HEALTHY-CHEF

Really good food...that's really good for you!

Banana Bread

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Banana Bread
 
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Dense, moist, packed with healthy goodies that give you your sugar hit and fill you up, what more do want!
Recipe type: Cakes & Bakes
Serves: 8 slices
Ingredients
  • 120g (1 cup) rice/quinoa flour (see notes)
  • 120g (1 cup) ground almonds
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1tsp mixed spice
  • 60g (1/4cup) organic butter (melted/room temperature)
  • 2 tbs greek yoghurt/plain yogurt
  • 135g (3/4 cup) organic maple syrup/raw honey
  • 2 eggs, beaten (room temperature)
  • 3 or 4 (3 cups) overripe bananas mashed
  • 1 handful of raisins
  • 1 handful of chopped walnuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C)
  2. Grease & line a 9x5 inch loaf tin
  3. Sift the flour and bicarb of soda into a large mixing bowl add the ground almonds and spices
  4. In a separate bowl combine the butter, yoghurt, maple syrup/raw honey, eggs and mashed banana
  5. Add this mix to the dry ingredients and carefully fold in
  6. Pour the batter into the lined loaf tin and bake in your preheated oven for 50-60 mins (check after 45 mins) remove when a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  7. Allow to cool before serving.

 

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Spicy Hummus with Pine Nuts and Parsley

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Spicy Hummus with Pine Nuts and Parsley
 
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You can be as conservative or as brave as you like with hummus. For those of you who are more purist see my basic hummus recipe, for those who like it hot hot hot experiment with fresh red/green chillies, lie rather than lemon juice and any nut you preference.
Recipe type: Snack
Serves: 6-8 people
Ingredients
  • Hummus:
  • 2 tins of organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
  • 75g tahini paste
  • 4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 6 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 11/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 100ml ice cold water
  • Garnish
  • 4 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
  1. Place chickpeas in a food processor and pulse to a stiff paste
  2. Add the remaining hummus ingredients and pulse for a few seconds
  3. Spoon into a serving dish/bowl
  4. Scatter generously with the toasted pine nuts, paprika and parsley
  5. Serve with toasted pitta, raw vegetable crudités and roasted baby carrots.

 

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Hummus

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Hummus
 
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Hummus is brilliantly versatile. Once you've mastered a good basic hummus, as this recipe is, you can get creative and add your favourite spices, nuts and herbs. See my spicy, pine nut version, it's good! I serve mine to hungry dinner guests on arrival with roasted baby carrots (see recipe), cucumber and red pepper sticks and toasted wholemeal pitta.
Recipe type: Snack
Serves: 6-8 people
Ingredients
  • 2 tins of organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
  • 75g tahini paste
  • 4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 6 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 11/2 tsp sea salt
  • 100ml ice cold water
  • scant teaspoon paprika
Instructions
  1. Place chickpeas in a food processor and pulse to a stiff paste
  2. Add the remaining ingredients except the paprika and pulse for a few seconds
  3. Spoon into a serving dish/bowl and sprinkle with the paprika
  4. Enjoy!

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Popcorn

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Popcorn
 
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Recipe type: Snack
Serves: 2-4 people
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive/coconut oil
  • 200g popping corn kernels
  • Optional toppings:
  • 1 tbsp xylitol
  • 2 tbsp organic honey/maple syrup or half and half
  • 1-2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive/coconut oil in a large saucepan on a medium hob ring, on a medium heat
  2. Add popping corn kernels and cover with a well fitting lid
  3. Shake the pan to coat the kernels in the oil
  4. Cook for approximately 4 minutes shaking the pan until the popping stops
  5. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 30 seconds

 

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Chana Dall

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Chana Dall
 
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For my sins after a week away I am starting a 10 day cleanse! Having researched my sin-free list of foods I'm going to be doing lots of experimenting with new dishes. I'll post my successes and save you from the not so tasty. Here's my first, a gorgeous creamy dall 100% healthy and delicious. I served it with roasted wild salmon and steamed broccoli florets with a squeeze of lemon.
Recipe type: Accompaniment
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4-6 people
Ingredients
  • 250g yellow split peas
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp tumeric powder
  • 1 tsp mild chilli powder
  • 1 onion, diced finely
  • 1 thumb sized fresh ginger grated/chopped finely
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 25g coriander
Instructions
  1. Rinse the yellow split beans 3-4 times in cold water
  2. Leave to soak in cold water for 30 mins
  3. Drain the peas and place in a large saucepan cover with cold water and bring to the boil
  4. Boil for 10 minutes and then add the remaining ingredients except the coriander
  5. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, until the peas are tender adding water if necessary to ensure the peas do not cook dry
  6. Place in a blender with the coriander and whizz up for 30second to a minute.
  7. Place in a serving dish and serve immediately.

