Feb 12, 2018 | Anna's Best Recipes, Breakfasts & smoothies, Dressings, rubs, spreads, sauces & more
Made these a few weeks ago and thought I’d better get them up here in time for Pancake Tuesday. They are thicker than normal pancakes and really light. I love to eat them for a weekend breakfast with a dairy-free coconut yoghurt and lots of thawed mixed berries. Mix a few drops of pure stevia with yoghurt or berries if you like them sweeter. Being a bit greedy, I made double quantity here but it was too much. The coconut flour and eggs make these protein rich to give you slow burn energy.
For 4 pancakes to serve 4
(with a generous serving of berries and maybe some coconut yoghurt)
45g coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (if you are gluten-sensitive avoid vanilla essence)
1 medium banana (with spots if you are on SC diet)
6 medium eggs
1/2 level teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
- Blitz everything except the coconut flour in a blender until mixed up and no lumps.
- Add the coconut flour, blitz till mixed.
- Heat frying pan on medium heat, add a little coconut oil. Use 1/4 of the batter for each of the pancakes.
- Serve with the yoghurt and berries.Variation: This is also lovely with apple stewed with Ceylon cinnamon.
Dec 20, 2017 | Anna's Best Recipes, Main courses
I was in a hurry last week and came up with this. Its super-fast on a weekday, provided you’ve already made up the Cajun spice mix (which only takes a couple of minutes). I’ve posted this mix already on the blog but its so good it deserves a reminder. I use it (when I remember) for grilling chicken fillets, salmon darnes and sometimes lamb chops. Rub the fish/meat with lemon juice first so the spice blend sticks on.
For 2:
2 hake fillets or darnes, about 160g each
Smoked paprika
Large bag of black kale (Cavolo nero) or curly kale
Sundried tomato paste, dairy-free red pesto (or if you are not dairy-free or on SC diet any good quality tomato pesto will do)
Fresh lemon juice (you will need about a teaspoon for the fish)
Extra virgin olive oil
Cajun spice mix:
You will need tinfoil and a roasting tin or dish
For the Cajun spice mix (store in an airtight glass jar away from heat and light)
½ level tsp chilli powder (omit or just use a pinch if you don’t like much heat)
1 level tsp Himalayan (pink) salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 rounded tsp dried thyme
1 tbs each of:
Coarsely ground black pepper
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Ground coriander
Optional extra:
Cauliflower mash (see post) to serve
1. Turn on the oven to 200C.
2. Prepare the kale – wash, destalk and slice thinly. Boil your kettle and put the kale in your steamer over at least 2cm of boiling water. It can take quite a while to become tender.
3. While the kale is steaming, put the fish skin side down in an roasting dish with deep sides, rub the fish fillets with some lemon juice. Sprinkle Cajun mix and a good pinch of smoked paprika on each fillet until well coated.
4. Cover with tinfoil and give it 10 minutes in the preheated oven. After 10 minutes, test with a skewer to see if it is tender (this depends on the thickness of the fish). If not, give it another 5 minutes, covered again with the foil to stop the fish drying out.
5. Meanwhile, warm a vegetable dish for the kale. Into the dish put a generous heaped teaspoon of the pesto or paste, a dessertspoon of extra virgin olive oil and a good twist of black pepper if you have some. As soon as the kale is done to your liking toss with the pesto/paste to coat and keep warm.
6. Serve the fish on top of a pile of kale.
Optional extras:
Cauliflower mash (see blog post). This freezes well. I like to make a big batch then freeze leftovers in single portions. Reheat in a saucepan, stirring from time to time.
Why this is good for you
Herbs and spices are a powerhouse of vitality-boosting qualities. They protect the food during cooking from generating toxic inflammatory compounds (e.g. amines) while also protecting ourselves and our brains from accelerated ageing. Herbs and spices have hundreds of times stronger antioxidant properties than fruit and veg, weight for weight. Kale is a dark green leafy veg so its rich in magnesium and folic acid. We need both of these for making us more resilient to stress as well as for a healthy digestive system and good skin.
