As we start to move into winter, the cooler weather brings with it a natural inclination for warmer foods. Slow-cooked dishes, casseroles and stewed fruit are meals that are lovely to have over the winter period. Some of my favourite warming meals to have are nourishing soups.
Pea & Parsnip Soup with Basil Oil
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Litre chicken broth/stock
2 cups of water
3 parsnips (400gm), peeled, thinly sliced
500gm frozen peas
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Basil oil
Ingredients
1 garlic clove
1 bunch basil, leaves picked
1/3 cup olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Method – Soup
Heat olive oil in saucepan and cook onion until soft but not brown.
Add water, stock and parsnips and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until parsnips are tender. Stir in peas and cook for 3 minutes.
Puree soup with a stick blender in the pot or in a food processor in batches until smooth.
Method – Basil Oil
Place garlic and basil into a food processor until finely chopped.
Add oil and seasalt (to taste) process until combined.
Place in a container with a lid until ready to serve (otherwise it can discolour).
Ladle soup into bowls. Dollop and swirl with basil oil. Drizzle with a little oil.
Roasted Tomato Soup is one of my favourite winter recipes. Roasting the tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness and enhances the flavour. You don’t have to add the wholegrain sourdough/ciabatta into the soup although that does make it more filling. I usually double or triple the recipe and stock up the freezer with it so it’s easy to take out the night before for a very quick dinner the following day (all you have to do is pop it on the stove to reheat and it’s ready in minutes) 😊
Serves 6
Ingredients
½ bulb of garlic
2 kgs of ripe tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Litre of vegetable stock
4-5 sprigs of fresh basil + additional leaves for garnish
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Break the garlic up into cloves and slice the tomatoes in half. Lay out the tomatoes (cut-side up) on a roasting tray and scatter over the garlic cloves (unpeeled). Sprinkle over the oregano, salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 50-60mins until the tomatoes are soft and sticky.
Remove the tray from the oven and pick out the garlic cloves. Tip all contents of the tray into a large saucepan. Squeeze the sticky insides of the garlic cloves into the saucepan and throw away the skins.
Add stock and roughly chopped basil (including stalks). Tear the bread into pieces and add to saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 10 mins.
Add the red wine vinegar and then blitz in a blender until smooth.
Serve in bowls, drizzle with olive oil and remaining basil leaves.
Enjoy your delicious and nutritious Roasted Tomato Soup.
We all know veggies are good for our health but who really feels like eating salads in the middle of Winter? The solution? Delicious baked Winter veg made interesting with magic green sauces! Green sauces are herbaceous, full of flavour and packed with immune boosting antioxidants and vitamin C. A little garlic adds a bang to the flavours whilst keeping those winter bugs away. Green sauces are a tasty way to sneak in some extra greens and jazz up roast veggies to make sure you are meeting your vegetable quota.
The best thing about green sauces is that you be sure to use up all of those half bunches of herbs that would otherwise sit and wilt in the fridge. They never have to go to waste again because there is no wrong or right way to make a green sauce – just throw in whatever you have and blend! Some guidelines are good to get you started though, and after some practice you can just use your instinct. Here are our favourites:
Rocket pesto
This twist on regular basil pesto is great for getting the digestion going as rocket has that gentle bitter quality to it. The bitterness is balanced out by the other ingredients though, making it a flavour party for your palate. Top any roast veg with it, such as sweet potato, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin, beetroot, carrot, parsnip, fennel or red capsicum. If you chop the veg into bite sized pieces you can easily toss them into a salad with some green leaves and add the pesto on top as a wonderful dressing. A dollop of rocket pesto on top of your scrambled eggs is also wonderful.
1 small garlic clove
Pinch of sea salt
25g pine nuts, walnuts or cashews very lightly toasted in a dry frypan or in the oven
50g rocket
1 bunch of basil
25g Parmesan, finely grated (optional)
Juice of ½ lemon
125ml cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
Salsa verde
This classic Italian green sauce goes wonderfully with any roast veg but also on fish, chicken, poached eggs or steak. You can swap the mint out for fresh coriander or rosemary as you please.
