This is my even more delicious gluten-free version of the classic Middle Eastern salad which is normally based on bulgar wheat. This is great with grilled or roast meat or fish, or a chickpea/bean salad. You can make it in advance for a barbecue or buffet. Don’t skimp on the fresh parsley or lemon juice.
For 2 people, with leftovers:
½ mug/1 cup millet grains (not flakes), available in wholefood stores
3 tbsp finely sliced red onion (or spring onion, if you can’t get red)
4 tomatoes, finely chopped
½ cucumber, skin and all, chopped into about ½cm cubes
6 rounded tbsp parsley (flat-leaf is nice), finely chopped
3 tbs finely chopped fresh mint or 3 dsp dried mint
Juice of 2-3 lemons (or more, to taste)
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt or Himalayan salt and black pepper to taste
Boil the kettle. Add the millet to a saucepan with double its quantity (2 cups) of boiling water, cover with a lid, and simmer without stirring until all the water is absorbed and the grains are fluffy. Rough up with a fork and allow to cool.
When the millet is no more than lukewarm, put it and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently to combine, taking care not to mash the millet. If you have time, let it stand for at least half an hour to let the flavors amalgamate.
Why this is good for you: I use millet here because it is naturally gluten-free, tastes great, and is packed with the relaxing nutrient magnesium. Wheat contains high levels of phytates that impede mineral absorption in the gut. People who eat wheat at several meals a day often end up short of essential minerals such as zinc and iron even if they eat them in the diet. Also (and this is a shocker from recent research) gluten in wheat damages your gut for several hours after exposure – you don’t have to be gluten-sensitive for this to happen! Parsley is rich in iron and aids detoxification, good news if you care about your skin or your energy levels. Lemon juice aids the stomach in the digestive process while mint is anti-spasmodic, helping relieve gas or cramps in the gut. Extra virgin olive oil is rich in vitamin E and research shows that including it in your daily diet increases your healthy lifespan. Tomatoes are a fantastic source of lycopene and act as a natural UV filter, helping reduce skin burning and ageing.
Here’s a simple snack I used to eat 11 am to keep my concentration levels high and my energy up until lunch. When my health improved I was able to drop the snacks. Many of my clients have issues with energy fluctuations and snacks like this help while they sort out the underlying causes. This sort of snack gives slow-burn energy – unlike coffee or sugary/starchy foods.
Why this is good for you: Almonds are high in calcium and magnesium needed for healthy bones, resilience to stress, and much more. Apples (especially organic with the skin left on) give you quercitin, which is anti-allergy, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging. Apples are high in soluble fibre needed to feed healthy bacteria in the gut. An apple a day really does help keep the doctor away.
This is inspired by a classic French side dish of lettuce, shallots, and peas. It’s healthier because you don’t overcook all the vegetables, nor do you need to smother it in a lot of butter to make it taste good. This is a great side dish to serve with roasted meats or grilled fish.
3 medium-large leeks, white and green parts, cleaned and sliced into 1/2 cm disks
About 250g or 2 mugs frozen petit pois (baby peas)
2 tbsp water or water leftover from steaming vegetables
1 large clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or frying pan with a lid, place the leeks, the garlic, the olive oil, and the water.
2. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat until the leeks are slightly wilted. While this is happening, rinse off your peas with hot water to get the icicles off and allow them to thaw. I usually do this by putting them in a sieve and pouring a kettleful of boiling water over them.
3. When the leeks are softened but still bright green add the peas, stir well, cover, and simmer for about 2 minutes until the peas are hot.
Everyone loves these. Eat as a starter with wholemeal gluten-free bread or (if you eat a little gluten) fresh 100% rye sourdough bread to soak up the sweet juices. Last week we served them as a side with marinaded roast chicken pieces on a bed of cooked millet (with basil pesto and sliced spring onions stirred in). Yum!
I’m not usually an anchovy lover but here they really do make it much more delicious!
For 4:
4 red peppers
4 medium tomatoes
8 small anchovy fillets
2 cloves garlic
8 dsp (dessertspoons) extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper
Fresh basil leaves
Preheat oven to 180C
Cut peppers in half lengthways, remove seeds, keep green stalks intact, and lay in a lightly oiled roasting tin or ovenproof dish.
Peel garlic, slice thinly and divide between the pepper halves.
To each pepper, half add an anchovy that you snipped into rough pieces.
Quarter tomatoes, remove the woody centre, and place 2 pieces in each pepper hal
Spoon 1 dsp oil into each pepper half and season with freshly milled black pepper.
Place on a high shelf in the oven for 50 mins to 1 hour – they should be wrinkled and semi-collapsed and filled with lots of lovely sweet garlicky pepper juices.
