Vegetable Thai Curry

I love Thai food because most of their dishes (at least the ones i like) are dairy free! They are known to add immune boosting and disease fighting herbs and spices such as turmeric, coriander, lemongrass, and fresh chillies. I also love how they have variety of healthier noodles to choose from made from rice and buckwheat such as pad noodles and soba noodles. The best part is that they love to use many yummy and exotic vegetables :)

Last night I really felt like having their green curry with rice, so i made a healthier version of the green curry by making the curry paste on my own rather then buying it ready at the grocery store as it probably contains some sort of additives or preservatives. I also used organic light coconut milk and added all the vegetables available in the fridge. I served it with brown rice and it was so delicious!

Recipe

Curry Paste Ingredients

Lemongrass - blended with water to get a paste

A bit of grated ginger

A clove of garlic

1/4 onion

2 chilis without seeds (you can keep the seeds if you prefer spicy)

A bit of coriander 

1/2 tsp of turmeric 

1 tsp of mixed seasoning

1/2 a lime

Blend all ingredients and keep aside.

On a large pan, sauté whatever vegetables you like with some coconut oil (check out my glossary to read about coconut oil's benefits). I used whatever i had in my fridge which happened to be broccoli, cauliflower, papaya, sweet potatoes, carrots, string beans, mushrooms and zucchini. Season it with red chilli flakes, salt & pepper and any other seasonings you like. 

Cover and set aside on low fire.

On another large pan, heat a little bit of coconut oil and sauté some onions, organic yeast free vegetable cube (you can find this in Lulu), the blended curry paste, organic coconut milk and half a lime. 

Cook on medium fire for a while until it thickens a bit then add the lemongrass, vegetables from the other pan, a bunch of spring onions and some frozen spinach and peas.

Serve with some rice and enjoy :)

Guacamole

Avocados are definitely one of my favourite additions to many things! I use it to make chocolate puddings, frostings and desserts. I sometimes like to add it to my smoothies or spread it on a healthy toast with some red chilli flakes and a squeeze of lemon. I also like to make sauces (check out my AvoPesto sauce recipe on my AvoPesto Zoodles post if you haven't already) and of course as a dip :)

The good fats in avocados have numerous benefits. It helps absorb nutrients, boosts eye and heart health, lowers cholesterol, reduces risks of certain cancers, eases arthritis symptoms, aids in weight loss and is great for the hair and skin!

I have been using this Guacamole recipe for many years now, it's one of my family's favourites. I hope you enjoy making it and devouring it like i do :)

Ingredients:

2 ripe Avocados
1 small tomato
1 small onion
1 chili
1 TBSP of freshly cut parsley
1 TBSP of freshly cut lettuce 
1 TBSP of olive oil
1 lime
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Finely chop all the vegetables, add the rest of the ingredients and mix in a bowl. Serve with your favourite crackers or cut veggies. We usually make this Guacamole as one of the side dishes to our Mexican Feast nights (its in one of my posts in the lunches/dinners).

Quinoa & Chia Seeds Loaf

This is definitely not your typical type of toast but sometimes it's nice to have it plain with tea or as a side to your soup. It has a lot of flavour so i like to eat it plain or with a drizzle of some of the tahini sauce that I usually make with my Quinoa, Tofu & Avocado Veggie Bowl recipe in a previous post :)

The main ingredients in this recipe are Quinoa and Chia seeds. Both Quinoa and Chia seeds are considered to be superfoods because of their amazing benefits.

Chia seeds are rich in antioxidants and full of finer, calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron. It is also an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids that help raise the HDL which is the good cholesterol, the kind we need more of. Quinoa is one of the few plant foods that contain all nine amino acids. It is also high in many nutrients and vitamins that are important to the human body. It is gluten free which makes it perfect for people with intolerances.

What I love most about this recipe is that it looks like bread (not so sure if it tastes like bread, maybe the crusts does!), satisfying and very easy to make with just a few ingredients :)

Recipe: (one loaf)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup of quinoa seeds

1/4 cup of chia seeds

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp gluten free baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt or himalayan salt

1/2 a lime

1/2 a cup of water

mixed spices of your choice 

a handful of pumpkin seeds (optional)

Method

- The first step is to soak the quinoa in plenty of cold water over night and to also soak the chia seeds in 1/2 a cup of filtered water.

- The next day you can start by preheating your oven to 160 degrees c.

- Drain the quinoa and rinse very well through a sieve making sure the water is fully drained.

- Place all the ingredients (except for the pumpkin seeds) in a food processor for 3 minutes.

- Mix in the pumpkin seeds with a spatula and spoon into a loaf tin lined with baking paper.

- Bake for 90 minutes.

- Cool for 30 minutes. 

It is best served when its completely cooled (out of the fridge) and toasted on a pan :)

It is best stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Enjoy!