Food is one of my love languages.

A lot of thought, time, care, consideration, and love can go into cooking a meal.

Sep 9, 2021

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We all love love.

And, we all communicate our love in different ways. In the early 90s, Dr Gary Chapman published his concept of the five love languages, which include physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, giving and receiving gifts, and acts of service.

“Food falls into me love language daily.”

A brief look at each:

Physical touch: Physical intimacy and touch can be incredibly affirming; they serve as a powerful emotional connection.

Words of affirmation: Those with ‘words of affirmation’ as their love language value verbal acknowledgement of love. Both written and verbal expressions make them feel understood and appreciated.

Quality time: These people feel the most adored when their partner is actively making room in their schedule to spend time with them and wants to provide undivided attention.

Giving and receiving gifts: You feel loved when you receive a physical symbol of love. It doesn’t necessarily mean the monetary value behind the gift, it is more focused on the thought, reflection or intent behind the gift.

Acts of service: You value when your partner goes out of their way to make your life easier. This is for people who believe actions speak louder than words.

I believe there is one more love language — food. Food incorporates nearly all of the five love languages and all five senses, making it a very powerful way of expressing love and creating stronger bonds.

A lot of thought, time, care, and consideration can go into cooking a meal. Also, food sustains us, so you’re providing the fuel for your loved ones’ lifestyle. Food falls into my love language daily. I wake up much earlier than my partner, so most days don’t start with us hanging out together. On these mornings, I prepare his breakfast. He isn’t a morning person, especially in winter. I believe my small act of having breakfast ready makes his life that little bit easier when he rises. I also feel that I’ve left a dose of love for him to wake up to, maybe making him feel like I was present for the start of his day, even though I wasn’t physically there.

This sentiment is why I’m sharing two seasonal pumpkin recipes with you now. One of them is my ‘Flu Fighting Soup’, which features in our eCookbook. Whenever I hear a sniffle from my partner or a close friend, I’ll jump straight onto whipping up a big batch of this magical healing soup.

The second recipe is a tasty little muffin that I like to keep handy for snacking. They’re a favourite in our house, bringing joy when we eat them with a cup of chai.

Flu Fighting Soup

Ingredients

250g Capsicum
300g Carrot
800g Pumpkin
1 x Red Onion
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 x Long Red Chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
50g Ginger
4 x Garlic Cloves, peeled
2 x sprigs of Rosemary
2 tsp ground Turmeric
1.5lt Veggie Stock or Bone Broth

Season with Pepper + Miso Paste for a Salt alternative

Method

1 / Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2 / Roughly chop the pumpkin, carrot, capsicum and red onion into bite-size pieces, then scatter on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle melted coconut oil over the vegetables, tossing to coat. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes or until caramelised and golden. Add the peeled garlic cloves and ginger to the tray, and cook for a further 8 to 10 minutes.

3 / If you have a stick blender, then add your roasted vegetables, along with remaining ingredients, to a large pot and blitz until smooth and creamy. Remember to remove the rosemary leaves from the stem before adding them to the mix. Return soup to the heat on the stovetop and season with pepper and miso paste or salt.

4 / If you don’t have a stick blender, then add your roasted vegetables to a food processor or blender along with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Then pour the soup into a large pot to heat. Season with pepper and miso
paste or salt.

Gluten-free Choc Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup Pumpkin puree
½ cup Milk of your choice
¼ cup Coconut Oil
1 x Egg
⅓ cup Brown Sugar
⅓ cup Green Banana Flour or Quinoa Flour
⅓ cup Tapioca Flour
½ cup Rice Flour
¼ cup Buckwheat Flour
1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
½ tsp ground Ginger
¼ tsp ground Nutmeg
⅓ cup Chocolate Chips

Methods

1 / Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2 / Peel pumpkin and chop into small chunks. Then add it to a saucepan, cover with water and cook over high heat until soft.

3 / Once the pumpkin is soft, drain it and add to a food processor or blender. Add milk, coconut oil, egg and sugar to the food processor and blend until smooth.

4 / In a mixing bowl combine the different gluten-free flours, baking powder, spices and chocolate chips. Then pour in the pumpkin mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until it is all incorporated and smooth.

5 / Grease six muffin tins and line the base with a little square of baking paper to make it easier to remove the muffins once cooked. Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tray. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until a skewer can be inserted and removed clean.

6 / Cool on a wire rack.