This dish is originally from West Africa, and is full of vegetables. The medley of vegetables makes it a hearty and healthy dish. You can add meat to it (beef/chicken) as well if you prefer. It's full of flavour and very versatile since you can add chickpeas, beans, green/red peppers to it as well.

Ingredients:
4-5 small/medium size sweet potatoes (chopped and peeled)
3 carrots (chopped and peeled)
4 to 6 cups of organic chicken/vegetable broth (less if you want to make it thicker like stew, more if you want to make it like a soup)
1 package of frozen, chopped spinach - 300g
2 onions (finely chopped)
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
2 tablespoon of  chopped garlic
1 tablespoon of chopped ginger
6 tablespoons of peanut butter
1 tablespoon of coconut palm sugar or maple sugar

Garnish:
2 tablespoons of lime/lemon juice
10-15 roasted peanuts
chopped cilantro leaves

1) Heat coconut oil in pot and when it melts add chopped onions with 1 tablespoon of garlic and half a tablespoon of ginger.

2) Saute onions until golden brown and then add chopped potatoes and carrots. If you are adding peppers then you would add these with the potatoes and carrots. If you want to add meat then add meat before vegetables. Once cooked then add the vegetables.

3) Add cumin, cinnamon powder, palm sugar and the rest of the garlic and ginger.

4) Saute until vegetables are slightly tender and then add chicken/vegetable broth.

5) Close lid and bring to boil and then add spinach. If you wanted to add canned beans or chickpeas you would add these with the spinach.

6) Reduce heat to simmer and add peanut butter last. Make sure heat is on low because you don't want the peanut butter to separate.

7) Garnish with lime/lemon juice, peanuts and chopped cilantro leaves before serving.

Makes 8-10 servings:
Calories per serving: 170, Fat: 7g, Carbs: 23g, Fiber: 5g, Protein: 5g, Sugars: 10g, Sodium:439mg

The origin of this dish is from Gujrat and it's a savory dish made with chickpea flour that is steamed into a cake and then served sliced up with chutney. This is my mom's recipe and i was finally able to follow her around and document it. So many friends have been asked for this recipe so here it is - Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup of chickpea/besan flour
3/4 cup and 1 tablespoon of cold water
1.5 tablespoons of lemon juice
1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp of sugar
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of ground /chopped ginger
1/2 tsp of ground/ chopped garlic
1/2 tsp of chopped green chillies or ground red chillies (optional)
1/2 tsp of chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
1/2 tsp of carom seeds
3/4 tsp of Eno (added last)

For Garnish:
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp of mustard seeds
1/4 tsp of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of sesame seeds
few curry leaves
3-4 chopped green chilli peppers
1-2 cloves
1 tablespoon of cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon of unsweetened, shredded cocounut

1) Pour some shallow water in your wok. It should be enough to just touch the pan.

2) Add your cake pan (8-9inches) and grill top (apparatus) to the wok with water so that the cake pan sits on top of the apparatus and water is just touching the pan. Turn stove on high to get water boiling.

3) Mix chickpea flour in a mixing bowl with cold water, lemon juice, oil, sugar, turmeric, salt, ginger, garlic, hot pepper/chillies, coriander leavers, cumin powder and carom seeds. The consistency should be of pancake batter. If it's too thick you may need to add some more water.
4) Take Eno and dissolve in 1 tablespoon of hot water and add to the batter just before you pour into the cake pan (don't let it sit with the Eno).

5) Once water is boiling, pour batter into pan and cover.

6) Steam for about 7 to 10 minutes, until done. When you touch the cake with your finger it should not be sticky. If it is, you will need to steam for longer.

7) Once done, remove from wok and let it cool and then cut into diamond shaped pieces.

7) To make garnish, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in frying pan and add all spices except the curry leaves, coconut and chopped cilantro.

8) Add the curry leaves after a few minutes.

9) Cover with lid and let it cook for a few minutes until fragrant.

10) Remove from heat and pour over the diamond cut pieces to infuse the flavour.

11) Serve warm with tamarind chutney.

Makes approx: 16 pieces depending on how large you cut
Calories per piece: 56, Fat: 3g, Carbs: 6g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 2g, Sugars: 2g, Sodium: 139mg

Rainy, wet days call for a hearty, warm bowl of soup. I love leeks - they are so yummy and this soup is perfect for those rainy, wet days. Traditionally leek is paired with potato, but to keep the calories down i've substituted cauliflower for potato and once you taste it,  you will never guess. Pretty sneaky, I know! Here's to sneaky leek soup! Try saying that fast a couple of times!