1 clove garlic
1/2-1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 handful of fresh mint
1 small handful of capers
6 anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8 tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
Zhoug
This Middle-Eastern version of pesto is traditionally made with green chilli and is quite hot. Its a wonderful winter warmer but feel free to modify the heat level or omit the chilli. You can also add lemon zest if you like a more punchy flavour. Zhoug is magical with roast pumpkin and labne, over roast eggplant and cauliflower, or on meatballs, felafels or boiled eggs.
4 jalapeño chillis
4 cloves garlic (peeled)
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup fresh coriander (leaves and stalks but be sure to wash the sand out thoroughly)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
Green Tahini
This sauce is addictive so consider making a double batch to keep in your fridge and spread over everything. Goes well drizzled on roast veg, roast chicken, felafel or on toast.
150ml tahini
70ml lemon juice
150ml water
1 clove of garlic, crushed
30g (or one handful) flat-leaf parsley leaves (you could also use coriander or a combination of both)
salt to taste
Chimichurri
This Argentinian green sauce with its dominant parsley and garlic flavour is an excellent sauce or marinade for meat and vegetables, or can be used as a condiment to spice up just about anything you can imagine.
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or more to taste
Have you been struggling for lunch ideas while in lockdown? Lost for inspiration amongst preparing all your own food? These lentil patties have been a life saver for me. With the weather getting colder, I’m sure most of use feel like a warm meal for lunch but want something that is quick, tasty and healthy. These patties are all of those things.
Lentils are a good source of minerals and B-vitamins, plus protein and fibre to keep you full and satisfied well into the afternoon and balance your blood sugar. The nuts, seeds and eggs in this recipe up the protein content further and provide further minerals and Bs. The other ingredients give plenty of flavour but I like to top my patties with some chilli hummus, babaganoush, or avocado and goats cheese for extra deliciousness. Plus, don’t forget the green leaves.
I make the mixture up on a Sunday, shape into patties and freeze. Then, I take them out in the morning as needed to thaw and cook at lockdown lunchtime. Here is how.
Ingredients
2 ½ cups cooked green lentils – also referred to as brown lentils (soak overnight and cook or use organic canned lentils), half whole and half blended to a paste
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 cup onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup walnuts, ground
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, ground
1 cup rolled oats, ground
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh or dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh or dried oregano
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4-1/2 cup wholemeal spelt flour (use chickpea flour for gluten-free)
polenta for coating
olive oil for cooking
Method
Use a food processor to prepare all your ingredients in a flash, process each on separately and add to a large mixing bowl as you go. I usually grind my walnuts, then sunflower seeds, then oats, then chop the wetter stuff like onion, garlic and carrot, and lastly blend half my lentils.
Once these are all in the bowl add the eggs, tomato paste, Worcestershire, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Then add the flour, starting with a 1/4 cup. Try rolling a 2-inch ball with the mixture, if it is too wet, add the rest of the flour.
Roll into 2 inch balls, coating each ball gently in polenta (spread your polenta out on a plate to do this) and then flattening onto a baking tray lined with baking paper to form discs about 1.5-2cm thick.
Pop your tray/s in the freezer for an hour or so until patties are frozen and enough to handle and then stack them in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to use.
Cooking
Take out your patties a few hours before you want to eat them and let thaw in the fridge.
Cook for a few minutes on each side in hot olive oil until crispy and warmed through.
Go crazy with healthy toppings, e.g.
try tomato, cheese, onion, rocket and organic tomato sauce
This roasted tomato soup is one of my favourite winter recipes. Roasting the tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness and enhances the flavour. You don’t have to add the wholegrain sourdough/ciabatta into the soup although that does make it more filling. I usually double or triple the recipe and stock up the freezer with it so it’s easy to take out the night before for a very quick dinner the following day (all you have to do is pop it on the stove to reheat and it’s ready in minutes😊.
Serves 6 Ingredients
½ bulb of garlic
2 kgs of ripe tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Litre of vegetable stock
4-5 sprigs of fresh basil + additional leaves for garnish
1 tbls of red wine vinegar
~150gm wholegrain sourdough/ciabatta
Olive oil
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Break the garlic up into cloves and slice the tomatoes in half. Lay out the tomatoes (cut-side up) on a roasting tray and scatter over the garlic cloves (unpeeled). Sprinkle over the oregano, salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 50-60mins until the tomatoes are soft and sticky.
