Method.
- Heat a little olive oil in a large pan, add the onion, garlic and cumin and cook over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly golden.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and cook over a high heat, stirring frequently. Keep cooking until the tomatoes have started to turn into a bit of a mush, and the whole thing resembles a thick ratatouille.
- Add the lentils and start adding the stock a little at a time, almost as though you're cooking a risotto. Each time the stock level goes down, add a little more. Keep doing this until the lentils are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
- Once the lentils are soft, add enough stock to cover the whole mixture and season with salt and pepper. Transfer in batches to a jug blender and process to a smooth soup. Sprinkle with parsley or coriander, if using, and serve immediately.
LUNCH
Recipes for Balancing Blood-sugar.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
700g cherry tomatoes
200g red lentils
1litre vegetable stock
small bunch fresh parsley or coriander, roughly chopped (optional)
sea salt and black pepper
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tbsp. sunflower oil
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 tsp each ground coriander and cumin
zest and juice 1 lemon
400g can chickpeas, drained
200ml chicken stock
250g bag spinach
Serves 4
Ingredients
10 eggs
handful parsley leaves, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
3 tomatoes, chopped into large chunks
large handful pitted black olives
100g feta cheese, crumbled
Method
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the onion gently for 5 minutes. Turn up the heat and add the chicken, frying for about 3 minutes until golden.
- Stir in the spices and lemon zest, fry for 1 more min, then tip in the chickpeas and stock. Put the lid on and simmer for 5 minutes, season to taste, then tip in spinach and re-cover. Leave to wilt for 2 minutes, then stir through. Squeeze over lemon juice just before serving.
Method
- Heat a little olive oil over a medium heat in a large pan, add the onion and red pepper and cook gently until softened - about 5 minutes.
- Add the curry powder, turmeric, chilli and rice and stir for a few minutes to toast the spices slightly. Add enough water to cover the rice, season with salt and pepper and simmer, covered, over a medium heat for around 20 minutes, or until the rice has softened. You may need to top up the water now and then during the cooking time.
- Meanwhile, cover the egg with water in a small pan, bring to the boil and boil for 7 minutes. Drain under cold water and leave to cool before peeling and cutting into quarters lengthways.
- Just before the rice is cooked, stir the baby spinach through it and cook for a couple of minutes to wilt the spinach, stir through the flaked mackerel and yoghurt. Serve with the egg wedges on top.
Method:
- Soak oats in almond milk and lemon juice overnight
- Transfer to a pan and bring to the boil. Turn down heat to simmer for 7 minutes.
- Add rice malt syrup, cinnamon and blueberries, simmer for 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl, swirl yoghurt through and top with nuts and coconut flakes.
Tomato and lentil soup
This is a wonderfully flavoursome soup: ripe, fresh and deep. Again, sourced from the Medicinal chef, Dale Pinnock.
Method:
- Arrange the spinach, beans, tomato wedges, boiled egg wedges, and olives on a plate. Place the anchovies over the top in a circular pattern.
- Heat a ridged grill pan or frying pan with a little olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the tuna steak and cook for about 3 minutes on each side so that it's still slightly pink in the middle. Don't move it around while cooking, apart from turning over once. Remove from the heat.
- Combine the dressing ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Slice the tuna into 5mm thick slices, and arrange the slices on top of the salad. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.
Kick-starter kedgeree.
Taken from the Medicinal chef (Dale Pinnock) this is a filling dish packed with nutrients, guaranteed to keep you going for hours! Best for a weekend breakfast as it takes a while - but so worth it.
Tuna Nicoise salad
Serves 1
Ingredients
Handful baby spinach or mixed salad leaves
5-6 raw green beans, thinly sliced lengthways
2 Large tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 hard-boiled egg, cut into quarters.
6-7 black olives, pitted
5 canned anchovies, drained
olive oil, for cooking
1 fresh tuna steak, about 150g
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
sea salt and black pepper
Dinners
Greek salad omelette.
Low carb, super quick healthy weekday supper.
Breakfast.
Serves 1
Ingredients
Olive oil
1/2 small red onion (finely chopped)
1/2 red pepper (diced)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 red chilli, shredded
75g brown basmati rice
1 large free range egg
handful baby spinach
1 smoked mackerel fillet, broken into pieces
1 tablespoon live probiotic yoghurt
Sea salt and black pepper
Lemon-spiced chicken with chickpeas.
My perfect porridge!
Soaking the oats helps to break down the phytates so your body can access the nutrients better.
Serves 1.
Ingredients:
30g Rolled Oats
250ml Almond milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
40g Blueberries
1 tsp rice malt syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Toasted coconut flakes and chopped mixed nuts
1 tbsp. yoghurt (natural or coconut)
Method
- Heat the grill to high. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl with the chopped parsley, pepper and salt. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, then fry the onion wedges over a high heat for about 4 minutes until they start to brown around the edges. Add the tomatoes and olives and cook for 1-2 minutes until the tomatoes begin to soften.
- Turn the heat down to medium and pour in the eggs. Cook the eggs in the pan, stirring them as they begin to set, until half cooked, but still runny in places - about 2 minutes. Scatter over the crumbled feta, then place the pan under the grill for 5-6 minutes until the omelette is puffed up and golden. Cut the omelette into wedges and serve straight from the pan with a salad, if you like.