More Questions than Answers?

It appears a lot of the nation were glued to the BBC's Angela Rippon, telling us 'How to Stay Young' - a two part series that delved into physical and mental health as we age.
There were lots of scientific bits, with research that backed up their theories, then lots that had absolutely no scientific evidence to support it at all (such as sitting down on the floor and standing up again with your legs crossed, not using any other part of the body, as a sign that you are likely to live longer), very disappointing.  A yoga instructor called into Radio 4 the following morning when this very item was being discussed, and pointed out that to attempt this was likely to cause injury - ankles and knees not being in line apparently.
Then there were the pieces that related to food - Angela was shocked to find she has visceral fat around her organs, but she was going to get rid of it by taking inulin every day (not a pile of old lentils, but just a teaspoon of powder) - no explanation as to what it is, what is does or how you may be able to get it from other foods?
Inulin is a dietary fiber, a naturally occurring oligosaccharide (several simple sugars linked together) belonging to a group of carbohydrates called fructans. Unlike other carbohydrates, inulin is non-digestible, so it passes through the small intestine, and ferments in the large intestine.  Through this fermentation process it becomes healthy intestinal micro flora and acts as a prebiotic, feeding probiotics (friendly bacteria) in the gut.  In addition to promoting a healthy gastrointestinal tract, inulin may also help with constipation.
Chicory root is the best source of inulin, but there are lots of other foods containing inulin that are easier to include in our everyday diets - leeks, garlic, onions, asparagus, bananas, wheat, Jerusalem artichokes and dandelion root.

For the brain we were told that purple foods would be beneficial, having studied a group of centenarians in the Far East.  Again, there was no mention of other aspects of their lifestyle (they were shown playing croquet and whizzing around on a scooter), or other aspects of their diet.  I expect the supermarkets are now being inundated with requests for purple sweet potatoes!
Anthocyanins are members of the flavonoid family of phytochemicals, found in plant foods.  They provide the bright red-orange to blue-violet colours found in many fruits and vegetables - blackcurrants, blackberries, blueberries, red cabbage, elderberries, cherries, purple grapes, blood oranges and aubergines especially.
Plants produce anthocyanins as a protective mechanism against environmental stressors, such as ultraviolet light, cold temperatures, and drought. This production of anthocyanins in roots, stems, and especially leaf tissues is believed to provide resistance against these environmental hazards, making them a potent antioxidant.  Research has shown anthocyanins may have a beneficial effect against cardiovascular disease, cognitive function and cancer.
To increase your intake of both nutrients, try these delicious low sugar muffins - perfect for a breakfast or brunch snack.  They are also dairy-free.  If you can find purple sweet potatoes great, if not orange ones are also fine in this recipe.

Banana and Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12

1 banana, peeled and chopped
4 eggs
100g light muscovado sugar
150ml olive oil
200g wholemeal self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
175g carrots, peeled and grated
160g sweet potato, peeled and grated
150g blueberries

• Pre-heat the oven to 190°C / Gas mark 5.  Line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.
• Mash the banana in a large bowl then whisk in the eggs and sugar.
• Slowly whisk in the oil.
• Fold in the remaining ingredients (do not over-mix).
• Divide between the paper cases and bake for 30-35 minutes, until risen and golden.
• Cool on a rack and store in a air-tight container - these also freeze well.

A New Grain?

