Kimchi

This is a traditional Korean fermented dish. During the fermentation process, the naturally-occur- ring bacteria produce lactic acid, which is a natural preservative. Thanks to its probiotic qualities, it’s a favourite among nutrition professionals and excellent for gut health!

Ingredients

Medium Chinese cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tsp sea salt

1 fresh chilli, seeded and finely sliced

4 spring onions, finely sliced

4 cm fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp sugar

Method

• Put the cabbage in a glass bowl, sprinkle with salt, and cover with a plate smaller than the bowl. 
• Add weights - a couple of full tin cans will do - to squash the cabbage down. Leave overnight. 
• Next day, remove the plate and weights/ cans and drain the liquid off. 
• Stir in the rest of the ingredients and put into a clean preserving jar, leaving a small gap at the top. Press down until the juices rise and the liquid covers the kimchi.
• Leave on the kitchen counter for 3-5 days to ferment. Check it every morning, pressing down the kimchi into the liquid and releasing any gas bubbles. 
• Refrigerate for 3-4 days before eating. Serve a tablespoonful with hot or cold meals. 
• Keeps for up to 3 months in the fridge. 
• Dried chilli can be used instead of fresh.
• Enjoy!

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

This is a delicious, easy recipe that is perfect for batch-cooking. Plus, it’s full of fantastic hormone-balancing ingredients. Cruciferous vegetables, like cauliflower, contain a plant compound called indole-3-carbinol (I3C) which acts as a plant oestrogen and may help balance hormones by regulating oestrogen levels.

Rich in calcium, magnesium, and fibre, chickpeas are also high in phytoestrogens. These are naturally occurring plant-based chemicals, which are structurally similar to oestrogen and exert a weak oestrogenic effect. The great news is that you can use them to gently help rebalance your hormones.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp medium curry paste (sugar and sweetener free)

2 large onions, sliced

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 cauliflower, broken into small florets

240g dried chickpeas, soaked and rinsed then drained

400ml hot vegetable stock

Handful fresh coriander, chopped or torn, to serve

Salt & pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil and curry paste in a large frying pan.

2. Add the onions and red pepper and fry over a medium heat to soften.

3. Add the cauliflower and chickpeas and stir to coat them in the curry paste mix.

4. Pour over the hot stock, stir then bring to the boil.

5. Cover the pan and simmer over a gentle heat for 35 mins until the cauliflower is fairly soft.

6. Season to taste.

7. Sprinkle over fresh coriander to serve

8. Enjoy!

15 Minute Chicken Curry

As a nutritionist, I’m often told by my clients that they don’t have time to cook. And this is a recipe that I love to share with them!  Quick, easy and healthy – what’s not to love?

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

4 x 200g chicken breasts, cut into chunks

2 onion, diced

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

spices: 2 tbsp ground cumin, 3 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red chilli flakes, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground coriander

4 tbsp tomato puree

2 x (400g) can chopped tomatoes

8 tbsp plain yoghurt

2 handfuls of fresh coriander, finely chopped

Method:

• Put the olive oil in a large pan, and then add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 3 minutes until softened.
• Add the chicken and cook for a further 3 minutes until browned.
• Once the chicken is browned, add the red chilli flakes, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and ground coriander, and mix well and cook for a further minute. 
• Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree to the pan, and gently simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add a splash of water if it dries out. 
• Stir in the yoghurt and coriander before serving with your choice of cauliflower rice or broccoli rice.
• Enjoy!

Pomegranate and Pistachio Chia Pudding

This is a very easy breakfast to make! It’s protein-rich and full of gorgeous antioxidants. If you double or triple the proportions, you can make 3 at a time. Pop them in the fridge and they will keep up to 3 days. Perfect for batch cooking.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp chia seeds

180ml coconut or almond milk

(unsweetened)

1 tsp vanilla extract

40g pomegranate seeds

1 tbsp pistachios, chopped

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine chia seeds, vanilla, and milk

2. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours (or overnight, if possible)

3. When ready to serve, stir the chia mixture, then layer in a glass with pomegranate seeds

4. Top with pistachios

5. Enjoy!

Spiced Walnut and Squash Loaf

If you’re having guests over the Christmas period, this is an excellent – and quick! - alternative to Christmas cake. And on the plus side it has some hidden veg in it too! 

