3 Comfort Filled Recipes To See You Through Autumn

There is a type of tiredness that no amount of rest can mend.. On those days when you just feel emotionally drained and need more sustenance, comfort food is a necessity.   Rosie Millen, Nutritional Therapist who runs @missnutritionist has created 3 delicious recipes filled with nutritionally dense ingredients to get you back on track.   Rosie studied at the Institute of Optimum Nutrition and established her business as a result of recovering from burnout. This makes her an unusual type of specialist -she knows depletion from the inside.

Sweet potato and peanut butter soup

Soft, gently spiced and quietly rich, with slow-release sweet potato and savoury peanut butter. Roast the potato first for a deeper flavour.

Ingredients

• 800g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little for the pan
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 750ml vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 150ml coconut milk
• Juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Roast the sweet potato at 200°C fan with the olive oil, salt and pepper for 25 to 30 minutes, turning halfway, until soft and caramelised.
2. Soften the onion in a little oil over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add the roasted potato and stock, simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the peanut butter and coconut milk and simmer 2 to 3 minutes more.
4. Blend until smooth, then stir through the soy sauce, lime, salt and pepper. Serve warm with sourdough.

Pistachio and dark chocolate cottage cheese cups

No need to earn your chocolate. The filling is cottage cheese blended smooth with pistachios, so each cup carries protein rather than sugar alone. They set and keep.

Ingredients

• 150g dark chocolate (70 per cent or higher) and 1 tsp coconut oil, for the shell
• 200g full-fat cottage cheese
• 40g shelled pistachios
• 1 to 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp almond extract (optional)
• Pinch of sea salt

Method

1. Blend the cottage cheese, pistachios, maple, vanilla, almond extract and salt for 1 to 2 minutes until thick and smooth.
2. Melt the chocolate gently over simmering water and stir in the coconut oil. Spoon a little into six lined muffin cases, swirling up the sides. Chill 10 minutes.
3. Spoon in the filling, leaving room at the top. Cover with the remaining chocolate, scatter with chopped pistachios and flaky salt, and chill for 30 to 45 minutes until set.

Chia seed pudding

The hardest meal to face when you are drained is the first one, so make it the night before and let it wait for you.

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut milk yoghurt
• ¼ cup chia seeds
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ½ cup sliced strawberries, ½ cup blueberries
• Your favourite granola

Method

1. Stir the yoghurt, chia seeds and coconut milk together until smooth. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Once thickened, layer into jars: granola, chia mixture, berries, repeat, finishing with berries and granola.
3. Small glasses for a dessert, 8oz jars for a filling breakfast.