Nov 21, 2017 | Anna's Best Recipes, Desserts & drinks
Rich Gluten-free Xmas Pud
This is a very traditional-tasting, rich, dark pudding. Yummy! Its more intense than my normal gluten-free pud (a light, cakey version) which is also posted on this blog. The recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver’s gluten-free pud recipe – I removed refined sugar/golden syrup and added blackstrap molasses and low GI xylitol/coconut sugar which are healthier. Thanks Jamie! I made 2 puds from this, one in a 1 litre bowl, that would give about 6 servings, and another small one that gives 4 modest servings.
You can make this pudding well ahead of time. In fact, 25 November is Stir-Up Sunday, the traditional day to make Christmas puddings. Soak the fruit the day BEFORE you want to cook the puds. Using dried fruit free from sulphur dioxide (used to preserve colour) is preferable as it can cause digestive symptoms and headaches in susceptible people.
If you can at all, use metal or ceramic pudding bowls. Cooking puds in plastic means toxic bisphenol A (BPA) residues leech into the food – mot something you want if you care about your health. If you havn’t wrapped a pud for steaming before you will see instructions here https://www.caseys.kitchen/2016/08/28/how-to-wrap-a-pudding-for-steaming/
100 g currants
150 g raisins
110 g dried sour cherries (from health stores. dried cranberries would do instead)
50g chopped dates
1 organic lime, the grated zest and juice of
½ an organic orange , the grated zest and juice of
50g mixed peel
75 ml tea, cooled (I use 1 tbs grated ginger root with a rooibosch teabag for extra flavour but you can just use normal tea if you want. If using ginger, strain out before using the tea)
Level teaspoon mixed spice
½ level tsp ground cinnamon
½ level tsp grated nutmeg
2½ tbs (40 ml) brandy
40g xylitol (or 40g coconut sugar which gives a nice caramel flavour)
1 level tbs blackstrap molasses
1 medium or large cooking apple,peeled and grated
50g roughly chopped almonds (sometimes I use flaked to save time)
25g rice flour
25 g cornflour
110g fresh gluten-free breadcrumbs (M&S now do a round GF loaf that’s slightly better quality than most GF sliced pan breads. If you are OK with dairy products you can also use Kelkin white sourdough gluten free bread which is free of industrial emulsifiers))
1 rounded tsp gluten-free baking powder
110g gluten-free suet (available online or see below for how to make it). You can substitute butter or coconut oil but these melt quickly and do tend to boil out of the pudding but if you are dairy-sensitive and want to avoid animal products or dairy…)
2 large free-range eggs , beaten (if your eggs are medium, add an extra egg)
1 large free-range egg yolk , beaten
Butter, coconut or light olive oil to grease
- In a large bowl combine the dried fruits, zests and mixed peel, then add the citrus juice, cold tea, spices and brandy, and leave overnight for the flavours to develop.
- The following day, add the coconut sugar, xylitol or coconut sugar, blackstrap molasses, apple and almonds.
- In a clean bowl, place the rice flour, cornflour, breadcrumbs, baking powder, coconut oil or suet and a pinch of salt. Add in the beaten eggs until you have a smooth mix, then stir into the fruit.
- Grease a 1.5-litre pudding basin and pour in the pudding mixture until it’s ⅔ full. Cover the top with a circle of greaseproof paper, then with 2 pieces of foil and secure with string. Or use a 1 litre and a smaller pudding bowl to make 2 puds.
- Place an upturned saucer into the base of a deep saucepan. Sit the pudding on top of the saucer, and carefully pour in boiling water to come halfway up the pudding dish. Put the lid on and steam for 8 hours (yes, 8!). According to Delia Smith DO NOT open the lids during the first half hour of steaming or you will prevent the puds from rising properly.
- According to Delia you should then allow the puds to get completely cold before removing the tinfoil and paper and replacing with fresh ones, again tied with string for easy manoevering on Christmas day.
