Chia seeds may be tiny, but they are packed with vital nutrients so if, like me, you hadn’t tried them previously, it’s well worth starting to include them in your diet. They come from the Salvia hispanicaplant, which is native to Central and South America and a member of the mint family. It’s said that they were used in the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations as a source of energy (the word ‘chia’ means ‘strength’ in the Mayan language).

The seeds are rich in fibre, omega-3 fatty acids and are a good source of plant protein. They taste a bit neutral, compared with other seeds, but they do have the interesting property of rapidly absorbing liquid to form a gel. This is the basis of ‘chia pudding’ (see recipe below) and also means you can use chia seeds as an egg substitute or thickening agent if you’re vegan.

There’s some (albeit rather limited) evidence that chia seeds might help you lose weight and, maybe, help prevent diabetes and heart disease. As ever, don’t rely on getting direct health benefits from chia seeds, but perhaps try including them in the ‘healthy balanced diet’ we always advocate to add variety and interest.

 

Autumn smoothie

I’ve been collecting blackberries from my local nature reserve and used them with chia seeds to create this beautiful pink-purple smoothie, with my usual cacao and matcha boosts.

Serves one

Around 300g blackberries

One tsp chia seeds, soaked for five mins in 3 tsp water

Almond milk, as required to make a thick, or thinner, drink

One tsp matcha

One tsp cacao powder

Blend all ingredients in a Nutribullet, or similar and drink immediately.

 

Carrot and chia salad

I’ve added chia seeds to my usual mix of sunflower, pumpkin and linseeds that I use for adding to salads.

Serves two

Four carrots, sliced into ribbons with a mandolin or spiralizer

Ten radishes, sliced

100g cherry tomatoes, halved

One tbsp. mixed pumpkin, sunflower, linseed and chia seeds

100g pomegranate seeds

Mix all the ingredients except the pomegranate seeds. Dress the salad with linseed oil, cider vinegar and lemon juice and top with the pomegranate seeds.

 

Chocolate ‘blancmange’

I saw the possibility of creating a very healthy chocolate pudding with chia seeds. No sugar, no dairy and with, hopefully, the texture of chocolate blancmange (anyone seem blancmange in recent years?) or mousse. There are many recipes online and lots of yummy pictures. I did some research and here’s my experiment. To be fair, the texture is a bit more tapioca (if you’re old enough to remember that pudding!) than blancmange/mousse, but I’m excited by my discovery of a cacao powder blended with cinnamon, which adds a luxurious depth of flavour to this dessert.

Serves four

400ml coconut milk (or almond/hazelnut/hemp milk, or a mixture)

60g chia seeds

2 tbsp cacao powder with cinnamon

1 tsp coconut palm sugar

Whisk all these ingredients together in a bowl and chill overnight. Serve topped with berries.

Next time: Experiments without potatoes

 

 

 

Without getting too heavily involved in the low carb, low sugar, low glycaemic index debate, I’d like to offer up just a few suggestions…My first thought was to look for lower carb versions of favourite pasta, rice and potato dishes. But I couldn’t face fish pie or shepherd’s pie with ‘alternative’ mash in this weather (I’ll be back with those in a couple of months) – so I’ve gone for a refreshing fruit smoothie instead. And when I say sugar, I generally mean a simple natural carbohydrate like fructose rather than added sugar, which is usually sucrose.

 

Refreshing raspberry smoothie

All fruit contains some sugar but the amount varies quite dramatically. Check these amounts in grams per serving:

• Lime – 1.1
• Raspberries – 5
• Kiwi – 6
• Orange – 12
• Banana – 17
• Mango – 46

I’d usually make up a smoothie with hemp/almond/coconut milk, but the presence of the lime will make it go lumpy, so I used cactus water, which is lower in sugar than coconut water. I’ve added the matcha and cacao, as I do to all my smoothies for an extra healthy boost. The result has a refreshing sharpness that I think you’ll love!

Serves one

Four limes, juiced

Large carton of raspberries

Four kiwi fruit, peeled and halved

Cactus water

One tsp matcha powder

One tsp cacao power

Add all ingredients to your blender/Nutribullet, using the cactus water to make up the volume. Blend and drink immediately.

 

Protein pasta

You can find pasta made with a wide variety of grains, with lentil and spelt pasta being the most readily available. The one with the highest protein/carb ratio I discovered was edamame fettucine.

For comparison, per 100g.