 

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Banana & Blueberry Muffins

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Banana & Blueberry Muffins
 
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Bananas are crammed with potassium and vitamin B6, great for alleviating mood swings and and reducing water retention. Magnesium rich walnuts, calcium and Vitamin D dense yoghurt and antioxidant rich blueberries make this a great option for breakfast or snack satisfying a sweet tooth without causing a sugar rush/dip!
Recipe type: Cakes & Bakes
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 11/4 cups (120g) porridge oats
  • ½ cup(60g) rice flour/ground almonds
  • ¼cup (30g)ground flaxseed
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ¼cup (60ml) plain yoghurt
  • 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
  • ½ cup (60ml) xylitol/honey/maple syrup
  • ⅓ cup (90ml) grapeseed oil
  • ¼ cup (30g) chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F
  2. In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder and baking soda, add porridge oats and ground flaxseed
  3. In a separate bowl combine eggs, yoghurt, bananas, xylitol/honey/maple syrup, oil, walnuts and blueberries
  4. Fold in flour mix, being careful not to beat out air
  5. Divide batter among 12 muffin cases
  6. Bake for 15 mins, until the tops spring back when pressed softly
  7. Allow to cool.
Notes
I use the American measures for this recipe it just makes life a lot easier, they're readily available to buy online or in big supermarkets/department stores.

 

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Berry Medley

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Berry Medley
 
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Basically this is the easiest, healthiest, tastiest pudding/breakfast/snack. It's hardly a recipe as you literally combine your favourite berries and serve so maybe I should just entice you by explaining why it's so good for you. Berries are the highest anti-oxidant fruits and literally breathe life into you cells protecting against heart disease and cancer. There high in anti inflammatory properties, so great for bones, joints etc. Not to mention high Vitamin C & K content, fibre and manganase. Best enjoyed fresh and at there purest (no cooking, heating etc) this is one of the best ways of enjoying them. If you want to add a hit of probiotics with your favourite yoghurt (go for greek/plain or low sugar no artificial sweeteners/aspartame or corn syrup options)
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 6 portions
Ingredients
  • 1 punnet strawberries, hulled and sliced into quarters
  • 1 punnet cherries, destoned
  • 1 punnet blueberries
  • 1 punnet raspberries
Instructions
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl
  2. Serve ideally at room temperature, with a large dollop of yoghurt if desired.
Notes
Try any combination of in-season berries other examples include blackcurrants, loganberries, goji berries. Sprinkle with flaxseeds and yoghurt, the probiotic in the yoghurt feeds the prebiotics in the flaxseed.

 

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Apple Flapjacks

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Fruity Flapjacks
 
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I love flapjacks but cannot understand why shop bought, and even most recipe, ones are so unnecessarily high in sugar. Here I substitute processed sugar for natural forms including plenty of fruit and some maple syrup/honey.
Recipe type: Bakes
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 4oz (100g) maple syrup/ honey (or half and half)
  • 4oz (100g) butter
  • 6 organic apples (skin ON) grated, see notes
  • rind and juice of 1 lemon, optional
  • 12oz whole oats (or porridge oats)
  • 1 heaped teaspoon of cinammon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300F/150C/Gas Mark 2
  2. Place all the ingredients except for the oats in a large saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted
  3. Stir through the oats, ensuring the ingredients are well combined
  4. Now pour the mixture into a lined square/oblong baking tin (approx 18cm/7inches) and at least 4cm/11/2inches deep.
  5. Ensure you press the mixture down well with the back of a spoon or your hand, this helps the flapjack to hold together once baked.
  6. Bake on the centre shelf of your oven for 40-45 minutes.
  7. Allow to cool for a few minutes slice into squares or bars then leave (if you can resist!) till the flapjacks have cooled.
Notes
Its important to grate the apple as this helps bind the flapjack and stop it being too crumbly when cooked. Another tip to prevent your flapjacks crumbling is to allow them to cool entirely before slicing, ideally after an 1hr or so in the fridge.

 

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