Sara Matthews has a spicy

Turn up the heat

THIS MONTH OUR FREE FROM RECIPE WRITER SARA MATTHEWS HAS A SPICY DISH FOR VALENTINE’S - AND COOKIES!

www.sarabynature.co.uk

SARA is a qualified trainer, food consultant, recipe developer and food writer

BEETROOT AND BLACK BEAN CHILLI This is a warming and colourful twist on a classic recipe. The earthy flavours of the beetroot complement the spices in this delicious chilli which is a perfect midweek meal to warm these cold winter days.

450g of fresh beetroot, peeled and diced; 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced; 1 red onion, chopped; 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; 2 cloves of garlic, crushed; 2tsp of ground cumin; 2tsp of cumin seeds; 2-3tsp of chilli powder, depending on heat preferred; 2tsp of smoked paprika; 1tsp of nigella seeds; 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes; 1 x 400g tin of black beans; handful of chopped fresh coriander; zest and juice of 1 lime; salt and pepper to taste; natural plant based plain yogurt 4 S E R V E S

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Line a roasting tin with parchment paper, add the chopped sweet potato and beetroot and roast in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until slightly tender but not completely soft, as you do not want it to break down in the chilli. In a large pan, add the onion, chilli, garlic and a splash of water and cook until soft. Add a splash of water at a time if they begin to stick to the pan. Once softened, add the spices, nigella seeds, cumin, cumin seeds, paprika, chilli powder, and stir to combine. To the spice mix add the cooked diced sweet potato and beetroot, stir to coat in the spices and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and drained, rinsed black beans and lightly simmer for 15-20 minutes. A few minutes before you are ready to serve add the lime zest and juice and chopped fresh coriander, stir through. Serve with a dollop of natural plant-based yogurt and slices of fresh or pickled chilli. It is delicious with rice, quinoa or a jacket potato for a healthy nutritious meal. The flavours get more intense with age, and this can be stored for 3-4 days in the fridge or frozen.

CARROT CAKE COOKIES These healthy but tasty cookies have all the flavours of carrot cake in a cookie. They are super easy to make, contain fruit and vegetables but no oil or refined sugar. Makes 16

100g of gf oats; 100g of plain gf flour; 50g of grated carrot; 40g of sultanas; 30g of chopped walnuts (leave out if you want nut free cookies); 4tbsp of maple syrup; 1 banana, mashed; 2tbsp of seed or nut butter (use seed butter if you want nut free cookies), the butter is best warmed slightly to make it easier to combine with the other ingredients; 1tsp of bicarbonate of soda; 1tsp of baking powder; 1tsp, heaped, of cinnamon Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, oats, grated carrot, sultanas, walnuts, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon and mix until combined. Then add the mashed banana and warm seed or nut butter. Combine, the mixture will be crumbly, so you may want to use your fingers to rub all the ingredients to thoroughly combine. Add the maple syrup and mix to make a sticky dough. Roll into 16 balls (roughly a heaped tbsp each), then flatten onto the prepared parchment to make cookie shapes. Bake your cookies in the oven for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will be a little soft but will harden slightly once cooked. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

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