Wholewheat fusilli 30.2g carb 5.2g protein

Edamame fettucine 15g carb 44g protein

I made up my favourite sauce to serve with the pasta…substitute your own.

Serves two

Large carton cherry tomatoes, halved

One large red chilli, finely chopped

Two cloves garlic, crushed

400g tin tomatoes

One tbsp. tomato puree

One tsp. mixed herbs

Fresh basil

Grated pecorino cheese

Fry the garlic and chilli till soft in olive oil then add the other ingredients and simmer until thick. Cook the pasta as per instructions on the packet, drain and serve with the sauce. Finish with torn basil and grated pecorino. Makes a good pasta salad when cold, or reheat.

 

Summer vegetable risotto

Use quinoa instead of rice, and twice as many green veg as in a traditional risotto recipe.

Serves 3–4

600g broad beans/peas/tenderstem broccoli/asparagus

250g quinoa

Bunch spring onions, chopped

Carton cherry tomatoes, chopped

Fresh herbs

Grated pecorino cheese

Cook the green veg and quinoa. Mix together and add the spring onion and tomatoes. Finish with chopped herbs and grated pecorino cheese.

Next month. Discovering chia seeds

 

 

An increasing amount of research is revealing the importance of a healthy gut microbiome in maintaining immunity, digestive and heart health, prevention of obesity and diabetes – and even in improving brain function. The microbiome is the community of bacteria, fungi and viruses living within the gut and it consists of more microbial cells than there are human cells in the rest of the body. You are, literally, more microbe than human, in material terms!

Improving the quality of the gut microbiome is basically a matter of tipping the balance between ‘good’ bacteria (mainly bifidobacteria and lactobacilli) and those which are less ‘friendly’. There are two ways of doing this: consume more prebioticsand/or more probiotics. Put simply, the fibre in prebiotics contains inulin, an oligosaccharide (complex carbohydrate) which feeds the healthy bacteria in the gut, promoting their growth, while probiotics (also known as fermented foods) actually contain good bacteria and deliver them straight to the gut.

So, this month I’ve come up with three recipes that combine prebiotics/probiotics with some seasonal foods.

 

Asparagus green smoothie

Asparagus, onions, garlic and artichokes are all rich in inulin, but asparagus is the only realistic candidate for a green juice. So, if you’re planning a classic summer lunch of asparagus, new potatoes and salmon, grab an extra bunch and try this healthy smoothie.

Serves one

One bunch of asparagus, chopped

Handful of spinach leaves

One kiwi, chopped

One apple, chopped

One tsp matcha powder

One tsp cacao powder

Hemp/almond milk or a mixture

Place all solid ingredients in a blender/Nutribullet and top up with the milk. Liquidise and drink immediately.

 

 

Sauerkraut coleslaw

Sauerkraut is cabbage fermented with salt for three weeks or more. It actually contains more lactobacilli per serving than yoghurt. The bacteria occur naturally in the cabbage and, during the fermentation, they convert sugars in the cabbage into lactic acid, which gives sauerkraut its characteristic acidic taste.

As interest in the microbiome grows, fermented foods like sauerkrant are increasing in popularity. I bought the only version on offer in the supermarket for my recipe, but there are many novel versions to explore in health food shops (might also be worth looking in your local Polish shop if you have one). I’m also going to try kimchi – Korean sauerkraut – which is fermented cabbage and radish with chilli and other additions.

To be honest, I didn’t really fancy sauerkraut on its own (and certainly didn’t fancy making it from scratch, although it’s said to be easy!). So, I put together a coleslaw, where sauerkraut replaces the fresh cabbage. And if you’re in a hurry, try mixing sauerkraut with prepared coleslaw in equal quantities.

Serves two

Three tbsp. sauerkraut

Three grated carrots

One bunch spring onions, chopped

Handful of mixed seeds

Dressing:

One small tub yoghurt (an extra dose of Lactobacilli – I actually used a tub of tzakziki left over from a barbeque)

One tbsp. flax seed oil

One tbsp. mustard.

Combine all the coleslaw ingredients, then whisk up the dressing and toss it all together.

To make this seasonal, serve with boiled new potatoes. To make it a bit (vegetarian) Germanic, serve with Quorn smoked ham or sausages. And to make two meals, double the coleslaw, dressing and potatoes and make up a potato salad to serve the following day with the coleslaw and more ham/sausages.

