savvymouse

 HEALTHY RECIPES TO MAKE YOUR MOUTH WATER....

Here is a selection of a variety of recipes and quick meals for you to choose from according to our preference.

 FRUIT SOUP:

Fruit soups might be taken at breakfast with advantage for those vegetarians that have given up on tea, coffee or dislike milk.  The recipe given her is for apple soup, but pears plums etc may be cooked in exactly the same way.

INGREDIENTS:

1lb Apples

1 qt water, sugar and flavoring

1 tablespoon of sago

METHOD:

Wash the apples and cut into quarters, but do not peel or core. Put into saucepan with the water, sugar and flavoring to taste. When sweet, ripe apples can be obtained, people with natural tastes will prefer not additions of any kind.  Otherwise, cinnamon clovers or the yellow part or lemon rind may be added. Stew the apples until soft. Strain through a sieve, rubbing the apple pulp through, but leaving the cores etc. behind. Wash the sago and add to the strained soup and the boil gently for 1hour. Stir now and then as sago is apt to stick to the pan.

LENTIL SOUP:

INGREDIENTS:

4 Breakfast - cups lentil

1 Carrot

1 Turnip

2 Onion

4 qts Water

4 Celery sticks

2 Teaspoons of herb powder

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

1 oz butter

METHOD:

Either the red, Egyptian or green lentils may be used for this soup. If the latter, soak overnight. Stew the lentils gently in the water for 2 hours, taking off any scum that rises. Well wash the vegetables, slice them and add to the soup. Stew for 2 hours more. The rub through sieve, or not, as preferred. Add the lemon juice, herb powder and butter (nut or diary), and serve.

VEGETARIAN IRISH STEW:

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb tomatoes

7 Small spanish onions

8 medium potatoes

1 oz butter or nutter

2 small Carrots or parsnips

or 1 cup of fresh green peas

METHOD:

A saucepan with a close fitting lid is needed for this stew.  Skin the tomatoes, peel and quater the onions and put them into the saucepan with the nutter and close down the lid tightly. At the end of 1 hour the tomatoes should be gently stewing in a sea of juice. Add the peeled and cut potatoes. And if season the peas as well. Cook for another hour. If carrot or parsnip is used as the added vegetable peel and cut and added to the onions. When done the onions and potatoes are quite soft.

Note that the onions and tomatoes should be actually stewing when the potatoes are added as the latter cooks from the steam arising from the former. Consequently they should be laid on top of the onions and not mixed.  Never cook to quickly (rather longer) or the juice will dry up and burn. The slow heat is the most important.

CUCUMBER:

Although not generally cooked, this very good steamed and served with a white sauce.

BUBBLE AND SQUEAK:

Mix cold mashed potatoes with  any cold green vegetable, Heat in a frying pan with little butter.

VEGETABLE STEW:

1-1/2 lb (when prepared and cut up) of mixed seasonal vegetables including when possible, tomatoes, celery and spinach. One tablespoon of water. 

Cut up the moist and juicy vegetables like such as spinach, celery, onions, tomatoes place then with the water in a casserole, put lid on and slowly cook for 1 hour until enough juice is extracted safely, add the rest of the cut up vegetables. The whole should be placed in a slightly greater heat and simmered until the last added vegetables are tender. The mixture should be occasionally stirred with a wooded spoon.

SPICY TOMATO SOUP

Cooking Time: 25 minutes          Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 Chopped Onion

1tbsp medium curry paste

250g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

225g French Beans

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes with herbs

600ml hot vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to season

Ready-made croutons, 2tsp creme fraiche and coriander leaves to serve

METHOD:

Heat a non-stick saucepan and dry fry the onion until softened. Stir in the curry paste and add the chick peas, French beans and chopped tomatoes.

Add the vegetable stock and stir. Season and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the soup and allow to cool for five minutes.

Blend soup with a hand blender or food processor and serve with the croutons and creme fraiche, plus coriander to garnish.

SMOOTHIE STRESS REDUCER

Whizz together  in blender a2 tablespoons of natural yogurt, a tablespoon of oats, a tablespoon of sesame seeds, half a banana, a tablespoon of honey and a glug of apple juice.

BENEFITS: The tryptophan in yogurt will help your body produce serotonin, the happy hormone. Oats have been used for centuries to calm anxiety, honey provides a tasty energy lift and sesame seeds sort out your stress response.

FRUIT SMOOTHIE

Blend 1 small mango with 75g strawberries, 200ml skimmed milk and 1 pot of  fat-free strawberry yogurt.

PASSION YOGURT

Stir the seeds of 2 passion fruit and 2tbsp lemon curd into 1 small pot low-fat fromage frais.

SEASONAL SMOOTHIE

Blend 1 handful of cranberries with 1 sweet apple, 1 pot of fat-free raspberry yoghurt and 100ml apple juice. Plus 1 small banana and 1 satsuma.

TASTY AND QUICK MEALS/RECIPES

BANANA TOAST

1 Slice of wholemeal toast spread with mashed banana. Plus 1 Nectarine and 1 Small glass fruit Juice

(Bananas fill you up and are rich in potassium, manganese and B6)

FESTIVE FRUIT SALAD AND FROMAGE FRAIS

Fruit salad made from 1 satsuma, 1 pear, 1 apple, 2 dried dates, 2 tsps dried cranberries and 1 tbsp flaked almonds. Serve with 6tbsps fat-free fromage frais and 1 tsp honey.

NUT CAKES

2 Rice cakes with tsp peanut butter. Plus 1 pot fat-free yogurt and 1 small glass fruit juice.

MUSHROOM AND PASTA SALAD

Cook 40g pasta twists. heat 1 tsp vegetable oil, add 2 thinly slice spring onions and 50g sliced button mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add zest and juice of a 1/2 lemon and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add to drained pasta and stir in 3 tbsp reduced-fat-creme fraiche.

BROCCOLI AND PESTO PASTA

Mix 7tbsps cooked wholewheat pasta with steamed broccoli, 3 tbsps sweetcorn, black pepper and 1 tbsp green pesto. Serve with Parmesan cheese and salad.

TUNA AND PESTO WARM POTATO SALAD

Mix 1 small can tuna in water with 6 new potatoes boiled in their skins, baby spinach and 1 tbsp green pesto. Serve with salad. Plus 1 kiwi fruit.

HUMMUS by Carmen Niehaus

Hummus made with chickpeas is a delicious spread with pitta bread.

Drain 2 cans of chickpeas and put them in a food processor. Add 3 cloves crushed garlic and a handful of toasted sesame seeds. Process until smooth. Add a pinch of cumin, 60ml olive oil and the rind and juice of 1 lemon. process until the mixture forms a spreadable paste and serve with fresh pitta bread or crackers.

VEGGIE SPUD: (Filling Lunch)

1 medium-sized jacket potato with ratarouille and salad.

FAST FACT

Almost 99% of bacteria, parasites and viruses on a sponge can be eradicated by microwaving it for two minutes - study by the University of Florida in the US.

GOOD-MOOD FOODS

• OATS are a great source of vitamin B, which boosts serotonin
• CHOCOLATE increases the body's production of endorphins.
• CHICKPEAS contain tryptophan, an amino acid that increases the brain's good-mood chemicals.
• POTATOES -both sweet and regular - contain folic acid and zinc, both of which have mood-boosting properties.