We wanted to shed a spotlight on some of our favourite anti-inflammatory foods and also share some delicious seasonal recipes featuring some wonderful anti-inflammatory ingredients.
Foods to cut out if you want to avoid inflammation are all the usual suspects: fried foods, red meat, sugary foods and ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates like white bread and sugary fizzy drinks.
Some of our favourite anti-inflammatory foods include olive oil, nuts, seeds, potatoes, veggies like courgette, fruits like tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries and oranges. Leafy greens like kale and spinach are also predictable on the list of foods that help reduce inflammation and are high in natural antioxidants and polyphenols—protective compounds found in plants.
We came up with a delicious gnocchi recipe that features a lot of healthy anti-inflammatory ingredients and we hope you'll enjoy this one as much as we do!
Gnocchi with roasted veg and a hazelnut and mixed herb pesto.
Ingredients:
500g gnocchi
1 red pepper, cut into bite size chunks
1 courgette, sliced into bite size pieces
2 red onions, cut into small wedges
450g butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
200g spinach
Large handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half
1-2 sprigs of rosemary
a small handful of fresh oregano leaves
3 sage leaves
A handful of crumbled vegan feta
For the pesto:
30g basil leaves
15g chives, chopped
15g parsley leaves
juice of one lemon
50g blanched hazelnuts
30g pistachios
3 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
40g grated vegan parmesan
salt & pepper to taste
Method:
1. Start by roasting the hazelnuts and pistachios in the oven at 180C (fan) for 6-7 minutes until lightly toasted then set aside to cool.
2. Next place the squash, red onions, garlic, red pepper, rosemary, oregano and sage leaves on a large baking tray. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil then season and toss well and place in the same oven at 180C (fan). Let it roast for 25 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven, toss again and then add the courgette. Roast for another 10 minutes before adding the spinach leaves. Toss everything again and then cook in the oven for another 5 minutes so spinach leaves are wilted. Remove from the oven.
4. Meanwhile make your pesto. Add all the pesto ingredients except the oil to a food processor or blender and pulse slowly and then gradually add the oil a tbsp at a time.
5. Cook the gnocchi according to the packet instructions then add this to the roasted veggies and place in the oven one more time so it has a chance to crisp up a bit and turn golden. You can let it cook in the oven for a further 5 minutes at a slightly lower oven temperature 170C (fan).
6. To serve, spoon the pesto over the roasted veggies and then sprinkle with more vegan parmesan or some vegan feta, some more basil and parsley and a little more lemon juice.
