Basic side salad

A basic side salad works with any protein (esp. leftover from last night’s dinner) which makes a good option for a quick meal. ‘Basic’ means that you don’t need anything fancy. Just get a few favourites, arrange them on a plate in any order and dress. You can sprinkle some seeds or almond flakes on top, if you like. If you are having just a protein with the salad, make sure the salad is large - preferably a big bowl.

My favourite vegetables for a basic salad include:

• Lettuce leaves, assorted or one type e.g. lamb’s lettuce, rocket or romaine

• Avocado

• Cucumber

• Bell pepper

• Grated carrot

• Red onions

• Olives

A basic dressing:

• 2 table spoons of olive oil

• 1 table spoon of white wine vinegar

• 1 tea spoon of Dijon mustard, or 1 heaped tea spoon of green or red pesto

• Salt and pepper

  Shake in a small jar and dress the salad

Caponata

Slightly modified recipe of a Sicilian classic. It makes a wonderful side dish for meat or fish, and a base for shakshuka style eggs. Also nice with grilled halloumi or crumbled feta on top.

Perfect for batch cooking. Put it in clean jars when it’s still hot and close the lid. Cool down and store in the fridge. You can also freeze it in zip lock bags.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 aubergines

• 1-2 courgettes (optional)

• 1 red bell pepper and if you want, you can add a yellow one too (optional)

• 1 onion (red / white / yellow - whatever you’ve got)

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 2 tablespoons of capers

• 1 handful of green or black olives, whole or halved

• 150ml of tomato passata

• 3 table spoons of olive oil

• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar or 1 table spoon of balsamic glaze

• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a pot. Add aubergines and a a some salt. Cook until golden, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the peppers, courgettes, onion and garlic. Saute for additional 5 minutes.

3. Add the passata, vinegar, capers and olives. Cook until all veg are soft and the sauce has reduced and feels sticky. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir-fried sides

A stir-fry brings Asian food to mind straight away but it can belong to any cuisine. Depending on the flavours you wish to achieve and your creativity, mix any vegetables that you have at home and add relevant spices or herbs. After all, stir-frying is just a cooking technique that doesn´t call for specific products. Stir frying is fantastic as you can maintain the crunch while opening the fibre strands, making veggies easier to digest. You can either add your protein to the mix or do it separately (like a steak, for example).

Ingredients:

• Assorted vegetables of choice - you can get packaged vegetable mixes in supermarkets

• 1 heaped table spoon of coconut or olive oil

• For an Asian style stir fry: tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos, freshly chopped ginger, chopped garlic, honey

• For Mediterranean style stir-fry: salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic and basil or green or red pesto (can be vegan)

• No style, just any veg: salt, pepper, optional herbs of choice

Method:

1. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan, add vegetables

2. Immediately, add a splash of water to create steam.

3. Every now and then, move the wok or pan to dispearse the heat evenly and prevent fthe veg from burning. Add more water if needed.

4. When almost ready, add flavourings, toss and cook for an additional minute.

Avocado mousse

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados, the hass variety

• 2 egg yolks

• 5 table spoons of cacao or cocoa

• 6-8 table spoons of maple syrup

• 1/8 tea spoon of unrefined salt

• optional toppings: pomegranate seeds, fresh berries, cacao nibs, toasted nuts, salted peanut butter cream (2 table spoons of peanut butter, 4 table spoons of freshly boiled water, pinch of salt - blend until smooth. Keeps well in the fridge)

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and blend until smooth.
Makes 4 small portions but you can make it visually bigger by adding toppings. I don’t recommend more because after all, it’s fat mixed with sugar. 1/2 avocado per serving is sufficient.