It's taken me a while to recover from my recent trip to Ethiopia, for so many reasons!
Firstly, it was pretty tough from the point of being at a higher altitude than normal (Gondar is at an altitude of 7,300 ft - and from there we climbed higher) then, having decided to climb to the fourth highest peak in Africa (Ras Dashen at 14,928 ft) we also camped along the way, so no home comforts (or anything close!).  But the most difficult thing for me was coming to terms with the poverty that we came across along the way - it was worse than anything I have experienced in any other place I've visited (and I've been to a lot of third world countries), but still the people are smiling - how do they do that?  For anybody that is not satisfied with their life back here in the UK, go and spend a few weeks in Ethiopia, and realise how lucky you are.
Apart from the poverty, the area I spent time in was stunningly beautiful - the Simien Mountains are a UNESCO World Heritage site and it's easy to see why - you can sit on the top of a mountain, surrounded by beautiful tame baboons, watch ibex grazing (the only place in the world where you will find this amazing animal) and listen to the black kites making their calls as they fly overhead.  All this, and just mountains as far as the eye can see.
As usual, for me it was also a chance to see what food the Ethiopians live on, and it turns out that they have a fantastic crop that they have been growing for years - a grain that is gluten-free and richer in nutrients than most other grains.  
Tef, which is available in the UK but at the moment doesn't seem to be that well known, is rich in protein, calcium and fibre, along with many other important minerals and vitamins.
In Ethiopia the main food tef flour is used for is injera, a kind of fermented flat bread that is used as the plate before eating it.  It was an interesting texture (a bit like the top of a crumpet), and the sourness quite odd, but when eaten with the lovely spicy lentil dishes and vegetables it did seem to work!
I didn't take much into the mountains with me, but still I had more clothes than most, so eventually I gave them all away.  Which meant I had plenty of room in my suitcase to bring back 8kg of tef flour!!  The market sellers were not happy at selling such a small amount (?) and amazingly I wasn't stopped at the airport for having 8kg of white powder in my case!
So now have enough tef flour to experiment with for the next few weeks - keep looking for the new recipes coming your way.  And obviously if you don't want to buy tef flour you can use other gluten-free flours in the recipes.

Tef Berry Pancakes

Serves 4

125g teff (I used red tef)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
1 egg
175ml dairy-free milk
25g unsalted butter, melted
50g blueberries
50g raspberries
1 tbsp olive oil
maple syrup to serve (optional)

• In a large bowl mix together the flour, cinnamon and baking powder.
• Whisk together the egg and milk and then whisk into the flour until smooth - the mixture should be the consistency of thick double cream - add a little more milk if needed.
• Stir in the butter and half the blueberries and raspberries.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then spoon tablespoons of the mixture into the pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden underneath then flip over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.  Repeat with the remaining batter.
• Serve with the remaining berries and a drizzle of maple syrup if wished.

Training for a pilgrimage

Well it's not long now before myself and six friends head off for St Jean Pied de Port to start the Camino de Santiago - a very long walk across the top of Spain.  We are only going to do a quarter of it - with the intention of returning each year for the next three years to complete the 791km pilgrimage!
Needless to say we've had a strict training programme in place (?!) - stomping over the Chilterns most weekends, trying to find the steepest hill we could, to acclimatise ourselves to the accrued ascent of 990 metres on day one!
And obviously to compensate (and reward) us for each training session, there has to be cake (to be honest, I'm not sure anybody would have turned up for the training had cake not been made available!).
On one of our walks we were lucky enough to find a church that not only provided tea and coffee, with a kettle and fridge with milk, there was also cake in the fridge - what a welcome treat that was.  If you are walking the Ridgeway, take time to wander off the trail to Nuffield church for a bit of sustenance.
One of the group can't tolerate dairy, so each week I had the fun task of coming up with a different delicious dairy-free cake - another challenge I really relish!  Baking without dairy is actually pretty straight forward, and most of you who follow me regularly will know that I am a great lover of coconut oil (and the brand I think is the best for flavour and quality is Coconoil), so this is used for fat instead of butter and works really well.
Up until now though I'd never attempted pastry, so gave myself a new challenge!  And I'm pleased to say the result is pretty tasty.

Fig Tarts

Makes approx 10-12

For the pastry –

60 g wholemeal plain flour

100 g plain flour

1 tbsp caster sugar

60 g Coconoil

6-7 tbsp iced water

For the filling –

225 g dried figs, chopped

2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar

pinch nutmeg

·        -To make the pastry, mix the flours and sugar in a bowl and then place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

·        -Melt the Coconoil in a microwave and leave to cool.

·        -Slowly spoon the coconoil into the flours, rubbing it into the flour as you would if you were using butter.  Return the bowl to the freezer for 15 minutes.

·        -Meanwhile, cook the figs in a pan over a medium heat with 300 ml water, until most of the water has been absorbed.  Stir in the sugar and nutmeg until the sugar has dissolved then remove from the heat.  Place in a food processor and blend until nearly smooth.  Leave to cool.

·        -Remove the pastry mix from the freezer and break up any large lumps with your fingers.

·        -Spoon in the water, using a knife to mix it in, then use your hands to finally bring the dough together.  Roll into a ball then wrap in cling film and leave to stand for 20 minutes to rest.