 

Summer fruits cheesecake

Kefir is another fermented food – similar to yoghurt but made in a different way. Quark is type of soft cheese which is higher in protein and lower in fat than regular cream cheese and now there is a quark made with kefir, that seemed like a good basis for a cheesecake topped with berries. Here I mixed the kefir quark with regular quark. I’ve also experimented with feta cheese, instead of the usual cream cheese, to add a slightly savoury note and drastically cut the amount of sugar in this adapted recipe (there should be enough sweetness in the biscuit base and fruit topping). This went down very well with someone who doesn’t usually like dessert!

Serves four

40g biscuits (amount might vary depending on the size of the dish used choose anything you fancy – ginger goes well with the lemon, but you could use choc chip, plain digestive)

25g butter (again, adjust depending on the size of the dish)

100g feta cheese, finely crumbled

250g quark (one 150g tub kefir quark and 100g regular – increase quantities if needed, to create the layer in the dish)

One tbsp. caster or icing sugar

Zest of one lemon

Gelatine (vegetarian if you prefer)

Juice of two lemons

Fruit topping (raspberries, blueberries, sliced strawberries – alone or mixed – I used frozen berries to get blackcurrants and redcurrants which are hard to source fresh and added raspberries)

Crush the biscuits, melt the butter and mix. Spread mixture over the base of a pie dish and chill for several hours. Beat the cheese, quark and sugar together and fold in the lemon zest. Soften the gelatine as per the instructions on the packet and melt into the lemon juice over a low heat. Stir into the cheese mixture and spoon onto the base. Chill overnight, then add berry topping.

Next time: Experiments with low carb

If you love chocolate, it’s worthwhile starting to include cacao powder in your daily diet. Unlike chocolate, raw cacao is naturally fermented, unprocessed and free of sugar, milk and other additives. This concentrates the true chocolate and coffee flavour compounds, allowing for a deeper taste experience.

Cacao contains over 700 different phytochemicals. Some of these have powerful antioxidant properties; cacao compares favourably with dark chocolate, green tea and blueberries as a source of antioxidants. It is also rich in magnesium. Research suggests that cacao might help prevent blood clots, improve cognitive function and insulin resistance and lower blood pressure.

These recipes use an organic cacao powder that is pressed from raw cacao beans, and has no additives.

 

Cacao smoothie

A luxurious, tasty and nutritious drink

Serves one

One punnet of strawberries

250mul almond milk

One tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp cacao powder

Blend everything in a Nutribullet or similar device and drink immediately.

 

Vegetarian chilli

I replaced the mince with a packet of quinoa with seeds (many other varieties of packet quinoa available!)

Serves 2–3(reheats well and great for a summer party if you scale up)

Two cloves of garlic, chopped finely

Two chopped red chillis

One red onion, chopped

One yellow Romano pepper, chopped

One red Romano pepper, chopped

400g tin tomatoes

400g tin mixed beans

Two tbsp. tomato puree

250g pack quinoa, ready cooked

One tbsp. raw cacao powder

Fry the onion, peppers, garlic, chilli and cacao powder in olive oil till the vegetables are soft. Then add the tomatoes, beans, tomato puree and quinoa. Cook for 15–20 minutes.

Serve with grated cheese/sour cream/finely chopped chillis/sliced avocado. Drizzle with chilli oil if you like it hot.

 

 

 

Cacao peach melba

A healthy take on this classic dessert.

Serves two

250g of the thickest, most luxurious yoghurt you can find

Two tsp raw organic cacao powder

Two peaches, sliced

Handful of raspberries

Stir the cacao powder into the yoghurt and divide between two dessert glasses. Top with the sliced peaches and raspberries and refrigerate, preferably overnight.

 

Next month. Experiments with fermented foods

 

 

 

Turmeric, Curcuma longa, a spice related to ginger, is becoming increasingly popular –  with coffee shops offering turmeric latte and turmeric tea, while health foods stores are expanding their ranges of supplements and other turmeric-containing products.

In the world of medical research, a recent study showed that taking a highly bioavailable turmeric supplement improved memory and attention in a group of older adults. Brain scans done as part of the study suggested that the supplement helped prevent the accumulation of amyloid and tau protein deposits in the parts of the brain linked to mood and memory. The findings led the researchers to speculate that turmeric might prevent Alzheimer’s disease, as well as improving memory in older age.