Indian style lentil soup

Ingredients:

• 1- 1,5 litres of meat or vegetable stock

• 200 ml of coconut milk

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 carrots, diced

• 2 potatoes, diced

• 1/2 cups of green lentils, preferably soaked overnight or from a jar, rinsed

• 1 small bag of baby spinach or a couple of cubes of frozen spinach cubes

• 3 table spoons of tomato puree

• 1 tea spoon of each: turmeric, cumin powder, garam masala, fenugreek

• 2-3 cloves of garlic

• 2 table spoons of ghee or coconut oil

• Salt, to taste

Optional: 1 red chilli, finely sliced

Method:

1. Melt ghee or coconut oil and saute onion until brown

2. Add all spices and garlic, saute for 3 minutes

3. Stir in carrots, saute for 1 minute

4. Add stock, potatoes, lentils and tomato puree; cook for 20 minutes

5. Add coconut milk and spinach (cook until wilted or defrosted); season to taste

Porridge many ways

Porridge is the ultimate breakfast comfort food which can be made in many ways to suit everyone, even those on a grain free diet (e.g. my keto porridge). Recipes below.

The different grains:

Oats: liquid to oats ration is 2:1 or 3:1, depending on the consistency you like. Cook for 10 minutes

Quinoa, buckwheat and millet groats: liquid to grain ratio is 3:1, cook for 20 minutes and blend as these grains don create a creamy texture like oats

Grain alternatives include dessicated coconut mixed with ground nuts and chia seeds

Best liquids:

• water

• coconut milk (my favourite as it´s the most nutritious and creamy)

• almond / hazelnut / cashew milk

Porridge do´s and dont´s:

• to keep blood glucose balanced, always add a source of fat and protein to your porridge. Cinnamon helps too.

  Fat sources: a heaped table spoon of butter, ghee, coconut oil or full fat coconut milk, nuts, seeds and their butters.

  Protein sources: protein powder, 0% fat Greek yoghurt, skyr (otherwise, it’s are a source of fat more than protein). In order to use protein powder in your porridge, mix it with a little liquid first so that there are no powdery lumps, and add the mix to the porridge.

• All grains should ALWAYS be cooked in liquid and not eaten raw. Bircher muesli / overnight oats, traditional granola and regular muesli are a big no for the gut.

• Fresh fruit causes grains to ferment in the gut, especially if you suffer from digestive issues like gas, diarrhoea or constipation. Ripe fresh banana is ok but generally try and use dried or cooked fruit instead.

• The keto or butternut squash porridge will be the best choice if you suffer from poor energy and gut issues or have are on a weight loss plan.

• Skip oats if you have tendency to build mucus, phlegm, feel congested in general and feel sleepy after eating porridge.

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RECIPES

Porridge for constipation

• 1/2 cup of oats

• 1 - 1.5 cup of water (chia seeds further thicken the porridge so you may need more liquid)

• 1 table spoon of coconut oil

• 3 dried apricots or 2 table spoons of unsweetened apple sauce from a jar

• 2 tea spoons of chia seeds

• Pinch of salt

• 1/4 tea spoon of cinnamon

• Optional: coconut yoghurt and maple syrup to serve

1. Place oats in water, add chopped apricots or apple sauce. Cook for 10 minutes.

2. Add chia seeds, coconut oil and salt.

3. Top up with coconut yoghurt and maple syrup.

Coconut porridge with raspberry compote and flaked almonds

• 1/2 cup of oats

• 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water

• Pinch of salt

• 1 table spoon of coconut oil

• frozen raspberries

• a handful of flaked almonds, you can toast them beforehand

1. Cook oats in coconut milk for 10 minutes, add salt and coconut oil.

2. To make raspberry compote, cook frozen raspberries until they resemble a chunky jam. If desired, sweeten with honey or xylitol. Leftovers will keeps well in the fridge.

3. Put cooked oats in a bowl, top with hot or cold raspberry compote and sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Banana and salted peanut cream millet porridge

• 1/3 cup of millet groats

• 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water

• Salt

• 1/3 tea spoon of cinnamon

• 1 ripe banana

• Peanut butter

1. Cook miller groats in water and coconut milk for 20 minutes.

2. Mash 1/2 banana and add it to the porridge along with a pinch of salt and cinnamon.

3. To make salted peanut cream: blend or whisk well 2 table spoons of peanut butter with 4 table spoons of hot water and a pinch of salt. Keeps well in the fridge for ages.

