It was high time for a new ‘meal prep’ recipe guys, so recently I decided with the change in weather from a humid summer to early darkness and chills (ah, Autumn!) to create a new warming recipe with two ingredients I’ve been loving recently – aubergine and dates! I was inspired by a gorgeous delivery from Alpro last week as part of their ‘Finding the Sweet Spot‘ Sugar Awareness Campaign this month to create a couple of recipes with their new Unsweetened range – check out the photo below for what’s new! What’s really exciting in particular is that they’ve launched the first Unsweetened Oat Drink! Oat milk has really gained a lot of popularity this year with the rise in interest in sustainable diets, vegetarianism and veganism. From what I’ve been told by dietitian colleagues, soy and oat milk seem to measure up as the most sustainable plant-based milks to consume – so I was delighted when Alpro asked me to be part of their campaign around the new Oat milk. The Oat milk has absolutely no added sugars, and is also a source of vitamin B2, B12, calcium and vitamin D, as well as fibre! Alpro also want to promote education around sugar intake as part of this campaign, so that we don’t demonize sugar, but instead be aware of the sugar content in the foods we consume.

They’ve also launched a new Unsweetened Soya Yoghurt and Soya Milk! I love the Alpro yoghurt, having used it in a few recipes now, including my Mushroom Stroganoff recipe earlier this year among others! So when I made this tagine I knew it had to be paired with a delicious scoop or two of the new Alpro Soya yoghurt on top. The result? Delicious, plain and simple! I received a beautiful new diary and Mintie Stainless Steel Lunch Box in the Alpro delivery too, which were epic for meal prep planning and storing!

I LOVE tagines – they’ve got my favourite spices in there (cinnamon, turmeric, ginger) – and in keeping with my vegetarian lunch vibe, I’ve come up with this aubergine tagine (catchy right?). It’s got the sweetness of the dates in there as well as a little kick from the ginger and cumin. I’ve added chickpeas for a good dose of plant protein and fibre – and there is a side note in the ingredients below if you want to bulk out your tagine with extra protein! Let’s cook!

Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and diced
• 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, diced
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 red onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 medium size courgette
• 1 aubergine
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 400g tin of chickpeas
• 1 400ml tin of chopped tomatoes
• 400ml of water (use water you rinse the chopped tomato tin with!)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar
• 6 pitted dates, each sliced into 4 pieces (or diced dried apricots!)
• To Serve: A dollop of your favourite yoghurt onto each portion!
• A twist of black pepper and a pinch of sea salt
• Note: If you want to add extra protein to this dish, you cook add a tin of cooked lentils or tofu to keep it vegetarian, or cook up some chicken breasts in the olive oil before you add the veg as in step 2!

Method

1. Prepare your veggies (chop onion, pepper , courgette and aubergine) and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pot on a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the veggies to the pot, followed by the spices, and stir everything up so the spices coat the veggies.
4. Add the red wine or balsamic vinegar, then the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and water, and stir it all up again.
5. Season, then add the chickpeas and dates in.
6. Bring to the boil, and then turn the heat down to a simmer, pop a lid on the pot and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway.
7. You’re good to go! Serve with brown rice, or with sweet potato (my favourite!), or simply a side of greens for a lighter meal.

Meal Prepped Tagine with Tofu & Spinach

Enjoy guys! Tag me if you try this one out – @theirishbalance on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook!

Ciara 🙂 x