- On Christmas Day: Fill a saucepan quite full with boiling water, put on the heat and when it comes back to the boil, place a steamer on top of the pan and turn it down to a gentle simmer. Put the pudding in the steamer, cover and leave to steam for 2 hrs 15 mins. You’ll need to check the water from time to time and maybe top it up a bit. When you are ready to serve the pudding, remove from the steamer and take off the wrapping. Slide a palette knife all round the pud and turn out onto a warmed plate. Place a suitable sized sprig of holly on top.
How to make suet
I had my first experiment with this in 2020 because there was only one online supplier and I was tired of buying online. Suet is made by grating or extruding leaf lard (pure, raw beef/pork fat) and then tossing it in some flour to keep it from clumping. Its best not to use lamb fat because its got a very strong flavour. Get a good butcher to save pork/beef fat for you and ask for at least double what you need because you will want to discard any pink bits. I give the pink bits to the birds who are desperate for extra calories at this time of year.
Instructions: freeze your suet, then pick through and remove any pink bits. Grate as much as you need for the recipe then toss in a teaspoon or two of gluten-free flour (rice flour will do). This can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. It will keep for ages.
Why this is (somewhat) better for you:
Gluten has a temporary damaging effect on your small intestine even when you are not gluten-sensitive or coeliac. Gluten causes the tight junctions between absorptive cells to become unstuck for several hours. This means that undigested food particles, gut bacteria and other debris can enter your bloodstream unchecked (this is called increased intestinal permeability). This can cause symptoms as diverse as joint pain, mood problems, headaches and tiredness to name but a few. Because it inflames you this lowers your ability to fight viral and other infections.
This recipe avoids using highly refined sugars, which is good news if you want to avoid sabotaging energy levels, skin and digestive health. Blackstrap molasses is rich in chromium and iron needed for energy and metabolising the sugar. Getting the unsweetened sour cherries gives a lovely tang but also avoids the added sugars in glace fruit (including dried cranberries). The recipe still contains corn flour, which is a refined product though, and the large amount of dried fruits means Xmas pud is high in natural sugars and so is not a vitality-boosting food. Still though, sometimes, who cares…..
Aug 9, 2017 | Anna's Best Recipes, Desserts & drinks
This is one of my husband’s favourite desserts, as I discovered when I made it for him last weekend. This recipe is lovely and sweet but without the usual energy-sapping sugar and wheat flour. In fact its totally grain-free but you wouldn’t know it. The sponge is really good – light and moist which usually hard to achieve using grain-based gluten-free flours.
110g butter (or use clarified butter if you are sensitive to casein protein in milk or lactose in butter)
75g xylitol or erythritol
110g ground almonds
2 large beaten eggs
2 lbs cooking apples
30 drops stevia (liquid stevia available from health stores) mixed with 1 tbs water
A little extra butter/clarified butter for greasing
Oven temperature 185C (fan 170C)
- Peel, core and slice the apples. Cook them in a heavy bottomed saucepan, covered with a lid, with the stevia drops and water. Stir from time to time to prevent sticking. They should still maintain their sliced shapes.
- Cool thoroughly and put into a greased dish – a pyrex dish at least 18 x 18cm square works for me.
- Preheat oven to 170C.
- Beat the butter/clarified butter and xylitol until pale and fluffy. Slowly add beaten eggs then fold in the ground almonds and spread over the apple.
- Bake for around 40 mins. The top should be golden and a skewer inserted in the sponge should come out clean. We found it was very well done after 45 minutes even though the original recipe said to bake for an hour. If it is too coloured on top but not cooked inside, then cover the top with a flat baking sheet or a bit of tinfoil (with some holes in to let steam out) to prevent it getting too brown.
Why this is better for you:
The conventional apple sponge is filled with refined sugar and white flour which depletes your essential nutrients. Nutrients needed for supporting your immune system so that its neither underactive (infections) nor over-active (autoimmune conditions e.g. hypothyroidism, arthritis). Nutrients like zinc, vitamin C, B vitamins and magnesium are important for a healthy digestive system, skin and immunity. We all have different susceptibilities. In me a magnesium deficiency brought about by a refined diet might show as anxiety or insomnia. But in you it might manifest as frequent infections. Magnesium is important for hundreds of biochemical reactions in your body.
