I am committed to following a wfpb lifestyle and am always striving to make it as simple as possible. To achieve that I do a lot of research and experimenting because I do like variety in my meals. However, I found a recipe very early on in my wfpb journey that I continue to enjoy and what makes it so simple is it’s cooked in an Instant Pot – you’ll find my step-by-step photo guide to cooking a Chickpea Curry later in this post. But first, continuing with the alphabet theme – D for Date:
Date: These fruit come from the date palm tree and grow abundantly in the Middle East. Dried dates make a super sweet snack and are full of fibre. They can be chopped and sprinkled on cereal or baked into a muffin. But for an energy boosting snack, try the following recipe:
Date Energy Balls from detoxinista.com
Ingredients:
- 2 cups walnuts, or other nut/seed of choice
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 cups soft Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- In a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade, process the walnuts and coconut until crumbly.
- Add in the dates, vanilla and sea salt and process again until a sticky, uniform batter is formed. You don’t want to over process, or the batter will become oily, so process until crumbly but sticky when pressed between your fingers.
- Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons, then roll between your hands to form balls. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then place in the fridge or freezer to set for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store the balls in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for an even longer shelf life.
Nutrition:
- Calories: 123
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Protein: 1g
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Potassium: 149mg
- Fibre: 2g
- Sugar: 8g

Below is the recipe I make most, because it’s so simple to make and so easy to change up with vegetables of your choice and what you choose to eat it with. Be that rice, couscous, air fried chips etc. I have made my own changes to this recipe but the original recipe was from acouplecooks.com
Chickpea Curry
Step 1: place 1 chopped onion into the instant pot on sauté for 3 minutes.

Step 2: Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1 tablespoon minced ginger and sauté for 2 minutes.

Step 3: Sauté until softened.

Step 4: Add 2 tablespoons curry powder and toast for 1 minute.

Step 5: Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and stir to deglaze the pot.

Step 6: Add a tin of drained chickpeas and a tin of lentils (I always add lentils). Add a tin of coconut milk (I have started using oat milk instead). At this point I add 8 ounces frozen green beans. You can personalise your curry with whatever vegetables you choose to put in.


Step 7: Put the lid on making sure the vent is turned to sealing. Press Pressure Cook and set the timer for 6 minutes. When finished you can either leave to let the steam disperse naturally or turn the vent to venting and perform a quick steam release.

Step 8: Remove the lid and add a huge handful of fresh spinach. Stir in until the spinach has wilted.

The Finished Dish

Step 9: Serve with a side of your choice. I enjoy it with wild rice or couscous. Sometimes I make my own fries in the air fryer – very good!
Please let me know if you make either of the recipes in this post and tell me how you get on. Please read, like, comment, share and follow my blog. Suggestions for future posts are always welcome.