·        -Roll out on a floored work surface, then use a pastry cutter to cut 10-12 circles and place these in a cake tin.  Spoon the fig mixture into the pastry cases.

     Bake for 20-22 minutes at 180°C (450°F) Gas mark 4.

      Eat warm or cold with a dollop of creme fraiche (if you can tolerate dairy!).

       Happy Eating 

J     Joy xx

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Finally out of hibernation

It's that time of year when, after a few days of sunshine I finally feel like I can come out of hibernation.  No more layering on the clothes, staying indoors because it's dark at 4pm, or eating comfort foods due to being bored!  Yes, it even happens to me!
This is the time of year I love, it's time to get out and get living life to the full again.  And I do mean for you to get out - don't exercise in a gym when it's sunny outside - get out there and climb a hill or cycle to the shops - include it into your daily routine.  I feel hugely lucky that I live in the beautiful Chilterns so for me the perfect antidote to feeling sluggish is a brisk walk over the nearest hill - it's amazing how positive I feel when I return home.
For a lot of people it's also a time for spring cleaning, but as I've never been that keen on hoovering and dusting, I tend to do my spring cleaning on myself!  I will not mention the D word, or I will have you all rushing to make cauldrons of cabbage soup and the like, but spring cleaning your body is a great way to help you towards optimum health and vitality, and all it takes is changing your eating habits to only include fresh, clean foods.
Cutting out processed foods doesn't have to be difficult, and once you start experimenting and enjoying fresh food, you will never eat processed food out of choice again!
Next time you go food shopping fill your basket with fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits, nuts, seeds, eggs, fresh fish, lean meat, olive oil, quinoa, rice, lentils, coconut milk, spices, and anything else you love that is not processed, then go home and start to experiment (that's pretty much what all good cooks do to come up with recipes).  You will be amazed at what you can make - tabbouleh with grilled fish, Spanish tortilla, Thai curry, vegetable soups, fish pie, rice salad - the list is endless, and not a processed food in sight.  Here's what I came up with this weekend - a protein rich meal made with fresh ingredients, ready on the plate in 20 minutes!

Salmon Burgers with Griddled Asparagus

Serves 4

700 g salmon fillet
20 g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 sticks lemon grass, sliced
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
5 g fresh coriander
freshly milled black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
400 g asparagus
4 eggs
2 tbsp flaked almonds

- Place the salmon, ginger, lemon grass, sesame seeds, coriander and pepper into a food processor and blitz until well combined.
-Using wet hands, shape into 4 burgers then chill for 20 minutes.
-Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and 1 tbsp olive oil on a griddle.  Cook the salmon burgers for 6-8 minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through the middle.  Keep warm.
-Poach the eggs in a pan of simmering water, and cook the asparagus on the griddle for 2-3 minutes.
-Serve the salmon burger on a bed of asparagus, topped with the poached egg and sprinkled with flaked almonds.

Happy eating!

Joy x

Autumn Harvest

It's the time of year I love - free food all over the place!  You just need to know where to look.  And not only is it free, if you find it in the right place it's likely to be free of pesticides and organic too!
Last weekend was spent in lovely Wales, racing a yole double on the sea around the coast of Mumbles.  Whilst racing the wild seas I could see the coast path winding it's way through bracken and over cliffs, then dipping down into beautiful white sandy bays with beach huts and ice-cream stalls - I had to walk this path!
So Sunday was spent on foot, strolling 20 miles along one of the nicest walks I have done in a long time.  And there we came across absolutely millions of the best tasting blackberries ever (as well as sloes, but we ran out of space to carry those too!).
So for the past two days I have been making everything I can think of with blackberries - a good top up of vitamin C has been had I think!  And these wonderful Paleo Blackberry Pancakes were breakfast this morning.



Paleo Blackberry Pancakes

Serves 2

1 banana, peeled
85 g ground almonds
10 g desiccated coconut
5 g sesame seeds
2 eggs
1 tbsp non-dairy milk
100 g blackberries
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tbsp honey or agave syrup

-Mash the banana in a large bowl.
-Stir in the ground almonds, desiccated coconut and sesame seeds.
-Beat the eggs and milk into the mixture.
-Lightly stir in 75 g of the blackberries.
-Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and spoon in two tablespoons of the mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden underneath.
-Carefully flip the pancakes over and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side until golden.
-Keep these warm then repeat the cooking process with the remaining batter.
-Serve scattered with the remaining blackberries and a drizzle of honey or agave syrup.