4. Place porridge in a bowl, top with 1/2 chopped banana and drizzle with salted peanut cream.

Chocolate quinoa porridge with pears

• 1/3 cup of quinoa groats

• 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water

• 1 table spoon of cacao or cocoa powder

• pinch of salt

• a dash of honey or maple syrup

• 1 table spoon of butter or ghee

• 2 cooked pears: peel, chop and place in a pot with a little bit of liquid, cook until soft

1. Cook quinoa in water and coconut milk for 20 minutes and stir in the remaining ingredients except for pears. Blend if you prefer a creamier consistency.

2. Place in a bowl and top with cooked pears.

Keto porridge - grain free

• ¼ cup of dessicated, unsweetened coconut

• 1/3 cup of assorted nuts

• 1-2 tea spoons of chia seeds

• ½ cup of plant based milk or water, use coconut milk if on keto

• toppings of choice

1. Finely grind the nuts, chia seeds and coconut using a high speed blender or food processor. You can grind a larger amount and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Serving size is 2 table spoons.

2. Bring water or almond milk to boil.

3. Combine the nut and seed mix with the milk.

5. Enjoy with toppings of choice.

Butternut squash paleo porridge - grain free

• 500g cooked squash (roasted or steamed)

• 100ml plant based milk or water

• 2 table spoons of any nut butter

• a pinch of salt

• 1/2 tea spoon of cinnamon

• vanilla extract

1. Place the squash and water in a saucepan, heat up and mash with a fork.

2. Add nut butter, cinnamon, salt and vanilla and stir until smooth.

3. Top with coconut yoghurt and berries or anything else that you like.

Warming masala chai

Perfect for those who feel cold all the time

I know that you can buy tea bags of masala chai but fresh spices are more warming. You will feel a big difference!

Ingredients:

• 750 ml of water

• 1 tea bag of black tea or 2 tea bags of rooibos tea

• 4-5 (or all) of of the below spices, as per liking:

  • 1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 tea spoon of ground cinnamon

  • 3 cardamom pods or 1/4 tea spoon of ground cardamom

  • 2-3 cloves

  • 1-2 star anise

  • 1/2 tea spoon of fennel seeds (bonus: digestive support)

  • 3 black peppercorns

  • a large pinch of nutmeg

  • 3 slices of fresh ginger

• optional: plant based milk of choice, natural sweetener

Instructions:

1. Place spices in water and boil for 15 minutes. The heat will release the aroma and warming properties of the spices.

2. Take off the heat and add tea of choice, steep for 3 minutes.

3. Strain and pour into a large thermal flask so that you can keep drinking the hot tea all day long. You can also reheat any leftovers.

4. Pour into a cup and you can add milk of choice and sweeten with honey, maple syrup, molasses or coconut sugar.

No grain-ola (keto granola)

Ingredients

• 2 cups of roughly chopped assorted nuts (you can use food processor); if having digestive issues, soak nuts overnight and dry with a paper towel

• 1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes or desiccated coconut

• 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

• 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 cup of sesame seeds

• 1-2 tea spoon of ground cinnamon

• 7 table spoons of melted coconut oil

• Optional: vanilla essence, freeze dried strawberries or raspberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Line large baking tray with parchment paper

2. Mix nuts, seeds and cinnamon and coconut oil in a big bowl

3. Place granola on the baking tray and spread out evenly

4. Bake for 20 minutes and add coconut (if you add it at the beginning, it will burn)

5. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until it’s golden brown.

6. Let it cool completely before adding optional freeze dried berries. Store it in an airtight container. It lasts for ages so it’s worth making more in one go.

Enjoy with full fat yoghurt (e.g. probiotic coconut yoghurt) and berries.

Liver lover smoothie

A source of fat (coconut coconut oil) and piperine from cayenne pepper help with the absorption of the key active ingredient in turmeric called curcumin, which supports the first phase of detoxification by the liver. Collagen contains amino acid glycine which is key for the second phase of detoxification. Coconut oil and beetroot will help with bile flow.

Ingredients:

• Handful of fresh or frozen raspberries

• 1/2 cooked beetroot, e.g. vacuum packed (raw is very high in oxalates)

• 1 table spoon of coconut oil

• 1 serving of collagen

• 1 egg yolk (read here why I recommend raw egg yolks)

• Small piece of fresh turmeric or 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

• Water, to achieve a desired consistency

• Optional: 3 drops of rose water

Instructions:

Blend and enjoy.