This morning the littlest chipmunk woke me up early, woke me up early to tell me something Very important. “What is it?? Mum’s still sleeping, it’s dark outside” I moaned into my pillow. “It’s very important mum” she responded, followed by “did You know that chocolate is really really good for you?? cos coco and stuff”. I don’t know why she was up that early ready to provide me with this important information, but I suspect that her little mind was devising a scheme to catch me off guard and to allow her to indulge in chocolate before breakfast. Not a chance, even when I’m half asleep my mummy senses are tingling.
Later I was thinking of how we might sometimes try to convince ourselves things are good for us so we don’t feel guilty for eating. “Oh but it’s good fat” or “The lemon juice on the fish batter breaks the batter down in my system so I don’t absorb the saturated oils”. Alright so I made up the last example but you get the picture. Chocolate does have antioxidants but I think the benefits are from dark no less then 70% cocoa, not from chowing down a block of dairy milk. One thing I do know is healthy for us are red lentils. They boast benefits from anti-aging to lowering cholesterol and are cheap and easy to prepare.
Today we had Tangy Red Lentil Soup for lunch, another winter warmer that keeps you full and something you don’t have to feel guilty about. 
Tangy Red Lentil Soup ingredients
- 1 heaped tablespoon of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 1 large brown onion sliced
- 2 cups of red lentils
- 3 celery stalks (chopped)
- 3 medium size carrots (chopped)
- 4 cups of vegetable stock
- 400g tin of vine ripened chopped tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry powder
- 1 teaspoon of rock salt
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 cup of water
- 1 lemon
Let’s Cook!
- In a large saucepan melt coconut oil over medium heat, add onion and garlic and saute for 5-8 mins till onion looks semi transparent
- Then add tomatoes, lentils, tomato paste, stock, salt, oregano and curry powder, simmer on low-medium heat stirring occasionally for 10 mins. The lentil should begin to thicken
- lastly add the chopped celery, carrot and water
- bring to the boil then allow to simmer on low for 30-40 mins, stirring occasionally, add more water if needed
Serve with freshly squeezed lemon juice, drizzled over the top!
Health and Happiness
Katri x
The GF Vegetarian 