🍂 Nourishment from the Retreat Kitchen

Slow-Cooked Pumpkin Soup & Bliss Ball Goodness

There’s something about the way food tastes when it’s made with presence. When you’ve got bare feet, slow music playing, a pot bubbling away for hours, and good souls gathered nearby.
That’s the energy behind these two simple, heart-filling recipes — shared straight from our recent retreat kitchen.

We didn’t overthink. We just cooked with love, time and texture.
Below you’ll find two retreat favourites:

• Aunty Marg’s slow-simmered Whole Pumpkin, Ginger & Miso Soup — no stock, no rush, just deep earthy flavour with a hint of Mum’s top-pocket spice magic

• And our crowd-favourite Cocoa Brownie Bliss Balls — fudgy, crunchy, and full of nourishing goodness (with a twist if you want to turn them into chewy cookies!)

I hope they warm your home and your heart as much as they did ours.

💛 Why These Recipes Matter

At every retreat, there’s always that one meal — the one everyone comes back for seconds of. These two were those recipes.
The soup, with its chunky texture and eight-hour simmer, felt like medicine. No stock, just veg, ginger, miso and the kind of spices only a mum knows how to dose.

The bliss balls? Well, they disappeared in minutes. The kind of snack you make once, then always want to have in the fridge “just in case.”

🪵 Create the Retreat at Home

Light a candle. Put your phone away. Let things simmer.
This isn’t fancy food — it’s the kind that makes you breathe deeper. Nourishment doesn’t have to be complicated.
It just has to be real.

I’d love to know if you make them. Or better yet, share them with someone you love.

Warmest,
Jen x

Recipes below or DOWNLOAD

🥣 Aunty Marg’s Retreat-Style

Whole Pumpkin, Ginger & Miso Soup

No stock. No rush. Just real food, slow time, and spice from the heart.

🌱 Ingredients:

• 1 whole Jap or Kent pumpkin (approx. 1.5–2 kg), chopped, skin on, seeds scooped

• 3–4 potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1 brown onion, roughly chopped

• 2–3 garlic cloves, smashed

• 1 generous knob of fresh ginger (5–7 cm), sliced

• 1 big dollop (1–2 tbsp) white miso paste

• Just enough water to cover the veg

• Olive oil or ghee

🌼 Mum’s Top-Pocket Spice Sprinkle (added just before serving):

• Garam masala

• Ground cumin

• Ground cardamom

• Ground cinnamon

• Cracked black pepper

• Sea salt or Celtic salt

🥄 Method:

1. Sauté the base
   In a large heavy-based pot, warm a little olive oil or ghee. Sauté onion, garlic and ginger until softened and fragrant.

2. Add veggies + water
   Add chopped pumpkin, potato and carrot. Pour in just enough water to cover the veg. No stock — let the veggies do the talking.

3. Bring to a gentle boil, then drop the heat
   Lower the heat and let it settle into the slowest, softest simmer. Lid on, slightly ajar. Let it bubble gently for 8+ hours — all day if you can. Stir every so often and top up water if needed.

4. Add miso with intention
   Once the veg are soft and meltingly tender, scoop out a ladle of broth and whisk the miso into it. Gently stir that back into the pot. Do this at the end to keep the miso’s goodness intact.

5. Mash, don’t blend
   Use a potato masher to create a chunky, rich texture — the kind that holds stories and feels like home. Blending is an option, but the retreat version lives in its chunky glory.

6. Finish with Mum’s magic
   Right before serving, stir through her top-pocket spice mix: warming garam masala, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, a good hit of cracked pepper, and a finishing pinch of sea salt. Stir. Taste. Pause. It’s ready.

🌿 Serve With:

• Toasted pumpkin seeds tossed with cumin

• Nutritional yeast flakes (for a savoury, cheesy finish)

• Coconut yoghurt + cumin drizzle

• Roasted kale “croutons”

• Or just a warm smile and a slice of stillness

🧡 This isn’t just soup. It’s nourishment that’s been witnessed by time, touched by spice, and shared with love.

Cocoa Bliss Brownie Balls (with Cookie Option!)

two ways to enjoy this nourishing chocolatey goodness
Makes approx. 30 balls or cookies

Ingredients

• 500g Medjool dates (pitted)

• 750g roasted almonds

• ¾ cup cacao powder

• 1 cup desiccated coconut

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 10 drops sweet orange essential oil (food-grade)

• Pinch of Celtic or sea salt

• Optional: splash of water to blend

To make cookies:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

• 1–2 tbsp honey or rice malt syrup (depending on sweetness preference)

Method – Bliss Balls Version (Raw)

1. Add almonds and dates to a food processor and blitz until sticky with a bit of crunch.

2. Add cacao, coconut, vanilla, salt, and essential oil. Blend again gently.

3. If the mixture is too dry, add a splash of water to help it bind.

4. Roll into bite-sized balls and refrigerate.

5. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Method – Chocolate Cookies (Baked)

1. Prepare the mixture as above, then blend in melted coconut oil and honey or rice malt syrup.

2. Roll into balls, place on a lined baking tray, and gently press down in the centre to flatten slightly into cookie shapes.

3. Bake in a preheated 160°C oven for 25–30 minutes, or until lightly browned and chewy.

4. Cool on the tray before transferring to a container. These store beautifully in the fridge or a cool pantry.

Jen’s Notes 🍪✨

These cookies were born from a “what if…” moment in the kitchen, and now I make both versions depending on what’s needed — a quick snack or something that feels a bit more like a baked treat. The orange oil adds a little magic, and that coconut + cacao combo always hits the spot.