Turmeric has been used for 4,000 years as a traditional remedy. Research has suggested anti-inflammatory properties can help fight osteoarthritis and prevent cancer – although many of these studies are confined to cells and animal models. It’s long been believed that the active ingredient is curcumin although there are many other compounds in turmeric which may be of equal, if not greater, therapeutic value. The problem is that curcumin is not very easily absorbed by the body so, if you are taking it as a supplement, look for one of the (usually more expensive) ‘bioactive’ brands.

This month, my experiments substitute fresh turmeric root for the usual turmeric powder. Be warned – it really does stain when you grate it. I turned up for a manicure last week, desperate to have the polish cover up my bright yellow nails!

 

Turmeric Rainbow Juice

I always use ginger in my juices. In this one I add turmeric, rather than substituting it for ginger. I’ve been reading some good things about the therapeutic effects of beetroot recently so I added this as well, along with the usual ‘something green’, carrot and orange.

Serves one

Three oranges, peeled and halved

One lemon

Three carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

One small beetroot, roughly chopped

Handful of kale (or spinach)

Two inches turmeric root, peeled

Two inches root ginger, peeled

 

Juice everything and drink immediately.

 

Turmeric lentil soup

I am Up North as I write this and there has been a heavy snowfall. I made this soup last week, but it would be the ideal warm comforter for today.

 

Makes around three servings

Two onions, chopped

Two inches turmeric root, peeled and grated

Two inches root ginger, peeled and treated

One tsp cinnamon

One tsp cumin

100g red lentils

100g yellow split peas

One 400g tin tomatoes

500ml stock

Fry the turmeric, ginger, onions and spices in coconut oil till soft. Add the lentils and split peas, stir till coated, then add tomatoes and cook gently till the pulses soften. Add the stock and spice up with black pepper and chilli flakes if it needs it. Cook until lentils are done and blend.

 

Weekend Curry

Experimenting with turmeric root was a good excuse to invent a new curry recipe. This is probably not very original, but it is quick, easy and delicious.

 

Two to three servings

One red chilli, chopped

Two crushed cloves of garlic

One inch section turmeric root, grated

One inch section of ginger root, grated

One 400g jar curry sauce or, if you’re trying to cut down on processed food, substitute a 400g tin chopped tomatoes

One 400g tin coconut milk

Packet of Quorn mince

200g fresh or frozen peas

200g sliced mushrooms

Two onions, chopped

One tbsp. tomato puree

Squeeze of lemon

 

Fry the onions, chilli, garlic, turmeric and ginger in coconut oil and add the mince. Cook for about 10 minutes, till mince is brown and then add the coconut milk and curry sauce/tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes, then throw in the peas and mushrooms. Finish with the tomato puree and lemon.

Next month – experiments with avocado

 

 

 

 

For 2018, I’m setting the alphabet theme aside and, instead, I’m going to experiment with some so-called superfoods, looking at how to include them in your diet. I’m not planning to take an in-depth look at the evidence base – just at how to add some fun, imagination and maybe even a bit of healthy input into everyday eating.

So, let’s kick off by experimenting with cider vinegar, which has long been recommended for treating osteoarthritis and high blood glucose. It’s also said to aid weight loss. In an experiment carried out by Michael Mosley for the BBC a couple of years ago, taking cider vinegar did lower blood glucose and cholesterol when taken before a meal (while malt vinegar did not), although there was no impact on participants’ weight.

Cider vinegar is made by fermenting chopped up apples to make acetic acid (also the main component of malt vinegar). Culinary cider vinegar is clear, as it has been filtered and pasteurised. Head for the health food shop and pick up a bottle of cider vinegar with ‘the mother’, which is the cloudy complex mixture of yeast, bacteria, enzymes and so on remaining when the product is neither filtered nor pasteurised. It’s the presence of ‘the mother’ which is said to account for cider vinegar’s therapeutic properties.

 

Cider vinegar cocktail

Though I’m not keen on the concept of ‘cleansing’ or ‘detoxing’, I quite like to set the tone for the day’s eating by sipping a concoction that is meant to do just that! I like hot water and lemon, but we’ve now switched to a cider vinegar cocktail, drunk sometime mid-morning. At the moment. the recipe is one tablespoon cider vinegar, a teaspoon of Manuka honey, and one vitamin C tablet, topped up with fizzy water. Sometimes I add the juice of half a lemon. Or you could keep it very simple and just have a tablespoon of cider vinegar with hot water.

