Raw Chocolate Pudding

This raw, completely natural, no-sugar-added banana cacao almond butter pudding will make your heart skip a beat! It won't give you a sugar crash either. I expect that kids will love this recipe too. If you don't have raw cacao powder you can try using unsweetened cocoa powder, although you will likely have to adjust the amount to taste. I recommend adding it 1 tablespoon at a time and taste testing as you go. Roasted almond butter would also work lovely. And because I will probably be asked - the banana flavour does come through quite a bit in this pudding.

Vegan Banana Bread

By Angela Liddon.

This vegan banana bread is delicious, wholesome, naturally sweetened, and takes 10 minutes to throw together. What could be better when you have some overripe bananas to use up? Nothing, my friends, absolutely nothing! Whip this into the oven before guests arrive to fill the house with a delectable banana bread aroma. For a fun twist, try adding cinnamon and nutmeg into the dough before baking, or even stir in some chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate for a more decadent loaf. I love it topped with both sliced banana (which enhances the sweetness and banana flavour) and crunchy walnuts.

Smokey sweetcorn and tofu fritters

By Yotam Otolenghy
These fritters are so positively free-from – no dairy, no gluten – that it would be churlish not to serve them with a fried egg to make up for it. Avocado, for those sticking with the vegan theme, is another winning combination. Serve these as close as you can to making them as they really benefit from being eaten nice and crisp, straight from the pan. If you can’t get fresh kaffir lime leaves then use 1 teaspoon of finely grated lime zest instead. If you can’t get the chipotle chilli flakes then either blitz up a whole dried chipotle or ancho chilli or else just increase the smoked paprika to ¾ teaspoon.

Serves four, 3 fritters each

Fresh Beans with Hazelnut and Oranges.

Orange and hazelnut go wonderfully well together. They offer a good balance of freshness and earthiness and the flavours are subtle enough to complement the beans without overpowering them. The beans can be cooked and chilled a day in advance and then dressed before serving. Sugarsnaps, green peas and broad beans can substitute any of the other two beans or be added to the salad.

Serves 6
Ingredients

400g French beans
400g mangetout

Pear and Fennel Salad with Caraway and Pecorino

This autumnal salad makes a real statement at the start of a meal. It is wonderfully fresh, yet substantial and very distinctive in flavour. Make sure your pears are nice and sweet. 

Makes: 4-6  servings

Ingredients:

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp sherry vinegar 

1 large fennel, cut in half lengthways, cut widthways into 2 mm slices

2 tbsp olive oil 

1½ tsp caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed

1 tsp maple syrup 

1 tsp cardamon 

                        Salt and black pepper

1½ cups         arugula

3 ripe pears, quartered lengthwise, cut into 0.5 cm wedges 

1 cup         pecorino, thinly shaved

fresh dill to garnish

Directions:

Mix the lemon juice and vinegar in a large bowl. Add the fennel and leave to soften for at least 45 minutes (longer if you have the time), stirring from time to time.

Put the oil, caraway, cardamom, maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon of salt and some black pepper into a small bowl, strain in the lemon and vinegar from the fennel bowl and stir well.

Add the dill, arugula, pear and pecorino to the fennel bowl, pour on the dressing, toss lightly and serve.

Recipe by Ottolenghi.

Urad dal with coconut and cilantro

This is all about the texture of the urad dal. Also known as black gram or black lentil, the texture – which retains a bite even after its long cooking – is more like that of a mung bean than that of your usual lentil. The difference between black and white urad dal is that the white version has had its skin removed. I prefer to use the black – the skin helps the dal keeps it shape and gives the dish a pleasing bite – but the white, which you won’t need to soak overnight, works just as well. The inspiration for this I owe to Aasmah Mir, whose website, crackingcurries.com, is a treasure trove of Pakistani family cooking.

Fig and goat’s cheese tart with lemon icing

Serve this delicious fig and goat's cheese tart by chef Yotam Ottolenghi for afternoon tea, or with ice-cream for dessert. Elegant complement to any light meal.

Beetroot and horseradish salad with apple, dill and almonds

This is another Yotam creation. I had add to the dressing cinnamon and nutmeg to warm and sweeten the salad. I love the amount of horseradish in this – it gives the salad a real kick – but use less if you prefer. Serve four. Pitta increasing.

Ingredients
75g peeled fresh horseradish
4 medium beetroot, peeled and halved
15g dill leaves, roughly chopped

Roasted squash with chilli yoghurt and coriander sauce

Inspired by the Yotam Ottolenghi a contemporary chef with international twist, this recipe in one of my favorites when it comes to prepare squash. The fresh herb paste brings in another layer of freshness, along with the visual "WOW". This recipe can be prepared in advance. Serves four. Excellent for vatta dosha.

DINACHARYA: AYURVEDA AND YOUR DAILY ROUTINE

By Dr. Shamna

Routine is the most comforting thing you can give your body. You may struggle to put a daily routine in motion that is loving, consistent and integral; but, I can reassure you that Dinacharya or Daily Routine is a big part of good health.

Ayurveda has proposed an integral self care system for thousands of years. A regular and consistent routine helps to bring rhythm and harmony into the body and mind making them more stabilized.