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients:

175g rice flour

1 tbsp ground almonds

170g coconut sugar or 85g Stevia, if you prefer

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

3 cloves

3 tsp gluten-free baking powder 

50g dark chocolate, broken into chunks chunks (optional)

1 medium ripe avocado, pitted

½ tsp salt

230g butternut squash purée (dice a medium size squash, steam until soft, then either mash or put in a blender to purée)

1 egg

60g natural or coconut yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla paste

Two handfuls of walnuts, chopped

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170˚C / gas mark 3, grease and line a loaf tin. 
• Stir together the rice flour, ground almonds, coconut sugar (or stevia), spices, baking powder and salt. 
• Blend together the eggs, yoghurt, avocado, squash purée, and vanilla paste until smooth.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined. Stir through the chopped walnuts and optional chocolate, then pour into the loaf tin, smoothing down the top and bake for an hour or until cooked through. If the cake is browning too much halfway through cooking, place some baking paper over the top and let it continue to bake. 
• Leave to cool.
• Slice and enjoy! 

Healthy Mince Pies

Mince pies are my absolute favourite!! But rather than buying them – where the ingredients run to a laundry list of chemicals and unknown additives – why not try making them yourself? Here is my favourite recipe for gluten-free mince pies that taste *amazing*!

Prep time: 25 mins

Makes 24

Ingredients

For the filling:

1 large apple, like Braeburn, Gala 

75g raisins

75g golden sultanas

75g currants

65g dried, unsweetened cranberries

60g other dried fruit (sour cherries, blueberries, mango, apricots 

(dried but unsweetened))

Zest and juice of an orange

50g coconut palm sugar (or 2 tsp Stevia if you’d prefer)

4 tbsp organic butter, cubed

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp brandy

For the pastry:

150g ground almonds

75g coconut flour

1 tbsp coconut palm sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt

Zest of an orange

115g butter, frozen. Plus, a little extra for greasing

1 egg, lightly whisked

Method:

• Firstly, make the filling:
  • Add all of the filling ingredients (other than the brandy, if using) into a large saucepan over medium heat and stir. 
  • When the butter is fully melted, turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. 
  • Take the saucepan off the heat and stir through a tablespoon of brandy and decant into sterilized glass jars. 
  • Leave to cool with the lid slightly ajar, then secure tightly and store until you’re ready to use. 
  • This can be done in advance

• Make the pastry:
  • Put the ground almonds and coconut flour in a bowl with the sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the orange zest. 
  • Grate the frozen butter into the flour and mix together with your fingers till a crumb forms. 
  • Stir in the egg and bring together with your hands to form a dough. 
  • Divide the dough in half, wrap each in film and place in the fridge for 1 hour (or overnight). 
  • Pre heat the oven to 175˚C. Grease the moulds of a muffin pan with a little butter. 
  • Remove the dough from the fridge and place between 2 sheets of baking / greaseproof paper. 
  • Roll with a rolling pin to flatten out the dough till it is pie-crust thin.
  • Using a cookie cutter (or an upturned jam jar - needs to be about 8cmdiameter) cut out 25 circles and lightly press into the muffin pan moulds.
  • The pastry can be tricky to work with as there is no gluten holding it together. Be patient. If the pastry splits just push it back together with your fingers and use any pastry scraps to fix it up.
  • Fill up each pie mould with a heaped teaspoon of the mincemeat. 
  • Using the remainder of the dough cut out 25 stars to top each pie. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Leave to cool in the tins, before gently easing them out. Don’t be tempted to remove from the tin when they come out of the oven. They WILL fall apart!
  • Enjoy!