Cyclical nature
Cyclical recipe book
Simple, tasty vegetarian dishes to keep you company in every moment of your cycle.
Cooking for your cycle
Your body doesn't ask for the same thing all month. There are days for soup and warm broth, and days for a crunchy salad and fresh fruit. These recipes follow that idea, with easy to find ingredients and simple steps. Take them as a guide: cook what you feel like and notice how it agrees with you.
If you have an allergy, an illness or special dietary needs, check with a health professional.
Menstrual phase · Warmth and rest
Warm, simple dishes that replenish iron and warm you from the inside.
Red lentil and spinach stew
Serves 2:
- 150 g red lentils
- 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 cm fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp cumin
- 600 ml vegetable stock
- 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
- Half a lemon
Fry the onion, garlic and ginger gently in olive oil. Add the cumin, the lentils and the stock, and cook for 15 minutes. At the end, stir in the spinach and a good squeeze of lemon.
Iron from the lentils and vitamin C from the lemon, which helps you absorb it.
Beetroot and mushroom soup
Serves 2:
- 2 cooked beetroots
- 150 g mushrooms
- 1 onion and 1 potato
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
Soften the onion and mushrooms. Add the beetroot, the potato in chunks and the stock, and cook for 20 minutes. Blend and serve with the seeds, toasted in a dry pan.
A warm soup of a beautiful red; pumpkin seeds bring magnesium and zinc.
Chickpeas with spinach
Serves 2:
- 1 jar of cooked chickpeas (400 g), drained
- 300 g fresh spinach
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 slice of bread
- 1 tsp sweet paprika and 1 tsp cumin
- A splash of sherry vinegar and half a lemon
Fry the garlic and bread in olive oil until golden and set them aside. In the same pan, cook the spinach until it wilts. Crush the garlic and bread with the spices and vinegar, and add it with the chickpeas and a little water. Simmer gently for 10 minutes and serve with lemon.
A traditional Spanish dish: chickpeas and spinach bring iron, and the lemon helps you absorb it.
Pre-ovulatory phase · Freshness and energy
Fresh, green and light, for the energy that wakes up.
Crunchy salad with sprouts
Serves 2:
- 2 handfuls of green leaves and sprouts
- 1 apple or pear, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, grated
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- Dressing: 3 tbsp olive oil, the juice of half a lemon and 1 tsp miso
Mix the leaves, fruit and carrot. Whisk the dressing until the miso dissolves and pour it over the salad just before serving. Finish with the seeds.
Crunchy and lively; miso, like other fermented foods, looks after your gut flora.
Oat bowl with kefir and berries
Serves 2:
- 80 g rolled oats
- 300 ml kefir or plain yoghurt
- 1 handful of berries
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- Cinnamon and a drizzle of honey
The night before, mix the oats with the kefir and keep it covered in the fridge. In the morning, add the berries, seeds, cinnamon and honey.
A breakfast that makes itself and gives you steady energy all morning.
Asparagus and pea omelette
Serves 2:
- 4 eggs
- 1 bunch of green asparagus
- 1 handful of peas
- 1 spring onion
- Fresh mint or parsley
Sauté the spring onion, the asparagus in pieces and the peas for 5 minutes. Beat the eggs with salt and the herbs, pour them over and cook over a low heat, covered, on both sides.
Simple protein with green vegetables, to eat at home or take with you.
Ovulatory phase · Colour and fullness
Brightly coloured, raw and fresh dishes, also to take with you.
Quinoa, broccoli and pomegranate bowl
Serves 2:
- 120 g quinoa
- 1 small broccoli, in florets
- 1 handful of kale
- 1 avocado
- Half a pomegranate
- The juice of 1 lemon and olive oil
Cook the quinoa for 12 minutes and drain it. Sauté the broccoli and kale with a little oil and salt. Build the bowl with the quinoa, vegetables, avocado and pomegranate, and dress with lemon.
Broccoli and kale help your body balance oestrogen.
Gazpacho with crispy chickpeas
Serves 2:
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- Half a cucumber and half a green pepper
- 1 small clove of garlic
- Olive oil, vinegar and salt
- 1 jar of cooked chickpeas
- Sweet paprika
Blend the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and garlic with a generous splash of oil, a little vinegar and salt, and chill the gazpacho in the fridge. Drain and dry the chickpeas, toss them with oil and paprika and roast them for 20 minutes at 200 °C until crisp. Serve the gazpacho very cold with the chickpeas on top.
Fresh, raw and full of colour, like this phase. And the chickpeas add protein and keep you full.
Berry bowl
Serves 2:
- 2 handfuls of berries and cherries
- Half a pomegranate
- 250 g plain yoghurt
- 1 handful of almonds
- A few mint leaves
Divide the yoghurt between two bowls, top with the fruit and pomegranate and finish with the chopped almonds and mint.
Fresh and full of colour, for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Premenstrual phase · Calm and comfort
Comforting, filling dishes for cravings and sensitive days.
Roast sweet potato with chickpeas and tahini
Serves 2:
- 1 large sweet potato, diced
- 1 jar of cooked chickpeas (400 g), drained
- 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp tahini, the juice of half a lemon and water
- Sesame seeds
Toss the sweet potato and chickpeas with oil, salt and the spices, and roast for 30 minutes at 200 °C. Whisk the tahini with the lemon and a little water until creamy, and pour it over with the sesame seeds.
Comforting carbs and chickpeas with vitamin B6, good friends for the days before your period.
Pumpkin soup with brown rice
Serves 2:
- 500 g pumpkin, in chunks
- 1 onion and 1 carrot
- 600 ml vegetable stock
- 4 tbsp cooked brown rice
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
Soften the onion and carrot, add the pumpkin and the stock and cook for 20 minutes. Blend and serve with the rice and the seeds on top.
Sweet, smooth and warm, for when your body wants to turn inwards.
Cacao and date bites
Makes about 12 bites:
- 10 pitted dates
- 100 g walnuts or almonds
- 2 tbsp pure cacao
- 1 pinch of salt and 1 of cinnamon
Blend everything until you have a sticky dough. Roll it into little balls with your hands and keep them in the fridge.
For sweet cravings: pure cacao and nuts bring magnesium.