Both Mike and I love food. Sometimes we take it in turns or we cook together creating and enjoying Unapologetically Delicious Food. Supper time is a sacred time for us both on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, whether we have friends over or go out, or just have time on our own. On the other days of the week, we will generally try and eat lunch together due to other commitments in the evenings.
The recipes below are not necessarily mine! I will always share appropriately where they are from, but I add my own tweakments at times!
BREAKFAST
SERENITY HEALTH AND WELLBEING
FAVORITE
RECIPIES
Chocolate and Ginger Porridge
Every now and then, there is something about a bowl of hot steaming porridge after a cold morning walk. I don’t eat this on a regular basis, but there are times when it really hits the spot. I love dark chocolate and ginger, so this is a winning combination for me, but feel free to omit the cocoa and ginger and add various flavours, fruit, nuts and seeds if you prefer. My other favourite flavours are pear and ginger, apple and cinnamon and original porridge with berries. Always use rough unprocessed oats, as they provide more fibre and will fill you up for longer.
Serves 1
Do change the quantity of cocoa and ginger to suit your taste.
40g rough porridge oats – I use Flahavans Organic Jumbo Oats
100ml milk – I use either Plenish Cashew or Almond milk, but use milk you enjoy
¾ teaspoon cocoa powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
I tend to soak the oats in milk first thing in the morning whilst I am out walking the dogs or going to the gym. You could also soak them overnight if you wish or not at all.
Method
Mix the oats with the milk and flavours and bring to the boil. Simmer until the oats are cooked to the consistency you prefer adding more milk or water if necessary and then serve. You can also add fruit, nuts and seeds.
LUNCH
Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup
This is my favourite homemade soup, which over the years I have played around with, but in the end, it is just great as it is. Feel free to add various spices, such as curry or harissa. I make soup in my soup maker, because it is easy and very quick. It also does all the blending at the same time and soup is ready from scratch to the table in 25 minutes. I serve this with toasted sourdough with some smashed avocado on top.
Serves 4
I x medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into bite size chunks
1 x red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
100grams red lentils (you can use more for a thicker consistency or different lentils)
1 pint vegetable stock
Seasoning
50grams pine nuts roasted (optional)
Drizzle of Kefir Yogurt and some chopped parsley for serving (optional)
Method
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Put the butternut squash, red onion and lentils into either a soup maker or a large saucepan. Add the vegetable stock and any seasoning or spices.
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Simmer until everything is soft and cooked through. If you want it left chunky then don’t blend it the vegetables and lentils, but otherwise puree the soup using a hand blender or a larger blender if you are not using a soup maker.
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Add seasoning to taste and serve with roasted pine nuts, a drizzle of kefir and some chopped parsley or just tuck in without these!
Quinoa, Black bean & Blackberry salad with Smoked Mackerel
This a Waitrose recipe which I discovered this Autumn after picking a large bowl of blackberries from the hedges. If blackberries are not available, cooked cold rhubarb is a good alternative. This a great way to add fish oil, polyphenols, antioxidants and fibre all into one meal.
Serves 4 portions:
200g white, red and black quinoa
2 x lemons, 1 halved, 1cut into wedges
1 tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra (optional as the Mackerel will be salty)
400g can black beans, drained and rinsed
200g blackberries
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
100g rocket and baby leaf salad
210g pack Hot Smoked Scottish Mackerel Fillets
Method
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In a saucepan, combine the quinoa, ½ a lemon, 1 tsp sea salt flakes and 500ml cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the temperature and simmer for around 18 minutes until the quinoa is cooked and the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Remove the lemon, squeezing in any juice from it before discarding, then stir in the beans; set aside to cool. Meanwhile, quarter the blackberries.
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For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, mustard, juice from the remaining ½ lemon and 1 tbsp lukewarm water and season. Stir ½ the dressing and the salad leaves into the quinoa along with ½ the blackberries. Divide between 4 shallow bowls, top with the remaining blackberries and flake over the mackerel. Spoon the rest of the dressing over the fish and serve with the lemon wedges.
SUPPER
Fat Coffee
For over 12 months I have introduced ‘Fat Coffee’ into my morning routine. I was converted after reading Pauline Cox ‘Primal Living in a Modern World’ (available on amazon.co.uk) I absolutely love it and keeps hunger pangs at bay. Some research suggests that this doesn’t break a fast and other research suggests that it does if you are doing Intermittent Fasting. I would say from the moment I enjoy that first sip of a fat coffee, I have broken my fast. However, I will try and not drink anything other than peppermint tea or hot water with lemon until around 10am, having either walked the dogs or gone to the gym earlier. It is a really good way to regulate hunger levels as the hormones leptin and insulin become more normalised and this in turn improves blood sugars, reducing the desire to eat too much! You don’t have to add both butter and MCT oil if you are trying to lose weight – try each separately and see how you feel.
Serves one
Black Coffee
15g grass fed butter
Teaspoon MCT Oil
I put the butter and MCT oil in the bottom of my cup and add hot freshly brewed coffee. Whizz everything in a blender (I have a Nutribullet, but there are several other great blenders!) for about 20-30 seconds and then pour and enjoy.
