This month’s delicious and nutritious recipe is brought to you by Nutritionist, author and chef, Emma Ellice-Flint (@emmas_nutrition).  This easy curry is so satisfying and provides plenty of prebiotic fibre, phytonutient-rich vegetables and liver support. Whilst this entire curry has many benefits to your health, it’s the onions, garlic and chickpeas in particular that provide both soluble and insoluble fibre. These fibres help your gut and it’s microbiome to function optimally. The insoluble fibre helps to form a stool that aides the body to excrete out any unwanted toxins. The gel-like soluble fibre, helps to feed other, just as important, beneficial gut microbes. Together they can both contribute to producing short chain fatty acids (SCFA). These SCFA are loved by our bodies because, for example, they feed the cells lining our colon’s wall and therefore can help optimise it’;s function and our gut-derived immunity.

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 large/750g aubergine** (or 2 smaller), cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large/200g red/Spanish onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 heaped tbs fresh grated ginger
• 2 large long red chilli, chopped or ½ tsp dried
• 2 heaped tsp ground cumin 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cup tomato passatta or 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 150g raw cashews
• 1 tbs honey 250g cooked chickpeas (if using tinned that’s from 1 x 400g tin)
• 4 handfuls spinach or kale or chard leaves, roughly chopped

RECIPE

1. Put the onion, whole peeled garlic cloves, eggplant and oil into a large shallow pan on medium/ low heat.
2. Stir around and pop a lid on so they can sweat. Cook for 15 minutes or until the aubergine is beginning to soften. Occasionally remove the lid and stir the pan ingredients around.
3. Mix in the ginger, chopped chilli*, cumin and turmeric. Warm for a minute.
4. Add the tomato passatta + 1 cup of water or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, stir to combine and pop the lid back on to cook for another 10 minutes.
5. In a high speed blender combine the cashews, honey and 1 cup of water until creamy.
6. Add this to the eggplant curry along with the chickpeas and spinach. Stir through and allow the spinach to wilt and the chickpeas to warm.
7. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then serve.

*De-seed the chilli if you like your curry mild

**Leave the black skin of the aubergine on when preparing it, as this is where the concentration of beneficial phytonutrients are found.

This recipe is from Emma’s 30-Day Vitality Series – a 30 day learn to eat whole foods programme.