Have you ever tried making your own soup? Homemade soups are great for using up vegetables that are lying around at the bottom of the fridge and are ten times healthier than tinned or packet soups. Vegetables are rich in prebiotics –substances that feed and nourish the beneficial bacteria in the bowel – as well as many other phytonutrients that help to keep chronic diseases at bay.

The recipe below contains a variety of spices, including ginger. Ginger has long been recognised as a carminative – a substance that promotes the elimination of gas and soothes the intestinal tract – so it is an ideal soup for anyone experiencing digestive issues after Christmas.

  

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Serves 7-8

Ingredients

1 tbsp. Olive oil

1 medium onion sliced

2 cloves garlic

1tsp cumin seeds crushed

1tsp coriander seeds ground

½ inch fresh root ginger grated

1 green chilli deseeded and chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1tsp honey

340g sweet potato

340g butternut squash diced

1.2 litres vegetable stock

1x400g tin of chick peas, drained

Handful of coriander leaves chopped

 

Method

Heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic in a covered saucepan for 10 minutes.

Stir in the spices, including ginger, chilli, lime zest and honey.

Add the sweet potato and butternut squash, the juice of half the lime and the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are almost tender.

Now add the chickpeas and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Check seasoning and add the remaining lime juice.

Cool a little before liquidising until very smooth.

Reheat gently and stir in the coriander leaves just before serving.

Garnish with a swirl of natural yogurt.

 

Nicky Seabrook BSc.Dip.IONmBANT CNHC

To find out more about Nicky and nutrition at the Centre visit her page here.

 

 

A smoothie might seem a strange choice for this cold season. But bear with me! December is a very busy month for most people and smoothies can be prepared in minutes. And in the lead up to Christmas when there are a lot of rich foods around, your body will thank you for replacing a sandwich and mince pie with something lighter to digest.

Mangos are packed with antioxidant vitamins –providing more than a day’s dose of vitamin C and two thirds of your recommended daily vitamin A intake. Ginger is a common remedy for colds and an anti-inflammatory food, which is definitely worth introducing if you have any arthritic symptoms.

 

Mango, Kiwi and Ginger Smoothie

½ mango

1cm piece of fresh ginger

1 kiwi

1/mug frozen berries

3/4mug cold coconut water or almond or oat milk (225ml)

Juice of ½ lime

Peel the mango using a vegetable peeler and cut it’s flesh off the stone. Peel the ginger and scoop the kiwi flesh out of its skin.

Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth.

Taken from Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward

Nicky Seabrook BSc.Dip.IONmBANT CNHC

To find out more about Nicky and nutrition at the Centre visit her page here.

 

Sag Gosht

This is a delicious, fairly mild, Indian curry using two anti-inflammatory spices: turmeric and ginger. I’ve chosen it for two reasons. Firstly, after an amazingly warm September the temperature is finally beginning to fall and if you have been out and about on the heath or in the woods or simply tidying up the garden; nothing beats having something warm and spicy to enjoy when you get back home. Secondly, it is high in a nutrient called Co Q10. This nutrient has for many years been recognised as essential for maintaining good energy levels but recent research is now linking it to a wider range of health concerns including male fertility, statin use and obesity.

Ingredients

Butter and olive oil for frying

2 medium onions finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

1 tblsp ground coriander seeds

1tsp ground mustard seeds

¾ -1kg braising or stewing steak diced

1 x 250g packet of frozen spinach thawed and dried by heating gently in a saucepan over low heat.

300g of natural yogurt

 

Method

Heat a knob of butter and a tablespoon of oil together in a casserole dish. Add the onions, garlic and spices and fry gently for 5 minutes.

Add the meat and brown on all sides. Then add the spinach and gradually stir in half the yogurt.

Cover the casserole and transfer to a warm oven (160C /325F or Gas Mark 3) Cook for 2 – 2 ½ hours or until the meat is tender. If the curry becomes too dry during the cooking time add a little water.

Stir in the remaining yogurt just before serving.

Serve with plain boiled rice, paratha or chapattis and mango chutney.

 

Nicky Seabrook BSc.Dip.IONmBANT CNHC

 

To find out more about Nicky and nutrition at the Centre visit her page here.

 

 

Creamy Cherry Tomato Chicken (Serves 4)

A warm September provides ideal conditions for ripening off tomatoes; and eating them fresh from the garden is a real treat at the end of the summer.

Tomatoes form a regular part of a healthy Mediterranean diet and their value may be partly due to a carotene like substance called lycopene, which is important for the health of the eyes and the cardiovascular system.

The recipe below is incredibly simple and something that can easily be made after a tiring day at work.

