Red Lentil Veg Curry

Chat Leave a comment March 27, 2019 nutritionadsa

Our latest NutritionConfidence recipe, created by registered dietitian Alex Royal, is a delicious Red Lentil Veg Curry, filled with veggies, herbs and aromatic spices.

We love lentils. Not only are they a great plant protein (containing the third highest levels of protein of all legumes and nuts) but they are also a great source of soluble and insoluble fibre, folate and magnesium, which all contribute to a healthy heart!

This recipe is super easy and quick, so ideal for weeknight dinners and the leftovers are great for a work lunch the next day. 

INGREDIENTS (serves 1)

1/2 cup red lentils, raw, making 1 cup cooked

2 handfuls baby spinach

1/2 small onion

1 large tomato

1 clove garlic

Salt and pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tbsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

Fresh chopped chilli (to your taste)

1 tbsp olive oil

Fresh coriander

PREPARATION

Boil the lentils until tender.

Finely chop the garlic & fry in the olive oil, at medium heat, in a large pot. 

Add the spices, salt, pepper and chilli and fry for about 5 minutes.

Chop the baby spinach, onion and tomato. Add into the pot and fry on low for 5-10 minutes.

Mix the lentils into the mixture.

Top with coriander.

NUTRITIONAL VALUES

Per serving:

Energy: 245 kCal

Carbohydrates: 23g

Protein: 10g

Fat: 14g

 

Spicy Tofu Bowl

Chat 2 Comments February 20, 2019 nutritionadsa

Our first NutritionConfidence recipe for 2019 is a delicious  bowl of food that is high in fibre, low in saturated fats but full of heart healthy fats. The ‘Spicy Tofu Bowl’ created by registered dietitian Julie Perks is dairy, wheat and gluten free and is also vegan with a lovely source of protein. People often  don’t include tofu in their diet as they don’t know how to cook it or flavour it. We love how the spicy chilli sauce in this recipe lends a wonderful taste to the tofu that makes the bowl really delicious as a lunch or light dinner.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 1)

Marinade:

1 tablespoon chilli sauce (I used sriracha)

½ teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon soya sauce (or Tamari for Gluten Free)

Salad Ingredients:

100g Tofu

1 cup spinach

½ medium avocado

½ cup black beans

1 small carrot, spiralized

5 baby tomatoes

1 tsp sesame seeds

Picked Radish & Onion:

¼ red onion

2 radishes

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon water

½ tsp sugar

Pinch of salt 

METHOD

Slice radish and onion finely and place in a small container with the other pickling ingredients and leave to stand until serving. The longer the onion and radishes pickle for, the softer they will become.

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Make the marinade with the chilli sauce, olive oil and soya sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Add the tofu to the marinade and once covered well, place onto a baking sheet.
4. Place the tofu in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
5. While the tofu is cooking, start preparing the salad bowl by placing the spinach at the bottom of the bowl, followed by the spiralized carrots, tomatoes, black beans, pickled radish and onions and avocado.
6. After the tofu has been in the oven for 10 minutes, turn and cook for a further 10 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and add to the tofu bowl.
7. Garnish with lemon juice.

Nutrition Information: Per serving

Energy: 1225 kJ Protein: 14g Carbohydrate: 25g Of which, total sugars: 2,2 g Fat: 17g Fibre: 11g Sodium: 200,4 mg

It’s the year of the pulses – try this Lentil Bobotie

Chat 1 Comment October 14, 2016 nutritionadsa

It’s the year of the pulses and the theme of National Nutrition Week is ‘Love your beans – eat dry beans, peas and lentils’, so this delicious Lentil Bobotie, created by chef Vanessa Marx, is the perfect family meal.

We love lentils (and you should too)! Dried lentils are a quick cooking legume, taking just 15 – 20 minutes to cook with no need to remember to soak them beforehand. The also pack a lot of punch, they are: low in fat, high in protein and high in dietary fiber.

Legumes (including lentils) provide a valuable and cost-effective source of protein and other nutrients. A 2010 review by Drenowski of different foods found that beans were among the top 5 classes of food having the highest micronutrient to price ratio, making them exceptional nutritional value for your money.

 

INGREDIENTS

(serves 4)

2 cup lentils, cooked

30ml canola oil

1 onion, peeled & chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled & finely chopped or crushed

20g grated fresh ginger

100g green beans, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 can chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup water