Jun 15, 2017 | Anna's Best Recipes, Breakfasts & smoothies, Sides, starters, soups & snacks
How do you increase your veggie intake to help your health if you have almost no time in the evenings to prepare a full meal or you have problems chewing? Try these green smoothies. You can even make two servings and store leftovers in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for the next day. Citrus juice and airtight containers help prevent oxidation (nutrient loss and discolouration). If you don’t like your green smoothies cold you can heat these VERY gently in a saucepan until they are lukewarm.
Garden walk (950ml or 2 servings)
1 cup baby spinach, packed
1 cup fresh parsley (any type), packed
2 large ripe tomatoes
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ avocado
¼ tsp chilli pepper (can cause flushing so avoid if you have rosacea)
Optional: a cupful or so of filtered, boiled and cooled, or bottled spring water to help everything go round in the blender. Wash and chop everything roughly. Blitz well.
Cucumber dill-icious soup (950ml or 2 servings)
1 large cucumber
½ a small bunch of dill (or use fresh basil if you like)
1 small avocado
3 leaves curly kale, stalks removed
1 large stalk celery
½ lime, juiced
2 cloves garlic*
Wash everything and blitz everything with a little filtered, spring or boiled and cooled water to help it all go round in the blender.
Wild green pear (makes about 500ml)
1 ripe Bartlett or Williams pear (these are lovely and sweet)
1 cup local greens (e.g. rocket, organic baby spinach, lettuce, kale, watercress, beet tops, young dandelion greens)
1 cup water
1 heaped teaspoon sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or 8 blanched almonds
Wash, roughly chop and blitz the fresh produce with the water and sunflower seeds.
Salad smoothie idea (or “make this up as you go along”)
Blitz a large handful of roughly chopped green leaves, a tomato, celery stick, heaped dsp chopped red onion, clove of garlic, half a red or green pepper, a glug of extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a generous splash of tomato juice from the carton. Add Himalayan (pink) salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Green gazpacho (makes about 3 large servings)
A green take on the traditional chilled Spanish summer soup. Quite filling.
1 bunch spring onions
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped*
1 small green pepper (stalk and seeds removed)
100g organic baby spinach ½ romaine lettuce (or any lettuce other than iceberg)
1 avocado
Small bunch fresh coriander
1 small green chilli, halved and deseeded (optional)
50g ground or blanched almonds
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs apple cider vinegar/1 of white wine vinegar and 2 of sherry vinegar
200ml water (filtered, boiled and cooled, or use bottled spring water)
Himalayan (pink) salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional: 3 tbs home-made kefir or natural yoghurt (or use unsweetened soya/almond-based yoghurt if you are avoiding dairy due to sensitivity or skin health issues)*
Wash and roughly chop the veggies, leaves and herbs. Put into your blender processor with the 3 tbs olive oil, the citrus juice/vinegar, 200ml water and whizz to a thick puree. You might have to do this in 2 batches. Taste for seasoning. If it’s a bit bland then add salt, freshly ground black pepper and maybe more lemon juice/apple cider vinegar or olive oil. It’s the amount of seasonings that makes this a great soup. Serve chilled with another generous slug of extra-virgin olive oil.
For more great green smoothies buy Victoria Boutenko’s “Green Smoothie Revolution” available on www.bookdepository.com (postage is free). If you make smoothies which include a piece or two of fruit, always include some protein/good fats (e.g. nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut oil) to avoid sudden dumps of sugar in your bloodstream that compromise digestive/skin health and energy.
What’s good about green smoothies
Green veggies are rich in magnesium needed for healthy skin, a chilled mind and plenty of energy. They are giving you a range of skin-supporting, digestive-system healing and vitality boosting phytonutrients.
*Garlic is a natural antibiotic. But unlike antibiotic medications, it helps healthy bacteria in your gut to flourish and lowers levels of disease-causing yeasts and bacteria. If you are new to using raw garlic, start small and build up. As it kills off disease-causing micro-organisms you may notice some short-term flatulence! This will disappear over time as you keep going – replacing unhelpful micro-organisms in your gut with healthy ones to help every aspect of your health.