Remove the tray from the oven and pick out the garlic cloves. Tip all contents of the tray into a large saucepan. Squeeze the sticky insides of the garlic cloves into the saucepan and throw away the skins.
Add stock and roughly chopped basil (including stalks). Tear the bread into pieces and add to saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 10 mins.
Add the red wine vinegar and then blitz in a blender until smooth.
Serve in bowls, drizzle with olive oil and remaining basil leaves.
Tina Jenkins is an experienced fertility and pregnancy Naturopath. She has a special interest in irregular cycles, PCOS and IVF support. Tina also enjoys treating the whole family for general health, including the kids.
In Chinese medicine theory, eating seasonal food is an important part of gaining balance and health and encourages us to live harmoniously in our natural environment. Eating cucumbers and mint in summer will cool you down, and in winter eating pumpkin soup with ginger and garlic will help you feel warm and satisfied, and guess what cucumbers and mint grow in summer as does pumpkin in winter. The best way to buy seasonal fruit and veg is to buy what is in abundance and cheap at your local green grocer and supermarket, or if you grow your own you will easily know if it’s in season or not!
I easily knew the fruit and vegetable in this salad were in season as the zucchini, figs, mint and chilli came from my garden. This salad is full of fibre and flavour. The sweetness of the figs, contrasts the saltiness of the Goat’s cheese, the sourness of the lime, the freshness of the mint and the heat of the chilli. Fibre from fruit and veggies helps us feel full and satisfied, while being food for our beneficial gut bacteria. This salad will also help you meet your daily requirements for beneficial minerals and vitamins such as potassium, calcium, folate and vitamin C.
Ingredients
3-4 zucchinis, cut into ribbons, using a wide vegetable peeler
a handful of mint leaves
2-3 Figs, chopped
1 fresh chilli (or to taste), finely sliced
juice of half a lime
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A handful of roasted almonds, chopped
50g Goats cheese (or more, to taste)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Simply place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Serve with grilled or panfried salmon, a poached egg or lightly fried tofu.
Figs are just coming into season, and they are a fabulous fruit indeed. High in magnesium, calcium, B6 and fibre, they are a bit of a ‘super fruit’. Add them to the complex low-GI carbs of a good quality wholegrain spelt sourdough, the protein of a quality fresh cheese and the blood glucose balancing benefits of cinnamon, and you’ve got yourself a well balanced, nutritious sweet breakfast option. Just don’t go too heavy on the honey!
Serves 2
Ingredients
A good quality whole grain sourdough loaft (I used a spelt & buckwheat loaf)
Soft goats cheese or curd (labne, ricotta or cottage cheese also work well)
4-5 fresh, perfectly ripe figs
Raw honey, for drizzling
Ground cinnamon, to taste
Some fresh mint or thyme leaves from the garden, if you have them
Put it all together
Simply toast 2 slices of your quality wholegrain sourdough, spread generously with goats cheese, top with quartered fresh figs, drizzle with raw honey, and finish of with a sprinkle of cinnamon powder and some picked fresh herb leaves.
Rhiannon Hardingham is a naturopath and nutritionist with a passion for food, fertility and pregnancy care. Specialising in male and female infertility, IVF support and naturopathic care during pregnancy, Rhiannon offers her patients a wealth of information and knowlege regarding nutritional, herbal, diet and lifestyle support during their journey. She also offers education and mentoring to naturopaths wanting to improve their fertility knowledge or upskill into the highly specialised area of IVF support.
Check out the delicious BBQ vegetable succotash Pete has been cooking up this this summer!
Pete’s secret to make this popular dish even more delicious is the light char he puts on the veggies with the BBQ before putting the dish together.
He loves throwing something other than meat on the BBQ and sees this as a wonderful way to trick yourself into eating a big helping of veggies.
This dish is so tasty, Pete says he always makes enough for leftovers but sadly, there’s never any left!.
Often described as “Summer in a bowl”, succotash is an American dish that usually consists of sweetcorn with some type of beans or peas, tomatoes and other veggies, flavoured with basil, jalapeno, salt, pepper and lemon juice.
We highly recommend you make it from those succulent heirloom tomatoes and other seasonal veg that you can find at farmer’s markets at the moment.
It perfectly accompanies grilled chicken, fish or beef. Or you can simply pop a poached egg or some BBQ tofu on top.