Ingredients

3 – 4 chicken breasts

450g cherry tomatoes

Sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp. crème fraiche

2 tbsp. basil leaves chopped or roughly torn

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C /400F/Gas mark 6. Pour the oil into a shallow ovenproof dish (one that can also go on the hob – or use a roasting tin) and add the chicken breasts, turning to coat in the oil.
2. Place the whole cherry tomatoes around the chicken in the dish, season with a little salt and pepper, then cook in the oven for about 50 – 60 minutes, or until the chicken is done, basting occasionally.
3. Place the dish on the hob and add the crème fraiche. Heat gently until it starts to bubble, then simmer for 1 – 2 minutes, stirring until the sauce thickens slightly.
4. Stir in the basil just before serving.

Recipe taken from ‘Smart Food for Smart Kids’ by Patrick Holford and Fiona Mcdonald Joyce (2007)

Nicky Seabrook BANT

To find out more about Nicky and nutrition at the Centre visit her page here.

 

As a nation we are still keen on our meat, despite the large number of studies published in the last decade proclaiming a diet based on vegetables and fish is healthier for us; particularly for our hearts.

Fish is a very easy form of protein to digest and provides us with iodine which is essential for the thyroid gland to function, vitamin D which is now understood to support our immune system and omega 3 oils.

I hope you enjoy this simple fish recipe -perhaps it might even become a favourite, as it has in my family. I’ve adapted it from one of my favourite cooks, Delia Smith. Dover sole, lemon sole or even plaice fillets can be used. If you are avoiding dairy products the Spanish cheese, Manchego, works well as a substitute for the cheddar.

It is very quick, easy to prepare and children love it.

Ingredients

6 fillets of sole

8oz stale breadcrumbs

3oz cheddar cheese

2 tblsp freshly chopped parsley

4oz melted butter

6 lemon quarters

Salt and pepper

Method

Mix the breadcrumbs, grated cheese and parsley with the 4oz of melted butter. Line a grill pan with foil and brush with a little melted butter.

Lay the fillets on it, season with salt and pepper and grill under moderate heat for 5 – 6minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Then cover with the breadcrumb mixture and replace under the grill again for about 5 minutes , checking all the time to make sure it isn’t burning.

If you’d like to know more about Nicky Seabrook and nutrition at the Centre then call 01394 388234 or visit Nicky’s page here.

Recipe of the Month – Hummus

This recipe is in celebration of a study published recently, showing healthy fats do not cause weight gain. Researchers of the Predimed trial found that those on the Mediterranean diet, whose food intake was rich in olive oil and nuts, lost more weight than those on a low-fat regime.

I’ve chosen a hummus recipe after reading about the Predimed study, as it has lots of olive oil in it. I know lots of people will have hummus recipes but various members of my family have commented favorably about this one!

Classic Hummus

Adapted from a recipe in ‘Deliciously Ella’ by Ella Woodward

Ingredients

1 x 400g tin of chick peas, drained

4 tablespoons of olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1 heaped tablespoon of tahini

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper

Method

Simply place all of the ingredients into a food processor with 1 tablespoon of water and blend until smooth. The more powerful your food processor is, the smoother and creamier your hummus will be!

Serve with warm pitta bread and salad vegetables

If you’d like to know more about Nicky Seabrook and nutrition at the Centre then call 01394 388234 or visit Nicky’s page here.

From our nutritionist Nicky Seabrook the recipe of the month for May is Quinoa, Avocado and Spinach Salad.

Quinoa is becoming a popular grain because it is gluten free and also contains a complete range of amino acids, making it an excellent source of protein for vegetarians.

Avocados are high in antioxidants, including Lutein and Zeaxanthin and these nutrients are very important for eye health helping to lower the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. In addition studies have shown that extracts from avocado, can reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Spinach continues to be a top ranking health food with its high concentration of minerals, carotenoids and inflavoids. Many of its nutrients are believed to have anticancer properties.

Quinoa, Avocado and Spinach Salad

Ingredients

40g cashew nuts

120g quinoa

1 medium red onion finely sliced

2 sticks celery chopped

1 avocado stoned and chopped into chunks

80g spinach sliced

1 yellow pepper finely chopped

15g coriander finely chopped

1 tblsp olive oil

2tblsp lemon juice

Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

Warm a small frying pan over medium heat and add the cashew nuts to roast for a few minutes, until lightly brown. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Rinse the quinoa then transfer to a medium sized saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the seeds are tender.

Drain the quinoa and then place into a large bowl with the vegetables, coriander and cashew nuts. Mix well, season with salt and pepper and dress with the lemon juice and olive oil.

This is recipe is taken from the Vegetarian Society website.

If you have a go at making this recipe please let us know and post a picture on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

You can book an appointment with Nicky by calling the Centre on 01394 388234 and you can find out more about nutrition therapy at the Centre on our website.