It's not too late to pick your own blackberries, get out to the countryside and do some foraging soon!

Joy x

Life can be sweet.

 There is no getting away from the fact, no matter how hard I try to train myself otherwise, I love sweet things.  Despite having a hugely healthy diet, and being aware of how important it is for that diet to be balanced, rich in good protein and fat, I still need to know that after a savoury dish there is a dessert on its' way - I know this is all just psychological!
But that's the great thing about cooking, and loving to experiment with food and new ingredients - I get to make great desserts that are actually healthy, and can omit the ingredients that I prefer not to eat (wheat, dairy and too much sugar).  I am constantly suggesting people avoid wheat and dairy for various health issues (bloating, flatulence, indigestion, constipation - sound familiar?), and the reaction is always the same - how can I possibly live without so much?  Well you just need to change the way you think about foods and start playing.  So yes, you really can have this amazing gluten and dairy-free chocolate cake!
The other thing I like to do is to find a product that I really love and then figure out how to make it myself - this normally means it will be tastier (as I can include my favourite ingredients) and will most certainly be cheaper.
This recipe came about after I tried Chia Pods - perfect little pots of dessert that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, gluten and dairy free and contain only natural sugar.  My recipe is obviously even tastier!

Orange and Mango Chia Puds

Serves 2-3

1 orange
1 mango, peeled and destoned
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp goji berries
2-3 tbsp non-dairy milk

- Grate the rind of the orange and then peel the orange and place the flesh into a food processor with the flesh of the mango.
- Process for a few seconds to break everything down.
- Add the grated orange rind, chia seeds, goji berries and milk and process again for 20-30 seconds, scrapping down any mixture that has escaped up the side of the bowl.
- Leave to stand for 5 minutes - this will allow the chia seeds to do their work - they expand and soften and turn everything to jelly!
- Blitz again one more time for a few seconds and then pour into bowls and serve, or place in the fridge for later.

Happy Eating!

J xx

Back to Paleo

I am often asked about my own diet (people want to know I am human and eat foods I shouldn't to make them feel better!), and yes, I do eat chocolate every day (we all have our vices), but it's about balance and moderation in all things, and knowing what may be doing you harm.  So if I thought that something I was eating was causing me bloating, bad skin or upsetting my digestion for example, I would stop eating it - I want to feel the best I can all the time.
I think a lot of the time people have forgotten what it feels like to be 100% well and full of energy, and you may not realise that some foods are affecting you.  I have had a client recently who gave up gluten (I suggested this to her, as she was having some digestion problems), and she lost 4 cm around her waist, without losing any weight - she had been bloated from her intake of wheat that didn't agree with her, without her realising.
And this is what the Paleo diet is so good for - it cuts out all the man-made foods that may cause intolerances, and focuses on the nature-made foods that your body should recognise and know how to digest and extract nutrients from.
And the great thing about the Paleo diet is that you can maintain it for life.  Infact I really don't like calling it a diet as this assumes you will 'go on' the diet and at some stage 'go off' the diet.  If you can't maintain a new eating regime for at least 10 years (or life) then it's not really worth starting.
So what is Paleo?  It's going back to the diet we think paleolithic man (cavemen) would have eaten - anything they could have caught or foraged for - grass-fed meat, wild fish, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables.  This means no grains, dairy, legumes or pulses (all of which may cause digestive problems).
Of course we are unlikely to go hunting and foraging, and buying all organic ingredients can be expensive, but every little bit you can do to aim to eat as naturally as possible is a step closer to a healthy you.
Today sees the launch of the Paleo aisle in Ocado's online store - with me as its' expert, so if you have any questions do get in touch.
Here is one of the recipes from my latest Paleo book - 

Summer Frittata

A great protein-rich meal that can be served for breakfast, brunch or lunch, or could also be made to take on a picnic or to work in a lunch-box.

Serves 4

 

Prep time:  16 minutes

Cooking time:  29-34 minutes

350 g sweet potato

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, peeled and chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

125 g fresh or frozen peas

1 tbsp chopped mint

1 tbsp snipped chives

seasoning

7 medium eggs

·         Cook the sweet potato in a pan of boiling water for 8 minutes, until just tender.  Drain.

