Recipes

I will be posting any recipes that I have tried, tested and like on here as I carry out this diet trial. There are plenty of books and websites with some great Paleo / Anti-inflammatory recipes on them, however I have found that some are a bit hit and miss, so I will keep you updated with the ones I like!

Favourite Meal of week 5


Rice Flour Pancakes:
·         1 cup rice flour
·         2 teaspoons baking powder
·         1 egg, lightly beaten
·         1 cup Almond milk
·         2 teaspoons oil
·         2 tablespoon honey
·         Fruit to serve – These are really nice with blueberry compote and honey!

Directions:
·         Sift the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder, mix in the other ingredients and whisk until a smooth texture.
·         Add a little oil to a pan and cook on a medium heat until golden in colour.
·         Add the topping of your choice and enjoy!

I have to confess that I didn’t make the pancakes in the picture that was the work of my lovely friend Harry Engels – future pancake masterchef! The above recipe is an adaptation of the pancakes that Harry made for my friend Kate and I and they are a delicious healthier version which can be made as a treat or an indulgent breakfast!


Favourite Meal of week 4

Butternut squash and ginger soup:
·         1 Butternut Squash
·         2-3cm of freshly grated ginger
·         Salt and Pepper
·         Ground nutmeg
·         1 large carrot
·         2 celery sticks
·         Veg stock
·         Half white onion

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways, place in a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and a sprinkling of nutmeg. Place in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees and roast for 50 minutes or until soft.
Meanwhile place the chopped onion, carrot, celery and grated ginger into a pan and fry gently for 5-10 minutes.  Add enough vegetable stock to cover all the veg well and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Once the veg is soft take off the heat and set aside.
Once the butternut squash is soft take it out of the oven and leave to cool. Once cooled scoop out the soft flesh and place in the pan with the vegetables. Using a hand blender mix the soup until smooth. You may wish to add more stock depending on how thick you want the soup! Once smooth, gently heat the soup again and it is ready to eat!


This is a really tasty lunch or starter for a larger meal!

Favourite Meals of week 3!

Here are my favourite meals from week 3!

Breakfast: Banana, blueberry and Spinach smoothie
·         1 Banana
·         Almond milk
·         Fresh blueberries
·         Handful of spinach

One of the key things on this diet is making sure that you eat enough greens! This smoothie is a really easy way of making sure that you get some greens at the start of the day! You can vary the quantities depending on individual tastes and how thick you like your smoothie (If you like it thicker add less almond milk), and just blend it all together.

Lunch: Chilli Prawn salad
·         Ready to eat king prawns
·         Grilled sweet peppers
·         Grilled cherry tomatoes
·         Fresh chilli
·         Rocket leaves
·         Squeeze of lemon
·         Clove of garlic

Finely chop the tomatoes, peppers, chilli and garlic and place in a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil, then bake for 20 minutes (or until they start to go crispy at the edges). Add the slow baked vegetables to the rocket leaves and add a handful of king prawns. I like to add a lot of crushed black pepper and a squeeze of lemon to add to the taste. Keeping the flavours simple really helps you to appreciate what you are eating.

Dinner: Chicken curry with Cauliflower rice
·         3 Chicken breasts
·         1 Red pepper
·         1 Orange pepper
·         2cm grated fresh ginger
·         Chopped white onion
·         3 celery sticks
·         Curry powder to taste (check the ingredients to make sure that it is gluten free)
·         Boiling water
·         Cauliflower

Serves 3-4 people

Fry the chopped chicken breasts in a bit of olive oil.
Add the chopped veg (pepper, onion and celery) and fry until they start to soften, then add the curry powder and fresh ginger and fry for a few more minutes. Add enough boiling water to cover the ingredients, allow to reduce down and let the flavours mix together.
Finely chop the cauliflower and heat in a covered microwavable bowl for 2 minutes – The cauliflower rice is optional and I tend to do normal rice for guests!

This is a great meal for a girls night in!


Favourite Meals of week 2!

Here are my favourite meals from week 2!

