
What's even more appealing is that beans are cheap, accessible and super quick to prepare.
Give this Mexican style bean salad a go. It is satisfying and full of amazing flavour.

Ingredients for 1:
1 tin of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
large handful of coriander, leaves only
4 spring onions, roughly chopped
1 small avocado, peeled and sliced
1/2 red chilli, sliced (remove the seeds if you want less heat)
juice of half a lime
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
In a bowl, combine the beans, olive oil, lime juice, cumin seeds and chilli. Season with a pinch of sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir until well combined.
Add the remaining ingredients and voila, your nourishing dish is ready.