Category Archives: healthy eating

Asparagus, Asparagus, Asparagus

Posted in eggs, food, food is medicine, functional food, gluten free, healthy eating, mains, meat free, pescatarian, starter, Uncategorized by

Such a delicious addition / focus of many a dish. I find the quickest and easiest way to cook it is to pan fry it – in coconut oil. Stir occasionally to ensure coated in the oil. It takes 5 – 10 mins on a high heat. 20160326_140310

Here are several different ways we eat it:

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With butter sautéed button mushrooms – sprinkled with parmesan – starter or main.

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Served with quail eggs and sprinkled with parmesan – a delicious combination of flavours. Perfect as a starter – 3 eggs and 5 stems or main dish.

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Served with quail eggs, roasted salmon, tomatoes and a Greek yoghurt and chilli flake dip.

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Cold in a salad – here with sprouted brown chick peas, tomatoes and mozzarella on a bed of watercress.

…and probably my favourite…

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Served on gluten-free muffins with poached free range eggs and serves with a generous dollop of hollandaise sauce.

Quinoa tabbouleh topped with free range eggs

Posted in eggs, food, food is medicine, functional food, gluten free, healthy eating, meat free, superfood, Uncategorized, vegetables, vegetarian by

A simple one pan dish

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Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa well rinsed, cooked and drained

1 red onion – chopped

2 peppers – roughly chopped

Handful of kale

Tamari (soy sauce if not needing gf)

1 – 2 tsp Garam masala

Coconut oil

2 free range eggs per person

Method

In a large frying pan, saute the onions and peppers in coconut oil. Add Garam Masala and the kale. Cook until the veg is the desired crunch. Add the cooked quinoa and generous splash of Tamari. Once heated through, crack the eggs in to small wells and cook until desired consistency.

 

 

Cheese stuffed baked smoked cod

Posted in eggs, Fish, food, fructose free, functional food, gluten free, healthy eating, healthy fats, meat free, pescatarian, Uncategorized by

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This is so simple to make and absolutely delicious.

Pre heat oven to Gas mark 5 / 190 c

Ingredients:

1 fillet of smoked cod per person

Gruyère cheese

Fresh dill

Method:

Simply mix some chopped dill with the Gruyère cheese. Spread a layer on to the underside of the cod fillet and roll up. Secure with a stick.

Wrap loosely in tin foil and place on a baking tray. Cook in the centre of the oven for 10 – 15 minutes.

I served this with in season new potatoes, quail eggs from my lovely ladies and pan-fried asparagus topped with parmesan.

 

Turmeric milk

Posted in drink, food is medicine, fructose free, functional food, ginger, gluten free, healthy eating, healthy fats, superfood, turmeric, Uncategorized by

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A delicious drink that is packed full of goodness and very simple to make.

Ingredients:

Mug of full fat milk

1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cinnamon / piece of cinnamon stick

1 tsp ground ginger / finely chopped cm piece of fresh ginger

Pinch of black pepper

Method:

Put all the ingredients in to a saucepan and heat gently bringing to the boil. Remove from  the heat and if you have used fresh ginger and cinnamon stick – strain the liquid.

Drink and enjoy – I often have this with a piece of 85% dark chocolate.

 

Pea and feta fritter

Posted in eggs, food, gluten free, healthy eating, meat free, Uncategorized, vegetables, vegetarian by

Ingredients:

Cup full of frozen peas – cooked and cooled

1 red chilli – deseeded and finely chopped

3 spring onions finely chopped

Juice of half a lemon

100 ml of milk

Gluten free plain flour

3 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

Seasoning – salt, pepper, 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Small block of feta cheese cut in to small chunks

Method:

Put milk, eggs and lemon juice into a jug and mix well. Add onions, chilli, peas and seasoning and baking soda. Add a tbsp at a time of flour and mix well. Continue to add flour until a thick batter consistency achieved.

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Heat and lightly oil (coconut oil or olive oil) a frying pan or griddle and spoon mixture on to the heated surface. Cook for a couple of minutes on each side until golden.

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Serve with home-made dip of cucumber chopped in to small cubes and mixed with Greek yoghurt.

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Salad – quail eggs, fresh figs, mozzarella and tomatoes

Posted in eggs, food, food is medicine, gluten free, healthy eating, meat free, salad, superfood, Uncategorized by

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There is something so delicious about fresh figs in a salad. Quail eggs are little powerhouse packets of goodness – I am so lucky to have my own hardworking ladies.

I served this salad on a gluten free wrap  and added shredded cabbage, onion and carrots- once rolled was difficult to eat but well worth the challenge!

Avocado salsa

Posted in food, gluten free, healthy eating, salad, side dish, superfood, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian by

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Ingredients:

1 avocado  – cut in to cubes

1 papaya peeled – deseeded and cut in to cubes

1 small red onion  – chopped in to small pieces

Handful of fresh coriander – roughly chopped

2 red chillies  – deseeded and cut in to small pieces

Juice of 1 lemon and lime

Method:

Put all ingredients in to a bowl and mix gently

 

I am in contol of my food…it no longer controls me

Posted in eating disorder, food is medicine, healthy eating, mental illness, Uncategorized by

For a long time I, like many others I have talked to, seem to have been in the pursuit of the perfect diet – the key few ‘must have’ ingredients or ‘must do’ approaches to eating. I have followed the latest hot topic dietary approaches and listened to all the ‘experts’ wanting to share their ‘dietary magic’. At times I have been lulled in to the promises of quick fix approaches – which have ‘worked’- but of course any weight loss has slowly returned or different diet approaches have not be sustainable. If I have followed a restrictive diet my emotional reaction has always ended in rebellion.

I have realised over the last year that for me to be successful in maintaining my diet -not on a diet – I must firstly identify my own individual appetite drivers and my food choices. Once I understood my triggers to eat, triggers not to eat I then became able to manage my weight. Fructose was a trigger for me – so I removed it. Snacking and being unaware was another trigger.

I now have a sustainable positive mindset about choosing the foods I eat and the amounts of food my body wants. I actively listen out for the feelings of satiety and most importantly and totally amazingly for someone for whom bulimia has been a constant companion for so, so many years I am eating guilt free. It has been such a liberating experience – I am now free from my bingeing habits and the suffocating feeling that food is controlling me.

Sprouting

Posted in food is medicine, fructose free, gluten free, healthy eating, meat free, salad, superfood, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian by

In the 70’s and 80’s it was trendy to have various pulses sprouting in jars around the house. I remember having jars of alfalfa and mung beans everywhere…along with the obligatory mustard and cress on cotton wool – slightly yellowing and curled at the edges. I did this because ‘everyone else’ did. I did enjoy them but the ‘fad’ soon ended.

Now, all these years on, once again I have jars with sprouting pulses in cupboards and in dark corners.  This time however, I do it not only because I enjoy eating them but also because I know the health benefits that eating them brings.

I know that soaking and sprouting de-activates the acids and enzyme inhibitors present in the pulses preventing them from growing until the conditions are favourable. This de-activation then enables our bodies to digest and absorb the vitamins and minerals more readily.

Now I sprout a wide variety of legumes – lentils, chickpeas, quinoa and (of course my old favourite) mung beans,  to name few.

                                  Green lentil                    Quinoa                              Mung bean

I’m yet to try chia seeds – I’m sure they will but am just not sure how to as when they are soaked they get a mucilaginous coating. Any advice?