Organic vegetables and fruits, where you are eating the outer surface (rather than peeling) give you a little dose of healthy bacteria with every mouthful. In “conventional” produce good bacteria are absent. Herbicides kill the beneficial soil bacteria. Monsanto originally patented the bestselling herbicide glyphosphate as an antibiotic. It disrupts thyroid function, nerve function and is deeply toxic. Many “conventional” crops contain residues.
Why use filtered, boiled and cooled or bottled spring water in a smoothie? This is to avoid chlorine, that kills beneficial bacteria in your gut and suppresses thyroid function. Boiling allows the chlorine to evaporate. Chlorine, like fluoride, disrupts your thyroid function by blocking iodine. Iodine also helps prevent skin infections, PMS and hormonal cancers (e.g. breast, prostate).
May 5, 2017 | Anna's Best Recipes, Desserts & drinks
I jumped at the chance to try this recently, and (bizarrely) it’s delicious as well as having big health benefits. Although I often use turmeric in curries and my pear breakfast smoothies I was at a loss to see where I could get it in every day. Don’t miss out the black pepper, its piperine increases the bioavailability of anti-inflammatory curcumin in turmeric by 2000%! Vary the amounts of ginger and cardamom if you want. Here I give the recipe for a latte blend as well as quantities for just one cup.
DO remember to pick milks free of emulsifiers that tear the lining of your gut – in particular carageenan (E407) , carboxymethylcellulose (E466), polysorbate 80 (E433), maltodextrin (E1400). I like Ecomil brand as it’s pretty natural.
I use dairy-free milk but if you normally drink lots of cows milk with no respiratory/sensitivity issues, use your normal…
For 1 serving (see below for quantities to make up a whole jar):
200ml/1 mug of non-dairy milk of your choice (e.g. unsweetened coconut milk, almond milk)
½ level tsp (teaspoon) turmeric powder
¼ level tsp ginger powder
¼ level tsp cardamom powder
Pinch freshly fine ground black pepper (if you leave it too coarse it just stays in bottom of the mug)
Optional: Small pinch of cayenne/chilli powder
To sweeten: a few drops of stevia or half a teaspoon of xylitol/raw honey
- Heat the milk on the stove or with the electric steam milk frother on your coffee machine.
- Add the spices and sweetening of your choice, whisk to mix.Variation: If you are feeling decadent, a sprinkle of Ceylon (Sri Lankan) cinnamon on top of the latte is lovely and boost vitality even more.
Turmeric latte blend (approx. 30 servings)
Keep this in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid in a dark place to keep potency and flavour.
90ml/6 level tbs (tablespoons) turmeric powder
30ml/2 level tbs ginger powder
30ml/2 level tbs cardamom powder 5ml
5ml/1 level tsp (teaspoon) finely ground freshly ground black pepper
Optional: 2.5ml/½ level tsp ground chilli powder
Why this is great for you
Turmeric reduces inflammation everywhere in your digestive system. A study using 1g turmeric powder twice a day resulted in a massive improvement in remission rates in inflammatory bowel disease. 1 gram is just half a teaspoon. Turmeric is also well-studied in relieving gastritis and gastric reflux and keeping your brain healthy. What’s not to like? Ginger, like turmeric, supports your liver function to help skin, energy, bright eyes and skin. And it helps reduce nausea. Chilli powder helps thicken the mucous linings of your stomach and intestines. Chilli is used successfully in Ayurvedic medicine to heal stomach ulcers and gastritis! Its usually not the spices in “spicey food” that make people feel bad – it’s the large amounts of toxic, cheap refined oils your average Indian takeaway or restaurant uses in the cooking. Ceylon/Sri Lankan cinnamon (not “cinnamon” from supermarkets, which is in fact the cheaper cassia) has remarkable health effects. Like ginger, it can help prevent diabetes (or tackle it) but it also reduces “bad” bacteria and yeast (candida) overgrowth in your gut. Most spices have a selective effect on your gut bacteria – helping encourage growth of “good guys” and inhibiting disease-causing ones. Helpful bacteria in your gut make natural anti-bacterial and ant-viral substances like interferon gamma which travel to wherever you have an infections and help see it off.
