As the season starts to make a turn I look forward to warming, satisfying recipes. This month I wanted to concentrate on recipes that give me energy. I love the sugary flavour of  sweet potato balanced alongside the turmeric/cumin infused chick peas and kale. I hadn’t cooked a lot with kale, until a friend turned me to kale chips and I tried making my own last month; now I’m a fan! Kale has a firmer bite than spinach and is full of antioxidants (similar amounts are found in blueberries), vitamin K and calcium among other things. Sweet potato is full of vitamin C, and they provide a slow-burn source of energy, ideal for keeping blood sugar levels balanced.

Serves: 2

Prep time: approx. 10 minutes

Cooking time: approx. 40 minutes

Gluten free, Dairy free, Vegan

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, approx. 380g/13.5oz, ends trimmed and peeled

1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1/4 teaspoons cumin

a pinch of sea salt

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

half inch (1/3 tablespoon) peeled and finely chopped ginger

½ tablespoon vegetable stock bullion, preferably Marigold reduced salt or 1/2 a vegetable stock cube, crumbled

60 ml (¼ cup) boiled water

400g tin chickpeas, drained of liquid approx 235g (1 cup) once drained

25g (1 handful) kale, finely chopped

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
• Slice the sweet potatoes into discs about 1cm (1/2 inch) thick.
• Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a baking tray in the oven for 2 minutes, remove and add the sweet potato. Be careful not to burn yourself.
• Add the turmeric and a pinch of sea salt and the sweet potatoes; now use two spoons to turn and mix all the ingredients to coat the sweet potatoes thoroughly.
• Put the baking tray back in the oven and cook for 25 minutes until crisp on the outside and cooked through, turning the sweet potatoes over and the baking tray around in the oven after 12 minutes (half way through).
• Whilst they are cooking, drain a tin of chickpeas and put to one side.
• Place the remaining olive oil in a pan and heat gently, then add your finely chopped onion, garlic and sauté on a gentle sizzle until soften, approx. 8 minutes.
•  Add the finely chopped ginger and chickpeas to the pan, lightly crush with a potato masher or the back of a fork.
• Once the chickpeas are slightly mashed, add the boiling water to the vegetable stock bullion/cube, stir and pour over the chickpeas.
• Now add the cumin and the finely chopped kale, stir into the chickpeas for approx. 1 minute, until it’s heated through. Ready to eat!