Just Humans Being...

  My sister Joanne died 21 years ago – she would have been 52 today. Life was not easy for Jo; she was born with a congenital heart condition and was labelled “mentally handicapped”. Eventually that label was softened and it was deemed that she had “learning disabilities”. She had amazing abilities actually - they were just different to what the powers that be decided she should be good at...She had the most incredible memory, photographic really and could remember every tiny detail from years ago and when I say every detail, I mean everything...Dates, times, names, what we were wearing, what we all ate and drank. She was also a living encyclopaedia when it came to music, TV shows and films – it never ceased to blow our minds and provided hours of entertainment for my brother and I when we were kids. She was always right too, which bugged us. Jo also talked to dead people and had a very sharp sixth sense, it freaked me out on several occasions when we were sharing a bedroom to

  The idea for this stew came from Caldwell Esselstyn's book  Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease . His recipe for Marrakesh Express Red Lentil Soup is delicious, but we wanted something more filling. I added celery seed, as we didn't have any fresh celery, a pinch each of sage and thyme instead of a bay leaf and ground coriander (cilantro) instead of fresh. Along with fresh garlic, carrots, potato, leek and kale. Ingredients 1 large onion 4 cloves garlic 1 leek Small knob fresh ginger 2 large tomatoes 2 large carrots 3 medium potatoes A few handfuls of kale 300g dried red lentils 300g cooked chickpeas 1/2 tsp dried turmeric 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp celery seed 1 tsp ground coriander Pinch each of sage and thyme 1 litre or more of cold water Juice of half lemon Few drops liquid aminos Instructions 1. Chop all the veg into required size and place into a large pan. 2. Add herbs, spices and enough water to stir-fry ingredients. 3. Fry for around 10 minutes. 4. Add lentils and the rest

  A simple and comforting favourite! Ingredients 1 litre of homemade stock - 4 cloves garlic, 2 medium potatoes, 2 large carrots, 1 apple, 1 tsp each of dried sage, thyme and cumin, 1 tsp yeast extract, a pinch of ground black pepper and 1 litre of water. 700g onions  200ml French red wine 2 tablespoons cognac Instructions 1. Chop all the veg for the stock and put all the ingredients into a pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. 2. Whizz up with a hand blender until nice and smooth. 3. Slice onions and fry in the red wine until translucent. 4. Add the onions and wine to the stock and simmer for 45 minutes. 5. Add the brandy and serve. Taking the time to make your own stock turns this soup into a filling meal and the apple adds a subtle sweetness, which is lovely in this savoury dish. We use Essential Yeast Extract, probably available from most UK health shops and must say it is worth the extra dosh! We had this for our New Years Day supper...delicious! Hope you enjoy it and