Culinary Delights to Beat the Cold ▸ Top 4 Warm Winter Recipes

Spices like cinnamon, curry, chili, and nutmeg are an absolute must in your kitchen for winter meals. These ingredients add great flavor to a meal while warming us up on the inside.

Try out these 4 delicious recipes:

Hot Apple Almond Porridge  

When it’s cold and frosty outside, start your day with a warm delicious breakfast. How about a hot bowl of porridge?  

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 120 g rolled oats
• 250 ml almond milk or water
• 1 apple
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 handful of ground almonds
• 1 Tbsp almond butter

Directions (time 15 minutes):

1. Bring the almond milk or water to a boil in a pot.
2. While you’re doing this, cut up the apple in small pieces. Add the fruit to the pot and let it simmer for a few minutes.
3. Stir in the oats, cinnamon, and the pinch of nutmeg. Remove the pot from the stove. If the porridge isn’t creamy enough, you can add more oats.
4. Mix in the almond butter just before serving and sprinkle ground nuts on top.

One serving has 240 cal, 20 g carbohydrate, 7 g protein, and 15 g fat.

Warm Banana Cinnamon Smoothie (no refined sugar!)

Not in the mood for coffee or tea? A creamy smoothie is the perfect alternative – give it a try!

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 2 bananas
• 4 dates
• 1 Tbsp raw unsweetened cacao powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 200 ml water

Directions (time 15 minutes):

1. Peel the bananas and cut them into chunks.
2. Remove the pits and chop the dates.
3. Combine the bananas, dates, cacao powder, cinnamon, and chia seeds in a blender.
4. Heat up the water, add it to the blender, and mix the ingredients at the highest speed.
5. When the smoothie is nice and creamy, it’s ready to drink.

One smoothie has 292 cal, 69 g carbohydrate, 4 g protein, and 4 g fat.

Zesty Lentil Curry with Potatoes and Carrots

Ginger, curry, chili, and cinnamon: all these spices warm us up from the inside. Combine them with lentils, potatoes, and carrots and you’ll have a zesty curry to get your fire burning.

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 onion
• 150 g lentils
• 2 potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 200 ml coconut milk  
• 150 ml water
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• ½ tsp Garam Masala (Indian spice)
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 pinch of chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• Salt
• Pepper
• vegetable oil for the pan

Directions (time 40 minutes):

1. Peel and dice the onion.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté onions until translucent. Finely chop the garlic and ginger and add both to the pot.
3. Peel and dice the potatoes.
4. Wash and cut the carrots in thin slices.
5. Add the lentils, diced potatoes, and carrots to the pot and mix well.
6. Pour in the coconut milk and water and bring the mixture to a boil.
7. Season the lentil curry with salt, pepper, and the other spices (Garam Masala, curry, chili powder, turmeric, cinnamon).  
8. Cook the curry for another 10-15 minutes. Make sure the vegetables don’t get too soft. If the curry is too thick, you can stir in some water.

One serving (without rice or Naan bread) has 660 cal, 88 g carbohydrate, 25 g protein, and 26 g fat.

Stir-fried Chinese Cabbage with Ground Beef and Rice  

Do you have a taste for Asian food? This Chinese cabbage stir fry with ground beef gets its zip from Sambal Oelek and really warms you up.

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 150 g rice
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 red onion
• 400 g Chinese cabbage
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 150 g ground beef
• 1 tsp Sambal Oelek (chili based hot sauce)
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 6 Tbsp water

Directions (time 35 minutes):

1. Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package.
2. Peel and finely chop the onion.
3. Remove the outer leaves of the Chinese cabbage, wash them, and remove the stalk. Chop the cabbage in chunks.
4. Heat the oil in a Teflon pan.
5. Brown the ground beef in the oil. Season it with salt and pepper.
6. Add the onion and Chinese cabbage to the meat and stir fry it for about 10 minutes. Make sure the temperature isn’t too high so it doesn’t burn.
7. Pour the water and soy sauce over the mix and let it cook for a few more minutes.
8. Season with salt and Sambal Oelek to taste.
9. Serve with rice.

One serving has 360 cal, 31 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein, and 15 g fat.

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