 

Orange & Green Juice

Instead of (or as well as?) your daily cider vinegar cocktail, why not add cider vinegar to a healthy juice? This one combines ‘something green’ with ‘something sweet’.

Serves one

Two oranges

One large carrot

Bag of spinach

One inch peeled ginger root

Juice all these ingredients, and add one tbsp. cider vinegar. Drink immediately.

 

Leafy avocado salad

This is a nice mixture of colours and textures, with a good dose of healthy fats from the avocado and seeds.

Serves two

Bunch or bag of watercress

Other leaves – spinach, baby kale, pea shoots

One avocado, chopped

Two tbsp. pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Two tbsp. pomegranate seeds

 

Dressing

One tbsp. cider vinegar

One tbsp. extra virgin flax seed oil

Mix all salad ingredients and toss with the oil and vinegar.

 

Sweet and sour vegan stir fry

Although I’m not doing Veganuary (or, indeed, ‘dry’ January), I am interested in the vegan approach – so I’m going to experiment with some non-animal recipes.

Serves two

100g mushrooms, sliced

One leek, sliced finely

Small white or Savoy cabbage, sliced finely

Half a pineapple, sliced finely

Bunch of spring onions, sliced finely

One tbsp. cider vinegar

Two tbsp. pineapple juice, from the pineapple listed above

One tbsp. soy sauce or equivalent (eg mixed aminos)

One tbsp. tomato puree

Heat coconut oil in a frying pan or wok and add all veg and pineapple and fry for a few minutes. Then add the vinegar, juice, soy sauce and tomato puree and stir fry for another five minutes. Serve with brown rice or wholewheat noodles.

Next month – experimenting with turmeric

 

P is for Purple (and Blue)

Of all the superfood colours, purple is perhaps the best known. The deep colour of black grapes, purple cabbage, blackcurrant, blueberries, pomegranate and aubergine is attributable to a group of phytochemicals called anthocyanins. Many studies link a high intake of anthocyanins to improved cardiovascular health and prevention of cancer and dementia. You may remember a recent BBC documentary that looked at the contribution of large amounts of purple sweet potato to the longevity and low dementia rates among the people of Okinawa. If you’re interested, read more about the work of Professor Craig Wilcox and his brother Dr Bradley Wilcox here. I went looking for purple sweet potato and came back with purple carrots (see below)! Why not also try purple versions potato chips, tortilla chips, and ordinary potatoes, if you can find them?

 

Purple power juice

In this juice, the sweetness of the grapes is perfectly balanced by the astringency of the pomegranate and cranberries, while the lemon and ginger add a seasonal touch.

Serves one

200g black grapes

200ml pure pomegranate juice

100g fresh cranberries

One lemon, halved

One inch peeled ginger

Juice all ingredients and top up your glass with the pomegranate juice.

 

Braised red cabbage

We’re having our Christmas dinner on 31 December this year and we always use this recipe for the red cabbage to go alongside the nut roast.

 

Serves four (leftovers heat up well the following day)

One small red cabbage, finely shredded

One large (or two small) Bramley apples, chopped

Two red onions, chopped

Handful of dried cranberries

One tsp cinnamon

Fresh grated nutmeg

1tbsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp cider

Preheat oven to 150℃. Mix everything in a big casserole dish, put on the lid and cook slowly for two to two-and-a-half hours.

 

Purple carrot salad

I make up a snack mix that currently consists of cranberries, goji berries, almonds, soy-coated sunflower seeds (sometimes it also contains pumpkin seeds and/or wasabi peanuts). The idea is to get a nutritious sweet/savory mixture with lots of crunchy texture. It works well in a salad with any ingredients and here I try it out with purple carrots.

Serves one

Two purple carrots, grated

Cranberry, nut and seed mix

Mix the carrots and snack mix and dress with flaxseed oil and cider vinegar. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and some fresh chopped herbs.

 

I will be giving the ‘alphabet’ a rest in 2018 and carrying out some experiments on ingredients with a ‘healthy’ reputation. Experiment 1 will be on cider vinegar. Watch this space!

P is for Purple (and Blue)

Of all the superfood colours, purple is perhaps the best known. The deep colour of black grapes, purple cabbage, blackcurrant, blueberries, pomegranate and aubergine is attributable to a group of phytochemicals called anthocyanins. Many studies link a high intake of anthocyanins to improved cardiovascular health and prevention of cancer and dementia. You may remember a recent BBC documentary that looked at the contribution of large amounts of purple sweet potato to the longevity and low dementia rates among the people of Okinawa. If you’re interested, read more about the work of Professor Craig Wilcox and his brother Dr Bradley Wilcox here. I went looking for purple sweet potato and came back with purple carrots (see below)! Why not also try purple versions potato chips, tortilla chips, and ordinary potatoes, if you can find them?