·         Heat half the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion with the sweet potato and red peppers for 5-6 minutes.  Add the peas and cook for one minute more.

·         Beat the eggs in a large bowl, pour in the vegetables and mix well.  Season and stir in the herbs.

·         Heat the remaining oil in the same frying pan and pour the egg and vegetables back into the pan.  Preheat the grill to hot.

·         Cook over a low heat for 15 -18 minutes, until the bottom of the tortilla is golden.

·         Finish cooking under the grill for 6-8 minutes, until golden on top.

·         Leave the tortilla to stand for a minute then run a knife around the edge of the pan, place a plate or board on top and turn over to remove from the pan.

·         Cut into wedges to serve.

Cycling the Backroads of Sri Lanka

As usual, I found the need to escape the English winter just as all the Christmas festivities came to head, and on Christmas Day I headed off to explore Sri Lanka by bike.  If you want to feel, smell, and be part of a country, being on a bike is pretty good way to do it.
The only downside of course is the energy required!  And when climbing some of the steep hills through the tea plantation area, I did struggle to remain polite with all the locals who called 'Good Morning' - all my energy was required for getting up the hill.  But then I remembered something that Dame Kelly Holmes talked about at the ISENC - she said that when in training her coach had told her to chat with her colleagues while she was running, so that when she was running alone in competition 'all of her oxygen would be her own' - needless to say I made it up all the hills!
My trip started in Columbo, staying with a lovely friend who was so inspired with Sri Lanka that she now imports her own delicious Kandula Tea.  As it was still the party season we spent a lot of time eating out and trying lots of great new dishes, one of which I had quite a few times at Columbo Swimming Club, and have already tried at home - devilled cashews.  Cashews are grown in Sri Lanka so are on the menu a lot, although they are not cheap even there.
After the madness of Columbo setting off to the countryside was heaven - cycling along tiny tracks and country roads, with only the odd tuk tuk or motorbike passing us, and the occasional dog chasing us for a bite at an ankle (which thankfully they never got!).
And when we got hungry we stopped at the small cafes for a bit of local food - string hoppers steamed with coconut and brown sugar were a favourite, as were homemade spicy lentil patties and vegetable samosas (and their idea of spicy is pretty hot!).
The main dinner offering in most places is a Sri Lankan buffet - don't be fooled, this is not a few salads and nibbles, this is a full buffet of at least 7-8 curry dishes, with soups, salads, sambals (spicy coconut side-dish), poppadoms, rotis, 2-3 types of rice, plus a host of other dishes we were too scared to try!  At the beginning we all made the most of the abundance of food on offer -  we figured we were using up so many calories on the bike each day.  After the first week we all realised that the eating had overtaken the cycling and we were now on a 'buffet tour' of Sri Lanka!  So it was time to reign in and be sensible, which for me just meant reverting back to Paleo rules and cutting out a few things, one of which was rice.  This caused lots of concern to the locals who don't believe you can eat curry without it!  And obviously it's their main crop and a staple of their own diets.  But for me it did the trick, I have returned without the excess buffet weight!


Devilled Cashews

Serves 4

4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
200 g raw cashew nuts
small handful curry leaves
1-2 tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper

Heat the oil until smoking hot.
Add the shallots and cashew nuts and cook until golden.
Add the curry leaves and cook until crisp.
Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Mix together the chilli powder and seasoning and toss the nuts in the mixture.
Leave to cool slightly before serving.



After staying with friends over the holiday period and talking a lot about food, nutrition and health, it made me realise how much I assume people know about nutrition and their bodies.
So over the next few months I hope to write about nutrition basics, and how you really can affect your health, both now and in the future.  
If there are any subjects you would like me to cover just drop me a comment and I will do my best to accommodate.

Healthy, Happy Eating,

Joy x

Christmas is coming.......

