Cook in Colour: Solar Plexus Chakra — Oak · Duir

Welcome back to Cook in Colour, where we cook by chakra, eat by season, and let the ancient Celtic Ogham calendar guide what lands on our table each week.

This week we step into the golden fire of the Solar Plexus Chakra — Manipura, meaning "lustrous gem" in Sanskrit. And fitting for this radiant energy centre, we find ourselves in the heart of Oak time on the Celtic tree calendar. Duir, the Oak, holds court from June 10 to July 7, standing at the very peak of summer, branches reaching toward the longest days of the year.

It's a week for yellow food. Warm, golden, sun-drenched food. Food that makes you feel strong.

The Solar Plexus — Your Inner Fire

Chakra: Manipura · Element: Fire · Colour: Yellow / Gold · Seed Mantra: RAM · Affirmation: I honour the power within me

Located in the upper abdomen, the Solar Plexus is your centre of personal power, confidence and digestion — and that last one is no coincidence. When this chakra is balanced, food is transformed into energy, decisions come easily, and you wake up knowing your own worth.

When it's out of balance, digestion sluggishes, energy dips, and self-doubt creeps in. The antidote? Eat yellow. Cook with fire. And trust yourself at the stove.

Oak — Duir — The Door of Summer

The Oak is the king of the Celtic woodland, and the month of Duir sits right at the summer solstice — the turning point of the year where the sun burns longest and the light is at its fullest.

Duir comes from both Gaelic and Sanskrit roots meaning "door" — the Oak is a threshold, a place of crossing from one season into another. It carries the energy of strength earned over time, of deep roots and wide canopy.

This week, we cook in its spirit. Strong flavours. Nourishing warmth. Golden food that feeds the fire within.

This Week's Menu

Breakfast — Parsnip Pancakes with Poached Eggs & Honey Mustard Dressing

These are not your usual Saturday morning pancakes. Made with gram flour and grated parsnip, spiced with turmeric, cumin and fennel, these golden rounds are a genuinely impressive start to the day — and a fantastic vegetarian option that doesn't feel like a compromise.

The dressing is the star: a cool, spiced Greek yogurt with curry leaves, mustard seeds, ginger and honey. Make it the night before and let the flavours mellow overnight.

Solar Plexus connection: Turmeric is one of the most powerful digestive and anti-inflammatory spices we have. The golden colour is exactly right, and the warmth of cumin and mustard seeds stokes the digestive fire beautifully.

Lunch — Sweet Corn Chowder

There is something deeply comforting about a bowl of sweet corn chowder. The natural sweetness of corn, a creamy broth, and simple aromatics — it's the kind of lunch that makes you slow down and actually enjoy the middle of the day.

This is the golden bowl of the week. Corn at its peak in summer, sweetened by the sun, thickened with a little flour and finished with cream. Serve it with crusty bread and eat it slowly.

Solar Plexus connection: Corn is a quintessentially solar food — it literally grows by turning sunlight into sweetness. It's warm, nourishing and deeply satisfying, exactly what the Solar Plexus needs.

Dinner — Pork Tenderloin in Creamy Dijon Sauce

Ready in 20 minutes and tastes like something from a French bistro. Pork tenderloin (also called pork fillet in Irish and UK shops) is a lean, tender cut that sears beautifully and stays juicy when finished in the sauce.

The sauce is the magic here — white wine, chicken stock, Dijon mustard and double cream, with just a touch of Worcestershire for depth. Golden, tangy, rich and completely satisfying. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes and green beans or broccoli.

Solar Plexus connection: Mustard is one of the most fiery, warming condiments we have — it activates digestion and brings an assertive, bold flavour that mirrors the confidence energy of Manipura. This is a dinner that makes you feel capable.

Dessert — Pineapple Weed Ice Cream

This one is special. Pineapple Weed (Matricaria discoidea) is one of the most overlooked wild plants in Ireland and the UK — a small, cheerful little thing with dome-shaped yellow-green flowers that genuinely smell and taste of pineapple. You'll find it growing in gaps in pavements, field margins and roadsides from May through October.

The recipe couldn't be simpler — infuse the flower heads in warm cream and milk, sweeten with honey, and churn. The result is a delicate, floral, faintly tropical ice cream that is entirely foraged and entirely free. Go for a walk before you make it. That's part of the recipe.

Solar Plexus connection: There's something deeply empowering about finding your own food. Foraging asks you to trust your senses, trust your knowledge, and trust the land. That quiet confidence is pure Solar Plexus energy.

A Note on Eating Yellow

The Solar Plexus responds to warmth, colour and confidence. This week's menu covers all three.

Golden parsnips at breakfast, sweetcorn at lunch, mustard-gold sauce at dinner, and a foraged ice cream that asks you to slow down and notice the world around you.

Cook with intention this week. Light a candle at the table. Eat without your phone. Say the affirmation before you sit down.

I honour the power within me.

The Oak knows what it is. This week, so do you. 🌳

This post is part of the Cook in Colour series — seven weeks of chakra-aligned recipes following the Celtic Ogham tree calendar. A new colour, a new tree, a new set of recipes every Sunday.