Healthy Winter Warmer Recipes to Try

Words by Charlotte Lindsay

Did you know that it is not only tasty, but important to eat warm meals during winter? Eating warm meals not only helps to boost your body temperature, it helps to improve circulation and supports your digestion.

With winter in full swing, we thought we’d gift you a selection of nutritious and delicious warm recipes. Whether you fancy a succulent soup, a saucy stir fry, a simple salad or a sweet treat, we have you covered. Using an array of healthy ingredients and seasonal products, you can be sure these recipes won’t disappoint.

Maple baked pears with almond frangipane & coconut yogurt

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 conference pears

½ cup maple syrup

cinnamon

100g almond meal

100g sugar

100g butter

2 large eggs

1 pinch of sea salt

sprinkle of almond slivers

Method:

Pears:

1. Preheat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Slice the pears in half, remove pips and slice off the back of the pear to ensure when placed on the baking tray they lay flat.

3. Lay the pear slices on your baking tray and sprinkle with cinnamon.

4. Drizzle your maple syrup over the pears.

5. Bake for 20 minutes.

Frangipane:

1. Preheat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Mix together the ingredients and spread thinly across your baking tray.

3. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and edges are crisp.

4. Place 2 pear halves in your bowl, with some broken pieces of frangipane, a scoop of coconut yogurt and some fresh blackberries for a bitter note.

Warm beetroot & goats cheese salad

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 bag of rocket and baby leaves

1 baby beetroots (in mild malt vinegar - Waitrose)

1 log of goat’s cheese

1 bunch of asparagus

1 bunch of parsley

Slivered almonds

Balsamic vinegar

Method:

1. Prepare the salad, finely slice your beetroots and lay them on a bed of baby leaves.

2. Bring a small pan of water to boil, then reduce to simmer and cook your asparagus for 3-4 minutes.

3. Whilst the asparagus is cooking, slice your log of goat’s cheese into slices.

4. Heat a non-stick frying pan, add a splash of rapeseed oil. Add your goats cheese to the pan and let cook on each side for 1-2 minutes or until crispy and golden.

5. Add your asparagus and goats cheese to your salad, add a generous handful of fresh parsley, a sprinkle of slivered almonds and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and enjoy!

Prawn & Vegetable stir fry with miso sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 bag of mixed stir fry vegetables

1 bag of rice noodles

1 box of fresh prawns

Sesame oil

Fresh chopped chilli

1 punch of fresh parsley

Miso sauce

¼ cup tahini

1 tablespoon white miso

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon tamari (can sub with soy sauce or mineral salt to taste)

pinch or two red pepper flakes, optional

1 – 4 tablespoons water, + more as needed

Method:

1. Firstly, prepare your miso. Combine all the ingredients together and stir thoroughly, add more water if you wish for a weaker taste, store in the fridge.

2. Heat a large wok and add a generous splash of sesame oil. Once heated add your vegetables and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add in your noodles and cook for another 5 minutes, adding more sesame oil if necessary.

4. In another pan, heat up some sesame oil, add your fresh chilli and cook your prawns until they turn from grey to pink.

5. Once cooked, serve the noodles, vegetables and prawns, then drizzle a generous serving of your home-made miso over the top alongside a pinch of fresh parsley.

Butternut squash & rosemary soup with crispy chickpeas & coconut yoghurt

Serves 4:

Ingredients:

750g cubed butternut squash (peeled and seeds removed)

1 large onion

1 bunch fresh Rosemary

Olive oil

1 small root of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

750ml vegetable stock

Canned chickpeas (rinsed and dabbed dry)

Dried rosemary

Sunflower and pumpkin seeds

Coconut yoghurt

Salt and pepper

Method:

Crispy Chickpeas

1. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. In a bowl combine your rinsed and dried chickpeas with a drizzle of olive oil, dried rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

3. Place this mixture on to your tray and bake for 20-30 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Soup

1. Preheat your oven to 180. Degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. In a bowl, combine 2 tbsp olive oil with the squash, onion, rosemary salt and pepper, mixing thoroughly to ensure the squash is well seasoned.

3. Place on the baking tray and bake for 40-45 minutes.

4. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large saucepan over a Medium heat, add in your ginger and fry for 1-2 minutes.

5. Pour in your vegetable stock and a dash of salt and pepper, then bring to a boil. Then add in your roasted squash and onion and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Remove from the heat and use a handheld blender to blitz your soup until smooth, blend less if you wish for a chunkier soup.

7. Serve the soup then add your finishing touches, a serving of coconut yoghurt, a sprinkle of seeds and a handful of crunchy chickpeas... yum!

Conclusion

Now we've come to the end of our winter warmer recipes, did you have a favourite? These are all perfectly balanced recipes to make for a cosy meal indoors. So, now it is time to add another log to the fireplace, head to the kitchen try one or even all of our mouth-watering winter warmers, which will you try?