Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and place the red peppers in a roasting dish with a splash of olive oil. Bake them for 20 minutes, or until they start to brown.
  2. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a medium-sized pan and cook the onion and harissa on a high heat. Stir occasionally to ensure that the onions do not burn.
  3. Once the onions have started to caramelise, add the sweet potatoes and a little more oil and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the stock and bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Remove the peppers from the oven and add them to the pan. Simmer gently until the sweet potatoes are cooked through.
  5. Remove the soup from the heat and whizz it in a liquidiser.
  6. Serve it with a dollop of crème fraiche and a drizzle of olive oil.

Source: The Happy Kitchen by Rachel Kelly

Source: The Happy Kitchen by Rachel Kelly

Iron-Rich Recipes and absorption boosting ideas

This colourful and flavoursome soup is rich in vitamin C and easy to make. It is a dish to combine with the iron-rich steak, to help the body to absorb the iron. The ingredients also supply vitamin, magnesium, B Vitamins and antioxidants.

Method:

  1. Saute the kale in a frying pan with a splash of water for 2-3 minutes until wilted and dark green. Toss in the red chilli, cashews, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and the zest and juice of the lemon.
  2. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 banana
  • small handful spinach
  • 100ml nut-based milk
  • 1 tsp almond butter
  • 3 dried dates
  • 1 tsp spirulina
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the topping

  • Sliced kiwi
  • Rolled oats
  • grapes

Source: Healthy Magazine, September 2017

Creamy sweet potato and red pepper soup


Ingredients:

  • 150g Kale, washed and sliced
  • 1/2 red chilli, sliced
  • 30g chopped honey-roasted cashews
  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Salt and pepper

Iron-boosting super smoothie bowl

Super quick, super food kale salad

Ingredients:

Serves 2

For the dressing:

  • 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp. crème fraiche
  • 1 tsp horseradish sauce
  • 1 tsp cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp olive oil

For the marinade:

  • Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 6 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil
  • Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 4 drops Tabasco sauce (optional)

For the salad

  • 80g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 6 sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 4 artichoke hearts. quartered
  • 100g rocket
  • 8 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 70g feta cheese, crumbled
  • 4 tbsp. pomegranate seeds (optional)
  • 2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts (optional)

2 x 250g rump steaks, ideally about 3cm thick

Iron-Rich Steak Salad

Ingredients:

Serves 4

  • 4 large red peppers halved and deseeded
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 red onions, finely diced
  • 2 tsps. harissa paste
  • 700g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
  • 4 tbsp. crème fraiche

The combination of iron-rich steaks, the colourful salad, the zingy horseradish and the creamy feta cheese are perfect. Be sure not to buy artichokes soaked in vinegar as they will overpower the salad.

Boost your iron absorption - How?

Method:

Blend all the ingredients, serve in a bowl with the toppings, and enjoy as a vegan breakfast!

Method:

  1. First make the dressing by combining all the ingredients and shaking them together in a jar.
  2. Trim the harder fat off the steaks, brush them with oil and season both sides with a little salt.
  3. Heat a griddle or heavy-based pan and add the meat once hot. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side, for medium, longer if you prefer well done.
  4. Meanwhile, make the marinade. Whisk together all the ingredients in a dish big enough to accommodate the cooked steaks.
  5. Place the steaks in the marinade for 8 minutes, turning them halfway through. Then remove them to a board and slice them thinly on the diagonal.
  6. While the meat rests, combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour over three-quarters of the dressing and toss everything together.
  7. To serve, place the sliced steak on a bed of the salad and pour over the rest of the dressing. Scatter with toasted pine nuts and pomegranate seeds, if so desired.

Add a squirt of vitamin C- rich lemon juice to a salad dressing and you could improve the iron in leafy greens like spinach and watercress up to three times according to the American Journal of Clinical nutrition. Mix olive oil and lemon together to make a simple dressing and you could vastly improve the flavour and nutrition benefits of any salad.

Source: How to eat better by James Wong