Meat Free Week // Sweet Potato and Kale Curry

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Meat Free Week in the UK. This is a great initiative to encourage people to think more deeply about how much meat they eat, the welfare of the animals reared for meat production, and the impact that a large meat production industry has on the environment.

As a former vegetarian (I was veggie for 7 years as a teen and young adult) I'm probably more informed than most when it comes to the ethical issues surrounding eating meat and meat production: but it's always great to have a reminder, as it can be so easy to become complacent about this things. Some of the key facts brought to attention by the campaign are:

• the average person in Britain eats 84.2kg of meat per year
• the British don't eat enough fruit and vegetables, falling significantly short of the recommended daily consumption of 400g
• demand for cheap meat has resulted in a rise in factory farming: 80% of chickens in the UK are factory farmed
• a third of the world's cereal harvest goes to feed farm animals; if fed to people instead, this could feed three billion people and help alleviate malnutrition

Definitely plenty of food for thought there. The good news is that we can all do our bit by making a conscious effort to introduce meat free meals into our diets.

In honour of Meat Free Week, I'm posting the recipe for my incredible (if I do say so myself) Sweet Potato and Kale Curry which, when served with rice and a side of naan, will prove a hearty and satisfying meal for even the most hardened meat eater. This recipe is also vegan, dairy and gluten free.

Sweet Potato and Kale Curry

Serves 4

1 white onion
1 clove of garlic
4 medium sweet potatoes
1 small bag kale (approx 200g)
1 tsp coconut oil

2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger powder

1 tin chopped tomatoes
400ml hot water + half a vegetable stock cube

Start by peeling the sweet potatoes and cutting them into chunks. Add them to a pot of boiling water and simmer for about 5 mins. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Heat the coconut oil in a big pan. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes or until beginning to brown.

Add the chopped garlic, mustard and cumin seeds and cook for about 5 minutes or until the seeds are starting to pop.

Add the tumeric, chilli, ginger and garam masala and fry for 1 minute, before adding the parboiled sweet potato, tin of chopped tomatoes and 400ml stock. Bring to a simmer.

Add the kale (you may have to do this in two batches depending on the size of your pot - it will reduce in size as it cooks) and simmer until tender. Season to taste.

Serve immediately with rice.

Put any leftovers in tupperware and store in your fridge or freezer to eat another time - this tastes really good reheated!

Warning: This recipe may be a bit hot for some palates! if you prefer a milder curry, use half the measures of each of the spices listed above, and add a tin of coconut milk instead of 400ml stock. Top up with a few splashes of stock if the curry is too dry.

Want to cook some more meat free meals? Meat Free Week have a range of recipes available on their website.

What's your favourite vegetarian meal to cook or eat?

Sugar Swaps // Carrot Cake Pancakes

This year Change 4 Life, a public health campaign by the NHS, are running Sugar Swaps again, encouraging people to reduce their daily sugar intake by giving them the knowledge and tools to enable them to do so. Over the last few years, sugar has loomed large on the agenda in terms of public health, with the high sugar content of modern diets playing a critical part in the explosion of obesity and type 2 diabetes in populations. This month the World Health Organization (WHO) has published new guidelines advising an even lower sugar intake - now the official line is that sugar should ideally comprise no more than 5% of your caloric intake (that's roughly 6 teaspoons a day). 

So Sugar Swaps is a very timely campaign, and I signed up a few weeks ago. I generally eat a balanced diet, but unfortunately I do have a real sweet tooth which I find difficult to ignore at times! I thought getting some advice on finding satisfying substitutes for cake and chocolate could only be helpful.

Once you sign up, you get a pack in the post to help you on your way. It's aimed at families so there's some kid-friendly stuff in there like stickers and flashcards, but also some useful bits for the grown ups too, like a notepad for your shopping list, a booklet with recipes, and some money off vouchers for low sugar and sugar free items. The flashcards in the pack highlight how much sugar can be in the foods you eat, and how easily the amount of sugar you consume adds up over the course of a day. For example, a box of sweet cereal has, on average, an eye-watering 34 sugar cubes in it! 

Sugar Swaps pack

In terms of suggestions for getting my own sweet tooth under control, Sugar Swaps recommends swapping puddings for fresh or tinned fruit or fruit salad, sugar free jelly and low sugar yoghurt. Although I am a big fan of Total Greek with fruit, sometimes you just need something a bit more substantial to stave off the sweet cravings. Luckily the booklet also features recipes for some more filling lower-sugar puddings, breakfasts and snacks you can make yourself.

Although I think the campaign is a great way to motivate people to transition to a lower sugar diet, I think one of the main reasons for the high levels of sugar consumption in the Western diet is actually the prevalence of 'hidden' sugar in foods. It's fairly obvious that ice cream and muffins are high in sugar, but not everyone realises that even savoury items, everything from your chicken sandwich to your microwave ready meal potentially has had sugar added to it. This includes products that are marketed as 'healthy' or 'low fat': they may even use fancy sounding words like 'raw cane sugar' to make it sound healthier, when in reality it's still just another form of added sugar. The only way to eliminate excessive sugar from your diet is to read labels very carefully, avoid processed foods, and cook from scratch as often as you can.

Speaking of cooking from scratch, I had to give one of the recipes in the booklet a go. One that caught my eye straight away was Lorraine Pascale's Carrot Cake Cinnamon Pancakes, which sounded like a winner to me. I made these for breakfast but you could happily make them for dessert too. I amended the recipe slightly as I didn't add protein powder (I hadn't trained that morning and so didn't need the extra protein, plus the eggs and greek yoghurt contain protein anyway) or the honey (as I knew I'd add sweet toppings).

These were really easy to make and turned out very much like American style pancakes, which surprised me as there's no flour or baking powder in them. I think part of the reason for this is because I made the batter by throwing all the ingredients in my Nutribullet, which must have beat more air into it than a regular blender, making the pancakes really light and fluffy. The batter can easily make four large pancakes. I made one large one to eat straight away, and then four smaller ones to put in the fridge/freezer and have later. I ate mine topped with a banana and maple syrup (sssh don't tell the sugar police!). I think next time I'll throw some raisins into the batter after blending it, to make the pancakes even more carrot cake-y.

Carrot Cake Pancake with banana & maple syrup

What healthy alternatives do you reach for when you have a craving for something sweet?