Ingredients
1 red capsicum
2 ears corn
2 medium zucchinis, cut lengthwise and then in half
1 medium fennel bulb, cut into 1cm slices
1 bunch of fresh asparagus spears
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped into large chunks or 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup of shelled peas (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons lemon (or lime) juice, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (you could also use coriander)
1-2 tablespoons of pickled jalapenos
parmesan cheese, to taste
Method
Cut capsicum in half and barbeque skin-side down, directly over flames until skin is blackened. Once cool, remove skin and seeds and chop into strips.
Barbeque corn until lightly charred and almost cooked through. Once cool cut corn off the cob with a sharp knife.
Drizzle olive oil on zuchinnis, fennel and asparagus, season with salt and pepper and barbeque until lightly charred and softened. Chop into large, bite-sized pieces.
Add onion to frypan with butter and soften over medium heat (about 5-10mins).
Add garlic to onion and cook 1 minute further.
Stir in corn and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until tomatoes are tender, about 7 minutes.
Add charred veggies, jalapenos and peas, cooking until all veggies are warmed through.
Stir in lemon juice, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Grate parmesan cheese over top and enjoy!
Peter Slipper is an experienced and highly regarded Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbal Medicine practitioner. He has been practicing at Fertile Ground Health Group for over 10 years where he specialises in fertility, IVF support, pregnancy and hormonal conditions. Pete also enjoys treating immune, digestive and metabolic issues.
A common question in clinic when discussing healthy eating strategies is ‘how do I cook fish?!’ Lots of people are nervous about cooking seafood, but it doesn’t have to be tricky.
This roasted salmon recipe is so easy and super healthy. Loaded with lots of protein, plenty of greens, good fats and low GI carbs.
Ingredients:
For the roast salmon:
2 x 150g salmon portions
chilli flakes, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil
For the salad:
4 large handfuls of mixed salad greens
2 handfuls roasted pumpkin
handful of mung bean sprouts
For the dressing:
50g full fat natural yoghurt
1/2 tsp seeded mustard
– stir to combine
To serve:
fresh dill
lemon
olive oil
Serves 2
Instructions:
Pre heat oven to 190C.
Place salmon on lined roasting tray, and top with chilli flakes and salt. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and roast in oven until medium-rare (approximately 7 minutes).
Meanwhile, divide salad ingredients into 2 large bowls.
Place roasted salmon over salad, drizzle with olive oil, lemon and finish off with fresh dill. Serve with yoghurt mustard dressing.
Recipe by Rhiannon Hardingham, FGHG Naturopath and Nutritionist
Rhiannon is passionate about good food that is not only nutritious and easy to make, but most importantly delicious! As a busy naturopath Rhiannon understands the challenges that many of her patients face when trying to incorporate healthy eating into their own busy lifestyle.
Rhiannon constantly inspires us with her yummy lunches at work and now as a regular recipe contributor, shares with us how eating the right balance of nutrients in a meal can be easy and super tasty.
One of the best things about working at Fertile Ground is all of the fabulous and inspiring people I get to meet. A recent example of this was the fabulous Julia Lette – naturopath, personal trainer and (importantly for us) raw food chef extraordinaire! She has just completed our naturopathic mentor program, and spoiled us rotten during this time! Julia introduced us to some very impressive healthy desserts, but most exciting to me was her simple but amazing seed crackers. Total GAME CHANGER for low carb eating! Not only does it allow you to quickly and easily make your own crackers, but they are packed with great nutrients- good fats, minerals, b vitamins and fibre. And they’re easy and delicious…. I promise. Give them a go and find out for yourself!
Ingredients
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup Stoney Creek Flaxseed Meal (from your local health food shop, or pick some up next time you’re in at Fertile Ground).
¼ cup chia seeds
½ tsp salt
1 cup water
Method
Heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Place all the seeds and the salt in a bowl, pour in water and mix to combine. Leave for 15 minutes for the chia and flax seeds to soften and bind everything together.
Tip out on to a baking paper-lined oven tray and spread out as thin as possible (around 4mm thick) and sprinkle with some flaky sea salt (if desired). Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and slice into crackers, then return to the oven to cook for another 20-30 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove to a rack to cool then store in an airtight container.
Ingredients