Lentil Dahl
This is Mike’s speciality and I always leave him to make this. I associate this recipe with what I call “Baltic” evenings. Part of the ritual of making this recipe is having the You Tube video running in the background and watching Hari Ghotra making this, whilst talking about the emotions and her childhood memories she associates with Lentil Dahl. We tend to just have this as an easy supper on its own, but it is of course a great accompaniment to other Indian food.
You can watch the clip following this link:
200g red lentils, washed
900ml water (approx.)
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp ghee or rapeseed oil
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp turmeric
2 red chilli, one finely chopped and the other one left whole
1 tsp fenugreek leaves
1 tsp of garam masala
Handful of coriander, chopped
Method
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Place lentils in a pan with the salt, cover with the water and bring to the boil.
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Remove the froth, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Check the lentils are cooked by squeezing them between your fingers. Once soft remove from the heat.
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In a frying pan heat the oil or ghee. Add the dried chilli, bay leaf and the cumin seeds.
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When the seeds sizzle, add the onion and garlic and fry until lightly browned. Reduce the heat and add the tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, fenugreek and the chopped chilli. Gently let the ingredients cook down for about 10 minutes to make a thick masala paste.
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Add a ladle full of the lentils (dhal) to the masala paste in the frying pan and stir together, then empty all the contents back into the pan with the lentils and stir. It should have the consistency of a thick soup but if it's too thick just add a little boiling water and remove from the heat. If you prefer it thicker just leave it on the heat to reduce until you get the consistency you want.
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Check the seasoning and add a little salt if required. Stir in the garam masala and coriander to serve.
Indulgent Treat / Dessert
Venison Sausage and Squash Traybake
This came from a Sainsbury’s Magazine and I haven’t tweaked any of this, because it is utterly Unapologetically Delicious as it is! It is a recipe by Tamsin Burnett-Hall and you can find this online. Last Autumn a friend of ours gave us a large Crown Prince Squash (they grown them) and so not knowing how many different ways we could eat this wonderful vegetable, I started searching for ideas.
When we can, Mike and I buy venison sausages from our local farm shop. This supper goes very well with a large glass of red wine on a chilly autumn evening!
Serves 4 Portions
4 potatoes, about 125-150g each
½ medium butternut squash, or Crown Prince Squash peeled and deseeded
1 garlic bulb
3 tbsp olive oil
5 rosemary sprigs
2 medium red onions
8 venison sausages
1 x 200g pack Tenderstem broccoli
3 tbsp redcurrant jelly
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Method:
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Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Cut each potato into 6 wedges, the squash into roughly 2cm-thick wedges and separate the garlic into cloves, still in their skins. Toss together in a large roasting tin with 1½ tablespoons oil and some seasoning. Spread out evenly in the tray. Roast for 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, set aside 1 sprig of rosemary, and cut the red onions into 8 wedges through each root. Toss the rest of the rosemary sprigs and the onion wedges with the sausages and 1 tablespoon of oil in a bowl.
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After the initial 15 minutes, add the sausage and onion mixture to the roasting tin, stir everything together and return to the oven to cook for 25-30 minutes until starting to brown.
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While the sausages and vegetables are cooking, add the Tenderstem to a pan of boiling water, return to the boil and cook for 1-2 minutes until only just tender. Refresh in cold water, then drain really well and toss with ½ tablespoon oil. Set aside.
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Gently heat the redcurrant jelly and vinegar together in a small pan for 2 minutes until combined and slightly thickened. Chop the reserved rosemary and stir into the glaze with some seasoning. Set aside.
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Mix the Tenderstem broccoli into the roasting tin, and drizzle the glaze over everything, but especially over the sausages. Roast for a final 10-15 minutes until everything looks deliciously sticky.
Chocolate and Black Bean Cake
This originally a Weight Watchers recipe, but I use butter instead of low fat spread. The secret to this recipe is not to tell anyone it has black beans in! We all need a bit of indulgence now and then and this is not too sweet and remains moist in an airtight tin for up to 5 days. Adding black beans provides good fibre so you can feel proud of yourself in helping your gut microbiome, whilst you enjoy the chocolatey taste. We serve this with kefir yogurt or if you wish, you can be indulgent and have cream or ice-cream with it!
Serves 10
105g butter (5grms for greasing the tin)
100g soft brown sugar
2 x teaspoons of vanilla extract
5 medium eggs
50g cocoa powder
1 x 400grm tin of black beans
1 x teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
20grms white chocolate
20grms of dark chocolate (or milk chocolate if you prefer)
Method
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Preheat the oven to 180’C, fan 160’C, gas mark 4. Line an 18cm cake tin with baking parchment and grease the sides with 5grms of butter.
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Put the black beans, 3 of the eggs and the vanilla extract into a food processor and blitz until smooth.
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In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar using an electric hand held whisk until pale and creamy. Add the remaining eggs and then add the black bean mixture to the bowl and stir until well combined. Gently fold in the cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda until everything is incorporated.
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Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then turn out and leave to completely cool on a wire rack.
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Put the white and dark chocolate in separate microwave bowls and microwave each one until the chocolate is melted – approx. 30 seconds. Drizzle over the cold cake and leave to set, then serve.
