Pumpkin and coconut soup
SocialJoy
Hello everyone and welcome to my October blog and I am glad to of completed my quarantine period after my trip to Spain. With the ever changing rules on gatherings, it seems sensible to have some social in the garden around a fire pit! So far have made lamb burgers with all the trimmings and a delicious Bakewell tart to follow. The other night served proper camp fire food with ribs slow cooked in cola and smothered in a sticky sauce, and to finish, lemon posset, a refreshing dessert to cleanse your palate. I think the marshmallows for toasting will be out next!
My most exciting news this month is we picked up our new puppy. We travelled to Scotland and drove the pooch all the way home to London. She is called Rhubarb and is a standard labradoodle, so will grow quite big I think! She is caramel colour and looks like a teddy bear, just adorable! This will be keeping me busy in semi lockdown times! There is a gorgeous photo of her on my newsletter.
WorkJoy
I have been engaging in some different networking groups, such as a “health & wellbeing group”, “law group”, “finance & banking sector” and “HR”. This has materialised in some interesting and hopefully new contacts where I can collaborate with other professionals and corporates booking up team building online classes for their staff.
I attended an online course on Alkaline foods this month. It was very interesting as we need to try and eat a diet high in alkaline foods (high pH) and limit acidic foods, therefore reducing the risk of some cancers. Ideally taking 80% alkaline foods and only 20% acidic foods to maintain a healthy ph balance. I learnt some important new facts from this course, such as do not drink water during eating a meal, only before or afterwards, otherwise the water will dilute the enzymes during digestion. When you wake up, your body is at its highest acidic level, so it is good to drink a glass of water with a tsp of sea salt (preferably celtic sea salt) as this will alkalise the body immediately. Or lemon and water in the morning, 3 times a week. Always try and take “live” water or spring water for the electrodes and full of minerals. Some deep breathing to start your day will also be very beneficial too.
KitchenJoy
I am continuing the cookery classes at KitchenJoy now but with smaller groups. This month’s sessions have been Gut Health and vegan. Making the seitan (meat substitute) for the vegan class is very popular and easy to make and tastes so much better than a shop bought product with all the preservatives. If you want to eat more plant-based foods, but still love the taste of meat, this is a great substitute and has the same texture as meat but higher in protein and less calories than meat. It also absorbs flavours, especially Asian style such as soy, ginger and garlic.
On the gut health we make kefir, a fermented cow’s or goat milk drink (I use goat’s milk as easier to digest) to support the digestive system, while boosting your immune system and helping support bone health.
I did a couple of online immune courses this month which only last one hour via zoom, and Q&A at the end, but managed to deliver 3 courses of delicious nutritious food. This month’s menu was brain power plant-based milk smoothie, Japanese miso glazed salmon with tahini greens, followed by avocado brownies.
Please contact me for more details if you are interested in any other types of medicinal cookery classes or 121 tuition. This also applies to online private cookery classes and work team building sessions too!
PUMPKIN and coconut SOUP
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1kg pumpkin, cut into 1-2 inch cubes (or butternut squash)
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 inch piece ginger (30g), finely chopped
2 tsp ground turmeric
750ml vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
250ml coconut milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until tender.
Add the pumpkin, ginger and turmeric and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for 30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
Allow to cool slightly, then use a blender or stick blender to puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer back to a pan to heat through. Serve with a swirl of coconut milk and/or pumpkin seeds
. 🙂
Enjoy ……..
