Category: Recipes

Sometimes you just want to eat a whole cucumber… and all the other great crunchy greens that the spring harvest brings! Think herbs, peas, tenderstem greens and the last couple months of avocado season! Here, we help you build the tastiest yummiest crunchy salad for lunch or to serve as a side dish.

What You Need:

• 80-100g baby spinach leaves
• 40-50g watercress leaves
• 1 whole english cucumber
• 80-100g tenderstem broccoli
• 80-100g sugar snap peas
• 10g each basil, mint, Italian parsley or coriander
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 3-4 spring onions
• ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
• ⅓ pumpkin seeds
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 TBSP olive oil

Method:

1/ Prepare a large salad platter or bowl and place the green leaves down as the base.

2/ Using a peeler, cut very thin slices of your tenderstem broccoli and add that, along with the sliced florets onto your green leaves.

3/ Using a peeler, create cucumber ribbons by peeling long thin slices lengthways. Scratter these on top of the leaves.

4/ Slice the sugar snap-peas lengthways, exposing some of the beautiful peas inside. Add these to the platter.

5/ Roughly chop the herbs and add to the bowl.

6/ Slice your avocado flesh and scatter on top of the salad layers.

7/ Thinly slice the white and pale green parts of the spring onions only and add these to the salad.

8/ Add your seeds to a dry pan set over medium heat and toast gently until just turning slightly golden and beginning to pop.

9/ Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil and drizzle over the salad, garnishing with the seeds and zest.

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Looking for another fresh, crunchy salad to try? Make this Spring Greens salad recipe: https://medshieldmovement.co.za/spring-greens-salad-recipe/

Looking for a tasty way to pack in those seasonal spring greens? Try this light phyllo pastry tart recipe – great for an easy lunch with salad or to slice up as snacks and serve around a braai or as a starter for a dinner party. 

This recipe can be made as one large sheet tray tart or as mini tartlets and features an abundance of tasty spring greens like asparagus and courgette ribbons. It includes cheese, but you can easily swap this out for a vegan cream cheese or dot with vegan feta on top or crumbled tofu for a high in protein, plant-based version.
Looking for gluten-free phyllo pastry? Try South African company, Off The Gluten Path.

What You Need:

• 8 sheets of phyllo pastry 
• 2 tbsp olive oil (for brushing pastry), plus extra
• 100g tenderstem broccoli, trimmed and sliced
• 10 asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced
• 4-6 small courgettes, sliced into thin ribbons using a peeler
• 200g smooth ricotta (or whipped silken tofu for plant-based)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 100g of feta, for crumbling on top
  1 beaten egg (optional, for a more golden pastry) or plant-based milk
• Fresh herbs (optional): parsley, mint or basil for garnishing

Looking for an easy family-friendly weeknight meal? Try this homemade basil pesto pasta: https://medshieldmovement.co.za/healthy-and-quick-vegan-basil-pesto-pasta/ 

Method:

1/ Preheat your oven to 180°C. 

2/ On a large clean wooden board, lay out one sheet of phyllo pastry. Brush it lightly with a little olive oil, then layer another sheet on top. Repeat this process until you have 4 layers of pastry. Cut the phyllo into rectangles or squares, depending on your preferred size for the tartlets. Repeat with the remaining 4 pastry sheets for the second set of tartlets. 

3/ On a large, baking-paper lined baking tray, place the phyllo slices and shape them as desired. (Alternatively, use mini tart trays or ramekins). Brush with a little egg or plant-based milk if using. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden. While this is happening, prepare the vegetables. 

4/ Blanch the tenderstem broccoli and asparagus in boiling water for 1-2 minutes only. Drain, pat dry and set aside. 

5/ In a bowl, combine the smooth ricotta (or tofu) with minced garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Spoon this onto the bases of the tartlets (or tart). Then divide and arrange the vegetables on top. Drizzle a little extra olive oil over with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of feta (if using). 

6/ Return the tartlets to the oven and bake for a further 10-12 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the cheese begins to lightly brown. 

7/ Serve with some fresh herbs of your choice!

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Looking for a crunchy salad recipe? Make this cabbage salad: https://medshieldmovement.co.za/crunchy-cabbage-salad-thats-delicious-and-filling/

In the middle of winter, there’s nothing better than a big bowl of tasty comfort food – and this can be both healthy and delicious! This veggie-packed cottage pie is vegan-friendly, high in plant protein and super-nutritious. It’s also great for meal-planning!

Whether you’re meal-planning for the week or whipping up a big oven dish for the family, this veggie cottage pie ticks all the boxes! Swapping out regular potatoes for orange sweet potatoes ups the dose of beta-carotene – Vitamin A  – which aids in immune support.
This recipe uses lentils and peas for plant protein, but you could replace it with 250g minced beef for a meat version or with plant-based mince.
There is an option to top the sweet potato mash with grated cheese or Parmesan at the end, you can leave this off completely or use plant-based cheese as you like. The mash recipe contains nutritional yeast, which will already provide a slight cheesy flavour.

What You Need:

• 1 large brown onion, finely diced
• Olive oil
• 2 large carrots, peels and grated
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, very finely diced
• ½ tsp each: dried thyme, dried rosemary, smoky paprika, coriander powder and cumin
• ½ glass red wine* (optional)
• ½ cup finely chopped brown mushrooms
• ½ cup finely chopped baby marrow (zucchini)
• 1 tin brown lentils, drained
• ½ cup of frozen peas
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
  1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock

  Topping:

• 3-4 orange sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm pieces
• ¼ cup oat or soya milk (plant milk of your choice)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Handful of cheese / plant-based cheese (optional), for topping

Method:

1/ Start by sautéing your onion in a little olive oil in a large pan set over a medium heat. After a couple minutes, add the celery, carrots and garlic and saute until fragrant and just cooked, about 3 minutes. Add your dried herbs and spices and saute for a further minute or 2. if using red wine, add it now to deglaze the pan and bring in flavour.

