Quinoa and Beef Stew

A warming nourishing beef stew packed full of flavour. 

To make the stew: makes 2 portions 150g of chopped beef 

1/2 a diced onion 

1 roughly chopped carrot 

2 inches of sliced courgette 

1 tin of plum tomatoes

1 clove of garlic sliced 

1 beef stock cube 

1 tbsp of dried herbs 

1/3 of a cup of quinoa

1 heaped tbsp of tomatoe paste

Add a little olive oil to a caserole dish and fry the beef, onion, carrot and courgette until golden and slightly cooked. Add the tomatoes, garlic, beef stock cube, dried herbs, tomatoe paste and quinoa. Add a cup of water and bring to the boil. Put the lid on and cook at 180oc for 40 minutes. Add a cup of cold water and season to taste. 

Pesto and Pumpkin Seed Salad

A delicious crunchy salad with lots of different textures. Serve with rice cakes or fresh bread. 

To make the pesto: makes 250ml

50g of pine nuts 

A large bunch of basil

50g of Parmesan 

150ml of olive oil

2 garlic cloves 

Simply blend all of the above. 

For something different - the pine nuts can be replaced with other seeds or nuts of your choice. The same goes for the basil, as long as it's a leafy herb. Try pumpkin seed pesto or parsley and walnut pesto.  

To make the salad: serves 1

1/4 of a finely chopped iceberg lettuce

2 tomatoes roughly chopped 

1/4 of a finely sliced red onion 

2 inces of roughly chopped cucumber

1 tbsp of toasted pumpkin seeds 

1 tbsp of pesto 

Stir all of the above together and season to taste. I served mine with some fresh parsley on top. 

Bee Pollen Porridge with Toasted Walnuts

A yummy breakfast! Packed full of natural goodness.

A handy tip is to toast your nuts in advance. This can be done easily in a dry pan over a mid to low heat. They keep for ages and make breakfast that little but quicker. 

To make the porridge: serves 1

50g of oats

1 heaped teaspoon of bee pollen

1 cup of milk 

1 heaped tablespoon of chopped toasted walnuts

Over a low heat cook the oats, milk and pollen until thick and smooth. This should take about 4 minutes. Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with the toasted nuts. Simple. 

Celery and Lentil Soup

This is my favourite soup which I make in a big batch and freeze. It is lovely with pumpkin seeds scattered on top.

To make the soup: makes 3 portions 

1 cup of red split lentils

1 large clove of garlic

1 bay leaf

6 sticks of celery roughly chopped

1 vegetable stock cube 

Put all the ingredients in a caserole dish and only just cover with water slightly below the celery. Cook for 45 minutes at 180oc or until the lentils and celery are thoughroughly cooked. Remove the bay leaf. Blend until smooth and season to taste. 

Ramen Soup

A warming fresh dinner, full of vitamins and nutrients. 

To make the broth: 

Bring to the boil the left over bones from a roast chicken, just covered in water. Simmer on a low heat for half an hour and crush for more flavour. Drain the bones saving the broth in a bowl. Season with fish sauce, pepper and soy sauce.

To make the noodles: 

Add a portion of rice noodles to the hot bone broth and leave until cooked. This only takes about 5 minutes.

To make the topping:

1/4 of a finely chopped onion 

1/2 garlic clove crushed 

1/2 inch of ginger grater 

3 slices of red chilli

3 stems of broccoli 

1/2 a tin of Chinese style vegetables 

4 large king prawns 

Fry the onion, garlic and broccoli in a little oil until soft. Add all other incredients and fry until cooked. Add the topping to the noodles and broth. Serve with chilli oil, sesame seeds and fresh coriander. 

Banana Pancakes

A healthy desert which can be served with many delicious toppings. I served mine with honey and berrys. Happy pancake day! 

To make the pancake mixture: serves 1

1 mashed ripe banana 

1 egg 

Optional 1/2 tsp of cinnimon 

Beat all ingredients together in a bowl. Heat a tblsp of coconut oil in a frying pan. Spoon the mixture into the small pancakes and flip when golden. They should take about 4 minutes on each side. 

Pumpkin and Walnut Tart

A delicious desert. Best served with creme fresh to balance the sweetness. Lovely served hot or cold. This one went down very well!

To make the sweet pastry:

225g of plain flour 

80g of icing sugar

110g of butter

Blend all above ingredients into a ball with a little water if necessary. Roll out thinly and line a greased tart tin with the pastry (if not using a metal dish - bake blind for 10 minutes until opaque). 

To make the pumpkin filling:

200g pureed pumpkin

90g of golden caster sugar

75ml double cream

75ml milk

3 eggs 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 1/2 tsp of mixed spice

1 tsp of vanilla extract 

Blend all above ingredients and spread into the pastry case evenly. Bake at 180oc (fan 160oc) for 20-25 minutes or until set and slightly golden. Let the tart completely cool. 

To make the walnut crumble: 

200g of walnuts (toasted and chopped)

85g of muscovado sugar 

3 tbsp of melted butter  

Mix all ingredients together and spread evenly on the tart. Grill or blow torch until golden. 

Avocado and Egg Mexican Wraps

A flavourful and delicious meal.

To make the wraps: makes 2 small or 1 large

125g wholemeal flour

70ml water

1/2 tbsp of olive oil

Combine all ingredients. Roll out as thin as possible in a circle. Cook in a dry pan for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp. 

To make the fillings: serves 1

1/4 sliced red pepper and 1/4 sliced yellow pepper lightly fried

1 small avocado mashed with a squeeze of lemon juice and seasoning 

Sliced lettuce

1 fried egg

A few sliced red chilli's  

A few sprigs of coriander 

A few slices of red onion

A dash of smoked paprika 

Prepare all the fillings and add to taste. 

Banana and Berry Breakfast Muffins

Great for an easy breakfast or snack! 

To make the muffins: makes 8

140g of wholemeal flour

100g of self raising flour

1tsp of bicarbonate of soda

300g of mashed ripe bananas 

4tbsp of honey 

3 large beaten eggs 

150ml of natural yoghurt 

A handful of frozen berrys 

Mash the bananas. Add the honey, eggs and natural yoghurt. Fold in the flours and bicarbonate of soda until combined.fold in the berrys and spoon into muffin cases. I topped mine with bee pollen but you could add nuts also. Bake at 160oc or 140oc fan for 1hour or until golden brown.