Leek, Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry

This is a simple and flavorful curry recipe and can really be made with any vegetables, the addition of the chickpeas adds protein and we just love them.

Introducing Anchored Nutrition Therapy

Marble Cake

This is a fun little cake, love the the way the plain cake and chocolate come together and its pretty. I made this with my daughter she enjoyed swirling it together. 

The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd

Over the summer while we were staying in the Highlands of Scotland we visited the Cairngorm reindeer herd. Thousands of years ago Reindeers roamed freely in Scotland but were hunted to extinction then about 50 years ago the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre decided to re- introduce them. They have bought some from Norway and slowly bred and cared for a thriving herd. They have thousands of acres to roam on in the National park and live like they would have years ago. 

It was a treat to interact with these amazing animals, you can take a short hike from the center with knowledgable guides who truly adore the reindeer and you can feed and walk amongst them. 

They are very much free though once they have had enough of us humans they walk away. 

Roasted Beetroot and Chickpea Salad

This is a super easy salad to make and would work well with any vegetables, especially root vegetables as they have a wonderful sweetness when roasted. 

Tips for Visiting Croatia

Spinach and Chickpea Stew

This easy and tasty recipe is based on this Palestinian Chickpea and Spinach Stew, I just simplified it a little and omitted a few ingredients that I didn't have on hand. It's quickly becoming a staple in our house.  I also don't have a pestle and mortar and it tastes fine, although I think one would be useful.

Southern Sourdough

I Started making this bread after Christmas, just before Christmas we had a big snow storm and my kind neighbor brought us some of his delicious sourdough bread, I asked him for the recipe and he kindly brought over the recipe and all the ingredients to make it. 

This recipe is fairly easy and it makes 4 loaves of sourdough, its a mild tasting and soft bread and because it makes so much its fun to give loaves to teachers, co workers, friends and neighbors. It's also fun for kids to make. On the weeks, I don't want to make bread I simply feed the starter, mine must be about 5 months old now. 

Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

On a recent trip to New Mexico we visited Bandelier National Monument, this was in fact the favorite part of the trip it was amazing seeing these ancient cliff dwellings and the fascinating desert landscape. 

The Ancestral Pueblo people lived here from around 1150 CE to 1550 CE, building homes carved from the volcanic tuff and planted crops in fields along the river. 

This area reminded up a little of Matera in Italy an ancient city with cave dwellings built in a very dry area, people were able to live in both places because of the presence of a natural spring that feed a stream and supported agriculture and life there. Matera is still lived in to this day however the pueblo Indians left this area in 1500's when droughts became bad and the area was no longer easy to live in. 

The drive from Santa Fe was beautiful and if returning to Albuquerque be sure to drive through Jemez springs. The High dessert landscape is fascinating in the highest elevations you can find snow and pine trees in the lower areas, wonderful red rock formations, cacti and brilliant bold skies. 

You can climb into various of the houses and get a sense of how the Native Americans lived. 

In this short clip you get a sense of the beauty and quiet of the canyon and even hear the stream.

Entering a cave the kids loved this.

It gets really hot be sure to wear a hat and drink lots of water, the visitor center also has water fountains. 

Where have you visited recently to learn about ancient history?

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Masala Spiced Salmon

This simple recipe is inspired by my Husbands South Indian fish fry, I simply marinated the salmon in masala powder than pan fried it, removed some of the oil and finished it off by poaching it. The kids and even my hubby approved.

Ingredients:

• a few salmon fillets
• about 1-2 tablespoons of masala powder mixed with oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 small tomatoes sliced 
• a little fresh basil

Method:

1. coat the salmon with the masala powder and oil with salt and pepper and let it sit for an hour.
2. add a little olive oil to a hot pan and sear the salmon on each side for about 5 min, then remove excess oil, add tomatoes and a lid and poach for another 5-10 minutes until the salmon is cooked through. I keep an eye on it and use a fork in the center of the fillet and know its ready when its flaky and I try it, always be careful not to over cook fish as it can get a little tough. 
3. serve with rice and dal, or salad, cous cous, the possibilities are endless.

Happy Spring everyone.

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Cajun Spiced Bean Soup

This is a nourishing and satisfying soup. It uses a package of soup beans that most grocery stores sell this particular one came with a cajun spice pack, that added a lovely kick to it. 

Banana Brownies

We recently had some overripe banana's and rather than make banana bread I remembered this recipe from way back on the blog for a fun banana brownie recipe. Its easy and super moist and tasty.

Fun for a valentines day treat. 

Wynward Walls, Miami

I have always been into street art and enjoy it wherever we travel, we were recently in Miami and this city is amazing for street art its everywhere. Wynward walls is a fab gallery of street art featuring famous artists from around the globe and its free. The paintings jump from the walls there are also a few sculptures and the area of Wynward is fun to stroll around with small boutiques and restaurants. Be sure to also grab a coffee from Panther coffee. 

Curry Spiced Roasted Cauliflower

This is a super simple recipe and its quickly becoming a staple at our house. You simply roast cauliflower with spices in a hot oven, it makes a great vegetable side dish to almost anything. In this recipe I used purple cauliflower for a change and I have also added eggplant this works really well.