By Tracey Bennett, The Reckless Foodie
For me, cooking and creating food is therapy – it literally feeds my soul. I love having this as one of my many creative outlets. I appreciate that it’s not like this for everyone. For some, cooking is just a means to an end and something to ‘get done’. However, if you are open to it and you allow it, cooking can become a joy rather than a burden. It’s all about how you look at it and the attitude you take into it. I’m all about putting love into the food I create and making it look as gorgeous on the plate as it tastes.
Bringing ritual into your food can be fun – like setting the table beautifully before you eat, creating a space in which to dine, and making the food you are creating a work of art. You can do this by putting it on colourful serving platters, decorating it with fresh herbs, lemon slices or edible flowers. Making an event of breakfast, lunch or dinner by doing all these things can transform how you feel about both preparing the food and eating it.
All too often we can fall into the trap of needing to get food on the table due to feeling rushed, overwhelmed or time-poor. If you are a busy Mum, one lovely way to overcome this scenario is to get your children involved with the process. Ask them to help set the table or join in cooking and decorating the food. Then you are not only creating this different experience of eating and sharing food for all of you, but you are also passing on these beautiful values around food, onto them.
An awesome recipe that is nourishing and nutritious as well as beautiful on the plate, is this delicious chickpea, potato, and spinach curry. I like to serve it with turmeric spiked brown rice or with a trio of red, black and brown rice. A way to make it feel more gourmet and look more appetising is to get creative with your garnishes. Serve it with a generous dollop of coconut yoghurt, some toasted cashews, and lashings of fresh coriander!
Easy Chickpea & Potato Curry (serves 4 – 6)
Don’t you love a good curry? This one is easy to throw together and so tasty. A simple combination of chickpeas, potatoes, and spinach with some lovely Indian spices makes for a family favourite. Serve with some brown basmati rice or turmeric spiked brown rice. This curry is enhanced by the sweet, slow-cooked onion, and the whole and ground Indian spices.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 2 large onions, halved and sliced
- 3 – 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 generous knob of ginger, grated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- A shake of chilli flakes (or more to taste)
- 4 – 6 medium-sized potatoes chopped into small cubes
- 3 cups water
- 1 tin of finely diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas(or a 400g can drained)
- 3 – 4 cups of baby spinach or chopped spinach
- 400 ml tin of pure coconut cream
- Coconut yoghurt and toasted cashews to garnish
- ½ – 1 cup fresh coriander
Method
- In a good sized saucepan heat the oil over a medium heat, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and stir until cumin seeds brown and mustard seeds start to pop. Next, add onions and stir regularly for about 5 – 10 more minutes until soft, sweet and just golden.
- Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, ground coriander and chili flakes. Stir for a few more minutes.
- Add potatoes, salt, pepper, water and tomatoes. Then, turn to a low simmer and cover.
- Let the curry cook very gently for about 45 minutes until the potatoes are tender to bite.
- Stir in the chickpeas, optional coconut cream, and place the spinach on top and cover for about 5 minutes until it is wilted.
- Stir the spinach through as well as most of the fresh coriander.
- Serve immediately with brown or turmeric-spiked rice
- Sprinkle with remaining coriander plus a dollop of coconut yoghurt and some toasted cashew nuts!
