Amid all the differing nutrition advice and constantly changing diets, cooking can sometimes become overwhelming.

By: Sophie Leaver
Health & Wellbeing Writer

But a healthy diet doesn’t have to be difficult, time consuming, or even expensive. Food is delicious and it’s meant to be enjoyed! It’s as easy as choosing fresh and seasonal ingredients, following some simple no-fuss recipes, and exploring with spices, herbs and oils when you feel like it! Even with a busy and hectic schedule, it’s worth taking time to sit down, relax, and enjoy your meal. Here is simple vegetarian recipe to start off with for balanced, delicious dinner that you’ll look forward to.

 

1. Vegetable Tagine

 

This is a great dish to please everyone, even non-vegetarians. The chic peas are high in protein and fibre and will give you long lasting energy. The spices give the dish a delicious, warming rich flavour, and an extra nutritional hit. The cinnamon is known to help with blood sugar levels while the cumin is great for digestion. The recipe calls for peppers, aubergines, and courgettes but you can play around with adding in whatever vegetables you like.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 brown onions, diced

5 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

800g tinned tomatoes

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

800g tinned chic peas, drained

2 red peppers, chopped into medium pieces

1 aubergine, chopped into medium pieces

2 courgettes, chopped into medium pieces

10 dates (or dried apricots), chopped

Optional: Fresh Coriander and greek yoghurt to serve

Instructions

Heat the coconut oil in a pan, add in the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add in the dates, tomatoes, cinnamon and cumin and stir together. Bring to a low heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chic peas, peppers and aubergine and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Add in water or vegetable stock if the sauce gets too thick. Add the courgettes and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and top with fresh coriander and a spoonful of Greek yoghurt. This can be eaten alone or for an even more substantial meal, served on top of quinoa or cous cous.