I have a delicious little treat for you this week. While I am busy finishing up the recipes for Eat More Plants, I have a recipe from Amelia Freer, a woman whose work I greatly admire. She is a nutritional therapist based in the UK and the author of three books, including her latest The 10-Day Plan to Nourish & Glow: Lose Weight, Feel Great and Transform Your Relationship with Food.

You may have noticed the conspicuous absence of book reviews on my website…and that is because I:

A) take my recommendations very seriously
B) am super picky, and 
C) don’t want to recommend anything that isn’t 100% in line with my views

So hold onto your hats: Nourish & Glow is an awesome book. It is not a cleanse. It is not a diet. Amelia has a philosophy very much like my own, that of positive, additive nutrition. So this ten day plan is essentially a starter kit to help you learn what it means to eat a whole food diet. 

There was not one word of advice I disagreed with…in the whole book. See point B. In fact, I read her first book and was taken aback at how similar her philosophy is to mine so when I was offered a copy of Nourish & Glow, I was happy to take a look.

The ten day plan offers a totally plant-based option and to give you a sneak peek, here is a yummy curry that’s perfect for these deep winter days. Enjoy!

Eggplant and Chickpea Curry

Serves 2
Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free

2 tablespoons coconut oil or light olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon salt
6 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2½ cups vegetable stock
½ an eggplant, cubed
generous ⅓ cup cashew nuts
1 x 14 oz can of chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
a bunch of fresh finely chopped cilantro
2 handfuls of spinach
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 lime

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the onion and cook to soften. Grate the ginger and chop the garlic. Turn down the heat to low, then stir in the ginger and garlic into the onion and cook for another minute or so.

Add the dry spices and salt, and cook for a further 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes and the stock, then cook for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring regularly to break down the tomatoes with the back of the spoon.

Once the tomatoes have cooked down and reduced a little to make a sauce, add the eggplant cubes, cashews, and chickpeas. Stir well to coat them with the tomatoes, then cover and cook again, still over low heat, for another 10–12 minutes until soft. You may need to add some water if it looks a little too thick. Stir occasionally to stop it sticking to the bottom.

Finally, add the cilantro and spinach leaves, and cook for a couple of minutes, until they have wilted. Taste and check for seasoning.

Serve the curry topped with cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

Excerpted from The 10-Day Plan to Nourish & Glow: Lose Weight, Feel Great, and Transform Your Relationship With Food. Text copyright © 2017 Amelia Freer. Photography copyright © Susan Bell.
Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited.
Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book but no payment associated with creating this post. All ideas and opinions are mine and were not approved by the publisher.

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