Lentil bolognese

Pasta bolognese was a childhood favorite that made its way on to the dinner plate at least once a week. If it wasn’t my mom whipping up her amazing bolognese, it was definitely on the lunch menu in school.

The bolognese isn’t only a popular dish, but we all have our own twist on it. Some people prefer it more tomatoy, while others like it richer with heavy cream and wine. My mom loved it because it made it the perfect dish to sneak in veggies into, such as grated carrots and zucchini. Italian or not, everyone loves a good bowl of hearty bolognese!

Pasta and sauce it a combo that can’t go wrong, and bolognese is probably the most popular sauce to get up close with our dear pasta. The only thing that kinda sucks with a classic bolognese is that the main ingredient is mince. Meat. Beef. Cow. I ain’t about that life, so instead I’m going to share with you a plant based, easy, just as delicious lentil and mushroom bolognese recipe. Not to mention way more nutritious!

Red lentils are perfect as a mince replacement since it tends to break apart when cooked, creating that “mincy” texture. Mushrooms adds some extra chewyness and that umami flavor to tie it all together.

Serve it together with some grated zucchini and fresh spinach to get a pop of freshness, and with a side of your carbohydrate of choice.

Ingredients

1/2 shallot
1 dl red lentils
3 dl water
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Spinach
Tomato paste
Ginger
Black pepper
Turmeric
Cayenne pepper
Curry powder
Salt

Instructions

1. Cut up your onion and fry it in some oil or water until translucent. Add in grated ginger and all the spices.

2. Add in your lentils and the water. Let boil and then lower the heat and let cook for about 10 min. Keep an eye on it and add in some extra water if it gets to dry. You don’t want to burn this bad boy!!

3. Add in your mushrooms and let them wilt down in the lentil stew. Taste off, and add in more spices if you feel like it needs more sting.

4. Squeeze in some tomato paste and mix it all up.

5. Serve lentil bolognese on a bed of spinach and grated zucchini, and voila! Enjoy!

I ate this together with sweet potatoes, but you can feel free to eat it with rice or pasta or whatever you want if you feel like the veggies alone won’t fill you up.

It’s easy peasy to turn your childhood favorites into healthier, plant based alternatives. Not to mention, its way cheaper as well! You simply can’t go wrong with that! If you try out this recipe, let me know what you think about it.

Butternut squash dip

I’ve been obsessing a bit over butternut squash pure lately, and I decided to get some beet chips and blessed them with some butternut squash dip. May I tell you, that the beets thanked me hard and heavy for getting dipped into this orangy, mushy goodness.

Not only is butternut squash delicious, it is also packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, B-6, and magnesium together with a shit ton of fiber. Win win my friends.

Ingredients:

Butternut squash purée
Spinach
Aubergine / Eggplant
Zucchini
Pepper
Salt
Turmeric
Ginger
Smoked paprika

Instructions:

The process of this recipe is as easy peasy as saying “bone apple tea”. The first thing you need to do is to preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Cut up your eggplant and zucchini into as equally thin pieces as possible. Line them on some wax paper, squeeze on some lime or olive oil and spice up with some salt and pepper (or whatever spices you wish).  Bake in oven for about 15 min/20 min. Keep an eye on those bad boys so they don’t burn.

In a pan with some water, saute your spinach for a minute or two.

In a bowl, mix together your butternut squash pure, the sauteed spinach, and all your spices into a nice creamy dip. Top it off with the eggplant and zucchini, and sprinkle on some chili flakes and black pepper for the esthetics. Guys, that’s it!!

Enjoy with whatever chips or bread you prefer. Go cray cray!

Feed your light bulb

You’re a smart ass, and you know it. But sometimes, even the smartest of asses can have brain fog, feel tired, and not be as sharp as they normally are. You know what I’m talking about, right?

It’s important and really helpful to be on your A-game all the time, or at least as often as possible. What you eat plays a huge role in your brain function, of course. Your gut and brain are really good friends, and they connect with each other on a deeper level. Our “second mini brain” is basically our gut, hence our “gut feeling”. Food plays a huge role in everything. Okay, food might not be the lead actor of the newest Marvel movie, but he is definitely the lead role in our bodies.

Blueberries – These guys are an army of antioxidants. Small, but deadly, in a good way. Blueberries, together with other berries are one of the most healthy things you can stuff your face with. Filled with antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, and fiber. Eat them daily! Slam dunk some on your morning granola, oatmeal, or straight up in your mouth.

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Walnuts – With a shape similar to our brains, it’s a no brainer that walnuts are good for our thinker. They are an amazing source of plant based omega-3, vitamin E, fiber, and the healthy monounsaturated fats. Our brain loves this!!

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Greens – Greens are just great for everything. They always top the lists of everything health related. They’re like the Drake, or Beyonce. Whatever they do, it’s just going to be good. Kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, grass. Okay, maybe not grass, that was a dry, stereotypical vegan joke. But, all our leafy greens contains a lot of vitamin A and K, plus a ton of fiber. They also slow down the process of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

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Avocado – Our brain is basically a little fat boll, and it needs the good fats to thrive! Avocados are another magical little fatty for our brain. Containing the helahty monounsaturated fats, it protects us against strokes, and with vitamin E and K it keeps our skin glowing. You can’t go wrong with avocados. Ever.

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Beets – Not Beats by Dre, but the red, always staining your clothes kind of beets. These guys are one of the most healthy vegetables you can eat! They clean our blood form toxins, and increase the blood flow to our brains, which aids in mental stimulation. Beets are our brains hype man, and a pretty damn successful one.

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Chocolate – Yass, bitch, yaaaasss!!! You are reading right! Chocolate is an amazing little antioxidant, which our brain obviously loves. But, just the dark kind. The chocolate made with only cacao beans, and cacao butter. No added milk fat, or sugars, or all that other crap. The darker you go, the better. Black guys are going, “oh hell yeah” right now (and so you should, because you guys are pretty gorgeous).

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Turmeric – Another bad bitch. Turmeric heels everything. Know as one of the most ancient natural medicine, and still is, this magic root will slow down the aging of the brain, and keep your skin young and glowy. Turmeric contains curcumin, which is an antioxidant with amazing anti-inflammatory properties. Eat it together with black pepper for maximal absorption.

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Green Tea – Another great antioxidant in liquid form. It slows down the aging of both your brain, and your body. And yes, matcha is definitely a green tea, and an extra powerful one for that matter.

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Our brain pretty much thrives on antioxidants and good, healthy fats. The more wholesome foods we eat in general, the more healthy our body will be, and in turn, our brains as well. In the end it is all connected. A healthy body, is a healthy mind.