It’s the third week of my “diet”. This year I was really indulging too much and my weight went to the “red light flashing all the time” state. I had some problems with my knees in winter and my training was nothing compared to what my body is used too. It took me just few months of my regime to get totally of track and gain some unwanted pounds.
I’ve been on that road a few times in my life, the last time was really successful since I kept my weight for five years,wasn’t it? And look just few months of indulging and I here I am. I had to cut out few things I love most- sugar, milk, cheese, wine and flour. Ouch! After two and a half weeks I’m three kilograms lighter, so I guess that’s the way to go. I eat four times a day, small portions, mostly veggies, a cup of fruit and some good quality protein. I cut out diary(exept yogurt) and gluten.
We’ll see how it goes- for now I can tell you I already have more energy, my body feels better and I stopped having sugar cravings(let’s hope that lasts).
Anyway- today I have a vegetarian stew for you. It’s made from things from the garden- I have beautiful yellow carrots this year and an abundance of chard and yellow zucchini.
RECIPE – VEGETARIAN STEW WITH CHARD AND CHICKPEAS
4½ tbsp olive oil400g swiss chard (stems and leaves), cut into 1cm slices
2 small zucchinis
4 carrots, sliced
1 tbsp tamarind paste
500ml canned tomatoes
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp brown caster sugar
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
400g canned chickpeas
1 tbsp each minced parsley and coriander leaves
1½ tsp whole coriander seeds, toasted and ground to a powder
Heat olive oil in a pan, add onion and fry until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, ground coriander and chilli flakes and fry for another minute, add sliced carrots and chopped chard stems, fry for another minute, add chopped zucchini and then chard leaves. Then canned tomatoes(with water and juices) and tamarind pulp stirred into a glass of water. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture boil on a low heat for 25-30 minutes. Add chickpeas before the end. Stir parsley and coriander before serving. Serve with rice or a slice of bread.