30ml mild curry spice

5ml ground cinnamon

2 bay leaves

2 free-range eggs

1/4 cup low fat yoghurt

2ml ground turmeric

salt & pepper

10g fresh coriander, chopped

2 extra bay leaves

METHOD

1. Put a large pot on the stove on a medium heat and add the oil.
2. Add the chopped onion, ginger & garlic and sauté lightly for about 5 minutes.
3. Then add the carrots, red pepper, green beans and raisins and continue to sweat for another 5 minutes.
4. Add the curry spice, cinnamon and bay leaves and stir in for 2 minutes.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and water and stir in.
6. Cook the sauce for about 15min until slightly thickened and the vegetables have softened a little.
7. Add the lentils and season with salt and pepper to taste and mix in.
8. Put the lentil mixture into an oven proof dish and set aside.
9. In a bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, eggs and turmeric.
10. Pour the egg mixture over the lentil bobotie and place the 2 bay leaves on top.
11. Bake the bootie in the oven at 180ºC for about 20min until the egg custard has set and is slightly golden brown on top.
12. Remove from the oven and serve hot with chopped fresh coriander.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: per serving (recipe serves 4)

Energy: 1441 kJ Protein: 16.1 g Carbohydrate: 49.6 g Of which, total sugars: 24.1 g Fat: 11.0 g Fibre: 14.0 g Sodium: 94 mg

Visit the National Nutrition Week website for more recipes that include beans, peas and lentils!

New Recipe: Veggie Frittata

Chat 3 Comments June 10, 2016 nutritionadsa

Our latest NutritionConfidence recipe (developed by chef Vanessa Marx) is quick, easy, packed with good nutrition, and a versatile choice for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It may sound exotic but a veggie frittata is really just a fancy omelette mixed with colourful vegetables and cooked in the oven.  Once you get comfortable making a frittata, branch out and make different flavours by swopping in seasonal vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes or spinach.

What the dietitian says: Eggs are a good source of high quality protein. They are also one of the few foods that contain high concentrations of Choline – essential for normal development and linked to improved memory and performance.

This recipe serves 8

INGREDIENTS

6 large free-range eggs

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ a medium onion

½ a red pepper

2 courgettes

100 g mushrooms

100 g mozzarella, grated

50 g feta, crumbled

5 g Italian parsley, chopped

5 g fresh coriander, chopped

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Beat the eggs together, season and set aside.
3. Drizzle the olive oil into a large ovenproof, non-stick frying pan and set over medium heat on the stove.
4. Slice up the onion, red pepper, courgettes and mushrooms.
5. Add the sliced vegetables to the pan and fry until they begin to get a little colour.
6. Add the beaten eggs and the cheese and mix slightly. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for three to five minutes until a crust begins to form on the bottom (do not stir the mixture).
7. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the mixture has set.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the frittata to cool slightly (five minutes).
9. Tip the frittata out upside down onto a board or platter, sprinkle with the chopped parsley and coriander and serve warm.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per slice (8 slices per frittata)

Energy: 527 kJ Protein: 9.5 g Carbohydrate: 3.9 g Of which, total sugars: 2.6 g Fat: 9.6 g Fibre: 0.9 g Sodium: 195 mg

Skipping breakfast will do more than damage your health

2 Comments March 13, 2015 nutritionadsa

It’s 6am, you are up and about and ready to start your day, but have no appetite or time to eat breakfast, and so you decide to postpone eating until the next meal of the day, which is only at 12pm. In essence, choosing not to eat breakfast means you are consciously making the decision to hamper your health as well as your performance at work or even at home. Perhaps it’s because you want to lose a few kilos?

Registered Dietitian Nathalie Mat puts that weight-loss myth to rest and explains how, by not eating breakfast, you are in fact depriving your body of sufficient nutrients that it needs in order to function on a daily basis. “Our bodies are not given any food overnight while sleeping, the first meal of the day helps to get our body started and get our metabolisms going,” says Mat. “Skipping breakfast is associated with higher weight gain and poorer performance.”

Perhaps you struggle to gulp down a meal in the morning due to the fact that you simply do not possess an appetite at that time. According to Mat, you are not alone: “Many people report having no appetite in the morning. I often find this is because they are eating too large a dinner. Reducing the size of your dinner may improve your morning appetite.” Choosing healthy foods that form a balanced meal will ensure your blood sugar levels are consistent meaning you won’t burn out later that morning, which is often the case.

“A healthy breakfast is a balanced one that includes a mix of wholegrain starchy foods (such as high fibre cereals, porridge, wholegrain or sourdough bread and even legumes like as beans or chickpeas) and protein rich foods (such as dairy products, eggs, lean meats or fish),” says Mat. “For example, it could be oats porridge with low fat milk, bran rich cereal with milk or wholegrain bread with some cheese, egg, beans or even peanut butter.” You can also add fruit to your breakfast. Fruit is a natural source of sugar but should be consumed as fresh fruit rather than juice if you want to control your blood sugar levels well.

Not only will eating a decent breakfast improve your performance throughout the day, but sustaining a lifestyle that is balanced in general will put diseases like cancer, strokes and heart attacks at bay. “Poor diet, physical inactivity and smoking are believed to contribute to those conditions,” says Mat. “These can be prevented by managing your lifestyle choices.”

The sooner you make the first step by eating the first, crucial meal of the day, the sooner you will begin living a more health and vitality-filled life.