 

 

Purple power juice

In this juice, the sweetness of the grapes is perfectly balanced by the astringency of the pomegranate and cranberries, while the lemon and ginger add a seasonal touch.

Serves one

200g black grapes

200ml pure pomegranate juice

100g fresh cranberries

One lemon, halved

One inch peeled ginger

Juice all ingredients and top up your glass with the pomegranate juice.

 

Braised red cabbage

We’re having our Christmas dinner on 31 December this year and we always use this recipe for the red cabbage to go alongside the nut roast.

 

 

Serves four (leftovers heat up well the following day)

One small red cabbage, finely shredded

One large (or two small) Bramley apples, chopped

Two red onions, chopped

Handful of dried cranberries

One tsp cinnamon

Fresh grated nutmeg

1tbsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp cider

Preheat oven to 150℃. Mix everything in a big casserole dish, put on the lid and cook slowly for two to two-and-a-half hours.

 

Purple carrot salad

I make up a snack mix that currently consists of cranberries, goji berries, almonds, soy-coated sunflower seeds (sometimes it also contains pumpkin seeds and/or wasabi peanuts). The idea is to get a nutritious sweet/savory mixture with lots of crunchy texture. It works well in a salad with any ingredients and here I try it out with purple carrots.

Serves one

Two purple carrots, grated

Cranberry, nut and seed mix

Mix the carrots and snack mix and dress with flaxseed oil and cider vinegar. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and some fresh chopped herbs.

 

I will be giving the ‘alphabet’ a rest in 2018 and carrying out some experiments on ingredients with a ‘healthy’ reputation. Experiment 1 will be on cider vinegar. Watch this space!

 

With Christmas approaching, now is the time to think about including some extra healthy recipes in your holiday meal planning. Red is the colour this month and my juice, pasta sauce and deli salad are all rich in the red pigment lycopene.

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant which prevents DNA damage. Studies suggest that a lycopene-rich diet could protect against cancer, heart disease and age-related macular degeneration. Tomatoes are the main source of lycopene for most people, but guavas and watermelon actually contain higher levels. Other good sources of lycopene are papaya, red and pink grapefruit and red peppers. Lycopene is better absorbed by the body from cooked fruit and vegetables, particularly in the presence of oil, which is why I have included a red sauce involving long slow cooking with plenty of olive oil!

These red recipes are somewhat connected – add the juice from the sauce tomatoes to the juice recipe, and stir leftover red deli salad into the pasta sauce.

 

Sweet red juice

Serves one

400g watermelon

4 carrots, roughly chopped

Juice from tinned tomatoes

One inch peeled ginger

Juice all ingredients and drink immediately. More fresh (vegetable-based) juice during the party season is a good way to offset the impact of any over-indulgence.

 

Red pasta sauce

Serves 1-2

400g tin plum tomatoes, drained

Three cloves of garlic

One whole red chilli (optional)

Two romano peppers, chopped

One tsp sumac

One tsp mixed herbs

Cook the garlic and chilli till the garlic is browned in good-quality olive oil. Add tomatoes, peppers, herbs and spice and simmer, very slowly, for up to two hours till you have a very thick sauce. If it shows signs of drying up, then add more olive oil. By the way, I picked up the tip about using a whole chilli from The Guardian cookery section – it infuses the sauce with heat and, if feeling brave, you can eat it with the sauce, otherwise discard. This saves chopping the chilli (and, for me, a painful experience when next putting in my contact lenses!).

Serve with pasta and something green (maybe a handful of spinach thrown in towards the end of the cooking). If you make double quantities, eating it cold, or re-heated, will increase the soluble fibre content of the pasta and help stabilise blood glucose levels.

 

Red deli salad

Serves 1-2

One tub of sun-dried tomatoes

One tub of grilled red peppers

One tub of your favourite olives

Pack of good quality tomatoes, halved/chopped

Mix all ingredients and serve with a splash of cold-pressed flaxseed or olive oil. This salad works very well with cooked salmon or smoked mackerel for a simple healthy meal or as part of a festive buffet.