Breakfast: Porridge with almond milk and blueberry compote
·         Gluten free oats
·         Almond milk
·         Fresh blueberries – heated until they turn into a compote
·         Optional: Drizzle of honey or maple syrup if you want extra sweetness!

This is a really quick and fills you up – a great start to the day!

Snack: Mixed nuts, Raisins and dark chocolate
You can vary the quantities or types of nuts depending on your tastes, I love the 85% dark chocolate with this and it is a great energy boost!

Lunch: Warm balsamic chicken salad
·         1 chicken breast
·         Balsamic vinegar
·         Spinach, watercress and rocket salad leaves (great peppery taste)
·         Chopped pepper

I bake the chicken in some olive oil for about 15 minutes at 180 degrees, I then take it out of the oven and add the chopped pepper and drizzle balsamic vinegar over it and put it back in the oven for another 10 – 15 minutes. I then add this to the salad leaves and use the olive oil and balsamic juice as the dressing. It is really simple and tasty.

Dinner: Prawn and Salmon stir fry
·         1 salmon fillet
·         1 clove garlic
·         1 fresh red chilli
·         2cm grated fresh ginger
·         Chopped red pepper
·         Chopped white onion
·         2 spring onions
·         Handful of chopped greens
·         Handful of fresh spinach
·         Handful of mushrooms
·         Olive oil
·         Rice noodles – optional depending on how hungry you are!

Place salmon fillet in a steaming bag (or you can place on a baking tray and cover with foil – I just use the bags to reduce the smell of cooking fish!) with a drizzle of olive oil, the chopped chilli and chopped garlic. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

Roughly chop all the other vegetables and place them in a wok with a little bit of olive oil and the grated ginger. Fry for 5 – 10 minutes – not too long so that the veg still has a bit of crunch!

Add the prawns and the baked salmon into the vegetables along with the chilli, garlic and oil from the baking tray / bag (this adds to the flavour and helps to coat the veg).

Add the rice noodles if you want something extra to pad out this meal and cook for a few minutes. This is so quick to make!


Favourite Meals of week 1!

One week done! It has gone surprisingly quickly and I have actually really enjoyed trying new recipes. I do have to admit to having a slice of Christmas cake which is my weakness, but for my first week I am pleased! It has been tough cutting out dairy, gluten, wheat and potatoes but it has made me explore other options.
Here are my favourite meals from week 1!

Breakfast: Chopped Banana and Pear with crushed nuts:
·         1 chopped banana
·         1 peeled and chopped pear
·         1 handful of crushed mixed nuts
·         Optional: Drizzle of honey or coconut milk


This is a really quick and easy to throw together.


Lunch: Mackerel Salad
·         Smoked Mackerel fillet
·         Crushed black pepper (I like lots of this!)
·         Spinach, watercress and rocket salad
·         1 Handful baby tomatoes
·         Half an Avocado
·         Squeeze of fresh lemon

Again this is really quick and easy and is great and fish is a major focus for this diet. I am aiming to eat fish 5 times a week, particularly oily fish which is a great source of Omega 3.


Dinner: Slow cooked beef stew
·         500g Braising beef
·         6 Rashers unsmoked bacon
·         2 cloves of garlic
·         2 Tsp Thyme
·         1 large sweet potato
·         2 large carrots
·         1 red pepper
·         1 green pepper
·         3 handfuls of white button mushrooms
      1 red onion
·         1 white onion
·         A splash of Worcestershire sauce
·         Lots of crushed black pepper
·         3 Bay leaves
·         1 tin chopped tomatoes
·         1/4 bottle of red wine
·         Enough boiling water to cover the vegetables and allow them to boil

This couldn’t be easier to make and it is packed full of vegetables to help fill you up and keep you healthy!
·         Firstly I lightly fried the Bacon and beef in olive oil for a couple of minutes just to start it off.
·         Secondly I chopped all the veg and put all the ingredients in a large slow cooking pot all at once.
·         Thirdly I added enough boiling water to cover to veg and allow it to cook through.
·         Finally I cooked it in the oven at 180 degrees for 2 – 3 hours and then it was ready to eat straight from the oven.

Serves 6 people



I know the picture doesn't look great but trust me it tastes nice!




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