This would be a great drink for someone with a cold or flu as it’s anti-viral and anti-inflammatory.
Mar 2, 2017 | Anna's Best Recipes, Sides, starters, soups & snacks
If you go for longer than 5 hours between meals you might sometimes need a snack. Most people who eat well balanced meals like on this blog don’t need to snack in-between and can fast for longer for extra health benefits. But here are some really easy snacks that give you carbohydrates (naturally sugar-containing foods like wholegrains or fruits) alongside protein/good fats (e.g. nuts, yoghurt, humous) for sustained slow-burn energy. Most of these foods are packed with nutrients to help you look and feel your best. Go for organic fruit and veg if you can – glyphosate residues on “conventional” produce kill beneficial bacteria and damage your gut. If you don’t have time for breakfast some of these snacks can fit the bill now and again if you include some fresh veg or fruit.
- 2 fresh apricots/plum + 4 walnut halves.
- Medium pear + 8 almonds.
- Medium apple + dessertspoon sunflower seeds.
- Nectarine or peach + dessertspoon pumpkin seeds.
- Apple + generous teaspoon almond butter straight from the jar.
- Handful carrot/cucumber sticks or red pepper strips + tablespoon humous.
- 1-2 Nairns rough oatcakes* (available in gluten-free also) + no-sugar peanut butter.
Note: The sweet Nairn’s oatcakes/biscuits have added sugar (not a vitality-boosting snack!).
1-2 oatcakes with generous topping of humous or lots of mashed avocado. - 1-2 oatcakes with thick tahini (ideally a raw brand e.g. Carly’s, from health shops).
- 1-2 oatcakes + cottage cheese and a sprinkle of black pepper.
- Mouthful leftover cooked chicken, smoked fish + an apple, mandarin or pear afterwards.
- Handful berries + 2-3 heaped tbs natural organic yoghurt.
- 2 fresh plums/apricots + 3 heaped tbs dairy-free “yoghurt” e.g. Coyo, Abbot Kinney’s Almond Starter, or unsweetened soya yoghurt.
- Small banana blitzed with 1 cup natural yoghurt/kefir + generous pinch of turmeric or cinnamon.
- For a treat try a Nakd bar from Tesco/health shops (=nuts + dried fruit).
- For another treat try 1-2 squares of 80% chocolate + dessertspoon sunflower seeds or 8-10 hazelnuts. Not too often though – 80% chocolate still contains added sugar.
Now you get the idea – a great snack is a portion of slow-release carbs (e.g. oats, whole fruit, carrot sticks) + high quality protein and/or good fats
Why these snacks are better for you
Carbohydrates are foods naturally high in sugars or with added sugars. Grains, root veg (potatoes, carrots) and almost all fruits are high in carbohydrates. Sugar, honey, fruit juice and white grains are even higher so aren’t a great choice in your regular diet. Carbs on their own (even from natural foods) give a quick rise in blood sugar that’s dangerous for your body. This promotes peaks and slumps in energy. But carbs combined with protein/good fats give you a better, longer-lasting slow-burn energy. Protein foods include meat, fish, beans, nuts, seeds, yoghurt, cheese, lentils and chickpeas. Great news if you want to look and feel your best for a long time to come.
Feb 17, 2017 | Anna's Best Recipes, Sides, starters, soups & snacks
Gluten-free baked cauliflower bahjis
I’ve been craving bhajis that are not deep-fried and finally got my wish with this lovely oven-baked recipe. This recipe is slightly adapted from one by Susanna Booth in the Guardian. Great for a buffet, finger food for a party, as a starter, or cold for a picnic. Everyone’s happy to eat it and take seconds. They
don’t need to know that its both gluten-and dairy-free! I like these just as much cold as hot.
NB some mango chutneys contain malt vinegar, which contains gluten, so read the label carefully before you buy.
