During colder months, it’s also a good idea to give our digestive systems a bit of a break from raw foods such as salads.

Lightly steaming or sautéing your veggies as well as using them in soups, curries, stews, roasting them or putting them in the slow cooker, will keep you warm and nourished.

We love having family dinners with this delicious kumara and chickpea red curry recipe over cauliflower or basmati rice.

This recipe serves 4, enough for 2 dinners and 2 lunches, and is gluten free, dairy free, egg free and sugar-free.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp red curry paste
• 4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped or
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 3 medium kumara cut into in 2 cm chunks
• 1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 x 270 ml can of coconut cream
• 2 x 270 ml can coconut milk (or 1 x 400ml can of coconut cream with a little extra water)
• 1 cup of green beans or sugar snap peas, cut into 3cm lengths
• 2 cups leafy greens, sliced
• Juice of 1 lime or lemon
• 1⁄2-1 cup coriander leaves and stalks chopped
• Extra fresh chili if desired

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan and sauté red onions until soft.
2. Add the curry paste, garlic and ginger to the red onions and cook (stirring constantly) for another minute.
3. Add kumara and chopped tomatoes to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Next add the chickpeas, coconut cream and coconut milk. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until kumara is soft, stirring occasionally (adding extra water if needed).
5. Remove the lid and add beans or sugar snap peas, leafy greens and coriander and cook for a further few minutes.
6. Serve with cauliflower or basmati rice.