This cookbook is all about well-balanced, fabulous-tasting recipes that will make you feel full of vitality and not full of guilt. Whatever the time of day, or day of the week, there are recipes and ideas that will satisfy your mood for food that is good for you.
It’s very apparent that we are now far more conscious of what food we eat and our wellbeing than ever before. Demand for the more healthy things in life has grown massively – just check out your local supermarket or grocery stores and see the vast range of healthy ingredients from all over the world. Who knew what quinoa or flaxseed was a few years ago, except maybe that quirky art teacher who taught you at college?!
It’s important to say that this cookbook isn’t a diet book. There’s no calorie counting, eliminating, restricting, portion controlling, fasting, detoxing – there are no rules and don’t worry about this book being just a fad and ending up on a shelf in a second-hand bookshop. It’ll be a book that takes pride of place in your kitchen and something you turn to for your everyday cooking and entertaining. It makes use of the wonderful ingredients you can buy and really will make a difference to how you feel about yourself.
I have put together all of the recipes so that they taste as delicious as you’d expect from a cookbook. I’ve then really thought about the ingredients and replaced some with more healthy alternatives – for example, how do Beef and Quinoa Meatballs sound? By reducing the meat, I’ve reduced the saturated fat content and really increased the overall nutrient content of the dish with the addition of quinoa.
Here’s another – Kale Pesto Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto. Using kale as an alternative to basil provides a powerful boost of vitamins and antioxidants and tastes just as, if not more, delicious than regular pesto and makes you feel superhuman!
When it comes to sweet things, there is still no missing out. Try the Pear, Pecan and Spelt Cookies that don’t actually contain any sugar, but still taste out of this world.
I have also added wonderfully healthy ingredients, such as chia seeds, into the recipes. Chia seeds contain everything, including vitamins A, C and D, magnesium and zinc, and are the highest known whole-food source of omega-3 fatty acids ever. Plus, they’re readily available from everyday shops. I love them in my Chia Seed Flapjack recipe and as a crunchy topping for Seeded Baked Salmon with Crushed Minty Peas, making the fish double healthy.
When it comes to the actual cooking, I’ve also tried to be clever there, too. The recipes suggest poaching, grilling and steaming to name a few. If there is a way to make it slightly healthier without compromising on taste I’ve done it.
As you go through the book you’ll see that I’ve divided it into the chapters Breakfast & Brunch, Light Meals, Main Meals and Something Sweet.
How do Buckwheat and Coconut Crêpes with Baked Figs sound? Buckwheat is high in fibre, gluten-free and contains calcium, protein, iron and B vitamins. Definitely worth getting out of bed for and will have you skipping out of the front door to tackle the day. Or, my husband’s favourite breakfast EVER! Poached Eggs, Tahini and Pan-fried Avocado. It’s a great hangover brunch – probably due to the protein-rich tahini and eggs. You’ll also find some great drinks, amazing alternatives to high-sugar boxes of bought cereals and some sugar-free muffins.
These ideas are perfect for lunches or first courses if you are entertaining. The Baked Root Vegetable Falafel with Green Yogurt always go down a storm when I serve them at dinner parties – in fact, I always make twice the amount so I’ve plenty for lunch the next day. I love the Fried Sesame Tofu with Soba Noodle Salad for a Saturday lunch. The tofu acts as a sponge and soaks up all sorts of lovely flavours and it’s super-good for you. There are soups both light and hearty, salads for warm weather and comforting dishes for times when you need... comforting.
The main meals are for the evenings, dinner parties and those lovely long weekend lunches when all your friends or family come round for a catch-up while the kids trash the place. You’ll find Chicken and Date Tagine with Cauliflower ‘Couscous’ and Spelt and Hemp Pizzas. There are dishes that can be prepped ahead and recipes that you can throw together in no time at all, just in case you have guests drop by as a surprise.
No book of mine will ever be without desserts – so writing this chapter has been a challenge to say the least. I swapped sugar for natural sources of sweetness such as agave syrup, pure maple syrup, honey and dried fruits. I’ve used different flours, kept fat contents low, added courgette to a cake to give you one of your five a day and even added a couple of chocolate recipes to satisfy the chocoholics out there.
So, in a healthy Brazil nut shell, the recipes are well-balanced, nutritious, delicious, easy to shop for and cook and will help you feel less guilty next time you see a runner and feel bad you have not done any exercise for a week or so, or given in to that bag of crisps that’s been calling you from inside the pantry. I’m 100 per cent positive you’ll find something to satisfy all those times when you’re in the mood for being healthy.
Enjoy.