In my food-styling work, Christmas starts around May-June, and continues up until December (for those weeklies or dailies that run last-minute food stories), so by the time Christmas really is here I've had enough!
And whilst everyone else is planning all the naughty food and drink they are about to indulge in, I'm normally trying to get myself fit for another cycling trip somewhere warm - this year is no exception.
But before I whizz off I've been working on the second of two books due out early next year.  The first - The Paleo Diet Made Easy is out on 6th January, with a follow-up full-colour Paleo book due in May, just in time for the spring detox season!
So, needless to say, I've been experimenting with some new recipes, and loving eating such a great, clean diet (and have kept trimmer and fitter than I've ever been before) - good to know that it works!
The great thing about eating the Paleo way (think caveman - no processed food, only foods you can hunt, fish or gather), is that it is so simple, and once you get rid of all the other stuff you really don't crave it.  Tonight I craved a plate of steamed broccoli, carrots and sprouts, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and pepper - how mad is that?  It was delicious.
Obviously I've been doing my usual experimenting with new ingredients too, and recently had to put together some recipes for The Chia Co, using their chia seeds and oil - great sources of omega-3 fats and fibre.
Always one for a great pudding, I came up with one of the simplest yet - assorted berries and chia seeds make a perfect mousse (chia seeds tend to thicken liquids into a gel-like substance) - just place them all in a blender and blend until smooth then chill until ready to serve.  If you really want a little extra sweetness you can add a tsp or two of honey, but after a few weeks of eating Paleo you probably won't even want that.
So this is probably my last blog post of the year - I'm heading off to cycle around the hills and tea plantations of Sri Lanka over Christmas and January.  I  hope to return with lots more recipe ideas for you to try in 2014!

Happy Christmas and Happy Healthy Eating.

Joy x

Winter Comfort

So this week we have been told, we will be seeing the real start of winter - not a very cheering prospect.  But it happens every year, so we should be used to it.  And as the great Ranulph Fiennes once said "There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing"....so get your thick vests out!
Much the same also applies to food.  We were having a discussion this week about how, in the winter, you really fancy comforting foods.  One person described it as 'stodgy' food - think of those great steamed puddings, or meat pies - that is certainly comforting.
But equally comforting, and possibly more nutritious, are great colourful stews and curries.  Just because it's winter doesn't mean we have to leave the bright colours of summer behind.  Going back to the clothing theme, it's interesting how all the clothes available to buy in the winter are devoid of colour - why?  When surely we want to brighten the dreary days?
So forget the beige and brown puddings and pies and pile on the colourful veg!
Adding spices to your food also adds heat, so you are warming yourself from the inside, as well as getting other great benefits from these foods, for example - ginger (anti-inflammatory), garlic (anti-oxidant), turmeric (anti-inflammatory), black pepper (rich in minerals) - the list is endless.
So even though this recipe uses a ready-made sauce for convenience, I still add lots of other spices to improve it.  Or you could make your own sauce completely from scratch.


Vegetable Thai Curry

Serves 2-3

2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
3cm piece root ginger, peeled and diced
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp red Thai curry paste
1 x 400 ml can coconut milk
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
5 stems of tenderstem broccoli, halved
small handful green beans, halved
6 cherry tomatoes, halved 
3 tbsp almond flakes, toasted

Heat the coconut oil in a wok or large frying and and cook the seeds for 2-3 minutes, until the mustard seeds start to 'pop'.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
Add the onion and pepper and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes before stirring in the curry paste and cooking for a further minute.
Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
Add the vegetables, then simmer for 8-12 minutes, until the sweet potato is tender.
Serve with cooked quinoa or rice and sprinkle with the toasted flaked almonds.

Enough cake already?!

To satisfy the request for more cake, my healthy blog is turning into a cake blog, so this has to be the last, for a while at least!  
This recipe idea came purely from having some great products delivered to my kitchen - firstly a box arrived from Naturya, with their great superfood ingredients, and then more personally, my lovely friend Gail (founder of Kandula Tea) arrived fresh off the plane from Sri Lanka, with her latest blend of delicious teas.
Obviously the first thing we did was to have a cup of tea and catch up with all the gossip, but then I felt the need to use the tea for something more.......so cake it was!  
If you are a lover of mint tea I have tasted none better than Kandula - it tastes really fresh and tangy - as if there were fresh mint leaves dropped into the cup, with no tannin aftertaste that you find with a lot of other teas.
In December I will be visiting Sri Lanka, so will hopefully find out more about not only the tea, but also the wonderful food - lots of great vegetarian dishes and delicious fresh fish - watch this space!

