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Chinese Nutritional Therapy facts When thinking about meat free recipes I tend to go for the more tomato based ones as I use dairy minimally in my diet due to its damp nature and heaviness on the digestive system. Tomatoes are great at removing toxins, benefit digestion and lower acidity in the intestines. However, they have a cold affect on the body, which for me isn’t great as I struggle to stay warm. Therefore I team it with warming foods such as fennel, garlic and rosemary. Fennel as the main ingredient of the dish is good at dispersing stagnation and circulating Qi and Blood. Stagnation is extremely common in most patients, mainly due to the emotional strain we suffer with in today’s modern world. Symptoms include pain, bloating, sighing, mood swings, sore breasts, and irritability. The strong moving nature of fennel means it needs to be supported with a tonifying and strengthening food. That’s where the chickpeas come in. They also help to drain damp. In Chinese medicine, dampness is considered to be the cause or contributing factor of many illnesses such as high cholesterol, chronic fatigue syndrome, MS, fibromyalgia, eczema, allergies, brain fog and digestive issues. So those small balls of protein are a superfood when it comes to healthy eating, as all beans are. This is a well balanced meal slightly on the warmer side energetically due to the fennel, garlic and harissa paste. So if you struggle with heat such as menopausal flushes, maybe give this dish a miss. However, as most people in the UK suffer with some damp and stagnation it’s a great meat free recipe to have on your meal planner. Enjoy! For more information on Chinese Nutritional Therapy, learning how to eat right for your body and meal plans contact me through my Website, Facebook or Instagram. Roast Fennel, chickpea and tomato stew recipe Ingredients Oil 1 onion -roughly chopped 3 fennel bulbs 750g new potatoes - scrubbed and cut into chunks 400g cherry tomatoes 3 garlic cloves - sliced 2 springs of rosemary 2 tins plum tomatoes 1 rounded tablespoon of harissa paste 1 tin chickpeas drained 100g pitted black olives Method Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Trim the fennel bulbs of their bases, tops and tough outer layer. Quarter the bulbs then cut each quarter into 2 or 3 wedges. Put these into a large roasting tray. Add the potatoes, onions, cherry tomatoes, garlic and rosemary if you have it, trickle over the oil, season with salt and pepper and stir everything together. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, stir after about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a jug, combine the passata with 100 ml water and stir in the harissa. Take the roasting dish out of the oven and transfer to a large casserole dish. Add the plum tomatoes and harissa mixture and give it a good stir. Add the chickpeas and olives then return the dish to the oven for 60 minutes, turning the temperature down slightly. Serve with green leafy vegetables or broccoli stems. (This is an adaptation of a recipe taken from River Cottage Much More Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall).