Lentil and bacon soup This old classic is perfect for keeping the blood sugar nice and even, not to mention the most important thing: it is a heavenly flavour combination.

 

SERVES 2

1 large red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

200g smoked bacon lardons

¼ tsp turmeric

½ tsp ground coriander

250g red lentils

500ml vegetable stock

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cherry tomatoes, chopped (optional)

4 sprigs of coriander, chopped (optional)

Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil, until the onion starts to soften.

Add the bacon lardons and continue to sauté until they have cooked (about three or four minutes). Add the spices and mix well.

Stir in the lentils and one-third of the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer until the stock reduces and the soup thickens, stirring frequently to avoid sticking. Add more stock little and often at this point, until the finished soup resembles a thin porridge. Season to taste and serve, with the chopped tomatoes and coriander, if you like.

Quick chicken, rocket and tahini wraps This is a great option both for a quick lunch at home and as a portable meal to take to work or on a picnic. You can buy cooked chicken from the supermarket, for ultra-convenience, though this is also a great way for using up leftover roast chicken.

SERVES 1

65g cooked chicken breast, sliced

1 wholemeal wrap

handful of rocket leaves

1 tbsp tahini

juice of ½ lemon (optional)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the chicken on top of the wrap, in a line across the centre. Top with the rocket, then drizzle on the tahini.

Squeeze the lemon juice over and add a little salt and pepper, before wrapping.

Salad Niçoise with chicken This classic salad needs little introduction. I just leave out the boiled potatoes to make it blood sugar-friendly and add chicken. This a great salad that is nutrient-dense but ideal for those days when you want something lighter, though its high protein content will still keep you full for ages!

SERVES 1

For the salad

1 chicken breast

1 egg

2 large handfuls of mixed salad leaves

5–6 anchovy fillets (think of all that omega 3)

1 tbsp black olives

 

For the dressing

1½ tbsp olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp dried mixed herbs, ideally herbes de Provençe

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Bake the chicken breast for 15–20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then slice.

Meanwhile, boil the egg for about eight minutes, then drain, peel and slice.

Combine the salad leaves, anchovies, boiled egg and olives and mix well.

Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk to emulsify. Use it to dress the salad and toss well.

Place the sliced chicken breast on top.

Broad bean, mint and feta salad I love this combination of flavours. Beautifully complementary and a low-GI treat.

 

SERVES 1

400g broad beans

7–8 mint leaves

1 tbsp pitted black olives, chopped

juice of ½ lemon

handful of rocket leaves (optional)

70g feta cheese

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Egg and watercress rye open sandwich Quick, tasty, and nutrient-dense.

SERVES 1

2 hard-boiled eggs

1 tbsp mayonnaise

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 slice of pumpernickel bread

handful of watercress

Mash the hard-boiled eggs with the mayonnaise and a little salt and pepper.

Spread the egg mixture on the pumpernickel bread, then top with the watercress.

Mackerel mayo avocado boats This is an upmarket, nutritionally boosted version of those old-school prawn cocktails that would often come served in half an avocado. Good fats ahoy on this one! Use ready-cooked mackerel fillets from the supermarket.

SERVES 1

2 cooked mackerel fillets

1 tbsp mayonnaise

juice of ½ lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 very ripe avocado

Remove the skin from the mackerel fillets and break the fillets into a bowl in small pieces. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper and mix well.

Halve the avocado and remove the stone.

Place the mackerel mixture into the indentations in the avocado and out over the flesh. Serve with a good side salad.

Feta, tomato and black olive stuffed peppers These have a beautiful Mediterranean vibe going on. In the summer they are great with a side salad, while in the winter they go perfectly with a bit of sweet potato mash (see page 114) and some cooked greens.

 

SERVES 1

1 large red pepper, halved and deseeded

½ red onion, finely chopped

½ tbsp olive oil

5 cherry tomatoes, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

10 pitted kalamata olives, chopped (other black olives will be fine)

200g feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Place the pepper halves cut side down on a baking tray. Add a small amount of water to the tray and place at the top of the hot oven for 10–12 minutes, until the pepper is starting to soften and the skin is beginning to wrinkle.

Meanwhile, in a pan, sauté the red onion in the oil until it has softened. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper and continue cooking until a thick tomato sauce has formed. Add the olives and stir well.

Remove the peppers from the oven, discarding excess water if there is any left in the baking tray. Turn the peppers over so they can be filled. Stuff with the tomato mixture and crumble over the feta cheese. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Serve with a good side salad, or cooked vegetables of your choice.

Minted beetroot houmous and goat’s cheese salad bowl This slightly bonkers creation was another of those happy accidents that arose from needing to use up some leftovers. What came out was a splendidly flavoursome and filling dish. Very nutrient-dense, this will keep you going for ages.

SERVES 1

2 cooked beetroot

200g canned chickpeas, drained

4–5 mint leaves, chopped

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

½ tbsp olive oil

sea salt

60g goat’s cheese

2 handfuls of mixed salad leaves

Place the beetroot, chickpeas, mint, garlic, olive oil and a pinch of sea salt in a blender or food processor and process into a thick houmous.

Place a generous dollop of this houmous into the centre of a large salad bowl.

Crumble the goat’s cheese on top and then surround with the salad leaves.

Stir-fried prawns and courgette ribbons with cashew nuts and goji berries This is a speedy but very tasty lunch. Hot lunches can be a bit of a rigmarole. Not this one!

SERVES 1

1 large courgette

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

½ small red chilli, finely chopped

2 spring onions, sliced lengthways

1 tbsp olive oil

sea salt

100g raw king prawns, shelled and deveined if necessary

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

10 cashew nuts

1 tbsp goji berries

Trim off both ends of the courgette and then, using a vegetable peeler, cut the courgette into long ribbons.

Stir-fry the courgette ribbons, garlic, chilli and spring onions in the olive oil with a pinch of sea salt for around two minutes.

Add the king prawns and carry on stir-frying until the prawns have cooked. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and combine well.

Sprinkle over the cashew nuts and goji berries to serve.

Curried tuna salad with citrus omega dressing This is such a wonderful salad. Everyone thinks of salad as a summer staple only, but the nutrients you get from raw vegetables and fruits are vital to support your health through the winter, too. So don’t be afraid of going for a salad at any time of the year. This one always works a treat.

 

SERVES 1

For the salad

120g can of tuna, drained

1 tbsp mayonnaise

½ tsp mild curry powder

1 spring onion, finely chopped

handful of mixed baby leaf salad

½ red pepper, finely chopped

 

For the dressing

juice of ½ lime

small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

1 tbsp flax seed oil

1 tsp agave nectar

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spinach baked eggs This lunch is insanely easy and seriously tasty and satisfying. It’s perfect for a lazy day at the weekend.

SERVES 1

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

sea salt

200g baby spinach (this sounds a lot but it wilts to nothing)

2 large eggs

60g feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Sauté the garlic in the olive oil with a pinch of salt for one or two minutes, to the point it is starting to get fragrant.

Add the baby spinach, one handful at a time, stirring well. You will find it wilts down very quickly. As it does so, add the next handful and so on, until it is all cooked.

Transfer the spinach to a small individual sized ovenproof dish. Make two wells in the spinach, and crack an egg into each well.

Place the dish in the oven and bake for about eight minutes. You will find the eggs almost cooked, with some of the whites still not quite there. At this stage, crumble over the feta cheese, then return to the oven for a final four or five minutes, for the egg whites to cook fully.