2/ Add a little more olive oil, as needed and add the mushrooms, baby marrows, lentils and peas to the pan and sauté.

3/ Add in the chopped tomatoes and paste and one cup of stock and simmer, stirring occasionally. Time to preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius!

4/ In the meantime, prepare the potatoes by adding the pieces to a pot of boiling water and cook for around 15 minutes until soft enough to mash. Once cooked, drain and place in a bowl with a little milk and olive oil and mash until lumps are removed. Stir in the nutritional yeast and seasoning to taste.

5/ Once the lentil mixture is cooked, spoon it into a large baking dish. Top with the sweet potato and nutritional yeast mash and spread over evenly. Option to add a handful of cheese of your choice over the top before popping in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

This recipe makes use of orange veg packed with beta-carotene to help support your immune system, boost brain health and improve skin and eye health. It’s really simple and works well for meal-prepping too.

What You Need:

• 500g chopped pumpkin
• 3-4 large carrots, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic
  Olive oil
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1 brown onion, finely diced
• 3cm piece ginger, very finely diced
  ½ tsp each: ground cumin, ground coriander, ground paprika, red chilli flakes, ground cinnamon
  1 litre vegetable stock
  ½ tin coconut milk or cream (optional)
  Handful fresh coriander, chopped
• Toasted pumpkin seeds for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1/ Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. On a baking tray, place your pumpkin, carrots and cloves of garlic (skin on) and spread them out evenly. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 35 minutes or until cooked evenly, flipping the veg over half way.

2/ While the veg is roasting, sauté the onion in a little olive oil until translucent, then add the ginger and the spices. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.

3/ Add the roast veg to the pop of stock and squeeze the cloves of garlic into the pot, discarding the skins.

4/ Using a hand-held blender, blitz the veg and stock together until your soup forms.

5/ If using coconut cream, stir into the soup. Stir in the coriander leaves. Taste to check seasoning. Serve garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds.

If you’re looking for another cosy, healthy winter meal, try this Vegan Shepherd’s Pie here: https://medshieldmovement.co.za/cosy-weeknight-meals-vegetarian-shepherds-pie/ Something a bit later and packed with plant protein? Try this Cosy weeknight meals: quinoa and veggie stuffed baked peppers: https://medshieldmovement.co.za/quinoa-and-veggie-stuffed-baked-peppers/

This spicy, filling and hearty soup is a perfect weeknight meal that’s packed with immune-boosting nutrients.

What You Need:
1 large red pepper, chopped
4 large tomatoes, quartered
Olive oil
2 jalapenos, chopped
5 spring onions, chopped (separate out the white and pale green parts)
2-3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1 tsp each: smoky paprika and cumin
1 tin of white beans / butter beans, drained
2 cups vegetable stock
1 lime, zested and quartered
Handful chopped coriander, plus extra for garnishing
½ avocado (optional)

Method:
1/ Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
2/ Line a baking tray with baking paper or foil. Place the chopped tomatoes and peppers on the tray, drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven to roast while you prepare the rest of the ingredients (25-30 minutes).
3/ Sauté the garlic, chilli and white parts of the spring onions in a little olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add the spices and sauté for a further minute to release the flavour, then add in the beans and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
4/ Once the peppers have cooked through, remove and blitz the roasted tomatoes and peppers together with a stick blender. Add this mixture into the beans.
5/ Add in the vegetable stock, a good squeeze of lime juice (half a lime) and the coriander. Mix together and simmer for about 10 minutes.
6/ Serve the soup with spring onion (green parts), coriander and a few slices of avo.

Recipe Notes:
For an even quicker and simpler recipe, swap out roasted tomatoes and peppers for tinned tomatoes. The flavour won’t be quite the same, but it will still be tasty.

The addition of avocado completes the “mexican” feel and contains healthy fats and nutrients. You can swap this out for a drizzle of sour cream or greek yoghurt (for a non-plant based option).

Here at Medshield Movement, we’re all about helping you live a healthier lifestyle and we know that following a balanced meal plan will help you achieve that. We’ve created a series of healthy cosy weeknight meals for winter that are packed with nutrients and easy to make! Try this white vegetarian version of a shepherd’s pie – it’s also great for meal planning for the week ahead!

This recipe includes healthy plant protein and fibre thanks to the lentils and veggies packed into the filling. You could also add two tomatoes instead of the pepper or add a finely chopped celery stick into the mix. Keep the veggies chopped to the same small size for a consistent texture.

What You Need:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 baby marrows, diced
• 1 cup chopped button mushrooms
• 1 x 400g tin brown lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp each: dried thyme, dried rosemary and paprika
• Pinch chilli flakes
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Topping:

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
1/ Preheat the oven to 200°C then start with the topping: place the diced potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, prep your filling
2/ Heat a dash of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
3/ Add the vegetables to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes until tender.
4/ Stir in the lentils, tomato paste, herbs and spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together.
5/ Add stock and simmer for another 5 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly. (Note that all stocks have salt in them, so only add more salt as needed later on, after tasting your filling.)
6/ Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and return them to the pot. Add almond milk and olive oil and mash until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
7/ Transfer the lentil mix into a large baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Spoon the mashed potato mixture on top of the vegetable mixture, spreading it evenly to cover the filling. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the mashed potato topping is lightly golden and the filling is bubbly. Enjoy!

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