Makes 15-20
For the bhajis
300g cauliflower
2 medium leeks, green and white parts
1 tbs olive oil (or, even better, virgin coconut oil)
100 gram (chickpea) flour
1 rounded tsp (teaspoon) ground turmeric
1 level tsp ground coriander
1 level tsp ground cumin
A pinch of Himalayan or Atlantic Sea Salt
80ml water
2 tsp mango chutney (make sure it’s a gluten-free one that does not contain malt vinegar) OR 2 rounded tsp St Dalfour or Follain no added sugar apricot jam and a pinch of ground ginger OR 2 tsp unsweetened mango puree (you can do this by blitzing the mango for the dip and reserving 2 tsp for the actual bahjis).
2 rounded tsp tomato puree
Olive oil (or even better, virgin coconut oil) for greasing the baking tin
For the dip
100g natural soya yoghurt (or natural yoghurt or thickened kefir for for milk-eaters)
Half a ripe mango
1 rounded tbs (tablespoon) mango chutney (again, make sure it’s gluten-free)
5 fresh large mint leaves
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Wash and prepare the cauliflower and leeks. Dice the cauli into tiny pieces; cut the leeks lengthways and then into thin slices. Sweat all the veg in the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan, covered with a lid, for 5-10 minutes until just softened.
2. Put the gram flour, spices and salt in a bowl. Add the water, chutney and tomato puree and mix to a smooth paste. Add the sweated vegetables and stir until everything is well coated. It will be very thick.
3. Drizzle a little olive oil over a taking tray. Rub with a spatula or brush to coat the whole surface.
4. Dollop the bhaji mix on the tray 1 tbsp at t time. Flatten them a little with the back of a spoon, spatula or fishslice.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes until slightly browned. Take the tray from the oven, then flip each bhaji over using a fish slice. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden. You can eat them hot or cold.
6. Make the dip by blitzing the chutney, mango, mint and yoghurt together in a mini food processor or else use a bowl and stick blender. Refrigerate for up to a day before serving.
Variation:
I made an imitation mango chutney for this recipe by mixing a few things I had in the cupboard: 1 1/2 tbs St. Dalfour apricot jam, a pinch of onion salt, a large pinch of each of dried garlic and ground coriander and 1/2 teaspoon of distilled or wine vinegar.
Why this is better for you:
Gram (chickpea) flour is a good source of protein to help keep you feeling fuller for longer. Leeks are rich in inulin, which helps feed good gut bacteria. Good bacteria are important for all aspects of your health from weight management to clear skin and good digestion and absorption of nutrients. Because these bhajis are baked rather than deep fried which means they don’t toxic heated polyunsaturated oils. In cooking, coconut oil is even better for you then olive oil. This is because coconut oil is less damaged by heating then olive oil. coconut oil is rich in medium chain triglycerides, which can help boost energy because the body digests them very easily. Amazingly, coconut oil is used by your body directly to make energy rather then being stored as fat in your body. This makes it a better tool for weight management than many other oils. Herbs and spices such as turmeric, cumin and coriander have well-documented anti-inflammatory properties and a great health boost for anyone who cares about their health, fitness or skin.
Jan 5, 2017 | Anna's Best Recipes, Sides, starters, soups & snacks
Spinach pomegranate & orange salad
I stole this salad from a newspaper and adapted it to include some protein (flaked almonds) so you’re not just getting a huge blood sugar spike from all the fruit. This makes a lovely starter before a winter stew of some sort. Or else make a big platter of it for a buffet meal. The colours are stunning. Pomegranates are still in season in January (they start in November in Asian shops and good greengrocers). If you can’t get pomegranates then either increase the orange to a whole one or substitute a tablespoon of goji berries soaked overnight in clean water.