Kandula Maca Tea Bread

Makes 1 loaf

200 g mixed dried fruit
250 ml Kandula Moroccan Mint tea (made with one bag)
125 g wholemeal self-raising flour
100 g self-raising flour
1 tbsp Naturya Maca powder
100 g golden caster sugar
25 g pecans, roughly chopped
50 g Coconoil, melted
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F) Gas mark 5.  Grease and base line a 2 lb loaf tin.
Place the dried fruit into a bowl and pour over the hot tea.  Leave to stand for at least 4 hours.
Place the flours, maca powder, sugar and pecans into a large bowl.
Beat together the Coconoil and egg.
Add the dried fruit, tea and egg and Coconoil mixture to the dry ingredients and gently mix together - do not overmix.
Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a rack (if you can wait that long - I couldn't!)

Happy cake-eating!

J xx

First there were apples, then there were delicious muffins!

Quick training session on the river this morning (gorgeous water, just not much of it!), then boat de-rigging and loading before heading home for healthy fruit smoothie breakfast.
A few of us are off to race at Teddington Small Boats Head on Saturday - the last time I did it the conditions were appalling and not many people stayed above the water!  So I realised we would need sustenance to keep us going through the day (there are two divisions to race, one at 10.30am and the other at 1.30pm), especially if it's going to be rough.
The great thing about making muffins is that pretty much anything tastes good in one (that should get a few comments rolling in!), and they are extremely simple to make.  Basically I look through the food I have at home and start baking.  So this recipe gives you lots of options - start experimenting yourself - that's how all recipes are born!







Spiced Apple and Sultana Muffins (dairy-free)

Makes 12

240 g wholemeal plain flour (could use white, or gluten free?)
80 g rolled oats (could use oatgerm?)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100 g dark brown sugar (could use caster, or demerara?)
2 apples, grated (use peel but not core)
1/2 tsp mixed spice (choose your favourite spice)
120 g Coconoil (could use butter if OK with dairy)
1 egg
100 ml non-dairy milk (could use milk or yoghurt if OK with dairy)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F) Gas mark 5.  Line a muffin tin with paper cases.
Place the flour, oats, baking powder, bicarb, sugar, grated apple and mixed spice into a large bowl and mix well.
Beat together the Coconoil, egg and milk.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and roughly mix - do not overmix!
Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.

Enjoy xx

Eating for the rest of your life

It's now a few weeks since I gave up so many of the foods I thought I couldn't live without, and still I don't miss any of them.  It helps I suppose that I wasn't really 'hooked' on anything too addictive - no caffeine or alcohol to speak of, but it's more that I really want to feel that I am 'feeding' my body good nourishing food. ( I do have to admit to one slight glitch - a visit to beautiful Southwold would not have been the same without a portion of fish and chips on the seafront!).
We don't tend to think of eating as feeding ourselves, the way we do when we 'feed' plants, when we think they need nourishing - well so do we!  So instead of eating because we are hungry or because we happen to be passing a shop that sells foods that our body actually has no idea what to do with (most junk food), we need to get the idea into our heads of eating foods that can help our bodies to function, and hopefully carry us on into healthy old age.
And that is another way to think about 'diets' (how I hate even the word!) - unless you can sustain that way of eating for the next ten years, then there is no point - you need a healthy eating regime that fits into your everyday life FOREVER.
But even when eating healthily you need a few treats, and for me the Happy Kitchen brownies are one of the best raw chocolate brownies I have tasted - I just love the texture and thick fudge-like consistency.  So, needless to say, over the past week I have been trying to make my own version, and this comes pretty close, using ingredients from two of my favourite suppliers - Coconoil and Naturya, trying to use the healthiest ingredients I can, keeping them gluten and dairy free.

'Raw' Chocolate Fudge

Makes 30-40 squares

175 g Coconoil
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
100 g dates, stoned
100 g Naturya Cocoa Nibs
75 g brown rice flour
20 g hemp protein powder
50 g mixed ground seeds (linseed, sesame, sunflower or pumpkin)
grated rind of 1 orange

Place the Coconoil and molasses in a pan and gently heat until the Coconoil has melted.
Meanwhile, place the dates into a food processor and blitz until broken down.
Grind the cocoa nibs in a coffee grinder to give a smooth powder.
Stir the ground cocoa powder and rice flour into the Coconoil and molasses mixture and then add to the food processor with the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
Spoon into a base lined 18cm square tin and press until level.
Chill until firm, and then cut into squares and store in an air-tight container.

Try not to eat all at once!

J xx