What’s in season? From immune-boosting fruits to superfood produce, here are some healthy and joyful winter recipes that can make the most of this season.
From juicy grapefruit to spinach, avocado and parsnips, here are some of my favourite winter recipes that will inspire you to eat fresh and seasonal throughout this season.
Cinnamon Orange Granola from Natalie’s Health
Perfect for breakfast or a healthy snack, Natalie’s Cinnamon Orange Granola is full of that desired crunch, nutrients and made without any refined sugars. I make this one weekly! Here’s how to make it:
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup dried dates or any dried fruits (like apricots, cranberries, etc)
- 2 teaspoons Ceylon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup or honey
- ¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest from 2 oranges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Line big baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Zest two oranges with zester. Chop the walnuts and dried dates. Melt the coconut oil.
- Prepare and measure all other ingredients using measuring cups.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds and dried dates (or any dried fruit which you’re using). Add salt and Ceylon cinnamon. Mix everything with spatula.
- In a small bowl, add maple syrup, melted and cooled coconut oil and vanilla. Add grated zest. Mix together using the whisk.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix with spatula until all of the dry ingredients are coated in the wet mixture.
- Spread granola onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten into one layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes and then stir granola to make sure everything bakes evenly. When stirring, don’t get too crazy because you don’t want to break up all of the clumps.
- Continue baking for another 10 minutes until everything is a nice golden color. Watch out not to over-bake and burn the granola. The granola will still be slightly sticky when you take it out and will crisp up after it cools.
- Cool down completely before storing.
Spicy Broccoli Soup from Natalie’s Health
Already this sounds delicious – in the title alone! I love broccoli, and I also love soup season, so this creamy and vibrant recipe marries some of my favourite ingredients in one satisfying bowl. This is a great mid-week recipe when you’re short on time but big on hunger.
Ingredients
- 1 large broccoli head
- 1 large parsnip or ½ medium-sized celery root
- 0.8 inch fresh ginger root
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 4-5 cups water
- Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash the broccoli head and cut it into florets. Cut the stem into small pieces. Use whole broccoli, don’t waste anything. Peel the parsnip and ginger and cut them into small pieces.
- Place broccoli, parsnip, and ginger in a large pot.
- Add water or vegetable broth, if using, just enough to cover the vegetables.
- Add olive oil and season with salt (add just a half teaspoon).
- Bring soup to a boil. Cover with the lid, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes until vegetables are soft enough to puree.
- Take the soup off the heat. Remove a cup of the liquid and set it aside.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables into a high-speed blender and blend the soup until smooth and creamy.
- Add more reserved liquid if the soup is too dense until you achive the desired constancy.
- Add in spices – cinnamon, turmeric, and pepper. Blend the soup again, just a few pulses for spices to combine.
- Taste the soup and add more salt to taste.
- Transfer the soup back to the pot.
- Serve hot with additional toppings.
Substitutions
- You can substitute parsnip with other root vegetables, like celery root (celeriac) or potatoes.
- If you have homemade vegetable stock use it here. If not, simple water and salt are great. I don’t recommend using vegetable cubes or store-bought preseasoned vegetable stock. They can contribute to unwanted color, off-putting flavors, and excess salt.
Toppings suggestions
- Drizzle of cold-pressed flaxseed oil or extra virgin olive oil. Pumpkin seed oil is a great option too.
- Sprinkle with seeds: pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, or sunflower seeds.
- Serve with crispy croutons or a slice of toasted sourdough bread.
Crispy carrot, sweet potato and haloumi baked rosti from delicious.
Packed full of nutrient-dense vegetables and also warming, this rosti is a family favourite over here. Great for a weekend brunch too!
Ingredients
- Olive oil, to brush
- 200g sweet potato, coarsely grated
- 300g white potatoes, coarsely grated
- 300g carrots, coarsely grated
- 250g haloumi, coarsely grated
- 1/2 onion, coarsely grated
- 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup (50g) plain flour
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, to serve
Green olive, celery and fennel salad
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1 fennel, fronds reserved, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup (60g) Sicilian olives, chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 preserved lemon quarter, chopped
- 1 tsp toasted coriander seeds, ground
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C. Brush skillets with oil.
- Place sweet potato, potato, carrot, haloumi, onion, thyme, eggs and flour in a bowl. Season well.
- Divide sweet potato mixture among skillets and press firmly together to create a thin pancake. Bake for 35 minutes or until crisp and golden.
- Meanwhile, toss salad ingredients together, including fennel fronds, and season. Combine sour cream and 2 tablespoons water in a bowl. Scatter salad over hot rosti and drizzle with sour cream to serve.
Kale Farro Salad from Luci’s Morsels
Farro is this fantastic nutty, hearty grain that is easy to make and adapt in many recipes. This salad is a great lunchtime option but, really, you could eat it for any meal. It’s certainly robust enough to make a main dinner meal out of.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cupchopped yellow onion
- 1 bunch kalestems removed and finely chopped
- ¼ cupchicken or vegetable stock
- ½ cupchopped dried apricotsabout 12 apricots
- 2 cupscooked farro
- ⅓ cupcrumbled feta cheese
Dressing
- ¼ cupextra virgin olive oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoonwhite wine vinegar
- ¾ teaspoonfine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoonground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, 3 minutes. Add the kale. Cook for one minute, stirring often as it wilts. Add the stock. Cook for 30 seconds and then stir in the apricots and cook for 1 more minute. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a large bowl. Add the farro and then the feta.
- Add the dressing ingredients to a small jar or bowl with a secure lid. Shake well for 20 seconds to combine.
- Pour the dressing over the farro salad and toss to coat well. Serve warm or at room temperature.