2 large handfuls baby spinach, washed and dried
1 tbs pumpkin seeds (for SC diet initial 12 weeks use almonds instead)
1 tbs flaked almonds
1/2 a small orange
A fresh pomegranate (you will use 1/4 to half of the seeds)
Dressing:
3 tbs virgin hazelnut or walnut oil (or use extra v. olive oil at a push)
Juice of 1 small orange
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of Himalayan/Atlantic Sea Salt
1. On a very low heat in a heavy bottomed pan, gently dry the pumpkin seeds and flaked almonds, until they seem dry and the pumpkin seeds are slightly swelled. It is better to eat nuts and seeds raw but this light toasting does make them super delicious. Remove from the heat as soon as they are slightly dried and crispy.
2. While this is happening, whack your whole pomegranate all over with a wooden spoon or a pestle for a few minutes. This loosens the seeds. Then cut it in half and pick out the ruby-coloured seeds.
3. Cut your orange in half across its equator, cut off the skin and pith with a sharp knife. Cut the remaining piece in half, then slice as thickly or as thinly as you feel like.
4. Mix your dressing in a screw top jar and shake to amalgamate.
5. Now put half the pomegranate seeds, the orange, spinach, and at least a tablespoon of dressing in a large bowl and toss until coated and glistening.
6. Divide between two plates, adding more pomegranate seeds if you think there’s not enough for your liking. Sprinkle over the almonds and pumpkin seeds. Enjoy…
Why this is good for you:
Spinach, like all dark green leafy veg, is rich in folic acid. Folic acid is important for your liver, helping keep your skin clear and healthy. Its also important for your mental health, helping reduce stress levels. Pomegranates are high in antioxidants and the raw, virgin cold-pressed oils are a good source of omega 6 oils and vitamin E for beautiful skin. Don’t forget to keep your virgin nut/seed oils in a cool dark place in an airtight bottle, so the delicate beneficial oils don’t get damaged. Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of methionine (and zinc) which helps clear heavy metals and other toxins from the body. Almonds are high in calcium and magnesium for good stress management and clear skin.
Dec 14, 2016 | Anna's Best Recipes, Main courses
This is a lovely, warming dhal, the earthiness balanced by the lemon juice (my other yellow split pea dhal recipe uses tomato and apple to lift it). Make a double portion and freeze half for another dinner. I’m eating more of this sort of meal in the run-up to the great Christmas splurge in a couple of weeks.
Make a double quantity and store leftovers in the freezer for another time.
For 2:
100g (about half a large mug) dried yellow split peas
1.5 cm fresh ginger, grated on the fine side of your grater
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 dsp coconut oil
1 level tsp cumin, ground
½ tsp turmeric
1 clove garlic, crushed or chopped
2 bay leaves
1 level tsp mixed spice
Juice of ½ lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Cook the split peas in 3 times their volume of water along with the ginger, until tender (do not allow to dry out completely). This takes around 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sweat the onion in a covered pan with the oil and 1 dessertspoon of water, when the onions are translucent, add all the spices, bay leaves and garlic and stir for a minute.
3. Add the split pea mixture (you may need to drain off some water) and cook until the split peas are beginning to crumble.
4. Add lemon juice and black pepper to taste
Serve with:
4 large handfuls of steamed vegetables eg. sliced kale, green beans, Brussels sprouts, wilted spinach and, if you like, some starchy carbs like roasted squash wedges, celeriac or turnip. If you are NOT on the SC diet, some brown rice is another option.
Why this is good for you
Garlic and spices are profoundly anti-inflammatory. This is partly because they help reduce numbers of disease-causing bacteria in your intestine while also promoting growth of helpful species. But spices also contain polyphenolic substances. These stimulate your body to increase antioxidant activity to keep you in peak condition and delay the ageing process. Split peas, garlic and onions contain soluble fibre which feeds beneficial bacteria. The peas are also rich in magnesium needed for great stress management, good sleep and beautiful skin (amongst other things).
How do you increase your veggie intake to help your health if you have almost no time in the evenings to prepare a full meal or you have problems chewing? Try these green smoothies. You can even make two servings and store leftovers in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for the next day. Citrus juice and airtight containers help prevent oxidation (nutrient loss and discolouration). If you don’t like your green smoothies cold you can heat these VERY gently in a saucepan until they are lukewarm.