Ingredients:
2-3 bunches of leeks (chopped)
1 head of cauliflower (chopped or pulse ground)
2 tablespoons of rice flour
4 to 5 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water
1 cup of organic coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 tablespoon of garlic
1 tablespoon of organic ghee or butter
1 tsp of onion powder
1.5 tsp of salt
1.5 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of cumin powder (optional)
1 tsp of paprika (optional)
1 tablespoon of chives (optional)
a handful of chopped green onions or cilantro or chives to garnish (optional)

.1) Add ghee or butter to pot and melt on low heat.
2) Add rice flour and stir well while ghee or butter is warming up.

3) Add chopped leeks. (chop from white to where colour changes).
4) Stir well and let the leeks sweat. Add a little bit of the chicken broth if you need to.
5) Keep adding small quantities of chicken broth while leeks are being sauteed.

6) When leeks are soft and falling apart, then add rest of chicken stock and chopped cauliflower.

7) Bring to a boil and then add salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, chives.

8) Return to simmer and add 2 cups of water.

9) Using a hand blender, blend the soup so that it's smooth and there are no chunks visible.

10) Remove from heat and add coconut milk to give it a creamier consistency and garnish.

Makes 8 to 10 cups
Calories per cup: 120, Fat: 1g, Carbs: 21g, Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 2g, Protein: 6g, Sodium: 331mg

I love dosas which is a South Indian staple dish made from fermented rice batter and lentils. It's thin like a crepe but crispy on the outside. The fermentation  process requires time, as you need to leave the batter overnight to ferment. This recipe is quick and can be made when you feel like it as it doesn't require fermentation. The other thing i love about this particular recipe, aside from the instant factor,  is that it's oat based which gives you a bit more fiber and protein than the regular dosa.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of quick oats (gluten free)
1/4 cup of rava suji
1/4 cup of brown rice flour
1/2 cup of no fat, organic greek yogurt or unsweetened coconut milk (vegan)
1 tsp of cumin powder
1/2 tsp of onion powder
1/2 tsp of ginger powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1.5 to 2.5 cups of water (it depends on the consistency of batter and this depends on the brand of flour and oats you use)
8 sprigs of cilantro
Optional:
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder or crushed green chillies (you can add more if you like these spicy)

1) Add oats to food processor and grind until it's a broken down to a flour like consistency.

2) Add all the other ingredients and blend well.

3) Heat crepe pan or saucepan on stove and coat with some coconut oil spray.

4) Pour 1/4 cup of batter in the middle of pan and let it spread evenly. You will notice it will bubble and spread automatically once you pour it.

5) Cook bottom until it's browned and then flip.
6) Cook this side for a few minutes until nicely browned.

7) Serve with any curry inside or with cheese (my kids like this!) or you can even serve it with some spicy yogurt dip.

Makes 10 to 12 dosas:
Calories per dosa: 58, Fat: 2g, Carbs: 9g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 2g, Sugar: 0g, Sodium: 6mg

This is a go to recipe when i don't know what to cook and i want something that i know everyone will enjoy and eat well. It's a simple recipe with maximum taste.

Ingredients:
1 pound of extra lean ground chicken or lean ground beef
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 cans of organic tomato sauce
1 chopped onion
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of onion powder
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of chopped/crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of italian seasoning
1-2 basil leaves (garnish)
sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (garnish)

1) Add olive oil to saucepan on medium heat and saute chopped onion until golden brown.

2) Add ground meat to the pan with garlic and cook until done, breaking up the meat as you cook.

3) Add tomato sauce and salt, pepper, onion powder and italian seasoning.
4) Bring to a simmer and turn heat to low and cover for approx. 10 mins.
5) Garnish with lemon juice and basil leaves.

6) Serve with rice pasta or zoodles and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.

Makes approx: 8 servings
Calories per serving based on using extra lean ground chicken: 138, Fat: 7g, Protein: 13g, Carbs: 11g, Fiber: 2g, Sodium:787 mg

This is such a simple recipe and again is so versatile because you can add apples, cranberries, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, strawberries and so much more - be creative! It's easy to put together and again can store in your fridge for use later.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of light,regular or homemade mayonnaise (I use the natural mayo that doesn't have too many added preservatives and chemicals)
2-3 tablespoons of sugar depending on how sweet you like it (I use coconut palm sugar)
1/4 to 1/8 cup of white vinegar
1 tablespoon of poppy seeds

Mix everything together and store in the fridge for use when you are ready to serve. This is good for about 2 cups of broccoli slaw and 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. You can add chopped apple as well as spring greens to the salad. Try it with mandarin slices, pomegranate, chopped almond, walnuts and baby spinach.

Serves: 8-10
Calories per serving: 49, Fat: 3.6 g, Carbs: 4 g, Fiber: 0.2 g, Protein: 0.2 g, Sugars: 2.2 g, Sodium: 95.2 g